Respect your BL-Actors....

I really wanted to like this series because I liked the premise. That toxic fans are a problem in the BL scene, as well as the widespread "shipping" should already be known from this series.
So actually this is a series with the important message to respect the privacy of the actors and not to force them into a fictional relationship.

While the first Episodes are more fluffy and lighthearted, the dramatic scenes, later on, are all the more convincing. Especially the dramatic coming out scene, but also the press conference are outstanding.

Unfortunately, the story sometimes gets lost in the typical BL-Tropes and just follows old familiar patterns, like the prescribed roles of the shy "Bottom" and the overprotective and possessive "Top".
As a result, I can't take the series as seriously as it deserves with its theme.

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For all the BL-Fans ,please watch it!

First of all, please watch the movie „The Boy foretold by the stars“before, cause this series is a continuation of the movie.

This Genre crossover is so easy as brilliant. Just take the vibe from a classic rom-com of the early 2000s, mix it up with the struggle of an LGBT-Drama and put on some tropes from the BL-Genre and you have a series that satisfies everyone.

This series has so much good to offer, be it an openly effeminate Mainactor who doesn’t only come across as a bad joke
or some of the best LGBT side-characters (Baby R is just iconic!).
And That the Location is a catholic School brings also some extra spice in the dramedy.

There are many conflicts like bullying, homophobia, and uncomprehending parents and sometimes the series treats them too superficially.
But in return, we get a light and fluffy series, with an great and emotional happy ending, that will put a smile on anyone's face.
All in all, "Love beneath the stars" has succeeded in being a feel-good series without being trivial.

So for all fans of cute, positive, and romantic dramedies. This is your series!

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This Drama shows that it doesn’t need a new Story to be outstanding

When you see the real facts, this BL isn’t Unique or Outstanding. We’ve got several Cliches, like the school setting, Enemys to Lover, first straight than gay because of the „One“ and even an indicated Love-Triangle.

But when it comes to acting, chemistry, and atmosphere, this one is almost perfect.
The Tragic of the unrequited Love is painfully noticeable just like the struggles of Zhou Shun Yi, thanks to both main actors who carry the whole Drama with their presence and their charisma.
So all in all I’m so happy that there is a second season announced because I want to see their Love growing and very excited about which way this story evolves.

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Controversies creates cash!

So History 4 has two totally different couples and storylines to offer and also a lot of controversial discussion, which i can totally understand

The first Story deals with the typicall“Best friends to lovers“ and the „gay for you“-Trope, which is nothing new and actually I don't like that Trope.
But fortunelay it’s getting better in the later epsiodes, cause besides the typicall tropes it also follows a fresh gay couple in a realistic way.
There are questions that any non straight person can understand, like how to act in public as a same-sex couple
And moreover, the question of the sexual role is also addressed and finally a series makes it in a more realistic way (Keyword:Communication!).
As a further bonus, a cameo of a well-known couple can be seen, which makes me curious about the future (you know what I mean).
So all in all a cute little show with a good mix from old familliar Tropes and new vibes

But the other Story is totally different. It’s kind of dark and disturbing and trys to break some taboos.
It’s entertaining cause it’s totally unrealistic and the toxicity is so over the top, that no one can say that this could be a healthy relationship!
The Younger brother reminds me of an maipulative comic villian and is creepy as f....
But i like it more than the subversive toxicity of some major BLs, which is praised as healthy. (Relationships are based on respect and communication at eye level, anything else is simply harmful)
Unfortunately the story leaves the psychic/stalker storyline and turns to a (very!) weird familiy drama.

So both storylines have their own charme, but they just do not fit together and I don't know who thought that was a good idea to put them in one series. Cause both appeal to a totally different audience and it would be better if they had mad two seperate Stories instead.

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Naked Butt Cheeks with a Chance to see Witchcraft.

Oh my... this One is totally different to all the others BL-Series that i watched before.

The Synopsis of the Story is, that an catholic(?) Boy is getting laid by an whole Family and surprise...some of the family members have got magic powers!
Yes,it is that trashy that it sounds and the production is on a (good) B-Movie Level.

For me it was more funny, than dramatic.
But on the good side, it brings some other mood in the BL-Genre, and I appreciate the Fact to create something new in this Genre.

To be mentiod are the NSFW-scenes. They definitely deserve their name, so be sure to watch this one at home and preferably alone

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they have created heaven and hell for themselves...

when the first trailer came out, the hype was already there.this series felt different, fresher and rougher than the standard high school BL. And thankfully it delivered!
What makes this series so special is not the NC scenes,which while very risqué by GMMTV standards, individually are no more so than what other studios have been doing for a long time, but its characters. In particular, Boston, Ray, Sand and Nick are characters that most of us have probably met before or perhaps find ourselves in them.
That and the unsparing and revealing look at their dysfunctional relationships is what makes the series unique. It's not all sunshine and roses and not black and white. People struggle, act toxic, can't always define their feelings, have their own baggage of traumas. and hurt other people.
And that shows Only Friends like rarely any other series before and also the courage it takes despite all this behavior to get involved with another person and trust the feeling we call love.

Acting-wise, this series is always at the highest level. First and Khao can unleash all their talent, with characters as complex as Sand and Ray. Sometimes it's just nuances, a little shadow in their eyes, but they make you feel all the emotions.
But also in the scenes where the big emotions are asked for, the two deliver like no other and probably create some of the most emotional scenes in a drama of this year and with sand and ray have already created two iconic overly complex characters who combine vulnerability, security, selfishness and devotion in themselves
And Neo-Oh my God, finally give this man a leading role, because he is pure gold! He didn't just play the f*ckboy Boston, he was it! If you look at his other roles, he's probably one of the most versatile scene players GMMTV has to offer.
But Mark doesn't have to hide either, even if his role as Nick was a bit simpler, he was always convincing.And his character shines and shines more and more, the longer the series goes on.

Staying with the characters, we also come to the biggest negatv point of the series, called Top and Mew. Their characters seem more like stereotypes, their relationship not so believable and their story arcs feel strangely flat, and even though their relationship becomes more intense, I just didn't warm up to the characters too much.

Apart from that, one parts were too rushed and other parts were obviously designed to make even more mess.
But even in these parts, Only Friends is more entertaining than the competition, making it, in its worst parts, an entertaining mess and, in its best parts, a beautiful, fragile, unpolished paean to love and thus an undeniable drama highlight of 2023.

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So far the best BL from the Philipines of 2021!

Let's be clear, 2021 has not been the year of Pinoy BLs so far. Too many low-budget productions and strange storylines are the regularity.

Fortunately, there are still little gems like this series.
It is not a bombastic big production, but rather a small, intimate love drama, carried by two outstanding leading actors.
Especially these two manage to give the series its special touch and to keep up the tension.

Unfortunately, the story sometimes gets lost in stereotypes, and especially the beginning is unbelievable. After all, why would someone like Rebe go on a sex date if he believes in true love and hasn't even been kissed yet?
The ending is all the better for it and I credit the makers for not making a simple happy ending and instead of taking the more realistic route and showing that love is not that simple after all.

Therefore, I strongly believe that we can expect a second season in the foreseeable future.

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A loveable One, but with the same Issues as all korean BLs

I liked the Story and main-Theme about Dancing and Competition and i really loved Chu Young as Song Shi.
I felt very pity about this poor Boy without Friends or a Family.
For me the Storyline of the Mother works very well and touched me, even if it’s the General Opinion, that there are too many Plotholes in this Part.
Also the Chemistry between Chu Young and Won Hyung was at least okay.

But as almost every Korean BL it was too rushed in some Points and the Obivously Break-Up-Drama in the last 10 Minutes(!) was so unnecessary, that i must lower my Rating.

All in all, with the Actors and the Story it had the Potential to be an really good BL, but so it’s quiet worthwatching.

so let's pray to the BL-gods that at least one full BL-drama comes out of Korea in 2021.

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I only saw it because of "Call it what you want".

Actually, this is not a real review, but rather an opinion.

The series itself has a few highlights, but also moves very slowlyforward and I mean really slowly!
The storyline is sometimes very generic and has nothing really new to offer (okay the template is from 2017, which explains a lot).
But Earth is definitely the star of the show, he is hell of an actor and I am curious about his future projects.

SPOILER:
But what really annoys me about this series is the ending. A fat cliffhanger and then What?!
The studio falls out with the cast and the screendirector?! Seriously?! This is one of the biggest disappointments in a series for me....so be warned if you watch this series it has no real ending and probably never will get one.

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a pure sensitive Story of Love, Friendship and all between...

This series is not a common BL like the others. There is no „courting“, no stereotypes, and no unbelievable Storyline, there are emotions with every word, gesture, and look.

The Acting of both main roles is perfectly on point and their chemistry is noticeable in every way. In my suggestion, it puts ThaiBL to another Level. (Even if it’s more a Coming Out Drama than a BL series)

It's a little bit calmer and more groundstandig but in a good way. There are no storytwists, no plotlines, just pure emotions, and struggles.
The only issue I see is in the support roles, which don’t have the same emotional power as the main couple.
But that is more than bearable in such a great drama series.

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Much more than just a typical body swap story.

Now that was an unexpected nice surprise. I approached the series without expectations, even rather skeptical since I'm not a big fan of the body swap plot. But what I experienced was a touching emotional coming of age story mixed with LGBT themes. I loved the melancholic mood perfectly supported by the soundtrack. But I also fell in love with the talented main cast, which had the great advantage that all 4 of them could play believable teenagers (probably because they really are teenagers ;)).
Towards the end, the last episodes unfortunately showed a few lengths for me, for that the last minutes seemed very rushed. Also, I would have liked to see more interaction from Yashiro and Kenta and their beginning relationship.
But all in all a beautiful little story about growing up and the Struggle to find his place in the world.

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one of the most emotional Romances i've seen in a BL so far

To be honest, i didn’t like everything of this Drama.
For example: some of the Plotlines are odd and unrealistic ( for more details Spoiler reade below), even for a supernatural/mystery-BL.
The Humor was too silly and childish for me and the first three episodes feels more like a Bromance, than an BL-Story.
Also the Ending was disappointing for me, because it feels incomplete for me( maybe there is a chance for a second season)

But when it comes to the dramatic Parts and the tragic Fact that this Love could never have an happy end, this one is a KILLER.
Music and acting are on outstanding and in this moments the series deserves the reputation to be an outstanding BL-series and also a great Love Drama.
So all in all, even with the flaws, i would highly recommend to watch this series and prepare some Tissues ;)







SPOILERS:
The Fact that Thun is dating an Ghost, who is also the Ex of his Mother and the Fact that the Mother is just fine with that is way too much for me.
The Fact that the Grandfather killed his own nephew, just for the money, and he will be forgiven is not good. He has definitely go to Jail.

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a precious Juwel of series

Due to the Corona-Pandemic and the Lockdown i’ve begin to watch BL-Series.
I thougt okay, the stories are nice, unrealistic but kinda cute and the acting is sometimes real good. I’ve watched 5 or 6 Series before, but then came "Like in the Movies" and HIT ME LIKE AN EMOTIONAL TRUCK!
To be honest, after the Finale Episode i’ve cried the whole Evening.

This is definitely more than another BL-Series, it is more a LGBTIQ-Drama with Themes like inner Strugles, Homophobic Society, etc. There is no unrealisitc whitewash here.
But it is still a very optimistic Show, because all the Characters are so loveable and shown with so much Respect and Terndeness. Never seen such a good Cast, this includes Main and Support Roles.

The Screenwriter Juan Miguel Severo has done a perfect Job and created something very special.
The Show deserves definetely more attention and should be named together with modern classics like Brokeback Mountain, Call me by your Name or Moonlight.

So watch the Show and tell all your Friends, Familes to watch the Show too and hope that "Like in the Movies" could be so famous as it should be.
(I’m not a native Speaker so please judge my Review not too hart.)

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The Problem when you have a Drama with unsympathic Characters is...

that the audience won’t care about them.
And that’s the main reason, why this BL is mostly a failure for me.

Both Mainleads are unempathic, arrogant Egocentric who treaten other people like trash.
Even if they have mental Issues they must not potrayed that way. So i didn’t care if they suffer or feeling happy or anything else.
The Relation between Jimmy and Yan Fei, was also a mess. I mean they break up every episode and nobody knows why they are getting together again( and nobody understands or cares)

Chen Pin Jun on the Opposite is the poor victim, but at least he’s the only sympathetic in the main cast and he’s the one with the Unhappy Ending....big failure!
But in the end he was the only reason that i completed this series and he’s the only reason why i give a „high“ ranking
(actually it would be a 3.0)

One other big problem is, that this Drama takes himself too seriously. Everything is very slow and dramatic but that’s not touching more exhausting at all.


On the positive side is the acting, all actors are potraying their characters well, also production is alright. Also the Fact that they potraying all gay men and not the typicall BL „i don’t like men, i only love you“ is worth to be mentioned.

But all in all, even if it have some nice scenes in the beginng, it turns out as a big irritation.

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Overrated but still a enjoyable Show

This is my first review, on this Site. I’m not a native Speaker so please judge my Review not too hart.

So 2gether is a special show, is it overrated? Yes. Is the Plot ridiculous? Definitely...but in the end it works! And the huge success of this series makes the BL-Genre famous all over the place.
The reason, in my opinion, is the unbeliviable Chemistry of the both main actors, where you can see tenderness in every action of them both.

But yes when you see it critically, this series has nothing to do with reality and should be more seen as romantical Dream.
And the alleged Bi-Curiosity about the main actors in RL is just queerbaiting and Fanservice at its best
(I mean C‘,mon this puts Gay for Pay to another Level)
When you remind this all, it’s a enjoyable Show and at least all the gay guys get their unrealistic, overromantical Lovestory like the Straight People get it since beginning of time

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