#A STRONGBERRY SERIES (2 EPISODES)

[respectthepetty]

Happy Ending | STRONGBERRY

[bl-bam-beyond]

HAPPY ENDING (2024, SOUTH KOREA)

Episode 1 of 3

Post 2

It's From Strongberry.

Hyun (PARK JUNMOK) remembers his school days and the friend that made his heart flutter Dong Ho (KIM SEONG HYUK)

@pose4photoml @lutawolf @kingofthereblog-boysloveed @absolutebl @bengiyo @thewayofsubtext @wanderlust-in-my-soul

[kissablelips-desireslure-vol1]

A FIRST LOVE STORY (2021)

JUNG JAE WOON (as Min Gyu)

&

KIM HYEONG WON (as Jae Sung)

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Thailand surprised me

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

May 2024 Wk 1

Ongoing Series - Thai

My Stand-In (Thai Fri iQIYI) ep 2 of 12 eps - I love love love Sol! Pink-haired baby idol blast from the past nursing a crush = absolute catnip for me. This is def my favorite Thai BL currently airing. And it’s probably because it has a sort of odd queer authenticity to both its gayness and its rep of the film industry. I mean, of course it’s sanitized into BL fantasy-landia, but there’s an underpinning of something real, for lack of a better word. Normally I prefer the fantasy of my dumb BL worldview, but in this one I’m kind of liking a little chew and grit.

All of which is to say: this is very fucked up messy gay, which normally I’m not wild about, but for some reason I’m really enjoying this version.

On the other side of the BL coin we have:

Wandee Godday (Sat YT) ep 1 of 12 - And I like it a lot. It’s fun and I’m enjoying it (possibly more than it deserves). I like how it’s a little absurdist. I like that it starts with a one night stand. I like all of the side characters. I love the asexual representation. Bonus LUBE! It’s a fun show. More FUN that GMMTV usually goes for.  

Two Worlds (Thurs iQIYI) ep 8 of 10 - The sketching in the cave scene was v sexy. And I’m enjoying this BL, but not for any other reason than MaxNat being MaxNatty all over my screen. 

1000 Years Old (Thurs iQIYI) ep 12fin - I don’t know what I feel about this one. Mostly just indifferent. It was meant to be the paranormal Thai BL pulp about vampires that we were all waiting for, and it ended up just being boring. Frankly, I'd rather be pissed off than bored. 6/10

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 4 of 12 - I truly love the naked lust on our side couple's pining friend's face. Usually only Japan get this thirsty.

Book is perfectly cast as Moo's older bro. They even look a bit alike but it might have been a mistake, because he’s so damn charismatic. Stole all the breath from the show for a bit. 

We Are (Weds iQIYI) ep 5 of 16 - No report until next week. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues YouTube & Viki) ep 11 of 12 - What a fantastic ep. This show really is killing it. I’m so happy with Taiwan right now. 

Carry on.

Blue Boys (Korea YouTube) 3 of ? - It remains lovely and I remain enjoying it immensely. It’s very Strongberry feeling. That's always a welcome sensation.

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 4 of 10 - They are so cute and pretty much just boyfriends already regardless of what they each think. I'm scared that next week is the final episode, it doesn’t feel like it’s gone very far.

At 25:00 in Akasaka AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - I liked it a little better this week. I guess I’m warming up to this one?

Boys Be Brave AKA Roommates (Korea Thurs Viki) ep 3-4 of 8 - Ah poor lonely neglected child. They are all such weirdos. I don’t understand any of these characters or their motivations except they are strange kind of cartoons of... something.

Love is like a Cat (Korea Mon Viki) eps 9-10 of 12 - The guy who plays the vet should be playing a vampire. That's it. That's all I have to say. 

It's airing but...

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing.

Memory in the Letter (Thai WeTV) - 6 eps, when it's done, tell me if I should bother?

You Made My Day (Thai YT) ep 1 of 5 - supposed to have started on Friday but I couldn't find it, I also didn't try very hard.

In case you missed it

GMMTV announced the second half of their 2024 line up. I got excited and picked my favorites, details + trailers here.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

May Releases

5/10 A Balloon's Landing (Taiwan movie) trailer - A frustrated Hong Kong writer, Tian Yu, meets a Taipei street gangster, Xiang (Fandy Fan from HIStory2: Crossing the Line), and the two of them embark on a journey to find the Bay of Vanishing Whales. Along the way, they discover unexpected twists and turns and close bonds, which brings out the message that "there is always someone like you in this world who is waiting for you.

5/16 Blossom Campus (Korea Thurs Gaga & iQIYI) ep 1 of 6 - Strongberry doing classic BL! Weeee!

5/19 OMG Vampire (Thai Sun ????) ep 1 of 10 - LeeFrank are back - not unlike the undead (as it were). But how do we feel about it? Unsure given their track record.

5/25 The Time of Fever AKA Unintentional Love Story 2 (Korea movie) trailer - HoTae & DongHee are back but unfortunately not in a cinema near me. Side couple from Unintentional Love Story, same actors, same character names. I love them. I NEED TO SEE THIS.

5/28 My Biker 2 (Thai movie YT?) - trailer

5/31 The Time of Huannan (Taiwan movie) - May not be BL

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

I love a shrimp peeling moment in my Thai BL. (Only Boo)

Unquestionably the best moment in BL this year. FIGHT ME. (Unknown)

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy.

[blmpff]

HAPPY ENDING THE SERIES

korean bl by Strongberry Originally released as a 20min short in 2022, now re-released as a mini series with 3 episodes (6-9min). One day Hyun, owner of a bookstore, stumbles upon his diary from high school and reminisces about his crush on a childhood friend, Dongho (Kim Seong Hyuk).

PART1:

PART 2:

PART 3:

[avorbl]

Avor's Watchlist

The May is slowly ending and its one short work week until summer begins. Three colour shows want to tell us things.

Currently Airing

25 Ji, Akasaka de 6/10 It

Be Your Star 8/20 Im still watching

Beauty and Mr. Romantic 8/50 It getting too over the top Dora's mother has to die and his father and grandmother are on the edge for me. I enjoy the Aunt's romance and the hidden child plot though

Living with him 7/8 This could have been a cute domestic slice of life healing show but they needed some drama?

With You I Bloom 5/8 Pretty Looming Tragedy

Mayfly Angel 1/? The people at Sukfilm do make a lot from a little

OMG! Vampire 2/8 Some brains off time keeping you from all the heavy stuff

Only Boo! 8/12 After the Green Episode I expect all of the build up to evaporate for cute university fluff in green

Under the Oak Tree 1/10 Lets see where the music brings us. The two versions of the protagonist as narrator are interesting

We Are 8/16

Wandee Goodday 4/12 it colours and intrigues

You made my day 4/5 multi purpose marketing

What I am catching up on

Blueming 5/11 BL vs queer film in this self discovery

Celebrity Danshi wa Te ni Oemasen 5/10

Gym Affairs 9/24

Never Twice 8/72

Sell Your Haunted House 3/16

She and Her Perfect Husband 20/40 For when I want to look at pretty people

The Undateables 4/32 I dont think I will watch it all the way through this time either

She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat 2 15/20

Unstoppable High Kick 16/167

Still on my watch list

Fermat no Ryori 3/10

Fight for My Way 0/16

Given 1/6

I Feel You Linger in the Air 1/12

Kore wa Keihi de Ochimasen! 2/10

My Lovely Liar 5/16

One Spring Night 2/32

Qing Qing Zi Jin 20/40

The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim 2/12

The Uncanny Counter 3/16

Finished in the last two weeks

Star and Sky: Sky in Your Heart 14.05.24 7,5/10 Cute but a bit strechted out

Boys Be Brave! 16.05.24 8,5/10 Cute show about finding how you love someone

23.5 17.05.24 5,5/10 It tries but fails to be cute but impactful because its messaging is all over the place

Blossom Campus 18.05.24 6,5/10 Strongberry has taken commerciality = low quality too literally Sound lighting storytelling 1. 17.05.24 Blossom Campus is a badly lit well shot badly sound designed trope collection. All scenes that feature the delevopment that is referenced or implied seem to have been cut at some point.

Star and Sky: Star in My Mind 19.05.24 7,5/10

Ghost Yankee 20.05.24 8/10 A colourful mystery coming of age drama with nice music

Marry My Husband 20.05.24 9/10 I ve been a Count of Monte Cristo fan since I saw the my first adaptation at age 6 or 7 but usually my taste is to simplistic to appreciate well made Grand Revenge schemes. I liked this.

Oh No! Here Comes Trouble 24.05.24 10/10 This is such a good series. It can make me feel things. Its about wishes and desires and how they are life. Deeply satisfying

Destiny Seeker 24.05.24 8,5/10 The Thai ensemble school BL adapted for the year 2023. This is the most in your face colour coded pair I love it would not be surpirised if they were literally nicknamed blue and red

Fake Buddies 25.05.24 8/10 A sincere comedy about admitting that youve used someone as your beard

Stay by My Side Special 25.05.24 8,5/10

Star and Sky: Sky in Your Heart 14.05.24 7,5/10 Cute but a bit strechted out

Boys Be Brave! 16.05.24 8,5/10 Cute show about finding how you love someone

23.5 17.05.24 5,5/10 It tries but fails to be cute but impactful because its messaging is all over the place

Blossom Campus 18.05.24 6,5/10 Strongberry has taken commerciality = low quality too literally Sound lighting storytelling 1. 17.05.24 Blossom Campus is a badly lit well shot badly sound designed trope collection. All scenes that feature the delevopment that is referenced or implied seem to have been cut at some point.

Star and Sky: Star in My Mind 19.05.24 7,5/10

Ghost Yankee 20.05.24 8/10 A colourful mystery coming of age drama with nice music

Marry My Husband 20.05.24 9/10 I ve been a Count of Monte Cristo fan since I saw the my first adaptation at age 6 or 7 but usually my taste is to simplistic to appreciate well made Grand Revenge schemes. I liked this.

Oh No! Here Comes Trouble 24.05.24 10/10 This is such a good series. It can make me feel things. Its about wishes and desires and how they are life. Deeply satisfying

Destiny Seeker 24.05.24 8,5/10 The Thai ensemble school BL adapted for the year 2023. This is the most in your face colour coded pair I love it would not be surpirised if they were literally nicknamed blue and red

Fake Buddies 25.05.24 8/10 A sincere comedy about admitting that youve used someone as your beard

Stay by My Side Special 25.05.24 8,5/10

Dropped in the last two weeks

Sweet Stranger and Me 15.05.24 ?/10 I finally have to let go. I like all the actors but it does not catch me 8. 15.05.24

The Love You Give Me 19/28 20.05.24 7/10 Boring all three couples are in the same holding pattern 19. 20.05.24

[madeinkorea-blbambeyond]

MADE IN KOREA

Series: A First Love Story (2 Super Short Episodes) from Strongberry

KIM HYEONG WON

JUNG JAE WOON

[bl-recs-and-reviews]

Korean BL has the toughest fight to fight. And not just because it came in later.

Not only it's at a disadvantage because, out of all the countries producing popular BLs, it has the most amount of constraints and homophobia, but also they're actively working against themselves.

First of all, contrary to Thailand (where the lgbtq community might not have a lot of rights but are an ever present and constant presence on TV and media) and Japan (where homosexuality is normalized, despite the older generation's homophobia, and BL has been made for over 50 years) Korea has a growing Christian community and a thing for outrage. As one of the people of Strongberry said in a live once: It is very rare when an actor will agree to do more than 2 bls in Korea. The landscape is just not as prolific.

Secondly, anyone who consumes asian dramas knows what they could bring. As said before, the standard set by the industry is working against them. It has been easy to forgive Thailand's lacks in their shows because we could say "they're just starting" "they don't have money" "everything before was worse" "they're getting better and better" however in Korea's case we know the level of quality they are able to deliver, and it's not so sure that they might get better.

If producers/directors/writers are not changing the story to fit the format now, what says they ever will? Is that their objective even? There's a "you can do it, why aren't you?" factor going on there. They're shooting themselves in the foot.

We know that out of all the countries making BL the one capable to do short series that move us is Korea. Also they're easier to watch (thank you 30 min episodes for existing). So I feel like there's a lack of trust between the creators and the public there.

It's true that the competition isn't easy. But I can't help but feel like they're trying to reproduce the BL phenomena without actually caring that much about the stories they're telling (which is also something that you can see in mainstream kdramas, they're putting the ingredients of what has been successful but have gotten all the amounts wrong). Most of the successful K BLs have been stories where you can tell there was someone there behind the camera that cared.

I think what would work best for Korean BLs would be to better the format that they've created. 8 episode of 20 minutes for the win. Create the Korean BL industry in its own terms, make it able to stand on its own. Don't try to get the hype without the proper effort put in the creation of the story. Don't just make shows to promote online platforms (cough Spring of Youth cough).

I personally believe they're headed that way. And I'll keep on checking every single K BL that I can. But if they're repeating the same mistakes I just don't have enough time on my day for that. And I'd rather spend it on a show where I can see that they cared to create a mainstream space for queer stories.

I saw mdl reviews for the director who buys me dinner saying its undercooked and had great potential and needed a run time of 1 hour and like 16 episodes. do yall think the writers, directors and production team don't know that? Queer content still doesn't get that much money!! For fuck sake we still call it bl/yaoi something that was originally made for het women. Support these shows instead of putting them down so they get more finances to make shows with longer duration

[gunsatthaphan]

~ Monthly BL Breakdown: June 2022 ~  

Disclaimer: ALL shows can be streamed here or here, as well as on Dailymotion and Youtube. For more info on where to watch what, check out this post!

New breakdowns coming at the end of every month - feel free to add stuff! -> previous breakdowns

What came out this month? (green tick = seen or currently watching)

🌟 Pa Thirsty - June 1st (Philippines)

🌟 Sky In Your Heart - June 3rd (Thailand) ✅

🌟 To My Star 2 - June 5th (South Korea) ✅

🌟 I Want To See You - June 5th (Vietnam)

🌟 Check Out - June 11th (Thailand) ✅

🌟 Old Fashion Cupcake - June 13th (Japan)

🌟 Senpai, This Can’t Be Love! - June 16th (Japan)

🌟 I Only Want to See you - June 17th (Japan)

🌟 Love Mechanics - June 18th (Thailand) ✅

🌟 Unforgotten Night - June 22nd (Thailand) ✅

🌟 You Light Up My Life Again - June 26th (China) 

🌟 Even Sun Series - June 29th (Thailand) ✅

🌟 Wash My Heart - June 29th (Japan)

Monthly likes/dislikes

❣️ My Secret Love - I’m absolutely loving this show!! it’s so hilarious and the perfect proof that you can actually make something out of a seemingly simple bl plot lol. The dynamic between Mek and Kim is super entertaining, also Lee and Park have no business being the most adorable couple I’ve ever seen djkghfd. I love them so much. The setup is nice and it plays with several bl clichés in a very cunning way. Super excited for the rest of the season!! 💜 

👎🏻 To My Star 2 - Never thought I would ever put this as my dislike of the month lol and if you’re following me you’re probably fed up with me constantly ranting about it jkfgdf but yeah. Very disappointed and I don’t see any way to fix this mess in the remaining 2 episodes. Pity. 

New series announcements

🎥 Punk Spy (starring Mii2 & others) - Date TBA (Thailand) 

🎥 A Shoulder to Cry On - coming September 2022 (South Korea)

🎥 Blueming: The Movie (147 min runtime) - Date TBA (South Korea)

🎥 사랑은댕냥댕냥 (produced by Strongberry) - Date TBA (South Korea)

🎥 Eccentric Romance (Thai-Korean collaboration, from the producers of Peach of Time) - Date TBA (South Korea / Thailand) 

🎥 Star Struck (web novel adaption) - Date TBA (South Korea) 

🎥 180 Degrees Longitude Between Us - Coming August 14th (Thailand) 

🎥 Jun and Jun -  Date TBA (South Korea)

🎥 Semantic Error: The Movie (178 min runtime) - Coming August 23rd (South Korea) 

🎥 Love in the Big City (novel adaption) - Date TBA (South Korea) 

🎥 Back to My First Love - Date TBA (Taiwan) 

🎥 Unintentional Love Story - Date TBA (South Korea) 

🎥 Oh My Assistant - Date TBA (South Korea) 

🎥 Love is Like a Cat (starring Mew Suppasit and others) - Coming 2023 (South Korea/Thailand) 

Other news from the BL world

❗️Thai actor Copter Panuwat came out as non-binary on Twitter and had an interview with TeenVogue. 

❗️The post-apocalyptic Thai BL “Till the World Ends” (starring Art Pakpoom & others) will premiere on September 3rd 2022. 

❗️The upcoming Korean BL “Heesu In Class 2” will start shooting in August and will most likely be released towards the end of the year. It will have a runtime of 40-60 minutes per episode. The main actors have been chosen but not revealed yet. 

❗️The upcoming Thai drama “Remember Me”, starring JaFirst and others has been announced to air on October 9th. It is still unclear whether or not it will be a bl. 

❗️”Our Season” is a 3 episode variety show that features the cast of Semantic Error. It premiered on June 29th on Gagaoolala. 

❗️Fittings for the upcoming Thai BL “Moonlight Chicken” have started. 

❗️Mew Suppasit will star in the upcoming Korean-Thai BL “Love is Like a Cat”. His costars are 2 former kpop idols from the group JUST B. Details have yet to be announced.  

❗️Fiat Patchata (formerly Pattadon) was announced as the lead of the upcoming BL “Wish Me Luck”. Further details are yet to be announced. 

Upcoming series & movies for July

☝🏻 Rainbow Lagoon (short film) - July 4th (Thailand) 

☝🏻 Oh! My Sunshine Night - July 4th (Thailand) 

☝🏻 Vice Versa - July 16th (Thailand) 

☝🏻 Coffee Melody - July 18th (Thailand)

[heretherebedork]

Hi, I’m gonna ask something annoying. I’m new to BL, and I love scifi/fantasy/paranormal stuff. Are there any BL that HAVE those elements, even lightly? That vampire gifset made me feel and want things…

Sadly... not really. There's a few on the paranormal front! But sci fi and fantasy... eh, if you go into historical and bromance, you can find a few from China but there's really not a lot in that field. I'm going to include a lot of Chinese censored romances on this list just to give you choices.

Sci-fi has... very, very little.

SciFi:

Customized Companion (lots of cheating, semi-scifi)

Love From Outta Space (just a little commercial but it's OffGun and one's an alien!)

Fantasy, if you want historical, you can go for a variety of bromances out of China that are not BL because BL is illegal in China but come as close as they can... And a few real BLs as well.

Fantasy:

Bite Fight (chinese BL, vampires, weird ending, on Gaga)

Guardian (Chinese censored romance, modern fantasy cop drama, one of my favorite things ever, tries to pretend to be scifi and claim they're aliens but it's just fantasy)

Mermaid's Jade (Chinese movie, weird ending, mermaid! sort of! But definitely fantasy)

The Untamed (very traditional Chinese historical fantasy stuff, either you love it or hate it, censored romance)

Word of Honor (Chinese censored romance, very barely censored, very enjoyable, very much a martial arts with a hint of fantasy)

The Yin-Yang Master (more fantasy than just martial arts, chinese bromance but edging towards censored romance)

Youths In the Breeze (a collection of censored romance from China, little miniseries with two of the three having fantastical elements)

Color Rush/Color Rush 2 (Korea does fantasy BL! A+)

My Esports Genius Brother (Chinese semi-censored fantasy that's similar to Color Rush.)

The Cupid Coach (... bad Thai BL pulp fantasy, probably nearly impossible to find)

The Four Vampires (Korean queer vampires)

Tinted With You (Timeslip Korean BL with reincarnation hinted at the end)

Supernatural/paranormal is definitely the most populated because there have been several ghost romances from different countries.

Until We Meet Again (reincarnation, warnings for suicide, very highly recommended)

He's Coming To Me (ghost romance, fantastic, happy ending, highly recommended)

Hidden Love (A ghost story comedy that teeters on awful but has an amazing backstory for the two ghosts that is worth the suffering)

Something in my Room (Ghost romance, painful ending, bury your gays warning)

Cherry Magic (mostly an office romance but Adachi does spend the majority of the series with mind-reading powers)

Ghost Boyfriend (ghost romance, Chinese, sad ending)

History 1: Obsessed (reincarnating in your own life, fairly high heat, lots of questionable choices but I love this one.)

History 1: My Hero (possessing a body, happy-for-the-gays ending, very mediocre)

Sweet Curse (Korean BL, ghosts summoning/haunting? Strongberry!)

Y-Destiny (Just a few episodes, one with a ghost and one with a timeslip)

He She It (mostly horror? ghosts and haunting, unhappy ending)

Dear Doctor I'm Coming For Soul (currently airing romance between a doctor and a soul reaper that he can see)

Cupid's Last Wish (body switch, finished airing in Thailand but currently airing internationally)

@absolutebl has a much better organized list with more detail than this somewhere as well! Theirs also doesn't have bromances.

[respectthepetty]

I need to stress something somewhere. And I know you will be able to help or even help be observe but, I have a haunting feeling that in the clips we have of Mork reading to Day, is in the future and….Mork isn’t actually there anymore . … many reasons with the scenes set up but the main things for me is the fish. There is only one in the rank now in that scene. And the book marks in the book. 1 fish bookmark, the other an avocado? And their legs are covered with a blanket. So no 2 slippers of fish is shown……am I creating narrative things that are not there or seeing things wrong? it just feels almost a melancholy scene set up in front of the tank…… and I’m scared!!

What are your thoughts pretty please?!

Anon, I'm choosing violence first, then I'll be kind.

On Spanish TikTok, or as I like to call it Tea Talk, someone stated they saw the book's ending, and it ended with Mork dying and donating his eyes to Day.

The people of Tea Talk ripped that video to shreds. The comments section was not pleased with the mentiras (lies), and Indonesian TikTok even showed up in the fray with the actual book to prove the original poster was "Livin' La Vida Loca."

I don't know how this cookie will crumble, but let me remind you of two things:

#1 - This is GMMTV.

It gave us The Shipper in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, and I think it has been correcting that wrong since.

And it gave us Only Friends in 2023.

I wanted murder and mayhem. Instead it gave everyone happy endings except the slut because apparently he had too many "happy endings" and *morality* or some bullshit.

If you are watching Playboyy, it's what Only Friends could have been if Disney BL hadn't produced it.

I might sound salty (because I am), but I'm really just trying to emphasize that GMMTV wouldn't. Period. Full stop. GMMTV wouldn't give us a sad ending to a branded pair. It will kill a mom quick, but sad times for a branded pair? ¡Nunca! For example, how did we all know Palm x Nueng were gonna be safe and sound in Never Let Me Go? Our Skyy 2. Can't have Our Skyy 3 if it kills a ship now can it?

#2 - This is Aof

The director, producer, and screenwriter extraordinaire shot Pat (Ohm) on Christmas Eve.

He killed Papang!

Hell, he killed Singto before the series even started!

Mork (NOT GAWIN, NO!) got beat up and was hospitalized!

And yet, we got a happy ending each time.

The man wants to make use cry, but he has never ended with queer trauma to do so.

Which is why there are still two fish in that tank.

And I think the avocado is a shout out to Jimmy's love of them (because who doesn't love avocados, am I right?).

So as much as I do not think the reading scenes we keep getting are set in the present,

I don't think they are setting us up for a sad future, especially because Korea already did this trick.

If you watched To My Star 2: Our Untold Stories last year, you know that shit hurt, every, single, episode,

and because it hurt, we were too blinded by the pain to notice the happiness sprinkled throughout.

The happiness we were seeing wasn't flashbacks of their past relationship or even snippets of their current one.

THEY WERE GLIMPSES OF THEIR HAPPY FUTURE!

Korea gave us The Eighth Sense and Strongberry's Choco Milk Shake, both which had the perfect premises to fuck us over, and yet my only complaint was NO POLY!

If Korea can delivery happy endings, Disney BL can too (but not the kind it punished Boston for. Never those kind). It isn't Taiwan, and it certainly isn't Japan who is ALWAYS itching to give maximum pain. This is "soft power" Thailand, GMMTV, Aof, and a branded pair. If GMMTV brought out Gawin to get Krist and Joss back to kiss a homie, I greatly doubt it would tank the JimmySea ship for a sad ending (did you get the pun?). If there is one thing I can count on GMMTV for, it's to secure the bag. Sell merch. Sell novels. Sell a special box edition of the series. Sell the ship. That won't happen if this is sad.

Also, color-coded boys in love get happy endings.

It's science.

[bl-bam-beyond]

AS 2023 ENDS AND 2024 BEGINS LETS GET INTO 2024 UPCOMING KBL. WHAT WE ACTUALLY GOT IN 2023.

It is November 16, 2024 and the year will end soon and the following KBL's have yet to air. First from 2023

1. WuJu Bakery: This Thai-Korean BL seems to be a phantom with several false starts. A Jeff Satur/Barcode Series.

2. HeeSu in Class 2: Like WuJu Bakery this one has several false starts yet has not seen the light of day....yet.

3. Secret Relationship: I've heard nothing

4. The First Love Manual: I've heard nothing

and the one's promised for 2024 yet have not made it...yet

5. Choco Milk Shake Season 2

6. Eul's Love

7. Ambiguous

8. Say I Love You

9. A Good Night To Get Drunk

10. Joseon Chefs

For 2024 we supposedly have...

1. Love For Love Sake ✅️

2. Choco Milk Shake Season 2

3. Eul's Love

4. Gray Currents (now called Gray Shelter) ✅️

5. The Time of Fever (Unintentional Love Story 2: Second Couple Sequel gets title) ✅️

6. Ambiguous

7. Blossom Campus (STRONGBERRY) ✅️

8. Boys Be Brave (Original Title: I Can't Confess) from the director of Our Dating Sim) ✅️

9. Say I Love You (from the director of The New Employee)

10. Uncovering The Curse of Taekwondo (from the director of To My Star) ✅️

11. Jazz For Two ✅️

12. Good Night To Get Drunk

13. Joseon Chefs

14. Skam (Korean Remake) Cancelled 🚫❌️

15. Love In The Big City (Coming To Viki) ✅️

Expected in 2023 that may appear in 2024

15. Heesu In Class 2

16. Love is Like A Cat ✅️

17. The First Love Manual

18. Eccentric Romance ✅️

19. Secret Relationship

20. Wuju Bakery (Thai-Korean BL Series)

Unexpected or Unknown (at least by me) of 2024 aka Special Additions:

21. Happy Ending (by Strongberry) ✅️

22. My Damn Business ✅️

What Actually Aired/Airing in 2024

1. Love For Loves Sake

2. Love Is Like A Cat

3. Happy Ending

4. Jazz For Two

5. Gray Currents (changed from Gray Shelter)

6. Boys Be Brave (changed from I Can't Confess)

7. Blossom Campus

8. Time of Fever (6 Episode Sequel to ULS originally a movie in Korea airing on IQIYI as of September 12, 2024)

9. Eccentric Romance (expected 2023, aired October 10, 2024)

10. Let Free The Curse of Taekwondo

11. Love in the Big City

What Actually Aired in 2023 (In Order of which I liked more)

1. Our Dating Sim

2. The Eighth Sense

3. Unintentional Love Story

4. Love Class Season 2

5. Why RU? Korean Remake

6. Love Tractor

7. Jun and Jun

8. Bon Appétit

9. A Shoulder To Cry On

10. Starstruck

11. Happy Merry Ending

12. Love Mate

13. All The Liquors

14. Individual Circumstances

15. Bump Up Business

16. A Breeze of Love (not on my original list but aired on the dreadful IQIYI yes I have a love-hate issue with IQIYI sometimes I love it and sometimes I hate it most especially with KBL)

Unsubstantiated Rumors

Blueming Season 2 - though a second season was rumored and wanted by fans no official sequel is in the works as of now but like many fans... my fingers are crossed.

4 Directors From Existing KBL Hits (To My Star, Our Dating Sim, The New Employee and Semantic Error) are all slated to direct BL's in 2024

Updated November 16, 2024

@pose4photoml @lutawolf @kingofthereblog-boysloveed

[shortpplfedup]

BEST OF BL 2021 BONUS CATEGORY: BEST SHORT FORM CONTENT

It would be remiss of me not to mention my favourite BL movies, minis, specials, short films and other non-series content this year.

Movies

Hello Stranger: The Movie (Black Sheep/YouTube) | Dir. Dwein Baltazar | Cast: Tony Labrusca, JC Alcantara | The Philippines

My heart. Xavier struggles with his mixed-up ideas of what it means to be a good person, breaking his own and Mico's hearts in the process before eventually realising that the heart can only want what it wants. Mahal kita.

Gameboys: The Movie (The IdeaFirst Company/Netflix) | Dir. Ivan Andrew Payawal | Cast: Kokoy de Santos, Elijah Canlas | The Philippines

Cai and Gav fall even deeper in love and navigate the beginnings of a sexual relationship, surrounded by the best little found family in BL.

To My Star (Movie) (H & Co/EnergeDic/Viki) | Dir. Hwang Da Seul | Cast: Son Woo Hyun, Kim Kang Min | Korea

Kang Seo Joon and Han Ji Woo fall in love in this cosy slice of life domestic odd-couple drama. I preferred the movie cut to the series purely for pacing reasons.

Minis

A First Love Story (Strongberry/YouTube/Vimeo) | Dir. Eom Ju Ho | Cast: Kim Hyeong Won, Jung Jae Woon | Korea

This 2-episode micro-series from Strongberry gave me more in 15 minutes than a lot of BLs can do with 12 full-length episodes and a special. When Min Gyu hugged Jae Seong and said 'don't go' my cold dead heart came to life.

Short films

Last Twilight in Phuket (Nadao Bangkok/YouTube) | Dir. Boss Naruebet Kuno | Cast: Billkin Putthipong Assaratanakul, PP Krit Amnuaydechkorn | Thailand

I KNOW y'all are sick of me and all things ITSAY, but what a work of art. 14 minutes of breathtaking cinematography and heart-fluttering emotion.

Half My Life, All My Heart [The Story] (GMM Grammy/YouTube) | Cast: Earth Pirapat Watthanasetsiri, Mix Sahaphap Wongratch | Thailand

13 minutes long (18 if you include the MV that completes the story) and the FEELS. Earth and Mix have unbelievable chemistry and the story of Whale and Talay is so deeply told in the short runtime.

Close Friend (Night/Mek) (SHORYUKEN Production/ViuTV) | Dir. Chacree Rujiviphat | Cast: Jimmy Karn Kritsanaphan, Tommy Sittichok Pueakpoolpol | Thailand

I don't know what kind of magic Tommy and Jimmy somehow manage to create together, but give me more of it. Penpals Night and Mek fall in love in the hazy pre-internet 90s.

Summerdaze (Crowdfunding Trailer) (Telescope Studios/YouTube) | Cast: David Eung, Alfred Sng | Singapore

A concept trailer that makes you want the whole series immediately. The story of two actors who fall in love while shooting a BL. First ever BL to come out of Singapore.

My Broken Love Story (Part 2) (YouTube) | Cast: Xia En, Xia De, Ryan Hsu | Taiwan

A retrospective on a breakup, told in snippets and snatches. Ryan Hsu plays the cheating boyfriend of one of the twins from Make Our Days Count.

Specials

Lovely Writer Special Episode (Dee Hup House/WeTV) | Dir. Tee Bundit Sintanaparadee | Cast: Kao Noppakao Dechaphatthanakun, Up Poompat Iam-samang | Thailand

Well I had fun with it. Part horror fantasy, part romantic comedy, pure crack, as we check in on Nubsib and Gene two years into their relationship.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - I'm Late, I know

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Feb 2024 Wk 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 12fin - we waiting 2 weeks I guess? Bah.

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 13fin - I wasn't impressed by the last ep at all. Trash watch happened here.

My final thoughts:

Based on alittlebixth's omegaverse novel #พิษเบ๊บ’ set in the world of car racing omegaverse. Thailand brought us the world's first omegaverse BL but then failed to lean into the courage of its a/b/o convictions by not emphasizing the difference between our world & theirs, adding & subtracting characters & allegiances + a weak ending. With earnest performances, enthusiastic sex scenes, a fantastic side couple, and some delightful scenery chewing - the actors tried… poor things. It's just the story failed both them and their parent genre. Frankly? I just wanted it to be more outrageous and trashy, since I never expected it to be good. Instead, it was just… meh. 7/10

(Imma remind all the newbies that this is not unprecedented from me with hugely popular BL.)

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 10 of 12 - I like it but there’s a high % of this show that doesn’t interest me. Anything to do with the side couple, or the friend group, or the cooking competition drives me into a comatose state of UGH. That means that in this episode, I paid attention to about 5 minutes worth. 

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 11 of 12 - I'm ready for this to be done. I think they were trying to be this year's Big Dragon, but they just aren't good enough. I really didn’t need a third couple.

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 2 of 12 - I'm warming up to FueangKrom a bit. It’s cute. I am finding the pacing interesting. That pacing might be bad, but right now it’s simply different. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Love For Love's Sake (Korea Weds iQIYI) 5-6 of 8 - I still love this show a lot, but this 2 ep installment felt a little disjointed. I’m not sure if that’s the narrative structure or the subs. The captions are shockingly bad for a KBL and I don’t have enough Korean to make up for their clear failings. 

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - Oh the return of the manic pixie dream ex. This is all very high school drama for purportedly grown-up adults. But them both being jealous and then kissing was sweet.  

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - They remain adorable and the sunshine robot is very sweet. But it is a little slow. 

Perfect Propose (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 3 of 6 - I prefer the episodes when we get more of them onscreen together. But this was fine. 

Happy Ending (Korea Tues YT) 3fin - The ending disappointed me (are you surprised?). What can I say, not Strongberry's best as far as I’m concerned. High school besties that many could be sweethearts. I don’t like an ending that’s left up in the air. 6/10

It's Done but...

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have any spare time. 2024 is crazy busy for me so far.

The Servant and the Young Master - from Vietnam, it's on YouTube. I will give it a try when I have a window of time.

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - A Burmese BL? @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will give it a watch.

It's Airing But...

[NO INTERNATIONAL] Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - yeah Japan put the smack down on our boys. Sadness. You can use a VPN if you like. Read all about it here.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… probubly not. I won't be watching this. I disliked Season one and actively hated the follow ups. No thank you.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 12 eps - Gave me Luminous Solution vibes. It finished, is it worth it?

Dead Friend Forever (Thai Sat iQIYI) 12 eps - finished, horror, supposed to be very philosophical, I think I'll give it a go.

Time the series (Tue Gaga/YT) 10 eps - dropped it at ep 4.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting Up

2/16 My Strawberry Film (Japan Gaga) - not quite sure how much BL this one is, because... Japan, but we shall see.

2/17 A Secretly Love (Thai WeTV) - Khonprot, a third-year head hazer of the engineering faculty, has a secret crush on Pluem, a tsundere fourth-year head hazer. Over the years, he's seen Pluem cycle through many girlfriends. Recently, after a public breakup, however, Khonprot thinks maybe a boy has a chance. Unless this is really good I probably won't I hate the WeTV interface...

Still Coming in Feb

2/24 Unknown (Taiwan Youku) 12 eps - Older brother tough guy criminal breadwinner looks after his sister and defacto adopted little brother. Little bother falls in love with him and is sent away after a stolen kiss. But when he comes back…

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

We gotta talk about LFLS this week. Look at Korea go!

Talking about a dead fish kiss, how meta! This will end up on one of my best of the year moments. I could not have been more gobsmacked.

Also something rarely directly addressed, particularly for same-sex firsts.

And then, a claiming trope, a personal favorite of mine.

Thank you Korea!

I just love them. (Pit Babe)

(Last week)

[janujaja]

Thankyou @bad-buddy-owns-my-ass ! Mine is going to sound extremely cliche BUT WHO CARES.

1. Your all time favorite bl and why

It's Bad Buddy. I am sorry to sound generic but an introvert like me started POSTING on tumblr because of this show. It's Bad Buddy. I have no qualms. Come @ me, I DONT CARE.

As for the reason, I think BB kind of has paved the way for a better future for the BL industry. Its characteristic feature is that it employs literally all BL tropes but in a way that doesn't make us cringe at the misogynistic and heteronormative undertones that every other BL shamelessly over - employs.

(Honestly how I am supposed to watch another bl after this, I have no clue).

2. That one bl that scarred you for life

I won't say it SCARRED me but the last few eps of Bite Me were truly upsetting. The one thing I hate is half assed endings that do NOT keep up with how the first half of the series went. It sucked and I was so sad that I couldn't even watch it after ep 7 or something. And I was even an actual fan of the slow romance. (I Know it's an UNPOPULAR OPINION OKAY)

Other than that, I just simply do not watch emotionally scarring stuff. Sorry, I am fragile and CANNOT do bad and sad endings.

Also, perhaps the fact that BB almost was about to give us a sad/ambiguous ending did emotionally scar me 😌

3. Is there any bl that made you feel very single

I mean other than BB as a whole bl that made me feel super uper duper single, cuz OHM and NANON, I also felt weirdly single when I saw Mark and Kit interactions in Gen Y S1. Idk, it's something about the whole sunshine and tsundere chemistry that STRIKES me. OH other than that, there were so many instances in 1000 stars (ESPECIALLY EPISODE 5 WHERE THEY LITERALLY BLUSHED AND FLIRTED WITH EACH OTHER asking for kite matches and whatnot ugh it was too much for my heart to handle).

4. If you could change one thing from a bl, which one would it be?

Make Pure and Folk the main couple of My Gear and Your Gown (2020). They were splendid, and although I like Marc, babe, I think you need to work a bit more on your acting skills.

5. That one bl you detest (don’t hold back)

I dont really detest any. There are millions which made me cringe so hard that I stopped watching, though. There is no space for detest in my heart 😌🤣.

(And the first on the cringe list is Tonhon Chonlathee 😌😌)

6. Your top 5

1. BAD BUDDY (need I say)

2. ITSAY (NEED I SAY)

3. Keita Hatsukoi (need I say pt.3)

4. GEN Y S1 ONLY (SHUT UP 😳)

5. Manner of Death (hot murder boys)

7. That trashy bl that you lowkey like

2Moons2. I will not expand. Stop. I AM SHALLOW AS FRICK I KNOW.

8. Your favorite Korean bl (it’s important we know)

To my Star without a doubt. I love it. I love them. Thankyou.

9. But also your top 3 for kbls

1. To My Star

2. A first love story ep 1 and 2 by the Korean production house Strongberry. (it is SHORT AND THATS THE ONLY FACT I HATE ABOUT THE SERIES).

3. Light On me (the kiss scene never happened).

Special mention to the Korean gay movie 'Just Friends?' (These titles amirite 😏) cuz I love the two characters in it so much.

10. Season 2? Which one?

I normally do not like season 2 cuz I feel like a majority of them disappoint me, but the only one which I am even willing to consider is Manner of Death S2 with Tat and Sorawit. Thankyou. I love them. Thankyou.

11. A bunch of dramas will air soon. Which ones are you most excited for?

I am actually not EXCITED excited for any of them but I am willing to push my prejudices aside and watch most of them if they give me top quality chemistry and acting skills like OhmNanon did.

12. Tag them! @another-bad-buddy-stan   @anuwrites @the-happy-fujoshi (AND ANY ONE ELSE WHO WANTS TO!!!)

[weilongfu]

Hey, I don't know if you take asks but I'm kinda new to bl and don't really know where to start so I was wondering if you had any recommendations for bl dramas/movies? Also I just wanted to say I love your blog and thing you're amazing! 😊❤️👍 Bye bye. 👋

Hello Anon! I absolutely take/answers asks! And this is one I am happy to answer!

Depending on your tastes, I will suggest a few for you. See what you like! If you don’t like something, don’t feel bad about it at all. 

BL Dramas:- SOTUS: Kongpob is an Engineering freshman and at his university, they follow SOTUS which is supposed to be a method of hazing and forging bonds between classmates and juniors/seniors. Arthit is the head hazer and this is the story of how they fall in love.

- Love by Chance: Pete is a rich IC Program freshman who is being blackmailed for being gay since he’s not out to his mom yet. He is helped by and falls in love with Ae, a poor Engineering Thai Program freshman. There are actually 4 pairings in this drama, but AePete and TinCan are the only ones who get any real screen time and don’t deal with r*pe. If you’d like to avoid those pairings, several people have made posts with sections of the episodes to skip. You literally do not miss much because these guys got like 1% of total screen time.

- HiStory 2: Crossing The Line - Xia Yu Hao is a troublemaker and doesn’t like authority. He is forced to join the volleyball team where he meets their team manager Qiu Zi Xuan. After watching Qiu Zi Xuan play and learning more about him, Xia Yu Hao begins to develop feelings for him. The other pairing is two step-brothers Wang Zhen Wen and Wang Zhen Wu and how they struggle to come to grips with their feelings for each other.

- 2 Moons: Yo has been in love with Pha ever since high school. He ends up going to the same college as Pha, but Pha doesn’t even seem to remember him. Yo ends up picked as the “Moon” of the Science Faculty and has to compete to be Campus Moon. It is during this competition that their love story continues to unfold. Meanwhile, Yo’s friend Ming begins chasing Pha’s friend Kit.

Your mileage will vary with any of these. 2 Moons is getting rebooted so you can choose to wait for the reboot if you like and watch it without the “actor” who ruined everything. SOTUS has two seasons (SOTUS and SOTUS S) but I didn’t finish watching SOTUS S and a majority of people I’ve talked to are not thrilled about the way the key characters were portrayed. Love by Chance and HiStory 2: CTL are really the best dramas on this list.

For things I haven’t watched, but are looking REALLY GOOD RIGHT NOW, I would like to suggest that you join the hype for HiStory 3: Trap and watch it when it comes out in two days. SO MANY TROPES AND ALL OF THEM LOOK AMAZING. 

I also recommend He’s Coming To Me, a story of a boy who falls in love with a ghost. It also has Ohm (who acted in Make It Right) and Singto (acted as Kongpob in SOTUS). They look like they have tons of chemistry!

Special mentions to Waterboyy the Series and Make It Right just because they exist, but aren’t very good/are problematic. But if you’re a fan of the actor Newwie, then watch Waterboyy because he’s topless SO MANY TIMES. If you continue to love Newwie like the rest of us, watch Kiss Me Again the series. But I really recommend watching the PeteKao cuts because I watched 5 min of an uncut episode and wanted to die.

BL Movies:- Almost anything by Strongberry: Okay look, Strongberry is a short film producing company in South Korea. They make AMAZING LGBTQ+ content. All their short films are about LGBTQ+ relationships. A majority are mlm, but they have a recent one that is wlw. I highly recommend watching Long Time No See (assassin falls in love with cute guy who works at his sister’s restaurant), Some More (City guy gets hurt riding his bike out in the country and falls for a farmer who helps him get better), and My Pistachio (Guy is trying to find the words to confess to his senior in the drama club/drama production company?). I also suggest supporting their content by watching their videos on Vimeo. Yes, you will have to pay, but it’s worth it to support independent creators of LGBTQ+ content and it’s not very expensive. If you absolutely cannot spare the cash, then I would understand looking for not-official links. But if you can, please watch official and support them!

- The Moment (Thai movie): This is actually a movie about 2 straight and 1 gay relationship. However, all of them are slightly intertwined and happen at the same time. It is entirely possible to watch a cut with only the gay relationship though (Mr Kim and Korn). They have an interesting progression to their relationship and the ending works. I’m a little mixed since I watched the entire movie and not a cut, but see how you feel.

There are plenty of other options out there Anon! But I hope you like some of the things I’ve presented here. If any of my followers know of other good recs, put them as a comment!