Gentle movie about biological and found family (minor spoilers)

Overall: this reminds me of God's Own Country with its countryside setting and sparse dialogue. Things are subtle (maybe a bit too subtle at times); I wish I could hear a director's commentary as I'm sure I missed many things. Watched on Amazon Prime Video, also on Gagaoolala in some regions.

Content Warnings: homophobia, side character death

What I Liked
- the foreshadowing, double meanings, subtle hints, for example when the grandma was mixing and said to watch it and wait it out, and also that pregnant sheep
- the countryside setting
- production value was good overall
- realistic flawed characters who made mistakes and apologized/tried to change

Room For Improvement
- maybe a few things were a bit too subtle and we could have used a little more dialogue to tell the audience what the characters were thinking
- it was odd when that female friend was yelling around the house that the guys wouldn't have woken up

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struggled with Segaski

Overall: I loved everything about this except Segaski. 8 episodes about 20 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala & Viki. 

Content Warnings: intimate partner abuse (see my explanation at the end), stalking, manhandling, non con bondage

What I Liked
- acting/chemistry
- NSFW well done
- production value

Room For Improvement
- Segaski is an abuser and a jerk (get your own soy sauce), this went beyond miscommunication
- lack of growth from Segaski, he actually got worse as the series went on, in episode 7 he apologized for believing Yoh can be an independent adult/trusting him which was definitely not the apology I was looking for, towards the end there was a hint of growth but then he backslid again
- why was Segaski so stupid, Yoh told him that he wanted someone who was nice/caring and smiled at him, but Segaski was forbidding him from seeing his friends, pulled him around and threatened to confine him to their apartment?!?
- the NSFW fizzled out, though there was a little in ep 8
- cliche getting sick after being in the rain but at least it was before and not after they had sex

I really hope people realize this is fiction and not a model for a healthy relationship because Segaski is an abuser
1. financial abuse - it is apparent that Yoh is very aware he is financially dependent on Segaski, they don't show us that he has anywhere else to go, I think it was either ep 3 or 4 Segaski reminds Yoh that he provides everything for him
2. Segaski forbids Yoh from seeing his friend in episode 4, Yoh is a grown adult and should be to go or see his friends when he wants to, Segaski in episode 7 again is angry hoping Yoh doesn't visit his friend
3. stalking - Segaski stalked Yoh, he never apologized for this but Yoh apologized for seeing his friend/coworker, those who are abused will say the problem is their fault when it was actually the abuser's action/fault (i.e. Segaski shouldn't have stalked Yoh or forbade him from seeing his friend)
4. physical abuse - pulling someone by the wrist is abusive unless there is an emergency and a person is yanking another person out of danger, in episode 7 Yoh was uncomfortable when Segaski tied his hands together and said he couldn't be trusted to be on his own although we know Yoh can be an unreliable narrator and then later it seemed like he might like it but it didn't start out as consensual bondage

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happy for now? (watch suggestions)

Overall: the first episode and a half were so amazing in the first 4 episodes. But annoying plot points and the cliffhanger/terrible ending ruined the series for me. I was happy when I heard there would be 4 more episodes but they again did annoying plot points. I feel that this couple will break up after a few weeks or months which greatly impacted my enjoyment of the series. Aired on SUKFILM's YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYfaogVGCvwTczUW4K1YELu_cWQfUQ21a&si=Ae7a-g86tOGEtGNN I'm watching the cut/non-member version which has less kissing (and I heard an epilogue at the end of episode 8). Here is my review of the first 4 episodes https://mydramalist.com/profile/blcompilations/reviews/354841

Watch Suggestions
- start episode 5 at 7 minutes
- stop episode 6 at 3:20 (unless you want another overused plot point)
- skip episode 7
- watch episode 8 at 13:30 to the end

What I Liked
- the main leads when they were cute together
- acting
- kissing
- music

Room For Improvement
- due to a lack of trust and communication skills, I predict the characters break up in a few weeks or months which is not what I'm looking for in romance series
- did not need over half of episode 5 to be filled with a cliche female character
- did not want to see the character they introduced in episode 6, should have focused the time on developing the leads' relationship
- why was everyone extremely into 1 character? it felt unrealistic
- there was no reason to do what they did in episode 7 and apparently the ending scene was a dream which was not clear at all, but even him dreaming left a sour taste in my mouth

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came for the m/m romance, stayed for the rest (need a spin off/season 2)

Overall: I heard about the m/m romance (I was worried at the beginning but then really enjoyed), but overall liked this series that looked at love, sex and our complicated relationships with other people. 8 episodes. Aired on Netflix.

Content Warnings: death, grief, past parental abuse, homophobia, beaten up/fight, sexual harassment, non con video recording/sharing, cyberbullying, drugging, body shaming, alcoholism

What I Liked
- mix of comedy with poignant parts, there are some truly breathtaking moments when nothing is said but everything is felt, not even sure how to describe this
- realistic problems (though it's definitely fictional since a family wouldn't have all those issues at the same time)
- some mystery/characters thinking they know everything, but not having the whole perspective/information
- production value (music was excellent, interesting camera shots)

Room For Improvement
- I found myself bored by some of the plots, in particular the younger sister
- the fact that everyone was pretty awful at communication, wanted at least 1 or 2 characters who said what they wanted

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excellent follow up to season 1

Overall: because there is more comedy I actually enjoyed this a bit more than season 1. The special is 1 hour and 15 minutes. GagaOOLala picked this up in September 2023 which is when I watched it (GagaOOLala picked up the whole franchise and the order to watch is: season 1, special, movie, season 2 which is airing October 2023).

What I Liked
- comedy, I burst out laughing several times
- cute moments
- communication progress
- Wataru, yes he's immature but he's honest and his partner enjoys their dynamic so I won't judge them
- tighter pacing than the series

Room For Improvement
- the fake out (I'd rather they show nothing at all than the 'stop right before it happens')

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a relic best left in the past (major trigger/content warning below)

Overall: I want the time that I spent watching this back. If you want m/m romance, please go and watch, literally... anything else. This is adapted from a manga/anime which I haven't seen and I'm reviewing it on its own merits/flaws. Watched on GagaOOLala.

Content Warnings: rape (graphic and a long scene), ptsd, manipulation, victim blaming, manhandling, physical violence, second attempted sexual assault

What I Liked
- it looked like they had some actual musicians for some scenes/shots
- some acting was okay
- the conductor did apologize so he wasn't a 100% sociopath, but still a really awful human

Room For Improvement
- most live action dub/non con in BL/Yaoi has some element of the FICTIONAL mouth says no but body says yes, it turns consensual at some point. But nope, this was full on non con from the beginning to the end and it was awful to watch.
- that pos (piece of sh*t) "friend" told him it wasn't that bad, he was only raped once in a crowded restaurant and her drinking doesn't make her any less of a pos
- her indirect kiss was awful
- that conductor said he was sorry and wouldn't do it again and then basically almost rapes him a second time!!!
- how on earth did he all of a sudden think "my beloved"???
- character repeatedly says that he can't love men and he's not gay- that conductor's flashback at the end was terrible, so he had a love a first sight and that gives him the right to rape another person, WTH?!?!
- open/confusing ending, so they don't end up in a romantic relationship? I want them to never see each other again. Actually I want the conductor to spend some time in jail, therapy and have to give financial restitution.

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wanted more Ocean's 11 vibe, (has a side m/m couple)

Overall: I came for the side m/m couple (Captain/Fei) but I enjoyed the other aspects of the series at the beginning. However, things dragged on and I'd say it was okay overall. Watched on WeTV vpn set to Thailand (it has English subtitles).

Content Warnings: attempted murder, manipulation, stalking, blackmail, non con kissing, slap, punch, almost attempted suicide

What I Liked
- good plot set up
- when they worked with one another/implementing their plan
- the mystery aspect
- it has Inspector Yummy (aka Inspector M from Manner of Death) as a lead
- there were a couple of parts where I laughed like the bodyguards checking for temperatures instead of weapons
- overall production value
- the ending song which you can find here https://youtu.be/5OmquP_orZw

Room For Improvement
- it got slow and I wanted more Ocean's 11 with some twists
- didn't feel chemistry with the lead m/f couple
- I didn't feel the chemistry/reasons why the m/m couple loved one another, they needed more screen time
- watching multiple women get lied to over and over and over again
- though I liked how the side m/f relationship ended it seemed kind of odd in the series
- that they tried for comedy with the facial hair of that older guy during a really serious moment in episode 1
- the humor in the final episode hospital scene was not good

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Love Triangle Area, part 1

(mild spoilers)
Overall: it made me laugh a few times despite the dreaded love triangles. It felt incomplete but the second part didn't help. Aired on GagaOOLala. Re-aired in 2024 on Love Area The Series YouTube channel.

Content Warnings: 1 fight scene not between the m/m, mild abduction

What I Liked
- overall production value was good, a few errors with the English subs but not bad
- acting/chemistry was goodish
- the enjoyable OST is by Jeff Satur who also has a small role
- I am a sucker for a bad boy who is trying to be better
- there were a few times that I actually laughed out loud although some may have been unintentionally funny...

Room For Improvement
- ugh, love triangles (there are 2). I really want 1 of the third wheels to give up and find happiness elsewhere (unfortunately I have a nagging feeling this will be drawn out until the end of part 2)
- once again a dumb time gap but this had at least a more realistic reason, still a totally stupid plan though (not a fan of time gaps where 1 person in a serious romantic relationship ghosts/lies to their partner supposedly for their partner's good and then comes back years later and they live happily ever after)
- didn't like the way King (the painter) pressured/guilted Ice (the model) to take his shirt off for the painting
- the actor playing Ice (Freshmen college student) is 14, which is odd and he'd better not be a love interest or someone think he's a love interest
- Kaitoon has the memory of a goldfish or is just really rude for standing up Nont two different times and not answering his phone. I wish he had remembered but his phone had died, didn't have cell reception or notified Nont at least 1 of the times.
- Kaitoon doesn't appear to reciprocate feelings until the very end and I like both characters to at least show interest a bit earlier than that
- wanted the guy pursuing Panggo to stop/ease up (again not a fan of someone repeatedly pursuing another person when the person has expressed disinterest or no interest because that's stalker behavior). I realize this was done for laughs, I thought it was stupid.
- pacing could have moved more quickly
- I really enjoy the OST but it is replayed with various versions (vocals and just instrumental) a little too much.

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interesting premise, confusing execution

Overall: I enjoyed that this had a unique premise but there were just too many plot elements thrown in and they were not able to explain or wrap everything up well. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warnings: there is one (which we actually never see and I wish we had) but I'm going to keep this spoiler free

What I Liked
- gorgeous country/mountainside setting
- a bit of mystery/more of a unique premise
- cinematography and music
- the actors did a good job

Room For Improvement
- there was just not enough screen time to fully develop the multitude of plot points and it ended up being too confusing i.e. the two "games", jumping back and forth in the timeline, the scene on the bridge - what was he apologizing for???, the repeated bridge scene, the twist (I would have cut that whole element/character out), how was it so coincidental with the timing with them ending in the place from the first episode, what exactly happened with their relationship?
- I would have preferred that the first episode content was cut down into 5-10 minutes and then they moved into how they met/their relationship, shown (not told) what exactly happened to land them there so close in timing and then have the final episode in the place we saw in the first episode
- it's fine to have plot twists and mystery elements, but in the end, the audience should go 'ah haaa' like in The Sixth Sense and I was left with 'uh whaaat?'

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not the action I was hoping for

Overall: this 1 hour and 25 minutes follow up was fine, but it was very detective/action heavy and less character focused. Now available to watch on Idol Factory's YouTube channel. The first part of five is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfuX7Ln_m9U&ab_channel=IDOLFACTORYOFFICIAL (currently they don't have a YouTube Playlist)

Content Warnings: deaths, grief, violence/fights, blood, kidnapping

What I Liked
- 1 steamy scene was pretty well done though it could have been a bit longer
- element of fantasy though it felt underdeveloped
- they did explain 1 nonsense plot element that happened in the series which I appreciated
- addressed workplace gender discrimination

Room For Improvement
- main characters did not have any character growth, one was still lying and the other was being overly possessive
- many nonsense law enforcement things that took me out of the story
- odd goofy humor/comedy sound effects combined with a very serious plot
- presence of the little girl was not for me
- production needed to shorten up the time that they released it in Thailand/not international friendly streaming option (May 26th) to when they released it on YouTube (June 27th). At least it was only a day or two after it was for paid channel members that they released it for free on YouTube. The too long of a gap happened with the final episode as well, it would be okay if they just shortened the time between releases i.e. live in person event/thaiticketmajor online streaming May 26th, 1 week later YouTube channel members, 4 days after that free on YouTube

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glad we got our follow up

Overall: Stay By My Side ended on a cliffhanger so I'm glad we had this special but I did want a few changes. Aired on Viki & GagaOOLala.

What I Liked
- chemistry/kisses
- sweet moments
- gave us a conclusion we needed
- callbacks to the series

Room For Improvement
- disappointed that they used the same plot device as the series instead of direct communication shortly after the thing that happened at the end of the series
- some wonky camerawork
- added in additional characters and tried to do too much, would have liked to see them narrow the focus more

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only 10 minutes of the 20 minute short film

Overall: the production has made the odd decision to release only 10 minutes of the 20 minute short film. They have a fundraising project here https://www.zeczec.com/projects/Prayinlove_BL where people can pay and see the fully 20 minute short film in July. However, they also want to raise funds for the whole series. I think that they should have released a really engaging short film in its entirety for free and used that to fundraise for the series. They also needed to use an international friendly platform (I didn't see an option to change the language on their current site) and include internationally friendly rewards instead of physical goods that no doubt require a lot more money to ship internationally.

The 10 minute short film is here https://youtu.be/JhYUeHrlABw?si=6JDp9miOUEmpVJBc and it was okay. For a BL movie/series, they needed a better start than a guy surrounded by women flirting with him though.

I do think productions could do crowdfunding for BLs, but if they aren't with well known actors in BL or a sequel to something really popular then they need to have a really amazing trailer/hook, be realistic about how much they can raise with crowdfunding and be international fan friendly with reward levels and crowdfunding platform. I recently participated in a BL manhua kickstarter that exceeded its goal by a lot, so the money is out there if the project is done well.

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goodish indie short movie

Overall: a decent way to spend 30 minutes. Aired on Wayufilm's YouTube channel https://youtu.be/zFifCdlf9e0?si=SlYCdQQSoMRJF4kV

Content Warnings: homophobia, vomiting, slap

What I Liked
- centered on the two leads with just 2 other characters
- sweet moments*
- good production value for an indie short movie

Room For Improvement
- *I wish their getting to know you/falling in love wasn't done in montages, they could have cut/reduced other scenes (including the time jump) and actually had these scenes with dialogue
- I didn't take off points but I don't think a homophobic parent would have queer movie posters on the wall of their workplace (pretty sure that set is the production's office, however, they could have removed the posters or covered them up)
- because it was a time jump it felt like a very fast/unrealistic turn around for the dad
- using alcohol as a catalyst to their spending time/relationship

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fun crack comedy short series

Overall: this is a fun webseries. Each episode is about 7 minutes long followed by behind the scenes stuff. Watched the cut version at https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLalG2smk62xH9vj-eSvdz7UHexMlChZcf&si=9ek2Td5UmgHkHZVo (not sure what is in the uncut version but I suspect they actually show something in episode 10, looks like the least expensive membership gets you the uncut episodes)

Content Warnings: kick

What I Liked
- comedy
- cute moments
- (neutral) comedy sound effects

Room For Improvement
- ep 1 sitting on the toilet
- didn't understand the insistence that a guy who had feelings for a guy is straight, that is the definition of not straight (maybe this was translated incorrectly/I misunderstood though)
- something that almost happened in episode 10 of the cut version (maybe was shown in the uncut version)

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