katie-interests

[katie-interests]

We've had recent disappointments with the endings to series. For me, Last Twilight, Only Friends, and 23.5 stand out. While I loved the Sign to the end, there was that unexplained Tharn getting his freedom from Chalothorn, which made the very ending not quite perfect. And while I loved Century of Love all the way through, I know some folks were disappointed at the ending.

What are some QLs that you consider to have really strong endings?

OOOO what a great question!

10 BLs With the Strongest Endings

Some BLs had better endings than the rest of the show deserved, and some were saved by the ending, while still others built up to a good ending throughout. So I suspect it kinda depends on ones definition of strong. But here are mine (you'll never guess what's at the top? but...) it's in no particular order

Seven Days - no but ACTUALLY think about it. That ending is truly phenomenal. It ties everything together, gives hope for their relationship without being cheesy AND is crazy romantic, plus it brings the narrative full circle. That ending shot, the direction, the plot, the characters, and the story ALL tied in a neat little bow. It ends by indicating that something is starting for them, something familiar it's just now they are together. Fabulous.

Light On Me - on the beach, the whole friendship group, the kiss that mirrors their couple habit of cheek squiging? Peak YA BL. It reminded me of Make it Right, and that's no bad thing... for me.

Our Dating Sim - domestic boyfriends and then the pan over to all their couple photos. So exactly them.

To My Star - yeah, the sex scene, but remember this was when we finally realized that JiWoo not only liked him all along but actually desired him all along. The tsundere character breaking open for us to see the soft underbelly. Suddenly, all of his behavior made sense in retrospect. They used the final ultra romantic sex scene as a CHARACTER REVEAL. Fucking genius.

Semantic Error - the BOYFRIENDS of it all, the harken back to both the anime and the manga (with that spank bank file), the teasing and then the breaking of the forth wall. It was multiple cheeky punches out to the audience in a tiny stinger of a scene. Not to mention it had a kind of BL "ending fairy" thing that connected to them both being idols. Perfectly executed.

Love For Love's Sake - back in beach territory but wow. I mean this show starts with an ending. And it takes a lot for me to believe in the happiness of a parable about death and self worth. They managed it with this show. But that ending was killer.

My Beautiful Man - the ending made me reassess everything about the show, the story, and the characters. The ending made me love the show. It changed my mind. It BLEW my mind. I might have kinda lost my mind. In real time.

Unknown - there were struggles with this show and not everyone enjoyed the ending but I totally flipping loved it. FINALLY. You can't tell me that "you don't even know what I dream of" line doens't live in your head rent free.

Unintentional Love Story - not the ending scene so much as the whole final episode, it's so good. It brings the story together, we get multiple big realizations, sad baby, learning that baby was abused too, defending baby, baby defending himself. RINGS!

The Eighth Sense - so much peak boyfriend after so much angst. The casual language play and teasing, the stealing of the drink, just everything, and also how very very college it all is.

10 Others I just LOVE

Be Loved In House: I Do - ultra pasteurized cheese fest

Laws of Attraction - THE CAPED WEDDING OUTFITS

About Youth - rainbow kiss cheese fest

Long Time No See - BLOOD COVERED KISSES

Restart After Come Back Home - the pan around lens flare kiss and everything it MEANS

Bad Buddy - It was so CLEVER

DNA Says Love You - the claiming and then the tussle at the cafe? Gorgeous. Adorable. No notes.

Oh! Boarding House - a family gathering while the dads are holding hands behind the couch, adorable

Where Your Eyes Linger - that damn glow up

Tinted With You - perhaps... poly?

Wow... so few Thai BL. I guess this is Korea's strength in the BL sphere? Also more Japan than I expected and outsized rep for Taiwan. (I actually could have stuck a few more from Taiwan on here but they just get SO CHEESY.)

(source)

dated mid August 2024, not responsible for great endings after that date

[katie-interests]

Century of Love is bananas, but like, imagine it all from Vee's perspective.

You're literally just some guy, working to pay your grandma's hospital fees. One day, you fall off a ladder into the arms of a beautiful man, who immediately hates you for no reason.

You run into him again, he's cold and dismissive and then you get literally tied to each other with red thread, which he angrily throws in your face and then runs away.

He comes to your place of work, which he has no way of knowing, and demands his ring back -- which he accidentally included in the angry thread throwing incident -- and is pissed you don't have it on you. When you bring him home to give it to him, he's pissy and keeps staring at you weird.

He shows up again, drags you to an abandoned theater, gets mad that you don't remember something, and then extra mad when you tell him his story of becoming immortal to wait for a lover to reincarnate is unrealistic, because people change. Then, when you are attacked by a knife wielding criminal, he accuses you of being a criminal who deserves the attack and abandons you in the theater.

When you go to check on him, he accuses you of helping thieves, and then of being a scammer and low-key a whore.

The next time you see him, you fall on top of him while he's naked and he gets mad at you for it.

Two days later, he shows up at your house, needs to be told to apologize to you, is nice to you for the first time, proposes to you, calls you an ugly, rude, classless loser, and then wraps up the insult train with "Anyways, marry me". When you point out that he's just called you a bunch of names, he offers to pay you off (knowing full well that he's called you a ho, and that you're caring for a sick grandma).

AND THEN YOU SAY YES.

At the wedding ceremony, he literally won't even look at you, and leaves immediately after.

You're attacked again and when he saves you, you see him get shot and stabbed multiple times, and survive while his wounds heal in front of you, and then told he's in his hundreds and ate a magic rock.

And somehow, you still want to smooch him.

Absolutely bananas.

[katie-interests]

Sing my Crush (2023) - My favorite sweet moments (Part 2/2)

For Anon 💜

[katie-interests]

[katie-interests]

A gentle touch, a tingling sensation

Kiseki: Dear To Me

A Shoulder To Cry On

Wedding Plan

Lovely Writer

Stay By My Side

Big Dragon

Love In The Air

Love Mate

Love By Chance

Kiseki: Dear To Me

Touching Lips (2/?) as part of my favorite bl-tropes collection, in no particular order.

[katie-interests]

Presenting... The Khaoala(TM)

[katie-interests]

One thousand five hundred seventy-three days.

[katie-interests]

“It was an intense embrace, no awkwardness, no holding back, the kind of hug two people can only achieve after long intimacy, but anyone can give in an instant to a stuffed bear.” ― Ada Palmer, Seven Surrenders

To My Star 2

A Boss And A Babe

Minato Shouji Coin Laundry

You're My Sky

My School President

Don't Say No

Semantic Error

The New Employee

History 2: Crossing The Line

Gaya Sa Pelikula / Like In The Movies

Favorite hugs (Part 3/?) as part of my favorite bl-tropes collection, as always in no particular order.

[katie-interests]

He sure was using his mouth the whole time [Tharn's version]

THE SIGN (2023) EP. 10 + EP. 9

[katie-interests]

Just thinking about how like, when I was a teenager, the gayest show we had was Merlin, which was somehow super gay and also incredibly homophobic.

But now y’all teens have your pick of queer characters. Soft gay teenagers? Check. Gay royalty? Check. Gay pirates? Check. Gay vampires? Check. Gay angels and demons? Check.

It’s a damn LGBT smorgasbord out there.

[katie-interests]

it's about the softness

[katie-interests]

[katie-interests]

KARAN + testing the system 🤍

CHERRY MAGIC 30 ยังซิง (2023) dir. X Nuttapong Mongkolsawas

[katie-interests]

Kaneko Shunya and Nomura Kouta in

PERFECT PROPOSE (2024) episode 6

[katie-interests]

THE EIGHTH SENSE (여덟 번째 감각) dir. Baek Inu and Werner Du Plessis (2023).

[katie-interests]

In this daily life that is too ordinary to be called destiny but too beautiful to be called a coincidence... I finally realized that I already have all the answers I want. Our days are filled with unquestionable happiness.

LOVE FOR LOVE'S SAKE (2024)

[katie-interests]

Lee Taevin and Cha Joowan for XCrossOver (1)