#i have a lot of feelings about the ohm and the way the world is invisibly healing under the toxic jungle

[lunarflare64]

I don't typically add things in reblogs like this but beware, my rambling in the tags is long-winded. Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind just brings that out of me sometimes

Moment of truth...

Keep in mind: I ONLY included the films in which (according to Wikipedia), Miyazaki was the SOLE director. The only one I couldn't squeeze on here was his latest work post-retirement (How Do You Live?). Also, alas, none of the other Ghibli films count, so don't ask for Arietty, or Grave of the Fireflies, etc.

Godspeed and happy voting! ❤

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Boyfriend Era is a Go

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

NOV 2024 Week 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

Jack & Joker (Thai Mon IQIYI) ep 9 of 12 - I have to say it, the heist stuff is stupid and all the sidekicks are idiots to the point of annoyance. But Yin and War are truly stellar at these parts. And in general in these roles. Can’t knock 'em. It’s been a year of some very good kisses and this has to have been the best. So this show is top of the standings this week for that kiss alone. Like srs boys? I mean to say, BOYS! How dare. Breaking the internet like that.

Honestly, let's be clear, these two have had killer chemistry since the En of Love and we all expected great things. And now, here we sit, suffering great things from these kings. Thank you, Sirs, may we have another?

Love Sick 2024 (Thai Sun iQIYI) ep 8 of 15 - I'm chronicling my experience with 2024 as compared to 2014 here. The Per Win story arc never interested me in 2014 and I’m not enjoying it now either. But Mick and Ohm are better in 2024. Nong Mick is a standout character, and a brilliant glow up in this version and he’s a confident little shit (affectionate). The mains are good too, but Phun and Noh always were great characters, and these actors are quite good. Possibly better than the original. 

Kidnap (Fri YT) ep 10 of 12 - More bf era delightful diabetes. They are the best boyfriends and the cutest family in the entire world. No exceptions. Next week is definitely doom tho. 

Every You Every Me (Thai Mon Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - Talk about making consent and communication sexy! *fans self* Whoah! That was unexpectedly great. The blatancy of the lust in this one was fun too. And the general casual switch nature of the relationship = delightful.

I like the little acting course we're getting from these tw. They are both quite good. I’m not sure I really enjoy the stories that they’re telling, but I do like how they are telling them.

Fourever You (Thai Thurs YT) ep 6 of 16 - Hill is the premier torch carrier of this year. My goodness. He sure nursed that crush. While I really like this main couple, I’m happy to have some of the others start to creep into the narrative at this juncture. Alone HillTer are a bit intentionally miscommunicative and saccharine. But the screen-time distribution amongst couples seems a little strange. That said, couple 2? No thank you. I really don't like North as a character at all. I find him incredibly unappealing. Ordinarily I'd be on his side because....... blackmail trope renders Johan automatically a complete arse. But at least this is 2 unlikable characters being jerks to each other?

Perfect 10 Liners (Thai Sun YouTube?) ep 2 of 24 - Say it with me Thailand: negging is NOT romantic. Frankly, Arc is just an asshole and a bully with anger issues. But…… Yay cute sides! PondSand they funny. (Book, to me = never very funny. I don’t think comedy is his bailiwick. Look, comedy is HARD ya’ll and usually not in that way.) 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Our Youth AKA Miseinen: Mijukuna Oretachi wa Bukiyo ni Shinkochu (Japan Tues Gaga) ep 1 of 11 - They’re doing some interesting stuff with the framing (both filming style and narrative) that makes this extremely old-fashioned feeling (like Takumi-kun level). I keep saying that this year, but it feels like BL is doing a lot of rediscovering its roots right now. This one even had a goldfish. And abuse. (The two, oddly, often go hand-in-hand in JBL ) And overall...... it’s a bit weird. Which I don’t mind from Japan. Japanese BL can get weird in a good way. Oh I like it. Bully meats smart loaner, total opposites attract, both are lonely and broken and NEED each other, and all that.

See Your Love (Taiwan Weds Gaga) ep 4 of 13 - Oh dear, our poor little rich boy is very broken indeed. The sides are utterly ridiculous.

My Damn Business (Korea Sat YT) eps 6 of 7 - I don’t normally like a love triangle, but I kind of like this one since it gave our uke a bit more depth and agency. And charm, quite frankly. So far he’s been a very dower character.

Eccentric Romance (Korea Weds Viki) eps 9-10 of 12 - Okay boyfriend era is a go. Goodness but they sure are adorable. 

Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 7 of ? - The slow burn is really very slow. To the point of frustration. But I'm still enjoying the show, just not as much as I was.

Love is Like a Poison AKA Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Japan Tues Netflix?) 8 of 10 eps - Even Japan is going through a bf era rn I see. How unusual.

Love in the Air: Koi no Yokan (Japan Sat Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - I’m slightly less annoyed by this one than the original (but I was VERY annoyed by that). I think mame is being tempered by a few things:

There’s so much less time spent on the back-and-forth, because this is a much shorter show, so I have less time to be frustrated by it and the utter uselessness of 75% of these characters.

Also, there's that innate Japanese awkwardness of portrayal & social interaction, which makes the unpleasantness of the characters' behavior and touch more understandable.

This, in turn, is married to the natural kink factor of JBL.

There’s a clearer Dom sub from the get go with this version, makes the blackmailing a little bit more tolerable because it's clearly Play. (negotiated or not) Simply put, daddy wants his brat to beg. And honestly? So say we all.

On a completely different note, the wardrobe for this show is terrible. Like truly bad BAD.

Blue Canvas of Youthful Days (China Sun iQIYI) eps 3-4 - Well I guess that’s that disability dealt with. Meanwhile, competitive bullying art students? I am very amused. Zoo date was cute. This is unquestionably a BL (I’m even more scared now). Still, the gay boys dealing with the straight dude’s crush was truly hilarious. So much "our gay drama doesn’t have time for your het bullshit." Classy move, I smell some Taiwan in this show.

Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo (Korea Thurs Gaga) eps 4-8 end - I was reliably informed this has an HFN end so I decided to watch. Noble and self sacrificing with both of them taking the blame.

My thoughts are...... mixed.

High school student Do Hoe lives with his brutal father who runs a Taekwondo gym. When cheerful Ju Young arrives to train, they fall in love. An unexpected incident forces them apart, they reunite over a decade years later. Essentially this is a brilliant narrative about finding love at the worst possible time, surviving chronic abuse, and the way we process mental, emotional, and physical trauma overtime. Yes it’s also a romance, but that’s not primarily what this story is actually about. I can recognize its genius, but this type of narrative is not for me. I’m reminded of bittersweet painful shows like To My Star 2, or The On1y One, or even Not Me. Is this BL tangential or is it some other genre entirely? Am I questioning my own taste because I did not like its content, or because I do not like its genre? And if it’s not BL should I even render judgment? I think I have to lean into the way I approached some of those other shows, which is to say: it is not for me but I recognize that it is of an extremely high-quality that is certainly for someone else.

Recommended, but only if you like masochistic cinema. Under those circumstances 9/10

(but know that if i were rating for my personal taste? 7/10 I’m never re-watching this, and there is a small part of me that wishes I never had) 

It's airing but......

Love for Loves Sake got some kind of special supposed to air 11/9. Not sure what, why, or where. Only the rumor that it...... is. I'll believe it when I see it...... literally.

The Hidden Moon (Sat WeTV) 10 eps - I've been reliably told not to bother, so I won't.

Bad Guy My Boss (Thai Sun Gaga) 10 eps - I DNF'd at ep 7, I couldn't make it. I am weak. Life is hard enough right now, this show is making it harder. It’s not what I want from my entertainment.

Bad to Bed (Taiwan Sat YouTube) 10 eps - This is a little too low production value even for me. And just very very odd. DNF

In case you missed it

Uncle Unknown finished its run on YT. Censored Chinese BL with paralytically bad production levels. But certainly BL. Boys reunite after a break up only to discover one of them is the step-Uncle of the other. Much to my own shock and surprise I watched all 12 episodes of this. Fortunately, each episode is about 5 minutes long. Under those circumstances is it worth it? Maybe. It’s bad. But not offensive. So that's a win. And you know me, I love a weird take on the stepbrother’s trope and incest taboos. 5/20 watch it only if you have nothing better to do

Next Week Looks Like This:

Gosh there's a lot on right now.

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.

November BL:

11/15 Caged Again (Thai Fri Gaga) 10 eps - Penguin escapes zoo by turning into a human. Gets trapped again and a panther falls in love with him.

11/17 Your Sky (Thai Sun iQIYI) 12 eps - A naive freshman and the campus’s popular senior agree to pretend to be a couple - but their fake deal begins to generate real feelings.

11/20 Winter Is Not The Death of Summer (Thai Weds YT) ?? eps - Criminals who meet in prison fall in love

11/20 The Heart Killers (Thai Weds YT iQIYI) 12 eps - Jojo directs FirstKhao & JoongDunk in an action romcom about assassin brothers (Khao & Joong) who meet a tattoo artist ex-booster (First) and a mechanic (Dunk). I'm highly amused that Joong plays the older brother to Khao and that we have a take on the Taming of the ShrewBL. I like that everyone is morally gray. This has all GMMTV's best chemistry in one BL and some fresh concepts that I've only seen tackled in m/m romance novels (check out Amy Lane's Racing for the Sun, thank me later). I'm excited. My only quibble is Jojo, I like his style but his characters can get unreliably messy so…... this gonna be interesting.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

The insane level of his babygirl heart eyes.

Just, have mercy.

(last week)

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

[mushiemadarame]

Getting Started BL RecList

Back in 2022, when I first started watching BL – though it was far from my first foray into the genre* –, I went in guns blazing without much of an idea where to start and where it would lead me. Now, in 2024, I have almost 500 BL series and movies under my belt and I realise it might feel a little overwhelming to choose where to start for someone who dives into the current landscape for the first time. That’s why I thought I would compile a completely personal and biased rec list for beginners who might want a little guidance, completely based on my own experience and journey into this amazing and highly entertaining world. Links for where to watch are in an alternate version of this post because of the Tumblr link limit and if you have trouble finding any or specific versions of any of the shows, my askbox is at your disposal. Hope you enjoy!

*while I’ve been reading Yaoi Manga since I was about 11, excluding very few exceptions, it’s only recently that I’ve gotten into the genre on the screen. That is to say, I wasn’t entirely clueless to begin with.

The Fluff - Happy endings assured, along with some side-stitching comedies.

⇢About Youth - Just so heartwarming and lovely, it has a great OST and an interesting family conflict theme to it. It’s cute and it’s wonderful. ⇢Bad Buddy - Such a classic even though it’s fairly recent. I think it’s perfect for a beginner with its classic enemies-to-lovers dynamic and a Romeo and Juliet kind of deal going on. ⇢Cherry Magic! JPN/Cherry Magic! TH - I know some might want to kill me for what I’m about to say but I personally didn’t love the Japanese version of this story and very much adored the Thai one. However, the Japanese show is a must-watch because it’s definitely a staple in Japanese BL and even though I didn’t love the series itself, the movie played me like a fiddle. The Thai version immediately became one of my absolute favourites, on like, episode one. So… give both a try. + Movie ⇢Fish Upon the Sky - I had no idea people hated this show as much as they do, I actually love it. It was the first BL that had me in stitches and even upon rewatches, it hasn’t failed to live up to what I first thought of it. This is just pure crack and it’s awesome. ⇢Kieta Hatsukoi - Sweet, so very very sweet. It’s Japan’s brand of sweet too which some might find a little unsatisfactory. When I first gave it a try, I didn’t quite get the hype but then it went in interesting places for me and now I highly recommend it. + Thai remake ⇢My School President - THEE high school BL. I have watched many others and none of them have impressed me and entertained me like this one. I even like the music. GMMTV did not know how much gold it had struck when they signed GemFourth. ⇢Old Fashion Cupcake - A mature story about finding love and yourself later in life in the guise of a fluffy show. This is very much a case of more than meets the eye and everything from the aesthetics to the story elevates it to a classic. ⇢Our Dining Table - The perfect exploration of found family for me. I love this show so much, I cried almost every single episode and it really really surprised me in many ways. It’s truly a warm, comforting show with subtle imagery and masterful acting. The main actor is incredibly talented and a fucking acting chameleon. It also features the best child actor that has ever graced my screen. + Special EP 

Set Your Expectations High - High-quality shows that might ruin you for anything less.

⇢He’s Coming to Me - Could have been an underrated gem but luckily, there’s a lot of people who love this show and for good reason. It has my favourite coming out plot and it’s so original in its premise. Wonderfully complex characters and amazing acting. Ohm Pawat knocks it out of the park with this one, definitely my favourite of his. ⇢Not Me - How to even begin to explain how important this show is to me. I got a fucking tattoo of it, on my skin, forever!!!! My absolute number one BL, they will never make another like it. I love everything about it from the director, to the casting, to the silly moments. This show single-handedly endeared me to so many of GMMTV roster, it's insane. It almost ruined me for everything else and I watched it very early on too, so there was a tangible risk. 

We Like It Spicy - If you’re looking for titillating chemistry, this is for you.

⇢Big Dragon - This show compels me. Is it good? Not exactly. And yet it kept me glued to the screen every single week. The chemistry is on fire, the story is a little silly at times but the way the characters develop through it is surprisingly very well-done. I don’t know what to say, it really worked for me and it’s a great display of how sometimes you’ll come across shows that care more about titillation than story. ⇢KinnPorsche - My very, very first Thai BL and what got me back into the genre and introduced me to Thai shows in particular. It is horny, it is wild, it is toxic at times but it is the ride. I believe it might have been the first Thai BL show to truly get so much money thrown at it and it changed the entire industry. Also just so completely entertaining and fun. ⇢The Novelist - The native title for this is Pornographer so you can imagine how this belongs into a higher level of spicy. I feel like it's a very good look into the more mature side of Japanese BL while still including a compelling love story. There are tougher Japanese BL out there both in terms of themes and explicitness but this is a good primer. + Prequel (watch it second) & Sequels 1, 2, & 3

Legendary Doesn’t Always Mean Good - Titles you just can’t stop coming across, a mixed bag of quality. 

⇢2gether - I‘ll premise by saying that I really don’t like this one. I only watched it because it is inescapable when you start looking at Thai BL and I just had to know what the hype was about. It was absolutely not worth it for me but definitely belongs to the list of the ones you need to watch for the culture. + Season 2 & Movie ⇢Cupid’s Last Wish - This show makes me actively angry, genuinely throws me into a rage if I think about it too much while also having one of my favourite scenes. Overall, not great though not even all that bad. My dislike of it is not at all proportional with how bad it is. I feel like it’s a bit of a classic for a lot of reasons. Just… give it a try, it’s impossible you’ll hate it as much as I do. ⇢Dark Blue Kiss - Funnily enough, even though I really hated their part of the show, this is the one that made me a TayNew fan. It’s not offensively bad but it has a special place in hell for me for what it could have been but wasn’t – those are the shows that test me the most – and the only way I managed to watch the whole of it was thanks to the secondary couple. As a lot of other shows in this section, it’s another one for the culture. + Kiss Me Again ⇢HIStory2: Crossing the Line - The HIStory series is definitely the biggest staple of Taiwanese BL but if I had to recommend it, I would only go for specific shows like this one and two others in the list. This specifically is a little on the older side and it is just so charming. The acting in the entire series is quite good when taking into account when they were made but this is the first one with a truly enjoyable plot in my opinion. ⇢HIStory3: Trapped - Oh, this one is just plain good. I think it’s a turning point for the HIStory series and it’s very very entertaining while also having some genuine emotional beats.  ⇢Manner of Death - Manner of Death walked so KinnPorsche could run. MaxTul have done so much for the Thai BL industry and this show in particular took the risk of transposing BL into the thriller genre and opened the door for many others to mix up the formula. Plus, it’s genuinely good. ⇢Semantic Error - Everything that Korean BL can be when production is not cowardly. Sounds harsh but it’s true. It’s fun, it’s quirky, the dynamic and chemistry make it an instant classic, and it’s just so beautiful to look at. One of the most pleasant rewatches for me. ⇢Together With Me - This one is probably older than anything else Thai in this list and it shows; it gives a very good idea of where BL storylines started but it’s not exactly good. Interesting watch if you want to know where the Kings™ came from. + Bad Romance (original story, not recommended) & Season 2 ⇢We Best Love: No. 1 For You - For me, this encompasses everything Taiwanese BL can be while also showcasing where it came from. A rare, non-Thai, very frequent rewatch. + Season 2 ⇢Where Your Eyes Linger - This is the first of director Hwang Da Seul’s holy trinity and together with To My Star and Blueming is a must-watch of Korean BL. ⇢Why R U? - A formative show in my Thai BL journey and also one of the first I watched. It is definitely dated but it also really shows how Thai BL developed over time. I slightly prefer the more recent and totally different Korean remake but it’s very close.

I Don’t Want Peace I Want Problems - These characters hate boredom just as much as you.

⇢Addicted - The Cursed story with a capital C, this show is truly one of a kind. It delves into some pretty toxic and problematic narratives but it’s also the only adaptation that manages to really convey the socioeconomic message of the story it tells. Be warned that it is incomplete due to Chinese censorship, which is only the tip of the iceberg of the BTS lore. None of the adaptations have (so far) been able to get to the end of the original story, hence the reason I say it’s Cursed. + Censored Chinese remake & Thai remake (ongoing) ⇢The Eclipse - I really really loved this show until I didn’t. The acting alone is one of the best in the whole of GMMTV’s history and it touches on some very complex themes while still very much being a High School BL. The ending frustrated me to no end because it completely smashed the quality heights it had reached for some easy fluff and it just left a bitter taste in my mouth. Still, it’s very beloved by a lot of people – *cough*Jay*cough*. ⇢Love Mechanics - It’s messy and probably not to everyone’s taste but for me this is an excellent display of how much direction and chemistry can make or break a not-that-exciting story. I rewatch this constantly. + NOTE: There is a director’s cut of the first three episodes then they integrate. En of Love [▶️watch here] is the first, inferior version of the story. ⇢My Beautiful Man - This one tends to be a controversial rec. It’s probably the show that surprised me the most in this entire list and made me do a complete 180 in my opinion of it. Once I finally gave it a chance, I just couldn't stop watching it, and it gets even better as it continues in the following season and the epilogue. + Season 2 & Movie ⇢My Stand-In - A very recent addition, I am obsessed with it. There is not one episode I didn’t like and for me this really managed to make the relationship work despite the toxicity and the atrocities. The acting is just splendid, I will now forever be a fan of Up and Poom. I love it. ⇢To Sir, With Love - This is fully a soap opera. I haven’t seen it recommended as much as others because of how long and how specifically in the soap opera genre it is. But! – big but – if you manage to get through the whole of it, you are primed for any other BLs that use the same narrative style or very close narrative styles like Century of Love. For me, it contextualised a lot of other Thai shows I’ve watched and in the end, though it feels longer than it should be, I actually really liked it. But man, life is way too short to ever rewatch it.

So You Want It Artsy - That snobby friend who only watches French Indie films you hate to admit are actually excellent.

⇢180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us - The biggest draw of this show is the shooting style which perfectly complements the themes in the story. A masterclass in acting with complex characters, I know a lot of people find it hard to get through because of the theatrical style it employs but for me that’s a huge plus. I highly discourage watching it all at once, I think it’s a show that needs its time to be watched. A real feast for the eyes.  ⇢Blueming - A cinematographic work of art. The plot is not that complicated, it relies a lot on the emotional beats and the complex inner lives of the protagonists. Part of the HDS holy trinity so you just gotta watch it. It’s fairly brief. ⇢The Eighth Sense - Unfortunately, I didn't end up loving this as much as basically everyone else but I do think it showed amazing promise. The ending just didn't work particularly well for me but it's definitely a very well-crafted story with amazing cinematography and great acting. ⇢I Told Sunset About You, Last Twilight in Phuket, I Promised You The Moon - If you ask people who liked this one, most will say they hate the second season because of the cheating storyline. I completely and utterly disagree. I have some minor gripes with how it ended but overall this is almost a perfect show IMO.

In Need of A Good Cry - Break-up, death, overall tragedy; for those nights you need to get it out. WARNING: some sad and tragic endings ahead.

⇢The Day I Loved You - I have a slightly controversial opinion about this one but the show is not a controversial recommendation at all. It’s plain good. I feel like it might be the only Filipino BL I’ve truly enjoyed and it’s definitely the only one you’ll find in this list. ⇢Eternal Yesterday - You go into this and you already know how much it’s going to break your heart but you never stop hoping for that happy ending. This one really devastated me because even though I knew it was going to end sadly, it managed to surprise me in the way it got there. ⇢HIStory3: Make Our Days Count - I’ve heard so many people say to just skip the end of the second to last episode and the whole of the finale and I get it. I would probably do the same upon rewatch but I don’t recommend skipping it if it’s your first time. Masterful character development and acting, I wish the rest of the HIStory series had maintained the same level of storytelling but alas, it didn’t. ⇢Kissable Lips - I didn't think vampires could make me this emotional. Way ahead of its time, we might never see another like this from South Korea.  ⇢Life: Love on the Line - Frustrating at times, pays off in a big way at the end. Very few others have made me cry as much. NOTE: make sure to watch the director’s cut. ⇢The On1y One - Also a very recent addition. This one can truly boast doing the slow-burn right. There were a couple of episodes that got a little shaky toward the end and if it ends up not getting a second season, I might commit arson but damn if the emotional beats didn’t work in a big way. I was played and I didn’t even wanna watch it at first.

The Self-referentials - We love a story that knows its own genre.

⇢A Man Who Defies the World of BL - Pure and absolute comedy from Japan, it parodies and deconstructs every single trope there is. The comedy is very in-your-face but instead of cringing, it consistently makes me die with laughter. Technically ongoing but unsure whether it'll get a fourth season. ⇢Kabe Koji - I have to admit I don’t remember a lot about this show aside from how much it impressed me when I watched it and the people to whom I’ve recommended it with the caveat that at the beginning it seems a little silly and not that good have come back to tell me that it was totally worth the watch, which is exactly the feeling I remember getting from watching it and why I recommend it. It’s formative, I just don’t remember why. ⇢Lovely Writer - I specifically chose to watch this when starting to dive into Thai BL because it deals with the Behind the Scenes of how BL shows are made and it was essential to my understanding of how fanservice works in this specific industry and definitely put me on the right path to find out more on the subject. Other than that, it’s fairly good and fluffy though I’m not a fan of one specific trope it uses.

Genre Outliers - BLs that like to mix it up a bit.

⇢He/She/It - Short and weird. I feel like this is very much one of a kind and I would watch it if only because it’s so damn intriguing even though it could have flourished with a bigger budget. However, it’s lovable also because it’s so obviously a small-budget project. ⇢Love for Love’s Sake - It definitely deserves the reputation it gets. It starts with catapulting you into one story and perfectly uses it to mirror the actual point of the show. The love story is excellent and the medium it uses in-world was a stylistic and instrumental dream. It knows exactly what it’s doing and it’s a masterful execution of the isekai genre while also keeping well within the BL world. ⇢The Warp Effect - Stretching the definition of BL a little as technically, the protagonist is a straight (up for debate) dude. That isn’t to say this isn’t very much a queer story with compelling queer characters and a fair dose of fun. I also absolutely adore how it talks about sex and feel like its approach to the topic is extremely sensitive and well-done. Plus, it’s genuinely funny. ⇢Till the World Ends - I will forever be grateful to Jay for convincing me to give this a try. It’s a little gorey and none of the characters are very good people – aside from Art. The fact that it came from a smaller, almost indie studio is incredible and it is brave as hell for choosing the subject matter it did and executing it the way it did. Michael Kiettisak is the love of my life (though this is not the show that originated my undying love for him, do ask me about it). NOTE: some of the videos on YT are membership-restricted but censored versions are available on the original channel.

Complicated Recs - Shows I have trouble recommending without a disclaimer but trust me, you need to see them.

⇢Secret Crush on You - I can’t possibly explain in just two or three sentences why you should watch it. It’s cringey, it’s ridiculous, and so so hard to get through but!!!! Just come talk to me about it if you want to know more ‘cause my thoughts about this are so conflicting I can’t get into it here. If you get through this one, you can get through anything. Just watch it and then come yell at me because you hated it and hold me responsible for convincing you. ⇢TharnType - This is even harder to justify than the previous one. Simply put: it is so wildly popular and well-known, you just have to experience it for the culture. On the other hand, I maintain that with a few tweaks – and they would genuinely be just a few though some of them major –, this show could have been groundbreaking. Again, if you want me to say more than that, you’ll have to leave me an ask. + Special 1, Season 2 & Special 2

Underrated Gems - Nobody talks about them and I’m very sad about it.

⇢The Best Story - Short, sweet, heart-breaking. A very overlooked show if you consider it stars YinWar and even though it’s one of the first they did together, it already showcases how well they work as a pair. One day, I will get the epilogue I deserve. ⇢Dear Doctor, I’m Coming for Soul - I cannot understand why this doesn’t get recommended in the same breath as Manner of Death. I found it completely by accident and loved it instantly. Stylistically, very much in the same category as MoD for me though I might like the emotional beats in this one a little more. ⇢Light on Me - So underrated. It has such a gentle touch with dealing about young love. Perfect display of how tender and delicate teenage love can be, it made my heart clench and filled me with joy. ⇢Long Time No See - Some of the older Korean BLs are surprisingly forward compared to what we get today and this is only one, excellent example of it. While it does have some spice, you should also watch it for the plot. Short and extremely lovable.  ⇢Love Is Better the Second Time Around - Why 👏 does 👏 nobody 👏 talk 👏 about 👏 this 👏 show!!! 👏 The music choices alone made it such an entertaining watch. I can only describe this as unexpected.  ⇢Love Class - I can't understand the absolute loathing I’ve seen people have for this show at all, especially for the second season. I loved it, both times. I especially loved the secondary couples in the second season but both times I was blindsided by how much I enjoyed it and how much of a left turn it took. Came for the romance, stayed for the plot twists. + Season 2 (not a continuation of the previous season) ⇢Our Days - This is another show I remember very little about aside from being very struck by the stylistic choices. The plot isn’t especially original but I was very intrigued by its pacing and its narrative style which is what stuck with me. I'm including it because I watched it fairly early in my BL watching experience and it definitely primed me for shows coming from lesser-known studios. ⇢Rak Diao - I will never ever get over the fact that this didn’t get a second season. Not only did it need it, it deserved it. This is shot like a sit-com, which means fake laughter and the kind of comedy that comes with that but it gets unexpectedly deep as it goes and does a wonderful job of conveying the emotions throughout the progression of the love story. I would have never expected to like it as much as I did, it holds a very dear place in my heart. ⇢Something In My Room - Such a lovely and heartwarming show despite the sad ending. I don’t really have the words to describe it, I just really loved it and would like for more people to know it.

Personal Faves - Are these good? That’s irrelevant. I love them, therefore they’re the best.

⇢The End of The World With You - This show was a journey. I knew exactly where it was going but it made me excited to find out how it would get there. The ending is a little goofy solely because of the low-budget VFX but emotionally, it really worked for me. ⇢Theory of Love - This is quite literally my problematic fave. I always skip most of the side plots when rewatching it and it’s the show I managed to trap my best friend into watching BL with. I genuinely adore KhaoThird’s story, I know a lot of people don’t like how their relationship begins but I think the character development is just done so well that it makes it work. Plus, I love the way it combines all the references into its own story and the Special EP always makes me tear up a little. Huge, huge emotional attachment to this one on my part. ⇢The Time of Fever - Technically, this is a spin-off prequel. It tells the story of the secondary couple from Unintentional Love Story and how they got to the point we find them in that one. It’s beautiful both aesthetically and story-wise. The acting is just excellent and the chemistry is out-of-this-world. I would personally recommend watching ULS first, then this one, then only the DongHee and HoTae parts from ULS again but it’s up to you. I will get that DongHeeHoTae-centric second season or die trying. + Unintentional Love Story (main story) ⇢To My Star + Season 2 - This show, to me, is a staple but I feel like it doesn’t tend to make the big names list. It is not only in my top three BL shows but also in my list of favourite shows ever of any genre. It’s absolutely essential to watch season two as it is quite different from the first one and much more developed. In general, I like season two a little more than the first but that does not mean the first is lacking in anything. It’s very marginal. Genuinely, this show can play my emotions like maybe only one or two others I’ve watched.

This concludes this very long and self-indulgent list of recommendations. If you’ve gotten this far, thank you so much for reading and please do shoot me an ask or a comment or a DM if you want to talk about any of these shows or others with me, it would genuinely make my day!

A/N 1: some of the titles in this list have an ‘extended universe’ situation going on. Feel free to contact me if you need help navigating it. A/N 2: just because they’re in this list, does not mean I consider all these shows to be the top of the crop. These are specifically shows that I think would be ideal for a beginner to get into the genre, there are many many others that I would readily recommend that didn’t make the cut and that I would be glad to elaborate on if asked. A/N 3: if you ever find yourself thinking “What the hell are they even saying??” while reading this, just imagine me adding an “in my opinion” to the end of every sentence.

[poomphuripan]

Hello Claire,

First of all, thank you so much for everything you have been sharing these last few weeks about My Stand-In and Poom (and Up). It's such a treat ❤️

Was My Stand-In Poom's first project out of CH8 or was it Bake Me Please? I hope his popularity will rise and allow him to be cast in different kinds of show and role. Because it must be frustrating to always play the same type of character... And do you know in which agency does he belong please?

Have a nice day ❤️

hiiii (⁠*⁠˘⁠︶⁠˘⁠*⁠)⁠.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡

well thank you for following and always supporting my gifs i see you (⁠｡⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠♡

So Bake Me Please is actually Channel 8 (CH8)'s first ever BL series where they got their rising male actors (Ohm, Guide, Poom, Atom, Prame, Tawan) to star in, so BMP is actually a CH8 series.

I believe Poom's first ever non CH8 work is Saneha Stories Season 4: Saiyai Saneha (2022) which is a two-episode mini series based on the real life story of a gay man. This was aired on AIS Play and produced by TV Thunder.

Poom also has another comedy series Jenny A.M./P.M. (2022) on AIS Play but this was in collaboration with CH8 which is why there were some CH8 actors (Poom, Nonny, Prame) in the series. Poom plays the straight best friend of the male protagonist (played by Singto Prachaya).

So technically My Stand-In is Poom's 2nd or 3rd work outside of CH8 (depending on how you view the two projects above) but it is Poom's first lead role in a major production and Poom often refers to My Stand-In as his first ever lead role in interviews so that's Poom's position on it 😅

For some background on Poom's agency. He is managed by RSDG - a production/talent management subsidiary company of RS Group, a Thai entertainment and media company that owns CH8. So basically Poom is a Channel 8 actor but it seems that CH8 is a bit more laxed about their actors partaking in series outside of their network (but that also comes with a cost).

I've heard rumors that CH8 gave Poom an ultimatum between becoming 2ML in another CH8 lakorn or choosing to star in My Stand-In (a non CH8 work) and not having any CH8 lakorn projects left for the rest of the year. I have no idea the accuracy of this rumor but I guess all we gotta do is look at Poom's schedule for the rest of this year and see if he's got anything else other than MSI fanmeetings here and there ಥ_ಥ

But I have a lot of fun watching Poom playing his evil lakorn villain roles at CH8 as well and I think those scenes helped greatly in honing his acting skills throughout his acting career so far (you can watch Poom being very stiff in his early works and the gradual improvement progress over the course of his lakorn works). If you pick a random CH8 lakorn with Poom, his character is sure to be killing or dying or crying or getting mad or fucking someone (sometimes all of the above).

Whatever the future holds for Poom, I'm very happy that he chose My Stand-In because I can't imagine a world where we do not get Poom Phuripan as Joe. Poom expresses a lot of happiness from finally getting positive reactions about his acting performances for the first time, which is a thing that I think lakorn actors will hardly get (especially if you play supporting roles at an obscure TV channel with low to average viewership). I also feel like Poom is pretty happy to finally get to play a character that's so close to his personality in real life (bonus the fact that his character isn't dying or going to jail).

I too hope that My Stand-In will be the breakthrough project Poom needed to get the attention and the opportunities he deserved after being much underrated and typecasted at CH8, manifesting many interesting scripts and acting opportunities come his way 🥹

sorry op i hope i answered some of your inquiries. i totally get carried away whenever i'm rambling. tldr: poom is managed by rsdg group so officially speaking, he's an actor for channel 8 but sometimes they let him out to star in non-ch8 works.

[miss0atae]

Random Thoughts about Love Sick 2024 (EP 2): The bliss and woes of adolescence.

Why is the BL world trying to make me like another high school romance?! I already had enough with The On1y One, but now I'm starting to really like Love Sick 2024. I have to admit, it was a little off putting for me to know the actors are so young, but the story is really sweet. It's a coming-of-age series and you can never get tired of them for various reasons: it's about personal growth, navigating relationships and facing a myriad of issues.

As it is very character-driven you can always watch the similarities between the story and your current experiences. You can also relate to personal struggles that you've experienced, if you're older than the character. I have a fondness for this type of stories. I know people get bored with the high school/uni setting in BL stories because you can find a lot of them, but I believe you can always find something that makes it stand out anyway. This is what I find in Love Sick 2024.

Last episode, we left Noh with Phun as the latter was battling against a high fever. From this point, the two boys have been starting to get closer. You can see how they are both experiencing the burgeoning of first queer love, as gentle as a first love can be. I was touched by the way Noh was so caring: checking after Phun to be sure he was able to go shop with Aim, wiping his sweat, sleeping while hugging him so he won't be cold or cooking for him. It was very cute. We also saw a "will-they won't-they" almost-kiss between them and I think they both wanted it without knowing how to really express it.

Then, from this point their relationship changed. I think Phun got scared of the feelings he started to have for Noh. Thus, he decided to ignore him at school, pretending not to see him. His actions have hurt Noh who doesn't understand why he changed his behavior towards him. Noh may not understand, but if you're older than the characters and you've experienced queer love as such a young age, I think you can relate or understand why Phun is acting this way. In a way, I felt more heartbroken than Noh because I knew why Phun was doing it and I knew how hurtful it is. I think both boys can't really explain yet what they are feeling (but they do feel jealousy when they see the other one with someone else). Young love is never easy so young queer love can be tricky too.

Aside from the love story between the main characters we see how the story is setting other issues with Aim, the official girlfriend of Phum. She is under such a high stress to be the perfect beautiful daughter her mom expects her to be. However, she can't live the way she wants and it must be suffocating to always be careful to be or to look the way others expect you to be. I think we're going to see the tribulations of this precarious situation. I also think something may happen between her and her lesbian friends (or maybe I'm just looking for more QL). The series also features injustice and bullying with the character Ngor. However, here, he got the help of Ohm and the group boys from Noh's group of close friends.

I think they are doing a very interesting series so far. I hope they will be able to keep it great until the end. As for now, I can just recommend that you watch it. I find so many similarities with the On1y One, especially as I think the way Tian care for Wang, is akin to how Noh cares for Phun. So if you like the first one, I think you would like the latter.

[inventedfangirling]

Hello this is basically a long post about me sorting through my feelings about bad buddy and why it means so much to me.

So over the past few weeks ( i first watched the show 7 weeks ago) ive been trying to figure out what exactly about bad buddy and patpran in particular have got me so inexplicably fond and devoted to them and apart from the usual answers of great writing, directing, performances and the best most electric chemistry and banter known to humankind, i did arrive at couple of other answers too.

First of all pat and (especially) pran are deep and well rounded characters.

Their worlds feel lived in and real.

Their feelings and thoughts and motivations are of course excellently portrayed by both ohm and nanon. and they gave representation to queer people everywhere. pat being the pan/ bi king he is and pran being the gayest babyboy warrior poet ever. pran especially given his repressed nature and emotional closed-off-ness is somebody a lot of people surely saw themselves in, including myself. seeing myself represented like that starting off the way he is and then taking small steps one by one over the course of the whole show (and over years in the show's universe) to arrive at the more assured, more open, more ready to be vulnerable (but still very much the pran we all loved in the first episode itself) was so wonderful to see.

The fact that the show happens in a non homophobic universe doesnt take away from just how special it was seeing queer characters fall, be and stay in love. and most importantly that they got their happy ending (i wont be hearing anything against this cos the ending was happy, despite the slightly bittersweet tinge of it, it was happy and there shall be no counter arguments begone i cant with that)

That episode 12 gave a glimpse of their future.

A world where pat will one day be able to sit with pran in his house eating food made by dissaya. that pran and pat's mom work on a common hobby together cos why not. a world where they no longer have to hide, a world were they could well and truly thrive.

Its so so important as queer people that we get representation and that in a world that is often cruel to the likes of us especially here in asia, that we see happy adult queer lives, where they can be in love in the most mundane of ways.

Patpran and bad buddy gave us that and i will forever be thankful for it.

That still doesn't capture exactly why i rate them as a couple so so highly in my head.

So i thought of patpran in the context of all the other love stories i could possibly remember watching. i thought of some of my top favourite couples - mondler, phil & claire, schmidt & cece, peraltiago, leslie & ben, jack & rebecca, randall & beth, simon & wilhelm, jaeyong & sangwoo, ji hyun & jaewon, bai lang & xun an, tara & darcy, sumi & rimjhim and so so many more and what stood out for me when it came to patpran was that they were the one couple out of all these couples i adore who didnt let anything get between them once they got together.

Every other couple among the ones ive listed have had jobs or other relationships or distance or parents or workplace rules /etiquette or circumstances or the royalty standing in between their love and as a result causing the couple to break apart ( a couple of episodes for mondler to seasons of confusion for peraltiago and schmidt & cece etc) even if briefly.

Except for phil & claire (who btw wasnt even sure about marrying phil when she did) almost none of these couples got together and stayed together throughout their relationship. and yes i agree that a lot of these obstacles and circumstances are very real and taxing and no wonder people chose their own peace at least for a while to deal with everything BUT i just cant help feel more appreciative of pat pran even more cos these two 19 year olds figured this whole thing out faster than any of those full grown adults did.

And yes its fictional and maybe even unrealistic (given the kind of relationships i see irl) yet patpran really do deserve all the love they get. they do deserve a lot of props.

Its not like they didn't have adverse obstacles standing in their way, they had to fight against their families years and years of lies and all the intergenerational trauma and their faculty rivalry and a shitty friend who outed them and any single one of these should have caused at least 12 episodes worth of conflict and miscommunication in any other couple.

And yes i do recognise that bbs didnt have the luxury of time or multiple seasons but they could have kept them apart for a whole episode at least, i was convinced we were in for that at the end of episode 8 as the aftermath of wai outing them. like there is no way the relationship comes out of it unscathed ( i thought! ). and while im sure they personally were rattled and betrayed (pran more so), instead of blaming anybody else or each other they actually chose to handle it together, they worked together and chose to move forward together.

The fact that such a terrible experience instead of breaking them apart actually reaffirmed to both pat and pran just how much their relationship means to the both of them, that they come out of it actually stronger??

i was friggin shook to my core.

And then came the gunshots and the family finding out and the running away and the coming back and the fake breakup and the pressures of all of this should have been enough to drive a serious wedge between any two characters, especially at their age and lack of experience. and yet??? and yet at each obstacle they get up, they draw the other closer and they get down to working on it together again.

Over and over and over and over again.

So for me what separates patpran from everybody else is the fact that ever since they got together, they have chosen eo, intentionally, that has made the difference.

Pat and pran's story may have been destined ( i personally don't know if i believe in destiny). they may have been born neighbours and felt unexplainable intense feelings (that later turned to love) for the other but when it came down to it, at its core, bad buddy soars when the two come together and they choose to keep being together, despite everything that stands in their way.

Love is a choice. love is a sacrifice. but its also a sacrifice and a choice they made for themselves and for each other and above all for their relationship.

Almost all the couples mentioned above arrive at similar destinations but they arrive at it with years of experience and years of struggle. i just cant help marvel at our teenagers who did love better than whole ass adults double their age could.

And more importantly above the awe i feel inspired and hopeful because they showed me that there's always a choice. thats there's always another option. you dont need to get out of your comfort zone. but you also dont need to be in the comfort zone always. you dont need to keep lying to yourself. you dont need to hide every single part of you. there are always other options. there is always a choice.

That hope is not just a noun its also very much a verb. That you and i and each one of us can make that choice.

That if ever i choose to partner up with someone and if we do proper healthy communication (patpran invented healthy communication and consent btw, they deserve EVERYTHING for just that but thats a whole other post) prioritizing the relationship where it mattered, i too could have something ( even remotely) like their love.

For the first time in my life probably i felt like that kind of love was attainable for me if i wanted to pursue it. They gave me hope. and they gave me joy. and i will never not be unbelievably grateful for it.

[pharawee]

I'm thinking of reviving my super random (and spoilery so be warned!) review posts for I Feel You Linger in the Air because I have so much love for this show and I need a place to gather my super random thoughts.

I read the novel back in spring not really expecting much beyond a pleasant read but it's quickly become not only my favourite BL novel but one of my favourite novels in general. Does it need an editor? Yes (but I'm an editor so I'm biased - but tbh I'd rather have these "imperfect" translations out there than not having them at all, and IFYLITA's translator did a really good job). But beyond that it's insightful and sweet with a hint of sadness and loss. It manages to capture the moment perfectly, painting such a clear and nostalgic (but not sugar-coated) picture of the time period(s).

I feel like this is exactly what the series is trying to capture as well. It's in the colour-grading and the lighting and the cinematography and the way both Jom as the main character and Chiang Mai as the backdrop (and I'd say almost a character in its own rigght) are introduced. It's in the mystique and the dread of Jom catching these glimpses of himself and what's to come. It's in the abrupt unravelling of Jom's ordinary life and the pain and loss (and later confusion and anger) he feels at not understanding how and why these things are happening to him - which imo becomes such an important theme later on as Jom gains understanding and acceptance. Because to me IFYLITA isn't just a beautiful love story. It's just as much about Jom (and Yai - but in the novel he's never a POV character until the special chapters, and he's never quite as aware of his past as Jom is, having lived every aspect of it) growing as a person. Not in a way that changes who he is - Jom is a very set and self-aware character who knows what he wants and I really like that about him - but rather in how he perceives those around him and his own feelings.

The novel also has a handful of spectacular and vivid bed scenes so I'm really curious how (and if) they'll approach them.

But on to episode 1.

I love this opening. It's so atmospheric and eerie. We feel just as out of place here as Jom does. And I love how he's the intruder here. This isn't his home, he's watching a very private scene unfold and it's instantly made clear that he's not (yet) wanted. The other Jom is more scared of him than he is in this moment. I also love how he's half in the light, half bathed in shadow, like he's already wandering between worlds. Ah, I love me a good foreshadowing.

And I love how we're then slowly introduced to Jom, to his work, his life, his mannerisms. He lights a scented candle, his flat is full of sketches, drawings and books on architecture. Apart from his work, he lives his life patiently and quietly waiting for Ohm, his boyfriend (who he met at university and who he believes is the love of his life). In his two years in London Ohm has never given him any reason to doubt his commitment, which is why his infidelity is such a heavy blow later on.

We are then introduced to another "character": Chiang Mai - as it is today with its busy streets and markets and landmarks. Old trees lining the waterways and what remains of the walled city itself. In the novel, Jom uses his knowledge about Chiang Mai to pinpoint where he is in the past and how things have changed. As an architect interested in art and culture he also makes a lot of observations about historical buildings and society - which is what makes the novel so special to me. You'd probably need a huge budget to visualise this on a similar scale in the series but they tried (and succeeded imo) with the market scene, and Khun Yai's house will soon become the visual focal point of the series anyway.

A house, which Jom specifically has been asked to restore by the owner even though he's only a few years out of uni.

And as with Jom's dreams, Jom already has a connection to the house. He's been seen by the workers when he wasn't there. He instinctively knows which key to use for the chest the workers found in one of the rooms. The chest contains several sketches that to Jom seem remarkable because they don't really fit the time period.

Hm, I wonder who drew those. 🙃

Of course, soon enough everything goes to shit.

And it hits even harder because Ohm's so much more callous and cruel than in the novel. In the novel, Jom almost becomes a bit of an afterthought, a side character, an inconsequential affair (and I suppose he's the affair here too) on Ohm's path to happiness. But here his actions toward Jom seem quite deliberate and careless. And his fiancée Kaimook is painted as just plain evil. It's like Ohm and her don't even love each other (when in the novel they do - with all the tragedy that entails).

I guess they really wanted to drive home how quickly Jom's life falls apart. And, damn, his speech about waiting for two years and somehow NOT becoming unfaithful was incredibly strong. Then again, he was the one waiting, holding his breath, essentially stopping his life to stay in Chiang Mai until Ohm returned. He's blameless, of course, but that's not exactly healthy either.

The attempted SA isn't in the novel at all. I get why they included it. It's very difficult to watch but it drives its point home. Content warnings would be appreciated though.

Then there's this. Commander Yai. I screamed. Here I was wondering if he'd make an appearance at all (and hoping they'd maybe end the series with a glimpse of him) but they just put him front and center.

The moustache is a necessity, I'm telling you. It wouldn't be Commander Yai without the moustache. Also, this is a fake moustache in an underwater kissing scene. All things considered this is amazing make-up. Embrace the moustache. Commander Yai is worth it, I promise!

Unfortunately, Commander Yai's early appearance might also mean that there won't be a second part of the series planned. They might just allude to Yai's past life without going into much detail - which I totally get. Another season about the Lanna period would probably be a logistical and budgeting nightmare. But still. Gimme!! 😭

Anyway, I love how Jom is immediately just so at ease with him. Granted, he's drunk, grieving and drowning but kissing a handsome, moustached dude during his near-death/time travel experience feels like the most normal thing ever. And I love how it's Commander Yai who saves him. The shot of him uplifting Jom was so beautifully filmed.

Good thing he's found by Ming my beloved and not a dozen angry bare-chested Northerners who promptly punch his lights out lol

And this is one of the moments where I wish I was (more, much much more) fluent in Thai so I understood more of the differences between Jom's Central Thai and everyone else's (old-fashioned) Northern Thai. I do understand there's a difference, and I do understand that they're using different vocabulary and some different grammar but that's about it.

Where is Jom's phone, though? He still had it in the novel and it's an important plot point later on.

I love Jom's brush with the old market. You browse, you buy.

Also Jom sitting down in a secluded spot and just devouring the food that was given to him. I don't know why but the scene really resonated with me. Maybe because it was as out of place as Jom must feel. Or maybe because it was so human - such a mundane thing to do after everything that's happened. Almost like the past is already much more soothing than the present that Jom has left behind.

I'm faceblind but that's supposed to be Ohm (in a past life), right?

Not Jom having an existential crisis over Ming namedropping his future father-in-law (and Ming pitying him in the background. He might be a bit strange, Ming, but don't even pretend you haven't already adopted him into your family).

Finally we meet the mystery man from Jom's dreams (sans moustache this time), and he looks just as suprised to see a familiar face as Jom is (albeit for very different reasons).

I love that they included the jasmine with the lantom flowers. Khun Yai only drinks jasmine-scented water so they're as much Jom and his flowers as the lantoms (and their meaning isn't as bittersweet either).

And then there's the underwater scene(s) which are just so imcredibly well done. So intimate and soft, and probably the only time Yai really looks as young as he's supposed to be.

So yeah, this series is so far exceeding all my expectations and I'm so glad we'll be getting twelve 1h+ episodes (and a special? And a second season? Please? 🥺) of this beautiful, beautiful show.

[waitmyturtles]

A lot to process for the fourth episode of Moonlight Chicken, and I’m working through how it connects to the previous episodes and all the themes that I’m trying to catch Aof bringing together.

1) Last night, I reblogged an absolutely incredible meta by @telomeke regarding the meanings of a lot of the Thai-Chinese cultural references in the show, particularly focusing the DVD of Comrades: Almost a Love Story and all the interlaced meanings of the title, story, and music surrounding that movie. I will throw my hands up in the air and hand it to @telomeke and @respectthepetty for further explanations about the Thai-Chinese cultural interchanges throughout the show, but I just want to say that reading that post before watching episode 4 helped me gain a LOT of context that I would have otherwise missed, especially regarding Li Ming. 

2) Some quick notes before getting back into Big Things: Mix is so great. He’s just -- so great. His simmering DISDAIN for Alan -- it’s sparkling. I want to know more as to why things ended up so bad with the boi. 

3) And First, leaning into Alan’s everything -- anger, jealousy, disappointment, heartbreak. The man can do it all.

4) I don’t know about y’all, but it seemed to me that Earth and Mix were ad libbing the cat food bit, and I was cackling. 

5) I love that Aof doesn’t forget us by way of gratuitous shirtlessness (of which I’m still processing as I write my massive meta on Bad Buddy and have Ohm on the mind), but anyway, besides THAT -- I am desperately loving that Li Ming and Heart don’t feel like just a side couple. They really have a significant story going on, including what Heart may process by way of considering studying abroad. 

I am in love with the storyline of Li Ming’s kindness, that we get to see that side of him. I might need more time to unwind this, but I wonder if Li Ming is playing the role of the young person with one foot in the old world, and one foot in the new world. When he “comes home” to his uncle to celebrate Jim’s birthday, and Wen nudges him to apologize, it felt to me like the tiniest bit of a prodigal son moment -- he’s a kid in that moment. (And Wen makes that reference about the generation gap in the bedroom to Jim later that night.)

And then we see Li Ming’s utter maturity at the church, bringing Heart to a shared deaf community. And touching the speaker. Just....what a lovely gesture. 

6) And speaking of old vs. new, with all apologies to @respectthepetty for warning us to not do this, but I CAN’T HELP IT -- I got a touch of the chills seeing Tian Wen on the floor of the bedroom with Phupha Jim on the bed. Waaah! I got just a few goosebumps. 

Okay, so. Per @telomeke‘s analysis, this episode was rooted in Thai-Chinese cultural references, but I also think it was rooted in this one foot in/one foot out dichotomy of old vs. new cultures tugging at each other. Li Ming represents the generation that either will or will not carry the mantle of the old culture forward to modern times. And Jim, quiet Jim -- rooted in the past, of his heartbreak, of his diner, of the culture that his diner represents, and potentially unable to move forward.

I absolutely loved the meditation at the end by the church father. That everyone needs to choose their path in life. You have to be ACTIVE, not PASSIVE, to help determine your fate. And I want to think about juxtaposing that with what Li Ming said to Jim at the start of the episode -- I didn’t ask to be born in this poverty. I was born in this, and I am working my ass off to try to get out of it. Going to America may break the chain. What Li Ming sees is Jim’s inability to be able to break that chain on Jim’s own, because of how firmly Jim is rooted in the past. 

Alan comes in to complicate matters vis à vis Jim, but separately -- we also see that Alan himself is rooted in a past that’s filled with pain. And Wen is trying to move from HIS past with Alan as well, and have a new potential future with Jim. I see, in the preview for episode 5, that Alan doesn’t take “I don’t love you anymore” as a reason for Wen to break up with him, which is fascinating. What is rooting Alan so heavily in this non-relationship?

Gaipa is going to lose a significant part of his past, his mother, and will need to move forward either with Jim, or on his own. (Khao did not get a lot of screen time this week, but good LORD, IS HE GOOD.)

And you know what I love that’s such a quiet touch -- Leng and Praew’s pregnancy. The birthing of a next generation, the next step forward in pushing Pattaya’s culture forward. I am always, always a sucker for pregnancy-related symbolism. (Dudes, isn’t Mark Pakin GREAT? I gotta see him in more things!)

I am VERY INTERESTED in what’s being discussed between Jim and Alan for the next episode -- as if Wen were a commodity that Jim could hand back to Alan. I’m kinda thinking there might be some parental ownership issues between Alan and Wen? We’ll see. 

Final thoughts: Fourth and Gemini, I REALLY LIKE YOU GUYS, you two are great. What a ridiculous cast. 

I’m not going to rate the episodes that clearly don’t have any food in them for the Khao Man Gai Appreciation Rating, but this household DID appreciate the chicken shirt, which I need. GMMTV, the apron and the shirt, I have my credit card ready!

[jo-sleepycrow]

No matter how many times i watch episodes 10 and 11 of Bad Buddy they never fail to bring tears to my eyes. They make me so emotional. They don't deserve to feel bad about the fact that they love each other.

I love the way Nannon and Ohm act through facial expressions, i never get tired seeing the way they convey all the emotions through their eyes, mouth, all the little twitches they make. I really feel like I'm watching two people who know each other like the palm of their own hands, the way they communicate between the lines with just one look.

It pains me so much to see what they have to go through because of their parents selfish foolishness. They knew that it would take lots of time until they would somewhat accept their relationship, but Pat and Pran still decided that it was worth it to keep going and be together, even if it meant to hide it from the world. Because they knew they had each other to lean on. They aren't going to let the world change the fact that they love each other and that what makes them happy is to be together.

[mdhwrites]

Do you think Amphibia's dedication to its themes was too much in certain aspects? I'll try to explain:

Sasha was the first commander of the resistance, but it was Anne and Sprig who brought the newts and toads to their side, and it was ultimately Anne who made them all work together. Amphibia wants Anne to be, in simple terms, "the most important person" in the show, but it leaves me wondering what exactly were Sasha and Grime doing for most of the resistance's progress to happen after Anne returns.

On the topic of change: Isn't it a bit weird that neither the ending nor Marcy's journal showed the girls potentially dealing with trauma after they return from Amphibia? I understand that they want to portray change as inevitable and a part of life you have to accept, but I can't help but feel they missed on a bit of nuance in the process. It could have been due to lack of time or space tho.

Best wishes!

The latter one of these two I actually find more interesting, even if it's slightly more infuriating too for reasons I'll get into, but let's get the first out of the way.

Mostly that... What? Anne takes a HARD backseat in S3B. It is about Amphibia and its people and while she has a couple episodes where she gets to be the one helping out, a lot of them are about the frogs themselves. Hell, Sasha is doing about as much as Anne is except that Anne can leave to promote the resistance and act as a fighter because Sasha is busy with the full time duty of a commander. There's a reason stories focus on a general's top soldier, not the general himself. That's just storytelling conventions and Anne still doesn't overshadow Sasha much. Hell, the Olms are MUCH more brought in by the Plantars and Sasha than anything Anne does. More Hop Pop above the rest even, not just Sprig.

As for getting them all to work together... Do you not remember that episode? Anne fails for 80% of it before she LOSES IT and makes them all realize that even if they hate each other, they hate Andrias more. Hell, she only leads them because she has mediation experience and again, she fucks it up for the most part. It's still Sasha who technically brought them all to one place. I will admit that Anne gets an episode with Tritonio but I've already talked about how Sasha was the leader for bringing in the Ohms. Sprig helps bring in the toads specifically because he pisses them off so much as to end up in a dual where he needs to expand his own way of thinking and looking at others in order to win.

None of this glorifies any of them. Anne just points out rightfully through empathy that Tritonio does care about his people. Sasha pushes the Olms hard enough to force them to listen to her and give them a chance. Sprig is bigoted but in fixing that, he starts to let go of it. None of this is glorifying anyone, especially with how hard each of them has to fight to get these people to budge enough to even bother working together to save their world, something the show depicts... Because the show DOES acknowledge change is difficult and something people push back again.

Anne spends literally an ENTIRE season breaking her old habits and changing into a more mature person. She spends the first season constantly wanting to default to how things used to be for her, or how she wants them to be for her before learning to appreciate the new world she lives in, both literally and figuratively. Even then, Anne is still Anne. Two seasons later, she still devotes herself to pleasing her best friend during Sprig's birthday because old shackles haven't broken. They've loosened but change takes time.

Amphibia itself reflects this. Quick change DESTROYS IT. Forced change destroys it. The entire world is wrecked by someone trying to make it become something it is not and to bend to his will. Its people though do not simply forget their grudges because of this though because letting those things go, the humiliations, the traumas, etc. inflicted by each other (especially on the frogs) is something they cannot drop. It takes a literal world ending threat to BARELY make them work together. It actually presents a lot of interesting potential for what in fact does happen to the world afterwards.

But if you NEED it to be about trauma... What the fuck did you miss about Sasha's arc? Losing to Anne almost KILLS HER. In fact, she is willing to die because of utterly defeated she is, especially by the fact that in that moment, she has to acknowledge that Anne is a better person than her, not just a fighter. This causes her to lash out so badly that she spends ALL of S2 in denial until she finds a way to possibly put herself on even footing with Anne. When she has to acknowledge the actual pain this caused though, everything that she's held onto that is now ripped away from her, it puts her in a spiral of self doubt until she figures out a new direction to go.

But Sasha is still Sasha, even changed like this because, well... It's almost impossible to entirely change a person or people. She still wants to be leading. She still gets grossed out the nastier parts of Amphibia. All that changed was that now instead of being self serving in her desires, she understands what leadership actually means and the true value of other people. Even then, she still is struggling with accepting all of this which is why she wants an out when it comes to Marcy. To not have to deal with something so hard.

THIS is part of why I am SOOOOO tired of trauma talk in cartoon fandoms. Anything remotely dark happens and people seem to entirely forget what actually is on screen and cry out for therapy. Remember: Amphibia is a fantasy, slice of life, comedy that eventually gets more of an adventure edge in S3B. They still however make comments on bigotry, the long term damage due to that bigotry, trauma and our responses to it, the change that that can sometimes require and the lengths we'll go to to avoid addressing that, etc. etc.

But because we never get an entire season dedicated to Anne sobbing about Marcy, no one actually cares because it's not as blunt as Barrel's Hammer. Everyone seemed to miss that Anne was so overwhelmed by what happened in True Colors that she couldn't even recap it all without frying herself and that was WITHOUT acknowledging her friend's death. That she works herself to the bone until people convince her that destroying herself won't fix those mistakes faster, it'll just make more mistakes. I LOVE how Amphibia deals with actually acknowledging some of this stuff while managing to still recognizably BE AMPHIBIA.

Heck, the fandom explicitly DOESN'T want the deeper discussions the epilogue implies. That all three of them went through so much shit for and BECAUSE of one another that staying friends would be hard. Other people won't remind them of getting stabbed, scarred, betrayed, etc. but the trio WILL. And so they needed time in order to properly cope with it all. They didn't disconnect but they gave each other space until they were ready to properly handle what their relationship could be now.

Or, you know, just because they were forced to work together for the sake of other people they cared about, they should totally be blood sisters for the rest of eternity. Let's not talk about how two of them literally had to let go of the third to let her DIE for the sake of those they cared about. How do you cope with that? Does that torture Marcy because she can't protect Anne after moving? Is she thankful to have an excuse to disconnect because it means she'll care less if Anne ever dies again? And that's just ONE of the BILLION questions you have to ask about what Marcy does when she finally gets a chance to breathe.

The season the fandom wants about trauma is NOT what they would get. Fandom trauma is where you have a character angst, cry, get a hug and a cookie and then everything is okay. It's an excuse to have big emotions that lead to stronger bonds. It still romantices it into something that can only be for the best for a person and not actually that hard to get over. Trauma doesn't work like that. PEOPLE don't work like that.

Just as a personal example, and sorry this goes for so long: In October I had a session with my therapist specifically about getting into trauma inflicted by my brother pretending to be mentally disabled, something I actually am, and betrayal/bigotry shown to me by a TOH Discord group. These scars were over a year old. Over two years for when my brother started his shit. I had technically talked about these issues with other therapists before but now it was to specifically talk about them with the context of me having worsened my Avoidant Personality Disorder.

It destroyed me.

I went from taking random walks and having a potentially positive, excess energy in me STRAIGHT to complete lethargy, non functionality and, of course, though not as blunt because Tumblr doesn't have a spoiler text option I can find, dangerous thoughts that even scared me more than usual on some nights. It took me over a week to function again. To get back to about where I had before. And mind you, this wasn't a session about FIXING these issues. This was just me talking about them to let my current therapist know what was on my mind and what had happened. It made such not progress that I'm actively scared about how many sessions it will take to actually make me progress on these issues.

Meanwhile, I am not some cinnamon roll who needs pets because of these issues. I get REAL upset when people treat me like a ticking time bomb who is about to start sobbing any second now. The main effect it has had on me is that I am TERRIFIED of publishing my own work. I had my experiences invalidated and my personhood made less and so my deepest expressions of those stand on extremely shaky ground where despite knowing I'm a good writer, nothing sounds good enough to my brain and it just causes more anxiety the harder I push. It's a large part of why I haven't written a lot this year and published nothing original that wasn't written LAST YEAR.

Now translate all of that complexity, and all that boredom that comes with it, to a full season of Amphibia about the girls processing the end of their journey and saying goodbye to their families. Even just a couple episodes about it. How entertaining is that? Is that ANYTHING like what you enjoy about Amphibia in the first place? Is that ACTUALLY what you want?

Because you know what? I made a story about depression, anxiety, trauma etc. and while people like the fanfic version, it's not my most popular fanfic and the published, original version of that story has mostly gone entirely overlooked, almost like those topics actually REALLY suck to read about and have explored properly rather than just being an excuse to have your ships hold each other a little tighter. Most people who read the fanfic were there to see Lumity angst that led to them getting together and were then shocked and pleasantly surprised how there were actual therapy techniques they could take with them and the like in it because they were there to see a couple they liked suffer so their bond could grow stronger.

And I want to be clear real quick: I do not begrudge anyone for enjoying Crises Girlfriends like that. I am actually just happy you enjoyed it at all and in a way that was healthy for you (and I've had people talk about needing to put it down because it fucked them up so badly). There are games I am SCARED to play because I fear what my emotional reaction will be to their themes. Celeste is one of those games. I don't like when my media wrecks me like that but that is a part of actually tackling these very serious subjects that ruin people's lives like trauma or depression or the like.

And... I just don't think most people actually want that. Let alone want that from their silly frog cartoon. it's just what people keep telling them to want because 'trauma' is the big buzzword of the day. The thing that makes it not like other kid's cartoons.

I don't want trauma regarded like that though. Nothing so serious should just be a token signifier to others that your story is 'deep', let alone when the story actually does show responses to trauma and how people handle that like Amphibia does.

======+++++======

For funsies, have an old blog that's admittedly about TOH but also applies to fantasy trauma in Amphibia as well because the genre is EXTREMELY awkward about trauma due to its fantastical nature. I think Amphibia does fantasy trauma better but, well... The Plantar's trauma about herons still applies to one of the types I describe.

Also, best wishes to you asker. Sorry for ending up using your ask to unload some frustrations I have about the topic.

I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!

I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.

A Twitter you can follow too

And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.

[mejomonster]

Some of my favorite (recent-ish) Thai bl were:

Bad Buddy: if I'm going to recommend any coming of age romcom college set bl it's this one. The way it uses so many staple tropes in a fresh way, Ohm and Nanon are great actors and really bring a whole other level of energy, the actual conflict in the story is very realistic and heavy and a real topic I think a lot of young adults deal with regarding their families and expectations. So it's mostly romantic comedy, but the heavy moments resonate so that it doesn't really feel unrealistic. It's very high brightness overly kind of fantastical rather than real in presentation and tropes used (quite common in fluff bl like 2gether and My School President and Theory of Love etc), but the chemistry of the leads feels executed very realistically and again the actual delivery of tropes and conflicts feels very grounded in a way. Highly recommended to most peoples tastes tbh (and special mention to My School President, while it was a little Too fluffy for my tastes, it also did a balance of romcom and a grounded heart to the conflicts which I think is part of why it had such big appeal, along with really solid leads that are going to be bringing a lot to any project they work on in the future)

Never Let Me Go: THE action bl as of recently. Gave me everything I could ask, from the leads in The Gifted Graduation bringing their acting game with roles that let them truly show off what they can do, to a high body count of murders and action scenes, mafia sons falling in love with people oh so different from them, a batman esque lead, rich boy falls for poor bodyguard whipping boy trope but also Not quite because the show Really wants to comment on class issues and inequality and makes sure the audience gets the point (a core issue in the relationship is how to be equals given who they are), and a reference to the quote about soulmates that Xena Warrior Princess also uses. It also has Chimon. It's also aesthetically pleasing af. Idk what to tell you, I love when Jojo directs something and this Gave me WAY more than I thought I could get. I'm happy to say that in the post Not Me world we are seeing more action romance bls, not just romcom/fluff ones (though there's always plenty of those too). I personally am eagerly hoping this trend continues and we keep getting at least a few action romance bls a year like this one, Kinnporshe, Manner of Death, Not Me. I've started Laws of Attraction and that's looking similarly promising. (And while I highly recommend Not Me the series, one of my top shows PERIOD... I'm only listing newer shows than that right now).

The Eclipse: this show was exactly what I'd hope it would deliver, and more frankly (because I was hoping for at minimum the Blacklist quality and at max dream hopes The Gifted quality). Well it delivered closer to The Gifted. Politically heavy, really well done in that regard from the overt to the subtle, amazing entire ensemble cast (even the side actors are strong actors that have been in other things), Khaotung and First are both particularly amazing (Khaotung impresses me no matter what role he's given frankly). Aesthetically it's exactly what you'd hope if your hopes like mine were The Gifted but only real evil people no mutants, and explicitly gayer. If you perhaps are willing to have a high school setting, but very much do Not want fluff dominant story and instead a tense mystery with at least half the characters already out and proud queer people (but still some of the cute romance tropes executed a bit less fluffily) then this may be your jam.

Moonlight Chicken: if you'd like multigenerational queer stories, centering on a family slice of life realism piece, this show is <3. The second main pairing is the same actors from My School President and I think they really shine here where the romance relies less on tropes and the dialogue is more realistic so the intensity of scenes really leans on actors. I love their characters in this and they stole the show for me. The first main pairing is messy and adult, with adult problems (like actual ones not just romantic drama: like raising a nephew, running a store, working for a company that's destroying your lovers neighborhood). But also not actually that messy, I'd say in terms of messy it's for the most part wholesome and soft. If you liked 1000 Stars (I did) then this shows realistic slice of life feel will be comfortable and homey, and the amount of skinship in this show is less conservative for even more of a cozy natural feeling.

And the one I'm most anticipating coming out: Only Friends. Khaotung and First lead it, so I'm basically certain the main story will be absolute gold (since I eat up every role they play their acting is just <3 like dude I watched the Shipper for First okay and 5555 Never too Late for Khaotung which was an Amazing show btw). Now.. Only Friends is directed by Jojo (yay for me) and in theory it IS going to be as messy as it looks (and it looks at least as messy as Friendzone). So if Moonlight Chicken is too fluffy and tame for you, then you might want this show on your radar. I think it is slated for August but I'm not sure as I try not to get too hype for things until theyre out so I avoid most news.

[keyboard-meister]

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

What a visually stunning piece of work. I also loved the score, it was quite different from Joe Hisaishi's other work under Studio Ghibli. Something about Nausicaä made it feel like a video game, and actually a lot of aspects of it reminded me of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind clearly exists as a critique on the destruction humanity has caused to Earth's environment, but it also provides a strong anti-colonialist message. The people of the Valley of the Wind seem to represent indigenous people all across the world, as they don't seem to draw specifically from one culture. It's shown that they have a healthy respect for nature, like many Native groups, using their location as an advantage to avoid getting sick from the poisonous spores. The people of the Valley value the resources which they are able to scavenge for, like the Ohm shell Nausicaä finds in the beginning of the film. What's important here is that they do not hunt down the Ohm for their shells, but scavenge for the shells they have shed already. This respect for natural resources is common in many indigenous groups. Princess Nausicaä herself is actively looking for ways to coexist with the insects of the toxic jungle. On the other hand, the Tolmekians, who represent colonizers, seek to conquer the toxic jungle in their attempt to use the giant soldier as a weapon against the very land they live on. The Tolmekians seem to assume they know better than the Valley people, who believe coexisting with nature is more productive than fighting it.

I can't say I personally relate to any of the themes touched on in this film, however I thought it was really cool to see a strong female hero for once. Nausicaä is a great protagonist who doesn't try to solve every problem with violence, instead seeking communication as an answer.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - I Still On1y Care About...

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

Sept 2024 Week 1

Ongoing Series - Thai

Monster Next Door (Thai Thurs Gaga ) eps 7 of 12 - Deeeelightful. They are so damn cute + a nice kiss! The rise of the green flag semes continues. I like it when Diew flirts and shows that he does have some experience in a relationship, and he can/will flex his power. Props to God for being a man who remembers to TAKE HIS DRINK with him. 

Addicted Heroin (Thai Tues WeTV) ep 4 of 10 - Yep I still like it and all its toxicity. It’s fun to see how closely it follows the original. Now I really can’t wait to see how this one ends. Since this time around we get an actual ending.

Battle of the Writers (Sun YT) ep 6 of 12 - How did they know that what I wanted more than anything was a side couple = spoiled prince + demon lord? How clever they are to give them to me. Meanwhile, in a shocking twist, the leads have known each other since childhood. Because why be original? 

I Saw You in My Dream (Weds Gaga) ep 8 of 12 - Oh it’s very cute. I love Ing. I love that Ai was honest with his bestie. Best friend's older brother trope is a go! Also good kisses all round. 

Kidnap (Fri YT) ep 1 of 12 - Ohm has his shirt off less than 5 min in. I guess GMMTV is learning what we want. My boy Title is the creep character again. I’m assuming that’s why GMMTV brought him on board at this juncture. Sigh. New boy, Q, looks like Mek’s younger brother. Ultimately? I'm not convinced on this one. It is doing what it says on the tin, but nothing more than that. I’m not wild about it, but I will keep watching.

The Trainee (Sun YT) ep 10 of 12 - The more OffGun BLs, the more time they spend communicating as characters in those BLs. It’s kind of charming. They've become the pair that advocates for communication in relationships. I like it as evolution for their brand. Flirting via the printer was very fun. Especially as the Thai script is so beautiful.

Live in Love (Sun Gaga) ep 1 of 5 - I guess this is a lockdown narrative? Odd choice. A lot of familiar faces but from more minor rolls. Is this from the Destiny Seeker people? It feels like that. It’s a bigger cast than I was expecting, and a sort of classic university BL of the kind star Hunter produces. Or the end of love people. Pretty classic Thai pulp stuff. I’m mildly enjoying it. Hali is too hot to be the dorky second lead. Nice to see Boat back on my screen. However, it is… what’s the word I am looking for? Oh yes. Boring. Plus singing. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

The On1y One (Taiwan Thurs Gaga) eps 5-6 of 12 - I entirely lost my mind over this show this week. Fuck me it's so good. The delicacy sends me. I keep expecting it to be clumsy and then is just isn't - it's so subtle and it demands we pay such close attention. I feel like I'm holding my breath the whole time I'm watching.

Cliff's notes on these 2 eps as follows:

The pure unadulterated tsundere of it all.

The awesome angst, it aches.

The series of repercussions after the fight was pacing genius.

The brilliant juxtaposition of "the kid who self isolates too easily" versus "the one who has been forced into isolation" meets both of them being smart enough to know why they react out of hurt, but neither can stop doing it.

Baby’s reaction to learning he’s going to be left behind = to instantly make plans to do the leaving in the future hurts my heart in the best possible way.

"Maybe what we call eternity is just persistence."

Maybe one boy simply deciding to be another boy's rock is romance. 

Production better nail the second half of this show! It better be the world against them from here on out or the audience is gonna riot.

And by "audience" I mean me.

Sugar Dog Life (Japan Sun grey) ep 5 of 10 - Oh noes! Poor baby boy!!! My heart hurts. But also gah so cute and next week they shack up together! Hooray! 

I Hear the Sunspot AKA Hidamari ga Kikoeru (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 11 - too much time spent on the girl again. I don’t need excuses for why she’s a bitch. So can we talk about Taichi instead? It’s such a good characterization, this boy who understands everything about other people but doesn’t notice anything about himself, including his own abilities of observation. The person who is special never realizes how special they are, I guess. The soundscapes are so good with this show. The moments where prod decided to be silent are so vital and so pivotal and used with such delicacy and strategy, it’s truly audio magic manipulation.  

First Note Of Love (Taiwan Mon Gaga) eps 7-8 of 12 - I loved how Orca just jumped on the stage. What a great side couple. CHARMED I TELL YOU. Orca was all… singing? Naw. I came back to fuck the manager's brains out. Anything less than that is unacceptable. 

Takara's Treasure AKA Takara No Vidro (Japan Mon Gaga) ep 10 fin - Essentially this was a growth story for Takara and an exercise in patience while the two of them learned each other’s quirks and languages. It was also an exercise in patience for me... who doesn’t like the power differential of a weaker younger character having to do all the pursuing while constantly feeling like he is inferior to the older popular hot character. I know this was a BL that was definitely for some people, since plenty liked it way more than I did, but I didn’t like it very much even though there’s nothing objectively wrong with it. It simply wasn’t to my personal taste. 7/10 

Seoul Blues (Korea Fri? YouTube) ep 5-6 of 8 - Enter an ex or something? Well he certainly has a type. Bah. This whole series seems to be mainly about cheating. It’s very annoying because they are all so pretty. 

Happy of the End (Japan Tues Gaga) - Based on a manga, longer than usual run time. A boy is disowned for being gay, dumped by his boyfriend, and ends up in a dysfunctional co-dependant relationship with his would-be kidnapper. We were due for another messy JBL. Messy gay pain here we go.

Oh it’s exactly what I expected. Do I like it? No I do not. And ya know what? There is plenty airing. I have a bad feeling about this one. DNF 

It's airing but...

4 Minutes (Sat Gaga) eps 1-6 of 8 - Gaga picked this one up so we can watch it there. I'm waiting until the end, it seems angsty and confusing and full of awful people being awful. But also... high heat and I'm shallow. So we shall see which devil wins (and how it ends).

The Hidden Moon (Sat ????) ep 1 of 10 - This is a supernatural romance (my ghost boyfriend trope) ‘เดือนพราง’ by Violet Rain (I Feel You Linger)... A Bangkok writer is hired to write an article about an old mansion in Chiang Mai which is being converted into a café. He gets into an accident and nearly dies on his way there. After that, he sees the ghosts of people who died at the mansion, one boy catches his attention. Was substantially recast. Couldn't find it. Didn't really look.

In case you missed it

Meet You at the Blossom (China) - I'm eating crow, binging the fucker, and live blogging. It's just taking me some time. This isn't really a bingable show, not for me anyway. It's A LOT to take all at once. No new one this week.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Plus:

9/9 Jack & Joker (Thai Mon IQIYI) 12 eps? - Be gay YinWar, do crimes. Dehup gives us Yin, War, Mark and a few other familiar faces in a Leverage sitch, only queerer.

9/14 Love Sick 2024 (Thai Sat ????) ?? eps - Remake of the original. I'm scared too.

9/15 Bad Guy My Boss (Thai Sun Gaga) 10 eps - Assistant to a player boss who is in love with that boss decides to quit to save himself. The boss then makes a move. (A gay What's up with Secretary Kim?)

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.

Coming SEPTEMBER 2024:

9/17 Love is Like a Poison AKA Doku Koi: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru (Japan Tues Netflix?) 10 eps - Lawyer and a con artist meet at a bar, pair up, fall in love.

9/28 Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YouTube) ?? eps - oh I don't know just Ba Vinh doing his thing with pretty boys again.

9/? The Time of Fever (Korea iQIYI) 6 eps - HoTae & DongHee are back! Side couple from Unintentional Love Story, same actors, same character names I an WILD for this.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Not sure what this is from but I capped it for a reason so, shrug.

The scent trope AND the childhood crush trope? I see you suckering me into one trope because I like the other. Clever, Battle. Very clever.

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a pain.

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.

[cornflowershade]

Bless you for putting The Shipper content on my dash in 2023. Such a lovely show! I take it you enjoyed it?

OMG I DID. Like, where to start. First of all, I appreciate any show that doesn't take itself too seriously or seem afraid how it'll come off, and this is one of them. It is WACKY (and funny) and strange, and I enjoyed every minute of that. But there's drama as well, which I'm a sucker for too, and we will get to that.

Of course, I also lovedddd the cast. First was freaking amazing in this role, the way you can see him switch roles and covey Pan, like??? In fact, everyone did an amazing job. The acting was so good. Also loved Jennie as the angel of death, haha. And Ohm as Khet was so cute. Soda was adorable. And yeahhhh, Way ended up bringing emotions.

Going into the series, it was this great fun adventure body swap situation —always a good time— but obviously there was a million twists, and one of my favorite things about this show was how unpredictable the path always was. Being a show about life (and death), I think that unpredictability kinda suits it.

I like the idea of how it start with Pan, who has an idealized like, wattpad fanfic reading of the world around her—or at least of Kim and Way. Then we place her in Kim's life—via a total fanfic scenario (side note I love how everything feels so fanfic, even down to the wild shipping vibes between literally everyone at various points. the chemistry just chemistry-ing 24/7) and from there everything only gets more complex as she discovers that no, she doesn't know everything about this boy. We discover more about Kim through her, and over time through the other characters as well, and by the time we realize Kim is gone (following an ongoing mystery of Uh Oh Where Is He??) we finally have a fuller picture of him. A picture painted through the choices he made, the lives he impacted, and what he meant to people, etc. And Pan has a better understanding of both Kim and herself. As well as having to face some moral quandaries on how to handle situations linked to this extremely wacky circumstance.

She learns not to judge so quickly (like she did at the start with WayKim or at the point where discovers Kim's secrets. She continues learning this all the way to when she realizes how Khet feels.). I also liked that by the time she realizes WayKim was real, it's something that is able to hit her with gravity? By then it means something more than "ooooooh look at them, look at my ship." Because she feels the implications. Because she knows them better. Because she knows the weight of what it means after living Kim's life and after discovering that he's gone. After we learn that he's dead, it actually makes things make a lot more sense. 1) that he didn't wake up and 2) why the show gives such an investigation into his life [beyond the obvious reason, which is Pan trying to get her bearings and fumble through]—it's almost retrospective.

Speaking of the weight of things (yes this has turned into a full blown show review/meta haha) I again enjoyed how the series becomes something weightier as it goes on. Not to say there wasn't weight at the beginning, but the tone got more grounded as it progressed. Like I said before, it's a show about life and death, and the impact of both. I'd say it's also about loss and learning from experiences (even the angel of death ends up learning a lesson—double check those names!!—and being impacted by a relationship, by someone's life, as she develops a fondness toward Pan.)

Those themes start all the way back at the beginning, with Pan's body being in a coma. With her friends and stepdad worrying if she'll come back to them, and Pan being unable to tell them she's okay (ugh the drama yes). We see the impact that her absence has (and yet she doesn't truly realize until later that her absence is just as important as Kim's. That her presence is just as important his his.) That loss theme is kind of continued through the plot with Way and his girlfriend, actually. And then there's everything with Khet and Kim (yeah that made me cry), and Kim and Way (also made me cry). As The Shipper progresses, we see more deeply into every relationship and motive until we're finally able to understand the character's hearts. And by the time we do, that's why everything hurts so darn bad. It comes together so well.

The balance of lighthearted and heavy was actually really enjoyable to me, though I see from skimming through the tag that not everyone agrees here lol. But personally I liked the plot and the ending and think they worked pretty harmoniously. The series is definitely sad but I wouldn't call it a "sad show?" A reflective one for sure (not saying it's the deepest show on the planet but still) and kinda cathartic. I think it's interesting that, despite all the fantasy and off-the-wall elements, this show had a huge sense of realness to me?? While yeah, still being that fantasy story with wacky elements and lovable characters, which adds such a vibe and really makes the show xD

(Sidenote I laughed at the last line, 'so this is what it's like having a yaoi girlfriend' lmao. sorry khet. i'm not always keen on like, humor last lines—they sometimes feel out of place after sad things— but this one fit well and lifted the mood and seemed full circle. they brought it back to comedy without it being clunky. that whole last scene with her and khet was nice. now I just need to understand the after credit voiceover bc youtube didn't subtitle it AGH)

Honestly, no notes. Idk how common this take is, but: this was probably one of my favorite Thai dramas so far???

Anyway, looking forward to putting more of this show on your dash in the future xD

[ultfreakme]

IFYLITA ep 9 thoughts

The thing that really stood out to me was the solidarity between Fongkaew and Ueang Pheung. The first few episodes pitted them against each other, these women have caused pain to one another but it is made clear to each other and the audience that it was never their fault. They are women living in a world where they are constantly oppressed. They cannot be on different sides. I love Fongkaew's tremendous development and the grace with which she's navigating everything. Ueang Pheung I think is a lot more emotional and shows her displeasure, while Fongkaew cannot afford to do that.

I loved that Maey got rescued by Fongkaew and Ming, and that Ming holds no ill-will towards Ming because she doesn't like him romantically. Love isn't just romance and I'm sure they will be good friends. Maey was so heartbreaking but I sighed from relief seeing her free.

The Maey rescue operation start to finish was about how the oppressed are coming together to help one another and face the true enemy here; the patriarchal values as represented by Robert.

It was amazing to see all of them working together and getting along! In my head, Fongkaew, Ueang Pheung, Maey and Ming are all one big group and I hope they fight and triumph in whatever way they can. Every moment in the past episodes spent highlighting the class struggle, misogyny, homophobia- it all culminates into these people finding solidarity.

On that note, suppression under those values has not always brought community. Yai's mom had very little screen time but my god, did she nail her scene during the measurements. You could TELL she does not want this for Yai and that she hadn't even wanted the marriage for Ueang Pheung. You can see the pain in letting her two children down this bad, forcing them into misery. But she can't do anything! She can only watch as the man in their life decides everything for them.

Yai and Jom this episode broke my heart. The scene before the engagement where Jom tells Yai to let go of him nearly had me in tears. Both the actors did a wonderful job of portraying the sadness.

Yai talking back against his father and declaring that he loves Jom, that he wants to make his own choices and being angry was so good. It was cathartic, it was reflective. It made me angry on his behalf it was such a good scene and I'm glad Yai talked back. Which makes the end of the episode even more miserable because he protested so much but it takes a lot of courage to break free. More than is possible at times.

Jom weeping into Prik's shoulder, losing his love once again to heteronormativity, being kept a secret once more, was heart wrenching. He trusted his heart again to Yai and Yai broke his trust, hurting him exactly where it is fatal. Hearing the way he spoke and asked what wrong he did, what he did to deserve this really hit hard. It's how queer people are made to feel. No matter what we do, a lot of the times our love and identity is shunned. We are demonized, told we are fundamentally wrong. It is terrible to see Jom, who seemed so confident in himself and his love in EP1, a man of the 21st century who is supposed to be more secure in himself ask that question.

What is wrong with me?

It's not even because it's the 1920s because I suspect Jom's had this insecurity since Ohm cheated on him. He's only saying it out loud now. The story is showing the progress, but it's also showing that we still need to undo a lot of things fundamentally.

So watching Jom apparently accompanied by NUEY, bringing their "secret life" right into the open in sunlight, making the family see exactly what they are and being proud and loud about it is going to be absolutely amazing next episode! I thought we'd never get to see Nuey again I'm glad they're back!!! It's especially impactful because we witnessed a ceremony and a dining table conversation that so forcefully insists on heteronormative bs.

Honestly? Watching the engagement scene was very difficult. That's not some fantasy distant thing for me. This shit still happens in a lot of countries. This is still the reality for many queer people and often time, it's reinforced with a lot more violence and cruelty.

Every IFYLITA episode is so filled with meaning. It's a given, the episodes are an hour long. But I feel like so much is done that the hour feels extremely well used.

This series tackles with systematic issues in a historical context with such....grace and care. I don't think I've ever seen a thai drama that's done stuff like this. With every episode, I love this show even more.

[killdeercheer]

Studio Ghibli Reviews: Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)

I know I know this film was technically made before the founding of Studio Ghibli, but it's now currently sold under that umbrella so it also technically counts as a Ghibli film, so there.

Nausicaä started life as a serialized manga for the magazine Animage by Hayao Miyazaki himself and his involvement in the animated adaptation was only on the table if he could direct. Having just come off his first directing role on Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (a very fine action film I can't recommend enough), Nausicaä would prove particularly challenging for Miyazaki as he had barely moved his manga along story-wise. But, even so, the film was completed and went on to become an enormous Ohm-sized success, especially as the funds received helped found Miyazaki's own animation studio, Studio Ghibli.

Plot: Set in a post-apocalyptic future after a fabled "Seven Days of Fire" in which humans bioengineered giant-warriors who spewed nuclear weapons, the namesake Nausicaä is the princess of the peaceful and secluded Valley of the Wind. This is one of the last strongholds of human society, as the rest of the world is being consumed by a "toxic jungle" of poisonous sporophyte-plants and ferocious arthropods. The remaining nations frequently fight amongst each other, and one of these, Tolmekia, accidently crashes their ship into the Valley and reveals their acquisition of one of the long-dormant giant-warriors. Nausicaä must navigate the increasingly-bitter struggle between the Tolmekians (who desire to use the warrior to destroy the jungle and bring humanity back from the brink), the Pejites (another kingdom caught in the conflict with similar goals), her own kingdom (who just wishes to live in peace), and her pacifist, naturalist persona.

- this review will be mainly spoiler-free -

Right away, I will admit to being slightly biased in this review as this is my favorite of the Ghibli films (hence why I chose to discuss it first). It was also very influential as - while I had been aware of and seen several Studio Ghibli films - this was the one that really kickstarted my (almost excessive) interest in their output and history, having been entranced by their storytelling formulas, animation, themes, and complex characters. Nausicaä also hit a lot of chords with me, being a film with strong environmental themes that include a crucial lesson on the need for recognition of humans as a part of nature that must coexist with other organisms if they are to survive.

At its core, Nausicaä is a film about pacifism, and how ultimately fruitless violence is. It is the creation and use of enormous biological-weapons which destroys global human society and the environment; it is the conquering-practices of the Tolmekians which leads to the deaths of many of their people as well as their enemies; and so on. Nausicaä herself abhors violence, choosing instead to use nonviolent methods to achieve peaceful ends. However, even she is not immune, and in one scene (following an emotional reaction to the death of a family member) she proceeds to wipe out several soldiers, realizing "I didn't know my rage could drive me to kill." This action almost causes great troubles for the kingdom. I have my own complex thoughts on the meaning and effectiveness of nonviolent vs. violent methods in certain situations, but in the spirit of the themes which Miyazaki explores in his films and in the context of the plot, I feel that Nausicaä does a fair job at showing how unnecessary thoughtless violence can be.

Either way, the film presents a good textbook-example of how out-of-control wartime struggles are. The kingdoms of Tolmekia and Pejite are never shown, but based on the actions and comments of their citizens, these are communities starved for times of plenty and always at the mercy of a toxic jungle they wish would vanish. Contrast this with the Valley of the Wind, whose position by the windy sea prevents the spores of the jungle from spreading (hence their name), allowing the people to grow crops and survive with relative security even with the jungle on its doorstep. Throw these nations together and conflict could not be far behind, presenting an increasing dreadfulness that ends the film in a spectacular climax.

The cast of the film - like the majority of Studio Ghibli films - is full of wonderful characters. Nausicaä is a remarkable and charming hero; her passion for nature and for her people is admirable, and every time she flies on her glider (called a mehve in production material) I can't help but want to soar with her. Curiously, she seems to be the only lead-role in the film, with the rest of the cast coming in-and-out of the film at various times, only when they're needed. As much as I love these characters, the more I think about it, the more I realize that most lack the complexity of later Ghibli casts. Our antagonists, Princess Kushana of Tolmekia and her second-in-command Kurotowa, are more traditional villains for a Ghibli film, serving as conquerors leading a ruthless army and seeking their goals no matter what. Nausicaä's allies include Prince Asbel, a scrapping fly-boy whose main role is escorting her to Pejite and revealing his people's horrid plans for the Valley, and Uncle Mito, who helps Nausicaä return to the Valley following her journey. Lord Yupa is probably the highlight of the film, being a master swordsman who only uses his skills when necessary. But, for all intents-and-purposes, this is Nausicaä's story.

Commenting on the English dub for a moment (as this is how I know the film), I really love the voicework and casting choices. I adore Alison Lohman as Nausicaä, who brings a vibrant, youthful air to the character. Uma Thurman as Kushana, an actor who I know mainly from the PBS nature documentaries she narrates, plays a good villain with an air of prideful authority (almost a parallel to Nausicaä). Patrick Stewart is Yupa and, as always, kills the performance. Actual Cannibal Shia LaBeouf is Asbel, and I enjoy his role mainly due to my nostalgia (he would have finished filming Holes not long before the English dub was recorded). Chris Sarandon (Kurotowa) & Edward James Olmos (Mito), I also enjoy for their distinct voices that are absolutely perfect for their characters.

I could say much about the worldbuilding. The toxic jungle has the air of a haunted Carboniferous forest and though we only get to explore it twice in the film, it's enough to sell me on its mystery and danger. The arthropods (called insects in the film) are particularly fascinating, with the giant Ohm (a cross between a pill-bug, a grub, and a spider) taking center stage. They are implied to have highly complex cognition and I find they behave like African elephants, herding and caring for their young while communicating messages through non-verbal means. The other arthropod designs are mainly good, although some play a bit fast and loose with the anatomy for my tastes (for example, some have reptilian jaws). The rest of the planet, scarred by the Seven Days of Fire, is desolate and bleak, enough to make even the toxic jungle seem like a refuge. Of course, its important role in the story becomes apparent halfway through. The human settlements are curious as well, bearing a mix of modern and medieval elements that make for a neat combination.

Although it is not addressed in the film, according to the manga, the other animals in the film (including Teto, a "fox squirrel" companion to Nausicaä whose more like a small carnivoran, and Yupa's giant Gastornis-like riding-birds) are supposed to be genetically-engineered as well, but personally I prefer to see them as natural elements in the world of Nausicaä.

For a film that is over 2 hours long, I feel Nausicaä has very good set-up and pacing. The intro effortlessly establishes the situation of the world, including a beautiful sequence of medieval-mosaics where the backstory is laid out without words. Several scenes flesh out the characters and stakes without much explanation, which is excellent considering the English dubs often require characters practically telling the audience what's happening on screen. Even though there are some scenes that can drag on a bit, in terms of their contrast with the action scenes, they are a welcome reprieve. They are made all the better by the score, which is a delightfully weird mix of 80s synth and more typical orchestration. Joe Hisaishi is the legendary conductor for the Ghibli films and his main theme for Nausicaä is necessarily enchanting and grand for a film of this type. I always get goose-bumps listening to it.

Overall, everything in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is big. The scope of the world, the conflict, and the overarching themes. Every time I watch this film I get sucked into the story, which is a running theme with all the Ghibli films I've watched. But in terms of favorites, Nausicaä remains #1 in my book. It's a great film with an inspiring main-lead that paved the way for Studio Ghibli and many other projects by others around the world. You can't pass it up.

Speaking of books, for the record, I have read the original manga. It's excellent, a tour-de-force of literary storytelling... but, it does significantly detract from the story of the film to the point where they are two-different versions. Don't get me wrong, it does expand the world-building and add more characters, but I didn't care for some of the decisions made and the fates of some of the characters left me feeling down, so I do much prefer the film. But that's just me.

I hope y'all enjoyed this slighly-rambling review. I thought I'd try something new for a change and help bring my attention back to this tumblr blog. Expect more of these, for as long as my Studio Ghibli hyper-fixation keeps up XD