#hong kong bl series

[heretherebedork]

Oh man. Reunion romance between a high school fling and now they're both almost thirty and they've been apart for so long because Mike went to Canada with his family and left George behind and I already kind of love everything here.

The girls are just guessing at everything but I have the feeling they're closer tot the truth than they want to be.

Awww, they were adorable in high school!

(Anyway, I'm hooked, It's called Our Golden Times and it's a BL out of Hong Kong... well, to be more clear, hopefully it's a BL but I can't be totally sure tbh. @absolutebl There are three episodes at ten minutes each and so far I'm in the second episode and kind of love it.)

Not the method I would go with to speak to someone after fifteen years apart. Poor George.

[lgbtally4ever]

It may cause some contention, but I have to say—aside from ONLY FRIENDS, a thankfully, adult-themed BL Series from Thailand (GMMTV), my current favorite BL series are from Taiwan & Hong Kong.

We had to wait awhile, before Taiwan/Hong Kong released a few BL series this year, but it was worth it! They are ALL GOOD! Adult dramas, which are well-written, well-cast, well-acted, original, emotional—they are the cream of the current crop!

I think I appreciate the more visceral nature of some recent series after watching the more shallow, albeit fun, series. It’s a nice change of pace.

You GO, Taiwan & Hong Kong!

Kiseki: Dear to Me

Stay Still

Stay by My Side

With one from Japan:

My Personal Weatherman

One from Thailand:

Only Friends

And one from Korea:

Jun & Jun

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Lots of lovely kisses & an unwarranted upset in the standings

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

Oct 2024 Week 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

Fourever You (Thai Thurs YT) ep 2 of 16 - Yes yes J&J should be first but I am weak in the face of, well, frankly this man's face:

Pond = greatest piner in a dog’s age. The yearning in that boy’s eyes is obscene, it’s like the most explicit sex that only he can see and we’re just voyeurs.

Thus I continue to adore this stupid show and everything it stands for. No notes. May the fluff continue eternal.

Jack & Joker (Thai Mon IQIYI) ep 5 of 12 - Everyone is so skilled in this show, but War is truly glorious. Considering the pacing, I think we are probably in for some long periods of darkness, suffering, and pain soon. I’m not mad about that prospect, it’s earned and foreshadowed, I just thought I’d lay it out there.

Kidnap (Fri YT) ep 6 of 12 - More boys from GMMTV with good communication. Who knew? Min has SUCH a white knight complex. NO SINGING. Good demanding kiss, though. Well, Ohm can handle anything. 

Meanwhile, this really is a bodyguard romance under another name. And I kinda wanna rewatch Never Let Me Go as a result.

Love Sick 2024 (Thai Sun iQIYI) ep 4 of 15 - Earn remains best boy and my favorite character. Phun is v jelly, as he should be. AND I like Ohm & N'Mik better in this version. I still prefer the original leads, but I’m enjoying this enough. 

I had no idea how much I missed Gunsmile! It’s so nice to see him on my screen again.

Monster Next Door (Thai Thurs Gaga ) ep 12 fin - I hate Diew’s mom. Hate her. So much. She may be my least favorite mom ever in BL. That’s saying a lot. No I don’t think she was redeemed. 

Conclusion

Adapted from the novel Godzilla Next Door by Jiwinil about an introvert who lives mostly in his room, until a loud annoying extrovert moves in next door. This was one of my top picks for 2024 and I’m delighted to say it satisfied expectations. A charmingly serene story of opposites attract, that featured good communication, patience, and genuine affection used to build a solid relationship.(I’m particularly delighted that our musician is a drummer and I don’t have to listen to him sing.) Yes it’s a tad slow but it’s very earnest and leans into the kind of sweetness that Thai BL does best. Doesn’t hurt that this starred an actor (Big) that many of us have been hoping would get a lead for years. I was pleased and comforted. This is not a kind of BL that suits everybody, but it suited me admirably. 8/10 

Battle of the Writers (Sun YT) ep 10 of 12 - Ozone and the Ice Prince (name still unknown) did their little dance. What an earnest and romantic confession from our Icy man. I literally said “no no no just kiss, no foreheads.” And it was a great crying kiss, my favorite. Honestly, that amount of emotion hadn’t been earned by this pair, but I don’t mind. I could watch a whole show just about them. Also woah! Major nekid on YT?

Thailand......

Risking demonetization for arse…...

I guess we’ve all been there. 

Where was I?

I’m happy with this episode since it was mostly my side couple. But the distribution of main couple and side couple and the focus of each episode is wildly erratic with this show. It’s very odd. (And let's be clear we ordered errotic not erratic.)

Every You Every Me (Thai Mon Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - Jade and Chin have lived over a thousand lifetimes. In each one they somehow manage to fall in love with each other. (This pair, TopMick was piloted in a My Universe ep, that was one of the only ones I liked.) Soulmate premise is a mix of Color Rush and La Pluie. Frankly, this isn’t as good as either, but it’s enjoyable in a slow cheerful way. Especially if you like this particular set of tropes. It’s quietly lovely and I like the leads. Sunshine is very very sunshine and our tsundere is a grumpy mysterious nerd. Trigger for domestic abuse. It looks like each episode is gonna be a completely different meet cute with the same pairing. It’s more linked vignettes than any overarching story. So if you don’t like this pair, you won’t like this series.

Addicted Heroin (Thai Tues WeTV) ep 9 of 10 - More sports day. (Everybody’s doing sports days right now.) Random sides kissing. Where did the glasses person come from? Was he introduced and I forgot about it? Oh that’s the evil cousin! Okay… anygay. Sides randomly flip-flop who they like and I don’t know what the fuck is going on. This show. I swear. Ooo caught kissing. And… killed? What a mind fuck of a soap opera. Honestly, I’m fine if he’s dead, I don’t care at this point I just feel jerked around. 

For some reason no eng sub for me for the first half. So I watched with Spanish subs (which is about as good as my Thai, only for different words). What a wild experience.

Bad Guy My Boss (Thai Sun Gaga) ep 4 of 10 - Oh dear. I just can’t imagine ever rooting for this couple. Which means… Why am I watching this? 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

My Damn Business (Korea Sat YT) eps 1-2 of 7 - Oh I love it. Casual flirty westernized-style boss. Reserved reluctant cutie (yes we’ve seen the actor before). Is it disgusting workplace harassment? Oh most certainly. Do I enjoy it anyway? Yep, I’m warped. No defense, but at least it’s something from Korea. 

Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 3 of ? - I like the lead being bullied and pushed to his limit thus turning into a psychopath. It’s gonna be a fun ride if it really goes Devil Judge just teens and actually gay. I wonder if it has the strength of its convictions? 

Our Golden Times (Hong Kong YT) 5 fin? - I guess that is the reunion? What an odd little piece. I’m not entirely sure what I feel about it except that this feels more BL than anything Hong Kong has given us so far (which isn't much). The subs are truly terrible. Since I speak absolutely zero Cantonese I can’t really fix them in my brain. I thought this was the final ep but then a teaser for ep 6 dropped so I we have at least one more. 

First Note Of Love (Taiwan Mon Gaga) ep 10 of 12 - It was a nice, if entirely unearned reunion. And the leads do kiss beautifully. Trust Taiwan. I am so glad that Orca is back! There was even a little language play flip-flopping just for me. Very cute. Also GREAT kissing. How long have we been waiting for Thailand and Taiwan to kiss? 

Eccentric Romance (Korea Weds Viki) eps 1-2 of 12 - Silkwood’s 2nd Thai/Korean colab. This has been in production since 2022 which is a LONG time in the BL world (worrying). But I like the concept: friends of 10 years who’ve been hiding feelings for each other enter the same university. Plus MURDER. Stars Yoon Jun Won (The Man BLK) and Thai actor Save Saisawat (Ai Long Nhai). I begin to think every The Man BLK member will eventually lead out a BL at this point.

It’s enjoyable in a weird way. Grumpy (hottie with a crush) + sunshine (captain oblivious). I gotta say, since this is the second relationship dual lingo style in our BL rn that it’s ALWAYS weird if the other half doesn't occasionally code switch languages, especially for specific words. In other words, the Korean dude is supposed to at least understand Thai, occasionally he’s should use a Thai world to get a point across. And the Thai dude is there to STUDY KOREAN, he should be slipping in and out of Korean regularly. Bah. 

It's airing but...

Love is Like a Poison AKA Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Japan Tues Netflix?) 5 of 10 eps - I never managed to get hold of ep 5. Frankly, it’s going to Netflix (I don’t subscribe) so I might not finish this out of sheer laziness. 

The Hidden Moon (Sat WeTV) ep 1 of 10 - This is a supernatural romance (my ghost boyfriend trope) by Violet Rain (I Feel You Linger). A man is hired to write an article about an old mansion in Chiang Mai being converted into a café. He sees the ghosts of people who died at the mansion, falls in love with one of them. Was substantially recast. I loved IFYLITA except the ending so I think I'll let this one run it's course you can tell me if it's work tracking down... if they managed to land it. I have my doubts.

Gangster and His Boyfriend (Korea ????) 8 eps? - was supposed to air 10/10 Kim Dong Bin (famous trainee & idol reality competitor, yeah that happens) stars as a fallen idol who unexpectedly becomes entangled in a gangster family. Discovers that his friend’s father is responsible for the murder of his entire family years ago. I don't know much about this one, neither does anyone else and I'm not sure where I got that release date so……

Next Week Looks Like This:

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

Still Coming Oct 2024:

10/17 Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo (Korea Thurs Gaga) 8 eps - High school student Do Hoe lives with his violent and brutal father who runs a Taekwondo gym in a rural area. One day, cheerful Ju Young arrives, he dreams of going to college for Taekwondo. Joy begins to fill Do Hoe's dark life. An unexpected incident forces them apart, they reunite ten years later.

10/21 Love in the Big City (Korea ????) 8 eps - Okay, this is both a movie (already out) and a series. Neither one is likely BL and I can't imagine it will end happily. I'm giving both a pass but here's your synopsis.

Cynical fun loving student Young pinballs from home, to class, to on night stands. He and Jaehee, his female besie and roommate, frequent nearby bars where they push away their worries about life, love, and money with soju and hookups.

10/23 See Your Love (Taiwan Weds Gaga & Viki) 10 eps? - Zi Xiong, a third-generation heir, attempting to flee from taking over their family business, meets and falls in love with Shao Peng, who works as a hearing-impaired nurse. From the same production house as Kiseki Dear To Me in partnership with Shinehouse Theatre, funded by Taiwan’s BIGART + Japan's Rakuten (Viki). Show includes Lin Chia Yo (Be Loved in House: I Do). Director Chiang Ping Chen’s childhood experiences with his deaf uncle have inspired the drama.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Addicted Heroin

Incidentally he didn’t ask to “be with Ter” he asked if he could flirt/court him. jeeb doesn’t really have a direct translation, but it isn’t “be with.” 

Fourever You

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

Sigh, Tumblr in its infinite wisdom doesn't like too many at-ings.

[blmpff]

SAILUB HEMMAWICH 19.03.24

[itsallaboutbl]

5 big mafia gangs in Feiqi.

[guzhufuren]

HONG KONG | Jupiter Entertainment, the creators of the Cantonese BL drama Stay Still, have announced a collaboration with Thai production company BYTE for their upcoming BL drama Eyes On You!

source: blupdate2022

[madeinchinataiwanhk-blbambeyond]

MADE IN TAIWAN

Series: The On1y One

BENJAMIN TSANG

LIU DONG QIN

[khaotungsfirst]

hello??!? spy theme!?? 10 eps?!! 45 min episodes??!?? HELL YES

[pickletrip]

When I started watching Stay Still I had my doubts because episode 0 was quite confusing. But as I kept watching this tiny little beautiful show I was mesmerized by its beauty, the atmosphere, the love, and the characters. As the show ended today, I felt sad that it's over, but happy with how things turned out

We learn about Hayden and Damien and Kelvin and Archie from a story narrated by this woman. She's getting married the next day, but clearly it's not something that would make her happy because he's not the one she's marrying but here she is with him the night before her big day. As they talk and smoke we slowly see how their dynamic changes as the story progresses. I really thought she would leave and he didn't seem like the type to hold on to someone. But things turned out otherwise. The lighting for their scenes was always warm and comforting even if the atmosphere seemed dense and sorrowful in a way. But we see how the light breaks through that invisible barrier to bring them together and to the realisation that they belong together.

Hayden and Damien met in the most unusual way but there was nothing unusual about the way their relationship develops. They both clearly have feelings for each other even though they were at different points in their life - Hayden moving on from his ex, Damien dealing with his grandmother's death. Through the rough patches they were there for each other, even though the gestures were small (Damien taking care of drunk Hayden and keeping him company on his birthday; Hayden buying food and leaving notes for Damien to help him deal with his loss). These are very real situations and experiences and the actors did a fabulous job showing that to us.

Now Kelvin and Archie faced such an unfortunate tragedy as high school lovers torn apart by this woman's jealousy. She outed them to the whole school (or class, I'm not sure which) forcing Archie to leave the school because he became the root of all jokes and verbal (maybe physical, not sure) bullying. Does she get what she wants? In a sense, yes. We see that they are married and they have a son. Are they happy? Well, that's a whole other situation. After Archie returns we see that Kelvin really lights up and becomes a whole different person. But of course that doesn't last long, because the ever meddling witch has come to threaten Kelvin with their son. So Kelvin does what is expected of him, he pushes Archie away. Only after losing him the second time does he finally realise what he really wanted.

Finding love in this ever broken world is hard. And we see how these stories depict the reality of these experiences we go through every day.

What a beautiful and touching show. I look forward to more from Jupiter Entertainment. This show is their inaugural production under the "Love Spread" program. So, I have hope that there's more to come in the future.

I highly recommend this show and it's freely available on YouTube. So, why not give it a shot?

[babyangelsky]

I will not be staying still I will be vibrating at a frequency previously unknown to man

[mikuni14]

Stay Still Ep 0-5

Stay Still is just.. wow. Another surprise this year… wait! this month only! I liked everything:

unique vibe of old Asian movies

an interesting way of narration by a witness of events, which at the same time has their own story

the atmosphere, melancholy, colors, scenes where there are no conversations

everyday life

characters who don't look like models

characters shown when they are sad, unhappy, depressed, or resigned

interiors, city views that are not artificial, "posed", like from interior design magazines

actually there is no "artificial perfection" there at all, which makes the series perfect in its reality

the characters are very natural in surprisingly beautiful love scenes

After the series ended I had a sudden urge to watch Eternal Summer and maybe Bangkok Love Story 🥺

I recommend Stay Still, it was great.

[heretherebedork]

The customer literally sent in goons to kidnap him out of the cosmetic medical center for delaying her treatment by a few hours and so Mike got to ruch in and rescue him and I got to make an illegal sound.

His reflection! The way he's smiling! Oh, I love them so much.

[lgbtally4ever]

BL SERIES I’M CURRENTLY WATCHING

* denotes current faves

Unknown & To Be Continued are my two, absolute favorites on this list.

City of Stars just ended. It was sweet, had a good ending.

+++++++++++++++++++

(Not too sure about Deep Night, but I may add Living with Him, At 25:00 in Akasaka, and Grey Shelter to faves—we’ll see.)

Addendum:

I’m also currently watching *Boys Be Brave (👍 I wrote another, short post, on this series).

On Rakuten Viki.

And now I’ve just found: *House of the Dark Shadows, on GagaOOLala, which is giving off a To Sir With Love vibe, like a costume drama, but this one had a horror backdrop, which is very different for the bl genre. I haven’t started watching, yet, but will post something when I do.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

OK—this post is going to keep growing, because I, also, found another bl series on YouTube, called Blue Boys, on the SukFilm channel (yes, it’s called suk film)

On iQIYI, My Stand-In, episode 1 has dropped.

[blmpff]

STAY STILL (2023)

episode 0, eng sub (Hong Kong)

18.07.23

[pandasmagorica]

Intro/tracking post

Last updated October 31, 2024.

Older queer white cis dude in California, pronoun he.

Love music.

Enjoy QL, mostly Thai, mostly series.

Here to read and comment on posts. Lack of posting does not represent non-engagment with a series. Reblogging represents engagement, not (necessarily) agreement with a post. Non-reblogging may (or may not) reflect an accessibility issue with the original post or that there is some other reason I don't want it on my blog (even if I like or agree with it).

If a series puts me off in the first episode, I will often abandon it, sometimes within the first few minutes. I'm less likely to abandon midway. If I'm considering abandoning a series I've otherwise liked up to that point, I'll often read the reviews on MDL or look up posts on the series, at risk of getting spoilers, to decide whether to go on with it (and it's gone both ways).

Not a fan of spoilers, but recognize it as a risk of engaging so I don't (usually) spoiler-shame. Please don't put them in comments to me, if you would be so kind.

Okay with sad endings if they're earned or otherwise inevitable.

Incomplete watchlist (which I will update from time to time):

In progress - active

Every You, Every Me (week by week watch)

(deciding) (binge watch)

Top Shows (in order as best I can, ask me on another day and stuff might move):

Until We Meet Again and everything I like better than Until We Meet Again. Expands as needed.

Not Me (best QL series ever for plot, acting, cinematography, and music, content warning for violence) (1 re-watch)

Bad Buddy (lots of fun, new discoveries on every re-watch) (3 re-watches)

Knock Knock Boys (episode 1 notes with mature content) (episode 3-6 notes without) (sex positive romantic comedy)

He's Coming to Me (heartwarming, delightful coming-of-age work. I didn't care for the library raid part and skipped it once on rewatch and there seemed to me to be some inconsistencies with the ghost rules.) (3 re-watches)

Cherry Magic (Japanese version, delightful, looking forward to the Thai remake if they ever settle the rights issues)

To Sir With Love (could get me to try lakorns)

Semantic Error (enemies to lovers comedy that hits all the right notes)

A Tale of a Thousand Stars (fine series, not sure why I haven't rewatched it, need to rewatch after Our Skyy 2)

55:15 Never Too Late (not QL but has a QL subplot, notable for having an older semi-out gay character) (1 re-watch)

Gaya Sa Pelicula (Like in the Movies) (odd couple thrown together, fall in love, hit limits

Eternal Yesterday (re-watch episode notes) (not usually into high school QL but the plot got me and it blew me away, achingly sad throughout) (1 re-watch)

Until We Meet Again (fine contrast between the ghosts of the past and the world of today, deep story, but has a few problematic scenes that I cringe at, theme music got repetitive; content warning for suicide) (2 or 3 re-watches)

Much as I love them, I don't automatically recommend every one of them to everyone. The right rec for the right person!

In progress - on hold

The Eighth Sense (on possible hold as I consider a trope I don't love)

Cherry Magic (Thai) (on apparently long-term hold pending rights issues)

I Promised You the Moon (but not actively watching)

Considering

Okay, this is a really long list and I'm probably not going to watch all of them, but a fan's gotta dream, right?

Although I Love You, and You?

Boys Be Brave

Ex-Morning

Happenstance

The Heart Killers

Leap Day

Living With Him

Mama Gogo

Midnight Motel

My Strawberry Film

Old Fashioned Cupcake

Oh! Boarding House

1000 Years Old

The Player

Revamp

Shadow (although probably not)

Stay Still

ThamePo

Tokyo in April Is...

Us

First episode watched but not committed to

Our Dining Table

Also Completed:

A Cut Above (in alphabetical order):

Near misses for my top list, bubbling under that line. Highly recommended.

Anti-Reset (episode notes) (speculative fiction on the future of AI, in a robot and a human who fall in love, quite emotional)

At 25:00 in Akasaka (review) (QL meta romantic comedy, content warning for dubcon that kept it off my top list)

Century of Love (episode notes) (a 120-year-old man learns to let go of the past and find his future with a young man he meets by chance who might be that loved one from the past after all, content warning for violence)

Formula 17 (campy and fun) (2 or 3 rewatches)

4 Minutes (review) (avant-garde metaphysical exploration of regret and renewal)

History 3: Trapped (very funny and enjoyable

I Became the Main Role of a BL Drama (feel-good comedy)

The Great Doctor (episode notes) (not QL) (medical/historical/time travel mashup, content warning for violence and gory medical stuff)

Kiseki: Dear to Me (watch notes) (top notch crime drama with a lot of humor - content warning for violence - includes an older gay couple) (1 rewatch)

Lovely Writer (very meta about the QL industry and quite funny)

The Miracle of Teddy Bear (episode notes) (magical and bittersweet; includes an elderly gay couple)

Moonlight Chicken (touching and fun)

Once Again (touching time travel, sad throughout) (1 rewatch)

180 Degrees Longitude Passes Through Us (intelligent and a good watch, melancholy, feels very much like a stage play)

The Sign (deeply flawed but wild and enthralling deep dive into northeastern Thai mythology disguised as a cop series - content warning for violence - yeah, it's a mess but it's a glorious mess)

10 Years Ticket (episode notes) (crime drama about two warring families, bittersweet ending - not QL, but there's a QL subplot)

3 Will Be Free (review link) (wild ride with great twists, content warning for violence, yeah I'd call it QL)

Unknown (review link) (found family, found love - content warning for violence, unrelated "brothers")

The Warp Effect (not QL, but some queer characters)

and a fanfic:

What's in Your Head (Bad Buddy zombie fic) (content warning for violence, requires AO3 login)

Others I enjoyed (in alpha order):

I enjoyed these enough to be happy I watched them, but not enough to consider them classics and in no danger of breaching my top 10.

Be My Favorite (fun time-travel fantasy with a strong political viewpoint and good twists, one of the mains is a bit hard to take)

Bed Friend (not sure enjoyed is the right word, has some triggers, but worth seeing, loved the cat role-play)

Bite Fight (so bad it's good; horror comedy)

The Boy Foretold By the Stars (fun, sweet comedy)

Choco Milkshake (fun, touching pet fantasy)

Cupid's Last Wish (fun body-swap plot, insane amount of food and landscape porn, rural settings, content warning for gross cow veterinary scene)

Dark Blue Kiss (pretty good, creepy interloper)

Dear Tenant (enjoyed isn't the right word, and had to pause and walk away from it partway for a major cry, but an excellent film)

DNA Says I Love You (review link) (sweet, sad, interesting gender minority rep)

The End of the World With You (mix of SF and fantasy, good story and relationships)

Eternal Summer (Taiwanese film about youth discovering their identity - bisexual love triangle - well done if a bit melancholy)

First Love Again (A slave and a woman in Goreyo fall in love, but the slave is killed for it. Two reincarnations later, they are two men in modern-day Seoul. Oh, and there's a spirit who used to be a cat guiding the former slave through his wish to be loved. Good balance between romantic comedy and drama.)

Ghost Host, Ghost House (nice supernatural treatment)

Gift Shop for People You Hate (not QL but has two minor gay characters making guest appearances, one evil and one harmless) (horror, with a very dark sense of humor) (this one doesn't show an English title on YouTube, but if you search YouTube under that name you'll find it) (1 rewatch)

Innocent (a relationship involving split personality disorder, very different, dubcon alert)

Jack O'Frost (melancholy and sweet)

The Man Who Defies the World of BL (very funny after watching several series and becoming aware of the tropes)

The Man Who Defies the World of BL season 2 (okay, maybe a joke can go on long enough)

Me, My Husband and My Husband's Boyfriend (bittersweet poly-ish story)

Midnight Museum (not QL but has a major bromance that could go full QL if there's ever a sequel) (a mess, but a glorious mess)

Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss (quite enjoyable)

My Ride (enjoyable comedy with dramatic moments - includes an older gay couple)

Naked Dining (good fun, lots of misunderstandings and food porn)

Neverland (web series from India, well done and too brief)

Our Dating Sim (fun series about the courage to correct your mistakes from the past, set in the video game workplace - a few cringe moments, but generally a very kind series)

Rainbow Prince (campy and fun, not enough songs for something that's supposed to be a musical, you have to be okay with cheesy)

Rak Diao (funny, very silly, very sitcom, although the harassment jokes got old fast and didn't stop)

The Rebound (sports meets organized crime and trouble mom, new entry into best grandmothers of QL, fun and thrills with some teary moments)

Silhouette of Your Voice (movie, a young man who is losing his hearing meets another young man who he can hear clearly - interesting take on disability, slow in places)

Sleep With Me (review link) (sweet lesbian romance, kinda slow for such short episodes, great disability rep)

Something in My Room (the abridged-episode version) (good, not great, ghost story)

Stay By My Side (review link) (fun ghost story version of Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss)

Tale of the Lost Boys (movie) (friendship story between a visiting straight Filipino and a gay Taiwanese aboriginal in Taiwan, heartwarming story)

Tinted with You (a way too short, fun time travel fantasy involving a painting and a mystical art lover that bring an art student together with an ancient deposed prince)

Twilight Kiss aka Suk Suk (fine, bittersweet Hong Kong film about an affair between two older heterosexually married men who are actually closeted gay men)

Twins (Thai pulp, fun, not too deep, some poop humor)

Wandee Goodday (a smart, sex-positive comedy with some missteps that kept it off my cut above list)

What Six Survivors Told (quick review) (zombie comedy, not QL but a bi character and same sex attractions, strong female characters, very funny)

Your Name Engraved Herein (not sure enjoyed is the right word but it's fine work)

Zero Photography (from Magic of Zero) (most entertaining product promotion vehicle I've seen in QL, even better than Pran & Pat's product placements in Bad Buddy)

Torn about:

These all had some kind of major issue that prevents me from recommending them.

Fish Upon the Sky (appalled at the racism/punch-down humor in episode 4, otherwise loved its play with form)

Last Twilight (entrancing series, but the characters didn't grow, the ending was poorly set up - needed a few more episodes - and it ultimately fumbled on disability rep)

Mr. Cinderella (nearly abandoned this one because of a supporting toxic character, but kept with it after reading a post about the traditional Vietnamese story it was tracking)

Secret Crush on You (cringed for the first half, considered dropping it, read the defense by trans reviewers, watched the rest, and suddenly it got really good)

Together With Me (mix of great content and really problematic content)

Lukewarm:

I'm more glad than not that I watched these but in retrospect would have been okay if I had missed them:

Bagan Beginning (Not-bad early Myanmar foray into QL, lots of food and antiquity porn, content warning for violence in the last episode)

Color Rush (interesting concept, just okay)

Enchanté (not as bad as people say it is, but also just okay)

Gay OK Bangkok and Gay OK Bangkok 2 (definitely gay and, er, okay)

Nitiman (okay enough)

Only Friends (episode notes) (a sex farce with too much toxic behavior for my taste and a last episode choice that left a bad taste in my mouth)

Our Skyy 2 Bad Buddy x Thousand Stars (counting the four episodes as one series even though they have different names, didn't love this but didn't hate it either, very pale compared to the original two separate series)

Our Skyy 2 Vice Versa (was just okay with a really bad idea at the base of its plot)

Star & Sky: Star in My Mind (not great, not bad)

The Tasty Florida (cute enough, just so-so)

Vice Versa (brief notes) (good concept, product placements became way too intrusive for my full enjoyment)

Ones I wish I could watch:

I only watch legit sources, both so the creators get money for it and to reduce the hacking risks that watching gray presents.

Triage (I don't have a Thai phone number to log in to AISPlay, and even if I did not sure if it would have English subtitles)

Manner of Death (I need a WeTV subscription and will check that out) (thank you to @lurkingteapot for this info)

I Feel You Linger in the Air

Peach of Time (supernatural plot) (supposedly I can watch this on WeTV using VPN but I'm not yet ready to make the leap to VPN)

Series I abandoned:

23.5, despite my pledge to watch it, very late (episode 11, mid-part-2/4) because of what I call the punching bag trope that just showed up

Accomplishment of Fundoshi Bartender (episode 2 when he screamed offstage about not dating married men - I know this series isn't intended to be realistic but I still need the other characters to react to his behavior - this series has gotten entirely too silly for me)

Candy Colored Paradox (bored by episode 2 or 3)

Cooking Crush (a few minutes into episode 1 [2/4] as it is getting way too silly for me, plus we're going to have to put up with hazing/bullying as comedy - at least they had some new sound effects)

Cutie Pie (hated the infantilizing, left by episode 3 or 4)

I Told Sunset About You (left in episode 1, not loving the high school content)

Love by Chance (had someone fall on top of someone else in the first 30 seconds, left immediately)

Love Stage (apparently without most of the music - I'm guessing there's rights issues - but I abandoned it after 2 episodes because one of the lead's acting felt flat and I didn't enjoy the humor)

Lucky My Love (first segment didn't engage me)

Meow Ears Up (lost interest in the first episode with the fangirls in the store incident)

Monster Next Door (I'm finding the visual effects painful)

My Secret Love (first segment didn't engage me)

One Room Angel (dropped after episode 3 because it's so depressing; open to returning if it cheers up)

Playboyy (a new record - I got scared away by the content warning before the episode even started - however, based on various posts I might reconsider in for a binge watch once it's over)

SOTUS (not a fan of hazing)

Star & Sky: Sky in Your Heart (abandoned around the time of the outhouse incident)

Theory of Love (abandoned when nearly at the beginning Gun's character was crying in the shower)

VIP Only (failed to engage me in the first episode)

Un-favorite tropes:

Falling on someone

Heavy seme/uke dynamic

Northern rural Thai loan sharks

Evil ex

Boss/Employee

Stuff that I've written as opposed to reblogged I've tagged #pandasmagorica so I can find them easier.

[bengiyo]

Stay Still Ep 1 Stray Thoughts

Welcome back, Hong Kong. I don’t always support your projects, but I’m trying to do better. This one looks angsty. Let’s begin.

I see we’re entering into an existing dynamic already.

This feels very stylish out of the gate. I’m into the quietness.

A drunk person saying “Don’t go” and then the caregiver staying and given a fond, amused look gets me every time.

Oh no shaky cam, my beloathed.

I’m enjoying the score for this.

Episode 1: Reunite

Don’t slut shame my girl because she’s getting dicked down in every airport!

Okay, her description of “sugarcane men” was devastating. They taste sweet at first, but quickly become flavorless until only pulp remains.

Some timeline weirdness going on, I think? Are we seeing Hayden and Archie before and after breaking up?

I like seeing bigger boys in this.

Girls, I am so confused. This is very pretty, but I do not know what is going on!