Still Better Than SIMM

Won't lie, this was a bit of a letdown, and even possibly a bit of a disappointment, but still, it's better than whatever the hell SIMM was. I think this series focused too much on the wrong things, formulating a tedious and sometimes irrelevant story. We also focused in some parts on characters that were the very least of my worries instead of characters I'd like to hear more from. Everyone is comparing this to 1000 Stars (which lies untouched and is still credited as the best GMMTV BL in my book), and of course, it follows a similar format with the countryside and a rich guy navigating his way through rural Thailand, but I think this will be the new norm of BL -- countryside love stories.

Let's Dive In.

SIYH is about Fah, a busy doctor who gets himself in trouble, and to correct his mistake, he's led to the countryside of Thailand with his other two friends to take care of the village. There, he meets Prince, a secret Prince who works as the local teacher. There, they meet, they get closer with a few other complications, and the end. We also get other storylines that were so irrelevant to the plot and move nothing further along, which is why this series is kind of at a standstill for me.

For one, we're introduced to Yaya, the village chief's daughter, who grows a very quick crush on Fah and is all-around boy-crazy. We get an entire episode dedicated to her and being put in an arranged marriage. Bad? Yes. But do I care? No. And that's mostly due to the screenwriters making her so irritating and obnoxious that you can't care. Instead, they could've given us more Mesa, more JJ, or Prince and Fah. The same can be said for Toptap's character. Although I love him to death, he just wasn't needed. He was the very low-key jealousy that happened between Prince and Fah for just a little bit until one episode, it just felt like he disappeared, and considering that he didn't even show up until a few episodes after the first is a bit sad on TopTap's part. Same with Aun's character who was just vicious but with little story to back it up. These were the irrelevant parts I was talking about. Did it help to get our mains closer? Maybe, but there were other ways they could've done it that didn't make me want to ff.

Overall, the script could've been much cleaner and more precise. They choose a beautiful setting to shoot in and I feel like they didn't utilize it quite enough. They also had so much story to work with and they just chose all the wrong choices. The story grows boring somewhere in the middle, making it quite hard to want to watch. We get a lot of nonsense with Pince who falls randomly ill like 3-4 times and only because there was nothing else the writers could come up with. This is where I can draw similarities to 1000 Stars, but it's still its own series. I think we'll be seeing a lot more countryside-type BLs, but that doesn't mean we keep claiming them as rip-offs of 1000 Stars. It's like me calling every engineering BL a rip-off of SOTUS, but we don't do that simply because engineering BLs have become the norm, or in some way or another, the story switches it up to make it as unique as they can get it. That's what I get from SIYH, switching up a story that's probably going to continue to be overused and oversaturated give or take a few years.

Onto the romance, I was really intrigued with them in the first few episodes. Like, close to obsessed. I love the flirty/stubborn dynamic and this couple had it. Prince had very mini gay panic attacks anytime Fah did something flirtatious, but still he'd push those feelings aside to shoo the doctor away. And of course, he didn't stop trying. I talked a little about how their first kiss was very hesitant and gentle, kind of like a trial kiss, and that the others would be a lot more complex and deep, which I was right about. Now, their kiss scenes could've been better, but I've seen worse, so I'll let it pass. I think their chemistry really helped this series from being dropped, not only by me but by many. There were times when it could've been better, but for the most part, it was executed pretty well. Anytime they were on the mountain moon bathing their rocks or even when Fah visited Prince's hometown was when I knew this series was still worth watching. I think it would've even been better had they cut out most of the conflict and made this just a cute everything-is-perfect-and-nothing-can-go-wrong type plot.

But one romance I didn't feel the need to see was Duao and Kluen. They felt unnecessary to see each episode, (Fah calling Duao was fine, but it was the dialogue between him and Kluen that was just wasting time), especially with no progression in their love lives and seeing Duao decline Kluen's offers to kiss or do more with him even though they've been dating for a while now and it's just not ordinary for a couple like them to never progress. And if I had to hear Joong sniff Dunk's cheek one more time instead of just actually kissing it, then I don't think I could make it.

I wished we would've gotten more Mesa and JJ because they did so excellent in this. MIke never fails when it comes to being comedic, even when he's not even trying. Which is why I'm curious what his series with Krist will look like since it looks to be a bit serious. This is my first time seeing Arm in a GMMTV series (He was in Waterboyy and Our Skyy but I don't remember him at all) and he did so well. I was thinking the writers were trying to pair him and JJ up, but nothing. We couldn't get them and we couldn't get Mike and TopTap either. What a shame. The rest of the supporting characters did well. The kids were really precious in this too.

Ratings:

Story: 7 - still better the very mediocre plot that was SIMM. It had a bit more action and overall, Fah and Prince were enjoyable to watch together. I think other plots were pretty irrelevant and could've been unadded so we could get more time with the characters that mattered. I'll take 2 stars off for that and one for it sometimes going flat with no actual plot going on.

Acting - 8.5 - I think everyone did really well, especially Fah. Mark still wasn't 100% there for me. There were parts where he did excellent and other parts he lacked a lot in. Arm and Mike did really well too. Everyone else played their part well.

Music: 5 - Pretty basic and nothing extraordinary.

Rewatch Value: 3 - I could go back to watch complications of them, but not much else than that.

Excited to see this special episode next week. Hopefully, we get some loose ends tied tightly and see good progress with these characters. SIYH was a nice watch, could sometimes get a bit boring, but nonetheless, I enjoyed watching these two. I enjoyed them so much that I wouldn't mind seeing them in another BL paired together.

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It's a Meh

When I first started this series, I was obsessed. I have a thing for friends to lovers, and it just screams off the screen as soon as you tune in. The real problem with this series, however, is that it's slow, and as the series progresses, it becomes so freaking boring. I was very close to dropping this, and not because it's bad but specifically because it lingers on for more time than need be. They could've cut out the last two episodes and this series still would've sufficed. Plus and Minus is another good Tawinese BL, but it could be better if they just cut it in half.

Let's Dive In.

Plus and minus is the story of two best friends that each love each other without the other one knowing, oh, and they're also lawyers. We also have the story of a dry cleaning owner and a beautiful bartender. This is pretty vague, but this is really just the story in one point.

Obviously, things end happily ever after, but there is so much added in the middle that's just not needed. Like random turmoil that causes them to break up and then get back together within a flash. Everything is so well done from episodes 1-8 and then after that, it slows and becomes tedious to get through. especially the last two episodes.

The lead's story is very interesting in the beginning. You can see through their eyes just how much they have loved each other, and even how long they've loved each other. They had plenty of good moments together that just added to the intensity of their situation. I also love the implication of the plus and the minus keychains, it's literally just the cutest thing ever. But the problem I have with them is the weird conflicts that seemed to get in their way. Like how Li Gong finally admits his feelings, and Ze Shou feels the same way but for some reason chooses not to? And then their sudden break-up and get back together? It was just too many irrelevant problems that the writers threw in because they couldn't find a conflict between two people that have always loved each other and are now just realizing it. Anyways, aside from this, I really enjoyed them. Some things were just so freaking boring (like when they would get into lawyer mode) but others were nice. Ze Shou was very out-going and charismatic while Li Gong was studious and serious. I enjoyed them at best and wouldn't mind seeing them as another Tawinese BL cameo.

Yuki and Ying Ze's story was so precious, especially when you add his daughter into the mix. They gave us that very domestic/homey feel that the series needed, and I loved it. From beginning to the end, I was pretty much sold on this couple. I loved how Yuki had no problem with flirting and being open about how we felt and watched Ying Ze be nervous and shy. I don't like how somewhere in between they rush their whole relationship, but other than that, I was here for them (Their kisses?? Oh my god?).

I feel like nothing else in this series was of much importance. The dad of Ze Shou is annoying, low-key the sister is too. I can't remember the other's name, but they only add on more time to this very tedious watch. I'll give Ling Ling a pass though, cause she was brilliant and adorable.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5 - Good in the beginning, but boring after episode 8. The conflicts just aren't conflictual enough. I practically sped through the few last eps because I had been putting this off for weeks, but I hurried and finished it. Yuki and Ying Ze were fun, so I'll give them most of the credit for the 7.5 stars.

Actings - 8: Good. Qi Lei was a little dry at times and was really the only one who was noticeably not all that good (but he was beautiful) Still, it doesn't take me away from the story which is the important part. Everyone else did a great job.

Music: 9 - Very addicting and gets stuck in your head. I loved the melody and the lyrics.

rewatch Value: 2 - Ehh, probably not.

I recommend this to anyone that has an admiration for Taiwanese BLs, but other than that, Nah. This is a serious letdown since I ADORED DNA Says Love You, but whatever. The wedding does help with adding some type of hype for the ending but it still doesn't justify the unnecessary shit that just spills out in this series. Watch it if you want, or don't.

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No Purpose in this Show's Existence

I honestly don't know what to review because, at the end of the day, most of this series was pointless and served no real purpose by the end. it was a show within a show, which is why I'm not always the biggest fan of these types of plots. Because now, the conflicts and everything else that we were watching doesn't matter because it was fictional in their world. By the end, we see that Guy and Jing are actually in a perfectly healthy relationship and nothing conflicting was going on at all. That's My Candy had two of my favorite BL actors and was complete trash and a waste of valuable watch time.

Let's Dive in.

The first episode was promising, a bit weird, but I can usually get over that aspect as long as I see other elements in the show that has potential, but every episode after was just a huge bummer. That's My Candy is about a couple who's been dating for some years, and have trouble with spending time together because one of them is an ER nurse, who's constantly on the go. So the one who seems to have no life breaks up with busy boy and then that busy boy is given magical candy that can grant any of his wishes. Now I could go full depth into the real problems of this series; incoherentness, confusing plot, aggravating characters, and bad communication, but I'd be wasting my time because it doesn't matter. We find out the whole thing is just Jing's school film project, and in reality, these people are normal human beings with healthy relationship statuses.

But let's pretend it wasn't fake this entire time, and get into the root of the problem. If this was the real jIng, then he is a walking red flag. Knowing damn well his boyfriend is an ER nurse who is constantly on call and having to work and instead is so condescending that at one point he makes Guy choose between a person who's passed out or him. On top of that, they break up and get back together way too many times for me to give a damn by the end. So many misunderstandings and miscommunications that I could write a whole page on it. Overall, the professor should only give them a 3 on this movie, one point for Viking/Tamtam, one point for Kana, and the last one because Kim and Copter know how to kiss.

The acting was just weird in this. For one, there were way too many characters that could've been easily removed because I don't even remember half of them. Most of the acting isn't bad, it's just this script sucked ass. I'm usually okay with nonsense and cringe as long as it's intended to be that way and the acting is strong enough to do it successfully, like in SCOY, but this was just worthless ridiculousness. So many unnecessary "funny" moments that made me centimeters away from dropping this. The only reason I didn't is because I love Kim and Copter with all of me. I just beg that the next time I see them, they can be in something not so slapstick comedy. Something serious, and complex, and deep. Because they have the ability to do that, but no one has given them the option to do so.

Rating;

Story: 3 - Utter trash and irrelevant by the end. Viking and Tamtam's story was a bit fun to watch. I also rooted for Jing and Kana at some point, but my hatred for Jing took over and I didn't care for them at all. The plot and everything in it are worthless. I'll give it 2 stars because of KimCop and another for Viking/TamTam.

Acting: 7.5 - Not terrible, just weird, and because of that, the actor's acting came off as kind of bad. Also, way too many characters that I just don't care about. Kim and Copter did well, but I know with a better series, they could've been superb. I'll give it 4 for KimCop, 2 for the supporting roles because it was as good as it could be, and 1.5 because at some point I got to see Pak's abs and god lord.

Music: 7.5 - quite decent. I enjoyed it more than the story itself.

Rewatch value: 1 - If pigs fly.

Just bad. Bad. bad. bad. I wanted to give some leeway because it is KimCop, but not even they could do the series for me. The ending is cute, just because we see them together and being healthy and happy. They have some very cute moments, but you can skip this series and just watch it somewhere on YT I'm sure.

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..?

I felt like I was a Charlie Brown character and the entire time I was watching this, they only spoke in, "Wah wah woh wah wah," language. This was weird to me because the premise is pretty interesting, except its execution was unsatisfactory; actually, the entire series was just a big tumbleweed going across the road. Where is it going? And where did it come from?

Let's Dive In.

I'm surprised I'm only just now hearing about this series that ended earlier this year, but I had only heard of it because of my Korean BL endeavor on Viki, and I came across this series (it was also advertised IMMENSELY in the Oh Boarding House series, along with TWY). The story is about an ambitious fashion designer whose incidental run-in with a delivery worker causes them to interact and eventually, said fashion designer hires the young stud to be his leading model. But of course, it wouldn't be a Korean drama without adding a random ass third wheel into the equation (I don't call it a love triangle unless the lead also romantically likes the third option). for once I didn't get second lead syndrome, mostly because I was trying to keep up with what was going on.

What I did like: Love the father-son dynamic. It was the highlight of the entire series, just seeing a healthy familial relationship that wasn't full of toxic masculinity or an overbearing parent. Just a dude and his dad who had deep and important conversations with one another, while they both had an inside joke about the missing mom. I loved it. I want to see more of this in BLs. Let's get rid of the sorrowful dads and bring in more Yeong Woo's dads.

The production was pretty nice. Nothing outstanding, but definitely a lot better than the story it was trying to tell. The music was also something I could come around to appreciate.

It didn't hurt that the main leads were beautiful. Especially Se Ung who legit, and no pun intended, looked like he walked out of a Calvin Klein catalog. I wouldn't be surprised if they asked a model agency for their prettiest male with decent acting skills.

What I didn't like: I didn't necessarily hate the storyline, except, it didn't make any sense. There were parts where I swear the editor forgot to add in an entire plot. I couldn't feel for Yi Bin mostly because I didn't understand his sob story, or why in particular it had anything to do with the plot. The conflict is just super messy too, and not all that comprehensible. One minute they're crying, and the next, everything is fine? And it's happily ever after? Different, very different.

Some parts were kind of boring. You would think in a series that only had a 15-minute run time for 8 episodes, it would follow along with a plot cause it wouldn't have much time to sway, but there were times I had to FF to get through some very tedious talking scenes. Not good for a series that ran for less than about 2 hours.

The connection between the leads is just not there. Sure, Yeong Woo has very soft eyes and a bright smile, and Ki Jin has this attitude that is pretty radiant, but nothing about this pair screams, "Omg, what a beautiful romance". If anything, they got boring towards the end. They had one decent kiss (the first one kind of chaste) and yes, seeing two beautiful men pretending to be in love never hurts, but god, can it be mind-numbing.

Ratings:

Story: 5 - What story? If you can read the synopsis and guess what happens next, then 9 out of 10, you're correct. On top of being not a good story, it's annoyingly predictable. I'm giving 3 stars to the father-son dynamic and 2 towards Se Ung's abs.

Acting: 8.5. - The only part that didn't pretty much suck. Everyone could use improvement, but nothing too severely bad. The dad was by far my favorite.

Music: 8.5 - I really enjoyed the music. Another great aspect of the series.

Rewatch value: 1 - No. No further explanation is needed.

Give this series a shot if you want to, but don't worry, you're not missing out on much. I can only recommend this cause Se Ung's body is really something else, and I think others should be able to enjoy it as well.

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My Little Pleasant Surprise

I waited to binge-watch You're My Sky because I knew it would be one of those series that would just be better with one sitting, and I wasn't wrong. I went in with little expectations since I wanted to be fully surprised by all aspects, including all of the couples and their circumstances, so I went in without reading the synopsis or understanding the concept of this BL, and my only knowledge was that basketball was involved. And I fucking loved it. I loved this series why more than I thought I was going to, especially with me going into this with little to no idea what it was. But each couple brought about strong on-screen dynamics with perfect combability that their relationship were believable. To add on, the cinematography is by far my favorite of 2022.

Let's Dive In.

The easiest way to describe YMS is by saying it's a uni-story, but one, in particular, that didn't feel the same as the others. We have three completely different couples that go through their own conflicts and by the end, it's a somewhat happy ending for all. What makes this feel so unique in and of itself is simply the cinematography. It reminded me a lot of ITSAY and IPYTM, not in the same aspect of the story, but cinematically wise, it was astounding. The colors used, the way lighting played an important role, and the settings have such a homey feel to them -- it all equaled up to an amazing watch that made the series 10 times more exciting.


Again, I loved the cinematography. Had this series been filmed in the regular Thai-BL style, I don't think I would've liked it nearly as much as I do. There was just a way the story was told that was an absolute joy to watch. I liked the dim lighting that we see throughout the series, it just brings out a central feel that made it feel so authentic. At some point in the series, we see the framing chance so the intensity of a basketball game can be lifted, and I freaking adored it. The settings were so nice, especially the outside basketball court by the river, cause at night, it had a solemn and romantic feel that made Tuphah and Thorn's scenes appear more sensual. Even their first kiss illuminated by the street light and the bit coming from Thorn's house was so sensual and relaxing. I'm not even a big fan of basketball or sport BLs in general, but these scenes were shot to actual perfection. They imitated the feel of the game, and the intensity (even without an audience) in such a way that you find yourself wanting more. It also was a delight to see that the actors were actually playing basketball and doing it decently. Of course, it wasn't perfect, but they rebounded, went for a layup, did cool dribbling moves on the court, showed actual basketball techniques and skills that really impressed me. Same with the track scenes. I adored that we can see the way Vee gets in his head and the use of track to make things feel more elevated. Again, they use actual relay techniques like calling for the baton, practicing the way they hand it off, and everything else that goes with track and field. Production was by far the best thing about YMS, there were plenty of ridiculous product placements, but I'm willing to look pasted that.

Getting into what I loved and didn't like about each couple:

Dome and Vee: I appreciated their dynamic for sure. Vee is kind of a tease who indirectly flirts with Dome and they end up having this strong connection. Dome's actor plays his expressions perfectly in his eyes, and it feels so intense when we see him looking at Vee, whether directly into his eyes or when Vee's not looking. It's very sensual with this couple, and only because that's all it can be since Dome is Vee's sister's boyfriend. The director plays with the impact of touch perfectly. We feel that sense of attractiveness through Dome giving him back rubs, and when Vee is massaging his legs. It's the same attraction when they make sacred eye contact and don't look away, it gives way to such a vibrant aura that it's hard not to want them to be together. While I'm no fan of cheating, I appreciate it in film and tv just because it is a realistic aspect of some relationships, and I can always appreciate realism. Out of every cheating plot I've seen, this one was handled with the utmost respect and delicateness, just because cheating actually never occurs, and is more of a conscious type feel. They don't have any physical intimacy until Dome breaks up with Pan, and while they do admit their feelings for one another before the breakup, it feels more like disloyalty (still not a good thing, but still not cheating). Pan's actor is fantastic, and the scene when she admits to Vee that she saw them kissing was very strong in emotion. It's a heavy topic and of course, she eventually forgives her brother since she can't just never talk to him again. Dome and Vee ended in the most realistic way possible, by keeping things neutral between the both of them, and agreeing to take things one step at a time. I really had no problem with this couple, of course, it's not good to cheat on your girlfriend, especially with her brother, but it was handled in a way that I rarely see in BL and had to be one of the best cheating storylines I've encountered. It's no wonder why this couple was a fan favorite.

Aii and Saen: I'm a sucker for grouchy uke who's either oblivious or ignoring the other's advances towards them, and the overly flirtatious or bubbly Seme who falls first in the relationship (Ex: MingKit, LeonPhob, MeenDuean, GavCai, SkyJao), and these two fit right into that category. I liked how Saen wasn't afraid to flirt and be honest with his feelings for Aii right off the bat. Aii saw it as teasing at first, but eventually, he was on board. The trip to Saen's grandma's house was precious. The delicate way that Saen explains he wants to kiss Aii and Aii being super nervous but allows him to do it. It was perfect, and while I wouldn't have wanted that to be their first time, it was still was really nice. Aii gets the chance to travel to Japan but he debates within himself whether to go or not since he doesn't want to leave Saen and their relationship behind. Which brings me to the point of what kept annoying me with this couple. The problem with the long-distance should've been one singular conflict and been resolved only once. Instead, it is resolved only to be a problem again and it's repeated a few times. Either go or stay, but this shouldn't have to be the repeating disruption in their relationship. I would've also liked it if they had more time to get to know each other, cause I can somewhat believe their feelings for one another, but they get together in such a quick instance that it's difficult to believe they're in love. This couple just needed a few touchups, but for the most part, I enjoyed them. Saen was the freaking cutest and watching Aii just slowly start to fall for him, or when we see him admitting his feelings is the best part of it all.

Tupfah and Torn: This was the best couple out of them all. While they did have plenty of problems, it was still a really good story. I love a good friends-to-lovers trope, and they did perfectly at implementing it. It took Tupfah longer to realize his feelings, but as we see him going through the process of doing so, it's fucking adorable. Their first kiss in front of Torn's house is perfection. They kiss once, and it's very shy as they just go for it, but when Tupfah leans in again, it becomes hot and heavy. And they have a couple other intimate scenes that are planned out accordingly and executed perfectly. I don't mind that at a point, Torn becomes a villain and kind of terrorizes the team because he becomes involved with the bad coach's morals, but it's honestly the best way to show that he was hurting. I think that part of his redemption arc might've been handled too quickly. I wanted to see his action have some actual consequences, but whatever, it's fine with what we get. I agree with others that Tae wasn't the best as Tupfah, but he did okay. There were some times when I wanted him to bring about a stronger performance, but it wasn't so bad that it was unwatchable. He's definitely a lot better than he was in Y-destiny by a longshot. They had the best story, development-wise, and I liked seeing their dynamic as children compared to when they're in college. I love the inside quote of the "go or no go", and it's placed in points in the story that makes it seem more valuable and important. Their chemistry faltered at times, but by the end, it was stellar.

Some other things:

I loved the portrayal of the trans character, and how the director didn't utilize him as a blowoff character, or someone that was to be silly or creepy. He instead helps Tupfah with his feelings, and we get a pretty emotional confession of his feelings and how grateful he was for the team and the coach.

The first time jump was terribly executed. It took a while for me to even realize that a time jump had happened since it's never really said and just implied. There needed to be some indication to the audience that time had passed, or things just got rather confusing.

I think this series could've wrapped up nicely at 10 episodes, and I would've for sure given it a 10 rating, but the extraness that is brought about in the last two is irrelevant. It felt like the screenwriter had ended it at 10, and then forgot they had two episodes left, so they added more and more conflict that was just unnecessary. Like how Aii and Saen's situation was handled just to become a problem again out of the blue when it was already resolved. It's kind of the same with Tupfah and Torn with their little quarrel at the end.

Ratings:

Story: 8 - I really liked the main couple's story. The basketball scenes were done very nicely. The other couples were enjoyable. I'll take two stars off since I firmly believe this could've ended in 10 episodes.

Acting: 9 - Everyone did a really good job. I think that Tae and Tupah's little brother's actor were the weakest links, but it wasn't so bad that it wasn't enjoyable. I'll take one star off for that.

Music: 8.5 - I really liked it. It went well with the tone of the series, and I enjoyed listening to it. I also liked the music choices used throughout this series, like when something bad was happening or about to happen, we hear this booming type of music, and the editors did a perfect job of choosing songs.

Rewatch value: 3: I would for sure go back to rewatch some scenes that gave me butterflies and made me all gushy.

Overall, this is a very nice BL. It seems to be a bit underrated since I don't see it talked about nearly enough, so I hope more people can come around to watching it.

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Wash Away Your Negative Body-Swap Ideations

I remember watching the trailer after the 2022 line-up and thinking, "this is how they're going to utilize this trending pair? In a god-damn body-swap BL??!" and this was right before I saw the masterpiece that was the Moonlight Chicken trailer. It was already so bizarre to me that Earth and Mix were getting two of their own series in just a year, and it also caused a little bit of fret since I, with no doubt, adored them in ATOTS and was concerned that them playing different characters would ultimately ruin their dynamic. They're so good in one thing that you hold up this high expectation for them in another, and while I won't say I loved this on the same terms as much as I love ATOTS, I for sure wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did.

Let's Dive In.

I went into this with very low expectations, since I was so ready to just be fundamentally let down, and I did that so that I wouldn't draw any lost hope. I'm happy that most of what I was expecting didn't happen, but then, of course, there were some other things I wasn't so fond of. Cupid's Last Wish is the story about Win and his family as they go through a great loss of losing their father and gaining his inheritance, including the family-owned farm. When Win founds out that his childhood friend has a part of his father's inheritance, he feels betrayed and like Korn was using his family. A year passed, Win finds out his sister was still in contact with Korn, and because of that, he storms off with her in tow, and sadly, they get into an accident, causing them to switch bodies. Win is given this task to find holy waters to return to his original body, causing this frenzied adventure, with Win being reminded how much he loves Korn, and by the time he gets back to his body, there's a little turmoil, but it's a happy ending. Genuinely, I think this was the best handle of a body switch in BL, and mind you, I was a die-hard fan of Great Men Academy (not a body switch, more like a body metamorphosis, but still). It didn't have any of the pathetic tropes that come with switching bodies, like the underlying, "I'm a guy but in a girl's body so it's okay for me to be in love with you." or, "I'm a girl in a guy's body which makes it technically okay for me to love you since I have the soul of a female". I worried that because this series had the same director as FUTS, it would be a total abomination, but I can say, this series is a knee-kicker compared to the disaster (excluding Meen and Duean (but not that kiss, ewe)) that was Fish Upon The Sky.

What could've been a lot better: The entirely of the conflict is just one big misunderstanding, and the problem with everything and everyone is not having decent communication skills. Of course, if communication were present, this series would only last maybe two episodes, but it's so daunting to watch everything spiral out of control when someone could've just spoken up and the situation would've been resolved. You could tell in the first episode that Korn wasn't doing anything that Win was accusing him of, and it's dragged on for too long, only to be made clear in the last freaking episode. I could've told you that! Also, I don't like how Lin just went along with getting engaged to Korn without even explaining the plan to Korn in the hopes that Win would speak up before they actually did get engaged. It's so mindless and stupid, what were the writers even thinking, and who thought this was a masterpiece of an idea??! Again, communication is so lacking, and I'm tired of watching BLs where their entire plot is ran off of human beings that don't know how to talk to one another.

This might've been a translation error, or maybe a culturally different custom, but in episode 9, Lin's mom asked Korn if he, "took advantage of her", in which he explains he did, but with his true feelings. Huh? Korn never, not even once, takes advantage of "Lin" (in my perspective of taking advantage of someone, it's taking their vulnerability or naiveness and using it to someone's advantage, physically, emotionally, mentally, and in most cases, sexually), nor did he ever do something for the likes of himself because of his "true feelings". Again, it threw me completely off my wagon, and I was hella confused. It made the conversation icky, and I know I felt icky thinking he would of course say no, but then says yes, and you just kind of want to vomit a bit in your mouth. I don't know if "taking advantage" has a different meaning in Thailand or culture-wise, but I know it through me for a loop.

Everyone knows that I love Mix, and I was so proud of him for being a rookie actor and giving us the performance he does in ATOTS, but here, his acting felt weak in a lot of spots. When he was goofy around with Korn, it's great, having heart-to-heart talks were great, the chemistry between them was off the charts, but in the scene where he was seemingly angry, I felt like it was severely weak, and it's really just him shouting with no desire behind it. Even in episode one, he's just shouting and yelling with such a monotone face. It's hard for you to play into his feelings, and you kind of just turn the volume down to save yourself from second-hand embarrassment. I wanted him to talk sternly and with emotion behind his voice when he was mad, not just yell in Earth's face.

Lastly, I wish that Korn was the only one that could actually see Win as himself, even in Lin's body. I wish that the Monk would've secretly told Korn that he was the only one that could see Win as his true form, and while Win is freaking out that Korn is only getting close to him cause he looked like Lin, it would be revealed that Korn never saw Lin and only saw Win, as he was before the accident. It would've made for a pretty good twist, and I was kind of waiting for it to happen, but then it never did, and again I had hope for something that went crashing. Because, sure, you're supposed to fall in love with somebody's soul and not care what they look like, but falling in love with someone also plays a part in falling in love with their appearance. So it's nice when Korn and "Win" kiss for the first time, but you can't help but think that's he's kissing "Lin", and while she might not be her actual self, it's still her body. I don't know, I wish they would've held off on the first kiss after Win returned to his body, but it was a really nice kiss, so who am I to complain?

What I liked: This kind of ties into why I like Great Men Academy so much, but I loved watching Win experience what it's like to be a woman. By far the funniest episode is the one where Win experiences a menstrual cycle and goes through the trials and tribulations of PMSing. Now, sure, most of it was exaggerated, but it was still fun to see. Even Korn trying to buy pads was just cracking me up. Because, if body-switching were a real thing, I believe it would be similar to what happens in tv series.

The chemistry between Mix and Earth is so much more poignant in CLW than it ever was in ATOTS. And I appreciate that we obviously see that they have feelings for one another before the switch happens, and it's even better after he switches back. They just give each other this look that is so vivid that you just gain butterflies at the sight of it. By episode 10, their chemistry is unmatched. The softness in their voices as they speak to one another, them kind of just being them for a moment and playing around in the bed, gosh I loved it all. It also didn't hurt that their make-out sessions were very intimate and sexy. Like literally I was shook watching them kiss, especially when you think back to their one and only kiss in ATOTS. Them boys got some mouths on them.

I loved seeing Jan again since FUTS (or at least that's the last time I remember her). She is such a versatile actor from playing a cute and shy girl to being tough once playing as Win. I really do hope to see her in more projects. It was also really nice to see Gun since the last time I saw him was Tonhon Chonlatee. Champ was so cute with his little curly hair, and It was nice to see him again, I'll always take my chances to see him again. White was adorable in those glasses, and while he and Lin end up together in the last episode, I would've liked to see them have that connection throughout the series. Na who plays the chef that has a crush on Korn is ridiculously handsome -- just throwing that out there.

The scenery was beautiful. the large oak tree that they sat under was mesmerizing, and I loved every second of it. I know some people were complaining about the color grading in the series on Disney+, and I can't make too much of a comment on that since I watched this through DC, but It does look fundamentally better on YouTube, so I'll give it that.

Rating:

Story: 8.5 - I liked watching "Win" and Korn go through their little adventure to get where they needed to be. The story was fun and a bit refreshing, but I'll take a star and half off for all the miscommunication errors that could've been easily avoided.

Acting: 9.0 - The acting was really good. Jan stood out to me the most, and Earth wasn't much far behind her. The mom was decent, but she struggled to cry. Mix was really good when he wasn't having to be mad. White and the rest of them were decent too. I'll take a star off for the struggle to show the emotional parts the characters went through.

Music: 5.5 - had a nice upbeat to it, but ATOTS is much more memorable. Cute songs though.

Rewatch Value: 2.5: I can see myself rewatching this series while it airs on Youtube, so that counts as a rewatch.

Overall, this might have been a body swap, but it's handled with much care. The director at least knew to switch between Lin and Win during their adventures, so it doesn't feel off (even though when Win gets back into his body, it's a little lackluster since we've pretty much seen him the entire time). I highly recommend this, it's super cute, super fun, and I can't wait to see Earth and Mix again.

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Still My Feel-Good Series

Wow, what a series. Kind of like I said with the first season, this would've been top tier back in 2016-2017. The series everyone was talking about, everyone was analyzing, critiquing, fangirling over. But we've moved on from that, we've BEEN moved on from that. Now we have complex character arcs, well-written on-screen romances, a great representation of a true gay love story, and creative new ways to tell these loves stories of men-loving men. But this is just down-the-drain bad. This is my feel-good series, and I can't even try and dig it out of the hole it kept digging itself in. Gen Y 2 is a laughable catastrophe of season one. So much happens, and yet nothing does. we get forced character redemptions. lacking romances, bullshit conflicts, and embarrassing forbidden kisses.

Let's Dive In.

Gen Y 2 is the sequel to the first Gen Y, which wasn't anything masterful -- oh nothing of the sort ---- but it was at least, entertaining. With this season, we get pretty much nothing. Again, we get this dream-like filter over all the actors that make them look so fake, and it's already something that hurts my conscience. On top of that, this season just felt off. Not something I could quite put my tongue on, but it was pretty telling.

Let's just roll into the real problem. Every single couple. Mark and kit get into a bullshitty rule about being apart, which causes them to not even have any scenes together for half the series. It was such a sad conflict cause Mark and Kit are what really make this series, so when they couldn't even be together half of it, you could feel like things were falling apart. But when they were together, I loved them. Yes, some kisses were *gag noises* but damn, the character development of Kit was surprising. I loved how he had trouble explaining how much he loved Mark, and by the end, he has no trouble saying it, showing it, literally marinating in it. I appreciate Copter and Kimmon. If we do see more of them, they're going to have to be in something that really showcases their acting abilities. I'm thinking something as deep as Manner of Death. No more stoic Copter and bubbly Kimmon. Give me something raw, conflicting, dramatic. That's what I want.

Onto Thanu and Wayu. Closer to the end, I did really enjoy them (I mean the literal last few episodes). Before then, it felt to come-and-chase-me, and it was tiresome. on top of that, Dun is the flattest actor I've ever seen. I was embarrassed to watch him at times. He showed no emotions, cracked a smile every now and then, and took off his shirt. That's it. Bas carried for half their romance, the already terribly-written one at that. Pha's entire story-arc was good until his death. It was intriguing to see the revelations of the characters learning he was sick, especially Wayu. But it was like a sandcastle getting hit by a wave. Somewhere in the middle everything comes tumbling down, and you're too over it to try again. it didn't make it better that their kisses were again *gag noises*. We get to see a somewhat credible intimacy scene, so you know what, I'm not that mad.

I was already not really invested in Pok and Tong, but their relationship this season was seriously done dirty. They break up, and really nothing happens after that, and to get them back together, Sandee gives some weak-ass reassurance, and then it's all good. All that and all Sandee had to do was open his mouth? It destroys the work they built to make their conflict seem important. It now looks stupid and frivolous. I wasn't a fan of Jack and Koh either, and their constant bickering was causing a headache. Everyone going around them and teasing them was tiresome too. Who are Jack and Koh? Like as people and not a squabbling couple? They tease at Phai and Sandee and then give us nothing. after two (or was it three..?) years they're still not together. Whatever. Overall, all couples were left anti-climatic and poorly written. It was like the writers had an idea at the beginning, but by the end, they forgot and just went with whatever they could.

Some nit-picky things. The bruises and cuts were so bad, just so so bad. I can usually look past it, but it looked like smeared ketchup instead of a bruise. Please, god, I know they could've done better. And while we're on the topic, the empty coffee cups aggravated me to the fullest. Adding water just to balance it out would be fine, but seeing Dun just swing the supposed-to-be-full-of-coffee cup around hurt, genuinely.

Ratings:

Story: 6.5 - Far from anything at least a bit good. I liked how evil Sandee was, but they just force a redemption arc on him and then it goes back to square one. Other storylines were boring, the conflict was seemingly embarrassing, and the romance is eh. I'll give 6 stars for the half-ass Markit we got, and a .5 cause Wayu is adorable.

Acting: 8 - I'm taking off two stars for Dun specifically. Not that the others were perfect, but Dun was just so bad that you don't care to pay attention to the others. God, it was so bad. Copter pulls through again, with Mark not too far behind. Supporting roles weren't that good either, but not distractingly bad.

Music: 6 - decent, I actually quite like it. Super catchy and fun.

Rewatch Value: 1 - no change I'm rewatching. That's the end of that.

Honestly, there's so much else to say about this series, but just know that it's not good. However, with all of this being said, this show is still my feel-good series. I waited every Tuesday just to join in on the fun, and laugh at how stupid everything was (and felt). This is cheesy, corny, not-good, laughable, but I can't help but want to watch it, want to tune into its silliness, and laugh at it. I recommend it only because it is really lighthearted (except the death, but then not really even that) and cute. A good first BL watch for sure. Star Hunter looks like they might have a decent series in the making right now. I really hope it pulls through, cause the shitshows Star Hunter has been giving is a shame, especially with the amount of talent they have in their company.

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Quick Entertainment

I wasn't anticipating anything more than what we usually get from Star Hunter Entertainment and My Mate Match kind of supports that. This felt like a quick money grab than an actual well-developed plot or any type of cohesive story, but for what we got, I wasn't all that upset. My Mate Match was a swift BL love triangle with terrible second lead syndrome.

Let's Dive In.

My Mate Match is simply a tale of one dude moving into a house and accidentally accepting two other dudes to live there when he can only have one roommate -- basically My Deal Lover but 10 times better and actually BL. I think this series was cute, it even had good potential, but it lacked cohesiveness and at times was extremely boring.

A few exceptions in this show: I enjoyed Big's acting here way more than in Gen Y. I feel like his acting in Gen Y is LACKING, big (lol) time. He's stoic, and pretty much sounds like he's reading off from the script, but here he played up on the personality, and gave us actual characteristics. For most of the show, I was shipping him and Match, which the show did a perfect job of playing at, except you know who gets together cause it's glaringly obvious.

I also thought that for a company that I complain a lot about for having terrible kisses, I think this one had to be one of the best. It was realistic, it wasn't chaste, and it didn't seem like the actors were uncomfortable. I'll applaud to that.

A few things that could've been approved on: I think the reason why we get a sense of Second Lead Sydrome is because Match and Ryu spent more time on screen together than Mix and Match (Just got that idiom. Love it). For the first couple of episodes, Match complains about Mix more than anything. They have a few cute moments, but those don't really come till the end, and then you're left wondering how they fell in love when nothing happened. That's my thought too. I don't think they had the best chemistry, I liked Ryu and Match much better since they actually got along and did stuff together, laughing and goofying around. The sudden connection with Mix and Match was offputting, and appeared out of thin air. Again, kind of ties into the plot, and how it should've been handled more carefully. However, I did enjoy Jet and Jame here way more than in Gen Y.

Them all sleeping in one bed was very senseless to me. I get what they were trying to do -- build up the skinship, created this lovey-dovey moment, in which we got once -- but it's irradical for three grown men to share one bed. Something that I continued to think about constantly and left me wondering what the heck the writers were thinking.

I didn't mind the vlogging until Match got into Mix and Ryu's personal buniess and decided to share it to the world. For him to go live and share Mix's song lyrics to everyone was a disgrace. Again, I couldn't help but ask, what the fuck were the writers thinking.

Production wasn't too bad. Star Hunter has this thing where they make everything look likes it's taking place in a dream, which I feel will hurt them in the future. The actors look great, but maybe they look a little too perfect? Also, there were some ad placements that took me out of the story and were a bit of a nuisance, but I've seen worse, so it wasn't all that bad.

Ratings:

Story: 6.5 - Could've been handled better. For what we got, it was fine, but the writers could've made different choices in the outcomes of some of their conflicts.

Acting: 8.5 - Nothing perfect, but nothing bad either. I think Jet and Jame did a pretty okay job. I think Big could do better, but he did show improvements from what we've seen in Gen Y.

Music: 7 - I actually was fully aware of the music, cause, for once, I liked it. I think it was the beat that caught my attention.

Rewatch Value: 1 - Again, got to move on, but I think some of these scenes are memorable enough for me to at least tune into a video edit.

Overall, this was an okay watch. Some parts are boring, some are funny, some are lackluster. I saw a lot of people say they dropped it after a few episodes. Understandable, but I don't think it was that bad to not at least tune in. I half-heartdly recommend this, there are some better ones out there, but if you're looking for lighthearted and fluffy, than this is it.

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Okay, I'm Not That Mad

This one popped up in my YouTube recommendations, and I thought, "Why not?", completely forgetting that I put this on my Not Interested list, but oh well, can't go back now. To be quite honest, I'm not that disappointed, yet, had I logged onto MDL and looked at it first, I would've never tuned in -- again, oh well. I could've stopped and dropped this, but I was quite intrigued with the BL couple (Oh, and BTW, this is a side BL, which I also didn't realize) Which is why I kept watching. Skinship is the complete opposite of what you're thinking. Instead of the meaning physical intimacy, or touching or anything else you would think Skinship means, it's actually the literal term for the number of times that the skin treatment spa was the entire plot of the series.

Let's Dive In.

Production wasn't bad, nor was it anything spectacular. This series was just pretty much a very long commercial. They only had three episodes, and out of those, they spent most of their time at the spa, the brand that was sponsoring them. Very annoying, especially when minutes are spent speaking on a topic that nobody could give two craps about. To add on, the translations weren't all that good either, especially in the first episode. I think someone just got lazy, cause it seemed like they just summarized what the actors were saying instead of giving it to us word for word. it gets a bit better as you go on, but it's still a bit bothersome. Other than that, everything else was decent.

The acting was actually really good. I think it was the better part of this series. had the acting been bad, I would've dropped, but honestly, these actors understand how to perform. I already liked Best, but I think had Shino and Chahub been given some better material to work with, they could've really shown us some incredible acting. I think they did good, but there wasn't anything to really show that they did amazing. Aumain did a good job too, so did Fame. I think she was a bit over-the-top, but it's better to give too much than to give nothing at all. Overall, the acting in this was adequate and I wouldn't mind seeing them in another BL.

I usually harped on the het couple, but in this series, I didn't really mind them. They were actually pretty cute. Them baking together was the best part. Nothing about them was annoying, or too much, or just irrelevant, I think they were a decent couple. I really enjoyed Teenoi and the doctor, except we get pretty much nothing. I love Teenoi's subtle flirtatious vibe, and I like that the doctor was more assertive (Also, Chahub is a very beautiful man, so that doesn't hurt either). They had built up this really nice connection until nothing happens. The het couple gets most (actually all) of the last episode to themselves, so we get no execution for the BL couple except at the end they drop a bomb and say that they've been dating for four months, and by then, they completely lost me. I don't know if I missed a time jump or the foreshadowing, or maybe a translation error, but I am lost with no navigation. Had this couple been given some more time to connect, they would've been more delightful to watch.

Ratings:

Story: 3.5 - Nothing. It's pretty much non-existent. (No, cause seriously, I'm racking my brain to remember the story and all I'm getting is literal brain fart).

Acting: 8.5 - Again, it was the better part of this series. everyone did a pretty good job. I can't complain. I've seen worst acting in GMMTV series (*cough, cough* Pond in FUTS), so compared to that, I'm average.

OST: 5 - Was surprised to hear some decent songs -- and they were in English..? Not anything bad, expect, I rarely ever hear English songs in Thai series, so it took me by surprise.

Rewatch value: 1 - I got more shiz to watch, but there's a less than 1% chance I'll ever come back to watch this.

Overall, I don't recommend this unless you have nothing else to do all day and have watched every other BL you can. Again, it's not the worst I've seen, but it's far from the best. It's pretty much a commercial with 75% het couple and 25% BL couple with very little build-up. I might tune into Skinship season 2, I might not. We'll cross that bridge when we get there.

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Beautiful Philippines Series !

Wow, I'm blown away by the amount of excitement and enjoyment I had while watching this. This took me FOREVER to watch because it's pretty much non-existent where I live, but an angel from the heavens sent me a link (you can message me if you want the link too, forewarning, the ads are all p**n and pretty extreme) and I was finally able to sit and binge-watch. Oh, Mando is a comedic drama that handles very important and heavy topics while the main leads look beautiful and tell a compelling story.

Let's Dive In.

The production was so nice. We get to see inside the beautiful scenery of The Philippines, and I think this series has been the best so far in letting the audience experience its refined surroundings, countryside, and cityscape. The rides on the bike were absolutely breathtaking, the end where they're dancing on the bridge is magical, and I loved every second of it. I have nothing bad to say when it comes to production, however, I understand the whole "fairytale" of the story was needed to advance the plot, except, there were times it was just real cringe and I couldn't keep a serious face (maybe that was the goal..?). Overall, production gets a big pat on the back from me!

Moving onto the plot. I LOVED every single second of it from episodes 1-4 until they kind of just lost a bit of my respect until the end of episode 5. Cheating is something that happens every single day and it's a realistic story, so I wasn't necessarily mad about the cheating aspect, but I don't think it was executed as well as it could've been. Barry is so protective of his sister and says constantly that he doesn't want her to get hurt, and that she's the only one who truly understands him, except, you then go and have a secret relationship with her boyfriend? With no guilt? No remorse? He knows how it feels to be cheated on, and yet, he just doesn't feel that for his own sister? It felt like the writers had taken that side of the story and threw it in the trash. It made me a bit sick to see them flirting while Krisha stood 10 feet away. And Krisha is just the sweetest human being ever. She outright supports her brother's sexuality, fights for the LGBTQ+ community, and just so much more. I honestly haven't enjoyed a female character in BL in a while, but she was everything and more. Finally, Mando starts to feel some guilt and comes out to his father (beautiful, done so well) and finally lets it out to Krisha about his secret affair with her brother. It was a hard scene to watch, but again, the actors executed it so well. by the end, the show gained my respect. Again, however, I do think they rushed Krisha's pain and hurt. I loved how we actually get to see her go through the suffering and agony of the situation, but it just kind of dropped at the end. Most noticeable due to her brother's suicide attempt, but still, that pain doesn't just subside after just a while. I'm happy she ended up with another guy, so I can't complain too much.

I do want to praise this series, however, for doing a fabulous job at handling suicide and harming oneself. Barry's story is hard-hitting. This series might've been pretty funny, but it truly shows pain better than I could've imagined. It's hard to watch Barry's scene in the bathroom, but it really is something incredible. I applaud this series for being able to handle a storyline like this and do it well. Another great subject that I've seen no other series ever in BL do is have a fully-fleshed out transexual storyline that was probably the cherry on top. Mr. Siwa comes out as a transwoman and everyone is supportive except the school. They all held a protest for her that showed the school she belonged there. It was such a nice transition from the beginning to the end. I loved it, I loved it more than anything. For a BL to handle a trans story without making it comedic or making the transwoman overly flirty or just downright creepy is astonishing. Another round-of-applauds to the production team.

Overall, I really enjoyed this show. The first episode captured my attention in a snap. It does a wonderful job at sharing Mando's story and his giddy and lovely personality. It also doesn't hurt that Alex is a very beautiful man, and I rewatched the scene with him coming out of the pool in his speedos like five times. Wow, just wow. Mando's mother's storyline was really nice too. I'm glad how that was operated and executed. I HIGHLY recommend this series. It's one of the best-produced Philippines BL's I've ever seen. The story, while it could use some tweaking, is pretty darn good.

Rating:

Story: 8.5 - Again, the story wasn't the best it could've been, but I still really enjoyed it. The trans storyline, the lesbian mothers, the handle meant of suicide -- it was all really well. I'll take 1.5 stars off for the no-remorse cheating during like all of episode 4, but other than that, it was pretty perfect.

Acting: 9 - Kokoy shows us a groundbreaking performance that's almost a 360 from his character in Gameboys. It just shows how versatile and how skilled he is. I loved him so much. Alex did a really good job too, some scenes he could've done better, but I think it was still really good. Barbie did really well, the lesbian couple was good. Mando's friends did a decent job, and all the other supporting characters were okay.

Music: 8 - My favorite was the song on the bridge. It gets the majority of the stars. I really liked the music, it went almost perfectly with this series.

Rewatch value: 1 - Again, I don't rewatch, cause I have more shows to finish, but I will for sure be coming back to watch Barry walk in slow-mo. damn, that boy is beautiful.

Overall: 9 - Suggested was 6.5, but I enjoyed this series so much more than that. Yes, some changes should've been made, and the script could've been better, but those things can be overlooked for just how really good the series is. I'll take a star off for some of the aspects of the cheating plot, and the cringe fairytale dream sequences.

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Not Too Disappointed

Again, I checked the comments to see if the show was worth watching or not, but I was met with some mixed emotions so I went in with some pretty low expectations, but wasn't too disappointed at all. Craving you is for one, extremely short in which I finished in about 2-3 hours. It's a pretty low heat series with some cliche Bl tropes, and a weird main couple connection, but besides that, I actually really enjoyed myself.

Let's Dive In.

Firstly, production. Pretty much the ordinary BL Tawainese production. It reminded me a lot of the same filming aspects of the HIStory franchise. I didn't really pay attention to the music much, so if I didn't notice it, it means it wasn't too distracting, but it probably wasn't all that good. Overall, everything was decent and I didn't hate it. I don't remember any ad placements or annoying ad placements, so that's good too.

Onto the plot. The main couple felt so bland and boring. I don't really understand how they fell in love. Their interactions were short and thin, I felt no connection at all, and when they do finally get together, it feels meaningless and unimportant, and I could've cared less (the kiss was nice tho). I liked the situation between Soda and his fiance way more than Kane and Baker Boy (Can't remember his name). Soda and Kane were remembering the past and their romance. It was intriguing for sure, and I sympathized with Noah more than anything. Him sitting in the restaurant by himself hurt me for real. I loved their ending, I'm glad that stayed together and eventually got married.

The series was wayyy too short and I believe that that is their downfall. Had this been a bit longer, a better put-out plot, and some actual chemistry with the main couple, then this series really could've been it. I also really loved Cora since she wasn't a BL-obsessed woman or some weird shipper, and was a good friend. The desserts also looked really good, and I can always appreciate a mouth-water appeal.

Overall, I liked this series, I think it was pretty decent. It'll for sure be pretty forgetful, but it's worth watching. A happy ending, some cute kisses, and lighthearted situations go for a good watch. I recommend this to anyone who needs a cheery watch.

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Incredible Plot Twist !

The absolute shock I had when watching this series. I had first looked at some of the comments to see if this was worth spending my time on, and most if not all comments were positive. So, I spent my time wisely by watching this fantastic Philippines BL that brought on an aspect that I had never seen before. Cheat brings about a mesmerizing plot with a dramatic twist, involving love, lust, madness, and witchcraft.

Let's Dive In.

This has to be the very first BL I've seen dealing with something as supernatural as this. Yes, there have been some fantastical BLs (He's Coming To Me and The Shipper just to name a couple), but nothing like close to what Cheat brought us. Dark magic is something that I know nothing of, so just being able to see them cast spells and do chants was a fun experience. This was a very dark, evil, brooding, and erotic series. So surprising that it's a Phillipino Bl and low budget. Yes, this film was not on the amazing side of things speaking in terms of production, but they did the best they could with the funds available. You're immediately drawn out to the low quality as soon as the heat of the series starts. Even episode one is enough to get you sitting on the edge of your seat.

But let's move on to the plot. I genuinely didn't see that plot twist happening. I was actually getting quite irritated at Vee for continuing to trust Jennifer and Jay after the assaults and things they did to him, but after the plot twist, you understand that it was a part of his plan all along. It's crazy that all three siblings were able to fall for him, but it's even crazier that two of them were crazy enough to do whatever it took to make Vee fall in love with them. Vee says at the end that he doesn't love any of them, but a part of me believe that he might've actually started falling for Dong but is trying to rid himself of those feelings. The only argument that I can really give here is that story sometimes became too much and too overwhelming where I was confused on why the siblings were doing what they were doing, and how these events even began. It definitely became fuzzier during the last episode, where I had to strain my neck to understand what all was happening. Some parts could have been more cohesive, but other than that, a big pat on the back for how detailed and connected it was.

The acting was honestly pretty good. There were sometimes where it got to be a bit cringe, but for the most part, all of it was decent. Daryll was by far my favorite, with Tuesday and Allora in the next place.

Another great attribute that deserves its own paragraph is the raunchy, erotic, hot, but kind of poetic sex scenes. I don't even usually talk about the heat scenes much in BL, but boy were these one something different. Especially in a Philippines series in which I haven't seen many erotic stuff like this. A huge applaud on the actors for making them natural and not like they were uncomfortable.

Overall, this Phillipino BL was pretty fantastic. I don't have much to complain about (surprisingly) But I think it's just because I like the fact that this is a low-budget series, but it still was able to come out and be amazing for what it's worth. I highly recommend this for a watch. It's only 7 (episode 6 is a two-part) series that runs for about 20ish minutes. a beautiful cast and crew, an exciting and adventurous plot, and a season 2 that I'm very much looking forward to.

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As Good as It could've Been

This wasn't necessarily what I was thinking when I first heard that we were getting this show. I will say, I kind of spoiled myself by looking at the comments, but I was curious about how others felt. Sadly, most of it wasn't good, but I still tried not to go into this with bad intuition, except, I think I made it worse. 7 Project came with some really beautiful lighting and set, except, some stories fell short and bland.

Let's Dive In.

Firstly, I think the production was beautiful, one of the reasons why I don't hate this series all that much. Lighting was one of the best aspects of all, including the cinematography. It felt a lot different than New's (The director) other shows like Love by chance and Make It Right. A nice difference that I really loved. The music was decent, it was mostly the overplayed songs we always hear, but for some reason, I wasn't annoyed by it, I actually quite appreciated it. Everything else was pretty basic as well (I didn't see any ad placements, or at least it wasn't too repetitive to remember).

Onto the episodes

1. This was my first time seeing Santa and Earth in a series since all of their fan edits, and videos, and lovey-dovey shiz on social media. Although I think they had nice chemistry, their age gap is a bit disturbing. Santa just turned 18 a few days ago, and Earth is 23. I know legal age is completely different in Thailand, but it's still a bit of a stomach-churner. Anyways, I felt for Ozone since his parents had sent him off, and I hated that he was getting bullied. The only thing that was pretty annoying was how he would continue to trust the bullies even after the first incident with them. I just wanted Ozone to defend himself without needing Sun's help. Their best moment was watching the moon and falling asleep together. The kiss was nice, except, they could've done without Sun being drunk. I don't know why Ozone was mad at Sun after Sun choose NOT to kick him with a ball, that part was really confusing, Overall, this episode was okay, I liked it, but it wasn't all that memorable. I give it a 6/10.

Now, hate me if you want, but I didn't watch any of the hetero couples. I tried watching the GL couple, but after part 3, I could see how they were going to go, so I just continued on to Prem and Boun's episode.

4. This episode was probably handled the best out of all of them. I liked the story behind Balloon and his hardships with coming out. What I loved more was his relationship with Ozone. He was there to comfort Ozone and vice-versa. Mek's feelings were 100% understandable as well, as it can be hard to have to hide a relationship that you want to tell others about. Especially since they had been dating for a while. Their break-up was sad, but it led to some really great acting from both of them. I'm glad their ending was a happily ever after and would love if we could get a follow-up episode or series really only focusing on them. I give them a 9/10.

6. AhH! I loved seeing Boom and Peak after so long, except, their story wasn't BL at all? We get a confirmation that Tonnam likes guys and a hint that he likes Phupha, but that's it. Their friend Peam teased them a bit, but no actual confirmation was made that they liked each other. Other than that key missing part, the story itself was still pretty entertaining. Phupha kind of being a bully and Tonnam convinced to find the good in him led to really wonderful enemies to friends story. Boom's acting was really good, and it stood out to me the most. Peak as always was fine as hell. This one gets 7/10.


Overall, this series is pretty forgettable. I know this was some type of promotion for a song or video or something, so not a lot of thought into the actual show was probably made, but just imagined if they had? I also think it would've been more efficient for this to have been kind of like En of Love and each couple was given 2-3 episodes. I wish I could've appreciated Yacht, Plan, Perth, and Sammy, except, their stories didn't appeal to me at all (and I tried watching, I really did!). I do hope to see Boom and Peak in another, well-developed-plot series, and wouldn't mind seeing Santa and Earth again either. I recommend this as a fast watch, but there are other better BL anthology series out there. (Our Skyy and Y-Destiny are my best picks!)

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It was Meh. . .

Be Love In House: I Do was one of those series that I watched because it was so highly talked about and praised on, so I had to give it a try. Unfortunately, I went in with way too many expectations and was left rather disappointed. The pacing of the main couple was way too slow, especially since they don't even get together until the very last few minutes of the 12th episode. This series brought about very good-looking actors, another cameo of the dude from History 3: MODC, and an okay plot.

Let's Dive In.

The production was good. The wardrobe was good, the lighting was good, the setting was good, music was great. A decent production for sure.

The plot was okay, except some parts ran on too long. The setups were good, like why Yu Zhen had the singlehood rule, why the Little Prince story meant so much to him, the scar on his stomach (which is actually real; now that's the story I want to hear). But the plot ran super slow between our main couple; so slow, that I could only watch an episode a day cause it made me super sleepy to stay up and try watching more. Their moments were cute but meant nothing if they were going to wake up the next morning and pretend as if nothing happened. Their chemistry was okay, it wasn't as strong as it should've been, but it was at least there. It more felt like two hot guys trying to f**k than it did two guys having a genuine love story and falling in love. The ex was an interesting way to end the last half of the series, not someone or something that I could care about (and if anything, it dragged on the already boring plot more), but for sure interesting. Their kiss was nice, their heat scene was nice, and we aren't going to lie to ourselves and say that they aren't fine as hell.

Onto the side couple, which is really why I watched, and why this show isn't rated lower than it is. As soon as they came up on the screen, I yearned for them. Actually, in some parts of the series, it felt like they were the main couple with how well their storyline was being handled. sadly, they get together in like the first 3-4 episodes, so then they start to wane down a bit with it just being some cutesy-dutesy stuff (although, my favorite being when Zhao Gang tickles Si Qi and his very tiny "this" that had me blushing like a crazy person). They were very well done, had a nice and quick get-together, and some very funny circumstances like Shi Lei finding out that they kissed. The only thing that caught me off guard was their whole marriage thing. They had only been dating for maybe 2 weeks by then, why were we moving so fast??

The other supporting characters were decent, except I didn't care much for the hetero couple. Actually, sometimes they felt like they were in the way. Shi Lei's mom was a good fit too, she brought about some nice and comforting moments.

Overall, this isn't the first Tawinese BL I would recommend, but, it was far from the worst (cough, cough, all of HIStory 1 episodes). Dude from History 3: MODC cameo was nice, I kind of wished he would've said something like "make it count" when speaking to Yu Zhen about wanting Shi Lei, but whatever.

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Taiwan does it again!

We Best Love was way more entertaining than I ever believe it would be. I'm not a fan of enemies to lovers (but it lowkey wasn't?) so my first thought was that I wasn't going to enjoy it, but I was wrong. We Best Love brought on beautiful actors to portray these love-sick puppies and their glorious stories.

Let's Dive In

The production was really nice. The use of lighting and colors was big in this series. The music went perfectly with the overall mood of the series and the flow of the plot was magnificent. There wasn't anything they showed that felt irrelevant to the story; everything was where it needed to be. With a good flowing plot, it was easy to understand the characters and their conflicts.

I really enjoyed our two leads' performances. They felt very authentic and realistic, which with some pairings in BL you just don't get. All intimate scenes were done well, and I could really feel how much they enjoyed each other's company. The only thing that I found kind of hard to believe was how fast Zhou Shu Yi fell for Gao Shi de after he had overheard him confessing his love. He was pretty oblivious, as well as not showing any signs of liking Gao before then so I would've liked for that to have been given some more time. Their relationship felt pretty rushed, but they were cute, so I'm not too upset. We don't see much of Bing Wei and Zhe Yu in a relationship, only that it was subtly hinted at at the very end, so hopefully, we'll see more of them. They seem like they'll be our comedic pairing next season. I liked how helpful Shou Yi was with getting our leads together. The bartender seemed to might have some hidden feelings for him, so let's see where that goes next season. Yu Xin or Zheng Wen's relationship was nice I guess, but sadly I didn't care much for them (Although, Zack Fan is a gorgeous man).

I'm glad that everyone was already so accepting of Zhou Shu and Gao Shi's relationship without having to go through that period of acceptance. Even the mom was super accepting, so it made the watch much lighter. During Zhou Shu's confession, he somewhat uses the forbidden BL term, "I don't like men, I only like you." But in a more passionate way. It pretty much carried me out of the story completely and I was about ready to hang it up. Had that part not existed, this show would have a perfect score.

Overall, I really enjoyed my watch with this show. The first few episodes were a bit difficult for me to watch (like this show took me two weeks to finish when it consisted of 6, 30-minute episodes), but the last three caught onto the plot better and I was in full force afterward. Even though I'm not the biggest fan of enemies to lovers, I still really enjoyed this. As of now, season 2 is on my to-watch list, so hopefully, I will get to that sooner or later.

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