Love With Benefits (2021)

Its strange as hell, but still captivating

I didn't even know if I was going to make it through the first 5 minutes, and I ended up staying up for 5 hours to binge watch the show. Irony.

The only reason why this show isn't a 10 for me is because I felt the last episode dragged in certain spots, and I thought the forced relationships of the side characters was really odd. Especially because nothing came from them.

Also, telling two boys they're going to be kicked off a show for not getting along and not sharing enough "chemistry" is wild, but putting them in forced proximity for 10 days, watching them fall in love, and then kicking them off the show anyways should be considered a sick social experiment, but it gave a surprisingly deep message that made the last 10 minutes really powerful.

4 stars though. Let this be a sign to give it a shot.

Lire davantage

Another classic case of "don't listen to reviews and form your own opinion."

I came across this series a while ago when YT suggested it. After reading a lot of the reviews here, I put it off and put it off though still kept it in my "to watch" list because it was short and I figured if there was a night where I wanted a quick, low mental investment series, then I could pull this one out.

Well, last night was that night, and I have to say, I should have watched this sooner. The reviews for this series are unnecessarily brutal and, while it certainly isn't the best series I've ever seen, it sure as heck isn't the worst.

Was the acting great? Not exactly. Was the story original? Not in the slightest. Were there any groundbreaking moments that stood out at all? Honestly.. not even close.

But was it an enjoyable watch that met my incredibly low expectations of being entertained for 5 hours? Yes. Yes it was.

I also personally liked how the ending was left somewhat open: you don't know where Play and First will end up in either their relationship or their careers. But it does hint that they get their priorities on the same page of wanting to put their relationship first.

Even if the acting left something to be desired, the MC chemistry was actually really good and palpable. Some of the side characters were a bit annoying to me but I guess it was the series attempt at comedy to balance out the more emotional side. Plus I think some things got lost in translation because the subtitles didn't always make sense but you can get the gist.

Honestly, if you're looking for something cute and not too deep or intense, I'd suggest giving this series a try. Again, it's all about expectations and not holding the series responsible for what someone thought it should be.

Lire davantage

Eu gostei da história, com um plot diferente, que podia ter sido melhor explorado. Você perceberá alguns errinhos de continuidade, mas tudo bem, nada que prejudique o desenrolar da trama. É uma série curta, objetiva e simples. Os meninos são fofos, e as cenas hot foram leves porém impactante. Podia ter sido melhor desenvolvida, mesmo que fosse para ter um ou dois episódios a mais, amarrando melhor algumas situações, e dando uma finalização melhor (não que tenha sido ruim, mas não foi das melhores). Enfim, uma boa diversão para passar o tempo desde que você não seja muito exigente.

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A Cute Little Series

This is a cute little series, only 5 episodes apx. 45 minutes each

This is a feel-good series about two boys who have to act together, but because one boy constantly teases the more sensitive boy, their acting is not working out. This story is about them falling in love.

The acting is very good, the two boys are cute, the scenes are as realistic as they can be in a short series, there are some good kissing scenes, the only distraction is one of the female actresses is annoying, but they don't show her much.

One of the things I found interesting in this show was how the story they were acting out had a message that then applied to their situation. I am sure I will watch this series again in the future.

Lire davantage

BL with a concept that has potential but ultimately falls flat

Cute actors, a nice song and relatively high production value do little to salvage a weak story that is conceptually quite fun.

There is some tension between two actors, Play and First, who are supposed to act as lovers in a series. They don't seem to get along very well but at the same time, they seem to be attracted to each other. This could have been a story about how Play and First develop feelings for each other while acting as lovers, with some sensitively depicted feelings of confusion on their part. However, it turns out to be a mess with scenes of squabbling without strong indications of their romantic feelings or other emotions.

There are also clichés and stereotypes. To make matters worse, the side characters' dialogues are often pointless or at least lost in translation. Although there are only 5 episodes in the whole series, a lot of time is used for unnecessary scenes.

The main characters are not properly developed and they appear temperamental and inconsistent. One minute First is laying his head on Play's lap and the next minute they are squabbling. The story pretty much begin in the middle of nowhere, and it is not clear how the two male leads meet, why they don't seem to get along and how they starting having feelings for each other.

Then a love triangle is thrown into the story as another guy, Pluto, is in love with Play. The love triangle isn't altogether pointless. Ironically, the Pluto/Play part of the story is told in a much better way than the Play/First part of the story. At least we know how they meet each other and Pluto's affections are unambiguous.

Lire davantage

my first ever review

i don’t get why people are giving this a low rating when overall it was pretty good. it was slow but it did lead up to play and first having that chemistry everyone was talking about. i think it was a good story but wish first and play had more screen time instead of penelope ranting (though she was funny). it didn’t have any cringey moments other than when they were acting out acting then it was.

gameplay did a fantastic job at his character when the situation was uncomfortable you could see it in his expressions when he wasn’t talking. and same goes with fluke when it came to the third main lead coming in and trying to take his spot.

i don’t know why this show isn’t rated on here but if it was i would rate it PG13 because they literally (not actually literally) have intercourse. i was brought by surprise when that scene came up because i didn’t think the directors would go that far. but i’m not complaining because it just made them closer for the series they were going to star in.

another thing is i wish they cut off scenes at a certain point because sometimes they just stood or sat there in silence when they could have easily went to another scene and put more important things into the show.

the plot is something that i’ve never seen done before done in the bl series i have watched throughout these past few months. i have heard this is what they do, keep both actors together to know what they like and dislike so that they get along better on stage. not saying what happened in this show happens in real life but i think they were trying to portray what it’s like to work in the bl industry.

would i rewatch this? not entirely maybe if i have nothing else to watch i’ll start it up again like i have before with other shows.

Lire davantage

Just Did Not Work

This was a genuine miss. On a whole host of levels. While the main actors were there, the minor roles were miss caste. The story could have been a good one but there was not character development. I knew from the moment the series started what the problem was. Rather than deal with that as a story line, they decide to try and 'ship' them. My major issue however is the awful use of what I call dress-up characters. That whole concept is demeaning, degrading, and a direct slap in the face to the transgender community. Stop doing that! These are not comic figures! In addition to the over sexual harassments by several of the minor characters I guess because someone thought that is a funny premise? It is not and that just has to go away. It is not appropriate in the straight world and it is not appropriate in the gay world.

Lire davantage

carina anche se fatta un pò male

Questa serie è veramente carina.
Penso che la chimica fra i protagonisti sia decente, non una di quelle che mi fanno impazzire ma comunque c’è, non è inesistente, si vede.
Riguardo la recitazione penso sia stra okay, soprattutto colui che interpreta First, si vede che può andare molto in avanti, della sua recitazione mi è piaciuto soprattutto il suo saper fare lo sguardo innamorato in maniera realistica, i suoi occhi parlano, è come se avesse veramente la persona amata davanti.
Riguardo, invece, la trama penso sia un pò confusa, la storia di base, cioè quella di loro che si devono preparare per recitare in una serie, è stata portata avanti bene e mi dispiace che li abbiano cacciati entrambi dalla serie solo per la loro relazione; per quanto riguarda la storia d’amore mi è sembrata un casino, iniziamo dal fatto che è bello che First dia fastidio a Play perchè lo ama ma ciò abbiamo visto che se fatto in maniera continua può rovinare i rapporti, soprattutto dato dal fatto che Play non sapeva dei sentimenti di First quindi prendeva il tutto come odio e di conseguenza odiava a sua volta First.
Poi bho il bacio forzato mi ha lasciato alla cazzo, oltre al fatto che odio i baci forzati, danno solo disagio e la persona che forzi non si innamorerà di te con quel bacio, ma poi non hanno dato neanche un pò la prospettiva di Play, dato che la serie deve essere come se fosse reale dovevano mettere una scena in cui Play chiedesse a First delle spiegazioni riguardo il bacio, invece li hanno fatti continuare a parlare come se nulla fosse bha.
Mi è dispiaciuto poi per Pluto, dopo tutti quegli anni è stato pure rifiutato ma purtroppo è meglio essere rifiutati che stare in una relazione dove una sola persona ama l’altra.
Infine voglio dire che comunque con questa serie è tutto okay, nulla di straordinario ma neanche fatto malissimo, l’unica pecca è data dal come hanno registrato ed editato il tutto, troppe volte c’è un silenzio imbarazzante ma sta cosa anche quando stanno solo parlando e bho lo dico perchè in altre serie non la vedo così accentuata come qui e sinceramente so fatte meglio ma vabbè come ho già detto penso sia okay, è qualcosa di semplice e veloce da vedere.

Lire davantage

It was disappointed. i would have hoped for more from the maincouple.:-/

2/10

Negative:

1. It's a pity that play and First didn't undress where they kissed.
2. Penelope
3. I wish they had kissed passionately more often because they fit so well together.
4. I wish they would have slept together.
5. Too bad they both didn't get the job for whatever reason.......
6. Sadly that they didn't kiss in the last episode at the very end.
7. Too bad they didn't kiss in the 4th episode because of pluto. so annoying :-/// whenever it gets exciting, someone interrupts...so stupid!!!


Positive:

1. Maincouple
2. Music
3. Acting of the Maincouple
4. Story

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Cortaram a metade da série?

Meus sentimentos sobre essa série são bem contraditórios. Assisti ela no lançamento, em meio a um grande bafafá sobre o Gameplay ter sido retirado do projeto de KinnPorsche, onde seu antigo shipp, Jeff, continuaria atuando com outro par (Barcode), e como na época nenhuma das séries tinha sido iniciada, não sabíamos o quão estrondoso sucesso seria o shipp Jeff&Barcode, então, na época, só nos restava lamentar por Gameplay, que é um ótimo ator e um ídolo muito querido.
Essa série me pareceu um prêmio de consolação para Gameplay, e apesar de ter gostado dela, da proposta que ela trouxe, tenho muitas ressalvas.

A história é boa, surfou no hype das séries que estavam surgindo para contar situações sobre os bastidores da indústria BL, e apesar de ser bem fictícia, sabemos que traz um pouco de verdade, por exemplo, na dificuldade de se aceitar um casal que se assume como namorados por enes motivos. A série me parece ser de baixa produção. Apesar dos atores principais trabalharem bem, praticamente são os únicos na série, nem locações extras tem, tudo se passa dentro de uma casa. A ost é bonita e coerente.

O que realmente me incomodou nesse roteiro, foi o fato de (aparentemente) terem feito um corte gigantesco para a série caber em 5 eps. O relacionamento entre o casal não se desenvolveu de forma natural, ele foi de zero a 100 de um ep para outro, deixando muitas lacunas. Também achei o fim da série meio desconexo... tive a impressão que após os 10 dias passou-se algum tempo, mas pq o casal ainda estava naquela casa? E pq eles tiveram que se separar, já que não iam contracenar juntos? As ligações no final, tanto para o diretor quanto para a agente deixaram uma sensação de situação inacabada, como se fosse ter uma segunda temporada que até hoje não foi anunciada.

Enfim, apesar das ressalvas eu recomendo a série. Já vi duas vezes e vou ver de novo.

Lire davantage