mostly quirky fun

Overall: though I enjoyed the funny/sweet parts, they needed to reduce the episode count to really make it quirky awesomeness. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/album/89w1vvkv6zpo6wf and GagaOOLala everywhere except Japan, https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4297/knock-knock-boys-2024-e01

Content Warnings: non con touching/voyeurism, dub/non con kiss, non con video taking/sharing, unwanted public outing, beginning/attempted sexual assault, punches, past death/grief

What I Liked
- finally we had a character who was inexperienced and also very interested in romance/sex
- supportive friends
- showing instead of telling i.e. they showed a character was rich and naive instead of just saying it right away
- laughed several times
- characters established as queer, pansexuality was explained
- good dreams
- sweet moments
- glad they talked about consent but not sure why they needed actual toys at the club meeting (and fyi petroleum jelly degrades toys)
- calling out invasion of privacy/posting pictures online and there were actual consequences
- Thanwa's friend/boss had great advice
- good apologies
- good consent with Latte stopping on 2 different occasions
- Almond's mom
- lack of episode 11 curse
- well done final episode
- 2 characters from Monster Next Door had cameos in ep 12
- production value (some nice camera shots like with the wall in episode 6)

Room For Improvement
- need to reduce the episode count as things felt dragged out, I was tempted to write out to skip episode 11 but this does really explain a character's previous actions (or inactions)
- how they started the episodes with a flash forward and then moved to the present so the episode didn't pick up where it left off from the previous week
- a character told his female friend something that he had no right to tell her
- I couldn't root for a character to be in a romantic relationship until they cleared up what happened in the past, they mostly cleared it up but wanted this information sooner
- Peak and Jane could have easily explained things to Thanwa much earlier, definitely 'because the writer said so' stuff
- not a fan of what Almond did at the end of episode 2 and then again later
- too many near kisses
- toilet humor
- drunk driving after a party
- that the playboy character who was pansexual didn't believe in love due to his past, this played into stereotypes
- didn't make sense that neither Almond or Latte suggested trying something different, waiting until the final episode definitely felt like 'because the writer said so'

Citeste mai mult

beginning was slow, ending was rushed (watch suggestions)

Overall: the initial premise was good but the execution was lacking. 12 episodes about 15 minutes each. Aired on Viki and GagaOOLala (country dependent).

Watch Suggestions: (if you want to see the lead interactions and avoid a bunch of drama)
- read the synopsis
- watch episodes 6, 7 and 8
- skip episodes 9 & 10
- watch ep 11 5:35 to the end
- watch ep 12 13:30 to the end (or can watch all of it for a ton of drama that was quickly resolved)

Content Warnings: coercion/blackmail, non con picture/video taking and sharing, slap, 2 more but I'm keeping this spoiler free, one involves an animal

What I Liked
- the beginning was funny and I laughed at 1 fight scene
- visuals
- a few sweet moments
- production value*

Room For Improvement
- the leads don't really start interacting until episode 6 and halfway thru is waaayyyy too late, they had a few seconds in episode 2 and then towards the end of ep 5 but by then I was shipping the one lead with 2 other characters, I didn't really care about all the other stuff that they put in, there just wasn't enough time to do the romance well and with the additions of a love rival, family drama, work struggles etc.
- 6 antagonists was too many for just 3 hours of run time, also most/all antagonists did not have adequate consequences for their actions
- it is totally realistic that someone understands more in a language than what they can speak; however, it was not realistic that every single Korean character could understand Thai in the first few episodes, he should have spoken a few words in Korean to side characters but had his assistant, manager and dad understand Thai, also why was he wearing the translation device when they established that he understands Korean??? (also a character used the translation device to understand him but then later didn't and magically knew Thai, and that taping was live but no one translated into Korean what was said in Thai, how would the audience know what the character said?)
- *it was choppy at times, episode 1 ends with talking to a director and then the beginning of episode 2 is a character in a totally different place/time, two guys in a van talk to a character and then suddenly he is driving a motorcycle, in episode 7 it's complete daylight then the next second it's total darkness, etc.
- comedy sound effects, silly background music
- convenient writing (with the phones in ep 8), someone is injured then magically healed, cliche of overhearing something but ghosting/not communicating
- ending was extremely rushed, things were said but earlier never shown, everything tied sloppily with a bow
- with the series title, they should have had the setting be a cat cafe

Citeste mai mult

a little bit dangerous and a lot romcom cliches

Overall: the trailer promised a grittier/darker series but it's like the directors/screenwriters never talked to each other. The first two episodes were what I was expecting, then it went full romcom (i.e. multiple accidental fall/stares), then some danger towards the end that didn't make sense. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on GMMTV's YouTube channel.

Content Warnings: bullying, punches, violence/beaten up, non con kiss, non con video recording, cyberbullying, manhandling, attempted murder, drugging, attempted sexual assault

What I Liked
- that Sailom was book and a bit street smart as well in the beginning
- Sailom's friend group
- Kang's grandma was amazing
- sweet moments
- a couple funny moments
- production value

Room For Improvement
- too many romance tropes like the accidental fall and catch/stare (there were at least 3 in the first 7 episodes)
- odd pacing/plot, enemies part was too short and then rushed into becoming boyfriends
- the writers made Sailom too reluctant once they started dating/too many near kisses, made it feel more like a bromance, several kisses were uncomfortable to watch
- the comedy sound effects should have been left out, they didn't fit well
- Kang did not have a good enough villain origin story (not that any reason makes it okay to physically injure another human being)
- didn't root for the second couple because of the bullying at the beginning
- Kang's character was very inconsistent, I didn't want him in a romantic relationship because I felt like he'd bail again at the first sign of trouble
- Saifah was too stupid, there could have been a really interesting side plot/character there but his character was poorly written
- nonsense/because the writer said so stuff (some examples, that gang boss's "plan" in episode 11 made zero sense, what that police officer said, there was no reason given for Saifah trusting Name so much)
- not sure what was being hinted at with the student/teacher but they mostly disappeared
- some scenes were too dimly lit
- too many flashbacks especially in episode 6 and 11
- jumped to the past/present repeatedly in episode 7 part 1

Citeste mai mult

slow pacing with unbelievable characters (watch suggestions)

Overall: one character was unbelievably naive and then the other was oddly cruel in episode 7. 10 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4529/takaras-treasure-2024 except Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand and Philippines

Watch Suggestions
- watch episode 1
- watch episode 2 beginning to 2 min, 4:30-5, 15-16:35, 17:30 to the end
- watch episode 3 at 4:30-6
- start episode 4 at 8 minutes
- watch episode 5 at 17:40 to the end
- start episode 6 at 8 minutes
- watch episode 7 at 4-8:20 and 14:40-15:35
- skip episode 8
- watch episode 9
- episode 10 was oddly anticlimactic, you could just watch at 22:40 to the end

Content Warnings: see the comment under a spoiler for 2 of them, stalking

What I Liked
- that it didn't start with a flash forward or back
- meet-cute subverted trope
- I did laugh at the terrible hiding skill in episode 4
- episode 9 was good

Room For Improvement
- Taishin was unbelievably naive (he still asked that question in episode 10, what on earth) and Takara was oddly cruel for not telling Taishin the truth in episode 7
- a glacial pace with their relationship
- odd how very similar behaviors were categorized differently
- nonsense stuff: how they carried tents, sleeping bags, lanterns, food, etc in those small backpacks

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darker vertical mini series

Overall: this is a darker series with an unsatisfying ending. Watched for free on Shortime app, 46 episodes about 1.5 minutes each (episode 1-5 were free, I watched 6-10 with ads that showed under buying the passes, 11-15 with watching 10 ads on rewards page, daily random box and check in, fortune read and made it up to 18, it took 4 days to watch for free which wasn't bad) Shortime also has Falling For My Boss and The Secrets of Male Students both of which I liked better than Buddy Boy.

Content Warnings: attempted suicide, teacher/student relationship and grooming, child abuse, past death, non con kiss, non con picture taking, blackmail, manhandling, homophobia, slap, fight, beaten up, unwanted public outing

What I Liked
- how a characters age was given thru conversation
- bonding moments

Room For Improvement
- that teacher needed some major consequences
- cliche female character
- the ending was not satisfying (he tried to drown himself, other guy saves him and then that's the end)

Citeste mai mult

decent pink film

Overall: this is a 70 minute pink film (has several pretty explicit scenes). Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4764/heavens-candy-2023 There is an extra scene after the end credits.

Content Warnings: peeping, past grooming, past pedophilia/non con

What I Liked
- dynamic with the leads
- the age gap relationship with the dad and the other guy was interesting.
- NSFW scenes were pretty well done

Room For Improvement
- voice over with a flash forward to start the movie
- wish they had taken out 1 character to really focus more on the leads and their relationship
- rushed ending

Citeste mai mult

56 minutes (not a BL)

Overall: I generally give indie productions some leeway but the very ending of this was...a choice... not really sure what message they were trying to convey. Watched on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNtNapJNVeQ

Content Warnings (it's complicated but I'm keeping this spoiler free): intimate partner abuse, held against will, non con touching/sexual assault and something else

What I Liked
- easy to follow plot
- tried to talk about mental health issues
- they uploaded to YouTube and added English subtitles

Room For Improvement
- randomly couldn't swim
- I did not agree with all of the messages around mental health issues, society/the environment is not 100% to blame, biology plays a factor as well
- that ending was not what I was hoping for, it wasn't a funny joke, were they trying to say that pushing/ignoring boundaries/sexual harassment of a coworker was fine???

Citeste mai mult

watch this short masterpiece (on GagaOOLala)

Beautiful, realistic, brilliant. I don't even have words to say how well done this short film is but I'll try without spoiling anything. This story and characters felt extremely realistic and relatable, these are people I could meet in real life. All three/four of the actors did an amazing job, it was especially great to see Huang Chun Chih again (lead in HIStory 3: Make Our Days Count). This is an exemplar of how to do a short film well. You have a narrow plot/idea that you want to convey with only a few characters/locations.

My only complaint is that it's too short and we need a whole series or a full length movie to really delve into the glimpses that we got here. Watched on GagaOOLala.

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It was rocky

Overall/FYI: I was hoping for a bit of fluff (at least in the beginning) but it starts off angsty and we have poor communication and lack of character growth with the cliche ex girlfriend causing problems. I'm torn between 6.5 & 7. I paid $7 USD to watch on Upstream.

Content Warnings: side character death off screen

What I Liked:
- nice to see Beshie again and the BL references (pillow, his shirt at the end, posters on his wall)
- it was good that Beshie had some public service announcements/education things but it felt preachy at times
- good throwback to the massage scene in season 1 and they had a cute moment
- I was glad they communicated in episode 1 but how long did they go before having that conversation? Too long I bet.
- there were some good scenes such as when they have honest conversations and the winter scene

Room For Improvement:
- this was basically a re-do of season 1 but much less enjoyable and a worse ending
- they should have put a condensed version of season 1's ending at the very beginning to remind the viewer how things ended. Then at a minimum shown some fluffy montage moments at Lolly's house so we get a sense that time has passed (ideally I would have liked 1 or 2 mostly fluffy episodes at Lolly's house. I could also see some friction/drama happen at Lolly's house too). The way they started this season was so confusing, there's an angsty scene and then who knows how much time has passed until the next scene. The conversation with Beshie was just telling the plot instead of showing what all happened.
- that odd love triangle, they could have made it a poly relationship but didn't
- many non logical/odd things, I don't have the energy to list them all
- I really disliked some of the camerawork, especially the 360 shot towards the beginning
- they did not act like two people who love one another. What an odd greeting (covid is not an excuse). Who doesn't look at the other person at all when having a serious conversation?
- did not appreciate the two minute horror movie trailer at the start and how the episodes don't start until around 6 minutes
- the episode 1 ending was probably supposed to be a cliffhanger but I had no idea what was happening so it had zero effect on me
- I had to contact Upstream because it said the last 2 episodes were expired even though I never watched either of them, luckily Upstream fixed it in a couple of days

Citeste mai mult

Had potential and then a poor ending (minor spoilers)

Overall: I thought this low budget production was doing a pretty good job but I was disappointed in the last episode (perhaps there will be a 2nd season but ???) It's a quick watch though so you could give it a try especially if you are into tattoos :P

Content Warnings: a slap, non con/dub con*

What I Liked
- I thought the acting/chemistry was pretty good between the two leads
- though the production value is lower, there was a few nice surprises like the scene when it cuts from one location to another with the same action in episode 4
- nice music
- some really sweet scenes like the car wash scene

Room For Improvement
- *non con/dub con, similar to Check Out: Special Episode there is a situation where the pursuee is extremely drunk and the pursuer is either sober or only a little drunk. There are also a few words that are unsubbed and I'd really like to know what was said at that point. But yeah, someone who is very drunk cannot give consent and he was definitely showing resistance...
- what was with the personality transplant in the final episode? And I'm not a fan of cliffhanger endings.
- no matter how angry you are, slapping/punching someone is not okay unless in self defense (which this was not)
- production things like a few blurry shots, too loud background noise, some of the night scenes don't have enough lighting
- fyi vegan brownies don't have eggs lol

Citeste mai mult

Cute 15 min film

Overall: short & sweet. Able to watch on GagaOOLala for free https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/3498/delivery-boy-2019 and also officially on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL6MbI2dHzw

Content Warnings: none

What I Liked
- fun jokes/lines such as, I'll bring the glue to put together your broken heart
- the symmetry of Eric wearing the jacket at the end that Chun Ho wore at the beginning
- loved the song he danced to towards the beginning
- his friend Jasper is amazing and that last shot is hilarious

Room For Improvement
- it would have been fun if Eric actually spoke the language and heard what the Chun Ho said when the bag of oranges fell (and we find that out later on)
- some improbable moments/lines

Citeste mai mult

Confident Guy Goes After Who He Wants....Yessss!

Content Warnings: none

Overall: so refreshing to see a confident guy going after someone who isn't ridiculously reluctant/nervous, hope they can develop this story into a longer series or pair these two up again

What I Liked
- I think they both did a nice job acting and have good chemistry, those smirks and eye movements
- I find confidence to be very attractive and Kong is such a refreshing character
- likewise you can tell that Film is receptive from some of his facial expressions

Room For Improvement
- I'm grading this on a curve because I think it has a very small budget, it would be great if this were a whole series and more fleshed out

Citeste mai mult

Screams of agony could be heard down the street

Content warning: you'll want to claw your eyes out after watching...

What I Liked-
it had an interesting premise, a god of love tries to help a human
- the actors were cute
- the first few episodes were okay
- I liked that the female character wasn't some crazy ex-girlfriend or a stalker fangirl

Why I Got So Angry
- the terrible 2 kisses - Nite is the god of love so he has to know how to give/receive a kiss right?? right??? (me screaming into a void)
- the entire episode where Tae just moped around and there were flashbacks, so boring
- almost all of the cast vanishes in the last few episodes
- an unknown time later Tae is at a beach and meets a doppelganger of Nite (let's call him Nite 2). There is no explanation but we all assume that Nite 2 is Nite in a different body based on the ridiculous number of similarities (I was thinking an Ariel type thing). This drags out until....
- What on god's green earth was that ending???? Nite 2 specifically says that he is NOT Nite, whaaaaaaaaa?????!!!!!!!!! What on earth happened to Nite? Where did this Nite 2 come from? Who wrote this????!!!!!!!! I almost threw my computer across the room and I screamed in agony at that ending. 

Perhaps they had to do 12 episodes and had problems with the pandemic. They should have paused filming OR just added 1 scene between Nite & that other god to explain that Nite needed to get a human to give him a 'true love's kiss' in a new body without revealing he is Nite. Then Nite could remain human and be with his true love (i.e. Ariel situation). Explain to me why this scene could not have been filmed and I'll up my review.

Citeste mai mult

Overall: I really wanted to like this 1 hour movie but it didn't quite work for me. Watched on the Flying Penguin YouTube Channel (I bought a month membership, they also have Twins and .avi) https://youtu.be/rYCcDRIB1TU?si=Xq93Mf7Li0oKjbC0

Content Warnings: bullying, homophobia, slap, choke, fight, non con video recording, blackmail

What I Liked
- great to see Holland and the cameo with Hong Seok-Cheon
- attempt at sex education though it felt a bit preachy
- non dead fish lip press kisses (though there was some camera blocks)

Room For Improvement
- started with a flash forward and voice over
- they tried to have too many characters/cover too much and so the main pair felt underdeveloped, not totally sold on the redemption arc
- lack of satisfying consequences for the main bully
- there was an extra scene after the end credits which I did not understand
- subtitles were pretty rough but I understood the overall gist (did not take off points)

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