Understated and Underrated

We have here an atypical BL with pre-college schoolboys as the main characters. There is innocence, cuteness and sweetness, but this is certainly not a lighthearted BL. It's serious and melancholic, but it also manages to be moving without being excessively sappy. The youth of the main characters accentuates their sense of helplessness when it comes with coping with loss and separation that is all too premature but (perhaps) inevitable.

I didn't know what to expect at first though I was half-expecting something tragic immediately after I started watching the first episode. Let's just say it features a vehicle, the notorious bane of more than one couple in the history of BL. I wondered: Is it just a story that ends with the death of one of the main characters? Are we merely being shown the sad ending right from the start before a flashback to the past for the next seven episodes?

Then, soon enough, the apparently bizarre premise of a corpse that continues to be "alive" made me wonder if the story was some necrophiliac fantasy.

Yet, watching on, the story seems more plausibly a contemplation of the separation and loss that is inevitable in every relationship. Sure, no one in real life is going to have a boyfriend who appears to be alive in every way except for being physically dead and slowly becoming invisible to more and more people. (A corpse that even manages to have an erection, anyone?) Yet, isn't loss and separation inevitable in every relationship started (and we don't even know when they will take place) unless everyone becomes immortal? It's a truth that we know but don't consciously confront all the time, but how do we cope when we are made to confront it incessantly? Perhaps we would treasure every moment spent with those we love more, but perhaps the constant confrontation would also add more than a tinge of melancholy even in the most joyful moments of a relationship.

While the BL couple in the series is young (complete with youthful awkwardness at times), the intensity of their love comes across as being really strong. The fateful moment when Koichi pushes Mitsuru away from an approaching vehicle highlights the intensity of Koichi's love. It does not appear to be a conscious decision on Koichi's part but an instinctive one. He has yet to even display shock on his face at the coming vehicle but his hand has already pushed Mitsuru away to protect him. The poignance of the scene is also intensified because it comes after a conversation that sounds like Koichi is merely joking or saying something sweet to flirt with Mitsuru when he tells Mitsuru that he always stands on his left to protect him. It turns out that he really means it. On Mitsuru's part, his love is no less intense as it seems to be the reason Koichi continues to be "alive" after becoming a corpse.

What makes Eternal Yesterday unique as a BL series is the relatively understated way in which the love and bond between the couple is shown. There is no obvious lovelorn pinning on either of the main characters before they become a couple, unlike so many BLs where the attraction between the couples seem somewhat frivolous. The actors are look good, but the focus is not on their physical attractiveness and I think Koichi's good looks may even have been deliberately downplayed. In the synopsis, Koichi is said to be the most popular boy in school, but unlike many BL stories featuring a popular boy in school (you know, those characters with legions of hysterical fans in school, with camera angles, filters and make-up all meant to emphasise how perfect they are in terms of looks or some other department), Koichi is portrayed as a relatively ordinary person who tells Mitsuru he does not have anything to offer him. A lot depends on the direction, actors' performances and the viewer's sensitivity to the nuances in the scenes, and I think these don't disappoint. The short scene in Ep 6 after the couple bump into the driver of the vehicle that knocks Koichi down exemplifies this. The dialogue is simple and brief, and yet it is such an emotionally powerful scene.

I think Eternal Yesterday is a series that deserves more love from BL fans. When a BL series like Cutie Pie gets a rating of 7.8 on MDL, I don't know why Eternal Yesterday gets a comparable 7.9. Perhaps it is the most underrated BL of the year (or more than just the year)!

Lire davantage

Lacking where it matters

If this series had been one with a compelling plot about crimes , with the bromance being the icing on the cake, it would have been really good. Unfortunately, the story involving crimes seems more like an excuse to showcase the cute bromance and occasional humor. In short, if you don't mind sitting through a largely unimpressive ten-course meal just for the rather tasty dessert, why not?

There is some reasonable effort to connect the different crimes, but eventually the plot has an anti-climatic feel. The build-up may give the impression that the cops are dealing with a ridiculously powerful mastermind, but the eventual revelations are a little disappointing. I was even left wondering if there would be a twist or perhaps a hint right at the end that the actual mastermind behind all the crimes has not been caught.

The relationship between the experienced cop and the newbie cop is cute and at times touching. It's nice, but the romance between the newbie and a woman seems rather superfluous and doesn't really make the story more interesting. (Imagine an enemies-to-lovers couple where you actually prefer it when they are enemies.)

In the end, 26 episodes for a cute bromance between the two cops with a lot of stuff that isn't very interesting seems a tad too much.

Lire davantage

A lot of hollow cuteness, and also somewhat disturbing

Cats. Cute guys. BL. Lots of affection and friendship. What could go wrong?

Well, if you isolate the different parts, it's all good. I wish the real cats appeared more frequently. They are adorable. The leads are cute and sweet too. There's even a bit of GL thrown in as a bonus.

But even if we don't care about the lack of a story in quite a number of episodes (the danger of Meow getting into deep trouble because his ears are revealed isn't really made use of fully), there is the awkwardness of the human-evolved cat romantic pairings. At what point does love for the cuteness of cats become romantic love for the human form of the cat?

Even if we just take the evolved cats to be more like humans who can transform into cats, the characterization of Meow is problematic. Meow doesn't seem all that young, but he behaves very much like a really young kid who does not know anything. Come on, cats grow up much faster than human beings, and why would a cat remain like a kid when a human kid has grown up into an adult who has been working for a number of years? And then the talk about Meow "growing up" in the future and Meow's seeming ignorance of romantic love makes the whole relationship between Dermdem and Meow pedophilic. Such a portrayal of Meow is very much unnecessary. Can't he simply be a young grown-up who is really innocent but is still aware of his own romantic feelings for Dermdem? (Even young teenagers are often curious about romantic relationships and sex, so Meow seems more like a toddler in a young adult's body.) There's no need to exaggerate his innocence given that this is a live action series featuring human actors.

Some parts of the series are quite nice, like the first half of Episode 8, which brings some of the significant events together. Unfortunately, overall, the potential provided by the cuteness of cats and the cuteness of the actors isn't really used.

Lire davantage

Nothing new, but made very well: sweet and cute but serious enough

Cherry Blossoms After Winter does not score with a highly original plot. The story is simple, even predictable at times, but everything is put together so nicely that you might not want it to be any different.

The set-up is simple: Hae Bom is an orphan who is taken in by his mother's friend, Tae Sung's mother. Being the adopted child, he predictably knows his place and is grateful to Tae Sung's mother. One thing that I wasn't expecting, however, is how the supposedly good looking and popular guy (Tae Sung) is the one having a crush on the other guy (Hae Bom) first, and not the other way round. So while we the typical attractive but seemingly cold male lead, the story is not about how the supposedly less attractive and socially awkward guy has a crush on an attractive, practically unattainable guy.

The flashbacks to the leads' childhood time are brief but effective in showing their relationship and how their personalities have been shaped by their childhood experiences. At the same time, the way they transform each other is endearing, with Hae Bom becoming more sociable after Tae Sung opens up to him and Tae Sung becoming more cheerful.

One thing that this series does especially well is the way it suggests the undercurrents of homophobia in society that may get in the way of the leads' relationship, whether it is through the school bully who taunts them by calling them a gay couple (even before they are one) or through how Tae Sung only tells one friend, Yong Hee, about his love for Hae Bom even though he has more than one close friend. There is hardly anything original about this, but I could clearly feel the characters' awareness of the situation they are in and their latent pain, such as when they see a straight couple holding hands on campus but they can only walk together and remark that they, too, are a couple.

This is not a series that breaks new ground. It is very conventional in many ways, but everything comes together nicely. The acting is on point, the scenes are beautifully shot, and hardly any time is wasted on unnecessary dialogues or scenes. From early on, the characters are people we can care about and want to see having a happy ending.

Lire davantage

Quite good in some ways, but ....

Because of the title, I thought at first that this would be a BL about vampires with some low-brow references to kinky sex. But because I had forgotten everything I had seen in a trailer I watched long before stumbling on the series, perhaps I started watching with different or no expectations than others who have found it a total disappointment.

Unlike many who complain about the slow pacing, I only started disliking the pacing in the last two episodes. The series takes its time to show the character of Aek, letting us know of his interests, background and personality. We may see that he has a certain complex about his humble background, and does not want people to do things for him out of pity--he really wants to be appreciated for his talent. We also see how close he is to his mother and his unwillingness to cause her to feel disappointed in him, even if it comes at the expense of casting aside his own interests and studying accountancy. So when he realizes that Aue is in love with him, he finds himself having to handle many issues like whether Aue has been grooming him as a chef because of a romantic interest in him rather than a true admiration of his talents and how his mother would feel seeing him caught in such a situation. This is despite his own feeling towards Aue, which he himself hasn't become conscious of.

The characterization of Aek is rather interesting, and I think Mark Siwat has done a fine job in this role. Rudklao Amratisha, the actress acting as Aek's mother helped a lot by being very good with her role in the scenes she appears with Mark Siwat. I've seen him in a number of shows, and he seems to be able to take on a good range of roles. It's not an easy role for him in Bite Me, for he has to bring out the character's personality (sweet and innocent but also somewhat headstrong and assertive) without much dialogue to help show it. His growing affection for Aue can be seen, but in ways that don't make it clear whether he is aware of it. Some of the scenes of mutual gazing between Aue and Aek are overdone (they don't even do that so much when they are finally together), but there's little the actor can do about it.

On the other hand, the characterization of Aue isn't half as good. We can tell that he likes Aek quite early on, but the back story about his apparent feuds/tensions with Eve, Moo and Chef Viphob suffer from an utter lack of elaboration. I suspect there is a lot more going on in the book that the series is based on, but somehow the scenes are deleted or not filmed for the series. (Given that the series is 11 instead of the more common 12 episodes, I wonder if there are scenes that have been sacrificed due to budget constrains or some other reason). In a flashback, he is shown clearly telling Eve that he only regards her as a friend, but since he has made it clear to her and not dumped her or anything, it doesn't explain her animosity towards him. Chef Moo is another character whom Aue has worked with in the past, but it is not clear why Moo would suddenly appear to taunt Aue. Viphob is yet another character who seems to have a huge back story that has largely been left out: when Aue tells Aek what Viphon's character is like, I was surprised that he even knows this guy. I do like the way Aue is established as the boss and chef of a restaurant where the workers seem to be working quite happily, especially with Aue's support for Nuna when she faces relationship problems. (I was really glad that the toxic-but-somehow-charming CEO trope wasn't used.) Unfortunately, this ability of bring out aspects of the character and his past is largely lost when it comes to the Aue's relationship with those who seem hostile towards him.

In short, I loved how the story took its time to develop the aspects of the story related to Aek and his background and didn't mind the slow pacing at all. But if the same development had been done for Aue, the story would have made a lot more sense. Even Aue's longstanding friendship with Prem, the chef who makes desserts in his restaurant, leaves one wondering what is going on between them because Aue is obviously closer to him than to other colleagues. The fact that they are old friends is eventually revealed in Episode 11, when it doesn't quite matter anymore.

What weakens the series is also the strangeness of the pacing in the last two episodes. I wish it had some of the maligned (IMO) slowness of the earlier episodes. The part of the story about the chefs' competition, which is like the climax that the earlier episodes have been building up to, is confusing and rushed. (Why is Aue suddenly able to take part in the competition? Are there two different competitions? Huh? Aek has recovered from his injury to take part in the competition when he earlier on seemed to be saying that he could no longer go on with the competition because of his injury? What affected his performance?) Aek realizes that he likes Aue and comes out to his mother, but before we know it he is hugging Aue in the kitchen (huh?). And yet, after rushing through things in Episode 10, someone decided to make Episode 11 one consisting almost entirely of filler scenes. The part of the story about Aek's talent for cooking, so integral to the story, could have been followed up on but wasn't.

My complaints about the series may differ from those who dislike it from the start. I liked it quite a lot and was hoping that Episode 10 and 11 would help to reveal the right back stories and end the story well. It was possible but somehow not done. (And can you believe that the only kiss between Aue and Aek is a forced kiss, with Aue acting very much out of character after Aek has just said that they cannot be lovers? I don't need them to even kiss at all throughout the series, but tis is rather awkward.)

Lire davantage

Feels formulaic and too commercialized

TharnType 2 was the series in which the main couple here (Leo/Fiat) was introduced. In my eyes, Leo/Fiat is one of the most gorgeous couples in BL (whether we see the two as individuals and as a couple), but more needs to be done of their story.

TharnType 2 was really a vehicle that capitalized on the success of the first season of TharnType while serving to introduce Leo/Fiat and perhaps see the market potential for a series on them. I think this was one reason the Tharn/Type plot in TharnType 2 was weak. Unfortunately, I see a similar strategy in Don't Say No: The best part of the Leo/Fiat story is already in TharnType 2 even though it lacked full development, and Don't Say No seems to be a vehicle to test the commercial viability of the Leon/Pob side couple here.

While the production is generally polished enough to be rather watchable, it wouldn't be too much to ask for a more compelling story for Leo/Fiat. Essentially, the Leo/Fiat side of the plot in Don't Say No is simply: crisis, sex, crisis, sex, crisis sex repeated ad nauseam. The plot feels somewhat fragmented and can mostly be summed up as: various things in Fiat's past come back to haunt him. The part of the story involving Fiat's mother seems to be the most compelling and could have been developed further into a tighter plot for the entire series.

And really, the sex borders on being excessive. The sex scenes are actually quite nicely shot and I guess fewer people would complain about them as compared to the number of people who complain about the lack of skinship in series like 2gether. Nevertheless, the repeated mentions of sex as a "punishment" for Fiat cheapens the Leo/Fiat relationship even though the characters never mean it seriously. The sex scenes fail to show the couple's deep love and instead feels like the bells has rung, announcing, "Time for some fan service!"

The other couple in Don't Say No fares better in some ways. Leon (Leo's brother) is an a playboy reformed by love, not a very original sort of character. However, Pob is rather interesting. He seems like the soft and innocent type of character (like Wayo in 2 Moons, he takes care of a cat), but he is also someone with a mind of his own and not a pushover.

The ending for Leon/Pob isn't nice, unfortunately. While the Leo/Fiat story in TharnType 2 ended happily and it does not really matter whether there is a separate series on them, we are left hanging with Leon/Pob in Don't Say No. I'm not a fan of this sort of fan manipulation when there may not be a follow-up season for the couple. The turn of events for Leon/Pob in Don't Say No is actually quite unnecessary: the couple could simply have ended happily in Don't Say No, and, if a separate series is made on them, the turn of events can be introduced at the start.

I think the No. 1 rule of milking a successful series commercially ought to be: Ensure that the milking is not felt by the audience. Unfortunately, this isn't the case in Don't Say No.

Lire davantage

Not very good either as horror or BL

If bare skin could compensate for other weaknesses in a film, this would be quite a good film. For no good reason, the male characters spend more screen time in just their underwear or less.

However, there isn't much of BL here except that one man has a one-sided love for another, and it doesn't feel at all like BL. As for horror, there are plenty of the usual tactics (ominous music, ghosts appearing in mirrors, etc) to scare those who would *not* want to watch horror because they are easily scared. The film isn't at all likely to appeal to those who actually enjoy horror.

Still, this isn't a lengthy film and if you are not expecting groundbreaking work in either BL or horror, it isn't altogether bad. There is a bit of a plot twist towards the end, though it seems like a twist that seems to exist for the sake of having a twist. One might also appreciate the characterization of Obet--the motivations for his behavior and the struggles he undergoes lend some semblance of depth to an otherwise superficial film.

And while I'm not averse to nudity in film, the focus on the men's bodies is pointless. The characters may simply be in their underwear, but does it serve the story for the camera to linger on ... whatever region the clothing is covering with more eagerness than an underwear commercial. It would actually seem more respectable if an underwear company had sponsored the film and asked for product placements. Perhaps the filmmakers are eager to have something to attract audiences, but if this is so, it is baffling why they have not gone for full-blown BL and steamy sex scenes.

Lire davantage

Would have been better if it didn't leave so much unresolved

This is probably one of the more unique series from Hong Kong's TVB in recent years. It's pretty solid in many ways, but roughly halfway through the series, it gets unnecessarily complicated and leaves too much unresolved (the "cliffhanger" for a Season 2 starts way too early for the ending to be satisfactory.

The series adopts an unconventional approach to several conventional elements. In a way, it is a series about a serial killer and also a detective series that has several mysteries. It is also about mental illness. The unconventional approach: the identity of the serial killer is revealed surprisingly early, and he is also caught but we are kept guessing if he might be the main villain of the series. There is no single straightforward detective figure--even the serial killer is at one point one of the detective figures. And there is a surprising load of mental illnesses featured in the series, with various characters suffering from them at some point, including the (apparently/likely) good guys. It's not the same old "killer with multiple personality disorder" plot for sure.

It seems, unfortunately, that the HK audience has not taken very well to the series, finding it confusing. Actually it is not confusing--perhaps the ending is a tad confusing because it deliberately leaves major questions unanswered, but it is quite easy to follow most of the time. To me, the problem is that, halfway through the series, that narrative trajectory suddenly splits into several mysteries (as though the series itself is getting a sort of multiple personality disorder). It isn't confusing, but it is quite a risky way of telling the story. It demands patience from the audience, and the fact that some of the mysteries do not get solved by the last episode may upset those who patiently follow the series.

If there's anything that makes the series worth expending patience on, it's Kara Hui and the character she plays. Her performance is remarkable throughout in her role as someone with schizophrenia. She convincingly portrays a pitiful victim of mental illness, a fiercely loving mother afraid that she would harm her children but also willing to go to extremes to protect them, and even a person with a somewhat sinister and menacing presence at times, all in one character. She has to be convincing as a victim and as someone who might just be playing the victim at the same time. It's a very difficult role to handle, especially when she is a character who has secrets right to the very end: if she overdoes one facet of the character, the overall effect would be compromised.

I was also interested in how the police would be portrayed in the series, given the controversy surrounding the HK police since 2019. Glamorizing the police would perhaps make people upset while an overly negative portrayal may cause the series to be more politically provocative than it wants to be. The portrayal turns out to be somewhere in between. Some of the police characters are flawed and self-centered, but they can also be smart and competent. I don't see any overt political messages, just a number of complex characters motivated by different things.

I still feel a little cheated that so many things brought in so early in the series do not find closure by the last episode and there's no promise of a sequel. But the series is also intriguing enough to keep me watching.

Lire davantage

Not that much solid sleuthing and even less BL, but quite a good period drama

The title made me expect that this would be a period detective drama of sorts, and there are some aspects of the detective genre at the start. However, the more interesting part of the series actually start when the detective genre conventions get ditched as the characters become embroiled in political intrigue.

I'm somewhat undecided about how good the story is. On the one hand, it is quite an engaging story. On the other hand, it can be infuriating at times because of the characters' occasionally illogical behaviors. Despite having anticipated that there would be people coming to rescue a prisoners, Tang Fan someone sits down in the prison, talking to the prisoner as though he were waiting for the people to arrive to rescue the prisoner (and kill him in the process). Yes, a large number of people had to be deployed for some other mission, but to make no attempt to hide the prisoner elsewhere or take care of his own safety is just senseless behavior coming from a person who is supposed to be really intelligent.

The story actually gets better after a while, as the different cases investigated by Tang Fan get more complex and are intertwined. The series does have characters who are likely to be endearing or intriguing to the audience. This helps in the series' less interesting parts. Tang Fan is cute (to me) and intelligent although he can be silly and even exasperating at times. The eunuch Wang Zhi, is intriguing because he is by turns ruthless and compassionate. He is politically astute and knows how to maneuver his way around. However, he is also fiercely loyal to the emperor. The other main character, Sui Zhou is the one whom I actually took time to get used to because of his deadpan expressions (physically and verbally), but he is quietly caring rather than emotionless. I think the actor does quite a fine job of portraying a soldier with PTSD.

This is a censored adaptation of a BL work, and the BL is largely taken out. We do get occasional hints of it, especially in the later parts of the series. It seems that there was some indecisiveness as to whether to give Tang Fan a female love interest instead. There are points when Tang seems to be romantically interested in Dora but eventually this does not get anywhere (possibly because someone realized that turning BL relationships into bromance isn't quite as bad in the eyes of many viewers as turning BL into straight romance). As for Tang's relationship with the imperial guard, Sui Zhou, even if the relationship has been transformed into bromance, it would have been good to show the intimacy between them early on. Instead, this gets shown clearly (whether as bromance or potential romance) somewhat late in the series.

The image of Sui Zhou putting a cloak on Tang Fan followed by a shot of them standing next to each other towards the end of the last episode does hint at something between them despite being subdued. It gives a nice conclusion to the series and leaves their relationship somewhat open-ended.

Lire davantage

A little formulaic, but a nice BL with a dash of bromance

I've seen some people commenting that the flashback takes too many episodes and the story is too draggy, but I have on issues with the pacing or the flashback.

There is indeed a flashback that starts in the very first episode: we briefly first see the main characters in the university and then we have a flashback to their high school days. The story could very well have been told chronologically, but I find that starting with the characters' university days creates some suspense by letting us know that the main couple (Itt and Pai) are not (yet) a couple at the start of their university days. For me, the tension-with-a-hint-of-affection between Itt and Pai at the start of the series piques my curiosity enough. Furthermore, seeing Wan's friendship with Pai also gets something out of the way during the flashback episodes.

In some ways, the relationship between Itt and Pai is cliched. Pai, a reserved guy falls in love with the seemingly straight Itt (who has a girlfriend). They become friends, but the love seems like it could be one-sided until the point when both of them are locked up in a room in school overnight. Unfortunately, the moment when Itt seems to have fallen for Pai does not last as he discovers a secret and stops being friends with Pai.

Or so it seems--later it is revealed in a twist that Itt does not really mean to stop being friends with Pai but merely wants to turn him into a more confident person who is able to express himself. The twist is somewhat surprising, but it is also one of the series' weak points. Apart from seeming a little labored, the twist makes Itt seem rather presumptuous--who is Itt is try to make Pai the sort of person Itt thinks he should become? Also, it would be hard anyone who cares about Pai to ignore his desperation to mend the friendship? I get it that Pai has helped Itt a lot in putting Itt on the path of fulfilling his ambition and Itt wants to return the favor in some ways, but Pai hasn't asked for the favor to return in this manner.

Nevertheless, if one ignores the problematic nature of Itt's actions, one can appreciate the love they have for each other. Each of them really wants the best for the other. Pai tries to help Itt even when he knows that his love may not be requited while Itt tries to turn Pai into a more confident person even if Pai ends up loathing him. The moment when the misunderstanding is cleared is touching.

Besides the story of the main couple, I find that the series has brought in a side couple in an interesting way. Spoiler: The other couple is Pure and Folk. Pure is, to me, the most interesting character in the series, sensitively played by Fiat (who actually has quite an impressive acting range). I like the fact that we have an unabashedly bisexual character without much fanfare and effort to harp on the issue of bisexuality. Pure's most prominent trait is his promiscuity, but he is a character whom one can sympathize with. His mother does not really care about him and his first love, and the traumatic experience of seeing the guy he is in a relationship with stand by and do nothing while he is being beaten up by a gang of literal gay bashers makes him lose faith in love. From then on, it's just sex and no love--unprotected sex at first and then only protected sex after an HIV scare. However, after knowing Folk (who turns out to be a much more pure person than Pure), he falls in love again.

The Pure subplot is interesting as Pure's bromance with Wan (Pai's best friend) makes us wonder at first if they would end up being a couple. Interestingly, it is Folk, who is initially in love with Pai, that Pure ends up with. (Wan, on the other hand, ends up with a girl. Yeah, BLs can feature straight couples too.)

This is one of the surprisingly well madeThai BLs of 2020. I wasn't expecting much more 2gether and My Engineer, but both were surprisingly good. The 2gether, this may not be everyone's cup of tea. Unfortunately, unlike 2gether, there may not be enough cuteness and star popularity to make this a classic BL in the hearts of many. However, I think it is engaging and interesting enough, particularly in comparison with weaker productions like the En of Love trilogy. Win and Fiat turn in rather impressive performances as Pai and Pure, and I hope to see them in more series.

Lire davantage

Nothing really stands out, but it's nice to watch

Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss

If the titular Mr. Unlucky were truly unlucky, he would not meet and become the boyfriend of someone who can make his luck much better. But don't try to ask questions when watching this. Just enjoy the cuteness.

There is some sort of story going on. Mr Unlucky meets Mr Lucky and asks Mr Lucky to always hang out with him (because Mr Lucky changes his luck for the better). However, Mr Lucky takes it to mean that Mr Unlucky is him to be his boyfriend, and agrees. Because he desperately wants to have better luck, Mr Unlucky goes along with him. Eventually Mr Unlucky also falls in love and you can guess the rest.

This is the sort of show one would watch for some escapism. Nothing that bad really happens, and we know everything will end up well. Mr Lucky is really a sweetie, and we are spared the sort of potentially toxic interactions that are in some BLs. What we have is a series that may not have a gripping plot but we can love the characters and we may just want to keep watching them. In this sense, the series has its peculiar way of getting the audience hooked. I can't rate the story all that highly and the acting isn't astounding (though it is at least ok), but somehow the rewatch value is there.

Lire davantage

Nicely shot, but something seems lacking

This 2-episode miniseries doesn't have much of a story, but it probably isn't meant to have one. A group of boy scouts go camping. Wut and Ram partner up, and Wut develops a crush on Ram. Run-of-the-mill growing up issues are portrayed in the two episodes: the pangs of having a crush on someone of the same sex, the bullying of someone who does not seem masculine enough, sexual curiosity, etc. But the depiction of these scenarios is sensitive even if not exactly deep. Those who have been through similar situations will likely be able to identify with Wut.

Still, there is potential for the miniseries to be better. How Ram feels towards Wut isn't clear, and this isn't a bad thing in itself. But perhaps there could be more shown about Ram to show the complexity of the situations the youths go through. He may stand up for Wut, but couldn't this seemingly heroic figure have his own struggles too, especially when he is one person against two or perhaps more. Does the bullying come and go so easily? (Could there have been flashbacks of how Wut has been bullied in school previously?)

Lire davantage

Good, but censorship results in unfulfilled potential

This series deserves more attention. The story is pretty interesting although it is flawed, e.g. some plot devices are repeated a little too frequently, like the way characters are killed and brought back to life with someone's blood. Certain things like the powerful weapons and the magical blood are not adequately explained, but they don't really mar the story in general.

What makes the story weaker is the censorship of the BL elements. I don't mean that the story would magically be better with BL included. However, the censorship has unintended effects:

- The earlier episodes with moments of innuendo between the two male leads work quite well, but in the later episodes when the relationship is probably supposed to have developed much further don't work so well. The things the characters would do for each other need to be explained by romance or even bromance, which is hardly developed on.

- In censoring the BL. the series commits the mistake of replacing BL with straight romance by making the two characters interested in the same women--unconvincingly too, for they suddenly take an interest in her out of the blue. Tip for anyone making a censored BL: you can imply the BL or remove it, you can turn it into bromance (just no literally between brothers, please), you can even have the characters profess their interest in women, but never ever make them genuinely in love with one (or worse, more) women.

- The clash between the BL that is being hinted at and the two male leads' interest in the same woman can be glaring. E.g. In one scene, Long Yao rushes towards Shi Jing Yao to explain things to him when Shi sees him behaving intimately with a woman. Then VERY soon after, they are showing interest in the same woman. Is that the epitome of denial on Long Yao's part or is that a symptom of multiple personality disorder?

In general, the story related to the disappearance and seeking of a superweapon is good. There are some twists that are truly interesting. There is quite a bit of humor, but things do get serious and exciting as well. The only significant problem is that in some episodes (I think about Episodes 9 to 10 in particular), the editing/going back and forth in time is not always necessary and could have been minimized.

There is a clear hint of a possible Season 2 after the closing credits of the final episode, and I'm hoping to see one. The characters are likable enough and there seems to be potential more. If the production team avoids making the same mistakes that make Season 1 flawed, and circumvent censorship with cleverly suggested BL, it may just be great.

Lire davantage

Unusual premises in this BL with the BL mostly repressed

A series like this makes me lament the BL censorship in China. It has some rather unusual BL materials, and without the censorship, the BL series from China would be rather fascinating. (Imagine The Untamed without censorship.)

The story with the shape-shifting cat is the cutest. And it's just as well that the BL is more or less censored--some may find it discomfiting to see a human-cat relationship even if the cat is able to change its form. It's cute how the character's dislike for cats changes.

The story of an author and the character he creates also has an interesting premise. It may be a little strange, though that the siblings in the author's story are parallels to the author and his own sister. In a way, it's like the author's relationship (romantic or not) with his own alter ego. Of course, another way to look it is to see that the author has created a character he subconsciously wishes he can be, so it may explain why he would ultimately have a soft spot for the character.

The third story is a more conventional story about two athletes who have known each other from the time they are children but whose relationship have soured due to a misunderstanding. While this story doesn't share the quirkiness of the other two stories, it's a decent addition.

Despite having the BL tamed, this series doesn't simply turn the relationships into bromance. But don't expect the level of ingenuity we see in Word of Honor when it comes to circumventing censorship either. It just leaves things ambiguous or use dramatic conventions to suggest romantic feelings.

Lire davantage

Quirky and cute, rather decent

When I saw that this was 30 episodes, I was like, "Wow, I don't think there's any Thai BL since Love Sick with so many episodes." Then I realized that each episode was only a few minutes long. Which is not a bad thing for what has been touted as a Tiktok drama. It's just as well, since I'm not really used to the unusual aspect ratio adopted.

The story is fairly OK--not particularly exciting, but sufficiently coherent and at least it is focused. One guy moves in with another as a roommate and some misunderstandings arise, giving to some mystery and some comedy. There is enough cuteness in the two roommates to satisfy BL fans who are not all that demanding.

This is not something that you would want to compare with some classic, high-budget BL series. But at least it is as entertaining as (or even more entertaining than) some BLs with 12-15 episodes of about 40 minutes each. With the focus on a limited number of characters, at least it does not drift from one couple to another. With some BLs, I complain about wasted potential. But with a production like this, I would say it has sufficiently fulfilled its potential despite less than stellar results. Several aspects of the production seem on the amateurish side, but the actors seem to have taken the production seriously, and this makes a difference.

Lire davantage