#eien no kino ep 5

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

You are so warm. No, I'm cold. No. Mitchan is very warm.

It hurts a bit. But I'm very happy. Because Koichi...can appreciate it.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - PAIN, all the pain you could want

except this is me, I don’t want it... whimper 

Dec 2022 Wk 1

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying the most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

My School President (Fri YT) 2 of 10 - this show is gloriously ridiculous and charming and exactly my preferred kind of BL. Tinn has NO GAME, but man do I love a whipped boy. Anything that harkens this hard to Love Sick gets my vote. 

609 Bedtime Story (Fri WeTV) 3 of 11 - It is nice to see Ohm play a character with more animated facial expressions. I’m liking this show a great deal, but I am really not wild about time loops. Crazy to see Stud & Sam on screen together again. Holy Friend Zone flashbacks batman. 

Between Us (Sun iQIYI) 5 of 12 - it continues to be great, I continue to worry about the fact that apparently only Taiwanese BL considers therapy a viable option for boys who actually, ya know, NEED it. WATCH ALONG HERE.

Ai Long Nhai (Mon iQIYI) 11 of 12 - More nothing is happening, but the nothing is shirtless again, so I’m good. 

Remember Me (Sun Gaga) 9 of 12 - Well, the sweet little BL with Gun & Golf is great. Bummer they only take up 20% of screen time. Golf’s parents are the best. That’s all I got. 

I Will Knock You (Fri Gaga) 4 of 12 - it’s boring, what can I say? 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai 

My Tooth Your Love (Taiwan Fri Viki) 10 of 12 - everything about this show is so stinking cute, even the crumbs are adorbs. So many smiley kisses! (my 2nd fav kiss, the 1st one being a crying kisses, I’m warped). Speaking of, is it just me or is the actor playing Alex 1000% hotter when he smiles? Please no Doom next week, Taiwan? Pretty please? 

Oh! My Assistant (Korea Thurs Viki) 3-4 of 8 - Amusingly, I’m referring to it as OhMyAss in my notes. I do love this one, it has such a Japanese feel to it. The episode titles alone are hilarious. Plus, kisses already? Korea? What’s going on? Meanwhile, this is my favorite bisexual awakening in cinematic history. It made me incandescently happy. 

Happy Ending Romance (Korea Thurs Gaga & Viki) 5-6 of 8 - Look, I can watch Leo be pensive & moody until the cows come home (and have in half of Vixx’s MVs*) but it is getting a little tiresome here. PLUS: this is a KBL they don’t have a lot of time to waste even on his level of evil beauty. I think this would have worked better as a romance if the Writer had known the Editor in (at least) a friendly way in the past/at school as well - so there was more established dynamic to their instant affection and shacking up. Apart from my qualms around the romance thread, the plot is actually pretty good. It’s very angsty and tense for something so simple, which suits this length of show. *I guess what I am saying is if Korea ever did a remake of KinnPorsche, Leo MUST play Vegas.

Choco Milk Shake (Korea Strongberry Tues YT) 10 of 11 - Pain. Argh. It was cruel to send them back, to all of us. Is there an ep 11, or is that a BTS and this was the end? In which case... in Strongberry I no longer trust. I guess we find out next week how shaken my faith is. 

Eternal Yesterday AKA Eien no Kino (Japan Thurs Gaga & Viki) 8fin -Fortunately I have no faith at all in Japan, I expect pain from them. So here’s your final review of this one: 

Smart boy in love with zombie incubus, keeps him alive with sex. Japan, king of thirst, gives us both that and PAIN: these 2 are drowning in yearning and loss. Careful with this one - you break it, you bought it, and it'll break you... wide open just to see what color your guts are. After watching, you too might be walking around alone, forgotten, and wondering why no one understands your loss. Not only does it not end happily, it ends hopelessly. That’s an automatic 2/10 from me. No exceptions and NOT RECOMMENDED.

Sure, it may actually be brilliant, but it hurt me and I’m mad about it. 

It’s Airing But I’m Not Watching It

War of Y (Thai Gaga) 20 eps - it’s just all too much for me.

2 Moons 3 (Thai Mon ??) 10 eps - Possibly a future binge watch. Rumor is it’s banal.

Love Bill  (Vietnam Sat YT) - Bah Vinh is back but I’m too distracted. Also there’s a lot of fund raising stuff going on. I’ll wait and binge.

The Star Always Follow You (Vietnam YT) - same Team RL peeps we have seen before (Sunshine, Stupid)

Till the World Ends (Thai YT) 10 eps - ?

Why You... Y Me? (Thai Weds YT) 10 eps - It's not primarily a BL, but another meta show about BL shipping, with side BLs. @heretherebedork is watching it, ask them about it.

Gossip

Here’s that rumor, by the way. 

I refuse to believe it. GMMTV is simply forbidden to do pain, it’s not their brand and I’ll be very mad if they do. 

In Case You Missed It

Semantic Error movie (Viki) the repackage did have some nice added footage but I wasn’t wild about some of the new scene cut choices. Still, not substantial enough changes for me to deeply lean one way or the other. I prefer the original but that might just be because that’s how I consumed it first. *shrug* 

GAP the series (Sat YT) is a classic office set romance. WATCH IT! It’s GL and this studio needs our support! I’m enjoying it but not chronicling my journey. (Also, the stairs are back.)

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting December 2022: 

Dec 13 - Never Let Me Go from Thailand, GMMTV’s YT, 10 eps -  GMMTV’s answer to KinnPorsche this is a mafia, attack dog (whipping boy + bodyguard) suspense BL. I’m delighted to see Pond Phuwin get a crack at something that’s not FUTS. Jojo (3 Will Be Free) is directing, so we know the action parts should be decent.

Dec 15 - The Director Who Buys Me Dinner from Korea, iQIYI - A new production house employee whose director (absolutely perfect in every way except that he seems to have lost his mind) claims to have lived 3 lives and insists that they have to date if they don't want to die.

Dec 16 - Candy Color Paradox AKA Ameiro Paradox from Japan, Gaga, 8 eps - A stakeout throws Onoe, a reporter, together with photographer Kaburagi. Kaburagi's haphazard work style goes against Onoe's ethics. Yet, in joint pursuit of a scandal, the two move from enemies to lovers. Adapted from manga Ameiro Paradox by Natsume Isaku.

Dec 21 - The New Employee AKA The New Recruit AKA Shinib Sawo from Korea, (prob Gaga or Viki) - From WATCHA (Semantic Error) virginal Seung Hyun scores the office internship of his dreams but on his first day at work he gets into it with his cool reserved boss. As you do. Stars Moon Ji Yong (Once Again). Based on Moscareto's web novel of the same name, directed by openly gay & queer activist Kim Jho Gwang Soo (Just Friends?). 

Dec 28 - H5: Love in the Future from Taiwan (prob Gaga or Viki) - A cheerful and energetic student from 2000 travels to the future (2022), works as a deliveryman, and meets his first customer, an heir with a domineering personality. Directed by Nancy Chen (HIStory 4, Papa & Daddy).

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Between Us

I love him, your honor. (Ai Long Nhai) 

I catching another bad case of side dish addiction syndrome (GameVee in 609 Bedtime Story) 

We stan a dorky wingman with an imaginary umbrella trope. (My School Pres) 

(last week) 

[save-the-data]

eien no kino | s01e08

Japanese Drama - 2022, 8 episodes 97/100 Drama Completed in 2022

EP:- 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 6 : 7 : 8

Official GagaOOLala link with English subtitles

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL

Nov 2022 Wk 3

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying the most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Between Us (Sun iQIYI) 2 of 12 - an even better kiss this ep and some background on how both of them are broken and need each other, this is popcorn worthy melodrama, keep it up. WATCH ALONG HERE.

Big Dragon (Sat Gaga) 7 of 8 - musical montage boyfriends date for most of this ep. I’m not mad about it. Like a 50 min OnlyOneOf MV. Poor P9! I think I finally realized why I like this couple so much, they remind me (when they are at their best) a little bit of We Best Love. Oh do we have a Kdrama separation coming in the final ep? Please no. 

Ai Long Nhai (Mon iQIYI) 8 of 10 - Nhai’s dad is pretty awesome, and I don’t mind that we had all this time with him and Ai chatting. Tiny concert full of crumbs, but blessed no actual singing! And the nothing continues to happen, and it continues to be shirtless. So I’m happy.

Ghost Host, Ghost House (Weds YouTube) 7 of 8 - Even in a ghost story, if it’s Thailand we’ve got to go to the beach and frolic. Use of I/you pronouns is super interesting and cute. I think what I like the most about these two is that they are so easily and casually boyfriends.

Remember Me (Sun Gaga) 6 of 12 - LeoFiat are still the only thread that interests me, coincidentally they’re getting all the old school tropes too. Bus trip, earbud sharing, shoulder sleeping and everything.

I Will Knock You (Fri Gaga) 1 of 12 - This definitely has all the markers of a bully romance, not my personal favorite. SOTUS not withstanding. This can go into BohnDuen territory a bit too much for me. So far I don’t dislike this show, but I don’t like it either and it’s definitely one of those I wish I had the 10 second fast forward button on.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

My Tooth Your Love (Taiwan Fri Viki) 7 of 12 - Enter the faen fatal and anxiety baby is jelly - doesn't look as good on him as it does on our dentist. But HOW does he still not realize how hard he is being flirted with? I take that back, this isn’t flirting, this is courting. Like ritual old-fashioned gentlemanly marriage-in-mind how many crowns do you want in exchange level courting. I can’t believe it’s gonna be over month before this show finishes. I’m tense now. 

Eternal Yesterday AKA Eien no Kino (Japan Thurs Gaga) 5 of 8 - This thing that Japan keeps doing with gay teachers killing themselves is not exciting to me. I really love how Michan is like “look after your own damn boyfriend and stop dragging mine onto ledges”... stupid teacher drama. But oh my goodness is this show achingly sad. This prevailing wistfulness between our leads about the future that they know they will never get to have. The way Michan is constantly listening and feeling for his Koichi’s heartbeat for a reassurance that is never going to come. The way he is reconciling himself with his own loneliness and returning to that solitary state, because he will never find a soulmate like Koichi again. It’s an aching extended wistful dry-eyed kind of yearning and pain. The counteraction to how good Japan is a thirst. This show is going to break my heart. In fact, it already has. 

Choco Milk Shake (Korea Strongberry Tues YT) 5-6 of 10 - It’s Strongberry so the blind date is with the boy. Yay! No bones about it (no boning either but hey-ho). Really this is a show about connection and loneliness, it’s kind of gut wrenching for something so silly. I got to say it, because no one else will, but how is uncle’s business staying in business? I’ve never seen a single customer.

Kabe Koji (Japan Mon Viki) 7 of 10 - The date was RIDICULOUS - couple’s keychains and everything. Gah. These two are too much. And then the classic penultimate ep of doom.

It’s Airing But I’m Not Watching It

War of Y (Thai Gaga) 20 eps - it’s just all too much for me.

My Roommate (Thai YT) 32 eps of 2 minutes each + terrible production values? - I’m not bothering.

Fahlanruk (Thai Sun GaGa) 12 eps - I cut my losses at ep 5. DNF

To Sir With Love AKA Khun Chai 16 eps - could be sad v worried

2 Moons 3 (Thai Mon ??) 10 eps - Possibly a future binge watch. Rumor is it’s banal.

SELF (Thai Thurs YT) - DNF

Love Bill  (Vietnam Sat YT) - Bah Vinh is back but I’m too distracted. Also there’s a lot of fund raising and stuff going on. I’ll wait and binge.

In Case You Missed It

I did a post on all of Strongberry’s offerings. 

Restart After Coming Back Home (formerly Restart After Come Back Home) is now available on Gaga! Go and watch it, it’s wonderful. Now they just have to get Seven Days and my life will be complete and my subscription love for them eternal. 

OnlyOneOf is really doing a BL. 

I did my GMMTV 2023 predictions. 

TutorYim (Cutie Pie crumbs) have been cast as the new leads in Middle Love (formerly Jimmy Tommy). 

I think this is a really good choice, actually. 

GAP the series (Sat YT) 1 of 12 has started, office set GL. WATCH IT! GL and this studio needs our support! (Also, the stairs are back!)

Coming to Viki: Love in the Air, ITSAY & IPYTM, Remember Me, and 2 new KBLs: The New Employee & Happy Ending Romance. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting this week:

Nov 24: Happy Ending Romance (Korea Thurs Gaga) 8 - stars Karam (The Boss), Ha Jong Woo, and Leo (VIXX). Formerly Happy Ending Outside the Fence - thank fuck they changed the damn title.  

Nov 26: 609 Bedtime Story (Thai Sat WeTV) 11 - another OhmFluke vehicle that’s rumored to be a good story. A one night stand leads to a series of mysterious premonitions and a possible parallel universe.

Nov 2022 still to come?

Nov ??: My School President (?? GMMTV YT) tester trailer here - it’s Love Sick + Korea & Japan's influence.

This week’s earworm: Hello Hello FT Island, doing the blog post about Kdrama actors who’d never do BL made me think about Lee Hong Ki, which made me go back to their back catalogue. I forgot how fucking killer they are. 

(last week)

[save-the-data]

eien no kino | s01e06

Japanese Drama - 2022, 8 episodes

EP:- 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 6 : 7 : 8

Official GagaOOLala link with English subtitles

[save-the-data]

eien no kino | s01e07

Japanese Drama - 2022, 8 episodes

EP:- 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 6 : 7 : 8

Official GagaOOLala link with English subtitles

[save-the-data]

eien no kino | s01e05

Japanese Drama - 2022, 8 episodes

EP:- 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 6 : 7 : 8

Official GagaOOLala link with English subtitles

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL

Nov 2022 Wk 2

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying the most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Between Us (Sun iQIYI) 1 of 12 - It got hot and heavy way faster than expected. With DeanPharm the side couple, I just want more of them like I did with WinTeam in UWMA. But yeah, it’s VERY good, thank fuck. WATCH ALONG HERE. 

Big Dragon (Sat Gaga) 6 of 8 - How can this dumb little pulp be so good? Also P’Nine? I will heal your broken heart. The brother zone is rough, baby. The thing about this damn drama is all of the characters are honestly motivated and act in accordance with their personalities. I think that’s mostly why I can’t stop watching. Loved the scene with Yai and his ma-in-law-to-be. Also, nice stinger! That’s one way to come out. Look this was a REALLY engaging ep. 

My Only 12% (Fri iQIYI) 14fin - I really did not expect this show to end on this note. Ah Earth with the crying. I did expect the final episode to be family drama-llama, but this kind of drama didn’t work for me under the context of a BL. I do love the siblings. (There’s a part of me that wanted Prem’s character to be Team. This could work as Team’s back story.) All in all? I found it disappointing. Conclusion: This is a strong little BL romance (tailor made for SantaEarth) about holding onto first love and childhood, but it’s buried under waffling family drama and formless side characters so that it took a lot of digging to get to - still, RECOMMENDED. 8/10 

Ai Long Nhai (Mon iQIYI) 7 of 10 - Nothing continues to happen and exactly nothing will and yet I keep watching. Probably because the nothing keeps getting shirtless. 

Ghost Host, Ghost House (Weds YouTube) 6 of 8 - Cute bfs are cute but... NO SINGING. Adorbs but sad GL side plot AKA dead lesbians got a nod. 

Remember Me (Sun Gaga) 5 of 12 - JaFirst are just great on screen together, I am very invested in their couple but, yeah, no one else. The stuff with Name was really difficult to watch, but Title is a GREAT little actor. 

Love in the Air (Thurs iQIYI) 13fin - Ultimately? Sky needed a therapist not a stalker lover, but whatever Mame. DUMPSTER FIRE TRASH WATCH COMPLETED HERE. I gave it a very reluctant 7/10, recommended only if you know you like this kind of thing. Look you remember in high school drama class where they make you “envision a basket, and put all of your worry, bad mood, and anxiety into that basket, and leave it outside the door”? Well, in order to enjoy this show, you have to do that, only with your morals. Some people have bigger baskets than others. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

My Tooth Your Love (Taiwan Fri Viki) 6 of 12 - I do like a little jealousy from the dentist. Yet another installment in this week”s “please get that uke to a therapist” only this time (unlike LITA) our seme actually gives it an honest try. I might be completely and totally in love with the dentist. I adore how stern he gets, plus he has a very strong white knight tendencies. Also baby boi wanna-bartend with the big-ass crush is giving me life. 

Eternal Yesterday AKA Eien no Kino (Japan Thurs Gaga) 4 of 8 - Am I the only one who JUST realized the actor playing Koichi is Komiya Rio who played Tanaka in Takara & Amagi? I’m so slow. Look all Japanese BL (even the most fluffy nonsense like Kabe Koji) is a little bit emo and exists in a sideways state. It’s gonna go into uncomfortable and uncanny spaces. It’s what it does. This one, given its psychological horror elements, is even more uncanny, to the point of creepy. I’m not a big fan of creepy, and yet I like this show. Japanese zombie incubus? Yes please. Look, I’m utterly unable to back away from the pun, and so: I see seme stiffie can get a stiffie. Puns aside? This was a killer first-time sex scene for something relatively low heat. I’m reminded of Shin’s tongue. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, no one does thirst like Japan. Korea and Thailand can have a winsome yearn-off, and Taiwan is great a pining, but Japan? Japan brings the Thirst. 

Choco Milk Shake (Korea Strongberry Tues YT) 3-4 of 10 - I love this show so much. It made me tear up and then in the second part I was laughing my ass off, because the cat was trying to teach the dog how to stare properly. So funny. Then Pets being worried about their sick human, is so accurate. Is anything funnier than the idea of a cat in a service industry job? I really don’t want this to be sad. Please don’t be sad. In Strongberry we trust is my mantra!

Kabe Koji (Japan Mon Viki) 6 of 10 - I like it more and more as it goes on, but I still don’t think I actually, ya know, like it. 

It’s Airing But I’m Not Watching It

War of Y (Thai Gaga) 20 eps - it’s just all too much for me.

My Roommate (Thai YT) 32 eps of 2 minutes each + terrible production values? - I’m not bothering.

Fahlanruk (Thai Sun GaGa) 12 eps - I cut my losses at ep 5. DNF

To Sir With Love AKA Khun Chai 28 eps - dito

2 Moons 3 (Thai Mon ??) 10 eps - Possibly a future binge watch. Rumor is it’s banal.

SELF (Thai Thurs YT) - DNF

Love Bill  (Vietnam Sat YT) - Bah Vinh is back but I’m too distracted. Also there’s a lot of fund raising and stuff going on. I’ll wait and binge.

In Case You Missed It

Korean GL She Makes My Heart Flutter finished it’s run on YouTube. RECOMMENDED. Full review (not by me) here. Extremely cute, about a lesbian bar run by an aunt and her niece.  

I have no idea if any of these still work, but the spies reported in on ways to watch the Cherry Magic movie (2022) with Eng Subs: BiliBili | Website I liked it, not as much as the original, solid 8/10 from me. Again no kissing, these actors must be expensive. Still with Thailand bringing the high heat with such consummate casualness these days (licking ass and taking names) there really isn’t much of an excuse anymore for no kisses. Even Korea has buckled. 

Gossip

Kpop boy group OnlyOneOf has collectively signed up to be in idol-based BL, Bump Up Business (based on a webtoon of the same name). They’ve been auditioning for this since Libido IMHO. You can watch me chronicle their BL MV series in this post. It’s from Idol Romance who will do sad and can do good kisses (Wish You, Nobleman Ryu, Once Again, Kissable Lips, Poongduck 304, Tasty Florida, Tinted With You). More info here. 

HIStory 5 is coming! Office BL + time travel. “A cheerful and energetic senior student from 2000 travels to the future (2022), works as a deliveryman, and meets his first customer, an heir with a domineering personality.” Nancy Chen to direct (HIStory 4, Papa & Daddy).

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting up: 

Nov 18: I Will Knock You (Thai Fri Gaga) A college kid & tutor confronts the leader of a gang who then turns out to be his next student. Bad boy/good boy + sunshine/grumpy, + younger seme pairing, bully romance. Adapted from korean_rabbit's y-novel of the same name, directed by Champ (2gether).

Nov 19: GAP the series (Thai Sat YT) - 12 ep office set GL. WATCH IT! GL and this studio need our support. 

Nov 2022 still to come?

Nov 24: Happy Ending Romance (Korea Thurs Gaga) stars Karam (The Boss), Ha Jong Woo, and Leo (VIXX). Formerly Happy Ending Outside the Fence - thank fuck they changed the damn title.  

Nov 26: 609 Bedtime Story (Thai Sat WeTV) - another OhmFluke vehicle that’s rumored to be a good story. A one night stand leads to a series of mysterious premonitions and a possible parallel universe.

Nov ??: My School President (?? GMMTV YT) tester trailer here - it’s Love Sick + Korea & Japan's influence.

This Week’s Return of the Shirt of Shame 

Work From Heart wasn’t enough? You had to put it on the prettiest boy in the world? (Ghost Host, Ghost House) 

This week’s best moments?

Oops indeed. 

This weeks earworm: MCND #mood

(last week)

Note: I’m off to France and then Australia, as ya do, so posting may be odd and sporadic and strangely timed. Don’t get excited, it’s work, I mostly get to see the insides of hotels. 

[save-the-data]

eien no kino | s01e04

Japanese Drama - 2022, 8 episodes

EP:- 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 6 : 7 : 8

Official GagaOOLala link with English subtitles

[save-the-data]

eien no kino | s01e03

Japanese Drama - 2022, 8 episodes

EP:- 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 6 : 7 : 8

Official GagaOOLala link with English subtitles

[save-the-data]

eien no kino | s01e02

Japanese Drama - 2022, 8 episodes

EP:- 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 6 : 7 : 8

Official GagaOOLala link with English subtitles

[save-the-data]

Eien no Kino | s01e01

Japanese Drama - 2022, 8 episodes

EP:- 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 6 : 7 : 8

Official GagaOOLala link with English subtitles