#HEART STAIN

[respectthepetty]

I made it past the "FOUR YEARS LATER," so I could be blessed with this.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Mame is fielding one of my favorite shows, what is the world coming to?

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

(This was gonna be ready yesterday and then I realized I'd missed 2. Sigh. I'm doing well.)

Feb 2025 Week 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

ThamePo (Fri YT) ep 10 of 12 - SHUT UP. I love them more than anything. I love how nervous and hesitant Thame was the next morning. Def the younger boy who bagged the experienced older dude. This show makes me go “aww” a lot. I do hate this part of the plot though. Because I loathe parasocial fandoms with every fiber of my being and this is why.

The Boy Next World (Sun IQIYI) ep 6 of 10 - The plot has gone wildly off the rails, like into Days of Our Lives waffle iron territory. It is utterly absurd. But I'm still watching it.

The Heart Killers (Weds Gaga) ep 12 end - I love Style so much. The perfect Brat but he is playing Petruchio not the shrew! Ironic and very kinky twist on the original. I also love how most BLs are like “we’re gonna separate them for 2-5 years in the final ep” and Kant & Style were all “fuck that noise.” 

Summary

Jojo directs this action romcom about assassin brothers (Khao & Joong) meets tattoo artist ex-booster (First) and very flirty mechanic (Dunk) conmen. I dithered over how to rate this. It felt like an 8 show wearing a 9’s britches. There were dropped threads, forgotten characters, and unfinished plot lines even with a particularly long run time. And, for me, it doesn’t have significant rewatch potential. But it was fun (when one applies no expectations or logic) and I enjoyed the wildly unhinged relationships and, weirdly, music. I mean nobody claimed that we needed Taming of the Shrew only with gay Thai hitman, but we really needed it. And no one asked for Petruchio as the gayest brat ever to strut his perfect skin and copped-top across our screen, and yet we loved him for it. Sure it didn’t make sense, was utterly absurd, but it was terribly earnest and sexy about it. IN the end this goes hand-in-hand with all these other absurd crime pieces we’ve been getting since KP, and frankly I like this one the best from Thailand so far. 9/10 but I’m slightly uncomfortable with that decision.

Perfect 10 Liners (Sun YT) ep 16 of 24 - It’s cute. They were cute. I enjoyed it. But I am still mostly just looking forward to the next couple.

Sangmin Dinneaw (Sun iQIYI) ep 7-8 end - I forgot to watch this one for over a week, goes to show how engaged I am. Anygay, ep 7 amnesia trope is ago. A lot the ep was fuss in hospitals so I went ahead and watched the finale as well. It was fine.

Conclusion

Given its charmingly simple premise and a solid lead pair, this could’ve been quite an tidy little BL, but it went all weird and slapstick and overtly sexual (and I enjoy high heat). It was a little bit like YYY meets modern Thai BL but mixed with early Japanese pinks. All very strange. I ended up being half bored half annoyed half confused half embarrassed. And if that’s too many halves for you, now you know how I felt. 5/10 

Flirt Milk (Sat YT) ep 4 or 10 - Umm plot? Where are you?

Ossan‘s Love Thailand (Mon YouTube) ep 6 of 12 - Workplace harassment, form of... Thai BL. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

When it Rains it Pours (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - Is the live-in boyfriend meant to be perceived as a psychopath or just a controlling monster? I love how blunt Sei was with him. Such and honest little bean. Ah, controlling monster.  Well, I really hope they can resolve this in the final episode. Despite all of the pain I’m enjoying it, it's being true to itself.

This is JBL doing its thing and toeing the Tokyo in April party line. I don't know why anyone would expect anything different. Go watch Eternal Yesterday and drink me later. This is what Japan DOES with BL at least half the time. The more JBL we get, the more of this kind of show we get with it. It's a numbers game - just add bruises.

Heart Stain (Korea Weds IQIYI) eps 3-4 of 8 - I have to admit that the only reason I even tolerate love triangles as a trope is because of K-dramas. But I still don’t like it. That said, I do like all of the honesty and conflict that's built into this story and frankly dealt with because of the trope. And I love how massive Woohyeon is so baby girl. The lap sitting was extremely cute. The teacher finding them lap sitting was also cute. And the handhold drag afterwards was cutest. The whole scene was adorable. 

FC Soldout (Korea Thurs iQIYI) eps 5-6 of 8 - Tiny idiots. Every. Single. One. (@heretherebedork you must be loving these boys.) Give me a sec to talk to a character: Captain. Sweetcheeks. You know there are better ways to exhaust your adorable boy-toy late at night than forcing him to do physical labor, right? Or, at least, not that kind of physical labor.

Eternal Butler (Taiwan Fri Gaga) eps 9 of 12 - Oooo. emotional Ever 4. Poor baby. I did want to see him kick ass. Hopefully that’s the beginning of next week’s episode. 

Impression of Youth (Taiwan Weds Viki) eps 6 of 9 - Very little happened in this episode. Lots of flashbacks. And stuff we’ve already seen.

Fight for Love (Vietnam YT) ep 2 - Ooo 2 timing? Coils within coils, tongues within tongues, my goodness these boys are getting around. It’s all very messy gay drama llama ding dong but... comedy. It’s a new one on me. But sooner that than Thailand’s Only Friends version.

Exclusive Love (Taiwan Fri Gaga) eps 1-2 of 12 - Shy aspiring singer inherits funeral business. Nice to have something more from Taiwan to watch. But this is extremely odd, and somewhat extreme behavior, given the premise. That is a lot of personnel and sunglasses just for one guitar-playing influencer. Even if I agree that he shouldn’t be allowed to play. Surreal that it’s a mafia funeral business, although I suppose it makes sense. It’s not creepy, but the creep-factor is high with this show. It's also v thirsty already. I kind of like the sides, but they seem to be in a different BL. So far, mostly whiplash but I'm not mad about it.

Checkered Shirt (Korea YT) ep 2 of 8 - It remains awkward and cute, but a little boring for a short. 

Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 19 of 20 - Today in: how to tell your suicidal stepbro you wanna d**k him out. 

It's airing but......

Gelboys (Thai Weds iQIYI) ep 1 of 7 - I’m immediately terrified by the fact that he’s carrying a guitar around. It’s slow with that dirty gritty high school authenticity thing from OG Love Sick. Which is not my favorite style of any show, let alone BL. I always get Kids PTSD. I think I’m gonna give this show a pass. It’s just too far out of my wheelhouse. I don’t have patience for this right now.

The Last Time (Thai WeTV) trailer - from 2024, not sure about this one, looks dark. Since it's also difficult for me to get hold of I am giving it a pass until I know about the ending.

Speaking of which...

In Case You Missed it

I Will Turn Back Time (China Gaga) 6 eps - Spies report it does not end well. Stepbrothers trope = yeah! but all other messaging = boo. I'm not gonna bother.

End of year wraps are here!

2024 Trend Report

MY BEST & WORST BLs of 2024

Best Kisses (and sex scenes) of 2024

BL's 2024 Quirky Awards

2024 Awards - Quick Picks

Next Week Looks Like This:

2/21 Bali Hai (Thailand ????) no MDL listing, only rumors, unsure on deets.

2/27 Secret Relationships (Korea iQIYI) - Stars Wei's Kim Jun Seo. Adapted by Cradle Studio (Kakao). About clever and resourceful Daon who has worked hard to overcome being poor. His cheap ways annoy his coworker, Sunghyeon but after “an incident” with his parents, Daon grows closer to him. But Daon also has feelings for his former tutor. This has the signs of a classic Kdrama all over it: Office setting, love triangle, lead suffering for his self-actualization. I’m optimistic about a longer treatment.

2025 Line Up

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 1

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

20 BLs Announced for 2025 That I'm Really Excited About

GMMTV 2025 Line Up - My Totally Biased and Wildly Flawed Feels

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Got nothing. Frankly you're lucky this came in a somewhat timely manner, with any screen caps at all. It's chaos 'round these parts.

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[heretherebedork]

Doha wanting so badly to be the one Woonhyeon chose but finding it never happens.

[guzhufuren]

Korean BL Heart Stain (하트스테인), starring BXB's Hamin, Kim Jioh and Kang Yeonjae, premieres February 6!

Based on AG's webtoon, the heart-fluttering drama follows Woohyun who secretly likes his teacher, but when his best friend Doha discovers the truth, he confesses his own feelings! And then he makes an interesting proposition: "Go out with me. Fall for me before graduation, and I win. If you don't, you win."

[babyangelsky]

The two flavors of high school BL right now:

Heart Stain: "Aww, I remember being that age."

Gelboys: "Thank FUCK I'm not that age anymore."

[blunaggregator]

Surprise! Were still alive and kickin! What's your favorite BL episode so far this week?

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

I've been praying for a good kbl to premiere and I shall continue. Heart Stain is a weird one. It's awkward, for lack of a better word. The acting is not good, the lack of music does not help matters and the pacing is off somehow. It's not even that it's terrible, but given how much happened in the first two episodes, it's amazing how boring it is.

Considering the sheer amount of one sided crushes this should be at least somewhat entertaining. Woohyun likes the teacher. Doha likes Woohyun. Taemin likes Sori and Sori likes Woohyun's brother. And next episode some girl will confess to Doha. And the teacher is the weirdest one. What the hell was all that in the coffee shop? "Because it's you"; "I made time for this specially" ??? And talking about dating and marriage? Dude, are you on a date with your student right now? What is happening?

And I get that it's the whole setup, but that bet came out of nowhere and makes no sense. Like if he falls for him, he loses and Doha wins, but if he doesn't, he wins? So why do it? He's already winning. Did I miss something? Does this make sense to anyone else? Oh, speaking of missing something. Do not watch the iQIYI version of this. The subs are truly bad. The Gaga ones are better. Surprisingly.

I guess if he falls for Doha he wins too, because, well, he will stop being hot for teacher and be in love with his best friend instead but still. As it stand now, I guess he just wants this crush to end so he's willing to try, I guess. The fight in episode 2 was a nice moment to wake me up, and at least I like the girl. She was also in ASTCO btw.

Also, despite having no memory of it beyond the credits, apparently there's already music available. Here I am, still waiting for the official lfls soundtrack but this show releases a couple of songs in the first week.

Honestly don't know if I'm gonna keep watching. I'll see how I feel about it when the next episodes come around.

[hughungrybear]

One makes the other finish a bowl of Buldak instant ramen when asking for forgiveness while the other only requires soft cuddles to forgive.

Under normal circumstances, this dynamic is cute. But I saw the preview, so I am preparing myself for an incoming heartache 😓

[stephreviews]

Steph's Weekly Watchlist (Feb. 10)

QL Dramas - Currently Airing

1. Perfect 10 Liners (17/24)

This week's episode was so tooth-rottingly sweet with Yotha and Gun, and it set us up for Faifa and Wine next episode. But what the hell was that resolution with their mom?? The way a lot of these shows handle the parents is honestly insane. I will forgive it because the rest of the show has been so good. I can't wait for Faifa and Wine to start. I enjoyed them a lot in Cherry Magic, although I felt like there was something missing.

2. The Boy Next World (7/10)

Phu's little pajamas are just the cuuuuuutest. I've been trying to figure out what it is I like about this drama. And tbh it's not really the story. The story is very similar to many other BL's: set in college, small age gap, older top, cute younger bottom, rich guy with controlling parents who threaten his partner to leave him, big lie at the beginning that starts the conflict.

No, what makes me love the show is how natural the relationship between Cir and Phu is, and how natural the friendships are. The natural affection between them, the sex, the communication. Phu's friends aren't immediately okay with Cir just because he's hot! Phu and Cir talk about boners! They have sex that isn't penetrative! What a wild concept!

3. The Heart Killers (Finale!)

WHY DID THEY GO TO CAPTAIN CHRIST FOR HELP! JUST KILL HER GOD DAMN IT! SHE DESERVED TO DIE. Ughhhhh. What is this "no more killing"??? Okay but the preview for the finale is hilarious. I expect nothing less of Style than to commit a crime just to snuggle with Fadel. My man is unhinged.

QL Dramas - Catching Up

1. Eternal Butler (airing: 8/12, me: 5/12)

I was doing SO WELL with this drama. It's so cute! I never actually watched Anti-Reset, and I feel like I should now. The plot's not anything groundbreaking, but their chemistry is so good and it's so fun. And DAMN they are both so hot.

2. ThamePo (airing: 10/13, me: 5/13)

Again, I was doing SO WELL....the holidays really messed up some of my drama watching 🤣. This show is just such an amazing slow burn, and William and Est are doing it so well. And I am a sucker for the rare good slow burn.

QL Dramas - Other

1. Heart Stain (airing: 3 & 4/8, me: 1/8)

The premise of this looks weird, idk how I feel about one of them having a crush on his teacher, but I will always support BXB Hamin in anything he does so I'm watching it. If you haven't listened to BXB, I recommend their song planet!

2. Ossan's Love TH (airing: 6/12, me: 1/12)

I was so sad when EarthMix didn't have a show last year (I'm an OG ATOTS fan) - so I was really excited to see them have a show this year, especially one where Earth finally gets to be a silly character.

3. Affair the Series (GL) (completed, me: 6/8)

For various reasons, I haven't watched that many of the GL series out there. Mostly for lack of knowledge of when they were airing or how to watch them. Recently, I sought many of them out, trying to make a list for @darthhafsa 's and my lesbian Wednesdays.

We decided to start with Affair. The chemistry is astounding, the kisses to die for, and we both want to murder Ek. To quote my wife, "Please jump off a bridge, dude."

4. Love Sea (completed, me: 6/10)

Why did I not watch this when it aired? Great question. I, too, would like to know. In the meantime, the plot of this drama is honestly sending me. Peat playing a spoiled rich boy who "buys" Fort? Amazing. No notes.

Other Dramas

1. My Sweet Mobster 🇰🇷 (completed, me: 5/16)

This is an old one I accidentally dropped a while ago. I wanted to wait until it finished, and then I forgot about it....oops. Time to finish it!

2. Melody of Golden Age 🇨🇳 (completed, me: 40/40)

See my full review here. This show was dramatic from start to finish, but I loved it. The best part? Just when I thought the FL was going to back off and let the ML "fix" things without communicating, she bites back! Remember kids: if your husband tries to divorce you for your own good without telling you why, stab him and sign the divorce papers in his blood!

[theside-b]

You know I could join in the chat about When It Rains, It Pours (I won't, you guys have fun 😅) but kinda want to talk about with what is happening with Heart Stain.

I'm fascinated with this show, but not for the right reasons: it's a series displaced in time. Had this show come out in 2022 it would have made waves, become the season's sensation, the protagonists the new it boys of dramaland. But it didn't, it came in an era where korean BL have already evolved to the point of no return; you can't go back when shows like To My Star, The Eighth Sense and Love in the Big City have paved the way for greater entries in the genre.

High-school setting? Light On Me raised the bar way back when.

I also believe the first couple of episodes cemented this series' fate. I was close to dropping it after the first two, which had horrible editing, weird sound issues, wooden acting, and uninteresting direction. But the pace picked up from the third episode onward (at least as far as the technical side of things go — the acting was questionable the whole time).

Hardly anyone is talking about it — even on Xwitter where anything finds an audience the engagement is low, by KBL standards it's abysmal.

There are hints of greatness in it, a certain air of melancholy so characteristic to korean BL shows. In this latest outing, heartbreak happened and the possibility of a time jump appeared and if this show has the guts to pull it of they might actually have something special here. Since day one Doha's character seemed destined to face tragedy, in love with his best friend who in turn is in love with their teacher, he reads as a character that is willingly to fight a battle that is already lost, until there is no fight left in him that is, there is also the added bonus that Doha is portrayed by BXB's Hamin and he is easily the best actor in the whole cast.

Honestly, it's hard to say if it'll find an audience once it's done, it definitely didn't help that IQYI got it on most international markets, being swamped by a constant influx of other korean shows without proper marketing from the platform — and considering that they don't advertise their own BL show FC Soldout I hardly expect them to do better with Heart Stain.

All in all it's a pretty mellow show, with a few drops of something special sprinkled through-out, and as a stand-alone endeavor is mostly fine, but it crumbles the moment comparisons are made.

[bl-bam-beyond]

HEART STAIN (2025, SOUTH KOREA)

Episode 1 & 2 (Available on IQIYI)

A misunderstanding with a female friend that turned into an unexpected fight sent our tall Woo Hyeon to the teachers room. And reprimanded by his teacher. The teacher he's crushing on.

Leaning on Doha (his best friend, temporary boyfriend & the one harboring feels for Woo Hyeon) requesting comfort.

Can Woo Hyeon be getting closer to Doha? Who is winning this bet?

@pose4photoml @just-another-boyslove-blog

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - I'm treading water and so is BL

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

Feb 2025 Week 1

Ongoing Series - Thai

Your Sky (Sun iQIYI) ep 12 end - I love this show so much.  So sweet. I adored it when Rak (FINALLY!) took the initiative! 

Conclusion

As pulps go this is right up there with my favorite if all time, My Ride, but for different less complex reasons. This is a relatively simple, old school, endearingly soft story of a fake relationship between a sunshine sweetie and an older reserved rich kid who slowly fall in love. Its soft gentle low-stakes leans into everything I personally love about Thai BL. It’s a warm fuzzy robe of a show. 9/10 

ThamePo (Fri YT) ep 9 of 12 - Thame is the poutyest of pouty babies. I love the ribbing that he got from his group the next morning (that wasn't). That said when we got a kiss it was a VERY GOOD kiss. This is a very me truly great show that I’m enjoying so much. 

The Boy Next World (Sun IQIYI) ep 5 of 10 - I really can’t fault the chemistry with this pair. From kissing to making out they're awesome at ALL OF it. I like the twist (that there is not parallel world jsut the edge of insanity). It's delusional and sus and obsessive and very "seme who missed his meet cute with his uke" and is being forced by a narrative to fast forward. So 90s yaoi. Can Mame push this edge in the right way? Doubtful. But BossNoeul will make it fun for us to watch no matter how questionably messy it gets.

(Yes, there IS a "right way.")

The Heart Killers (Weds Gaga) ep 11 of 12 - fun penultimate episode.

Perfect 10 Liners (Sun YT) ep 15 of 24 - It's fine. Even cute. I think I like PerthSanta better than ForceBook but I really want the next pair the most. 

Sangmin Dinneaw (Sun iQIYI) ep 6 of 10 - Enter my least favorite trope of all time, the amnesia trope. Also random doctor couple. This show is nothing if not erratic. 

Flirt Milk (Sat YT) ep 3 or 10 - ugh

Ossan‘s Love Thailand (Mon YouTube) ep 5 of 12 - Is this punishment for how good Cherry Magic Thailand was?

Gelboys (Weds iQIYI) ep 1 of 7 - it started but I didn't realize so I'll catch up next week.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

When it Rains it Pours (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - I adore them so much, these two sad desperate horny cheating boys. Lube! Argh. Please! The stark lack of affection in this show is about as dry and painful as the sex must have been. But, its all very tense and I kinda love it's minimalistic angst. 

Eternal Butler (Taiwan Fri Gaga) eps 8 of 12 - what a pity, just throwing away that cute color matched BDSM set. Ever 4 is SO CUTE when he smiles, but he would have been cuter smiling and holding that red bullwhip.

Heart Stain (Korea Weds IQIYI) eps 1-2 of 8 - I like it! It’s Korea doing its all-time favorite trope, the love triangle, but an interesting take. One boy is in love with his teacher but his best friend is in love with him. Let the drama commence.

Impression of Youth (Taiwan Weds Viki) eps 5 of 9 - Such a great brother relationship! My goodness the courage on that kid. Also, they jumped into the sack fast, even for Taiwan.

Fight for Love (Vietnam YT) ep 1 - A new VBL that is actually quite fluffy and charming. It is extremely lightweight but I’m enjoying that aspect. I like Vietnamese comedy more than Thai, I think.

Checkered Shirt (Korea YT) ep 1 of 8 - From the same people sho did Seoul Blues. I like it but this studio isn't vested in HEA so I'm wary. 

FC Soldout (Korea Thurs iQIYI) eps 1-4 of 8 - Huh. Interesting. The premise is kinda fun, even if (you know me) I never like obsessed fans. Creeps me out. That said, everyone is surprisingly gay for a KBL - like gay GAY. I know that’s a weird thing for me to say in a BL, but Korea is usually awfully het about their BL.

Anygay, of course I already like the side couple best. The gruff team captain and the pretty idol with a sad past win. WIN WIN. Give me an entire show about them please.

Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 18 of 20 - (the end is in sight, but sheesh!) it was OK because mostly it was all the friends over at the house and doing stuff together. But still not a lot is happening.

It's airing but......

I Will Turn Back Time (China Gaga) 6 eps - It’s Chinese, no idea if it will end well or not. But it’s the stepbrothers trope. Still, I’m not gonna watch it until it’s done.

In Case You Missed it

End of year wraps are here!

2024 Trend Report

MY BEST & WORST BLs of 2024

Best Kisses (and sex scenes) of 2024

BL's 2024 Quirky Awards

2024 Awards - Quick Picks

Next Week Looks Like This:

Like last week we already in the middle, I promise I should be back on schedule soon. You'll get you calander image then.

2/14 Exclusive Love (Taiwan Gaga) trailer - Shy aspiring singer inherits funeral business.

2/14 The Last Time (Thailand WeTV) trailer - from 2024, not sure about this one, looks dark.

2/21 Bali Hai (Thailand ????) no MDL listing, only rumors, unsure on deets.

2/27 Secret Relationships (Korea iQIYI) - Stars Wei's Kim Jun Seo. Adapted by Cradle Studio (Kakao). About clever and resourceful Daon who has worked hard to overcome being poor. His cheap ways annoy his coworker, Sunghyeon but after “an incident” with his parents, Daon grows closer to him. But Daon also has feelings for his former tutor. This has the signs of a classic Kdrama all over it: Office setting, love triangle, lead suffering for his self-actualization. I’m optimistic about a longer treatment.

2025 Line Up

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 1

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

20 BLs Announced for 2025 That I'm Really Excited About

GMMTV 2025 Line Up - My Totally Biased and Wildly Flawed Feels

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Such beautiful surrender (Your Sky).

Yeah all the build up for some great payout, thanks ThamePo.

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[heretherebedork]

Didn't you learn how to apologize in kindergarten? You give a hug, say 'I'm sorry' and then they say 'It's okay'.

[guzhufuren]

[babyangelsky]

YES! NOW WALK YOUR ASS BACK OUT SO I CAN KEEP ENJOYING THIS LAP-SITTING HUG!

[madeinkorea-blbambeyond]

MADE IN KOREA

Series: Heart Stain

HA MIN

KIM JI OH