Not My Usual Cup Of Tea

I stumbled upon this series only after watching the second trailer of "Never Let Me Go." As someone who isn't particularly fond of high school BLs, I never had this series on my radar. However, I can't believe I almost missed out on this delightful gem. Pond and Phuwin, whom I had no idea about before, have now become my favorite BL ship. It's quite bewildering because, by all accounts, I shouldn't have enjoyed this series with all its tropes, annoying sound effects, and intrusive shippers.

Surprisingly, this series is more of a gay drama disguised as a BL, as both boys are gay and aware of it. Pi's yearning for Nan and Mork's longing for Pi make both boys gay. For a first-time actor like Pond, he did an excellent job portraying Mork, while Phuwin's performance as Pi outshined his subsequent one as Nuengdiao.

Though I didn't particularly care for Duean and Meen's story, I must admit that Neo and Louise did a commendable job in their roles.

What amazed me most is how I found myself enjoying this fluffy series. It wasn't all magical rainbows and unicorns, even with Pi's makeover. His life remained messy as he pursued someone who wasn't interested in him. Mork's good looks and kindness didn't make it any easier for him to win Pi's heart. Even after they became a couple, their journey wasn't smooth; Bam came between them, causing their breakup. Throughout their trials and tribulations, Pi faced privacy invasion from creepy shippers and bullying after his "ugly duckling" story was exposed.

Yet, despite all the challenges, the ending wasn't filled with rainbows and unicorns, but rather colorful balloons. The series showed the realities of their relationship, with misunderstandings leading to a temporary breakup. But eventually, the misunderstandings were resolved, leading to a heartwarming conclusion.

Perhaps that's why I found myself loving this series, even though it falls under the high school BL category. It's the authenticity and relatability of their journey that captivated my heart and made this series truly special.

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Tul’s Legacy to Gay Drama

As a tribute to Tul leaving the acting industry for a real estate career:

"Manner of Death ," among all the MaxTul series, is truly exceptional and my personal favorite. This gem stands out as one of the finest gay dramas ever created, transcending the typical BL genre. It's primarily a captivating crime mystery that happens to revolve around two gay characters, showcasing the brilliance of both storytelling and adaptation from a novel.

Learning that Tul is leaving the entertainment industry to pursue a real estate career is bittersweet. While we wish him all the best in his new endeavor, it's saddening to know that fans, including myself, won't get to experience the anticipated series with MaxTul.

This series centers around Dr. Bun, who moves to a rural part of Chiang Mai, and the mysterious death of his friend, Jane. The storyline takes us on a thrilling journey as Dr. Bun uses his forensic skills to prove it was murder, not suicide. Uncovering power, corruption, and sex trafficking among city officials, the plot is rife with unexpected twists and turns, keeping us engaged until the very end.

Though the romance of Dr. Bun and Tan might deviate from the original novel, the essence of their relationship shines through. The chemistry between MaxTul is, as always, superb, and Inspector M's skin-tight uniform is a delight for fans. The acting and cinematography are top-notch, elevating the series to an unforgettable viewing experience.

While I thoroughly enjoyed "Manner of Death ," my only quibble lies with the wedding proposal scene. Pistol whipping isn’t romantic for a proposal in the elaborate scheme, and I couldn't help but imagine flinging the ring back if I were in that situation.

As we bid farewell to Tul's acting career, let us cherish the moments he graced our BL hearts, leaving us with unforgettable performances, especially in "Manner of Death." It is a testament to his talent and dedication, and I'll forever cherish this captivating series as part of his legacy.

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Truly an Under Appreciated Gem

It's no surprise that many BL fans adore the entire HIStory franchise, and this series is no exception, even though newer releases may have disappointed some since Covid. The storyline is exceptionally well-crafted, steering clear of formulaic tropes. It's a rich portrayal of a gay man and a BL character, exploring their journey towards their first gay relationship. Gone are the whimsical, irrational falling-in-love scenarios often found in Thai BLs. Instead, we witness a genuine and authentic narrative.

One aspect that sets this series apart is its avoidance of toxic themes commonly seen in other BLs. There are no exploitative SA or romanticized rape plot devices, despite the setting revolving around the police and mafia.

The acting is top-notch, something that may not be consistently seen in the newer installments of this franchise. Each character experiences significant development, adding depth and relatability to the story. From Shao Fai to Jack to Hong Ye and their respective partners Tang Yi, Li An, and Diao Yi, their connections and growth are compelling to watch.

A standout feature of this series is the excellent communication between characters, eliminating the need for annoying misunderstandings often found in lesser BL shows. This series truly caters to a more mature audience, foregoing the fluffy rainbows and magical unicorns that some BL fans may seek. It's a gem for those appreciating nuanced storytelling and well-crafted character arcs.

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A Classic Pre-Covid Gay Drama For Older Fans

"Advance Bravely" is a captivating slow burn gay drama with some elements of BL. Remarkably, considering China's conservative stance on gay dramas, it delivers compelling storytelling without explicit scenes. For those accustomed to gay western shows, it serves as an excellent bridge between western media and Asian BLs.

Xia Yao's portrayal of the rich, spoiled brat is impeccable, while Yuan Zong shines as the mature protagonist. Their chemistry is delightful, making them a captivating pairing.

I'm grateful that "Advance Bravely" was among the first BLs I watched, unlike many Westerners who discovered BL during the Covid lockdown through "2gether." There's a discernible difference between pre-Covid and Covid-era BL fans. The latter prefer fluffy BLs with happy, clichéd endings, while the former appreciate a wider range of compelling BL and gay drama content, avoiding formulaic tropes and repetitive plots.

This series is for a more mature audience and not tailored to schoolgirls. It offers a refreshing experience, setting it apart from juvenile productions with subpar acting and scripts. "Advance Bravely" truly shines as a captivating adult series in the world of BL.

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Thai Cherry is Magic

I’ve never watch the Japanese version nor do I plan to since Japanese BLs isn’t my thing. Something about them just doesn’t gel with me despite my many half dozen attempts to get into it. I am not going to watch the anime either.

I only gave this s a hot because I kind of like TayNew from Dark Blue Kiss. I am not a fan of their ship since I have never seen any of it. I have seen New in The Warp Effect which left me feeling meh about New. Just to give you a frame of reference to how I came into this series.

For Archi, I really want to like him and in some episodes I did and in others I was annoyed with New’s performance. Maybe it’s because New always play with this deer caught in headlights look that always take me out of his character. It’s becomes really clear he doesn’t give believable performances when he’s with Tay who is a much stronger actor. I can total believe Tay as Karan with absolute believability. The story is sweet and adorable with Archi and Karan being a couple. I just wish New won’t take me out of the show so often as he did.

I enjoyed Jinta and Min being the side couple. Is it clownish how Jinta acts, yes. But I think because he’s dating a much younger Min, he has to be this much of a clownish guy to Min’s baby face. Otherwise, the age gap would seem predatory. I like the fact that Jinta also has the 30 year old virgin gift. Jinta is such a sweet supportive green flag with Min without being all creepy about getting Min. It’s also funny how Min had to be a bit more mature with his side jobs while pursuing his dream of an idol. But still breaks down and rely on Jinta for emotional support when he didn’t get signed as an idol. I liked that they didn’t consummate their relationship because Min is still young aand pursing his dreams. This is a sweet as cotton candy couple.

Then we have a straight couple with Rock and Pai. I guess it’s a lot more common for younger guys to pursue older girls in Asian dramas than in the US because this isn’t the first time I’ve seen it in Thai series. Chinese and Korean straight dramas have this too. They has a long flirting period before they started to date. I guess this is the thing to do in straight couples in BL.

The boss and co-worker were all supportive of gay couples dating without the unnecessary drama. While Archi’s parents were supportive. Karan’s parents were less so. Especially the mom with her “what will people think” attitude. I guess this is to show that rural “hick” folks are a lot more open minded than “educated” city folks. This seems like a running theme in BLs

All in all it wasn’t a bad series. It isn’t anything special either. It was just an enjoyable series to watch if you have nothing else going on. All in all, I would say this might be my last series with TayNew. I’m personally sick of permanent ships in BL series. Whatever chemistry shippers love about TayNew is what I don’t like. Even when these actors are given different types of BLs. They give the same kind of performances. It becomes stale. Like how many times csn I watch Tay giving strong performances while New gives hit and miss performances. In comparison to Mark who is paired with Junior. Jinta and Min gave a more engaging couple performance than Archi and Karan. I want this ship to break up already so I can see a different dynamic of the stale TayNew ship.

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Mame Haters Don’t Watch This

If I had a dollar for every Mame hater who comes to her seres only to be a bunch a of whiny crybabies, I can live very comfortably for a year without working. You don’t deserve to enjoy any of her series much less comment on it.

This was a good gay drama that brought the whole LITA gang back. It was a joy to see Sky get married to Phapai. And to see Rain grew up to be worthy of Payu proposing marriage after they became business partners.

For the main couple of Lon and Nueau, I like the story. It’s kind of like a remake of a straight movie with JLo or something.

I didn’t care for Yiwa and Marine. They were annoying and I know many people want to get GLs made. But I’m not a fan of making a cluster of every single letter of the LGBTQIA+ communities into a monolith. Each letter is its own community. This isn’t why I signed up for BL for. It’s why we don’t see that many straight couples in BL. I don’t like this swerving and merging of lanes in my BLs.

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Not What I Expected

Sadly this series did not live up to my expectations from Great and Inn. Perhaps after watching the trailer and having both actors being older- Great (30) Inn(29), I was expecting a more mature series with less juvenile feel to the series.

I get the wait for being boyfriend until kissing but if that’s the best two grown men can deliver in their first kiss, I am just disappointed. All the sex scenes lack heat for a couple who were supposedly fvck buddies. The director definitely decided to put a PG-13 stamp on cleaning the series up so it isn’t too risqué.

I mean come on, Dr. Planko’s sexy toys are cutesy costumes for cosplay. What about real sex toys like vibrators, sex dolls amd dildos.

The acting was meh for two actors who had showing they have acting chop.

I like Great and Inn but this isn’t a good series for their talent.

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DO NOT START THIS TRAIN WRECK

Much like a lot of massively destructive train wrecks, you can’t look away from this series because you want Pat to survive Mr. Elyse.

This has the potential to be hot and sexy from the trailer that brought us all here. But the actors are so bad in delivering the lines with any authenticity. The acting part was not as bad as the line delivery but it isn’t good either. This Pat at least didn’t have the constipated look of the other Pat from the Thai office BL that came out last year. Luckily I forget the name of that series. With any luck I will forget this one too.

This Pat had as much sex appeal as the other Pat. Mr. Elyse has a nice body and the clothes look good on him. I can’t say that his face matches the same sex appeal as his body but this is subjective. Anyway, Mr Elyse is the reddest flag of a boss and Pat either loves red or is colorblind. Or maybe he lives Mr. Elyse’s sexy body just as much as me. That’s why he’s over looking this STD magnet with his rotation of bed friends.

I don’t see why Pat fell for him as he’s a total POS in terms of how he treats Pat as an employee not to mention being his madame for the gigolos. Pat is definitely has a masochist kink to want to sex up Mr. Elyse. I wish it was a SM BL because I would like to see 50 shades of dirty with Mr. Elyse and Pat. But unfortunately they make this just a vanilla virgin who likes a toxic red flag.

I am bailing at this point because I am halfway through a 10 episode series and I don’t care if Pat survives or not from this train wreck. But if you like train wrecks and have time to kill. Enjoy.

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Wasted Potential So Dropped

BLs are becoming increasingly juvenile. I really have higher expectations from Taiwanese BLs than I do of Korean and Thai BLs. Maybe it’s because I had watched the HIStory anthology before Covid that I have this mindset.

Not only have the HIStory series declined in quality swith with HIStory 4&5 but with each Taiwanese BL that came out in the last 2 years. The scripts have become juvenile and the acting has downgraded.

I cannot believe that a grown man who is a professor at a university is so childish. This is suppose to be an intellectual man but he is rendered into an idiot when he is around a robot. Even if he has emotional stunted trauma, there is no way he can be do idiotic in acting like a regressive teenager.

I am checking out of this so I do not rot my brain with this drivel. I am so disappointed with taiwanese BLs being brainless fodder that’s only digestible for schoolgirls and childish adults who have lost their sense of reality in favor of this kind of unicorns and sunshine nonsense.

This is definitely another fine example of BLs going down the crapper. I am sure there will be plenty of schoolgirls who will keep romanticizing this kind of terrible BL as the greatest thing since slice bread. 😩

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I Want To Watch It Like It’s The First Time

Everything about this series made me great for me. The acting from every character was on point. Every sequence was well thought out without any questionable loopholes. The ML double identity was so well acted and developed throughout the entire series.

From his former stoic self to the future lighthearted self. They were two distinct characters. Even when the ML started to develop feelings for the FL, he did not become his future self. It was only through osmosis of his future self that he became a combo of his past and future self.

I love the FL not changing herself into some kind of damsel in distress just because she fell in love with the future ML. She did not become some brainless idiot who no longer is herself. I love how she did not want to know her future self in fear of it altering her past. When she did find out, her reaction is so genuine and relatable.

The childhood friends who ended up as a couple with the villainous brother. That was predictable in some ways and threw me off in other ways. I hated when his redeeming arc came after his sister is divorced. The open ended ending was the best for people to decide. I love this for a secondary couple instead of everyone having a happy ending.

Overall, this was a well written series. I did not find lazy writing in any point. The acting was really good. I like that the cinematography was part of the story. The locations of scenes played a big part of this series. For a Cdrama, it doesn’t have the stupid tropes you normally find. It’s been a long while since I enjoyed a series this much.

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Run on miscommunication

This reminded me a lot of The Promise. These types of misunderstandings stemming from miscommunication turn into long run on series. Much like The Promise, a decade rolls by before they meet up again. Even after meeting up, the friendship turning into a relationship takes the entire series to sort out.

Let me just say that I really despise the moderators of this platform for approving the most asinine synopsis to past because they need a reliable source which often is wrong.

They didn’t misunderstand each other from a kiss. They had sex before they were ready. Then due to being young they both read into the situation wrong by what each said because when you’re young you can be this dumb about love and sex.

This could’ve been so much better if they didn’t give a nowheresville story for the brother Ki and the farmer Gumbie. That was a waste of time where we could’ve had a better fleshed out character developments. The office extras were annoying. I wish they would e done he dad a better arc.

I can see why some people find the series boring. It definitely had a lot to do with the editing and cinematography. A lot of the dialogue scenes could have been shot better for it isn’t monotonous. The lighting was horrendous. It was either too blow out or flat. I don’t know what the last episode with the window kissing scenes was. It’s like the shot it during different times of the day and just splice it together.

This had potential but the director and editor clearly are doing amateur hour. The acting was strong at during emotional scenes but mostly weak when they were just playing around.

The NC scenes are not glossy with hot kisses. It was kinda good to show how realistic sex is like is the most soft porn kind of way possible.

Overall, it wasn’t bad as a BL that had some school scenes. It’s not fluffy but it wasn’t that deep either. I’m so glad I finally got around to watching it and checking it off my list.

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Sloooow Burn

First, if you don’t like the “brothers” falling for each other but seem okay with the sister getting on with the other brother. There is underlying hypocrisy in your thinking. Second, why are people upset with the age difference ter the brothers but are okay with the sister getting it on with the other much older brother.

This is a heavy hearted series. The mother is a piece of shit. I am not sure if I am the only one but I get the implication that she also sexually advise Qian which is why he’s sexually traumatized and for the most part asexual until he got it on with Zi Yuan.

I did not see Lin with Le but it was a pleasant surprise to see Sam Lin back in a BL even if the relationship is ambiguous.

People had to wait for the cursed episode 11 to get their smexy scene. And boy did the series deliver on it.

I can see why so many people like it in a sea of bad BLs we had this year. But if you’re not into a good storytelling series. This isn’t for you.

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Alt Happy Ending

Strongberry gets it right every time. I do not need Strongberry to make longer series because they squeeze everything out of their directors, screenwriters and actors into their series. For something that is only 20 minutes if you take out the opening and closing credits in this series. They got every nano second done right.

Episode 1 gave you everything you need to know the foundation of a not so one sided crush.

Episode 2 gave you the proof of the not so one sided crush

Episode 3 gave the misunderstanding which led to the breakup and open ending

Here is how I interpreted the ending. The MC turned down the ML which lead to ML leaving the MC’s life. The MC then rewrites the ending when he sees the note. The caller from episode 1 is the ML. This is why the MC is smiling when the door opens. The MC meets the ML after he reads the fallen note in diary. Now he has another chance at love with ML so that’s the happy ending.

Another alternative is you omit the MC crying scene and think he confessed to the ML and they had their happy ending.

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Great period piece

I need BL fans shot are MileApo shippers to stop deluluing themselves into thinking this is a BL. Not everything has to be a BL just because it has your have some fvcked up gay fetish. I can understand if you are in your delulu era with KinnPorsche. But babes this isn’t KP and they weren’t googling eye each other like they were eye fvcking each other either. Y’all in the reviews and comment section are some weird ass sickos because if that’s chemistry then everybody who looks my way is chemistrying with me. This is why I really intensely dislike BL shippers can’t get off the ship to respect that Mile and Apo are actors. Not come fanfic fvckbuddies like you’re wet dreaming about.

This was a great movie. Every actor gave a brilliant performance. The intrigue and suspense was all there. From the villagers, market shopkeepers, to kitchen staff and housekeepers to the dancers and courtesans. They were equally good as the politicians, clans people, the performance troupes. Definitely, Tiana, Hong, Wan, Chathra and Khem delivered grade A performances.

Here is my only gripe, this isn’t a reflection of the story but something I know I have seen too many times over before.
1. I know Hong didn’t died but it was a rouse to flesh out the killer.
2. I knew Wan was the one who set off the firecracker as soon as I saw him go to Wichiendej.

However, I thought it was Wichiendej who killed Master Cheng. I guess in a roundabout way, Wichiendej did with his manipulation of Triang.

Overall, it was good storytelling. The pace was good. The flow of the series was good. Nothing was slow as molasses or speeding through things.

Someone said this was originally 3 hours which was edited to 2 hours. Not sure how true this is but I think 2 hours is just fine. I rather have it edited than sit through extra filler parts to make a movie drag on and on.

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Mythological Cop Show With Side Of BL

Took me 4 tries to get past episode 1 then I binged it in 3 days

The idea of giving us BL fans something new is great. As someone who is bored stupid with school BL especially the ones from Thailand. I was looking forward to this series. Was the series perfect? No. Was it entertaining and enjoyable? Yes.

Billy is a better actor than Babe. The chemistry is the but the execution is lacking. I can’t make heads or tails about Tharn’s behavior. Especially being so co-dependent on Chalothon. I knew Doc was a walking red flag the minute he came onscreen. I am not sure why Tharn can’t sense doc being a baddie with his premonition power.

I like Yai being the comic relief more than Thongthai and Khem. Seriously they way they seem se less but made it to the elite IDF is questionable.

I don’t like Dao or what was the point of having such a character exist in this series. The female forensic irks me because of the horrendous music she listens to.

The baddies in episode 5: Wit 🥵 Nahrong 🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵🥵

To be continued

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