good follow up with terrible audio

Overall: if you liked Love In The Air, then you'll like the special (can purchase on Vimeo). You can read my review of the series here https://mydramalist.com/profile/blcompilations/reviews/226713

Content Warnings: dub/non con touching, manhandling

What I Liked
- Rain and Sky's friendship returned and was adorable
- the NSFW scenes are once again well done (except they should have removed the music and just left in the natural sounds of kissing/breathing/moaning)
- clear flashbacks
- cute moments
- brief PSA about same sex marriage
- the cosplay was fun and Daddy stuff

Room For Improvement
- the sound/music: I took a half to full point off for the terrible audio including muffled noises due to lack of using boom mics, music being much too loud over dialogue, bizarre music chosen in some scenes, etc.
- I probably shouldn't have expected any character growth because there was none, Rain leaping to conclusions is on brand
- Rain's extreme jealousy was not attractive to me (i.e. blocking other people from looking)
- Pai apologizing for someone else's actions, he had nothing to apologize for

Citeste mai mult

a crack comedy

Overall: although this has some of the same characters and the overarching plot is similar, it's best to think of this as totally separate from Ossan's Love 2018 series. I laughed soooo hard at the ping pong and sumo scenes and appreciated the lack of the ex-wife character. There are several love triangles, rectangles? but it's really difficult to predict the ending. Watched on Viki.

Note with franchise:
Ossan's Love special 50 minutes long Japan 2016 (I haven't watched this but it's like a shorter movie)
Ossan's Love series Japan 2018 (expanded from the special), on Viki
Ossan's Love: Love or Dead movie 2019 (a continuation of the series and best to watch after the series)
Ossan's Love in the Sky series Japan 2019 (this is basically an alternate universe with differences in plot and characters), on Viki
Ossan's Love series Hong Kong 2021 (a retelling of Ossan's Love), on Viu in some countries

Content Warnings: manhandling, non con touching and kiss

What I Liked
- there were some real crack comedy moments
- also heartfelt moments
- I appreciated that characters communicated with each other (with some missteps lol)
- episode titles were cleverly integrated

Room For Improvement
- the intro and some of the editing was too frantic
- Haruta's character has a type of over acting, it's not really my thing but I have become used to it
- love triangles/rectangles are not something that I enjoy
- it did feel rushed especially towards the end, I think this was originally supposed to be a longer series

Citeste mai mult

instead of good messy it was bad messy

Overall: a slow moving series with unlikable main characters and even the side couples couldn't save it. Aired on GagaOOLala and also on YouTube.

Content Warnings: manipulation/lying, non con picture/video, vomiting, non con kiss (sleeping), coercion, manhandling, fight/slaps/punches

What I Liked
- that both main characters are flawed instead of one flawed and one squeaky clean character
- other than the confusing beginning/editing, I thought it had decent production value
- some sweet and funny moments
- at least they avoided something super cliche in the finale with the main couple

Room For Improvement
- characters felt tossed in but didn't have a real role to play, they also didn't feel like real people (i.e. Sher's sudden change of heart after 1 conversation, what does Fah see in Sher???)
- I didn't like either main character and I didn't want them to be together
- moved too slowly, boring plot points (what was with that play?)
- the scenes after the intro were very confusing, were they flash forwards, flashbacks, was that one guy the same person, did they know each other previously???
- too many characters were introduced in a short time frame and I had trouble figuring out who was who
- cliche wannabe girlfriend as the only main female character (turns into another cliche character)
- used wrong pronouns which was played as comedic
- stereotypical gay character was a villain
- the mashing of faces was not great kissing
- Ping is oddly obsessed with Fah's dating life
- nonsense things (random glass on a restaurant floor?)

Citeste mai mult

short and sweet

Overall: this is a cute food based series (and I would categorize it as BL/slice of life, I also have a more broad definition of what BL is). Watched on Youtube, here is the playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOHd2AnMfkDHd7XAEZKFt7iZ00IsC9uNl The videos have English subs.

Content Warnings: none? maybe spying on another person?

What I Liked
- the premise was cute
- enjoyed the baking/cooking (and they even include recipes at the end, but they are in Japanese)
- those dream moments and the sister interrupting were hilarious
- color grading and overall production value
- good outro/credits and the song (by Imase)

Room For Improvement
- wish it had been even 1 episode longer or that they would do a second season
- the subs frequently miss spaces between words, but I could still understand them pretty well

Citeste mai mult

a BL themed musical

Overall: this was an actual musical performed in front of a live audience and we are watching a recording of it. It had a slow start but I managed to make it through the first part and I enjoyed the second part more. Watched on Gagaoolala.

Content Warnings: suicide threat mentioned in song, manhandling, non con picture taking

What I Liked
- outfits/styling
- modifying the set
- music/choreo
- funny moments

Room For Improvement
- there were a lot of characters and it took me awhile to figure things out
- slow start, picked up halfway through the first part
- the stereotypical fujoshi character

Citeste mai mult

Overall: The story takes place in the present with flashbacks. The viewer really has to work to put the story together (which isn't a good thing). Purchased on Vimeo. The premium one has extras including a director's cut that has a slightly longer NSFW scene but it's shorter overall, it's combined with the commentary.

Content Warnings: bullying, non con touching (when asleep), pretty explicit NSFW

What I Liked
- I thought the acting was decent
- good music
- I liked the cinematography with the mirror in the bathtub scene

Room For Improvement
- I wish we heard Cheolsoo speak more about his thoughts/feelings
- the ending was too open as to what exactly happened, I thought one thing happened but then reading the comments on Vimeo someone from the movie responded and it was something else
- and the last sentence "it's all in the past now" doesn't really give closure
- it would have been cool if the runtime had been 20 minutes to match the title since it was only 1 minute away in the non director's cut

Citeste mai mult

Funny and fluffy with a little angst

Overall: at only 5 episodes, it's a pretty fast watch if you just want to turn your brain off and be entertained. It has several tropes in it which didn't bother me but this is not anything ground breaking. Has a mix of comedy, fluff with some angst.

Content Warnings: a non-con/dub-con kiss*

What I Liked
- has a combo of humor, fluffy and some angst
- there are several product placements per episode but they don't bother me like some do
- overall production value is good
- it has those comedy sound effects which are mostly good (except for the 1 belch), didn't notice as many sound effects later on

Room For Improvement
- *it starts as an accident and the other person seems to enjoy it, but since it started as kissing someone sleeping, I think it's a non-con/dub-con kiss
- I think there are jokes that are not being conveyed. For example, in episode 1 part 2 he said the word onion a few times and from My Engineer I remember that 'kiss' and 'onion' in Thai sound similar or are the same word. So there are likely other jokes that we aren't understanding.
- Match's video comments aren't subbed but from context clues you can guess what they say
- some scenes feel a bit drawn out

Citeste mai mult

A Both Sweet & Violent Story Set in the Countryside

Content Warnings: violence, tragedy (not between m/m)

It begins as a fairly typical BL series, but does have some pretty dark twists. The first 3 episodes are kind of stand alone as each focuses on 2 guys, but starting in the 4th episode they start to connect more.
 
What I Liked
- the more rural setting
- talking about some of the issues like corruption, education issues, poverty
- the actors are very attractive and their acting is fine
- the cute moments

What I Didn't Like
- the violence was a bit too explicit at points in my opinion, it felt like whiplash
- maybe check if someone is okay with being your fake boyfriend before you go down that path
- the promotion of skin lightening soap, I understand that they need to get funding but skin lightening soap feeds into colorism...

Hope they are able to do a season two or the actors can star in more series

Citeste mai mult

watched for Wayu & Wayha

Overall: it was a mess but not an entertaining mess. Watched ep 1-4 and 9-12. 12 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on iQIYI.

Content Warnings: murder, non con turned consensual, voyeurism, non con recording, blood, stalking/non con picture taking, manhandling, perhaps more content warnings

What I Liked
- Wayu/Wayha (wish their names were less similar though)
- that it tried something different from the regular romcom
- some of the guys being supportive of one another
- I think the first time a character asked about preferred position
- good NSFW/kissing
- fyi there is another clip after the next episode preview

Episode 9 was okay overall, episode 10 watch at 28 min, episode 11 watch at 24-30min, episode 12 watch at 22-28min and 31-33min (or to the end to solve the mystery introduced at the end of ep 9)

Room For Improvement
- very confusing start and timeline jumps
- too many characters, was not invested in any of the characters/couples (except for Wayu/Wayha)
- boring
- nonsense, why wouldn't she have worked on that actor's accent right away, she can hear it right?
- that vent room looked super unrealistic

Citeste mai mult

blended several elements well but needed more trust

Overall: romance, fantasy, mystery, action, thriller and humor worked well together but I needed more trust in the relationship with the leads. Note that there are some very intense scenes. 12 episodes about an hour each. Aired on Idol Factory's YouTube Channel. Idol Factory also produced Secret Crush On You and Gap The Series.

Content Warnings: murders, attempted murder, suicide, manipulation, mentions of rape and sexual assault, kidnapping, torture, violence, blood, vomiting, manhandling

What I Liked
- hooked right away at the beginning
- integrated action, thriller/mystery, fantasy, romance and a little humor (Jack & Rose comment was funny)
- sweet moments
- Yai/Sand established couple
- Tharn's supportive friends
- good dream sequences
- some GL
- NSFW scenes were well done

Room For Improvement
- the slap was not needed in episode 5 and a later episode
- I found the camerawork a little too shaky/fast during some of the action scenes
- toilet "humor"
- kind of a tourism ad in episode 3
- unrealistic elements (not talking about the fantasy things), why wouldn't the brother have gone after his main target first and then the others, not shooting when there was opportunity, discussing a case in a public cafe, stupid decisions (the allegedly best of the best managed to share 1 brain cell), how on earth they did they survive that in episode 11, why wouldn't have the doctor done something much sooner (the writers could have made up a mythology that Tharn had to be a certain age before he could be taken to that location)
- the lack of trust that Tharn had in Phaya and the absolute trust he had in another character was off putting, the writers need to show more why Tharn would have that must trust in the other character
- that's pretty awful of Tharn to put Phaya through that much pain at the end, wish they could have written this differently

Thoughts on the Finale YouTube Release Date (I didn't take off points)
- I understand that companies need to make money, but I think they could improve regarding the finale episode release (also since they sold out that Thai theater in minutes, they should have had several live showings in Thailand to increase their revenue, the audience is definitely there)
- they should have had the theater/livestream finale a few days max 1 week after the episode 11 YouTube released and then a few days max week for the YouTube release, the 3 weeks was too long
- should have been clear from the beginning that the livestream would have English subtitles
- should have had the livestream be a window of at least 6 hours for those who were sleeping during the livestream (maybe there was a rerun option added later but that wasn't well advertised)
- release on a platform like Vimeo, the Thai platform wanted a ton of personal information including passport number/drivers license, even if they could add Vimeo as an option for a rental that would be great

Citeste mai mult

not a romance and not anything else

Overall: as someone who has enjoyed many bodice rippers, this 90 minute movie totally missed the mark. It didn't do the romance well and it didn't do any other genre (mystery, action etc) well either. I haven't read the books and am basing this movie on its own merits. Aired on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/2fs0u4bifngi23w/r4100rhuz4b

Content Warnings: rape (repeatedly), sexual assault, violence/beaten up, drugging, held against will, manhandling, non con recording/sharing, manipulation

What I Liked
- visuals and that mesh top
- other than how the characters are all related to each other, the premise was fairly easy to understand

Room For Improvement
- even when something is based on source material, the production can't assume every viewer has read the source material, they introduced a whole bunch of characters (some with their names written on the screen), did not explain everyone's relationships to one another well, never gave an explanation for why that horrible "plan" was concocted/carried out
- couldn't root for any of the couples, 3rd couple it happened when one was shown to be drunk, 2nd couple had a terrible redemption arc maybe if 6 months ago he had shown discomfort over what he did and then in the present he had not repeatedly violated the other guy's boundaries then I could have rooted for them, and the first couple....I think that's evident, was Stockholm syndrome happening, wth
- total nonsense things ie why first take revenge on a person who created a plan instead of the person who carried out the plan, character was gone for at least 3 days (or long enough for cuts/bruises to heal so weeks???) and no one was concerned about his whereabouts, he seemed totally fine after something completely horrific, he had access to his phone but didn't call the police, etc
- jarring tone of domestic bliss to something extremely horrific
- multiple flashbacks/time jumps
- cliffhanger ending with no guarantee of a sequel

Citeste mai mult

wanted more chaotic fun (and BL)

Overall: it had a very similar premise to The Hangover, but I didn't find it as entertaining. This season had totally different actors/characters/plot than the previous 2 series so you can watch this on its own; however unlike the last 2 seasons there was no mutual m/m romance. 6 episodes about 30 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala.

Content Warnings: vomiting, held against will, drugging, punch

M/M Kisses (note, there was not a BL couple in this series): a brief flashback at the beginning of episode 2 and episode 5 2:30 and then 20 minutes

What I Liked
- clear premise
- introduced the characters well
- made me laugh a few times
- the twist/subverted trope in episode 4
- liked the mom reveal
- production value (especially the music)

Room For Improvement
- needed to be even more chaotic, I was bored
- nonsense stuff (the police didn't say/do anything about the handcuffs, they guys would have pain on their backs, their total lack of negative reaction to what was on their backs, the CEO was just cool with everything they did)
- neutral, comedy sound effects

Citeste mai mult

His Beautiful Jerk

Overall: Although I heard that the characters were more developed/had character growth in the manga, I am only reviewing what I saw in the 6 episodes. If this had been an explicit dom/sub and/or sadist/masochist relationship with discussion about rules and boundaries, then I would have enjoyed it more. Watched on Gagaoolala, it's also on Viki.

Content Warnings: manhandling, repeatedly name calling (disgusting, gross, stalker), there are two scenes in episode three where I began to think that Hira is a sociopath

What I Liked:
- the intro animation sequence was really cool and it set up the story well
- overall good production value
- good acting

Room For Improvement:
- the intro sequence and music sets this up as a silly and upbeat show and the vibe is much darker
- the accordion music was an odd choice for the intro animation, seemed to be the wrong vibe
- Hira is obsessive and does stalker behaviors. I was hoping to see character growth when he went to college, but saw none.
- I was hoping Kiyoi would have character growth but he continues the name calling, kicks and pushes Hira to the ground.
- I didn't like all of the "you are gross/disgusting/stalker", it sounds like it may have been a translation issue but the number of times it was said was a turn off
- did not like the master/servant dynamic without discussion of dom/sub

Citeste mai mult