#BL review

[theside-b]

BL Review: Top Form 🇹🇭

Weirdly enough it was exactly when Japan left the BL scene that Thailand decided to finally to come through with a solid adaptation of a japanese property. After some stumbles Top Form not only delivers a great show but also elevates the source material with some inspired choices from the writers and amazing duo of actors.

Boom has always been a very reliable actor, competent and talented, but here he gets to show everything he got, use all the weapons on his arsenal; Akin is a mess of a human being, always on the verge of a mental breakdown, but also "unintentionally" funny, needy and amorous when finally stripped from his emotional barriers — part of the fun was watching Boom freak out, burst into tears or blush like a maiden (sometimes all at once) during the live reactions with Smart. Speaking of which... Smart as Jin, the apprentice with a mean streak, and hands down the best twist of the show.

In Dakaichi: I'm Being Harassed by the Sexiest Man of the Year the manga which Top Form is based on, the character of Jin is quite different, with the predatory nature of the original being toned down and the entire dynamic between the couple presented in a way healthier package with a shift towards a more 'protective' persona for Jin; and while the show waters down quite a lot it still gives room for Smart to deliver great moments tapping into Jin's darker side, possessiveness and violence always brewing when someone dares to come near Akin. The major downside here is with the character of Johnny, now presented as the only predator around, albeit in a more "playful" manner, whereas in the original him and Jin were cut from the same cloth and one could see why they would immediately butt-heads, so much so that this version has to make it's way around certain story beats in order to cause drama that does not occur in the manga. A lot of the rejection for Johnny's characters amongst the audience stems from the fact that Jin is a very good person here, had he been 2/4 of the messed up version we see in the book this conversation would be quite different.

A good point of the adaptation is the nature of the conflict: in a way the first half of the story is intrinsic to Japan, with the actors ranking system and all its variants, something that doesn't play out (at least not to the same extent) in Thailand, but the second half presents the brand pair system in which the situation reverses. Top Form sheds light in some intricacies that the target audience might already be clued in, for examples actors playing a couple on a BL show are expected to play a couple but not actually be a couple, with Top Form being one of the very few to dare head towards more unsavory practices seeing in the industry— it's even more inspired that the show within the show that gets Jin and Akin under scrutiny is a wuxia very similar to the unreleased C-Drama Immortality, which was a partnership between Tencent and Top Form's very own producer WeTV — and while it never goes there it still ballsy enough to not make it all that easy for it's protagonists.

A lot of the strengths of the show are pulled from the parallels that can be drawn with actors' real life relationship, for those who follow him Boom is one of those thai actors who just never had the luck of finding the right partner (or simply never chose one) to solidify his position on the thai-BL landscape and here he seems to have struck gold with Smart, so much so that even before the show was done producers were already throwing ideas for a next project for the two of them. As for Smart he got himself a mentor, and one of the best really, and while Smart himself is still a long ways to catch up with his partner at least he does not embarrass himself mostly due inspired moments, like every time Jin got mischief in his eyes, or was ready to throw hands, any of the more 'darker' sides of his came out to play Smart seemed more in tune, angel wings notwithstanding.

Technically speaking this show has impressive feats; the NC scenes in particular were quite something, and it's raised the bar for the upcoming productions and I'm not limiting to just BL shows, what they did here to safeguard the actors was impeccable while still delivering memorable moments. Production value is also top notch, even simpler scenes looked expensive through the lenses of director Boss Wasakorn.

In the void left by JBLs Top Form comes strong with a superb ensemble, inspired writing and woefully direction that sets the bar really high for the next thai producer who is brave enough to tackle a japanese IP.

[sincerelyyadere]

Dead man's switch review [no spoilers] 10/10

kinda yandere, zombie apocalypse, character growth, secrets, possesive, horror romance, ongoing

tw: nsfw, lots of blood, gore, mentions of suicide

I literally couldn't stop reading this shit. I loved how the author has written the characters and showed how the apocaliptic, extreme times can make people do crazy shit. Its truly one of the kind in the manhwa genre.

The only unrealistic thing was that the mc and lm seemed to be getting to horny stuff only while the mc was injured (at first at least) but it didn't make mc's injuries go worse??? Idk if i fucked like a rabbit while i was hurt i think my physical health wouldn't been better afterwards ;-;

Also, i think the main character was a little slow onto the secret that ml holds, which was not annoying as such, but, again, kinda... weird? Like dude, its not that hard XD

But those are some minor flaws, i can't WAIT for the season 2 to come out!!!!

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - I'm All Over the Place, and so are the shows

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

Nov 2023 Wk 5

Ongoing Series - Thai

Last Twilight (Fri YT) ep 4 of 12 - The Jasmine flirting thing was so darn cute, I can’t. I love these two so much. 

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 2 of 10 - Oh it’s great. Flirting. Fighting. Fate. Murder. Eventually we’ll add fucking. A trifffecta. I could do with a bit less training but whatever. And we have learned our boys are laboring under a geis. NO SINGING. Otherwise this ep was actually pretty flipping great. 

My Dear Gangster Oppa (Thurs iQIYI) ep 6 of 8 - Ooo kidnapping and the sides are suffering betrayal. Also Tew kills again. I like that they don’t shy away from the fact that he’s a killer and Guy was genuinely scared.  And then Tew had to break up with Guy to protect him in Noble Sacrifice (tm). How Cdrama of him. Rough ep all round. 

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 1 of 10 - It’s not exactly good, but it’s better than I was expecting, and I tend to cut pulps a lot of slack out the gate. The plot is more interesting, Him is a sweetie (I like that in a seme) and our uke has both game and pluck. He’s a femme bitch, I LOVE that in a boy + we never get it femme in the lead. The acting is not great, sound all over the place, but there are no terrible sound effects, the soundtrack is okay, and our high heat came with a side of BJ + condoms, and no one has sung (yet), so I think I like it. It’s giving me Big Dragon vibes.

Linguistic moment: 

Him used Him/ter for pronouns & ha. Very flirty. Nail used rao back a little bit of a challenge. (No pom and didn’t use his own name either.) Gauntlet thrown. Our baby ends up with rao/kao but I don’t think that’ll stick. Him is getting Phi out of him if it's the last thing he does.

Bake Me Please (Mon Gaga) ep 2 of 6 - The characters’ shared backstory is no surprise but I do like this show. Those little private smiles as they find family. Those lingering gazes as they find romance. Lovely. Also Shin wants to marry into Peach's family so bad, I’m reminded of Laurie in Little Women. All that said, it’s never the top of my list to watch for some reason. 

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) 1 of 12 - How could I have forgotten how stunning Off is? Meanwhile… I love Gun’s character, he's so cute. But this show is a bit too comedic for me. I wish GMMTV were taking this script seriously. Sorry Neo et al I’m not sold on the sides. In general? I don’t love it. I don’t hate it either. In other news, I think I'll go make toast.

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 3 of 14 - I love the sides and unholy amount and in general it was fine this week probably because I decided to do a trash watch.

Twins the series (Fri GaGa) ep 5 of 10 - I’m getting fatigued. Also holy random sex Batman. Where did these extra sides come from? I’m confused. Tonal pingpong going on, and not just in the shower.  

Middleman’s Love (Fri YT & iQIYI ep 4 of 8 - Finally a direct confession Jade can’t avoid. Will things get a bit more serious?

Absolute Zero (Weds iQIYI) ep 10 of 12 - I don’t know why I watch this show, the acting is great, but it just makes me cry.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 3 of 14 eps - What a bonkers thing this is. Very kinky and also just odd. I do keep thinking about the pinks with it. Similarly, there doesn’t seem much glue holding this thing together, dried cum of course but not glue. And despite what some kinksters say, the one cannot replace the other.

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) Fake Love ep 15 of 24 - This is a weird installment. Too stalker and random blackmail for me. But not as bad as abuse and death, I guess? 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

A Breeze of Love (Korea iQIYI) eps 7-8fin - Not much of a love triangle in the end (you just found out he is actually gay and broken hearted = an opportunity not a tragedy). Meanwhile I like that the high school break up was just mr insomniac's fault. He got jealous and angry and petty. No miscommunication just an asshole kid. I did find this show a little slow, even though it was your standard length KBL. Odd that. They are very cute boyfriends tho. 

All in all:

Tsundere insomniac grump reunited with his sunshine jock ex (human sleeping pill) who now hates him. Basketball is also involved. While the simplicity of a reunion plot makes this more cohesive than most KBLs, it is a tad stiff and slow, never managing to lift itself out of "pretty and pretty enjoyable" - I liked it but I don’t think I’m going to remember much about it. 8/10

VIP Only (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - It has the feel of a one act, with such a limited cast and location, which reminds me of KBL. Still watching these two quietly fall in love and process affection through their own art forms is sweet. This is a very soft gentle show. 

Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun (Japan Fri Gaga) - Toki, a delinquent but pure-hearted kid falls in love with his handsome phys-ed teacher, Sahara. This is very much my trope but very manga campy, which I don’t love. I’m quite torn. Toki is an idiot but a lovable one. But do I like it?

It's Airing But...

The Whisperer (Sun ????) 10 eps - Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). He has dimples (My Ride) but I don't think even dimples can motivate me to watch. You can tell me how this goes if you can find it.

SHADOW (Thai Gaga) 14 eps - I'm not wild about Thai horror (or horror at all) even one featuring Singto and Fluke. I'm holding off. If told it's good, I'll binge.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 10 eps - Giving me Luminous Solution vibes, so I'm waiting to binge if told it's safe.

Beyond The Star (Weds iQIYI) 8 eps - House of Stars meets Boyband. I was NOT impressed with ep 1. Waiting to be told if I should bother.

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - I find this series more fun to binge, so I'm waiting until it completes its run.

In case you missed it

One Room Angel (Japan Gaga) finished. Adaptation of Harada’s manga (which I did not like) about a clerk who (nearly) dies and ends up cohabitating with an angel. I was warned that the ending would not work for me so I decided not to bother.

My Biker BL short movie from Wayu supposedly premiered Nov 27 on their YouTube Channel for Members to watch. I couldn't find anything further. The MDL description makes me think it's not for me so I bother.

Next Week Looks Like This

Short list of the December offerings.

12/9 Cherry Magic (Thai remake) YouTube 10 eps

12/9 Behind the Shadows (Korea movie) ??

12/14 Dear Kitakyushu (Thai/Japan movie) ??

12/23 Dead Friend Forever (Thai horror) iQIYI

Original 2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED). With the end of the year upon us I'll do an "announced for 2023 but never happened list" soon.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

I love these dudes so much, and make no mistake they def dudes. On point banter, my dudes. (Sign)

Yes they are cute but so far that's all this show has going for it. (Middleman's Love)

I'm a simple human, I just like seeing Off kneeing. (Cooking Crush)

(Last week)

[extrarottengirl]

Pet by Deulsum

Status: Complete (3 chapters)

Rating: Grapefruit

Warnings: None

Additional Tags: Kink, BDSM, Master/Slave, Dom/Sub, Power Bottom, Bondage, Loving.

Summary: “A florist and his regular customer. On the surface, they seem normal but they have a very special relationship, restraints, handcuffs, toys, SM. The florist is a master and the other is a dog who listens obediently. However, things take an interesting turn when their already unusual relationship grows into something more.” - Mangadex

Review: For all the kinky fun that is packed into three chapters, this is surprising sweet and loving. The two characters are in a budding kink relationship where there is an opportunity for more to bloom. The art is detailed and stunning. The only thing I wish about this is that there were more chapters. 

The BDSM relationship feels appropriately negotiated. The characters despite the short length of this work have good depth. I definitely recommend it for those looking for something spicy without a dark twist. 

[chrispychanniem]

My Honest Opinion:

I haven't watched any of MaxTul's previous works. So it has always been a mystery to me as to what the hype is all about. But after watching this series, I completely understand. Damn, it's so hot.

Perfect story, perfect chemistry, perfect execution and everything else was perfect. Like seriously, watch it. I strongly recommend you watching this series, this pride month.

[coffeebookslovegt]

¿Sabes cuál era nuestra mayor preocupación incluso cuando estábamos por morir?

Que sería difícil para ti. Que estarías triste por un largo tiempo. Esa era nuestra mayor preocupación.

[wontune]

� mark. ( ator ) lockscreen !

[unpopularopinionbydemand]

Boys in Love - Ep. 1 Review *✦

— Overall Thought: I like the main pairing ???

Okay, so first: I'm so upset that I didn't realize that this had started coming out. YouTube??? The f*ck is going on ??? Bc I am a broke college student, I have unfortunately turned into a pirate. Please don't hate me :,/

Anyways, let's get into the review!!

ep. 1 ratings 𓄷 7 - Pretty good for a first episode. It's not higher than a 7 cause I did fall asleep during, not the series fault, but. a tired college girl's fault. Nice setup, the cinematography is f*cking gorgeous, and MR.DIMPLES !!!!

spotlight couple of the week 𓄷 SURPRISINGLY ENOUGH, SHANE & KIT !

spotlight actor of the week 𓄷 Papang (Tan) -- He's already serving so much of what I wanted him to be, I LOVE IT

*✦ review:

Decent first episode, and this is coming from someone who genuinely hates first episodes of most BL series.

Lots of tropes already, 'come closer or you'll get ran over by children', 'let me wipe that for you', just to name a few.

So, who was going to tell me that Mick is Win's (2gether) brother?? I was sitting there like, "why do I feel like I know this dude..?" Either way, he honestly really surprised me. So far, I'm enjoying his acting which is rare when it comes to new faces, especially with GMMTV. Luke (Kit) isn't all that bad either.

Papang !! He's already playing everything I needed and more. The overbearing, overly-perfect teacher meets the cute/chill newbie. I fear, they will quickly become my favorites (especially since they're giving me the vibes of the teachers from Heartstopper)

MR.DIMPLES !! I'm more of a slow-burn girlie, so I don't LOVE the fast-pace relationship that I feel is coming, but it's Mr.Dimples, so I won't complain too much. Chokun is a f*cking cutie, like seriously, he can do no harm. Aston has this thing he does with his eyes which is kind of freaking me out a little, ngl, but other than that, I'm enjoying them.

What took me by surprise is how much I'm loving the main pairing. I didn't care for them much during the trailer, and I didn't think that would change, but when you present to me two actors that are relatively good as newbies, then I'm sold. I'm excited to see where their story goes.

As far as the cinematography, it's gorgeous. Did GMMTV switch providers or production houses, or however that works? Their series have been looking so different lately (in a good way of course).

Weekly Gripe:

I'm not sure how I feel about the voice-over quite yet. It's not annoying enough to make me feel perturbed, but it will also annoy me if it just randomly stops, so for their sake, I hope they continue it.

*✦Moment of the week:

Of course, it's the scene that I watched religiously when the trailer came out. No surprises here.

Be back next week to squeal about them some more.

(All gifs/pictures are not mine, and belong to their rightful owners :)

[blcoolstuff]

This creature is my son. I love him with all my heart!! He's just a silly little guy who loves jellyfish (js like me) and is in love with his classmate (not like me but it's ok). PLEASEEE, if you feel so inclined, READ Scary And Tough Otoguro, In Love?!

[midlife-fangirl]

Ter’s pairing and storyline was a bit of a bore for me (overused couple trope but still very fluffy).

I LOVED Jo and North, and their couple trope was fire🔥

I can’t wait for season two so I can watch the couple I started this series for in the first place: ThitDao💕

[sincerelyyadere]

Jinx review [no spoilers] 1/10

Sportsman x physicical therapist, no fluff, angst no comfort, hurt no comfort, mma, dom is a dick, enemies to lovers(?), enemies to lovenemies, sport, nsfw, smut

Tw: rape on rape on rape, plot is rape, people fighting and raping basically, nsfw

PLOT ☆☆☆☆☆ STORYTELLING ☆☆☆☆☆ CHARACTERS ★☆☆☆☆

Wow. Just… wow. For something sold so high, all over the pinterest, tiktok and tumblr i didnt expect this manhwa to be so… shitty. I dont even know if it deserves a review, really. I expected another Painter of the Night, and i got something worse than BJ alex. And you know what? THIS SHIT IS WRITTEN BY THE SAME AUTHOR AS BJ ALEX AHAHHAHAHA WHAT THE FUCK.

Lets maybe list the few things in this manhwa that were not fucked up by the author:

- MC is good at his job, and is a pretty likable character that makes sense

- everyone beside ML are likable.

Thats it. Now lets get to the point.

When i was reading the manhwa i almost felt as if i was reading psychological thriller, with the amount of romanicized rape that was happening. And not the cnc shit, i mean full on rape. At some point of the manhwa the author even has the audacity to make the readers get the impression, we should divide the ML from the “bad rapists”, as if he’s any better. I rarely get disgusted reading yaoi or mlm, cause i'm used to authors justifying rape or sexual harassment, but that was just too much. Like, what the fuck, seriously.

The only reason people keep reading enemies to lovers is cause they crave the point when the ML and MC start to understand each other, and they both realised what caused each others' actions.

None of this here. No character growth, no explanation, just the ML being a dick that should be in jail. I dont think theres one positive trait he has, besides being a good mma player. At some point i had to give up reading to the mindless scrolling in hope that at SOME point, the comic will get better.

It didn’t. In every chapter was happening the same thing over and over again, no change, the sex scenes were disgusting, the ml sucked, everything sucked.

And you know what i hate the most? That ML was SUPPOSED to be likable. We were SUPPOSED to feel satisfiad with the bare minimum he was doing like letting a GUY HE WAS RAPING VISIT HIS DYING GRANDMA. Wow, how virtuous. Fuck that guy, lock him in jail.

Dont read this shit. Lenzin, you should be embarrassed.

It's funny how MC is therapist, when, really, ML is the-rapist

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - I Gave a 10/10 to a BL... me!

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

Nov 2023 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

My Dear Gangster Oppa (Thurs iQIYI) ep 4 of 8 - I love this show. I adore Tew's the simple backstory. No frills. No fuss. He got dragged in the way many do and he can kill so they kept him. They aren’t trying to make it needlessly complicated (which is rare for Thailand). That said, the pacing is way tf off, the emotional arc is rushed and then sappy out of absolutely nowhere. Before you ask, the kiss is not at issue, we halfway through they should be kissing, but the romantic life changes - too soon. But I don’t care. Finally, they left us this ep reminded of 2 v important things,

this pair kisses beautifully

in BL all mafia be gay

Fun fun!

Last Twilight (Fri YT) ep 2 of 12 - It's official, I love this. It’s a classic caregiver/bodyguard trope where one of them is opening the other one up to the world, but sweetly. I’m enjoying the softness of JimmySea's take and I hope GMM TV takes its cues from the success of My School President and doesn’t push this particular show into rough or edgy territory. Stay on target GMMTV. Don't mess with my bias again!

Twins the series (Fri GaGa) ep 3 of 10 - Finally, our adorable side couple has emerged! This show remains engaging without losing pace (despite the main couple being slow burn), which is all I want from a Thai pulp, and more I could ask for currently from a sports BL. 

(Note: when I dictate the computer always puts "Thai pope" instead of Thai pulp - this is hilarious to me.)

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 1 of 14 - I guess they didn’t strip the omegaverse out of this. Unfortunately, I’m not an omegaverse fan, so I find its presence extremely off putting. (But it’s kind of amazing that somebody finally put one on our screen.) Unsurprisingly, it’s a lot of alpha posturing and hyper masculinity, because that’s what this kind of worldbuilding is an excuse for (lazy writing and lazier characterization). This means I don’t like Babe AT ALL except that he’s smell orientated and a bit verse. Way is lovely tho, because Nut is a great soft screen presence amongst the testosterone haze. 

Middleman’s Love (Fri YT & iQIYI ep 2 of 8 - I’m not gonna lie (when have I ever bothered to lie to you all?) I’m struggling with this show. The sound effects are getting worse. That is not allowed. Still I found this installment slightly more bearable than the last last, probably because there was more of the cast in play and less of Jade being too cringe to live. 

Absolute Zero (Weds iQIYI) ep 8 of 12 - AKA temporal paradox of pain.

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) Friends Forever ep 13 of 24 - Ooo it’s a bit of a teacher/student (coach/player) thing. Linguistic negotiation and kinkification of phi. Also actually kinky. But not consensually. Gonna get dark. Bummer. 

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 1 of 14(!) eps - Whines. Must I? Gaga doesn’t have a skip ahead button. Sad sack main characters really do not work for me. But this was better than I expected. I wasn’t expecting much. 

Look: This is helmed by Cheewin (shudder) with screenplay by Den (Only Friends - shudder the second) under Copy A Bangkok (they deserve not my shuddders). It's gonna be a shizz show people. It's Thai dark War of Y style - my least favorites. Apparently, there is meant to be a "plot" but when has Cheewin ever bothered with plot?

On a completely different note does the blond look like that Korean actor/idol from At a Distance Spring is Green & Wanna One to anyone else? Or is it just me? (Park Ji Hoon)

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

A Breeze of Love (Korea iQIYI) eps 3-4 of 8 - I like it a lot. Dongwook is so obtuse and socially awkward and reserved and needy and Dohyun is so gay over and simultaneously wildly confused by this behavior. Fantastic. A bit stiff, even for Korea, btu I'm okay with it since everything else I'm watching right now is decidedly NOT stiff.

I finished it!

Let's Eat Together Aki and Haru AKA Aki wa Haru to Gohan wo - Japan BL movie 1.5 hr

Best friends life together during university - cheerful sunshine loves to cook, grumpy tsundere loves to eat. Aki is a bit manic pixie dream boy for me (not my favorite archetype) but they’re cute and it’s one of those Japanese slice of life pieces like Our Dining Table that isn’t really a romance in fact it’s barely a drama. This isn’t friends to lovers because they’re basically already in a relationship (which everyone around them knows) they just aren’t fucking. I did spend a lot of time worrying that they weren’t eating any green things whatsoever. In the end this isn’t my thing when there’s no kissing at all, and this was a bit too dull even for JBL. Sorry Japan, one cannot trade on cute and cheese alone. I know, you want to. But that's not a BL or a personality. 6/10 

I Cannot Reach You AKA I Can't Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai (Japan, maybe coming to Netflix) 8 eps - This classic friends-to-lovers BL is everything Japan does best. Angsty. Emo. Aching. Driven by real thirst. Yamato is deeply in love with his childhood bestie, Kakeru, and has been for ages, unable to hide his ungainly damaging high school need. He wants Kakeru in every way possible and it oozes off of the screen. Kakeru is silly and a little simple, but not frenetic or overly camp about it. He is earnest, and genuinely wants to keep Yamato in his life which means giving a romance (and gayness) a fair chance. We watch him realize his affection and what form it can take in a truly authentic way. This show was impossibly kind to both of its lead characters and I felt honored that I got to watch something so lovely and rare play out on my screen.

I LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS. IT'S SO GOOD.

10/10

Let me be perfectly clear: I have watched 646 BLs and only handed out nine 10/10s.

I talk more about why this one made the cut, here.

It's Airing But...

One Room Angel (Japan Gaga) 6 eps - adaptation of Harada’s manga (which I did not like) about a clerk who's stabbed, nearly dies, and returns home to find an angel waiting for him. With only 5 eps and a good chance this won’t end happy, I'm gonna wait and let you tell me how it goes.

SHADOW (Thai Gaga) 14 eps - I'm not wild about Thai horror (or horror at all) even one featuring Singto and Fluke. I'm holding off on this one and if told it's good I'll binge later.

Beyond The Star (Weds iQIYI) 8 eps - House of Stars meets Boyband. I was NOT impressed. Waiting to be told if I should bother.

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - I find this series more fun to binge, so I'm waiting until it completes its run.

Next Week Looks Like This

STARTING

11/20 Bake Me Please (Mon Gaga) ep 1 of 6 - trailer here, stars Ohm (of OhmFluke) opposite Guide (bestie from IFYLITA). This looks like an actually gay version of Antique Bakery (play it again, BL). I'm intrigued, it looks HELLA pretty.

11/22 7 Days Before Valentine (Weds ????) ep 1 of 10 - trailer here, horror-esk. Adapted from y-novel of the same name, directed by Tu (180 Degree) stars Jet (Why You… Y Me?). When you want your old love again, but fate sends you a reaper instead. All he can do for you is kill people. I'll likely give this a pass and wait to binge if safe.

11/24 VIP Only (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - Screenplay by Lin Pei Yu (WBL) about a chef who courts a shy writer with spicy beef noodles.

11/25 The Sign (Sat ????) ep 1 of 10 - trailer here, horror-esk, but with a suspense and adult characters. Special investigators who loved each other in previous lives reunite in new bodies. Stars Billy Patchanon (BillySeng) & Babe Tanatat (new). Includes other SCOY favorites as a special investigation team. I may give this a try (depending on distribution) because I'm into the non-horror bits.

11/26 The Whisperer (Sun ????) 1 of 10 - trailer here. Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). He has dimples (My Ride) but I don't think even that gives me the will. You can tell me how this goes.

11/26 Cooking Crush (Sun YT) 1 of 12 - OffGun are back, trailer here. Adapted from the novel “Love Course! เสื้อกาวน์รุกเสื้อกุ๊กรับ” by iJune4S this is about Prem who runs a not-so-popular restaurant with 2 friends. About to go on a cooking competition with a huge reward, Prem gets involved with Ten, a stressed-out med student who wants Prem to teach him to cook.

Still Coming November BL

11/30 For Him (Thurs ????) ep 1 of 10 - high heat trailer, I suspect iQIYI will scoop this one up. From the people who brought us Unforgotten Night (please no) based on a y-novel, man nursing a heartbreak has a one-night stand, but the other boy didn't want it to end. It looks terribly trashy so I'm in! Maybe I'll do a trash watch?

Nov 2023 line up with screen caps here. Not kept updated.

Original 2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED).

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

To be fair this was last week but I did get the screen shot until now. (You are Mine)

I Cannot Reach You serving all Japan's favorite tropes plus some very un-Japan decent kisses.

(Last week)

[chrispychanniem]

My Honest Opinion:

Trust me on this and just go for this. I love this series. I mean, it has everything. I can't put it in words how refreshing it really is to finally see someone use their brain. Junta is definitely a damn smart guy and no one can convince me otherwise.

But at the same time, Junta is extremely considerate of Takano. I have watched a lot of BL series to the point where most of the plots have become really predictable to me. Even so, I was completely unable to figure out the plot twists this series.

I have watched both the series and movie and I must say that this series is one of it's kind. So, simply go for it.

[theadderalltoyourstiles]

At this point I genuinely don't understand how this series passed censorship.

(spoilers ahead)

The innuendos during dinner????

The blatant possessiveness, jealousy and whipped behaviour???

"Your mom is my mom" ????

The indirect kiss ???

The I love you with a pause ?!?!?!????

The cheek kisses ?!?!?!?!

And that was fucking lube on the bed wasn't it ???!???!?????

Censorship is just clowning at this point 🤡

[wontune]

� force. ( ator ) lockscreen !

[unpopularopinionbydemand]

Boys in Love - Ep. 2 Review *✦

— Overall Thought: a kiss in episode 2, gmmtv, what are you trying to turn me into ??

second episode, and we're already smooching, what is going on?? But seriously, I have a lot of feelings for what's going on right now, and (unless GMMTV finds a way to mess this up) this is heading stright to God tier !

ep. 2 ratings 𓄷 8 - I like how much screen time each couple is getting. It might not feel like a lot, but in the hindsight of things, it's more than enough seeing as we're in the first couple of episodes.

spotlight couple of the week 𓄷 SHANE & KIT again, cause, literally, wtf.

spotlight actor of the week 𓄷 Luke (Kit) -- Brought on some touching moments in this episode. Very surprised at how beautifully he played their last scene (not even just the kiss, but the way he executed his dialogue, like wow)

*✦ review:

One thing that is for sure amazing me to no end, is how well they are able to have conflict, articulate their feelings, and then been fine again. This happens with Kitshane and Monkim and it's everything. no miscommunication to guide us through 2-3 episodes, no character doing something outrageous bc of it; they talked it out, and I couldn't be more than happy about it.

I already said this series was going to a-hundred percent bring on the Heartstopper vibes, and it's doing well so far. Even down to the music, the boys' rooms, the bickering and teasing, but of course with Thai vibes.

I think Tar and Per might get together?? It's going to be a Poon and Mark thing from We Are where we don's see them get together until the very last episode, but honestly, I'm here for it. I LOVE me a friends to lovers.

Definitely was not expecting a kiss. It's very rare to get one in most series, and I definitely wasn't thinking anything differently for this first-love teenage story, but we got it, and quickly. Also, not even just like a cute little peck, but a full-blown kiss.

Weekly Gripe:

a me-thing, but with how fast this seems to be progressing, or will progress, I'm a little worried. GMMTV has history with shows being amazing, and then falling straight of it's ass because of a handful of last episodes (cough, couch My Love Mix Up). The only good thing that can come out of the two main pairings having quick get-together's would mean more time in the end for Papang and Podd's characters, including Tar and Per. Who knows, this could end up being a good thing!

*✦ Moment of the week

umm, duh. This kiss. I mean, I could probably talk about this moment 5ever, the implications of it, how long they stared at each other before that started leaning in, Kit's words, the fact that the kiss happened in a laser tag room etc., etc. Might have to go into detail more later, we shall see.

Be back next week to squeal about them some more.

(All gifs/pictures are not mine, and belong to their rightful owners :)