Inter-universe body swap done quite well

I love this series in so many ways, but I also can't help feeling that it can be better.

The series starts off pretty impressively with a twist to the body swap concept as the main characters swap bodies with people in a parallel universe. There are a lot of cute references to other BL series like 2gether and intelligently self-reflexive moments that refer to BLs and film production, teasing us on whether the main couple would have a happy ending.

The main actors (Sea and Jimmy) have done a rather good job, but the decision to have Nanon and Ohm make brief appearances in the early episodes has its pros and cons. Of course, it draws in viewers because of the star power. But Nanon and Ohm have such a presence , despite the few scenes they appear in, that they not only give the same characters different vibes but also cause the viewer to have difficulty getting used to Sea and Jimmy when they basically disappear from the show.

Still, the story is good enough to get viewers to continue watching. I like the way the characters, Talay and Puen, develop as they get used to being in a parallel universe. Some ethical questions are raised about living in the bodies that belong to other souls, but I wonder why no one has an issue with making out with people whilst in other people's bodies. Perhaps this would take the story into a terrain that gets too uncomfortable and undermine the body swap concept.

While the main characters develop rather nicely, there seem to be some back-and-forth changes to their relationship. Sometimes they seem to have progressed further in their romance but soon the "progress" seems to be reversed. At some point, the story starts to fizzle out a little because the elements that make it interesting are not fully exploited. There is, for instance, more than a hint that the parallel universe that doesn't belong to the main characters, may well be better in many ways than their original universe (at least gay marriage is legalized in the parallel universe). Yet, the sense of helplessness that the characters would face (they can't really choose to return to their own world or stay) as they develop close friendships and work hard for their achievements isn't really worked on. Neither is Talay's longing for his friends and family in his original universe. There is a slight sense of sadness in the final episode that the protagonists will no longer be able to interact with the people they have come to genuinely care about in the other universe, but perhaps the struggle could have been emphasized earlier.

We are also left wondering what happens to the people in the alternative universe, particularly Nanon and Ohm's characters. (It's kind of sad that Ohm's character seems very much like the irresponsible troublemaker he was at the start. There could have been a better wrap-up for their story, but perhaps there isn't enough budget to pay Nanon and Ohm for more scenes.) Perhaps this is to bring across the point that Talay and Puen will forever be cut off from the parallel universe, but there is also a hint that when Talay dreams of the people in the other universe, it's really what is happening to them (so there's a sort of happy ending for everyone).

In the end, I think the series has a message to convey: we do not have all the power to decide what the world we live in is like, but we can try to live our lives in the best ways possible in the areas we have some control over.

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Short, sweet, full of fluff yet realistic

To have a BL series featuring characters who are older than the typical characters in BL may be a risk, but it also offers opportunities for something realistic and moving. The fact that the leads are colleagues, that the older one is 39, that there's a ten-year age gap between them, are not just glossed over but nicely used to highlight realistic concerns in a sweet love story.

The love story itself does take some time to develop. While the two leads are attractive men in the story, it is not really the main focus (unlike some series that spend too much time on how attractive one of the male leads is) or even necessarily the main cause of their attraction to each other. Some flashbacks effectively highlight the development of the feelings between the two men.

Despite the sweetness, the series also features genuine concerns like ageing (though neither of the leads is really old) and social isolation. The issue of masculinity and what society expects of men and of people at different ages is also brought up. When the two leads agree to pretend to be girls, it's more like they are pretending to pretend--I think they genuinely want to be expressive and share their emotions with someone rather than to behave the way society expects grown up men to.

The obstacles that are in the way of their relationship are also quite genuine. When the older guy thinks about their relationship, he thinks, "He's a man, and I'm a man". I don't think he's unable to come to terms with a same-sex relationship but is worried about people's reactions and how it may affect the both of them. Even when they are about to kiss at the end of the series, they stop upon hearing people nearby.

While we have a sweet love story in Old Fashion Cupcake, the realistic treatment of the problems that can come in the way of the romance enhance the story. An awareness of these problems makes one appreciate the love the two leads show each other more.

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One of the sweetest BL series ever if you can ignore its flaws

There is plenty to like about this BL series. The BL parts are done in a way I love. The main characters, Ram and Lukchub, are lovable, and I didn’t quite mind the relatively slow development. (This is one of those BL series in which I don't find myself partial to one half of the main couple. Both the characters who form the main couple are attractive and lovable.) Each of them also has good friends who are wonderful people. Yet, perhaps the series is a little too bland because of this. I like it that Ram is characterized as a popular guy who is kind and friendly, a departure from a more typical portrayal of a cold, bossy male lead who is loved despite behaving like a jerk. However, for a few episodes, it’s not clear where the series is heading.

The main source of tension eventually comes from this jealous woman who is in love with Ram. But her villainy, together with the acting, is over-the-top. (It may not be the fault of the actress. I think she has been instructed to act like some deranged villain, and the script doesn’t really allow for much nuance.) This woman is basically the one character that allows La Cuisine to have a story and yet, she is also a little out of place in the series.

There is some foreshadowing in the earlier episodes, but it is not very well done. It’s not clear why Ram’s friends and even his sister keep warning him not to hurt Lukchub intentionally or unintentionally. It’s not like Ram is the type of person who toys with other people’s feelings. He doesn’t flirt with all the women who are interested in him, and we only see him having a soft spot for Lukchub–he even tells Lukchub’s grandmother that he does not have an ex. Their warnings do foreshadow some events later, but there seems to be no good reason for them.

When Lukchub gets bullied after becoming Ram’s boyfriend, I’m not sure why some characters blame Ram or expect him to be able to prevent it from happening again. It’s not as though it is within his control that some jealous person tries to hurt his boyfriend. The scenes occasionally also don’t flow well, such as when Lukchub’s brother looks like he is about to confront Ram but in the next scene, he’s merely visiting Lukchub. (I’m guessing his manager stopped him from being impulsive, but it’s not directly shown.

In the end, the BL keeps me going. It’s so sweet but never to the extent of being sickening or cringy (at least for me). Despite the lack of an impressive plot, I find myself wanting more of Ram and Lukchub. I’m sad that La Cuisine has ended and that not many people seem to like it. It’s one of those BL series that gives me the feel that I love, never mind the only okayish plot. I'm also sad because, while I may watch technically better BLs, it will probably be a long time before another couple leaves me with the sweetness Ram and Lukchub have left me.

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Some good things, but likely to disappoint BL fans

There isn't a really great story here, but I find it okay, and there are some things the series does quite well.

Firstly, the main love story is not perfectly done. The way Ji Woo gradually falls in love with Ro A could have been done a little better. And while Ro A is clearly in love with Ji Woo from the start, we can only guess that he has met Ji Woo before the first lesson of the titular class but we do not see it until quite late in the series (and even then, there's a missed opportunity to show more of what makes Ji Woo attractive to him).

I feel a little conflicted about the portrayal of (Korean) society's homophobia. On the one hand, the series shows quite deftly the pressure that Ji Woo and Ro A will face as a gay couple and this becomes a plausible explanation for Ro A's rejection of Ji Woo when Ji Woo eventually confesses to him: he simply loves Ji Woo too much to subject him to the pressure, and he assumes that since Ji Woo has been in love with a woman before, he can easily lead a "normal" life with a woman as his partner. It is not just Ro A's love that is touching here but also the sympathetic portrayal of the predicament of gay people. However, I also can't help but feel that the portrayal of homophobia is a tad too exaggerated. Someone claims that Ji Woo and Ro A are a gay couple even before they are really one, based on a photo of Ji Woo feeding an injured Ro A, and suddenly their classmates behave as though gay people were monsters and they are shocked to see an actual gay person for the first time in their lives.

The other flaw in the story is the creation of a love triangle--Ro A's friend-cum-roommate has a crush on him. I can see how this helps to create tension in the story, but ultimately, the series would be better off with this roommate being portrayed as a protective and supportive close friend instead. It feels as though the falling out and reconciliation of Ro A and his roommate are forcibly used as a plot device.

As a BL series, Love Class doesn't quite have enough fluff to make one squeal. And while it does take some things seriously and has an at least okayish story, the good parts of the story are not really related to the developments in Ji Woo and Ro A's relationship. This will definitely result in disappointment for BL fans.

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Mostly lives up to the hype

Whether you want an engaging story, good cinematography, a good looking cast or plenty of skinship, you get it in KinnPorsche. It is a series that has something that will appeal to BL fans, and it can even be one of those series that will appeal to an audience that isn't all that into BL but doesn't mind it.

The first trailer for KinnPorsche was really slick, and the production problems that occurred after that had people worrying about whether the series would even be made. But I guess the biggest challenge for the series is that the expectations have gone over the roof because of the original trailer and all the buzz it generated, and it is very easy to fall short even if the series is actually much better than the average Thai BL in 2022.

In most ways, the series doesn't disappoint. Featuring Thai mafia in a BL series may not be as original as when the first trailer came out (we've since had wannabe mafia-themed series like Golden Blood). Nevertheless, the story is engaging. The suspense regarding the forces who are trying to assassinate Porsche is nicely maintained. And subsequently, the suspense behind the death of Porsche's parents when he was a child makes the story more intriguing.

Perhaps the people behind the production sensed that things can get a little too tense for some, and there are clear attempts to insert lighter scenes and comic relief into the series. But this may also be where the series doesn't fare so well. Some of the scenes featuring Tankhun (Kinn's elder brother) are hilarious, but they don't always fit that well in the story. They are skillfully added though, and that helps a lot.

One of the bodyguards in Kinn's household, Pete, is nicely distinguished from the other bodyguards from the start. However, there could have been a bit more attention on him. His relationship with Vegas comes in fairly late in the story, but the sexual tension between him and Vegas could have gotten more attention than Vegas' clearly feigned interest in Porsche. The conflicting feelings of Pete (like his attraction to Vegas vs his loyalty to his boss) could also have been portrayed earlier in the series. (After all, someone working for Kinn seems to be working for Vegas, and this could have been exploited more.)

The story, while very strong overall, also seems to lose focus for a while after Vegas' plot against Kinn is exposed. It's the calm before the storm, but it is also where the story becomes becomes borderline smut. I'm not complaining about the sex scenes (including a brief hint of a blowjob taking place on a plane) even if they may be somewhat gratuitous. I would even commend the series for daring to court controversy by portraying Vegas and Pete's relationship with a touch of sadomasochism. (The scenes are nicely shot and the mediocre series, Unforgotten Night, which I have been watching can learn a few lessons here.) Yet, for a while, the story does not seem to be going anywhere. But of course, things do pick up again, so this is not a major problem.

The third couple, probably the most conventional Thai BL couple in the series, is Porchay and Kim. They are likable, and Barcode does a pretty good job portraying Porchay's innocent shyness. However, I don't quite understand Kim's coldness towards Porchay after the latter finds out that he is the younger brother of Kinn.

Despite the flaws that one might find with KinnPorsche, it is hard to dislike the series. They story is pretty good, the main characters are well developed, and anyone who wants even more skinship will probably have to visit p*rnhub.



There is also a good chance for a Season 2. I'm glad that KinnPorsche does not end with one of those annoying cliffhangers, but it drops more than enough hints to suggest that the full truth about the past is yet to be revealed: Korn (Kinn's father) shoots his brother just as he seems to be about to reveal something and later he says to himself that history is written by the victors, Porsche doesn't seem to have regained all the crucial memories of his childhood, while the mental state of Porsche's mother may also improve to the point she is able to reveal something about the past, and Kim seems to have been suspecting his father of something all along. The actor playing Kinn's father has really done a fine job, subtly looking dangerous while maintaining a calm and benevolent facade.

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5 stars for the guts to make this available for viewing

There's a slight chance that the series might make sense to you if I tell you that it's purely the hallucinatory fantasies of a someone who has broken up with his boyfriend. It's just someone hallucinating about different possibilities in different parallel universes--that's why the scenes seem dreamlike and the movement from one scene to another make no sense at all. That's also why sometimes the doctors and nurses in the hospital where one of the main characters work seem so busy and sometimes they seem so free. That's also why doctors and nurses can save a patient by chanting a spell.

Maybe there's a way to make more sense of the series if you rewatch it a few more times, but it isn't intriguing enough to rewatch. It's as though someone saw Gen Y 2 (which also features Kim and Cop as the leads) saw how bad it was and decided to make something worse simply because such a feat is challenging.

And simply because someone has the guts to make the series and present it as we see it, the series deserves at least 5 stars.

The series starts off somewhat reasonably, with a couple on the verge of breaking up because one party barely has time for the other. Yet, the characters quickly seem unreasonable. Yes, Guy is so busy with his work that he misses his appointment with Jing, but Jing doesn't seem to care what explanation he has. And as for Guy, isn't there such a thing as paid leave for nurses?

To make matters worse, BOTH Guy and Jing get close to leaving someone who has collapsed outside the hospital in the lurch. Yes, Guy has the inclination to help, but he hesitates because he doesn't want to upset Jing. And Jing is visibly upset that his boyfriend is going to help someone who has collapsed instead of going out to celebrate his (Guy's) birthday. (Hey, it's Guy's birthday--why not let him do something moral as a present?) It doesn't take that long to carry the person into the hospital where there are doctors and nurses on duty, you idiots!

So yes, the only way I can make sense of the series is to understand it as a series of hallucinations (maybe by Guy, who wishes that something can be done to salvage his relationship with Jing). Even the possibility that most of the scenes are merely a movie within a movie (Jing is involved in some student movie production) doesn't make sense.

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An unusual blend of BL and serious drama

The story here is pretty good despite a few flaws, namely:

1) Prakan's initial hostility towards Tua Phee is not very logical because (as he later seems to understand) Tua Phee does not cause anyone to die but merely sends souls of the dead on their way. A doctor getting angry with Tua Phee is like a doctor getting angry with someone who provides funeral services--the latter doesn't cause people to die.
2) For a large part of the series, it is not clear when Tua Phee's love for Prakan becomes romantic love. The changes in feelings could have been shown, especially given that when Pua Phee is alive, Prakan is only a kid.
3) Like many supernatural series, it is hard to have a truly happy ending (think: The Miracle of Teddy Bear and Something in My Room). Even a happy ending has to deal with some of the sadder things in life, but the audience may prefer their BL series to be more escapist. And it is even harder if you don't want the ending to be too predictable.
4) Too many deaths/near deaths of the main characters (sometimes for no good reason).

Still, Dear Doctor, I'm Coming for Soul has a rather good story that is competently told. Prakan's character is flawed, but he doesn't get to the point where he becomes annoying (at least for me). Apart from Prakan and Tua Phee's romance, another relationship that is nicely portrayed is the kinship/friendship between Prakan and Metha. Yacht is really good as Metha, conveying the characters jealousy while convincingly maintaining the fundamental righteousness of the character.

The side couple, Natee and Keeta, is cute--a nice addition to the story without being digressive or excessively sweet. At the same time, Metha and Nuch's love for each other is also portrayed in a way that will make us wish they end up together but doesn't get in the way of the more serious parts of the story.

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Took a long time to finish because of the weak plot

The great looking actors, generally high production value, kisses and bed scenes fail to elevate this series above the mundane because of the weak plot.

This is very odd for, based on the summary of the original material this series is based on (someone posted on MDL), there is so much potential for a reasonably good plot. Unfortunately, the series spends most of its time on nothing in particular. It feels like someone is deliberately putting everything that is potentially interesting aside.

The series starts with Lian behaving coldly towards Kuea, inexplicably saying that there's no love between them and calling him Annabelle (yes, that horror film Annabelle). Devastated, Kuea wants to break off their engagement. But he doesn't ... he doesn't ... somehow he doesn't ... and then Lian makes Kuea move into his house. By this point, it is clear to us that Lian actually loves Kuea but there's no good explanation for the way he treated Kuea.

After moving into Lian's house, Kuea still wants to cancel their engagement, but ... he still doesn't. And then they make out. And then they spend some loving days together. But Kuea is still hiding his true self from Lian, who actually knows what Kuea is really like. Nothing much happens until Kuea somehow finds out that his family's properties have been transferred to Lian's name because his family has fallen on hard times. He thinks that Lian is with him just out of obligation (what causes him to come to this conclusion isn't clearly explored). When Lian proposes to him, he rejects Lian in front of an entire party of people.

The rejection was the climax of the story. One that turned out to be an anti-climax. They make up (and make out) so easily you might laugh. And then lots of nonsense about Kuea trying to propose to Lian.

I don't know why the adaptation doesn't show more of the things that would have made the main characters more interesting when there are clearly opportunities to dos o. Showing the scenes of Kuea's mother discussing the transfer of properties to Lian and Lian's thoughts and emotions at a strategic point would have made his love for Kuea more touching. Instead of focusing so much on Kuea trying to hide the "secret" aspects of his life from Lian even when he supposedly wants to break off their engagement (and doesn't have to care what Lian thinks), Kuea could have been shown to be making attempts to see if Lian would be able to accept him for who he is. There could have been misunderstandings that make him think that Lian is unable to accept him.

Given that Nuer is brought in as someone who is obviously trying to hit on Kuea at first, it is also baffling why the series does not make use of this potential third party to create tension. Can't you at least make Lian misunderstand Nuer and Kuea's relationship and get jealous or something like that? In the end, Nuer is brought in as a potential third party quite pointlessly. It is rather silly because the writers might as well have left out Nuer's initial interest in Kuea. After all, from the start, Nuer also looks at and interacts with Syn in a way that suggests a potential romance. And seriously, since there is so little going on with Kuea and Lian, why not give more screen time to Nuer and Syn, who are actually the couple with the best BL potential as the story goes? I think the series would have become better if half of Kuea and Lian's time had been given to Nuer and Syn.

The series tries to deal with more serious issues by pointing out the fact that Lian and Kuea can get married in a traditional ceremony but they will not be recognized as a married couple in the eyes of the law. Unfortunately, it doesn't really do much here except to harp on this. It's a good thing that Thai BL has become more daring in pointing out that gay people still do not have equal rights, but there are series that do it better.

It's not even that Cutie Pie has a weak story. It has a reasonable story but the plot structure and the delivery of the story fail to do justice to material that could have been interesting.

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Found a rare creature, but it's barely alive.

I have a feeling that this series has been affected by a lack of budget or other constraints that the creators face making a BL series in China (how it's even possible, I have no idea). Unfortunately, even the most forgiving viewer will find it hard to lavish praise on the series.

While one might be fine with the story with little originality, there is a dire lack of development. The leads' relationships with their respective families is potentially interesting and affect their personal decisions (especially with Cheng Yi). Had the character relationships been fully fleshed out, the characters would have been more relatable. The last couple of episodes seem a little too hurried, with the sudden appearance of Cheng Yi's mother and the events that follow, culminating in what some have called a rape scene (although I don't think it was intended to be understood as one, the whole scene could have been crafted more sensitively). Apart from the leads, there is a side couple of sorts, but again, there simply isn't enough development and just as they seem to be getting somewhere, nothing else is shown.

At times, the dialogue shows some potential, but the delivery of the lines can be so amateurish that it makes one cringe. Again, this is a sign that there simply wasn't sufficient budget to create something that would allow the full potential of the series to be realized.

It's funny that the censored BLs from China actually turn out to be better than this actual BL.

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Low-Budget BL Sitcom that Manages to Exceed Expectations

This is essentially a sitcom, so don't expect plot development from the first episode to the last. But I dare say it has a more sensible "plot" than some BL series that ought to have one but meander endlessly without any direction.

You may first be struck by the garish colors and the canned laughter. These are certainly not everyone's cup of tea, but the bright colors seem to contribute to the overall lightheartedness of the sitcom. Within a few episodes, however, I was impressed by how good the actors are in their roles. The main actors, in particular, have good comic timing, and when there are more serious moments (like Rak suppressing his jealousy when he sees Diao dating), they handle them well too.

If I knew Thai, I would probably be able to appreciate Rak Diao more. It is unfortunate that sometimes the subtitles don't make sense and it's probable that some jokes in Thai are simply lost in translation without a subber who actually bothers to explain things. (It's usually the case for paid subbers when explanations are not brief while sometimes fan subbers try to include a note somewhere on the screen to explain things).

Not all episodes are of equal quality, and you are likely to find yourself having a few favorite episodes. The rewatch value is pretty high in this sense--if you just want something lighthearted to watch when you are in a bad mood, you may have episodes that you can watch on their own without really having to remember much of the rest of the episodes..

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Overrated? Underrated? Both?

How does a series get both such positive and negative reviews at the same time, with a range of polarized opinions being justifiable in many ways?

For me, it starts off really well, especially with the portrayal of Korn and Win's closeness and Win's obvious but unsaid feelings towards Korn. Then Win's over-the-top reaction to his father leaving part of the family farm to Korn spoiled things--given how close he is to Korn and how well he knows Korn's character, why can't he accept his father's will or trust that Korn isn't someone who would covet his family's inheritance.

Yet, the series picks up again after the body swap when Win (in his sister's body) has to get some holy water with Korn. Korn's patience and devotion and Win's longing to be close to Korn again is engagingly portrayed without sappiness and with quite a bit of comedy instead, Mix is wonderful as Win, showing Win's impulsivity, his vulnerability and his rather funny jealous bitchiness (when he thinks there is something going on between Korn and another man). In fact, the cast is generally very good with their roles, but Mix stands out with his adaptability to the different demands of the character. Unfortunately, the graph plotting how good the story is takes a downward turn again. The twists in the story in the last two episodes are either expected or not very convincing though EarthMix remains very endearing throughout.

Ultimately, the story could have been stronger. Win and Korn are lovable, and it's nice to see their interactions and how their relationship is gradually mended. But this is not enough to elevate to series to the level of a classic. Some of the best parts of the series, oddly enough, are in the extra scenes after the ending credits. The brief scenes show Win and Korn's long friendship and their love for each other, which they dare not express. What we have are great parts here and there but when everything is put together, something seems lacking.

The body swap premise also seems somewhat unnecessary for the story. Win could be in his own body and still be made to go on the trip to get the holy water (say, to awaken his sister from a coma or something). This way, some of the potential ethical issues of Win and Korn's physical intimacy while Win is in his sister's body could have been avoided. To be fair, effort seems to have been taken to minimize the ethical conundrum because, most of the time, they are not behaving like lovers. However, Win has a kiss with Korn while still in his sister's body, and this raises eyebrows. And the scene could hardly have been avoided without changing the story significantly because it is linked to the crisis of the expectation for Korn to marry Win's sister later on.

Overall, Cupid's Last Wish is a fairly nice BL series. But the bars raised for Thai BLs in series like Bad Buddy, Not Me and EarthMix's 1000Stars, it can seem a little underwhelming.

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Easily my favorite Thai BL that started airing in 2022

Though it’s not what I’m here for, can I give a 10/10 for Mork’s dimpled smile? It may not seem relevant, but I find the expressions of Fluke, the actor playing Mork, rather natural and suitable for the character. Fame, who plays Tawan, only gets to shine more in the last two episodes due to his emotional ups and downs, but he does quite an impressive job.

What I liked a lot:
(1) Tawan and Mork as the main couple. Their love story is simple but sweet. Mork has been jilted by his girlfriend while Tawan’s boyfriend is cheating on him. Mork soon befriends Tawan, the doctor who gets rides from him. Tawan’s feelings for Mork develop later in the story, but, interestingly, we don’t see Mork being jealous even as the man he has fallen for is in a relationship with someone else. Instead, he is very protective of Tawan’s feelings and doesn’t want him to be upset. Tawan’s affections for Mork are not sudden even though he only makes a clean break with his boyfriend quite late in the series. We see the gradual changes in him, changes that he himself may not be aware of.

(2) The inclusion of Mork’s uncles, an older gay couple. They are humorous and cute, an interesting departure from the usual focus on young couples in BL. They are not the main characters, but they have a nice presence in the story, serving as a positive influence on Mork even though they may often squabble.

Some Flaws:
(1) The Toy/Boss side couple is cute but doesn't really fit in with the Tawan/Mork story. Compare it with the couple formed by Mork's uncles. The uncles integrate better with the Tawan/Mork story as they talk to him about his feelings for Tawan. While Toy and Boss work in the same hospital as Tawan, their story doesn't really intersect with the Tawan/Mork story. I guess casting Yoon as Toy adds some star power to the series, but I wish the character had been better integrated into the main story.

(2) Inconsistencies/continuity issues with the portrayal of Mork’s feelings. The production could have been more meticulous here. Mork seems to vacillate between being aware of his own feelings for Tawan and being unaware of it. In one scene, Mork's friend warns him about being hurt if his feelings are not reciprocated, and he even avoids Tawan when the latter goes to him for a ride. Then in a later scene (Episode 7), Mork seems genuinely surprised when his uncles talk about his feelings for Tawan, behaving as though he is unaware of his own feelings (and not just denying it in front of others).

A controversy:
(1) Apparently the character of Nadia, Tawan’s best friend, is supposed to be a male character. I think any decision about keeping the character as male or changing the character to be female is going to stir controversy. Given the relative lack of attention on the character, it would be hard to portray with sensitivity a male gay man who isn’t conventionally masculine, and this could lead to comments that the character is used for laughs, stereotypical, etc. On the other hand, changing the character into a female character could raise questions about the invisibility of men who are not conventionally masculine even in stories about people in gay relationships.

Personally, I can respect the decision to turn Nadia’s character into a straight woman, and I think she gets a little too much hate for not accepting Mayom’s love. It’s partly miscommunication–she isn’t sure if she can accept Mayom’s love, but it’s not like she is not giving it a serious thought.

Overall:
The story of Tawan and Mork is nicely done, and I think taking away unnecessary distractions like the Boss/Toy side couple could have allowed the two main characters and their relationship to be depicted with more nuance. The story of the main couple is quite simple, but it is a simple story nicely executed in many ways. I don’t get the feeling that the Fame/Fluke pairing is going to have legions of fans who obsess over and fantasize about them (unlike say, Max/Tul, Mew/Gulf, Earth/Mix), but it is just as well. They have done their jobs well enough and they don’t have to feed people’s fantasies beyond their roles.

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A bold entry in the crime/mystery genre

This series seems like a detective or mystery drama at first, and in many ways it is one. However, while the cases are mostly very engaging, it quite boldly focuses more on the storytelling than on how the detective characters solve the mysteries. Sometimes the truth is revealed but it is a little less clear how the detective managed to solve the cases. To some degree at least, this works well because the series adamantly refuses to romanticize their profession or associate them with glamour. It has elements that are reminiscent of hardboiled detective fiction but it isn't afraid to showcase the sentimental side of the characters.

The way the cases unfold aren't always going to please viewers. Those who find it odd for the series to focus less on the investigation process than it could, in particular, will find the delivery awkward. However, there seems to be a conscious departure from convention. Instead of emphasizing how capable the main characters are (and they are certainly capable policemen), there is a greater focus on the complexity of human relationships and even a certain degree of moral ambiguity. This is rather rare, especially for a series coming from China, where it can be controversial to entertain ideas like how the justice system may fail to deliver justice. The leads have a strong sense of justice, but they are not beyond bending the rules at least occasionally. This may not be entirely original, but is rather bold in a series.

I was especially surprised by the portrayal of the corrupt policeman in the series, which I think the series takes some pains to develop despite what some seem to think. The villainous policeman starts off being somewhat dubious, becomes clearly unscrupulous and eventually takes on full-scale villainy. He has clear ties to the triads, which he also betrays, as he is entirely self-serving. (I seriously didn't imagine a series from China, where the censors don't take well to a negative portrayal of authority figures, showing this and getting away with it.)

What I really appreciate about this series is the nuanced portrayal of many of the characters and their relationship. They are very much human even if not humane. Whether it is Lu Li's ambivalent attitude towards his father or Chi Zhen's relationship with his mother after he inadvertently causes his sister to be murdered, the relationships are realistically complex. Chi Zhen's relationship with his love interest is perhaps a tad clichéd but it does not really hurt the story.

To be sure, the series isn't flawless. While intriguing, a couple of the cases become a little predictable after a certain point. This is not a major issue, however. Additionally, the series adopts a rather interesting structure, with flashbacks at the beginning of many episodes. This is often effective in providing the back stories of characters, but perhaps it is so effective that one becomes disappointed by how certain things that the flashbacks lead us to expect are eventually left untouched. The case involving the supposed crimes committed by Lu Li's father is a case in point. It seems to be quite heavily hinted that the father may well be innocent but for some reason has admitted to some very heinous crimes (there are no scenes of him committing the crimes, and all the scenes of the father show no trace of him actually being someone who would commit the crimes). Unfortunately, there is no coverage of the father's case. Perhaps some of the loose threads are meant for a possible Season 2, but is it necessary to not even reveal the identity of the person who has paid for the costly surgery Chi Zhen's mother has to undergo?

I can see that the series is flawed in several ways, but there is enough in it to keep my interest and make me overlook its flaws. Hopefully a Season 2 really gets made.

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How is a BL series from China possible in 2021 ?

What? A series from China with unambiguous BL? Watching this makes me feel like I have taken a time machine back to the time before BL series were banned in China. In fact, even the production quality seems to be something from the past.

It is unfortunate that this is a miniseries. It feels more like a summary edit of a longer series than an actual series, not just because the episodes are short but also because of abrupt jumps that causes the viewer to have to infer what has happened in between. The good thing is, considering the constraints, the telling of the story is still acceptably competent. It's not a bad story at all; it's just that we become painfully aware that we are not watching the entire story and won't get to watch it.

Another flaw of the series is that, except for the acting of Zhou Jun Yu (who plays Jiang Yi Feng) and a couple of older actors, the acting is sometimes a little too awkward and would have benefited from retakes. Thankfully, the scenes with the two leads clearly being in love are at least okay. They stop short of an on-screen kiss, but at least an off-screen one is implied. And their relationship is not ambiguous (you can't explain it as bromance), e.g. when Jiang Yi Feng gets jealous when Lu Lin innocuously says something comparing him to another person he has dated, and Lu Lin tries to clarify it.

If nothing else, it's worth watching this series for how impossible it seems. (I'm not sure if it could be an unreleased series that ran into the BL ban in China before it could be released and recently got acquired by Gagaoolala.)

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Quite Enjoyable

Young Blood Agency isn't the best detective series (if it is even one); in fact, it is quite a distance from the best of whatever you might classify it as.

Perhaps because I wasn't expecting much, I was pretty impressed by how various cases the detectives encounter come together eventually. The weakness, however, is that we don't quite get anything really exciting or fascinating most of the time: it's just like one half-solved case after another until the dots start to become connected.

One of the better aspects of this drama is the depiction of the relationships between the characters. There is romance, friendship, and bromance. Oddly enough, Tong Qiu Bai, who is a central character, is barely developed. The other three male leads are interesting in their own ways. Nan Gong Shuo is a bit of a comic character, seemingly a frivolous, self-entitled brat at first but actually righteous and serious about what he is doing. Mei Ruo Lan is suitably mysterious from the start though one can sense that he is a true friend of Tong's regardless of what he is doing. Zhai Xing is like Nan Gong Shuo's sidekick, but a much better fighter and we can feel for him as we see his secret crush on one of the female leads. The romance and bromance are not gratuitous, thankfully, They do play a part in the story as their relationships get tested as they unravel mysteries.

Perhaps there is even a slight hint of BL? I see this in two minor characters, two artists who are very close to each other. I'm not very sure why they are even featured in the story though there is a small mystery involving them. Additionally, Mei Ruo Lan is the only one amongst the four male leads who does not have a clear love interest, but I wonder if he actually secretly likes Tong Qiu Bai. In one scene, he jokes to Zhai Xing that they are both abandoned when the other two male leads are with their love interests (one of whom is Zhai Xing's crush).

What would have made the series better is perhaps a few more truly interesting cases for the detective agency to solve or at least a tweaking of the same cases to make them more engaging. At times, some situations are a little too unbelievable for a story that seems to be part of the detective genre, e.g. some unknown poison in a world where traces of specific chemicals can be detected in a cup? A drug that allows a person to feign death? I know it's fiction, but perhaps the story would work better if it forensics weren't featured so heavily or if the main characters weren't trying to be actual detectives.

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