more tension in season 3 of His Man (reality m/m dating series)

Overall: though it started with feeling similar as the past 2 seasons of His Man, it ended up with more tension and less friendship in my opinion which could be good or bad depending on viewers' preferences. 14 episodes about 1 hour each. Aired on iQIYI https://www.iq.com/album/his-man-season-3-2024-1fl5vc0n6ap?lang=en_us Here is my review of season 2 https://mydramalist.com/743089-his-man-season-2/reviews

Reality Dating Series Note: When watching "reality" series, I always keep in mind that producers might tell the guys what to do/say and that editing can be extremely misleading (not showing things, change the order, etc). My goals are that the guys have some fun (maybe make a friend) and being on the show helps (or at least doesn't hurt them) in their personal and professional lives.

What I Liked
- I like how they started with a date and the twist gave a bit more drama
- the 30 second phone call thing was good (I personally think it's best if the guys say who they are and call someone they are romantically interested in to avoid mixed signals/increase the odds of a mutual match)
- production value such as nice music, set design, editing, etc

Room For Improvement
- too many phone calls, would like to see some larger group games/intro games
- I was going to say it was a good decision to not let them say their age or occupation right away because I think people get fixated on those things when in reality personality, values and goals are much more important compatibility-wise; however, some of the guys seemed extremely fixated on this and I think some guys are going to get hurt after their ages are known so maybe it would be best if ages were known from the beginning or to have all the contestants be within 5 years of each other
- I don't like that the producers did something (they must ask the dating histories of the guys, I can't think this was accidental), felt like the producers just wanted to create drama
- needed nametags or nametag necklaces at least for the first few episodes to get familiar with all of their names
- I didn't like episode 14, I think more of a follow up as a group would have been better they definitely shouldn't have shown 1 of the couples and then oddly did not show show a different couple...maybe that couple got smart and didn't want bad editing so refused to film it or something


Comparison to other m/m dating shows
1. The Boyfriend (Japan) on Netflix. Guys run a coffee truck and live together for 1 month.
2. Sparks Camp (Philippines) on YouTube, currently on season 2. Anyone can date anyone. Great diversity with the guys. 
3. Boys Like Boys (Taiwan) on GagaOOLala, had a very similar aesthetic/vibe to His Man
4. Love House seasons 1 & 2 (Vietnam) on YouTube (most have English subs, this is ep 1 of season 2 no subs though https://youtu.be/TKzT_nHfVTA ). I liked this set up more than Bromance because the guys could all pursue one another. I didn't like the "secret couple" aspect and dividing them up based on sexual position seemed odd (can't they discuss that in private???) Season 1 was also the most brutal "rose ceremony" I've ever seen in any dating reality show. Season 2 was better.
5. Bromance (Thailand) is also on Gagaoolala. This is the typical Bachelor/Bachelorette set up with a bunch of people competing against one another to be with the 1 bachelor. I didn't like this because they could have all been hitting on each other and we have multiple couples! I got kind of bored and skipped a bunch.

Citeste mai mult

goodish for what it was

Overall: this had only 14 minutes of total run time with a fairly confusing plot. However, I gave it a rating boost as they were open to feedback and it looked like a very indie production (plus they might have to deal with censorship rules). PPeach YouTube playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8QwMuXkPNuYrJwq3_Gh6rw4HxMkGaIZy&si=OQx5ByyeKA5DG8D9 (episodes 4-9 need channel Membership for $2.99USD (yellow peach or higher))

Content Warnings: kidnapping/held against will, violence, manipulation

What I Liked
- clear premise at the beginning
- tension
- production value for what I assume was a very indie production
- listened to feedback such as adding subtitles in more languages, re-dubbed some episodes

Room For Improvement
- the episodes are extremely short, would have preferred a 15 minute short movie
- continuity error at the beginning of episode 2 with wearing a different outfit
- perhaps a translation error but he isn't a bodyguard he's a housekeeper
- confused about what the reveal in episode 4 meant, were they related? why were the guys trying to hurt him or where there 2 different set of guys wearing black?
- amnesia trope
- their relationship progression seemed very sudden, particularly with that ending, needed more build up to that and showing why they liked each other

Citeste mai mult

nice small town vibe but with cliched plot

Overall: a slice of life with cliched writing. 28 MDP Studio also produced Hard Love Mission and The Love of Winter. 4 episodes about 20 minutes each. Aired on WeTV, need a vpn to Thailand and eps 2-4 require a VIP membership, here is the free episode 1 link https://wetv.vip/en/play/b6596rikhukzfxi (if nothing shows up, first use a vpn set to Thailand and then try the link)

Content Warning: non con kiss, manipulation

What I Liked
- small town setting
- a smaller cast of characters
- the violin playing seemed to match the music (the piano not as much though)
- sweet moments
- intro/closing song

Room For Improvement
- totally not needed for what happened at the end of episode 3 and then the cliched plot points afterwards
- the 2 random side characters were maybe supposed to add humor but didn't find them funny
- unrealistic that he wasn't shown as drunk but somehow ended up like that at the beginning of episode 2
- voice overs telling instead of showing
- the ending

Citeste mai mult

want the actors in something else (skip ep 5)

Overall: there was potential with an angstier story but the writing got progressively worse as the series continued. Skip episode 5 and start episode 6 at 43 minutes. 6 episodes about 30 minutes each. Aired on Youku's YouTube channel, first episode link https://youtu.be/B36ryCeKxUw Rookie Thailand has also produced: 21 Days Theory, Future and The Best Story

Content Warnings: past death, grief, homophobia, bullying, punches, parental verbal abuse

What I Liked
- some sweet moments
- they explained what happened 5 years ago so the time gap made some sense (but 5 years was too long)
- funny with the friends hiding behind plants
- glad she finally stood up for herself though she should have told Night he needed to figure his stuff out asap before someone else started dating Dream
- Dream seeking communication at the beginning of episode 5
- Namwan in the second half of the series (though I didn't hate her in the first half)
- production value was good for what I assume is a low budget series (except for the too loud background music at times)

Room For Improvement
- time skip needed to be 2 years instead of 5 to feel more realistic
- cliched writing, unnecessary love triangles, drunk kissing, etc
- not clear when flashbacks started/ended/were flashbacks
- the multitude of flashbacks made the episodes feel choppy, would rather they had shown everything in the past and done 1 time skip to the present (similar to ITSAY), there were even flashbacks to scenes we had just watched like with the professor (also what on earth is you fail a university class if you can't write an amazing novel? does that really happen???)
- nonsense stuff (who doesn't know their best friend has a sibling, they've never met in person or seen a picture? they could have made this a step sibling during the time gap to make sense)
- failed redemption arcs for the dad and brother
- unclear of how much time passed in the last episode
- hardcoded English subtitles were a little difficult to read (didn't take off points for this)

Citeste mai mult

beautiful and heartbreaking

Overall: this is not your typical BL romcom, it's beautifully done but heartbreaking. I wasn't sure about the dynamic with the cold/low affect guy and the happy go lucky guy but we get important background information and their dynamic grew on me. Airing on GagaOOLala and Viki (depends on your country).

Content Warnings: death, grief, threatened suicide

What I Liked
- cute moments like the studying
- the younger siblings were adorable
- consent scene
- the perspective flip in the final episode
- production value

Room For Improvement
- not a fan of flash forwards/flashbacks right away as it makes it more confusing, but I followed this one pretty easily
- the part at the end of episode 1 is not realistic for how he looked based on what happened
- some unrealistic parts/confusing world building
- should have made the previous summer flashback more clear
- I wasn't happy with the end but not for the same reason as maybe other people, I liked what they were talking about with the teacher and wanted them to go that route
- the happy intro and outro was a stark contrast to the story
- there were several large plot points that were revealed right at the end of the series and would have liked more time to develop these

Citeste mai mult

amazing chemistry/dynamic (need Tod & Boy as main leads again!) but with lackluster writing

Overall: Pluem and Kevin have some of the best chemistry/physical affection of any m/m couple that I've ever seen. Unfortunately the writing was not great otherwise this could have been a 10/10. Also don't be nervous about the title of the series (see my comment spoiler). Aired on GagaOOLala and YouTube.

Content Warnings: kind of something off screen, keeping this spoiler free, you can look in my comments

What I Liked
- Kevin and Pluem have some of the best physical affection that I have ever seen (hand holding/rubbing, side hugs, sniff kisses, etc)
- consent examples
- that Kevin is actually interested in ghosts/wants to see them
- mystery element/premise
- funny moments
- sweet fluffy moments
- production value

Room For Improvement
- the writing was the main weakness: confusing world building, plot threads that weren't fully explained, plot holes, too many characters (a random character kind of thrown in), a character did something super cliche (and out of character) in ep 7 and beginning of 8, I'd suggest just skipping to 14 minutes in ep 8
- the commercial breaks were kept in GagaOOLala (but I didn't deduct for this)

Citeste mai mult

The Love of the Countryside

Overall: a gentle miniseries (two 20 minute episodes). Watched on YouTube. I'm assuming it's lower budget so I'm grading it on a bit of a curve.

Content Warnings: mild stalking* (his two female friends)

What I Liked
- the countryside setting
- Kinn had some nice flirting moments
- that North's friends were supportive, *they went a bit overboard though
- there was a nice consent hug

Room For Improvement
- wish Kinn didn't take North's picture/post it without consent
- the subs aren't correct which generally is fine but in the first part they talk about significant others and it's translated as Kinn broke up with his girlfriend but it should be Kinn broke up with his boyfriend. Also, the note wasn't translated at the end but in the youtube comments someone nicely posted the translation.
- bad lip press kiss
- I don't like the bowl or mullet haircuts, but I didn't deduct points for that

Citeste mai mult

Plotless Society

Overall: It started off with a bang but quickly deteriorated. I yelled "noooooo" several times while watching in disgust at the poor writing. This is deja vu of The Cupid Coach. It says the story will continue but I sincerely hope not.

Content Warnings: non con/dub con turned consensual?

What I Liked:
- well the beginning was definitely an attention grabber and rarely seen in BL, but this ended up feeling like click bait
- I liked that they gave the episode an English title (Ambiguous) because I've rarely seen that in Thai BL
- acting was ok, the female friend was my favorite

Room For Improvement:
- it was both slow and very choppy, scenes sometimes jumped ahead time wise to another scene, they didn't feel well connected to one another. That ending was awful, it just skipped/jumped with zero context.
- nonsense plot, how Guy treated/behaved towards Nut made absolutely no sense especially at the end
- Nut's friend should not have kissed him in Nut's vulnerable/distraught state
- I did not feel chemistry between actors
- the camera work is lower budget/amateur
- though I liked the style of the subtitles, they do have a few errors (pretty sure that his boss isn't his mom and that was supposed to be ma'am)
- the sound was pretty quiet, I had to turn my computer volume all the way up

Citeste mai mult

started strong and shirtless (watch suggestions)

Overall: the amount of nonsense in this plot was very high and the visuals only got me so far. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired 2 episodes per week on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4473/the-rebound-2024-e01 and Viu.

Content Warnings: murders/deaths, past death, grief, trauma, blood, punches/fight/beaten up, bullying, alcoholism, kidnapping, non con kiss, dub con kisses (likely consensual but wish they had made it more clear)

Watch Suggestions (the first 7 episodes were fine though I watched most at a faster speed, starting at episode 8 I found myself not enjoying large chunks of needless drama, love triangles, etc)
- episode 8, 10:50-11:50 dub con kisses but pretty sure they were consensual then watch up to 14:30 self pleasure, watch 45 to the end for first aid/kissing
- episode 9, watch 9-10:40 for earbud sharing, 20-22:30 for a side couple first aid, 30-32:30 shirtlessness and hug, 36-37:30 kisses/tickle fight, 45 to the end for a shower scene
- episode 10, watch 45 to the end or could skip the episode
- episode 11, watch 15:30-16:55 for a side couple moment, 19-22:30 for Ryu & Zen, and watch 50-53
- episode 12, watch 18:25-20 and 29 to the end

What I Liked
- the Cafe For All cafe
- how several characters were realistically connected
- good tension/chemistry
- visuals, realistic amounts of skin showing (i.e. not having underwear on coming out of a bath)
- a character actually asked to post a picture on social media and tag another character
- the title as a metaphor for trying again
- supportive grandmother
- hot self pleasure scene in episode 8
- the easter egg that the high school was named after the director
- good that Ryu was proud of their relationship and didn't want to hide it
- good analogy of what a rebound was
- wasn't a fan of Zen evading Ryu's kisses but the last scene was great
- production value (cinematography, editing, ost)

Room For Improvement
- the intro was attention grabbing but generally not a fan of a flash forward/back to start a series
- a character was supposed to be sweet but came across as stalkery and I was super mad at the non con kiss in episode 11
- the teammates bullying their other teammate, there was 1 verbal apology but it still didn't sit right with me
- a character was infantilized, would have been cool if he had had his own romance
- love triangles (there were multiple which was extra annoying)
- nonsense plot stuff: the flashbacks were from 9th grade and they were currently in 10th/11th grade (so they were supposed to be 15/16), not calling the police in episode 4 and later, too tropey (multiple accidental falls in an episode, a lot of near kisses), wearing school uniforms during illegal activities, calling the police when that would get teammates in trouble, a mom's nonsense actions and then nonsense redemption arc, getting super upset when 1 character could easily fly to the other
- telling a significant other they couldn't smile at anyone else wasn't romantic
- the cafe owner and coworker betting on the love triangle/gossiping about it
- too many plot threads not well fleshed out
- comedy sound effects

Citeste mai mult

close but not quite

Overall: there were parts that I really enjoyed but other areas were lacking, it's between 7.5 and 8. It had 10 episodes about 30 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI in U.S., Thailand and Indonesia.

Content Warnings: hit, harassment, non con kiss, manipulation, past physical abuse

What I Liked
- funny moments
- cute/caring moments
- the small town vibe where everyone knows everyone
- the cafe owner Kim Dong Hee and Go Ho Tae*
- that Ji Won Young stood up for himself with the ex and at the end that manager
- production value

Room For Improvement
- dead fish lip presses/fake shadow kiss
- *the side couple had way too little screen time, their story wasn't explained well enough, the hits were not needed and then it wasn't resolved well
- felt the drama towards the end dragged on too long but then the very ending felt rushed
- bad "plans" and poor communication
- continuity errors (ep 1 bird poop, left his credit card behind and it wasn't addressed, character punched but next day does not have any injuries)
- non realistic things (says he's super sick/was told to rest and then he's cleaning floors)
- felt more like a 'gay for you' trope rather than a gay awakening

Citeste mai mult

good ingredients with a subpar recipe

Overall: they had a lot of great elements but unfortunately messed up the writing. 6 episodes 45 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala and re-aired on YouTube.

Watch Suggestions:
- watch ep 1-3
- watch up to 28 minutes in episode 4 and then 39-42 minutes
- skip episode 5
- watch episode 6 starting at 24 minutes to the end (although 11-15 minutes was good too)

Content Warnings: manipulation, shoves

What I Liked
- supportive grandma
- Atom (also the brother's relationship)
- Peach pushed back against Shin at times
- production value (cinematography)
- (neutral) comedy sound effects, they weren't overpowering

Room For Improvement
- too many love triangles for a short run time, needed to really build up 1 main couple
- I don't like either of Peach's love interests as they are both throwing red flags right and left (no you don't get to ban your significant other from hanging out with their friend, no you don't lie about dating and use a person as if they were a trophy)
- why did no one apologize to Peach, maybe Shin did off screen but we didn't see it?!?
- too little character growth too late, there seemed to be a little bit but Shin backslide too far
- rushed pacing and then wasted screentime on a bunch of angst, some choppiness as well
- cliche plot points: got sick after getting wet trope, saw something and made an assumption, failure to communicate clearly

Citeste mai mult

unique premise with engaging characters

Overall: I was hooked with the characters' dynamics and the unique world building, but it needed a few more episodes to more fully flesh out the plot. 8 episodes about 40 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI and GagaOOLala (country dependent).

Content Warnings: there are several including some major ones, see my review comment for a list under a spoiler tag

What I Liked
- realistic parts, didn't shy away from things like homophobia
- that Myung Ha wanted Yeo Woon to be happy before the penalty was known
- world building (though some parts were rushed)
- sweet moments
- funny moments (that snack shop scene)
- the side character classmate
- being forthright in episode 5
- ongoing physical affection

Room For Improvement
- although the episodes were longer than normal Korean BL, there were many plot threads and some felt underdeveloped/rushed i.e. they didn't clearly explain why a character's personality did a 180, also they kept talking about modeling but didn't explain it until episode 6 and I thought there was a subtitle error (and they also had 2 other characters model and 2 characters' names were similar, which added to my confusion), overall this needed to be a 16 episode kdrama length and then would have been 10/10 (or reduce the number of side plots/characters)
- was a bit confused on who the villains all were at the beginning/their relationships to the characters

Citeste mai mult

didn't feel the chemistry

Overall: although I like each lead character individually, the high school student/teacher dynamic was squicky and I thought Nekoto and Sahara worked better together. I haven't read the source material and am reviewing it on its own merits. 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala and iQIYI.

Content Warnings: fights, high school teacher/student relationship

What I Liked
- we rarely see a "delinquent" character, he was adorable
- crack comedy (it had the overacting vibe but it worked for me because it didn't have constant comedy sound effects)
- that chase scene in ep 1 was fun
- how a nerd character was good at sports
- styling (except 2 characters were styled younger in the present and older in the past which was strange)
- production value

Room For Improvement
- the writers really got me rooting for Nekoto, they seemed much better matched especially with how everyone (including Toki) continually emphasized that Toki was not an adult, there was a lot of screen time with Nekoto even in the final episode
- high school student/teacher dynamic (the accidental kiss, no shirt/head in Toki's lap, confession) all while Sahara was still Toki's teacher (which has an inherent power imbalance with grades, it is immoral/unethical and in most places illegal as it should be) and then the kiss at the end while Toki was still in high school was squicky, I think they could have mitigated this by having it take place in university (and Sahara not be Toki's teacher, or only for a semester and then they start their relationship later)
- Toki smacked Sahara on the back even though he knew he had a back injury (also reinforced Toki's immaturity)
- the side couple basically vanished

Age Notes: it was difficult to figure out the ages of the characters but in the final episode Toki mentioned that he was in his second year when most of the series took place and by looking at Japan's high school structure (3 years 15-18), Toki would have been 16/17 and then 17/18 at the end when they kissed (still at the high school). In the flashback, it said Toki was in 4th grade. Calculating backwards, he would have been 9 or 10 and Sahara mentioned the incident when he was in high school, let's say he was 16/17 so they'd have about a 7 year age gap. For most of the series in the present, they were 16/17 and 23/24 and then at the very end 17/18 and 24/25.

Citeste mai mult

enjoyable KBL

Overall: this is a nice KBL, though I would have rated it significantly higher if they had done 1 plot tweak in episode 5. 8 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI.

Content Warnings: manhandling, blackmail, harassment

What I Liked
- cute and sweet moments
- I enjoyed a rarely seen plot thread of dealing with/getting over a certain something
- ongoing physical affection
- production value

Room For Improvement
- how I wish in episode 5 Ba Ram had only talked about his feelings regarding the teacher, because the lack of a certain response (I'm keeping this spoiler free) made zero sense to me and created cliche drama for the next episode+
- related to the previous point, in episode 7 Han Tae is unrealistically dense, he doesn't know why Ba Ram took back something he said...it's extremely obvious
- dead fish lip press (the dream one was much better but it was a dream)
- cliche near kiss in episode 8 when he was sober enough to carry him mere seconds before
- lack of plot resolution, the anti fans went where??? is there going to be a season 2?

Citeste mai mult

Overall: Despite it's flaws like plot holes, I thoroughly enjoyed this series and its emphasis on social justice. I could see a season 2 or movie to explain several unanswered questions. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warnings: violence, fight scenes, restraint and kidnapping, past trauma, dub con kiss (drunk, sleeping), non con touch (sleeping)

What I Liked:
- the consent in episode 9 part 1 was amazing, I loved the check ins; related is the realistic way that there wasn't just 1 kiss with a certain couple but continued displays of physical affection (hugs, cheek kisses, sniff kisses, etc)
- addressing several social justice issues that are issues everywhere in the world
- the realistic visuals (i.e. no excessive make up, filters, blurring)
- a trans character is not portrayed as an overly comedic character
- the beautiful music
- the acting and chemistry
- the action/mystery plot
- there was some funny moments including Sean being sassy
- good production value and character styling

Room For Improvement:
- non logical/odd things, plot holes, loose ends, stupid decisions, I'm not going to get into all of them but it reminds me of Manner of Death
- the pacing felt too slow at the beginning and then very rushed at the end
- lack of smart plot twists, the ones presented I guessed a mile away (except for the G)
- they should have reduced characters (side eye to Sean's female "friend) and then fleshed out other characters like Gumpa and another couple that has a criminally low amount of screen time especially in the beginning
- the punch at the end was unnecessary in my opinion
- the lighting in some scenes was too dark and it was difficult to see what was happening and the camerawork was too shaky at times

Citeste mai mult