#MARCH BL LIST IS IMPRESSIVE

[bl-bam-beyond]

A LOOK BACK AT GU HAI & BAI LUO YIN (YIN ZI)

ADDICTED or ADDICTED HEROIN (2016, CHINA)

A lot of BL's recently ended.

My School President

The New Employee

Hit Bite Love

My Beautiful Man Season 2 (UTSUKUSHII KARE)

Never Let Me Go

The Warp Effect (Not Exactly BL but...)

Moonlight Chicken (Ends Tomorrow Though I'm Waiting To Binge so haven't seen any episodes yet.)

So here I'm going back to where my BL journey began with the story (unfinished in my opinion but it never will be) of step brothers Gu Hai & Bai Luo Yin (JOHNNY HUANG & TIMMY XU)

[shinahbee]

New BL/shounen ai webtoon tier list

Hello!

it’s been a while, I’m still working on the monthly favorites for june and july but I wont have it done anytime soon because I’m preparing for a convention this week. Instead, you are going to get the new BL tier list with some new titles 

I have mentioned in my last monthly favorites that I wanted to do a new one because it has been a long time since then and I have read more.

You will see some new stuff and some rankings change from the old ones, I included titles that I have read/ remembered from reading and discarded the ones I no longer have any connection to.

alright, here it is:

Spicy tier - the top tier in my eyes...

most of these stories I’ve read more than once and have left a lasting impression on me, these are ones that if anyone asks me for recommendations, they would be the ones that come to mind.

this could change in the future depending if the next tier makes their way up a rank.

Crash into you

Its just a dream right?

kings maker

pearl boy

hold me tight

the pizza delivery man and the gold palace

path to you

Love history caused by willful negligence 

The foul

The third ending

Good so far, let’s see where it goes- ongoing/ current reads

it wouldn’t be fair to put them in the spicy tier when I’m not fully committed, these still need more time, but I'm enjoying where the plot is heading so far, there are some that I can potentially see in the spicy tier later when they finish

something like liveta and define the relationship, and one that isn’t on here cause I couldn’t find pictures for it...called Half of me, this one is really good so far and I can definitely put it on the spicy tier if it continues going in the right direction.

Beware of the full moon in march

Define the relationship

killer crush

Liveta

Passion

Midnight men

The ghost’s nocturne

(no pic ) half of me 

Not bad but not great either- meh overall

most I have finished but found it under whelming, lack of character development, plot moving very slowly, not really anything spectacular.

not to say that these aren’t good in their own way but there has to be a line that separates the good stories from the ones that are okay right? some I have in my favorites are in this tier because I’m trying to be really critical when I think about the story overall now that its done...

i’ll list the series and tell you why I feel that way in case you are wondering

Painter from the window - I don’t remember much about this, the end didn’t really make sense to me and I don’t think I finished the entire story, I might have lost some interest in between

insecret - I liked the side story better than the mains story, if it was based on that this would have been higher 

Dangerous convenient store- basic story overall not a lot of interesting plot other than near the end, the pacing is okay in terms of relationship development 

Lucky paradise - pacing is slow and not a lot of development from chunwoo, which I don’t really get why he does the things he does, he really needed character development a lot sooner for me to be interested 

Secret relationships - 90% flashbacks 10 % story lol. i’m sure all bimsa fans will agree that the story took a while to move forward cause all we got was one flash back after another and no expansion on the characters in the current timeline.

Dear door - I just got bored in the middle 

My suha - season1, 2 were great in terms of plot, the last season moved really slowly and made a lot of people lose interest, there’s also a ton of misunderstanding, but that’s nothing new in BL

Hide and seek- I would put this higher if it wasn’t for the conflict being miniscule, it really does not pair well with the whole mystery behind the story. I also have not read this again after the second time so it was not very memorable. 

omega complex - good characters and development, no dumb love triangles..lol. which is the best part cause I hate those, the main guy yoonwoo was like I only like 1 person if you aren’t him don’t talk to me...lmao I appreciate it. overall it’s a short story but that’s all it is. 

MDZS - this may surprise you cause this is what got me to read BL and took over my life, but in terms of manhwa the pacing is slow and I liked the drama better than the actual webtoon

Seeing double - twins and love triangle....uh nope...I just wish there was more explanation is to how ohn ended up liking seowoo...I’m happy cause that’s my ship, but I felt there was a disconnect there when he realized his feelings...I’m like wtf ...how?

oki doki... the I don’t give a sh*t tier

some famous titles that other people are in love with and I have no interest in reading at all...

Anti PT

Heaven’s official blessing

Banana sandal season 2 (I have read season 1)

Lost in the cloud

Honey trouble

and also can corelate with the next tier,

already knows the story through osmosis...

I literally can read some twitter tweets and already know the story based on how much people put out there in terms of spoilers. Which is why I don’t have to read it lol.

Blind play

Jinx

checkmate

mad place 

wet sand

limited run

though I do appreciate it if I want to avoid certain types of stories...like the ones in the last tier 

never touch again-  I dodged a bullet with some of these...

Again like the tier above I already know the story through osmosis, the only one I finished reading was BJ alex and that was a dark time in my life that I want to just erase.

BJ alex

full volume 

even if you don’t love me

Love or hate

yours to claim

married man/missing love

some of these just have no plot just smut scenes, some of which does have a plot but not good enough for me to enjoy because of subject matter (incest) and most are abuse from all angles...so I try to avoid those, which is why I basically dropped all of it.

real talk though, I have one thing to ask...why have Ugly old men in your stories?..yeah they are creepy but who would look at that and be like yeah I want that dude to touch me...like who is ugly ass 70 year old rotting dick appealing to? like what audience?

omg this is the one trope in BL I cannot stand...I also cannot escape from  it cause its in lots of stories, if some one knows please explain it to me ...LOL.

okay well there it is for new tier list rankings, I’ll be back after the convention and finished the monthly favorites I was planning on doing. hope you enjoyed reading and I have the old tier list in the link below:

https://shinahbee.tumblr.com/post/666535722973560832/the-bl-manhwamangamanhua-tier-list-hello-so-you

if you would like to see more stuff I write about please follow me cause I have a lot of BL criticism content.lol. 

[allthefujoshiunite]

Hey, how are you? Seeing your answers, can I ask, what are your personal top favorite BL manga/manhwa/manhua? And why do you love them? Feel free to pick top 3 or 5 or even whichever number you want.....

Thanks if you want to answer.....

Hi, I'm alright. Hanging in there as usual, how about you? Here are some picks that have a special place in my heart! I tried to pick titles that I haven't mentioned before in my other asks. Enjoy ~

Perfect Fit (Thanat): I chose Perfect Fit because it's complete with 2 volumes and is available in English, but I'm a huge Thanat fan so any other works from them could make it into the list to be honest. Here's my review and why I'm especially fond of this work. Other Futekiya favorites that come to mind: I Didn't Mean to Fall in Love (Suzumaru Minta), One Room Angel (Harada), Can I Buy Your Love From a Vending Machine (Yoshii Haruaki)

Your Eyes My Words (Morphish): I don't see this manhwa being talked in my small circle of friends, but comparing the view count with other BL series I'm reading on Tapas, it's not exactly a popular work with only 60k views. Which is okay, it's my duty to share them with you! Here's my review and I hope everyone gives it a shot! Other Tapas favorites I'm reading weekly: The Insatiable Man (Lee Huchu), Between the Stars (Sri)

Play After Call (Ohtako Mame): This one unfortunately doesn't have an official English release but it does have one in French, if you know the language! I wrote a Twitter thread on my first impressions a while back, but I went back to rereading it a couple of times after finishing it. I love Dom x Sub Universe in general, but Play After Call is so simple yet so tender and emotionally captivating that I know I'll come back to it in the future as well.

I Didn't Ask You to Make Love To Me (Saike Natsuhara): Now wait, hear me out. Looking at the title and the cover I expected this ongoing manga to be a smut fest and nothing more but?? I need everyone to get into this super sweet and equally sexy BL! Here's my short introduction to it and why it kind of surprised me. Other INKR favorites, all highly recommended: Loved Circus (Asada Nemui), Our Not-So Lonely Planet Travel Guide (Mone Sorai), Scramblues (mame march), FANGS (Billy Balibally)

Love For Sale (Dal Hyeonji): I said I'll try to add titles that I haven't mentioned before but... an all time favorites list without Love for Sale is an incomplete one. While there are personal reasons as to why I'm enamored with it, objectively speaking, what makes LfS stand out among 80% of generic BL works is its nuanced look at the different shapes romantic love can take, its characters that are down-to-earth and feel tangible, has a very good balance of steamy and fluffy. It's brilliant, honestly. Perfect. But requires the reader to set aside the learned tropes/takes aside and give the story room to expand itself layer after layer. It's a rewarding read, if you can manage to look at it through a critical eye. Other favorites from Lezhin that I absolutely go bonkers every week: The Pizza Delivery Man and the Gold Palace (Upi), Define The Relationship (Flona/Chada), Wolf in the House (Park Ji-yeon - Complete), Love Me Doctor (ANA - Complete)

Here are my picks ~

[bl-bam-beyond]

THE PROMISE (2023, THAILAND)

Special Workshop Episode

Available on DEVONTE296 OFFICIAL YOUTUBE CHANNEL

The story of Phupha (KITTIKUN TANSUHAS aka KUN) and Nanfah (WATTIKORN PERMSUBHIRUN aka KIAK) began with two short mini series in AUGUST 2022 (PHUPHA) and NOVEMBER 2022 (NANFAH)

I adored both mini series immensely so after the 2nd mini (NANFAH) a series was announced to tell their entire story.

The mini series were directed by SITTICHAI CHUTSIRI aka CHOI and he's known to be a director of commercials but he also directed short BL 21 DAYS THEORY for Rookie Thailand.

After several false starts for the series to premiere it finally did on WeTV on March 1, 2023 with a re airing on the DEVONTE296 OFFICIAL YOUTUBE CHANNEL.

The Series had so many changes from the mini series it sadly was a bit of let down...just a bit because I was rooting for Phu and Nan. The Series also had a different director than the mini series KONGKIAT KHOMSIRI aka KHOM.

Khom is a screenwriter and director of a slew of series and movies. Most notably to BL fans, he directed KINNPORSCHE.

The screenwriter of The Promise was THANYATHORN SIWANUKROH aka FUNT or FUNTLAND. I'm not certain but I don't think she wrote the mini series. No writers were credited for PHUPHA | NANFAH that I'm aware of. And on FUNT'S MDL page she isn't credited for either mini series. Though she has an impressive list of screenwriter credits.

Now the gifs I made are from what is referred to as a special workshop episode and is under 7 minutes

Nan and Phu are a happy couple and Nan asks Phu when he knew he was in love with him. Phu answers but ask Nan if he recalls the kiss they shared the night before their graduation (Nan was drunk...this was in the series but not the minis) Nan says he has no recollection because while inebriated his memory is wiped clean.

There was a special episode called PROMISE: THE HONEYMOON which required payment which I did not do since I was disappointed with the series.

A season 2 is planned but no release date.

@pose4photoml @lutawolf @pharawee

[shinahbee]

BL Uke Tier list

Alright, here we go with the BL “Uke/Bottoms” tier list ranking, there was a lot of them but again I picked out the ones that I know of and read and uh...didn’t realize that a lot of them were tsundares.lol.

edit: I should say they have tsundare qualities, but not classified as the archetype, because some people seem confused and I didn’t really know what to name this tier, anyways these are just my opinions and if you have a problem with people saying stuff about your favorite character don’t bother reading 

I don’t know about you but a guy tsundares is more tolerable than girl tsundares just my opinion of course, but to me they seem less violent versus the girls who get really violent for no reason in particular and that is annoying. This is just years of phycological damage from anime exposure to that type of girl.

anyways again trigger warning if you hate people ranking and talking sh*t about your favorite character don’t read.

Okay so lets start off with the “bottom tier” first this time

Put me in the hospital:

Cha on -Shadow realm

Jooin- yours to claim

Seonwoo -punch drunk love

Dan- Jinx

Mokhwa - beware of the full moon in march

put me in the hospital is literally that because some of these boys don’t seem to care about their mental and physical wellbeing, not that they are bad characters but they let people do sh*t to them without retaliating and that does not sit well with me, most of these are due to traumatic experiences but they should not be treated like a doormat.

Basically I want these boys to realize what self worth is 

-------------------------------------

Pretty but zero personality:

joo...something I forgot at this point - turn off the camera

Beom - Full volume

Chunwoo- Lucky paradise

Jiho - insatiable man

yeonju - steel under silk

Ian- ...omg blanking on the name... wet sand 

yeah they are pretty but they have that type of dry personality that does not really attract me, this personal preference of course cause there are people that think its cute..i’m not one of them...

--------------------------------------

does not feel one way or another:

Suha - My suha

Nakyum - Painter of the night

kyungjoon - Dear door

Yeonwoon - Omega complex

Youngjin - The origin of species

hmm...not really sure how I feel about them in general, they haven’t left a strong impression on me to really categorize them so I guess I’m neutral.

well suha started off really bold but then literally dies down near the end so that was a disappointment, same with kyungjoon.

--------------------------------------------

Tsundare tier...let’s go.lol.

there’s a alot of them

Jooha- pearl boy

Wonyoung- secondo piatto

Iru...omg that’s wrong isn’t it? - Don’t get me wrong boss

Byeol- between the stars

Nok- The ghosts nocturne

Taeui - Passion

Felix - hold me tight

Ohn - seeing double

Shin - Kings maker

ibeom- what’s with this strange dream?

Victor - Liveta

Seohyun- Runway hit

Yian - Butler

Jungseo - 100% Mr. perfect

lee won-  Roses and Champaign

Yoohan - Payback

I swear I’m entering my aujima era cause literally yesterday I was able to remember their names and today writing this, I was struggling so hard lmao.

What can I say I like the male tsundares...lol. even though they can be annoying at times and would be 10x intolerable irl. I think they deserve their own list because the list will continue to grow somehow, and if you are one of those people who think they are not you are in denial.

-------------------------------------------

and lastly everyone favorite topic to discuss...the must protect at all costs characters...lmao

Must protect at all costs

Neil- Path to you

Sungyul- willow love story

Seoan- the pizza delivery man and the gold palace

Euijoon - Dangerous convenient store 

Yoonshin - no moral

Joon - the third ending 

Inseop - Love history of willful negligence

Dawol- insecret

I love these boys they are so kind and smart and all round characters that suffer a lot because that is what their creators like to do to them. but luckily their partners are compatible with them and it makes their dynamic interesting to explore. They are often treated really bad, emotionally damaged to some degree and don’t deserve any of it so the must protect at all costs category suits them.

------------------------------------

alright that’s my tier list and I would share this on my twitter but I don’t like how people are just a pain in the a** when they don’t agree with anything. actually seeing what other people ranked and their categories made me a little angry cause talk about sh*t takes. yikes...

 anyways, hope you enjoyed and I’ll work on my monthly favorites and get back you when that time comes 

follow me if this is the type of content you like

[feuqueerfire]

March 2023 BL/GL Wrap-Up

A little monthly (spoilery!) wrap-up of all the shows I’ve watched or am watching in March 2023, general thoughts, and ranking of them all.

Recommendation of the month:

So Long, See You Tomorrow is only available in film festivals I think? So I had to watch it on a bootleg site but it's worth it, especially for people who like this sort of movie where young men are friends and also possibly boyfriends but are separated for reasons and then the story takes place a decade or two later a la His (2020), Your Name Engraved Herein, Life: Love On The Line, etc. This one has a fun parallel universes thing to it though but it's still got the slow, slice-of-life vibe to it rather than any hard sci-fi

Ranking

Moonlight Chicken = Derry Girls S1

Happiness = Derry Girls S2 = Derry Girls S3 = A Shoulder To Cry On = So Long, See You Tomorrow

Island Part 1

Island Part 2

The New Employee - Dropped

Average Rating: 6.4/10

MDL Updates - Added to Watchlist:

A section because I’m curious about how many shows I decide to add to my Watch List a month and also the ratio of watching them:adding them.

Island Part 1

Island Part 2

Koi Desu: Yankee-kun to Hakujou Garu: Certified Noonas recommended it and I thought it was funny that she's a blind so she's like what he's a nice guy when everybody warns her against him

Circle: The Certified Noona Natalia's favourite show and apparently it's a good sci-fi. Also a Yeo Jin-goo show

The Crowned Clown: another Yeo Jin-goo show and I've heard good things

Kingdom (2019): I liked Happiness enough and am curious about a historical zombie drama

A Shoulder to Cry On

So Long, See You Tomorrow (2021): saw a clip last month from this tweet (twitter.com/beansxooo/status/1630016040473178119) and got around to finally adding it to MDL

Our Dating Sim

Tomorrow (2022): The Certified Noona recommendation I think. Grim reapers :>

To Watch List At Start Of Month: 56

To Watch List At End Of Month: 56 (heh, it stayed the same)

Removed from To Watch List:

Self (2022) - unlikely I'll ever watch it

Our Beloved Summer (2022) - I do like exes-to-lovers which is why I originally added it but I think I'd get really frustrated with them breaking up multiple times over 16 eps (as somebody said). I saw a tiktok of them in high school years teasing each other and that was really cute though

Once Again (2022) - unlikely I'll ever watch it

Watching On-Air

Nothing

Completely Watched

Moonlight Chicken

Country: Thailand

Release Dates: Feb 8, 2023 - Mar 2, 2023

Watch Via: GMMTV Youtube (free)

Watch Dates: Mar 1 - 6, 2023

Rating: 7/10

Overall Impression: It's a good one! High quality with good acting and interesting storylines that are unique in BL. It didn't hit me as hard as it seemed to hit some other people though and I'm not thinking about it much at all since finishing. I think Jim/Wen's relationship was one of the weakest aspects of the show to me because I didn't care nor did I really feel anything. I loved Heart and Li Ming, I enjoyed getting to see Jim grow and also how his relationship with Li Ming changed, I liked getting to see Wen and Alan's flashbacks and to present tense relationship, I like Gaipa showing up once in a while to be bright, I thought Gaipa and Leng's interactions were funny, I loved Li Ming as a character so much, I wished to be him so badly.

tags: moonlight chicken

Also Appears In: Moonlight Chicken Live Blogging

Island Part 1

Country: South Korean

Release Dates: Dec 30, 2022 - Jan 13, 2023

Watch Via: Amazon Prime :>

Watch Dates: Mar 14 - 15, 2023

Rating: 6/10

Overall Impression: The main female lead was whatever, wish she was just good at something. Whether it be fighting demons, fighting back via kindness and empathy, or actual power due to her status/wealth/connections. She's not the worst ever because she can still stand up for herself and she has personality but I mourn that they've written her like this. Van is just fucking boring and I don't care. My beloved Johan <3333 I liked his charming, cocky, beautiful character who was so intrigued by everything going on as if he really was 20 and curious about everything but also I liked his apprehension when it came down to it. The storyline with his brother was so T.T Also curious to see the evil brother half-demon Guntan and his sidekick niece Yeom-ji. They're both pretty cool compared to our 2 main characters. I wish the show flowed better in terms of the sequence of scenes and pacing and the main characters were more intriguing.

tags: island

Also Appears In: Island Part 1 Live Blogging

Island Part 2

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Dec 30, 2022 - Jan 13, 2023

Watch Via: Amazon Prime :>

Watch Dates: Mar 16 - 17, 2023

Rating: 5.5/10

Overall Impression: Literally how was it worse than part 1? Especially when we focused more on Guntan and Yeom-ji than fuckass Miho and Van? Maybe because of less focus on Johan (I wanna know his backstoryyyyyy) and also just incomprehensible writing/plot direction. Yeomji and Johan my beloveds + Guntan being cool were the highlights. Hated the dumbass cliffhanger ending. such a forgettable show.

tags: island (Search s2)

Also Appears In: Island Part 2 Live Blogging

Happiness 

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Nov 5, 2021 - Dec 11, 2021

Watch Via: Viki (free)

Watch Dates: Mar 18 - 23, 2023

Rating: 6.5/10

Overall Impression: Good but not great. I liked the first quarter and last quarter most because there was more action whereas the middle half was slower and was more people-based. There were different characters who had distinct personalities/circumstances and I like the fucked-in-the-head neighbours trope but most of the side characters were pretty one-dimensional. I wish we got to see some actual proper satisfying murder. The romance was barely there but it was still cute. I liked how comfortable they were with each other and I liked the platonic/non-romantic moments as well.

tags: happiness

Also Appears In: Happiness Live Blogging

Derry Girls S1

Country: UK

Release Dates: Jan 4, 2018 - Feb 8, 2018

Watch Via: :>

Watch Dates: Mar 24, 2023

Rating: 7/10

Overall Impression: This was pretty fun overall since I haven't watched much Irish television nor do I know many Irish people, so it was fun to get to peek into the culture and vibe of the 1990s Ireland through this. Also, the girls are all so different and also terrible in many ways; I do love it when characters are people I'd hate it real life and I don't think I'd be able to stand any of these people (maybe Clare, maybe James), so it's fun to see them go around wreaking havoc.

tags: derry girls

Also Appears In: Derry Girls Live Blogging

Derry Girls S2

Country: UK

Release Dates: Mar 5, 2019 - Arp 9, 2019

Watch Via: :>

Watch Dates: Mar 25, 2023

Rating: 6.5/10

Overall Impression: Still very fun, though there were some that weren't as good/funny in the middle. Liked the little emotional moment with James at the end. Love Orla being a girl who's a boy and James being a boy who's a girl (and this time he agrees to being a Derry Girl rather than them slagging him for being a girl/gay).

tags: derry girls

Also Appears In: Derry Girls Live Blogging

Derry Girls S3

Country: UK

Release Dates: Apr 12, 2023 - May 18, 2023

Watch Via: :>

Watch Dates: Mar 26, 2023

Rating: 6.5/10

Overall Impression: I don't know how to feel about the ending - it was touching but certainly a different tone than the other episodes, but it still had enough of the same vibes. It was good season but I'm not yearning for more.

tags: derry girls

Also Appears In: Derry Girls Live Blogging

The New Employee - DROPPED

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Dec 21, 2022 - Feb 1, 2023

Watch Via: Viki (free)

Watch Dates: Mar 27 - 28, 2023

Rating: --/10

Overall Impression: It's sad that I've watched worse kBLs but since I had some expectations while going into this, it's more disappointing. I don’t really care for boss/employee romances in general and i think the fact that it’s positioned as wholesome/cute here so far isn’t working for me. if you’re gonna have the boss kiss the intern out of the blue while said intern is drunk, it needs to be framed in more of a rancid way for it to still be fun; dabble more with the weird power dynamics and lean into the bad vibes lol

tags: the new employee

Also Appears In: The New Employee Live Blogging

A Shoulder to Cry On

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Mar 15, 2023 - Mar 29, 2023

Watch Via: Viki (free)

Watch Dates: Mar 28 - 29, 2023

Rating: 6.5/10

Overall Impression: I really liked the first 5 episodes when there was so much contempt but Taehyun couldn't stop himself from terrorizing or goading Da Yeol and Da Yeol couldn't stop noticing how beautiful Taehyun was, and then the friendship that bloomed in that but still with an edge. I didn't quite get the reason for separation in episode 6 and think the last episode was cutesy but out-of-character sort of. Still, overall a pretty good one; reminds me of a mix of Blueming and Utsukushii Kare. I was giddy so many times while watching this, especially the first half and was clutching my head and curling my toes despite it not being romantic, just full of tension.

tags: a shoulder to cry on

Also Appears In: A Shoulder To Cry On Live Blogging

So Long, See You Tomorrow

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Nov 4, 2021

Watch Via: :> (it's only shown in film festivals or something)

Watch Dates: Mar 31, 2023

Rating: 6.5/10

Overall Impression: No matter what I think about the story/character/acting in these types of movies like this, along with His (2020), Life: Love On The Line, Your Name Engraved Herein, they make me feel a certain way. Even if I don't cry, some parts make have slightly glassy eyes and my chest constricts with the emotions. These feel human in a specific way and I can't take it always, but these drawn-out, slice-of-life movies where young men are separated and then reunite to be friends/lovers decades later is so good. Also I thought it was funny that I kept waiting for the parallel universes to come into it without realizing when we'd slipped into a different universe lol Also, this whole movie we got to see how Kang Hyun affected Dongjoon but Dongjoon affected Kang Hyun enough for him to write about parallel universes in his novel

Also Appears In: So Long, See You Tomorrow Live Blogging

[hiddenawayforme]

A quick media year in review. 

It wasn’t until I sat down to write this that I realized I made it through quite a number of series. This list does not cover everything I watched, but emphasizes the highlights. It’s half recommendation, half rambling. 

The Untamed: the reason this sideblog exists. It was the first show I watched after the lockdowns in my area started back in March. At this point, if you’re following my blog, I think you know my opinion and thoughts on this series.

The Sleuth of the Ming Dynasty: Tang Fan, a government official, and Sui Zhou, an embroidered uniform guard, reluctantly work together to solve a murder and end up adopting each other and all their friends and family as they get pulled deeper into dynasty shaking conspiracies. And Wang Zhi is there as well (48 episodes). Honestly, my favorite series from this year. It’s my comfort food. Produced by Jackie Chan, the fights scenes are phenomenal, the sets are gorgeous, the plots are interesting. If you want found-family, this is it. The series is based on a BL novel (though the romance became a bromance in the final version of the novel). The two leads have excellent chemistry and some very fantastic moments together. Recommended if you like detective shows that build up to a massive plot, characters doing whatever it takes to save the other even if it means self-sacrificing, conflicts of loyalty and politics, food as a love language, sneaky palace intrigue. 

Hotel del Luna: Jang Man-wol is cursed to run a hotel for souls seeking to finish their business before passing to the afterlife. Her new general manager, a human named Gu Chan-sung, seeks to help her resolve her past trauma so that she can finally heal and move on (16 episodes). I love IU (the lead actress), so I was very eager to watch this. I adored the two leads, but the supporting cast is also really interesting. If I had one complaint, it is that I wish we dug deeper into the supporting characters’ backstories sooner in the series. Their reveals felt like they were all stacked up at the end, which didn’t give as much time to the leads’ endings. I’ve seen a lot of people disappointed in the ending, but I thought it was perfect and the obvious conclusion to what the series was clearly foreshadowing. Recommended if you like slow-burn romances, gorgeous clothes (I would do so much for Jang Man-wol’s wardrobe), plot twists that reinterpret what you’ve been watching, mini arcs that peer into people’s lives and regrets, reincarnation and questions of complicity. 

Love and Redemption: Chu Xuanji and Yu Sifeng’s friendship and budding romance is tested as they are pulled into a conflict between the three realms and past secrets are brought into the light (59 episodes). I knew nothing about this xianxia show going in. I had encountered a few interesting gifsets so I started it on a whim and absolutely devoured it. This is probably the tropiest show I have ever watched. Amnesia, star-crossed lovers, whump/hurt and comfort, berserker button, reincarnation, stuck in a cave together, bed sharing, every misunderstanding ever. The list goes on and on. The leads have great chemistry and are so charming together. And there are plenty of other ship options if shipping is your focus. There is a lot of plot that is covered, but it never feels like too much. Out of all the dramas I watched this year, this felt the most evenly paced. Recommended if you like it when tropes are inverted so that the female lead gets a kickass musical cue and a power-up moment to protect the injured male lead (it happens so many times!), expensive CGI budgets, misunderstandings fueling conflicts, beautiful men swooning and coughing up blood, the power of love, sisters, wing porn. 

My Roommate is a Detective: Police Inspector Qiao Chusheng enlists the help of lazy genius Lu Yao and journalist Bai Youning to solve crimes in the Republic of China in the 1920s (36 episodes). When this series was good, it was really good. But when it made missteps, it was hard to overlook. I must note that it seems as though a lot of people loathe the female lead. At certain points, I loved her. But there is a lot about her that I didn’t like. And the ending seems to be very controversial (I personally hate it, but find it easy to ignore). But I don’t want to give a negative impression of the series. It is absolutely gorgeous and flows nicely. The plot does build up to a big final conflict, even as it maintains a pace of smaller mysteries until the very end. Recommended if you like interesting and convoluted solutions to cases, annoying geniuses and their longsuffering police friends, badly dubbed English scenes, relatively light and low stakes (compared to the rest of this list lol), bromance, never getting enough clues to solve the mysteries alongside the leads.

The Lost Tomb Reboot (Reunion: The Sound of Providence): Tomb raider Wu Xie and his “iron triangle” companions Wang Pangzi and Zhang Qiling set out to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Wu Xie’s uncle (62 episodes split into 2 seasons). Yes, I started watching this because of Zhu Yilong. But I stayed because of the wonderful cast and amazing chemistry. It does have some pacing problems, 2 of the 3 main female characters get appallingly terrible fates, the plot was obviously butchered by censorship so some plotlines go nowhere or are dropped. And yet despite all of that, I was charmed by everything else. I knew nothing about the franchise going in beyond a few bits and pieces and yet I was able to follow along relatively easily. Recommended if you like ridiculous antics balanced with dramatic moments, Zhou Shen singing the ending theme song, creepy tombs, strong character relationships

[aoimori]

02.26.2017 MERRY Morning Live @ Holiday Shinjuku

So Merry had a morning show in Shinjuku. Doors at 7:30am, show at 8:00am. (They also had a fanclub only show that night too, report is over here)   As you can probably imagine, it was incredible and just such a Merry thing to experience. Here is my report including VIDEO EVIDENCE of a little something called radio calisthenics with Gara.

PLEASE ENJOY 👏👏👏👏👏

PRE SHOW

I’m amazed that this even happened. But I guess if anyone is going to do a show at 8am, it’s Merry. They actually started a little late but I had a feeling they would lol. It was an interesting feeling standing outside of this tiny tiny venue so early in the morning, in Kabukicho, with a bunch of other fans. I loved it 

Before the show started they were playing rain sounds with their own rain-themed songs mixed in. Reminded me of Shinjuku Blues! 

I was in front of Yuu for this show, started about 5 rows back and ended up in 3rd.

MORNING EXERCISES !?!?

While we were waiting there was suddenly an announcement over the speakers. Small venues like this generally don’t play that generic pre-performance announcement (honjitsu wa) that lists the rules of the venue etc. So it wasn’t that. It was Gara. 

He very politely told us that we were going to do rajio taisou (radio calisthenics - the kind that old people do in the park in the morning lol). He asked if we had a little bit of space to move around in, with mixed responses, so he said even if you don’t have space it’s okay lol. Today’s calisthenics will be led by… Super Merrys’ MAMURASAKI (aka Gara)

So Gara/Mamurasaku comes out wearing his Tenga shirt and rabbit head mask, the music/instructions come on, and we all followed his lead and did calisthenics together at like 8am in a tiny livehouse in Kabukicho…

There’s actually video of all of this (looks like it was livestreamed) so I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you all watch it and have this experience. It was wild. I laughed so much lol. We actually tried our best to follow him!!

THIS VIDEO: https://twitter.com/merry_official/status/835628885647597568

Please enjoy his antics

After he walked off stage he got back on the announcements and asked us to wait a liiittle while longer

THE SICKEST SETLIST

SE: Merry March Oriental BL Circus Charlie TOP

Lost generation Atama ga zakuro Zetsubou Jiishiki kajougata deku ningen Tick tack Heijitsu no onna Kasa to ame stupidxcupid Carnival Japanese modernist Chiyodasen democracy

Encore Touzasareta rakuen Happy life Violet harenchi Kasa to ame (acoustic)

THIS SHOW !!!!!!

I thought that since this was a morning show that they would either A) do calmer songs/acoustics or B) go abnormally hard.  

After the SE they immediately came on stage and exploded into Oriental BL Circus. Clearly B was the correct prediction lol

Yuu looked REALLY CUTE. He had his hair styled all crazy to look like bedhead and had heavy black makeup under his eyes to look like he had extreme dark circles from not sleeping. He walked out with this big grin like he was proud of his look

(from his twitter)

Oriental BL Circus is always really fun and I love the call and response parts in the beginning (I finally learned all the words HA) But it was also a REALLY EXTREME way to start a show in the morning – Gara and Yuu yelling, all of us yelling back lol

I GOT TO HEAR CHARLIE LIVE!!! AAA!!! It’s so so so so so fun and super high energy from start to finish. And so is TOP!! Seriously this show was HYPEEE from the very beginning.

Thennnn atama ga zakuro is actually the first Merry song I ever heard and TO THINK I GOT TO HEAR IT LIVE!?

Also lord help me all I did was watch Gara perform this song and I feel full of sin. Actually during this entire show he was a little nastier than usual lol. Putting his mic between his legs multiple times and enjoying himself, having REAL QUALITY MOMENTS up against his mic stand… he is committed to realism tbqh. IS THIS HOW YOU ARE IN THE MORNING ? ? ? 

ANYWAY. I also got to hear Tick Tack for the first time!! What an old song!! It’s so nice live, everyone was swaying back and forth. And I’m going to love Heijitsu no onna until the day I die, so. You can probably guess what I have to say about that. Gara putting on lipstick and rubbing it off with the back of his hand with the saddest smile…

I just wanna say right now that I LOVE KASA TO AME. If for some reason you haven’t listened to it, please go do it right now. Both versions are great. I own 5 copies of this single. Listen to it. Buy it. LOVE IT.

I forgot my towel for the morning show so I had to participate in Carnival without one for the first time!! Carnival, Japanese modernist and Chiyodasen are ALWAYS fun though. They just kept hitting us with JAMS.

During one song (don’t remember which) when Yuu had a speaking part he ended up just making comments about the show instead of following the lyrics, it was pretty funny lol

I love Touzasareta rakuen live. The vibe is just so good? Gara said something about this being an older song but it has the kind of energy they want to have as they work toward Hibiya Yaon

And then Happy life gets me EVERY TIME. Gara sang the last line without his mic. I’m always really impressed by how he expresses such raw emotion. He just puts it ALL out there as strongly as he physically can, every time. He had the biggest smile right after this song. Like really genuine. Have I mentioned... that I love this band...??

During Violet harenchi Gara and Yuu were back to back in the center of the stage!!! Yuu was in the center and Gara saw him and immediately rushed over. Yuu also likes to go sit on Gara’s desk lol. Later Tetsu was standing in front of me on a monitor and Yuu came over and was standing against his leg and it was REALLY CUTE. Tetsu is an actual mountain btw

(from gara’s blog)

MC CONTENT BECAUSE MERRY ALWAYS DELIVERS 

Gara and Yuu both said good morning to us a few times (and said wow, saying good morning at a live house feels good huh…)

Gara asked each member what they did the night before...

Nero: so worried that he’d oversleep and get a call from the band on stage asking where he was that he could barely sleep at all

Tetsu: eating meat (this is all he said lol, at first Gara didn’t understand him)

Kenichi: Hesitant to answer, but… said he went to Mankitsu (a manga café?) Gara asked what he was reading and Kenichi was just silent… so Gara asked AGAIN and Kenichi still said nothing LOL

Yuu: Nothing out of the ordinary. He went home, then took the first train in the morning to the venue. Gara said he was sorry he asked

Gara: Didn’t sleep at all because if he slept and then woke up in the morning before the show his voice wouldn’t be in good condition.  He said he actually went home the night before just… never slept lol . ((He posted on his blog about eating mcdonalds actually... but are any of us really surprised by this??))

He made an extended bandoman joke that continued into the next show... something about introducing himself as “bandoman A” from a tabloid story about a celebrity having an affair. But then said instead of having an affair he actually wants to be served by blonde foreign women... and if the tabloids come to him for an interview, he’ll tell everything.

I feel like I missed something here lol but he said he’d better stop talking about this because there were foreigners in the audience (me?? the most blonde foreigner of all?? lol) 

The singing MC was set to the beginning of Kasa to ame (it used to be heijitsu no onna). So each member would start playing as Gara introduced them and did a really short mini solo. Merry has the best MCs.

Gara said that this morning live felt really good so if we liked it, please tweet them, and they’ll show the tweets to their company, and then maybe they can do more events like this. They are always trying to get us to promo them to someone lol

He also wants to do a 24 hour show. The rest of the band did not seem into this idea. He said everyone could have their own little space where they could sit or stand, bring a TV or something, leave and come back whenever they pleased, etc. The band would work in shifts sometimes so someone could sleep. Or go to the onsen. But Nero couldn’t come with them (tattoos) so he’d just have to watch while they rest of them relax. POOR NERO.

They were talking about where they’d be in 20 years? Gara said he’ll still be singing but he might need to sit down… and need someone to help hold him steady as he walked… and to whisper the lyrics in his ear, and tap him on the shoulder when a new song started lol. Yuu just called him an ojiichan

Gara turned the page of his setlist with his foot and it was cute

Between songs Gara said all of us that came to a show this early in the morning must be ACTUALLY crazy. TRUE. During an MC he also told us that we all must be a little atama ga okashii nee… crazy/touched in the head lol. ALSO TRUE.

(@merry_official)

DOKUDOKU TIME!!!!!!!! SPECIAL EVENT FEAT GARA

The band had a dokudoku campaign for this tour. The idea was to create more Merry chuudokusha (addicts) so at each show a certain member was tasked with doing something fun. Giving things away, taking pictures with fans, etc. Gara was in charge of this show.

He gave away his tenga shirt (signed) which he had also worn during the radio taisou spectacle. He was giving it away on behalf of Mamurasaki, of course.

So before the encore he came on stage and said it was dokudoku time, but then found out that the staff still hadn’t collected all the ticket stubs for him to choose one winner from. So he stalled for a while and just talked about random stuff, asked us if we had any questions, and then would occasionally look back to the staff and be like STILL??? STILL NOTHING? Awkward and angry and adorable lol

One of his topics of conversation was his tenga shirt. He read it out loud and explained it lol. He also said that he received an egg type one from a fan for Valentines day, but he still hasn’t used it. He’s thinking about using it in March for White Day…

Eventually staff brought an envelope to him and he chose a winner. While he was looking at the stubs he said these aren’t all Core tickets… they’re not Core tickets~ in this cute irritated singsong voice lol. Anyway he picked one stub and gave away the shirt. Then he gave away the paper Mamurasaki signed (he said it looked like Mamurasaki had written “iwai/celebrate” wrong and crossed it out and wrote it again… and now it looks like it says “Nero”).

Since he didn’t have a photo to give away too, he decided to do something special. So he turned around and went to find his lipstick that he uses during Heijitsu no onna, came back to the front and put some on. And then kissed the paper. And then chose someone to give it to. He understands a fan’s heart so well…

(@merry_official) 

AFTER THE SET

After the show I was watching all the members throwing things to the crowd. I think I was watching Gara in the center of the stage when I decided to turn around and face forward again and SUDDEN TETSU RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES!! He was standing up on one of the monitors looking down at us. HE IS HUGE. SUCH A TOWERING MOUNTAIN!! But so kind lol

Gara was standing on a monitor and then jumped up to his desk and did the LONGEST HEADSTAND + FOOT CLAPPING COMBO I HAVE EVER SEEN. He was up there FOREVER. We were all watching and clapping but then gradually starting to think like… Gara… Gara are you okay… GET DOWN FROM THERE GARA!!!

He was SO INTO this entire show lol. The mood was SO good. Maybe the band + the fans were kind of overcompensating for the fact that it was such a strange hour, but we all went REAL HARD.

I then left the show not knowing what time it was, went to Starbucks for breakfast (apparently Gara handed out sandwiches!! But I didn’t know / didn’t see anything even though I waited in the venue for a long time), then went to Shimokita where I spent the rest of the day until the CORE SHOW. Which was really fun, but then turned emotional...

I will never forget this show though 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[musicoccurred]

Ben Folds

*Music Occurred friend and frequent contributor, Brett Lass, attended the fabulous Ben Folds show. Review below.

Who: Ben Folds Where: Lyric Theatre When: March 1, 2017

Having given the audience enough time to refill drinks and take sheets of paper from the tables in the lobby, Ben Folds re-emerges from backstage with another glass of tequila and rests it on the body of a Baldwin baby grand. A smile creeps across his bearded face as paper airplanes with requests written on them are launched from the floor and cascade down from the balcony. This kind of audience participation segment is par for the course at any Ben Folds show. Be it inclusion in a four-part harmony or taking the place of Regina Spektor, come with your vocal chords properly tuned and be ready for instruction from the conductor.

Hailing from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Ben Folds is the modern day talisman of piano rock. His most notable venture before going solo was the under-appreciated Ben Folds Five, which to this day is often regarded as a one hit wonder from back when 90's alternative rock ruled the airwaves. Amidst a myriad of other bands with one song to their name before being swept under the constantly changing tides, and tastes, of the music listening audience, Ben Folds Five struck gold with “Brick,” an autobiographical song about a high school aged Folds and his girlfriend and their experience with getting an abortion. After 3 albums, and a loyal cult following, the band broke up in the fall of 2000, and Folds moved on to start a solo career, with his first album, Rockin' The Suburbs, being released on September 11th 2001. In the time since the release of Rockin' The Suburbs, Ben Folds released two more solo albums, and collaborated with the likes of William Shatner, Nick Hornby, and classical ensemble, yMusic. This also included a reformation of Ben Folds Five in 2011 and subsequent comeback album, The Sound of the Life of the Mind, released in 2012. While the music has not greatly changed throughout the years, one would not exactly think of the guy who used to throw his stool at the piano and grab his crotch at the end of sets as someone who would take a great deal of care in sharpening his vocal delivery or someone who would pen classical movements. But, that's part of the intrigue with an artist like Folds. One moment, he's leading the audience in a profanity laden sing along of an improvised version (of which there are many versions to be found on YouTube) of “Rock This Bitch,” and in the next moment, with his head forlornly hung under a pale spotlight, he plays the role of balladeer, tenderly narrating stories about lost loves and growing up.

Tonight's show took place at the recently revived and refurbished Lyric Fine Arts Theatre, located in what is becoming a thriving theater and entertainment district of downtown Birmingham, Alabama. This was my first show at the Lyric, and it must be said that the interior is absolutely gorgeous. A sophisticated, gold tinged, Adamesque motif with private balconies that are lined with panoramas of cherubs with closed eyes and holding different musical instruments. The stage itself is wide and expansive, which actually benefits the minimalistic production of tonight's show.

The opening act was Sarah Jarosz, a folk musician from Austin, Texas whom I was not very familiar with, but came off quite popular among certain areas in the auditorium, including the people sitting near me who were singing along to some of her songs. During her set, she switched between the acoustic guitar and the banjo, and her lyrical content consisted of the familiar themes of roots rock, at times walking a tightrope between Americana and hymnal. Her stage presence was very conservative and interactions with the audience was genteel and brief. As I read later, she has toured in the past with Garrison Keillor and The Prairie Home Companion troupe, which thinking back to her set at the Lyric, totally reminds me of a lot of the music that I enjoyed when our local NPR station broadcast the show prior to Mr. Keillor's retirement.

It did not take long for Ben Folds to get the audience in on the act, the 5th song of the set, “Bastard,” includes a three part harmony. But for this particular performance, it was changed to a four part harmony. After a brief practice round working with different areas of the audience to parse out the timing and sections of the harmony, Ben Folds directed the audience mid-song without breaking away from the performance, and it went just about as perfect as it gets when you're playing the piano and directing a few hundred people through a song. As energetic and as amicable as ever, Ben Folds would stomp his feet loudly during songs, imploring the audience to clap along. As mentioned earlier, the audience even got to play the role of Regina Spektor for the song “You Don't Know Me.” Though it was mostly female members of the audience singing the part, I did hear a couple of men in the audience attempt to raise their voices a few octaves out of range to join them. At one point, Ben Folds invited Sarah Jarosz back on stage to perform a cover of a Roger Miller song, “A Million Years From Now.” They also teamed up for a folksier, banjo-version of “Do It Anyway.” The set list was impressive as Mr. Folds manage to touch multiple songs in his vast catalogue between solo albums, side projects, and Ben Folds Five albums. The initial set was actually quite short, and for good reason, the better half of the evening was dedicated to audience request, where everyone was invited to head back out into the lobby to get a pen and a piece of paper and write down any song they wanted before folding it into a paper airplane and tossing them towards the stage for Folds to retrieve and, at his discretion, play it during a sub 10 to 12 song set. Either through luck, or the audience not requesting it, or Mr. Folds himself for not playing it, “Sweet Home Alabama” was not included. During this portion of the night I was girding myself for disappointment if he played the first few signature keys to that song. But, it never happened, so thumbs up for that. Also, yes, I am a bitter and pessimistic hipster.

Even if you take away the audience participation parts, it is still a joy to see someone who appears to have harnessed a very interesting mix between pop music and classical piano music hit the stage and tickle the ivories with such rapid fire precision and flare and showmanship. Before the comparisons to Billy Joel or Elton John rain down, I must say that I feel that Ben Folds took the foundation of what those two artists have created and popularized and kept it relevant and, in his own right, transcended past just being a pop piano player. Given I was not alive or was an infant when Mr. Joel or Mr. John were in the primes of their careers, there's something to be said about an artist going from being played on the call letters for your home for alternative rock music back in the 90's and then with that piano rock sound be able to move into more mainstream roles of judging singing competitions or producing an album with William Shatner or appearing on movie soundtracks (I will fight anyone who wants to challenge that the 1998 Godzilla movie, the one starring Matthew Broderick and Jean Reno, is not one of the greatest soundtracks ever, and my apologies to Led Zepplin fans who most certainly just felt a disturbance in the force after I typed that statement). It is also great that he seems to have taken that mantle of ownership and is interested in recruiting, or at least bringing closer to the limelight, acts that are of a more classic flavor, maybe also shrouded in more niche genres like the one he is categorized in, see his collaboration with yMusic or his album of a cappella covers with different university choral groups. This was probably my 4th or 5th time seeing Ben Folds live, and while nothing really caught me off guard as far as his stage antics or attitude or setlist are concerned, that does not mean that it was not fun. I have never seen and have never heard of a show taking place where Ben Folds is off of his game. Even when I saw him open for Weezer a long time ago, he still brought it. His beard and his choice of side projects might to lead one to think he is reaching towards some kind of musical, or even personal, maturity as he grows older. But, then I realize that I'm presuming this of the same guy who displayed a rather wry smile when the “f-word” was shouted in a theatre by adoring fans just a few days ago.

Setlist: 1. Phone in a Pool 2. Annie Waits 3. Uncle Walter 4. Still Fighting It 5. Bastard 6. Not a Fan 7. A Million Years From Now (Roger Miller cover) 8. Do It Anyway (banjo version w/ Sarah Jarosz) 9. Landed 10. Capable of Anything 11. You Don't Know Me

Paper Airplane Audience Request Setlist: 1. Kylie From Connecticut 2. Rockin' The Suburbs 3. Sleazy (Kesha cover) 4. Brick 5. The Last Polka 6. Carrying Cathy 7. Jesusland 8. The Luckiest 9. Rich Girl (Hall & Oates cover) 10. Emaline 11. Careless Whisper (George Michael cover) 12. Army

-BL

[richardccclopez]

The Latest Unemployment Report: Slow and Steady Improvement

Last Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its latest Employment Situation Summary. Going into the release, the expert consensus was for 1.58 million jobs to be added in July, and for the unemployment rate to fall to 10.5%.

When the official report came out, it revealed that 1.8 million jobs were added, and the unemployment rate fell to 10.2% (from 11.1% last month). Once again, this is excellent news as this was the third consecutive month the unemployment rate decreased.There is, however, still a long way to go before the job market fully recovers. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) put a potential date on that recovery:

“July’s payroll growth, at 1.8 million, still leaves total payrolls 12.9 million lower than in February. And yet if job gains continued at July’s pace, that deficit will be erased by March 2021. If payrolls reclaim their last peak in 13 months, that would be remarkably fast. It took more than six years after the last recession.”

Permanent vs. Temporary Unemployment

During a pandemic, it’s important to differentiate those who have lost their jobs on a temporary basis from those who have lost them on a permanent basis. Morgan Stanley economists noted in the same WSJ article:

“The rate of churn in the labor market remains incredibly high, but a notable positive detail in this month’s report was the downtick in the rate of new permanent layoffs.”

To address this, the core unemployment rate becomes increasingly important. It identifies the number of people who have permanently lost their jobs. This measure subtracts temporary layoffs and adds unemployed who did not search for a job recently. Jed Kolko, Chief Economist at Indeed and the founder of the index reported:

“Core unemployment fell in July for the first time in the pandemic. That’s the good news I was hoping for.”

What about the housing market?

The housing market has continued to show tremendous resilience during the pandemic. Commenting on the labor report, Robert Dietz, Chief Economist for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), tweeted:

“Housing continues to rebound in another positive labor market report. Home builder and remodeler job gains of 24K for July. Residential construction employment down just 56.4K compared to a year ago. Total residential construction employment at 2.85 million.”

Bottom Line

We should remain cautious in our optimism, as the recovery is ultimately tied to our future success in mitigating the ongoing health crisis. However, as Mike Fratantoni, Chief Economist for the Mortgage Bankers Association, reminds us: “The pace of job growth slowed in July, but the gains over the past three months represent an impressive rebound during the ongoing economic challenges brought forth by the pandemic.”

Article sponsored by Builder Hot Spots.  A Prosper New Homes site give you access to search 6000's of floor plans, home images and local community when you are buying a new home.

[ericllbooth]

The Latest Unemployment Report: Slow and Steady Improvement

Last Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its latest Employment Situation Summary. Going into the release, the expert consensus was for 1.58 million jobs to be added in July, and for the unemployment rate to fall to 10.5%.

When the official report came out, it revealed that 1.8 million jobs were added, and the unemployment rate fell to 10.2% (from 11.1% last month). Once again, this is excellent news as this was the third consecutive month the unemployment rate decreased.There is, however, still a long way to go before the job market fully recovers. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) put a potential date on that recovery:

“July’s payroll growth, at 1.8 million, still leaves total payrolls 12.9 million lower than in February. And yet if job gains continued at July’s pace, that deficit will be erased by March 2021. If payrolls reclaim their last peak in 13 months, that would be remarkably fast. It took more than six years after the last recession.”

Permanent vs. Temporary Unemployment

During a pandemic, it’s important to differentiate those who have lost their jobs on a temporary basis from those who have lost them on a permanent basis. Morgan Stanley economists noted in the same WSJ article:

“The rate of churn in the labor market remains incredibly high, but a notable positive detail in this month’s report was the downtick in the rate of new permanent layoffs.”

To address this, the core unemployment rate becomes increasingly important. It identifies the number of people who have permanently lost their jobs. This measure subtracts temporary layoffs and adds unemployed who did not search for a job recently. Jed Kolko, Chief Economist at Indeed and the founder of the index reported:

“Core unemployment fell in July for the first time in the pandemic. That’s the good news I was hoping for.”

What about the housing market?

The housing market has continued to show tremendous resilience during the pandemic. Commenting on the labor report, Robert Dietz, Chief Economist for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), tweeted:

“Housing continues to rebound in another positive labor market report. Home builder and remodeler job gains of 24K for July. Residential construction employment down just 56.4K compared to a year ago. Total residential construction employment at 2.85 million.”

Bottom Line

We should remain cautious in our optimism, as the recovery is ultimately tied to our future success in mitigating the ongoing health crisis. However, as Mike Fratantoni, Chief Economist for the Mortgage Bankers Association, reminds us: “The pace of job growth slowed in July, but the gains over the past three months represent an impressive rebound during the ongoing economic challenges brought forth by the pandemic.”

[pamilaeealeman]

The Latest Unemployment Report: Slow and Steady Improvement

Last Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its latest Employment Situation Summary. Going into the release, the expert consensus was for 1.58 million jobs to be added in July, and for the unemployment rate to fall to 10.5%.

When the official report came out, it revealed that 1.8 million jobs were added, and the unemployment rate fell to 10.2% (from 11.1% last month). Once again, this is excellent news as this was the third consecutive month the unemployment rate decreased.There is, however, still a long way to go before the job market fully recovers. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) put a potential date on that recovery:

“July’s payroll growth, at 1.8 million, still leaves total payrolls 12.9 million lower than in February. And yet if job gains continued at July’s pace, that deficit will be erased by March 2021. If payrolls reclaim their last peak in 13 months, that would be remarkably fast. It took more than six years after the last recession.”

Permanent vs. Temporary Unemployment

During a pandemic, it’s important to differentiate those who have lost their jobs on a temporary basis from those who have lost them on a permanent basis. Morgan Stanley economists noted in the same WSJ article:

“The rate of churn in the labor market remains incredibly high, but a notable positive detail in this month’s report was the downtick in the rate of new permanent layoffs.”

To address this, the core unemployment rate becomes increasingly important. It identifies the number of people who have permanently lost their jobs. This measure subtracts temporary layoffs and adds unemployed who did not search for a job recently. Jed Kolko, Chief Economist at Indeed and the founder of the index reported:

“Core unemployment fell in July for the first time in the pandemic. That’s the good news I was hoping for.”

What about the housing market?

The housing market has continued to show tremendous resilience during the pandemic. Commenting on the labor report, Robert Dietz, Chief Economist for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), tweeted:

“Housing continues to rebound in another positive labor market report. Home builder and remodeler job gains of 24K for July. Residential construction employment down just 56.4K compared to a year ago. Total residential construction employment at 2.85 million.”

Bottom Line

We should remain cautious in our optimism, as the recovery is ultimately tied to our future success in mitigating the ongoing health crisis. However, as Mike Fratantoni, Chief Economist for the Mortgage Bankers Association, reminds us: “The pace of job growth slowed in July, but the gains over the past three months represent an impressive rebound during the ongoing economic challenges brought forth by the pandemic.”

[mcallistergodwin37-blog]

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