confusing short movie

Overall: I really wanted to like this movie but I did not like one of the lead characters and was confused by the timeline/plot. 35 minutes, aired on Wayufilm's YouTube channel.

What I Liked
- production value
- the actors did a good job
- the ending scene was sweet

Room For Improvement
- the timeline was confusing, the friends met up and Motor had a scar, they went on a ride but then their clothes changed (I think this was a continuity error though), then Motor hung out with his girlfriend and the other guy got unreasonably angry, then there was a flashback to a year ago where the same girlfriend he was dating in the present cheated on him and Motor got into an accident, then in the present (a year later) Motor decided to break up with his girlfriend???
the above would have made sense if that was a different girlfriend but I re-watched and it definitely seems to be the same actress, why didn't Motor break up with her for a year after that incident? or was she not actually cheating and he was just sad that she cancelled plans but they kept dating? but his friend didn't know he was dating for a year???

- didn't like how Gentle got angry at Motor when he spent time with his girlfriend, then Gentle doing the silent treatment and basically threatening to end the friendship, it would have made more sense if we had seen a montage of Motor constantly cancelling plans with Gentle last minute
- some of the scenes dragged a bit and could have been cut for faster pacing
- they seemed to establish both of them as straight with the girlfriend stuff and then talking about never holding a guy's waist before, felt like a 'gay for you' trope

Citeste mai mult

short and cute tourism promo with BL actors

Overall: 12 BL actors showcased parts of Thailand thru 6 short episodes. Each episode was about 8 minutes. Aired 2 per week on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6jUaCqlEcp3ROAMOSYvXJ2ij5mxjCkzy&si=zEc7KOdeB5fTzvI4 Note: several of the episodes were not clearly BL but open to interpretation

What I Liked
- it was a cute short story/tourism commercial
- favorite story was probably ep 2 with Mai & Win
- so happy to see Frank without a wig
- happy they aired 2 per week and it was free to watch on YouTube

Room For Improvement
- they needed to subtitle the locations that the characters were at, although the information does appear in the video description
- each episode was very short and several were open endings

Citeste mai mult

fans of the series will enjoy these follow ups

Overall: I think that fans will enjoy this anthology series which showcases 8 couples from 8 recent GMMTV series. Airing on GMMTVs YouTube Channel, here is the playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszepnkojZI4h6zMFEdD2alNmOI4c9TBN

Content Warnings: violence, homophobia (Never Let Me Go)

My Favorites
- Bad Buddy and 1000 Stars, especially that ending part of 1000 Stars was extremely touching/beautiful

Biggest Miss
- I wanted to see further development with My School President not a re-hash with the actors playing the opposite character

Citeste mai mult

a well done m/m reality dating show (ep 7 was the best)

Overall: I believe this was the Philippines first m/m reality dating show and I think they did a good job with it. 8 episodes at about 30 minutes each. Aired on Black Sheep YouTube Channel.

Reality Series Note: with any "reality" series I keep in mind that what the audience sees doesn't necessarily reflect what actually happened. There can be guidelines the audience doesn't know about, parts are edited out or ordered in different ways to show a certain narrative. I read in the YouTube comments that the director said it wasn't scripted, but I always take that with a grain of salt. My goal for reality dating series is for people to have a good time and maybe make a new friend. Any actual pairings at the end of the show are icing on the cake.

Content Warnings: discussion of mental health struggles, suicidal thoughts, homophobia

What I Liked
- the intros of the 10 guys to the audience and that they had name tags on most of the series (as someone who has trouble with remembering names, this is very useful and I'm guessing was useful for the participants as well), although it could have been something like a necklace with their name
- that they started with a game and there were two 1 on 1 dates (not really a fan of the twist though but it was okay)
- diverse personalities in the group
- the emcee was great, she was caring and empathetic
- defined pansexuality and emcee said she loved how they were being sex positive
- episode 7 at the pool party was my favorite episode
- excellent that they included a mental health hotline at the end of episode 7

Room For Improvement
- group games: the oil was unnecessary, the guys just met each other and they could have played the game without the oil part, should have had less physical games and maybe some where they pair up, go on a scavenger hunt or something? or maybe group get to know you games like "never have I ever"
- too much group sharing times, it bogged things down, although I think 1 group share is a good idea, I personally don't think it's great to discuss past exes, leave the past in the past
- would only have 1 secret spark exchange or have it more like a phone call or letter where they could write their name, but it's painful to see some guys not receive a spark multiple times
- background noise during the pool party

Citeste mai mult

an enjoyable KBL with excellent acting/chemistry

Overall: a well done office romance. 7 episodes 20 minutes each. Aired on Viki.

Content Warnings: bullying, dub con kisses*, semi outing

What I Liked
- the opening sequence with its manga like animation/editing and the animation other points
- cute, sweet and funny moments
- acting/chemistry
- ongoing affection (could have used a little bit more in the final episode though)
- how the characters don't have identity crises about their sexual orientation
- how the boss Jong Chan is very supportive
- friendship between Seung Hyun and Ji Yeon

Room For Improvement
- in the first episode, it was odd that there was no one in the office when a whole big thing was made about how on time was late, it would have made more sense if everyone else was already there and working when he started
- *I do think Jong Chan knew that Seung Hyun liked him but would have preferred that Seung Hyun initiate at least the first kiss
- needed more runtime, things jumped a bit, also wanted more of a resolution with Yoo Seong
- some night scenes were too dim and needed more lighting
- another stupid "plan" by a villain
- kind of wanted the interns to have more of a plan when they made that video
- Seung Hyun promised not to do something and then he did it in the last episode though he apologized
- an hr nightmare with Seung Hyun talking to his coworkers about his personal relationship and even had some of it recorded

Citeste mai mult

that was a slog

Overall: it's slow paced and not funny. Aired on YouTube and WeTV (need vpn to Thailand).

Content Warnings: non con kiss and touching, homophobia, manhandling, hits/slaps

What I Liked:
- few cute moments
- OST
- the het couple (guy with the glasses) was cute
- a few conversations with supportive friends
- the production value is decent

Room For Improvement
- pacing was way too slow (I even watched it on 3x speed). If they had cut this from 45 minutes to 20-30 minutes, then I would have enjoyed it more. Everything is too draggy and boring.
- that ex is a piece of youknowwhat, the non con was not romantic
- choppy/unknown time jumps, did those two scenes happen at the same birthday party?
- I didn't find it funny (like the maid outfit, employee is wearing a crown, toilet humor), the comedy sound effects don't make something funny they can only enhance something that is funny
- stereotype of the effeminate guy not doing work and focusing on his live
- multiple time jumps
- the homophobic grandfathers random and sudden change of heart
- why did the m/m wedding have 6 people and the m/f wedding was a bunch of people?

Citeste mai mult

3 separate stories: f/f, m/f, m/m

Overall: you don't have to guess who funded this mini-series but I'm okay with it because finally we have a 2nd season/follow up with a cute story line (episode 1). There are 3 episodes and each episode has a different couple: f/f, m/f and m/m. Watched on YouTube.

Content Warnings: 1 non con picture taken, several self-disparaging comments about weight, body policing/shaming, shoves

Episode 1: 9/10
What I Liked
- plot was creative and sweet (a plot continuation without a love triangle or cheating is almost unheard of, I wish writers would come up with some more ideas like this one)
- good crying, it made me tear up which rarely happens

Room For Improvement
- I get they are a sponsor but I did not like the comments about weight/appearance
- non realistic things done because they needed to happen (i.e. that would have probably bruised not bled, that ladder just happened to be there)
- that was pretty PG skinship-wise with an established couple, just a couple of cheek or lip pecks would have been nice
- I know it was related to the product but 'zero' does not have a positive connotation and 'zero photography' does not sound pleasant for a title

Episode 2: 8/10
I apparently didn't take any notes on this one. I thought it was fine. Yes, it had unbelievable elements (and no not the obvious one) but I enjoyed it.

Episode 3: 7/10
It's really disappointing that an established couple has shown no character growth, they were exactly where we left them even though it's 2 years later. Also, who doesn't spend an hour cleaning, I would have turned around and left. I did like the few cute moments and I want to see Earth and Mix in more series, either together or separately.

Citeste mai mult

Swing and a Miss

Overall: there was a good idea a the core, how a boy might struggle at school with two gay dads, but it had a poor execution

Content Warnings: held against will, looked up skirt - pulled down pants, pervy guy

What I Liked
- the trumpet playing
- the boy said that they should apologize to the girl

Room For Improvement
- the trumpet player was more immature than the child! Who just leaves their child at a dock? Pulling down his pants was terrible. The dad felt stereotypical and I wish they would haven't gone that direction. He could have worn lipstick/nails and been an awesome parent of a child who is struggling at school due to bullying. Instead they made him look immature and silly.
- the first sexual assault to that girl was bad but then they threw in another attempted one??? To show that the boy was now a hero? It was an odd way to show character development.

Citeste mai mult

a lesser known Pinoy BL that is worth a watch

Overall: This series deserves more views and recognition. If you like enemies to lovers and/or something that deals with real world issues, then check this one out. 

Content Warnings: cyberbullying

What I Liked
- discussing real world problems such as: cancel (or as I call it consequence) culture*, plight of farmers, and sexual position shaming
- the production value was pretty good for what I'm assuming was a smaller budget production
- the visuals and I thought their acting was decent for (again I'm assuming) new actors
- showing a f/f relationship which is pretty rare
- the very supportive parental response from Ram's parents

Room For Improvement
- The incredibly stupid plot point regarding Cholo's plan. I doubt any human on the planet would have come up with that plan. Like, Migo is your friend and he has a pride flag hanging at his place, pretty sure he's open to talking about his sexual orientation if asked and won't ban you as a friend or anything when he finds out Cholo's sexual orientation
- three couples with three love triangles (I really dislike love triangles and there are 3 of them!!!)
- because there were so many romantic relationships in only 8 episodes, we didn't get to delve deeply into any of them
- Why doesn't Ram just talk to Migo about Cholo's plan and then explain what happened? What person just lets the other person walk away crying?
- *Though I appreciated the discussion of cancel (consequence) culture, it is much more nuanced than it being totally bad. It has to do with trying to hold people accountable for their bad actions/decisions because the law is unable to do so. Consequence culture definitely has major problems though. 
- Migo's anger/acting was actually too much at the beginning, it would have been better if he had toned it down
- they only have English, Spanish & Indonesian subs. If they had put out a call for people to translate/sub (like I think Gameboys did), I bet they would have had many more languages
- the special episode does not have any subs
- the first episode "comedic" sound effects were waaaaayyyy too much, but they did tone it down

Citeste mai mult

lack of communication/acting like a child and idiotic/abusive approaches

Overall: not a fan of the dynamic between either of the couples. This series is based on books which I haven't read and will review the series on its own merits. Uncut (~52 min) on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/1ci6pha8sn1tf5h-Fourever%20You/t4100l7xft2-EP1%3A%20Fourever%20You%20(Uncut%20Ver.) ; uncut for Wabi Sabi's YouTube Membership ; cut (~47 min) on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/ao1v1tecg9lpwhb-Fourever%20You%20(Uncut%20Ver.)/s4100zd55dq-EP01A%3A%20Fourever%20You and YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLb6_2JamS9iP_2lK0mjCScRwFJx8c8ru6

Content Warning: non con touching, homophobia, punch, fight, manipulation, non con picture taking/sharing, attempted sex assault, physical assault, victim blaming, non/dub con kiss, intimate partner abuse (financial)

Watch Suggestions
- watch episode 1
- watch episode 2: part 1 9-end, 2/3 9:30-end and all of 2/4
- watch episode 3: part 1 4-6 & 13:30-end, all of part 2
- watch episode 4: start part 1 at 3 min and watch part 4
- watch episode 5: part 2 beg to 5 min, part 3 2:30-end, part 4 5:30-end
- watch episode 6: part 1 beginning to 4
- watch episode 7: part 2 4:25-5:10, part 3 4:10-9:20, part 4 6-end
- watch episode 8: part 1 (or can skip), part 2 6:20-end, part 3 beginning to 3:30, part 4 2:30-end
- watch episode 9: part 1 4-end, part 2 8-11, part 4 6:15-7:50
- watch episode 10: part 3 1:30-8:30
- watch episode 11: part 3 5:30-6:10
- watch episode 12: part 1 11-end, part 2 5:45-end, part 3 5:55-8, part 4 10:30-end
- watch episode 13: part 1 11:30-end, watch part 2 and part 3, can watch part 4 for a long flashback scene for how two characters met

What I Liked
- excellent way to start a series
- the F4 entrance was fun (though not the exposition dump to introduce the characters)
- nice to see several actors again
- supportive dad and grandma
- good that after confronted a person apologized and removed pictures that were taken without consent

Room For Improvement
- feels very old school Thai BL, there was zero reason for poor communication dragging on for a long time/not clearing things up right away in the past or the present, several things are not clearly explained to the viewer
- a total jerk (controlling, manipulative) was supposed to be someone the viewer roots for because he was less evil than another jerk introduced in episode 10, the "plan"/approach makes zero sense and was unpleasant to watch, his victim blaming "I told you not to work there" and financial coercion (I'll give you money for each kiss/hug) was gross
- the haircuts/styles and acting like a child as a university student (an actual dialog was a character saying that they needed to hold hands or the other character (a university student) might get lost, later on a different character covered his boyfriend's eyes to prevent him from seeing someone kiss because I guess he was not mature enough to see that???)
- nonsense stuff like a character saying he would answer anything and then the other character not asking the most important question
- 5 episodes was much too long for the first couple's story
- the comedy sound effects didn't make things funny
- not a fan of what a character did while the other was sleeping in episode 1
- awkward body gap and hands at sides when kissing
- cliche ex girlfriend plot in episode 10


Note: I skimmed thru the cut version to find the missing 5 minutes in ep 1 and other than the beginning being shorter, I didn't notice any changes. Episode 2 uncut was 1 minute longer. Right now I'd recommend watching the uncut version when there is NSFW as that will likely be reduced/cut in the cut version. (as of episode 9 there's no NSFW)

Citeste mai mult

covid/unversity setting romance, watch the cut version (watch suggestions)

Overall: I was going to rate the series higher, but the finale was awful. The uncut version gets 3.5, the cut version gets 5 and since it doens't have an MDL entry I gave it a 4 for this review. 5 episodes. Uncut is about an hour to 1hr 30min each; cut is 47min. Airing uncut on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4689/live-in-love-2024-e01 ; uncut on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/0i9b5l3c9l95149-Live%20In%20Love%20the%20series%20(Uncut%20Ver.) ; cut on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/i947av13118qaoy-Live%20In%20Love%20the%20series ; cut on YouTube https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0tRjHmbcbQLx8pLeSxkmMqrOsXiVyWX7&si=VJeqs7s6Y4MgU-Fc

Content Warning: manhandling, held against will, stalking, drugging, planned gang rape

Watch Suggestions (read the plot synopsis)
- watch the very end of episode 1 (1hr 3min for uncut and 7m 45s in part 4 cut) to the end
- in episode 2 uncut watch 9-14, 17:45-19:20, 34:50-35:30, 40:40-42:20, 48-51:20, 53:25 (shirtless push-ups), 1hr 24 -1hr 25m17s (kissing) ; I'm not re-watching all of episode 2 cut version but beginning of part 3 and then part 4 7min to 8m 12s (the uncut of this scene is better)
- youtube cut version watch episode 3 part 1 beginning to 3 and 11-end; part 2 watch 8:45-end, part 3 watch 4:25-5:45, part 4 watch 3-3:45 and 4:30-6:15 and if you wanted you could watch the uncut version of episode 3 58:40 to 1hr0m30s and 1hr36m30s to 1hr38m30s for a longer kissing scene than the cut version
- YouTube cut version watch episode 4 part 1 4-6 and 9:20-10:50; part 2 watch 6-9:40 (35 min in uncut the kiss is longer), part 3 beginning to 3:15, part 4 5:23-6:15
- uncut version (I might update when the cut version airs), watch episode 5 1hr 8min-1hr 14m 30s and 1hr 27min 50sec-end (so basically 10 minutes of an hour and a half episode)

What I Liked
- supportive friends/family
- production value was fine other than jumpy flashbacks/to present, good transition images
- good consent in episode 3

Room For Improvement
- main character was infantilized (wore a teddy bear sweater, other people made decisions for him and he oddly didn't seem to care, reminded me of La Cuisine)
- spent way too much time in the finale retelling past actions
- a ton of characters were introduced in episode 1 and there was no reason why I should have cared about them or want them in a relationship with each other
- the main couple did not have a scene together until 1hr 3 minutes of episode 1 which was much too late
- love rivals  
- confusing time jumps/timeline in episode 1
- episode 2 uncut was very repetitive
- cliched female characters
- the covid setting/format was odd/unappealing, characters repeatedly talked on the phone or texted in episode 2 which was boring/did not produce good chemistry and then suddenly covid stuff disappears
- where did the side couple go in episode 3?
- the reason for the interruption at the end of episode 3 was stupid
- cartoonish antagonist and multiple terribly done redemption arcs
- the awful "we won't contact police for the very illegal/terrible things this character has done, they'll learn their lesson"
- nonsense, someone fell into the water but then magically was really far away from where they fell in (episode 4)
- "comedy" sound effects
- talking about extending the room rental in episode 5 was distasteful, unrealistic and not funny
- the very end scene in episode 5 was anticlimactic, I think they could have paced it better or had it actually end with them kissing or the crew break the 4th wall and say thanks but as it was a strange way to end a series with the way they did that scene

Citeste mai mult

romance with representation

Overall: I enjoyed the leads' dynamic and the representation, but it felt disjointed at times and could have picked up the pace/removed cliched plot points. 13 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala (not Taiwan, Korea or Japan) https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/4835/see-you-love-2024-e01 ; Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/40788c-see-your-love ; iQIYI https://www.iq.com/play/see-your-love-episode-1-dznrqstnns?lang=en_us ; WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/rigkbvj5a6vdcj1 - make sure to watch the post credit scenes in episode 13 (the finale)

Content Warnings: attempted murder, discrimination, fight, stalking, sexual assault, fight, non con touching, punch, harassment, violence, manhandling

Watch Suggestions (gets rid of cliched plot and nonsense antagonist stuff)
- watch episodes 1-4
- in episode 5 skip 1:15-13:40 (moping)
- episode 6 watch beginning to 3:30 and 14:10 to the end
- watch episode 7
- episode 8 watch 6:30-11
- episode 9 watch 6:45-8:45 and 10-19
- episode 10 watch 5-9:40 and 11:30-end
- episode 11 watch beginning to 3, 9-10:20, 11:05-17 and 20:20-end
- episode 12 watch 3:50-20:50
- episode 13 watch 10:30-14:30, 16-end and watch post credit scenes at 31 minutes

What I Liked
- the lead characters and their dynamic
- supportive family & friend
- representation (I'm not an expert, however it felt realistic)
- sweet/caring moments
- good intimacy in episodes 11 and 13 in particular
- comedy moments (subverted tropes, the parents and what they did in their home, though not sure the purpose unless it was just a prank)
- Plus & Minus cameo (the bartender)
- realistic that the 1 dad didn't do a 180
- wrapped up the characters well in the finale (though the whole beginning part/that plot was unnecessary in my opinion)

Room For Improvement
- the comedy tone didn't always blend well with the serious parts and was not a fan of the frequent comedy sound effects
- pacing could have been tighter (airing 2 episodes per week would have helped with this)
- I couldn't support the side couple based on something and then they waited way too long to reveal a key piece of information (post credits in episode 13)
- the villains thinking/actions made no sense, felt 'because the writer said so'
- inconsistent world building, how did a character not know something in episode 3 during a video call
- too much moping in episode 5
- episode 6 felt disjointed with the two plots
- nonsense stuff (it was broad daylight and suddenly total darkness/night)
- business stuff/meetings I cared nothing about
- too many flashbacks
- too many near kisses/long stares
- too many voiceovers
- cliche female characters actions though there was character growth
- started episode 13 with a recap and then a flashforward

Citeste mai mult

Close Friend season 2 was okay

Overall: we have a continuation of my least favorite plot combined with my most favorite plot from season 1. I thought the first episode was a solid start, but it fell into some cliched writing/characters.

Content Warnings: something related to the 1st season with Jedi and Ray, non con (photos/posting, live streaming), dub con kissing turned consensual

What I Liked
- nice recaps of the stories from season 1
- integrated the two stories well
- was happy to see 2 established couples
- the cute moments
- the funny moments like when Ray was describing the real Jedi
- happy we saw a morning kiss between Ray & Jedi
- the friendship between Ray & Typhoon
- that Jedi fought for his relationship
- good production value
- enjoyed the behind the scenes clips

Room For Improvement
- Ray really needed a hobby or a job, he felt like a very immature character and it was difficult for me to root for their relationship
- Typhoon's lack of agency was disappointing when he didn't want to go home, also thought the plotline with the parents could have been done better
- not into the Jedi/Ray revelation about season 1
- that vanishing effect in episode 5 felt like they were ghosts
- odd scene with Typhoon and Pierce working out but sounding like something else, the mom opens the door and then is shocked that they are...actually working out???

Citeste mai mult