A lot of fun!

"Rainbow Prince" is now by far my favorite BL! The story was a mishmash of several Disney movies, and the actors went all out with their campy and cheesy roles. The songs were fun, the energy was upbeat, and despite the cliches, the whole drama felt fresh. It's the perfect drama to watch if you're looking for something light and feel-good.

Both the main characters were funny and lovable (I especially liked Mikey), and there was a whole host of side characters who were magnificent and fun, as well. Most of their adventures were a series of romps and unconnected events, though the overall main plot was engaging. The drama got a little dramatic at times, though it was also very uplifting. Also, a lot of it was unintentionally funny, so it provided lots of entertainment!

Some people were upset by the relatively low quality of "Rainbow Prince". That's part of the charm, though. It worked for this drama, because it kept things simple and unassuming. It was rather reminiscent of web series like "My Best Gay Friends" and "My Immortal". That, mixed with it's Disney-esque quality, made "Rainbow Prince" total nostalgia bait. I'm certainly going to rewatch it! :D

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A very disturbing movie! Do not watch if you get triggered!

This movie had beautiful music and good acting, but that's about where the good stuff ends. This movie seems like it was written for people who think they're allies just because they watch movies about gay people being miserable. Homophobia can be depicted well in film, especially when depicted with nuance, but "Run" almost felt like a warning for gay people, especially in how it depicts homophobic violence. The main character loses everything, and the whole movie ends in anguish and tears. It is not a movie I would suggest to anyone, especially someone who has dealt with fears of what their parents would do when they come out of the closet.

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When GMMTV wants a drama to hit home, they hit it out of the ballpark!

"Dark Blue Kiss" made me laugh, made me cry, and made my heart go in a variety of directions. While most BL dramas (even the really good ones) shy away from discussing real LGBTQ+ issues, "Dark Blue Kiss" explores the stress, fear, and unfair consequences of living in the closet. The story is also a good lesson-learn on not trusting slimy "innocent" people and controlling one's temper. It also explores the slow and adorable process of love growing between people who care for each other. The show also features some tongue-in-cheek and slapstick humor to keep the feels from getting too intense.

This review wouldn't feel complete without briefly mentioning one of my favorite scenes. The show's visual storytelling is en pointe at certain moments, particularly during a two-location scene that's comparing the different things that are happening to Sun and Mork. It's so artistically done, and is really refreshing to see in a genre that normally relies on long, single-perspective scenes. It is confusing, and bittersweet in an extreme sense of the word.

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Fun, light, and relaxing

"Ocean Likes Me" is a really cute drama with a simple, slice-of-life plot. The two main characters balance each other out well-- Ba Da, a shy, reserved restaurant owner and Tommy, a relaxed, outgoing singer-turned-beach-bum. The setting of the series is relaxing, set on a cold, small town beach, which gives the series a gentle, wistful feel. While the story wasn't necessarily the most organized, it was engaging enough to keep the viewers coming back for each episode.

One major plus for this series is that Holland, the actor/singer who plays Tommy, is openly gay. It's wonderful seeing an actual gay person playing a gay character. Also, Holland did a good job depicting the character of Tommy in a believably adorkable way, making him a lovable main character for this lovable series!

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A welcome surprise

"B X J Forever" is not necessarily a light drama, and it definitely diverges from the tone of "Ben X Jim". What I liked about "B X J Forever" is that it discusses deeper subject matter while maintaining a sort of reserved optimism. Ben and Jim aren't the only main characters, as the narrative focuses on a dysfunctional group of friends and acquaintances at a gay café who are trying to figure out how to work well together. This is a big breath of fresh air after watching other shows that romanticise the concept of LGBT "community". The narrative also follows each character as they figure out how to break out of their shells, and it handles its depiction of the process of self-discovery very well.

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Sooooooooo cute!

This has got to be the cutest, most wholesome drama I've seen in a while! "Hello, Stranger" is definitely not anything I thought I wanted, (let's be honest, often I watch dramas because the coronavirus and lockdown typically don't exist in those fictional universes), and it was definitely filmed in an experimental Skype/Facetime/video chat style, but it was just as effective as any other well-done drama.

To be honest, what first got my attention was that this drama was co-starring Tony Labrusca. He did not disappoint. Neither did JC Alcantara. While a lot of the acting was sort of stilted and strange in the first episode, Alcantara and Labrusca soon proved to be very good at carrying the story. Also, they were able to cry realistically.

"Hello, Stranger" has themes of being mindful of both one's own feelings and other people's feelings. It also has themes of being flexible and open to new possibilities. The drama is simple and short, but could be comforting for any audience members struggling to accept their sexual and/or romantic orientations.

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Subtly complex, subtly dark, subtly wise

"Quaranthings" was unexpectedly fantastic! The cast wasn't too large, and the sets were minimalist (mostly all set in the same apartment). The soundtrack wasn't particularly groundbreaking, but it did its job.

The story started off super cute and fluffy, but things quickly got real! Judah is a gay guy who recently came out, Rocky is a gay guy who is still closeted, which means they both deal with a ton of emotional and social baggage. Trouble ensues, and it's not pretty. Ultimately, the story is about how heteronormative society and the closet create young queer people without direction or interpersonal skills, and about how communication and honesty are important in any relationship. It's a story about emotional immaturity, and the path towards emotional and social health. "Quaranthings" is heart-touching, beautiful, enjoyable, and painful all at the same time!

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The worst movie ever

Trigger warning: Just about everything...
You know what it would be like to watch a "Freddy the Frog" rewrite by Khaled Hosseini? The movie "Sin" is basically that. It's about a hotel receptionist who meets an alcoholic and they start having a relationship. Along the way, there's tons of drinking (which would be an excellent explanation for the screenwriting), homophobia, arguing, affairs, yelling at God, hospital visits, more homophobia, more arguments, domestic disputes, attempted suicide, more hospital visits, and even incest. You can kind of see the pattern.
The only reason the story gets a 6/10 score is because it's at least interesting. The rewatch value is 5.5/10 because the movie is so bad, it's funny. Maybe it would be a fun movie to prank people with by showing it at a party.

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Kind of a bummer

The first episode of “Oh, Mando” was really funny and showed lots of promise. The acting was good, the situations were amusing and funny, and it seemed to be setting up a good story. But despite having a few cute moments and emotional scenes later, the show kind of flopped after that.

For starters, the narrative devolved into an awkward cheating/infidelity storyline. The screenwriters could have come up with literally any trope, yet they chose such a cliched and miserable one.
For seconders, it really seemed as the story progressed that Barry was taking advantage of Mando and Krisha’s naïveté. Also, he was not emotionally stable enough to get romantically involved with anyone, which is especially unfair to someone new to relationships like Mando.

Will I rewatch this show? Only if I’m bored.

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Funny and cliché and lolz!

Arcie is trying to get into the fashion world, but has to adopt their best friend's children after said friend is murdered by the evil gang Addictus Anonymous. The children's uncle wants to adopt the children as well, though. Instead of having a major custody battle, the mixed family ends up living together in the house of Arcie's boss who is away. Hilarity ensues! This movie was not what I expected. It follows a typical family comedy plotline, but it has enough randomness thrown everywhere that one can't help but laugh out loud! Sometimes the jokes got a little too random, but overall they land well. The main characters have big personalities and stubborn temperaments, the villains are nefarious and petty, and the side characters are simply shocked the whole time. It's a delight to watch!

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Honestly surprised

Before watching it, "Sakristan" had a lot of promise. The other Filipino BL dramas I've seen have all been really good quality, so I was a little disappointed that "Sakristan" would have a half-written story, awkward actors, and moments that were unsuccessfully supposed to be "artistic". In the end, though, this became all part of its charm. Overall, it's a rather fun series, and even struck several emotional chords I wasn't expecting it to.

Personally, it would have been nice to see more development of Christian and Zach's relationship before they started officially dating. Of course, the way their relationship played out after they started dating was beautifully portrayed! Of all the Asian BLs I've seen, none came this close to depicting character development and interpersonal drama in such a risky, nontraditional, realistic way. "Sakristan" actually manages to depict real human emotions and thoughts, which is both shocking and refreshing.

Another great thing about this drama was how it presented a nuanced view of faith and Christianity. The characters have varying opinions about religion and homosexuality, and even go through opinion shifts. Ultimately, they learn to work together and respect each other, even if there isn't complete mutual understanding.

One of the things that made me extremely uncomfortable with this drama, though, was how sexualized Zach was. The actor was only 15 or 16 when the filming was going on, so the torso-shots and similar scenes were disturbing. >:(

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What a cute drama!

"Game Boys" is an adorable BL drama about two guys who fall in love online. Cai is a somewhat reserved gamer who has never dated anyone, and Gav is a spaz who gets into online gaming just so he can hit on Cai. The results are a lot of ups and downs as they learn to take care of each other through their online relationship.

The story is fun, though some of the characters' personal drama can be a bit much at times. There are underlying themes of forgiveness, communication, tough decisions, and even grief. The formatting takes a moment to get used to, since it's almost all done on video chats and social media posts, but, in general, it's handled really well. In case you think this is all deep and dramatic, there are tons of fluffy moments that are sure to get you smiling!

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This was the first Thai drama I ever watched, and I loved it! The first few episodes were a little hard to sit through, but what were so frustrating at first were the things that eventually made me love the show so much. I'm now a big Singto fan thanks to this show, and have since watched other shows with him in it. This drama...

Is character-driven: It's so character-driven that the first few episodes are full of small talk. While this may be boring at first, and doesn't always help with pacing, it helps create a background for these characters, helping to detail the close relationships that they form. Each character has a different personality, even the side characters, and I'm happy to say that as main characters both Kongpob and Arthit are way more complex than they needed to be.

Teaches good values: Friendship, respect, loyalty, giving people personal space, it's in this drama. It even shows multiple varieties of love and affection between characters (romantic, friendly, fraternal, &tc.) without passing any of it off as comedic (i.e., sappy moments between friends are depicted in a positive light). There are characters listening to each others' ideas and problems without passing judgment, and, with the case of Kongpob, the show delves into what it means to protest another person's orders while still being respectful of that person.

Has good music: If that opening theme doesn't get your heart racing and blood pumping, you might need to be resuscitated, and if that closing theme doesn't get you feeling groovy, then you need to have some soul. :)

Representation-wise, this drama did a fairly good job depicting its LGBT characters. None of the characters' identities are based on who or what they like, and they're all treated like multi-faceted individuals. In contrast with other BLs, Kongpob and Arthit's relationship isn't about an "aggressive" guy harassing a "passive" one, but is rather a relationship that evolves and changes, reflecting the various roles the two boys have in each other's lives. It's definitely a slow-burn, (mostly Arthit's fault- Kongpob is an angel), but it's beautiful watching the boys' relationship turn into what it becomes.

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A dumpster fire

"Limited Edition" had a terrible story, terrible characters, and horribly problematic "life lessons". It starts off with a disclaimer about how insightful the drama will be, which should have been the first red flag. It then introduces the main character Mario who is so emotionally stunted that he is unable to function in a normal relationship, and in later episodes it's revealed that he still has his mom clean his room for him. The other main character is Jethro, a creepy narcissist who doesn't respect Mario's boundaries or seem to realize that Mario needs someone who is capable of communicating like an adult. Jethro goes too fast for Mario, but then Mario falls for Jethro, but he never confesses his true feelings. Mamita, the local partier who thinks she's like a fun aunt, does nothing to help, so Mario has to rely on his friend Chona, who is annoying and doesn't do much else. Then there's Arnold, who can't take a hint when Mario turns him down on a dating app multiple times. Then, to make Jethro jealous, Mario dates Arnold, but doesn't tell Jethro that he's dating Arnold, then Jethro goes back to New York, and then Mario gets sad and becomes a vlogger, and then everything else that happens is of no consequence to the audience because at that point there's no use bothering to care about these characters.

If you like bad shows because they're funny to talk about, this is the show for you.

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Where it all started

This was the very first Chinese BL… scratch that, very first Asian BL… that I ever watched. It was suggested to me after I accepted the fact that I was gay, so this drama is loaded with bittersweet nostalgia for me.
This show seamlessly alternates between being slice-of-life and melodrama. Though Gu Hai’s abusive behavior is very off putting and in poor taste, the narrative and acting manage to make Bai Luoyin and Gu Hai charismatic and interesting anti-heroes throughout their individual characters’ developments. Added to that, the setting was so normal compared to other dramas, set in an average neighborhood with the colors all muted like in a high quality home video. It helps create an intimacy with the audience that blurs the line between escapism and realism. The opening and closing theme songs were both melancholic and phenomenal, the former being gentle and the latter being the sort of mournful that heals. The actors seem to be having a lot of fun working together, and they exude carefree humor throughout the performance.

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