DFF tried too hard to be different

This series has probably the worst case of plot development/planning I’ve seen recently. The main issue is the wish to be different and way too mysterious. BoC loved saying this was the first BL with a murder mystery and that’s where they got it wrong. The first 4 episodes are terribly boring. Nothing really happens, while a lot of things happen. But how? It’s all filler.
Once the flashbacks are introduced, the series is light years ahead in terms of quality and actually starts to have a story. Episode 5, out of 12, is when the series really happens for me. BoC missed the mark by not including flashbacks since the first or second episode. We don’t even meet the main character, Non, until episode 5, that’s a bad move.
Regarding the ending, everybody dies is the best case scenario. I didn’t think BoC would actually go for it. The only character I could see living and it working well would be Tee. Being alive is his big punishment after causing everything that happened and literally killing his boyfriend, the only innocent person. Saving Jin would be a major letdown, since he actively caused Non’s spiral and helped destroy his life with that video. All because he was jealous.

I love Barcode’s original song for the series.

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Nice cast, but messy series and so many plot holes

First, I really like the Pit Babe cast and I watched all the Boys’ Journey episodes. So it’s sad to see them being so underutilized in a terrible story. The show feels rushed, and it gets worse in the second half of the season. A lot of development happens off screen and there’s no intention of explaining things. I hope the cast will be utilized better in future projects, specially with some changes in “partners”. Nut and Sailub have so much chemistry, and Ping and Garfield was a great surprise in their scenes.
Now, let’s check on some loose threads:
North and Sonic: Are they a couple? Are they just friends? The series had no interest in trying to answer that because they needed another scene to try to create chemistry for Alan and Jeff. It’s wasted time because that chemistry never materialized.
Babe’s dad: Why? There’s no payoff with him being alive. How did he end up being part of the “cure” team? How did Jeff get to know him and the doctor that helped to fake Charlie’s death? I feel like that was a major plot hole. He just briefly mentions knowing them.
Pete/Kenta/Way: Does Pete like Kenta back? Did Pete like Way or just cared/was worried for him?
Guns that are not used: Why does Tony and his team not kill people?! Tony’s plans would’ve all worked out if he just shot people. Every single plan from Team Babe goes wrong and they end up with guns pointed at them, but the bad guys never shoot. That makes zero sense! We saw Tony killing a child with a sword in the last episode, he definitely would give the ok to just kill random people, like Alan, Kim, North and Sonic.
Also, why would Tony let Kim go?! Unless it was Kenta who helped him escape… but that’s doesn’t get mentioned.
All the kids from the Foundation: what happens to the kids? Did they get rescued? What about the kids that were already sold?

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A great surprise

Sometimes movies and tv shows are a case of the “whole is not greater than the sum of its parts”. A great cast with a not so great story and bland characters won’t shine. My Precious is thankfully not like that. I came into the movie thinking it would be a lighthearted first love story with a cast of young actors I already knew and liked. I started it aware that Tong and Lin would not end up together, so I was not hoping for the happily ever after. That might have contributed to the fact that, for me, My Precious was such a positive surprise. The story might not be groundbreaking, but I enjoyed the full 2 hours and the cast was fantastic.

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Ridiculously simple yet makes zero sense

From the first episode you already know that Lue is Din. With that in mind, you understand this is a simple story about revenge. Yet nothing makes sense for the entire series. Things just happen and 90% of the supporting cast does nothing. Sometimes it looks like Lue is in two places at once or can teleport. He changes in and out of his disguise quicker can Superman. I was expecting the plot twist to be that Lue is actually a pair of twins.
For the supporting cast, don’t even need to learn their names, it’s not all that important. Ken gets beat up every episode, and so does Lue. Yet, their bruises disappear and reappear at random times. This show does not have 1/10 of what was needed to pull off that ending with them separated, this is not Trapped. the weirdest part is that money was not an issue. This show is just bad because the plot is terrible.
Overall, the cast does a good job considering the plot and dialogues are horrible. The main actors have chemistry and could work well together in a better show.

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Cute simple story. but no side plot or many answers

A Boss and a Babe is a cute story, and the nice series Force and Book deserved after Enchanté. The plot is overall quite simple, but I really liked the main couple. The side characters don’t have individual plots or matter all that much.
Force and Book are great as Gun and Cher, you could see how well they fit into those characters. Force as Gun is the highlight of the series, in my opinion, The entire cast is overall well in the show. Java is the weakest link, but his character is also annoying, so that doesn’t help.
My biggest issue with ABAAB is the fact that the side characters and plots don’t matter. Cher’s friend group is there just to be fun and create lighthearted moments. Zo and Thee have several alone scenes that are bland and don’t go anywhere beyond proving they’re in love. We get a hint about Jack’s backstory and him having depression, but that’s no explored. But not exploring is still better than trying to tackle a heavy issue, like everything involving Tian, and doing a bad job. By the way, Thoop was OK with the mom way to easily.
The biggest mystery for me is Drake's character. Is he the bad guy? What really happened in the past? Did he steal information from Gun’s company about the new game? Was he framed? Did Ink fabricate those logs? I guess we’ll never know… (unless Our Skyy decides to mention it)

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This is a mess

I truly can’t understand where it all went so wrong. Well, I can. It was the middle of the season. The story they tried to tell in the second half of the series does not make sense. It’s impossible that the story was finished when the show went into production, or they had to wrap everything up in 2 episodes. We had several “case of the week” episodes in the start and not much happening to build an overall world or explain any backstory. I was not super worried because I thought the series had 15 episodes. But then, I saw the finale trailer after episode 8 and my jaw dropped. The last 3/4 episodes are so so rushed. It’s basically information dump. Suddenly we have 3 parallel worlds and 3 Guns. And the 200 year old protagonist doesn’t know about that. The true big bad, with the VERY original name of “The One”, is extremely boring and goes into long monologues. Not even Gun and Nanon can save that.

Another major problem is that there’s not a single episode where one of Gun’s characters is not unconscious or needed one to be saved/rescued. And then we have the effects… they keep get worse as the season progresses. It’s really bad green screen and CGI monsters.

The only good aspect is the solid cast. Which are completely wasted on a terrible plot and weak execution.

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Just a good premise is not enough

The Heavenly Idol unfortunately suffers from a major case of good premise and weak execution. The idea of the high priest that has to pretend to be a kpop idol was fun and interesting, and Kim Min Gue really delivered on his performance of Yeon Woo/Rembrary. But the plot became stale quickly. To make matters worse, two of the central characters were terribly executed. The Evil One was a kind of villain that lacks everything imaginable. He’s not scary, nor charismatic or even has much to do for most of the time. His only quality is not being called Kim Dal... It’s been awhile since I’ve disliked a character so strongly as Dal. She’s extremely annoying and, I don’t know if thats on the actress, but... she’s got the same facial expression for every emotion. She’s extremely bland and had a serious case of bad writing. Sometimes she acts like she’s 12, other times she’s the best professional in the kpop industry. I almost stopped watching the series because she annoyed me so much.
On the other hand, most of the other characters and actors are great. All the Wild Animals members are amazing, as is the CEO. Although I expected him to do more, Gam Jae was great too.

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Cute

Eternal Yesterday is a series with a premise that caught my attention right away. We’ve seen a lot of “impossible supernatural BL romance” in recent years, from He’s Coming to Me, to Dear Doctor and Peach of Time. But this is the first BL I’ve seen with a human/kinda zombi couple.

Like most Japanese high school BLs, the story is quite cute. But this one actually delivers some kissed throughout the 8 episode season.
The main couple has chemistry, but Mitchan’s personality kinda compromised my appreciation for the plot and rhythm.

Since the present day takes place during about 1 week, there’s not much time for big character development for Mitchan. That’s a problem, because he’s so bland and closed off that it’s hard to watch him reacting the same way in the flashbacks and the present day. Yes, he starts to open up towards the very end of the show, specially with Koichi and his dad, but it might be too late for it to push the series all the way towards what it could have been. In a way, that’s different from the typical supernatural couple, where the human tries to live every second with their lover to the fullest. Mitchan and Koichi just go to school and back home. There’s no dates or no visiting places that are special. The most special thing, the baby sister being born, is pure luck.

But I have to give the writers a thumbs up for actually killing Koichi for real. I half expected him to show up somehow at the camping site.

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Bad plot development for a potentially fun series

My Ride could have been a nice fun and light BL series. No deep topics, no super complex relationships or plot twists. But the series has two problems: a boring protagonist and a super slow central plot.

Most of the characters on the show are quite okay. Mork is by far the best character, and Fluke in great in the role. The side characters are also entertaining, like the uncles and Mork’s friends. The two side couples work and their stores have a slow but steady development. I enjoyed ToyBoss more than I expected. Unfortunately, Tawan is a very dull protagonist. And to makes matters worse, he’s stuck in failed and uninteresting relationship for 8 episodes.

We get nice moments between Mork and Tawan during the episodes where they’re just friends, but the story cannot develop until Tawan is single. The story tries to show the audience that Tawan might have feelings for Mork while still “dating” Por. But Tawan tries to hold onto that relationship even after Por: ghosts him, lies to him, asks for time apart and cheats on him. Tawan caught Por in bed with another guy and he was still trying to stay together?! The issue is that Por and Tawan never had a relationship. There’s not a single nice moment between them after Por gives him flowers. There’s nothing to make Tawan want to stay together. They have no history. I hate the “ex comes back in the end to separate the couple” plot, but at least Mork and Fern were together for years and had good moments together. Episodes 8, 9 and 10 had nice moments for MorkTawan, but it ended up being too little too late. My Ride could have explored those moments better if the couple started to get together earlier.

I was not expecting a groundbreaking series, but My Ride still left me disappointed with how little screen time the main couple got as a an actual couple and how boring the central story was.

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Only worth if you can watch the uncut version

This series is not good, but it's a short show. The acting is OK in most moments. The protagonists have chemistry. The story makes zero sense, but it had potential. The main plot might have worked if it was scaled down, the evil company takes up too much time and the story goes nowhere. I can see it working out in a 15 minutes per episode, 8 episode series. Color Rush worked with a similar concept.

The main issue with this show is that you should only watch the uncut version. It’s not that it makes less sense with the cuts, but with the uncut version the central relationship works way better. Besides, the cuts are very obvious and you can kinda see that they simply chopped off the almost kisses and the final kiss in episode 12. It’s a Chinese BL with an actual kiss.

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It's a good series, but the story went wrong somewhere

This show is entertaining and the premise is interesting, but it feels like the production didn’t know how to achieve the end goal they wanted. The entire organ trafficking plot was not handed well, in my opinion.

It’s clear that the story needed to separate the main couple in the end, which makes sense for the plot. They never manage to be together, even after trying several times. So, that’s not my issue with the show. My main problem is Dr. Doi. I don’t usually pinpoint performances that are bad, but in this case it’s important. Overall, the cast is quite good, everybody has chemistry, and the characters are interesting. But Dr. Doi is the exception. This is Boat’s first acting role, and it makes sense because from early on I could notice that I was not enjoying his perfomance. That’s usually OK, specially for a side character.

But Dr. Doi is a major player in the finale of the show. He has a lot of screen time in the last episode and it’s bad. I’m not saying it’s all the actor’s fault, because the plot is just messy. His portrayal of psycho mode Dr. Doi was not good, and the fact the entire plot depends on the fact that nobody managed to stop him, when there were 3 people in the room when he got thrown in the ground, really bugs me.

The show needed to put Tin in a coma and they chose the worst way of doing that. They could have him sacrifice himself for Tol or be shot by Dr. Sak (who was a better villain). But no, he got stabbed in the back by mega villain Dr. Doi, who comes out of nowhere and starts laughing maniacally.

Also, it feels like a huge missed opportunity to have Sing and Gap’s relationship not develop at all. It’s 11 episodes of nothing, besides Gap showing he has feelings for Sing, and then BOOM, they are together in the last loop and we get nothing.

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Finished on the second try

This was actually my second time trying to watch Dear Doctor. The first time, a few weeks ago, I ended up no finishing the first episode because the rhythm was a bit off for me. But this time I endured episode one and finished the series. The first episode is a bit weird because we get dropped in the middle of the story, the protagonists already know each other and we have to understand everything via pieces of plot explanation.

The show actually doesn’t have all that much medical scenes in it, but there’s still a lot of scenes at the hospital, just not treating cases or during surgeries. I’m not the biggest medical drama fan, so that did not bother me. The whole competition to see who’s gonna get the chief surgeon position was a bit meh, because there’s a total of 5 doctors working there, and there’s not a single doctors that’s over 30. The two side couples are ok, I just wish their romances would’ve been developed better. All 4 characters get a good amount of screen time, just not for romantic scenes.

The main couple is probably the strongest aspect of the show. Karn and Nut have known each other for any years and are part of the first wave of thai BLs, with Grey Rainbow. They have great chemistry and their characters have a nice story. There’s no real twists and turns or plot twists, but it makes sense for their relationship to develop slowly at first. The whole thing about them meeting 20 ago and how that explain’s the fact that Prakan can see Tua makes sense. They have some nice sweet moment together.

Regarding the ending, I think it was nice to see Tua mention that, after sometime, he would not be able to accompany Prakan in social situations with his family and friends, since he’d not age. It’s a huge aspect for human x non human relationships, and many series don’t spend time on that. The scene with Prakan turning old and dying was done well, but I wish we’d seen more moments of them together doing stuff during those decades together.

The actual ending kinda surprised me, because I was expecting Prakan to become a reaper so he’d stay with Tua. But, since we don’t know how much time Tua has to stay as a reaper, the jump forward to reborn Prakan was a happy ending that fits with the show, and restarts the cycle. It's a very Goblin-esque ending.

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It didn’t work for me

I know that a lot of people love this series and always talk about the sad ending. I’ve seen “salt” listed as a big villain in the BL world because of it. But MODC didn’t work for me. I didn’t connect with any of the characters and thought that the main couple was a bit forced. To be fair, the ending was spoiled to me, so that could be part of the reason. I think the secondary couple is a bit better than the main one, but I expected them to have more relationship troubles. It always looked like there was gonna be cheating looming around.

Knowing how the ending was, I expected the last episode to deliver some drama. But it only showed a protagonist that’s unbearably boring and sadness about something that happened 6 years before, and that we don’t see. They stayed together for less than a year and he could not move on, besides now having a girlfriend.

I don’t think the show gave us enough moments to show how deep their relationship was and how madly in love they were. With 10 episodes, I think they could have developed a better romance. So, for me, it looks like too much drama. The hallucinations were a bit too much.

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The story of Dao, the not so bright star

The biggest problem with Star in My Mind is the fact that it only has two real characters, and the entire plot is driven by one of them. Unlike almost every single BL in existence, this show is exclusively about Dao and Kluen, and every aspect revolves around Dao. There are no side characters, nobody has a story or plot outside of things that directly affect Dao. No character has motivations, a plot, interactions or even scenes if Dao is not a part, or is the topic. So, if you don’t like Dao, like me by the end, there’s nothing left to like. And that’s such a shame, because the friends showed enough charisma to help Star in My Mind.

Dao is the worst type of protagonist, the type that’s dumb, really dumb. And he’s paired with a love interest that’s not good with expressing his feelings. That’s a great combination for disaster. Dao was unable to get any of the signs from Kluen, when they were so obvious that everyone else knew. And that’s even worse if we consider that, the biggest moments were just between them, so other people didn’t even know about. Like the birthday dinner with the mom, the talk by the poll, the “have a safe fight” line, the backstage talk during the contest… I’m not even going to mention the “fake boyfriends for 24h” ideia. It’s probably the worst plot device ever created to separate a couple in a BL, even worse than the famous “someone is traveling to another country in the last episode”, which, in this case, was how the story started.

It also really rubbed me the wrong way how Dao handled the moment when Kluen had to go off to help Gia. That was the moment when he crossed into unlikable territory for me. Kluen was clearly shaken when talking to her on the phone. So, I have zero sympathy for Dao at that moment, specially when he tried to make Kluen choose between him and Gia. By looking at his reaction, you’d think Kluen was running away with his ex and leaving Dao at the alter. They weren’t even boyfriends at that point!

Dao reminds me a bit of Kao, from Dark Blue Kiss, who also suffered from a complete inability to tell people he was not interested, and chaos followed. But Kao had a major advantage, he was part of a pair that had several sweet and romantic scenes. Dao on the other hand, spent the entire series being in love with Kluen, but suddenly decides to play it cool when he finally got Kluen to admit he’s been in love him him for years.

These two have been in love for 2/3 years. They’ve given each other all the signs that the feelings are mutual. But even after the kisses and confessions, I got zero romantic chemistry between them even in their most romantic scenes, like at the end of episode 7. Honestly, I would’ve expected Dao to love hearing Kluen call him his boyfriend, kiss him or call him Dao.

I also have a major problem with how this show decided to use Georgia being in a violent relationship as a cheap trick to cause conflict. This series doesn’t have the capacity of tackling such a delicate and serious issue.

This was Dunk’s first role, and starting as a protagonist is not easy. But, it was very clear that the emotional scenes were very weak, specially if he needed to cry. I feel like Dao should’ve been way more emotional in several moments, like the conversation at the bridge or the confession in the parking lot. There were a few tears, but I didn’t really feel it from him in those moments. In happy scenes I think the acting was better. Outside of the show, be on social media or videos, Joong and Dunk really seem to have a good chemistry, but that didn’t translate into the screen, specially in the romantic department.

Episode 8 really didn’t need to exist, since nothing really happens, and the bracelet scene could’ve been the ending of episode 7. The connection between Star and Sky could have been a short bonus video after the credits.

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