#our dining table ep 7

[fadelikeclouds]

I love the silences in this episode. No music, no conversation. It feels a bit awkward. But really, we are just waiting for Yutaka to build up enough courage to express himself. Because it takes courage to talk about a painful past.

He hasn’t talked about it to anyone else. He probably never planned on speaking about it to others, so of course doesn’t know how to start or what to say.

So we get this silence, filled with the heaviness of unexpressed pain, but more than that, it’s really an uncertainty. Yutaka is hesitating on the threshold of a different life: one in which he has warm people who care about him, want him in their lives, and love him. Minoru is someone who wants to know more about him, not just to share in his happiness but also understand his pain. Yutaka is no longer stuck in isolation, but that is such a huge shift in his experiences up until now. He wants to go forward, he just doesn’t know how to proceed with that first step: talking about his past.

Especially when he’s not sure why it’s left him with such a scar even though it could be considered something small, “それだけの事”, a comment from his older brother. In his mind, he thinks there’s something wrong with him because even though he was blessed with a “good” life with his adoptive parents he ended up feeling afraid of eating with others and feeling as if he was lacking something.

"For me, there are no memories of a happy dining table, and that really made me feel like I was deficient as a human."

But he works through his hesitant fear and begins his story, hiding behind the drawing of the happy, smiling self he wishes he could have been as a child.

I loved all the details in Inukai’s acting in this scene: how hard he was gripping the drawing while he talked, the pauses in his retelling, the way the words get caught in his throat. There is a lot of pain as he revisits his past, where he had no real home, no welcoming family, and nowhere he felt completely safe and comfortable.

But the reason he can even talk about his past is because his present is so different.

"But then, I met you two, and eating meals together became something I thought of as happy for the first time since I was born."

And that’s the really beautiful thing about this show. Nothing earth shattering happened. Yutaka met the Ueda family. That’s it. And yet, that’s everything. Sometimes all it takes is meeting the right people to melt a heart frozen by fear and anxiety. Even the most mundane life can be filled with life altering miracles when looked at through another perspective.

A simple encounter at the park with an outgoing, cheerful, and hungry child gives Yutaka a family and a home. And the “small” joys of life return to him: the happiness of eating with others, the anticipation for the weekends, the comfort of knowing there is a place where he is wholeheartedly welcomed.

To Yutaka and Minoru just having each other in their lives is healing and joyful.

[guzhufuren]

Celebrating Christmas With BL Couples

Moonlight Chicken ep. 4 (gif 1,2)

Bed Friend ep. 9 (3)

Until We Meet Again ep. 11 (4,5,6)

Our Dining Table ep. 7 (7)

The Untamed ep. 43 (8)

The Director Who Buys Me Dinner ep. 8(9)

I Feel You Linger in the Air ep. 6 (10)

Vice Versa ep. 5 (11)

Kieta Hatsukoi ep. 10 (12)

Only Friends ep. 11 (13)

[gawin]

I’m always thankful to you. I’m glad you’re here with me.

OUR DINING TABLE EP. 7

[absolutebl]

Ranking Every Restaurant Based BL

As of August 2024. Shows not yet finished by that date are not on this list. Otherwise, features any BL set in the restaurant & beverage industry (that I've watched). I did not include the home cook domestic BLs on this list (like Our Dining Table).

1 To My Star

Korea 2021 Viki

10/10

Hwang Da Seul directing this show about a neurotic actor (actual puppy) who takes refuge with a grumpy chef resulting in sparks, cooking lessons, and LOVE! It’s is a touch quirky to get into, but utterly charming once it hits its stride. This is the ultimate grumpy/sunshine pairing plus the most appealing light-filled kitchen of our dreams. I adore this show so much. Limited use of BL tropes makes this feel more of a sweet contemporary gay romance between an actor plagued by scandal and the grumpy chef who adopts him, but the gentleness will appeal to fans of the BL genre.

2 What Zabb Man!

Thai 2022 YouTube

8/10

Star Hunter's WZM was better than we had any right to expect, with decent pacing and a foodie theme threaded through the narrative as both love language and plot driver. Basically CEO falls in love with a street vendor’s food, recruits him to work in his hotel, falls in love with him, and that’s just the beginning. Class struggles! Kitchen drama! Papaya pounding (not a euphemism)! Chef poaching (not literally)! Spicy scenes (yes both kinds)! It’s all so delicious.

3 DNA Says Love You

Taiwan 2022 Gaga

8/10

Okay it's only in a cafe about 1/2 the time but it is the main setting if not the plot. DNA deserves extra marks for an upbeat approach to a queer story arc that other shows have systemically mishandled with sadness (in the guise of realism). There is a twist, which I found predictable, but knowing what would happen didn't spoil this show. The leads are luminous and engaging, and it’s full of queer found family representation and an unexpected amount of domesticity, plus it’s Taiwan, so the kisses are great. The first few eps are rough going but have patience, it's worth it I promise! The second half is really special and life/love affirming - and the end is big-grin charming.

4 The Tasty Florida

Korea 2021 Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/38119c-the-tasty-florida

8/10

Not really a love triangle featuring the prettiest men ever to be grouped together outside of K-pop, honestly the visuals are ridiculous, there’s a story, it has to do with food, whatever, they so pretty. I have a weakness for this BL and it's entirely Speed's fault.

5 My Day

Pinoy 2020 YouTube

8/10

The set up on this one is enemies (also boss/employee) and they don’t like each other to start. But that gets resolved pretty quickly. And then they are some of the cutest, hottest, and best boyfriends ever. This is an under-appreciated BL, IMHO. It's also more set in the office of a food creation company, but there is a lot about food.

6 My Tooth Your Love

Taiwan 2023 Viki

8/10

Earnest dentist hottie with sad eyes who worries too much is smitten by an adorable sunshine neurotic bar owner with serious anxiety issues. They fall madly in love while courting each other with food, plushies, and naps. Then, shocker, talk about their feelings and try to actually sort out their problems so they can have an adult relationship. Bonus crumbs = 18 year old poor little rich kid in mad crush with a much older man. I really enjoyed this show, it had a unique premise, killer dialogue, there was a solid lead pair with charmg chemistry, soft flirtation, delightful smiling kisses, and stinkingly cute domesticity. All that said, I wasn’t wild about some of the darker themes it explored, even though it did a good job with them. And while the sides were adorable, they were underused. In the land of May/December, baby boy kabedon is my kryptonite! Why so little of it? (Kabedon is My Krytonite = also the name of my indie band’s first single.)

7 All the Liquors

Korea 2023 Viki & Gaga

8/10

A pretty classic foodie set KBL that managed to distinguish itself from others in this category by having a particularly satisfying final episode centered around found family. Sunshine sweetie soju rep gets involved with a shy introvert chef who doesn’t drink. This has a somewhat uneven plot and ridiculous central conceit (much in the way of Tasty Florida), but if you are looking for a restaurant BL with Korea’s signature softness, then this is a great option. FYI I may identify with our baby party boy hedonist more than any other BL lead ever presented.

8 Although I Love You and You - Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka

Japan 2024 Gaga

8/10

The promise of this show, younger cook courts older divorced office worker, should have been my catnip. I mean if someone pitched this to me in an elevator I would have downloaded it by the second storey. Unfortunately, it did not exactly fulfil that promise, not in the way I'd hoped. Did I still enjoy the ride? Yes, but I feel a little let down.

9 Ocean Likes Me

Korea 2022 Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/38367c-ocean-likes-me

8/10

Stars Kpop’s best known out gay singer, Holland & Han Gi Chan (Where Your Eyes Linger). Noodle shop! Broken dreams! This is a solid little KBL, with a good premise and cast. Manic pixie dream boy can get old fast but when contrasted with awkward grumpy chef? It’s a tasty combo that elevates both ingredients. Holland is a charming screen presence - baby boy is HYPNotiC. And while I wasn’t entirely sold on the chemistry, these two did give us some very good kisses and sweet domesticity. I grinned through most episodes and I didn’t even mind the standard KBL 1 year separation at the end because it felt so true to the characters. Is this Korea's first out gay actor in a BL? I think it might be.

10 My Sweet Dear

Korea 2021 Viki

8/10

I liked this one a lot better than most. Strict professional rivals (chefs) in a very enemies to lovers BL - to the point where we mistrust the sincerity of the seme because he’s so very in it to win. I kinda like that, because kitchens are hotbeds of drama, and I like a seme with some sinister edge. But be warned, it means the whole romance comes off as a little disingenuous.

11 You Are Ma Boy

Vietnam 2021 YouTube

7/10

The leads in this drama crackle on screen together and I kinda adore them. No one has seen this BL, and you should really give it a try. Is there angst? Nope even what could have been angst (a gay idol) doesn’t materialize, it’s just cuties in a cafe confusing each other with cat & mouse games. The side het couple is a touch disturbing, tho.

12 My Lascivious Boss

Vietnam 2021 YouTube

7/10

While it did have pacing issues and some questionable content at the beginning, MLB’s unabashed queerness carried it though and ultimately elevated it with camp. It never felt like mockery or punching down, it felt joyful, and very new wave BL. It’s as if Vietnam is starting a process of handing out HEAs to all the letters of LGBTQ+ in BL style - I love this look for them.

13 Pure Vanilla

Singapore 2023 microfilm Gaga

7/10

It’s very sweet. Bit awkward acting. I love seeing real tats. I wish Singapore would give us a full proper BL.

14 La Cuisine

Thai 2022 Gaga

7/10

A sweet and somewhat pure show, and like the Thai desserts it features, perhaps requires too much patience for a layperson. Because of the pacing and the focus on a bad girl character, I did dock it. But if you like stuff in the Oxygen vein, then this show is for you, and far better than most Thai BL pulps. That said, I suspect that I enjoyed it more than many would.

15 My Universe - Lucky Love

Thai 2023 iQIYI

7/10

A boy suffering heartbreak is asked to look after a friend's restaurant, and meets a young chef whose food brings on a relationship. I enjoyed this 2 part installment, it’s a bit of a sad sack recovery SAGA, but the acting is genuine, the couple believable, and the story felt particularly queer to me. It was really quite charming.

16 Cooking Crush

Thai 2024 YouTube

7/10

1/3 of this is a sweet romance about a student doctor falling in love with a student chef, and the rest of it is utter dross. Look the OffGun bits were GREAT. In fact, I think they’re better AS A PAIR in this show than in any of their other BLs. And I'm a hard sell on any OffGun being better here than PickRome. Saying that, how can I review a show where I could only tolerate 1/3 of it? Because I didn’t like any other aspect of this show, no other pairs and no other plots. That gives me: 9/10 for the OffGun bits, 5/10 for everything else. Frankly, it probably should be an 8 but I gotta go with my gut and it's UPSET about this so 7/10. Sorry boys. It’s GMMTV’s fault. Your heart was in this show, mine wasn’t.

17 Love in Translation

Thai 2023 iQIYI

6/10

A sweet little pulp about a Thai boy with a crush on a Chinese influencer who ends up in a business relationship with her ex-bf. This show had truly great chemistry between the leads, cute found family with good rep, and an exciting (if silly) ending that almost, but didn't quite, make up for how incredibly annoying the main character was in the first half. Gotta say the make-out scene in the convenience store is one of the greatest in Thai BL history, but I can't like a show where I dislike the main character to such a degree, sorry DouOffroad I intend to enjoy your next offering.

18 Please Tell Me So

Korea 2021 microfilm YouTube

Cute barista (played by Han Hyun Jun star of Love Class) has a crush on his customer, musters up the courage to ask him out.

19 Love Advisor

Thai 2021 microfilm YouTube

6/10

Set in a cafe but not about cafe workers, this is an actor’s piece, more like a one act stage performance about friends to lovers and miscommunication.

20 VIP Only

Taiwan 2024 Gaga

6/10

A sweet if aimless story about a writer and a chef finding love via noodles, fake dating, and family challenges. If it had a tighter script and a shorter run, more like a KBL this might’ve been quite special. But it didn’t and it lost me too many times.

21 609 Bedtime Story

Thai 2023 WeTV

6/10

Okay it's sometiems set in a club but that's not really part of the... plot. An interesting time slip concept and a great set up ultimately disappointed. It opened strong, on one of my favourite under appreciated Thai actors: Plustor (as Vee) in a side bartender romance with younger bisexual king, Games. Unfortunately, it went downhill from there. OhmFluke’s solid chemistry and romantically soft kisses were ill served by a reformed rake meets rich-kid cheater pairing. While it was nice to see Ohm play a part with more animated facial expressions, his was the only character that remained consistent. All in all, this was a confusing show about disloyalty and parallel worlds that never made sense or stayed true to its characters. A promising start, confusing middle, and disappointing end. I don’t say this lightly, but Oh My Sunshine Night is better, and OhmFuke deserve better than either.

22 Bake Me Please

Thai 2023 Gaga

6/10

A lackluster story about a group of bakers coping with (mostly) a shoddy script that could not be saved by either the beauty nor the talent of the actors involved. It suffered for lack of narrative backbone and so did I.

23 Bite Me

Thai 2021 Viki

6/10 (yeah I'mm surprise too, I thought I gave this a 5)

Thailand gave us Korean style slowly simmering ultra soft and sweet BL only at a Thai length so the pacing was… not good. Slower than molasses and full of insane subtext, long gazes, missing dialogue, abrupt mood swings, and one very pretty kiss. It curdled around episode 8, the sauce split, and there was no saving it. It did have some of the best food porn I’ve seen in my life, and I watch cooking shows regularly. It was beautiful, the leads were decent, it should have right up my alley, and yet… it left me with a feeling of disaffected ennui - bland and boring and unsatisfying. 11 courses of tasty tasty pacing issues.

24 One Last Order

Korea 2019 microfilm Gaga

5/10

Extremely hot cafe customer has to figure out which of the cutie baristas has a crush on him and sends hime poetry.

25 Craving You

Taiwan 2020 Viki

5/10

Honestly, I haven't rewatched this since it aired and I maybe might cut it more slack now. About a jerk of a cook with a crush on a musician and having to make a cake for a gay wedding.

26 Coffee Melody

Thai 2022 Viki

5/10

Stars Pavel (my love) as a cafe owner (Forth in 2 Moons 2) and Benz as a composer (Call it What You Want). This should have been my kind of BL - on the fluffy end of the spectrum plus honestly queer. Unfortunately, the slow pacing, manufactured angst, odd secondary story arcs, and a selfishly immature unlikeable wet dishcloth main character, meant its flaws outweighed its charm. Jean (flame on snark fairy) is ME, I love him so much but in the end neither he nor Pavel in an apron could save this show for me. It’s not bad. It’s not good either. Ultimately so forgettable I’ve probably already forgotten it. There is also a Coffee Melody holiday special.

27 Evening Cafe

Thai 2021 YouTube

5/10

Cafe setting with no heat and no kisses (almost Chinese in this regard), but a decent lead pair. About a boy who works in a cafe and the new employee who has a crush on him. That’s it, whole story.

28 Love Area: Part 1

Thai 2021 Gaga

5/10

It ended on a cliffhanger and I'm still annoyed by it. But it is somewhat set at a restaurant.

29 Love Next Door 2

Thai 2014 Gaga

4/10

One of Thailand’s early very high heat pieces, it’s odd, but sexy I guess? Some unexpectedly decent queer rep at the cafe including femme characters getting screen time and HEAs. Part one from 2013 has the same high heat content and feature the same lead character (and actor) early on in his queer journey, discovering he is gay with the sex worker next door, but isn't as good nor is it relevant to this story. Which, unfortunately, also isn't very good.

30 The Promise

Thai 2023 WeTV

4/10

Although well acted this show dragged a too simple premise out into the ultimate manipulative miscommunication repeats of idiotic "why don’t you just TALK!?” Phu & Nan are childhood bffs through college (almost lovers) until Phu disappears. After looking/waiting for him, Nan gives up and self isolates, and the actual story takes place 10 years later. Phu’s “reason” and inability to say it out loud makes the whole show just frustrating, squandering good chemistry, and a stellar cast of multiple faen fatals (whose personalities would’ve made them better boyfriends). Seriously do not bother. What a damn waste of talent, time, and electronic bandwidth. Fatally flawed.

31 Love Area: Part 2

Thai 2022 Gaga

3/10

It wasn't as boring as Bite Me, but it wasn’t actually good, either. This started out as Thailand tackles love triangles pulp style, but in part 2 lockdown changed everything. Valen & Kaitoon dropped some great kisses but traded off crazy hair and makeup in a scene-by-scene whiplash that was clearly pickups done months after lockdown, and the second lead vanished. It was... surreal. Side dishes jumped up screen time but tackled mental health... badly. A fantastic new queer side character was randomly introduced, June, who was the best thing to happen to BL linguistics in 2022 but had nothing to do with the rest of the cast, show, or plot. What a mess. In the end, I didn’t know what I was watching, and neither did it.

32 Cafe In Love

Thai 2023 grey

3/10

A café setting featuring 3 couples with a great queer fam but held together by tropes and sexual-harassment, surrounded by dubious consent and statutory rape. Avoid.

33 I Am Your King 2

Thai 2019 grey

3/10

Early love triangle BL about a cafe boy caught between two brothers, mostly not good because the wrong brother wins. Has no connection to the original I Am Your King.

34 Senior Love Me

Thai 2023 YouTube

3/10

Pulp cafe, nothing happens, not even a BL

35 Jealousy is My Guest

Korea 2016 microfilm Gaga

2/10

Just very very odd and kinda deadly.

I also have 3 unrated DNFs in this sub genre:

Accomplishment of Fudanshi Bartender AKA Fudanshi Bartender no Tashinami - Japan 2022

My Story - Pinoy 2023

About Us but Not About Us 0 Pinoy 2022

Restaurant & beverage is my favourite possible setting for a BL. I'm extremely disappointed that the BL world hasn't produced more that I truly love. I'm not demanding 10/10 but I could use some 9/10s.

Side eyes Thailand and Japan.

(source)

[wen-kexing-apologist]

WKA Gay Analysis Assembly, Part Two

Well, it finally happened. My first Gay Analysis Assembly Post refused to edit for me. So I guess it's time to start a Part Two for all the new essays that I have been writing!

Please check out Part One here, it contains essays on: Utsukushii Kare, Moonlight Chicken, Bed Friend, Our Dining Table, Our Skyy 2, Step by Step, La Pluie, Cupid's Last Wish, Be My Favorite, My Ride, Only Friends, I Feel You Linger in the Air, Shadow, Last Twilight, and The Sign

Bengiyo's Queer Cinema Syllabus

Unit 1- Coming of Age: Pariah (2011), Get Real (1998), Edge of Seventeen (1998), My Own Private Idaho (1991), and Mysterious Skin (2004)

Unit 2- Race, Class, Disability: The Way He Looks (2014), Being 17 (2016), Naz and Maalik (2015), The Obituary of Tunde Johnson (2019),Margarita With a Straw (2014), My Beautiful Laundrette (1985), Brother to Brother (2004), and Beautiful Thing (1996)

Unit 3- Faith and Religion: But I’m a Cheerleader (2000), Prayers for Bobby (2009), Latter Days (2003), Blackbird (2014), The Wise Kids (2011), Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party (2015)

Unit 4- Heartbreak Alley: Bent (1997), Strange Fruit (2004),Boys Don’t Cry (1999), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Parting Glances (1986), Philadelphia (1993),The Living End (1992), Holding the Man (2015), Jeffery (1995), and Boys on the Side (1995)

__

Love in the Big City TV Show

Episode 1-2

Episode 3-4: What Does Eating Pasta Have to Do With a Tough Past?

Episode 5-6 Coming Soon

Episode 7-8 Coming Soon

The Miracle of Teddy Bear

I am being so sincere when I say episode 10 is one of my favorite episodes of BL of all time

Unknown

Episode 6: Breakdown Breakdown

Episode 7: Return Breakdown

Episode 8: Losing My Mind

Episode 9: Parallels

Episode 10: The Couch

Episode 10: Qian and Yuan

Episode 11: To Grow Taller

Fanfiction: Afterglow

Episode 12: Doors

Episode 12: Tie Scene

Dead Friend Forever

Dead Friend Forever: Episode 5

Power Dynamics in Dead Friend Forever

Dead Friend Forever: Squicks and Triggers Ep 1-8, Ep 9, Ep 10, Ep 12

Cooking Crush

Cooking Crush, Episode 8

Body Language in Cooking Crush

Love in the Big City Book Club

Part One: Two Friends Diverged in Emotional Sincerity

Part Two

Part Three: Now Introducing Kylie

Part Four: Regret, Rain, Loss, and Love

Love for Love's Sake

Symptoms of a System Error: Manifestation of Depression in Love for Love's Sake

Kiseki

Kiss-eki: Dear to Me

[finnsbubblegum]

Becoming Mrs. Miller {Part 6} (Joel Miller x Reader)

Pairing: pre-outbreak!joel miller x f!reader

Warnings: fluff, domestic joel, pregnant wife reader (lmk if i missed any)

Words count: 1.7k

A/N: Hi! This is part 6 for Becoming Mrs. Miller. But it can also be read as a standalone. There will be one or two more parts for this story. The scenes are mostly from TLOU Ep 1 with additions and some changes from my story. Hope you like it! 

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

September 25

You tried to sleep but you couldn’t. You moved to your side and another but you still felt uncomfortable. You were around 22 weeks pregnant now and your belly was starting to protrude. 

“Joel, baby..” You shook Joel gently trying to wake him up.

“Hmm? What’s wrong, baby?” Joel answered you with a sluggish voice.

“I can’t sleep.” You moved closer to him.

“C’mere.” His arms reached you and pulled you to his chest.

“Tomorrow’s your birthday and I haven’t got you any presents. Do you have something you want?”

“Nothin’, baby. Just want you and our baby healthy.” He was half asleep.

“Okay.” 

September 26 - Morning

“Sarah, sweetie, can you wake your dad up, please?” You asked Sarah while cooking breakfast.

“Dad! Alarm! Wake up!” Sarah knocked on the door.

“Morning, birthday boy.” You looked over to your shoulder while Joel walked down the stairs as he buttoned his pants. 

“Morning, baby.” He gave you a kiss and rubbed your protruding belly.

“Happy birthday, Joel.” You cupped his cheeks.

“Happy birthday, dad.” Sarah poured a glass of orange juice into three glasses and put them on the dining table.

“Thank you, babygirl.” Joel kissed Sarah’s head and poured himself a cup of coffee.

“I was gonna make birthday pancakes for you but I forgot to buy them. Pregnancy brain.” You scoffed as you put the plates of eggs and bacon on the table.

“You know I don’t really like pancakes.” Joel ate his breakfast.

“I know you don’t like them.” You smirked to Sarah.

“Yeah, it was for my benefit.” Sarah added.

“Dad, vitamin C.” Sarah pushed a glass of orange juice to Joel.

Joel rolled his eyes and drank his juice. You laughed at Sarah's controlling behavior. 

“You get your, uh, homework done? Fractions?” Joel tried to make a conversation with his daughter.

Sarah shrugged and chuckled.

“How old are you again?” Sarah asked.

“36.” Joel chewed his bacon.

“Gonna have to wear diapers soon.” Sarah joked.

“Who says he doesn’t already?” You teased Joel.

He gave you a side eye and took something from his mouth.

“Shell.”

“Oh my God. I’m sorry.” You covered your face in embarrassment.

“Calcium.” Sarah’s answer made you feel better.

“Thanks, Sarah.” You chuckled.

“I got you, mom.” Sarah pointed at you.

“You two really are gangin’ up on me. Please let it be a boy.” Joel extended his arms to rub your belly.

“No! I want a sister!” Sarah insisted.

You and Joel laughed.

“Is there enough for Tommy?” Joel asked.

“I can make another plate.” You stood up but Joel stopped you.

“No, no. Eat your breakfast. He can grab somethin’ on the road.”

The three of you looked to the door as you heard someone was coming in.

“Ay! You’re still alive, you old fucker.” Tommy came in and patted Joel on the back.

Tommy made his way to the kitchen and looked around.

“I thought we was havin’ pancakes.”

“Sorry, Tommy.” You apologized for your mommy brain.

“We’ll pick you somethin’ up on the road. Concrete guys gonna be there?” 

“Yeah, they said maybe.” Tommy opened the fridge to find something he could eat.

“Maybe? We can’t frame until we pour. We’re not gettin’ paid until we frame.”

“Well, we could bring someone else on, get the job done faster.”

“No, no. I’m not splittin’ this job. I barely wanna split it with you. We could work a double.” Joel insisted.

“Literally? Today?” Sarah was getting upset.

“Joel..” You were upset too but you couldn't stop him from working hard because with the baby coming, you would need more money for the living expenses.

“I know. I’d be done by nine. By nine, right?” He tried to get assurance from Tommy.

“Yeah.” Tommy shrugged.

“I’ll bring back a cake. I promise.” Joel promised.

*On the radio*… continued disturbances in Jakarta, but are advising U.S. citizens…

“Jakarta. Where is that, Middle East?” Joel asked.

“Doesn’t ring a bell. It’s definitely a country.” Tommy was also not sure.

“Or maybe part of Asia?” You added.

“Jakarta isn’t a country. Being a part of Asia isn’t mutually exclusive with being a country, and in fact, it’s the capital of Indonesia.” Sarah proudly answered.

“Shit. Hope for us yet.” Tommy drank his coffee.

“Language.” You glared at Tommy and he chuckled.

“Finish up quick, your mom has an appointment at the hospital. We’ll drop you off. You got seven minutes.”

You got up and put the dishes in the sink.

“Your T-shirt’s inside out.” Sarah finished her last bite.

“Shit.” Joel rolled his eyes.

“Joel, language.” You gave him the evil eye. You didn’t want your baby to hear curse words even before it was born so you always got sensitive when anyone cursed.

“He’s losin’ it.” Tommy shook his head.

You walked them out and stood behind the car as Joel moved his stuff to the truck.

“Hey, baby. I’m sorry I can’t go with you today. Call me if you need anythin’ alright?” He kissed your forehead and rubbed the sides of your belly.

“Okay.” You nodded and smiled.

“I’ll see you tonight.” He walked to open the door for Sarah.

“See you, mom.” You kissed Sarah’s cheek.

You continued your morning routine and got ready to the hospital. You were excited because it was the day to know the baby’s gender. After you got everything ready and finished all the housework, you got into your car and drove to the hospital.

“Congratulations! It’s a boy!” The doctor pointed at the monitor showing you your baby’s genitals.

“A boy? My husband wants a boy.” You cried in happiness.

“Well, I guess God answered his prayers.” 

You couldn’t believe you were having a boy. You talked with Joel and the two of you had been wanting a boy. You were so excited and decided to go shopping for baby products at the mall. You bought some blue baby clothes, socks, and other things. Then an idea came to your mind. 

“I haven’t bought anything for my husband’s birthday. Maybe this is his birthday present.” You thought to yourself.

So you decided to buy a gift box and put the blue baby shoes inside it. You were going to give him this as a birthday present.

September 26 - Night

You and Sarah watch TV in the living room waiting for Joel to come home. It was 10 pm and he hadn’t come home. You were getting sleepy but you forced your eyes open until you heard the sound of keys jingling.

“You locked the door for once. Good job.” Joel was finally home.

“Yeah, I guess the mommy brain is working today.” Your drowsiness was suddenly gone.

“You’re home.” Sarah turned the TV off.

Joel groaned and sat beside you on the sofa. He rubbed his eyes. He looked really tired and you felt really bad towards him. You didn’t like seeing him tired and working too hard to make ends meet for you and your family. But you couldn’t do anything. You had offered him to help but he didn’t want you to work. He knew how hard it was being pregnant so he didn’t want you to suffer more. 

“It’s 10.” Sarah sounded disappointed.

“I know. They gave us the wrong size of the headers. That doesn’t mean anything to ya. I’m sorry.” Joel apologized.

“Where’s the cake?” Sarah had been looking forward to celebrating her dad’s birthday.

“Shit.” Joel forgot to buy the birthday cake.

“Joel.” You glared at him as you put your hand on your belly protectively.

“Sorry, baby. Daddy didn’t mean that.” He rubbed your belly and talked to the baby.

“I’ll get us one tomorrow.” Joel promised Sarah again.

“Swear, or you don’t get your present.” 

“You got your dad a present?” You raised your eyebrows.

“You got me a present?” Joel was surprised too.

“Swear.” Sarah repeated.

“On my life.” Joel swore.

“Wow.” Sarah gave Joel a box with his fixed watch inside.

“Fixed it for you.” 

“Did you?” Joel raised his watch near his ear to check. 

“What?”

“I don’t hear anything.” His face was confused. Then he laughed.

“That was lame.” You laughed and slapped Joel at his joke.

“You’re lame.” Joel got Sarah for a second.

“Yeah, I know.” Joel laughed at his own joke.

Then the three of you watched the DVD that Sarah borrowed from the Adlers, your neighbor. Joel put his arms around you and you leaned on him. Sarah didn’t want to be left out so she leaned on you and you put your arms around her. Sarah promised not to fall asleep but she fell asleep not long after the movie started.

“Sarah’s asleep.” You told Joel.

“I’ll put her to bed.” Joel carried Sarah to her bedroom and tucked her in. 

He kissed her forehead and went downstairs to find you massaging your legs.

“You okay?” Joel looked concerned.

“Hmm.” You kept massaging your calves.

Since you got pregnant, you often felt pain on your legs but today the pain was worse. You thought it might be because you spent a lot of time walking at the mall shopping for baby products. 

He sat beside you and took your legs to his lap to massage them. 

“Think I walked too much today. It hurts.” You rubbed his upper arm.

“Don’t force yourself too much, baby. Anyway, what did the doctor say? Everythin’ great?” He asked.

“About that.. I got you a present too.” You took out the box and gave it to him.

“Really? I told you, you don't have to get me anythin’.”

“Come on. Here.” You gave Joel a navy blue box tied with sky blue ribbon on top of it.

“Open it.” Your heart was beating faster.

“Thank you.” Joel kissed you and opened the box.

“Baby socks?” He looked confused for a moment. Then he realized something.

“Wait. It's blue. We’re having a boy?” His face lightened up.

You nodded and opened your arms for him. He hugged you tightly and kissed your temple.

“Hey peanut, it’s daddy. You’re daddy’s best birthday gift ever. Can’t wait to meet you. Be good to your mama, okay?” Joel came closer to your belly and talked to his baby boy. 

“Oh!” You gasped.

“What’s wrong?” Joel got worried.

“He kicked.” You giggled.

“You can’t wait to meet daddy too, don’t you?” Joel chuckled and rubbed your belly where the baby kicked. 

To be continued... Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

Taglist:

@moonlightdivine

@happinessinthebeing

@nyotamalfoy

[twig-tea]

2023 BL/GL/QL Round-Up Post

I thought for posterity I'd post a reflection on everything I watched that completed in 2023. For me, that means anything that started in 2022 but the last episode was in 2023 is on this list, but anything that will still be airing after 31 December 2023 11:59 my time (EST) is not on this list, even if the bulk of the show did air in 2023.

A few stats:

110 discrete pieces of content (series/films)

clocking in at est. 600 hours of NEW BL/GL content only

from 9 different countries (Cambodia [1], Philippines [3], Hong Kong [1], Japan [18], Korea [19], Myanmar [1], Taiwan [6], Thailand [56], Vietnam [7])

~50% of the content I watched on this list is from Thailand

~85% of my content was on YouTube [40%], GaGaOoLaLa [23%] and iQIYI [21%].

[Note that this year a lot of older GMMTV shows moved off of YouTube and onto Viki so if you're looking at these stats to decide what to pay for, this won't account for that.]

This doesn't include re-watches or catching up on old shows [e.g. I re-watched Love Sick, My Ride the Series, Semantic Error, ITSAY/IPYTM, Our Dating Sim at least 3 times lol, and anything with a s2 I re-watched s1 to prep, among others, watched Fujoshi Ukkari Gei no Kokuru (2019) for the first time] or non-QL [e.g. Heartstopper s2, Our Flag Means Death s2, Taskmaster s. 15 & 16, Uncanny Counter s2, One Piece s1, etc.] but does include films as well as shows, though I don't count special episodes separately (so Wedding Plan counts once, though I watched both the show and the special).

I hope you all appreciate that with this much content, and with my general brand of being unable to make decisions, I really struggled to narrow down a top 10 list. What follows is the best I could do lol

Top 20 Shows I'd Recommend From This Year:

Moonlight Chicken

Our Dating Sim

Bed Friend

The Eighth Sense

La Pluie

Sing My Crush

Tokyo in April Is...

Wedding Plan

Laws of Attraction

I Cannot Reach You

I Feel You Linger in the Air

What Did You Eat Yesterday S2

I Became the Lead in a BL Drama

If It's With You

Love in Translation

Our Dining Table

My Personal Weatherman

My Beautiful Man: Eternal

My School President

Be My Favorite

+10 I liked but I would only recommend with caveats:

Love Class 2

The New Employee [for the Rainbow Rice Cakes]

Let's Eat Together Aki and Haru

Never Let Me Go

Kiseki: Dear to Me

Unintentional Love Story

The Day I Loved You

End of the World with You

A Breeze of Love

Jack O'Frost

Bonus: Not a BL but worth calling out:

One Room Angel

Midnight Museum

Grand Guignol

The Warp Effect

Sadly, of the GLs that aired this year, I wouldn't recommend any of them. The best one was Show Me Love, which was not actually good but had very gorgeous women and a LOT of flirting.

The other huge thing that happened this year was that I stopped lurking! Thanks specifically to @lurkingshan and @bengiyo demanding everyone start talking about La Pluie, because they got me to post my first meta post. And because I started actually talking to people, I started making actual friends, and participated in organizing things like the Be My Favorite clown checkpoint for ep 11. I also disappeared a month because of life, and am still catching up on everything I intended to write this year. But it's been really rewarding finding this corner of tumblr with likeminded people who like good shows, like to think about these shows, and who are interested in talking about them in a way that's insightful and respectful.

It's been a long time since I felt comfortable enough participating actively in a fandom, and I just want to say to everyone I've interacted with this year: Thank you!

Full list under the cut for anyone curious! [Mostly in order it aired but may be slightly off].

Love Bill

Director Who Buys Me Dinner, The

Star Always Follow You, The

Cutie Pie 2 You

Between Us the Series (Hemp Rope)

Reason Why He Fell in Love with Me Special & S2 [international release]

New Employee, The

I Will Hit You/I Will Knock You

Individual Circumstances

609 Bedtime Story

GAPYuri / GAP the series

My School President

HitBiteLove the Series

Never Let Me Go

Moonlight Chicken

History 5: Love in the Future

Oh My God (ToDo) the Series

Warp Effect, The

End of the World, With You

My Blessing the Series

Our Winter (miniseries)

All the Liquors

Once in Memory: Let Me Be Yours

Shoulder to Cry On, A

Jack O'Frost

Our Dating Sim

Midnight Museum

Me, My Husband, and My Husband's Boyfriend

My Colleague at BL Shop might be My Meant-to-Be

Unintentional Love Story

Chains of Heart

Bed Friend the series

Bad Brother the Series

Stormy Honeymoon

Eighth Sense, the

Bad Brother the Series

Future Series

Tin Tam Jai the series

Crush on You

House of Stars the Series

Happy Merry Ending

Boss and a Babe, A

Pastsenger the Series

Love Mate

Love Syndrome the Series

Promise the Series, The

Day I Loved You, The

Our Dining Table (Bokura no Shokutaku)

Our Skyy 2

My Story the Series

Starstruck

Love Tractor

Naked Dining

Luminous Solution, The

Omai Series / Is My Roommate A Foreigner

Stupid Genius

Step By Step

La Pluie the series

Tie the Not

Sing My Crush / Follow the Wind

Tokyo in April Is .../ Shigatsu no Tokyo wa

Senior Love Me?

Be My Favorite

Show Me Love

Dinosaur Love

Low Frequency

Stay Still

Stay By My Side

Jun & Jun

Wedding Plan the Series

Laws of Attraction, the

Love Class s2

Minato's Laundromat S2

Hidden Agenda

Bon Appetit

Why RU the Series [Korean adaptation]

Be Mine Superstar

Star, The Season 2

Love In Translation

My Beautiful Man: Eternal

My Personal Weatherman

Bump Up Business

Naughty Babe Series

Only Friends

Grand Guignol

Dangerous Romance

If It's With You / Kimi to Nara Koi wo Shite Mite Mo

Y Journey: Stay Like a Local

I Feel You Linger in the Air

Venus in the Sky

Kiseki: Dear to Me

I Cannot Reach You

You Are Mine

Breeze of Love / Weather Forecast of Love

Mr. Cinderella 2

Let's Eat Together Aki and Haru

One Room Angel

Marry My Dead Body

Lucky My Love the Series

Pure Vanilla: Recipe for Romance

Absolute Zero

Memories, The

My Dear Gangster Oppa

Shadow

What Did You Eat Yesterday? S2

Middleman Love

Beyond the Star

Bake Me Please

You and My Stars

I Became the Lead in a BL Drama

[lazzarella]

Yesterday, I finished watching Our Dining Table and what an absolutely beautiful show! I loved everything about it. Just gorgeous. I love lonely characters coming together and finding their place in each other/each other's lives and all the misunderstandings and miscommunications felt very natural and real and the glimpses of how grief colours our lives were so well done and... Gosh, it was just lovely! Yutaka is precious and the way Minoru looks at him is breathtaking. Tane and the dad are great characters, too! Everyone feels fully realised, which is lovely. Beautifully done all round

A few things I noted down from various eps:

(Ep 2) I love the point of how the kind of food you eat isn't the most important thing, it's the feeling you get when eating, and being happy to eat with others. (More or less). And also that there's no shame attached to eating instant food

(Ep 7) Lmao @ Tane always interrupting Yutaka and Minoru—I guess that's younger siblings for you lol but the way he patted Yutaka's head when he was sad was so cute 

(Ep 9) I just about bawled my eyes out at the scene with Yutaka's family! The way that gap between them was because his parents didn't want to bother him, but he felt like *he* was the nuisance, and both brothers thought the other didn't want to be each other's family... That felt very real. And, gosh, the bit with him and Minoru was so lovely ofc

[bengiyo]

Our Dining Table Ep 7 Stray Thoughts

Last week, Yutaka got sick on Christmas and missed the party. Minoru went to take care of them, and it finally allowed them to have their first intimate moment without Tane responsibilities to cloud the read. Minoru talked about his mom with Yutaka, and we got to see poor little Tane worried that Yutaka might die too. Also, Minoru and Yutaka got each other scarves, and it was adorable.

Ah, we're picking up at Christmas. Oh wow, was that dream about what happened or what he wished had happened?

Every week I feel compelled to complain about the motion issues in the video given to Gaga.

Of course Tane gave Yutaka one of his prized suckers.

I like the dad prodding Minoru to be open about his feelings for Yutaka.

Tane's drawing of his dinosaur is actually pretty good.

Papa Ueda is so smooth. He knows what's going on and elegantly pulled Tane out from under them.

Time to cry. Yutaka hiding behind the drawing so avoid Minoru's reactions, and then cutting to an animation of the story with Tane's drawing of him, got me.

I like that Yutaka's story is about the relief of finding people to care about and who care about him. Loneliness hurts, and I get Yutaka. The fact that he has no food memories about his original parents, and resents the food of his new parents, is so sad.

Oh, Tane. Thank you for breaking the moment by getting upset. You know he loves Yutaka so much at this point.

Oh wow that hug between Yutaka and Tane was excellent. I really appreciate that Tane is loved and wants to pass that on to Yutaka.

I love how rice balls have become a special food for them.

Will we survive Yutaka finally seeing the way Minoru looks at him when he's feeling fond?

They're wearing their boyfriend scarves!

Trying on his glasses? That's how you get pink eye!!

Nevermind. I like Iijima in glasses.

Oh good! We're going to learn about their actual first encounter!

I will accept this camera angle kiss if we get a real one later!

This show continues to have everything. It is the best part of my week. This cast is working so well together.

[respectthepetty]

Erm our dining table Ep 7!!! DINING TABLE EPISODE 7 ! ARE YOU OK?!????????????

Anon, let me share something about myself: Love makes me sick. I get butterflies in my stomach which turns into a storm in my belly causing havoc in my system. I get too excited, so I feel nauseous. I get flushed, and my heartbeat increases. I feel anxious and untethered. All that seems on par to being in love, but because I don't like feeling sick, I get unreasonably angry. I start yelling and becoming aggressive. It's a whole messy production.

And I go through this every single time I watch this damn show.

But particularly this episode.

Because the dad not only knows but encouraged Minoru to find happiness with Yutaka. He gave them space by suggesting clay poop to Tane.

Because Tane knows In his own way, and was so upset thinking Minoru hurt Yutaka that he cried.

Because Yutaka felt so afraid to be honest that he hid behind a drawing, but put it down because Minoru is a safe space.

Because they celebrated Christmas again, so they could be together!

Because Minoru and Yutaka love each other.

BECAUSE MINORU WAS BRAVE ABOUT IT!

So to answer your question if I'm okay?

NO! I'm Hulk-ing out. I'm ripping doors off of hinges. I'm throwing cups at walls. I'm punching holes in cars. I'm yelling at the sky.

I'm deep in my feels and livid about it.

I love this show so fucking much, y'all that I hate it.

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

[inrainprose]

Top BL of 2023

2023 is over and I felt like doing my top picks for this year again! Looking back there were a lot of good ones that I enjoyed a lot this year, and so I did not restrict myself to 5. As my sister judging me from across the couch said, "there's no rule do what you want". Fair enough.

This is from the BLs that ended in 2023, though some started in 2022.

8. Kiseki dear to me

I didn't care all that much for the main couple in the end, but Ai Di and Chen Yi? Worthy of obsession. @leofiat-bunny made a cut, for your consideration.

7. Why r u? Korea

I'm an absolute fan of the original against my better judgment and I was looking forward to this one. It doesn't have much to do with the Thai version in the end but I still enjoyed it a lot, both stories.

6. My school president

This was just lovely from start to finish. I really appreciated how they portrayed teenage turmoil and how soft and gentle this was.

5. My Personal Weatherman/Taikan Yoho

Needed a Japanese title on that list and this one was the best of the year by far. Unhinged and horny from start to finish.

4. Wedding plan

This one probably wins the top spot for best surprise of the year. I watched it late after it was completed because I didn't hear much about it but it was lovely. Wrote a fic for them.

3. Be my favourite

Time travel is my weakness and those two were great together.

2. Bed friend

And this one gets the price for most rewatched. So hot, very angst, obsessed with them both. Wrote not one but two pieces for this fandom, one from Uea's POV and one from King's.

1. Moonlight chicken

Left me on the floor. That first ep when they walk around town lives rent free in my head. All the relationships got to me but none more than Jim and Li Ming's. And thus, another fic.

Honorable mention cause I couldn't list them all

The Wrap Effect, The Eighth Sense, Love in Translation, Laws of Attraction, Bokura no Shokutaku/Our Dining Table, Hidden Agenda

Ask away for top BL things. I like lists.

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

My weekly roundup CW 23

I try to write down my thoughts after watching stuff to create a little weekly ranking in relation to the previous week on my, most of the times, quiet sundays (and because I love lists!). These are just my personal opinions and preferences based on the feeling I got watching the episodes.

And yes, this will contain spoilers!

↑ 1. Be My Favorite (Ep 3/10)

The one with the most adorable heart eyes this week:

All right, so now Kawi is trying to keep Pisaeng at a distance so that he doesn't fall in love with him and yet to get closer to Paer so that he will be the man at her side later. We can already see that Pisaeng likes Kawi. I mean, he has such heart eyes that it's really hard to miss! And I love how Pisaeng keeps reassuring Kawi that being himself is enough that others will like him. Even if Kawi eats like a pig and is just socially awkward at times. And I can understand him trying to keep Pisaeng at a distance to pursue his own selfish goal and trying to cement bridges between two former friends because he knows how it feels to lose friends and be lonely. And I'm even more looking forward to when Kawi finally realizes that the best thing he can do is not to stay away from Pisaeng, but to let him into his life and allow everything that happens next.

☼ 2. Love Tractor (2/8)

The most adorable puppy falling in love:

This is so cute! I read the manhwa and it's so cute! And the adaptation is so good to begin with! I have no idea how the story will fit into eight episodes, but I like to be surprised. The characters are well met. Yechan is one of the cutest puppies we've had on screen so far and he needs to be protected at all costs!

↑ 3. Our Dining Table (10/10 Final)

And there it is again over with getting hungry all the time. It ended the way it began, on a soft episode of feel-good. Yutaka is now officially part of the family, I love Minoru's father, everyone is happy, even though everything is transient, but that's just part of life and it would be much worse if you didn't allow beautiful things to happen just because they might be over again someday. All in all, a very nice, very quiet series.

↑ 4. My Story (9/10)

The most adorable couple in love this week:

Zeke and Fifth are back and cuter than ever. Fifth finally agrees and poses naked for Zeke and the latter can't stop looking at him as if the most delicious food was being served there. The fact that he didn't have water dripping out of his mouth is everything, too. The two are just incredibly cute lovers. And Sky and Win are also on cloud nine and then Sky's dad dies. And I'll be honest, it was somewhat foreseeable, but for a change in the land of drama.

↓ 5. La Pluie (7/12)

That is me watching flirty Patts and Saengtai:

Can I first say how pissed off I am with this ending? It just overshadows everything! That Lomfon finally discovers that Saengtian isn't so one-dimensional after all. The cute animals! And that Saengtai and Patts have taken the next step. Even though Sengtai isn't ready to be sexually satisfied by Patts, that doesn't mean he can't satisfy Patts. And I'm absolutely on board with that! It's nice to see that there's consent there. That it's being shown that you don't have to have sex at the first opportunity. That it's okay to say stop. That it's okay to give instead of take, especially if you're sexually inexperienced. Because receiving can be embarrising at first. It needs time to open up and to have the trust in the other person. Well, and then comes the end. And that pisses me off. Why the hell is Patts just standing there and letting himself be kissed? Afterwards it's going to be back to, she kissed me, I didn't mean to, and I'm going to sit there wondering why he didn't just turn his head away, kept her at a distance, said no, and why he closed his eyes…It's such a crappy source of drama. So not just the kiss with the ex, but the misunderstanding as such. I hope they resolve it wisely. I'll try to muster up that much trust after all.

The most unnecessary drama of the week:

↓ 6. Step by Step (7/12)

It went on and I don't like Put. I don't like how he tries to manipulate Pat into continuing this relationship with him. I don't like how he takes Pat for granted. I don't like how little effort he puts in. I don't like how he uses the stuffed animal as a distraction from the real problem. And basically, nothing has changed. They broke up because Put prioritized his career, which is a legitimate reason, totally non-judgmental here! But then he has the audacity to come back and put Pat back in the closet, to continue to put his career above everything. I think it could have possibly even worked between the two of them if he could have made Pat feel like he came first, if he could openly stand by him, openly care about him. But also only maybe. Because actually Pat has had feelings for Jeng for a while. And I think that's absolutely fine. Jeng is an adult and knows what he wants. He doesn't play games and doesn't have to defend his territory unnecessarily because he's so insecure that someone else wants to play with his toys. And he looks at Pat with that look that I think everyone likes to be looked at with, so that gives plus points. I'll give Jaab and Jane some more time to pick me up. I find their relationship…difficult. So everything, every interaction is difficult for me.

↑ 7. Our Skyy 2 (15+16/16 Final)

The most romantic shit I have seen in a while:

Yeah, still not a fan of the mix of Bad Buddy and A Tale Of Thousand Stars. I don't know, somehow I don't like Pat and Pran as much after watching this. I'll have to watch Bad Buddy again soon to get rid of the pale aftertaste. Otherwise Phupha and Tian…It was so nice to see them, just the two of them living their lives together like that and cuddling. Would be enough for me, but we were able to witness how our Chief gives his Tian the 1000th star. My heart wanted to stop for a moment. What a fucking romantic ending for the two of them and for the series. It really was a perfect ending. Not to mention all the kissing between the two…I mean hello? Seven or eight? In one episode? That's when my heart almost stopped for the second time��

↓ 8. The Luminous Solution (3/6)

So, next week my predictions come true…cheating…Basically I don't even mind the subject, especially if I don't like the couple and would rather see them in the arms of the other party. And right now, I don't think our doctor and Thana make a good couple. And Ryou and Mai are cute together. That's all I can say right now. The best friend is a pain in the ass, but I'm sure that will resolve itself. And hey, maybe the café will have a reason to be in the story soon!

↓ 9. Naked Dining (9/12)

I really don't know what to make of this at the moment. It's all kind of crap. Mahiro is so impatient that it's kind of upsetting me. I mean, he's been aware of his feelings for years and has accepted them, but for Souta, this is all new and he's confused because he feels something for Mahiro. What that is, he doesn't know. Basically that's okay, what pisses me off is the fact that they don't play on with it now. The two could have gotten closer now. They could have done something other than just cooking. They could have given Souta the space and time to get to know himself better and his feelings. Instead, you randomly throw drama into the mix. This week our dear colleague, who of course knows that there is something in the air between the two, but still wants to fight for Souta, even though there is no indication that Souta likes her that way. And then next week comes an ex who causes Souta to get jealous…This is unnecessary drama that doesn't feel natural and thus somewhat spoils my enjoyment of the series.

As a goodbye, here you have the cutes puppy of this week. Have a great week!

[tanenigiri]

Episodes 6 and 7 of Our Dining Table have my favorite ever scenes in the manga (and that's not even considering that scene) so my opinion of the whole show was pretty much contingent on these two episodes.

And they knocked them out of the park.

(Stray thoughts and ramblings on Our Dining Table eps 6 and 7. Some light manga spoilers but nothing too revealing.)

Our Dining Table was one of the first manga I read, and by then I was very new to the concept of Christmas in Japan being a primarily romantic thing. So that whole scene about Minoru struggling to ask Yutaka about his Christmas plans flew over my head during my initial reading, but after re-reading it it made a lot more sense why Minoru was so on edge about it. I thought the show did this really well, and that added scene with Minoru and his manager in the ramen shop was a great way to contextualize it too.

We only see her for a single scene so let me just say: Ohata you will always be famous. (And her outfit looked so good??? We should've had a scene where Yutaka asked her for advice on which scarf to get.)

The whole "taking care of your sick loved one" trope is 50/50 for me as those scenes seem to be quite predictable, but I really like how Our Dining Table uses it as a catalyst for both Yutaka and Minoru to start truly opening up to each other. Sure, they've gotten very close over the past few months and I think both of them recognize by this point that their "friendship" is something special, but I found it very interesting that it's only by this scene - both in the manga and in the show - where they start digging deep into their issues and expressing why that friendship means a lot to them.

I've already said it in my previous two posts but it bears repeating: how they're handling Minoru's past in the show is such a step up from how it was in the manga. Minoru deciding to open up first so that Yutaka can be comfortable sharing his own past is so in-character and honestly makes that Christmas scene even more of a gut-punch than it already is.

And THEN we get that absolutely devastating scene with Tane and his dad, with the latter worrying about Yutaka dying. I feel like this scene was given a lot more weight in the show - mainly because I felt it gave the scene the space and time to play out - and I am still recovering from it. Very much a top 3 scene of the series for me.

(Also, shout out to the dad for getting the memo not once, but twice and letting Minoru get his much-deserved alone time with Yutaka. I'm sure he's making up for interrupting them in Episode 5.)

Cannot stress enough how fantastic the show's little plot additions have been, and the matching scarves as gifts is probably at the top of my list. I could go on and on about how it represents warmth and comfort and all that, but really I'm already screaming at the fact that they had the same idea on what to give each other.

I also want to point out how much I love that the very first shot of Episode 7 (after the opening credits) is Yutaka's dish rack with the washed bowl and utensils as it takes the viewer a second to realize that this was Minoru's doing. It's up there with the shoes in Episode 2 for me.

While I fell in love with the manga by like the first chapter, I think what cemented its grip on me was how they decided to gives us Yutaka's backstory in the style of Tane's drawings. That was definitely the scene I was most looking forward to in this entire series, and when I saw the Episode 7 preview at the end of Episode 6 with Yutaka just tearfully recounting his story to Minoru, I was worried that they were gonna do away with it. So you can imagine my reaction to not only seeing that Tane's drawings were kept, but that they also decided to animate a significant part of that backstory with the drawings. (All I'm gonna say is that I had to pause the video to calm down.)

Tane clinging to Yutaka like a koala was the best shot of the episode. It was a nice break from all the heavy emotions. And then Tane said sike and gave us that head patting scene and he really got us while our guard was down huh.

I really have nothing to say about the kiss as I'm not really a fan of dwelling on these kinds of scenes, but I will say that how understated it was fit with the tone of the show. If anything my only complaint was how I felt that scene was a bit dark (as in it lacked lighting haha not that it was grim).

Next episode is gonna be a rough and frustrating one I'm pretty sure, but I am curious on where they're gonna end it. There's one more scene I'm really looking forward to seeing but I think that's gonna come at like the finale.

I love this series so much. It's nothing flashy or groundbreaking but it takes pride in its simplicity and makes the most out of it. And I'm so glad more people are discovering it thanks to this show.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - When good chemistry goes bad

May 2023 Wk 3 

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

Ongoing Series - Thai

La Pluie (Sat iQIYI) ep 4 of 10 - yes it jumped to the top of the standings, the kiss was THAT good, best of the year so far. So soft and yet so sweet and yearning and with a proper chemistry - body, breath, everything. Also... there was plot happening this ep, but who cares about that? Some additional thoughts, now my brain has rebooted from that kiss. I do suspect Pat of still being a player: he is awful smooth, and he may want revenge for being jacked along for 2 years (I would). Ep 4 is early for a kiss like that, which means pacing-wise we may be in for a separation/break up around ep 8. 

Step By Step (Thai Tues WeTV & Gaga) ep 5 of 10 (MDL still says 12, but Gaga still says 10) - Pat, dear, your gay is squirting all over our screens. Meanwhile… That is the smallest presidential suite bed I’ve ever seen. Lucky for us of course. And lucky for Jeng. Me with the side dishes = UH OH. 

Our Skyy 2 (My School President) eps 9-10 - Alt reality where Tinn is in charge of the music club and Gun is the school president with the crush. Basically, it’s an excuse for them to play each others’ parts (which just highlighted how well they were cast, originally). Ultimately, Gemini is a better piner, and Fourth is a better tsundere. Although the reversed “holding it over his head” was v funny & Fourth IS a decent seme. (I also realized what I like so much about Fourth, like Saint he’s one of those rare full body actors.) Sound was a great uke and I loved how they changed his makeup for the role (did you notice?). TiwPor were as adorably ridiculous as ever. I liked the minor baby pairing for Aun, too. Still my NO SIGNING holds (although there was lots of dancing to counterbalance). In the end, all this really did was make me wanna rewatch the original. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. FYI The MV was a parody of HCTM, BB, 1k*. 8/10 

A Boss and a Babe (Fri YouTube) ep 12fin - It was a cute sappy ending for a cute-ish sappy-ish show. I cannot abide that the mom who condoned the rape of her daughter got forgiven. No. Stop it GMMTV. Review below. 

The Promise (Thai Weds YT & WeTV) ep 9 of 10 - I'm in trouble when I'm rooting for everybody BUT the main couple. I guess Nan doesn’t have a NO SINGING policy. Also I guess Nan was waiting for Phu all along? This show. ALSO could we not have just ended it here? 

Past-senger (Thai Weds Gaga) ep 11 of 12 eps - I don’t understand. What? Where did all these new characters come from? Do we care about the hets? Not even slightly. What is anyone doing? What’s going on? do I care abotu anyone anymore? No. Please make it stop. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Our Dining Table AKA Bokura no Shokutaku (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 7 of 10 - OMG so adorable, so repressed, so reserved, so soft, so awkward, so special. Heart melting. Also. Hungry. The WAY Minoru looks at Yutaka when he’s eating (now that he knows the history). The way we got to see the exact moment that Minoru realizes he is in love. Perfection. 

Star Struck (Korea iQIYI & Gaga) ep 1-2 of 8 - Zuho (Kpop SF9 - noted good egg) opposite rookie actor Kim In Sung (the one with the crush). icky is being weird about it but it looks like Gaga also picked it up? Depends on your territory I suppose. Anygay: Friends since childhood, jock/nerd, puppy/cat and I sense bi-himbo confusion and pining introvert gay. There’s family strife plus class issues and it has some interesting things to say already about the nature of friendship, romance, and jealousy. I like it, weirdly reminds me of something that might have come out of China. Not early CBL, but some of the later stuff that was censored but hearkened to Addicted. This has the feel of what China could have made now (were things politically different). Because of this feel, I’m not confident in this being an HEA or even a true BL but it is interesting enough for me to bump it way up the ranks. 

Happy Merry Ending (Korea Thurs Gaga) eps 7-8fin - I get why SJ pushed JH away, but I kinda agree that SJ is too much work. Abused or not, I wouldn’t put in the damn effort - so I guess I’m glad SJ took a year off to figure his shizz out? Far be it from me to agree with a year break in a Kdrama, tho. I didn’t even mind that they were separated most of these 2 eps: it was nice to see a Seme told no, who actually backed off and did as he was told. Plus the running of the gays (how Japan of you SK). I’m assuming that this was the final episode and that Viki thinking that there are 2 more is bonkers? Because this felt like a finale. For me this one had a stronger finish than any other aspect of the show (odd when the couple spent the bulk of it apart). Oh! And someone give Shin Myung Sung (the surfer bestie) his own damn BL, m’kay? Review below.

Love Mate (Korea Thurs Viki) eps 5-6 of 8 - Longest elevator ride in the world. Honorifics discussion! My favorite! And, “there is only one bed but they slept together on the floor anyway” trope. A BL staple. Also the tie/lanyard grab. Another fav. Still pushy puppy stalker remains creepy manipulative obsessive warped hotness. Basically KBL version of trash and… I’m into it. We all got our kinks, I guess. 

Vian the series (Vietnam YouTube ) - Such a cat. I’m reminded of Milk. It’s cute. They cute. I like it.

Naked Dinner AKA Zenra Meshi (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 6 of 12 - So is the nude dining meant to be some kind of weird allegory for repressed gayness? 

It’s Airing But ...

My Story (Pinoy Sat YouTube) 10 eps - I bounced at ep 4. Someone will tell me if I should bother with the rest. 

House of Stars (Thai Mon iQIYI) 12 eps - I bounced at ep 3. Will binge if told it is worth it at end. 

The Day I Loved You (Pinoy YouTube) eps 6-7 of 10 - Terminal illness for the sunshine. I bounced at ep 6. DNF. 

Ended this week

Love Syndrome finished its run on WeTV (I stopped at ep 2) - anyone wanna weight in with thoughts on the ending and whether I should binge or not? I do love Lee Long Shi.

Happy Merry Ending - Stars Lee Dong Won (KNK) as an ex-idol turned wedding singer with an abusive ex and a panic disorder + the sunshine pianist who falls in love with him. Timid tsundere & sweetheart gay is an interesting match. They’re gentle together, almost kindly and there is a calm ache to their pairing. However, it lost its way as a BL, being more about the main character’s struggle than the romance. It had a strong finish but ultimately the premise & characters meant this was never going to be one of my favorites. 8/10  

A Boss and a Babe - With an inconsistent narrative and self-sabotaging characters this was not the Thai BL office romance I was hoping for. I spent most if it feeling manipulated without good reason and sorry for ForceBook. They did their best with a shoddy script (AGAIN!) and none of its flaws were their fault. This show was all over the place and so am I about it. It’s better than Enchanté but that’s not really saying much. 7/10 I guess

In Case You Missed It 

BL Express reported that Taiwanese production companies have announced 7 new BLs (4 of these from Vidol.) Stories range from office romance to crime drama. 

Someone did a survey on KBL watchers. 

Build Jakapan has been cleared of all charges. 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting this week: 

5/26 Be My Favorite prev title: You Are My Favorite (Thai YouTube) Adapted JittiRain y-novel (2gether, FUTS, ToL, Vice Versa) one of those “rewrite the past to change the future.” Stars Krist (SOTUS) + Fluke Gawin (DBK, Not Me). Expect this to be v low heat, full of LIES and manipulation.

5/27 The Luminous Solution (Thai ????) 10 eps - Thana is having trouble at work and in his relationship. He can't seem to catch a break. So he makes a wish to change everything. The wish has a price.

5/27 Takumi-kun Series 6: Nagai Nagai Monogatari no Hajimari no Asa (Japan) - NO ONE ASKED FOR THIS (but that has never stopped Japan before) and no, I have no idea where to get it, why would I ?????  (Say it with me everyone: Oh Japan, must you?*)

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED)

This Week’s Meta Moments 

naturellement (Step By Step naming its trope.)

The Promise calling out the uke archetype, Mary Sue much? 

ALL THE DANCING. Live the dream! Live the trend! Live the trope! 

4 tropes in one! Drinking, piggyback, feed him, product placement. Very nice GMMTV & GeminiFourth. I’m impressed.  

nash

(all My School President’s Our Skyy - kinda a masterclass in using ALL THE TROPES and ALL THE BL references.) 

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

The unmitigated irony of so-called fans of ZeeNunew coming after this show for this moment (not to mention the self sabotage). Truly mind boggling. (Step by Step)

The two boys who didn’t win the boy but totally should have. This show makes me wanna drink too. Next week... soju! (The Promise)

Yes please and thank you GMMTV. (My School President) 

I do love the kinkification of Phi. (Boss & Babe) 

These tiny idiots it turns out are, in fact, totally hilarious. La Pulie (side dish friendship group)

(last week)

Current Kpop earworm? Key & Taeyeon’s Hate that... (which if it wasn’t an OST SHOULD have been)

[wen-kexing-apologist]

WKA Gay Analysis Assembly

Hello! Welcome to my blog, please note I am unhinged about my silly little gay shows and as evidence I give you an exhaustive list of all the analysis posts (and some non-analysis posts) I have written :)

I will be updating this post as I write more, and the most recent show I am watching/writing about will be listed first. Please know my DMs and my Inbox are always open!

By, For, and About Queers (The By, For, and About Queers posts are not about any particular show, and are instead a little write up of the way I categorize the BL shows that I am watching)

By/For/About- Part 1 (a conversation with @absolutebl)

By/For/About- Part 2 (a conversation with @solitaryandwandering) Also check out the really lovely response from @solitaryandwandering here

Toxic and Messy: TharnType v. Only Friends (aka We Trust Jojo) (a conversation with @absolutebl and @respectthepetty)

The Sign

Feelings Made Visible: Design Choices in The Sign

Fantasy v. Reality in The Sign

Last Twilight

Episode 1 Thoughts (in which I state my fears that were later realized)

Reflections in Last Twilight (Episode 1-2)

Physical Touch in Last Twilight (Episodes 1-3)

Thoughts on Last Twilight, Ep. 5 (aka when I still thought the show was good)

Last Twilight, Ep 12 (in which I rant about the ableism in the narrative and the undermining of the show's themes)

Shadow

Shadow thoughts

The Left Hand of God

Is Brother Anurak the One Armed Man?

What Happened to Trin? aka Paying Attention to my Favorite Straight Boy

I Feel You Linger in the Air

Let's Talk About Sex: ESSAY #69!!! (breakdown of the sex scene in IFYLITA Episode 8)

Only Friends Academic Essay Series

Only Friends, Boston, and Queer Culture

Only Friends and Respectable Promiscuity

Only Friends, Racism, and the Commodification of Queer Asians Everything else

Ray and Rehab

Boston the Slut

Hypocrisy

Who is Mew, Anyway?

You're Mine No Matter What: The Commodification of Sand

Explosions (fight night round two, Ep. 6)

Fight Night (scene breakdown of the fight in Episode 5)[Sand Addition by @ranchthoughts]

Poor Boy (a discussion on the beloved Poor Boy t-shirt)

Watch The Warp Effect before Only Friends

Misunderstanding Top? (a conversation with @respectthepetty)

What the Fuck is Boeing Doing Here?

Only Friends Reflection

My Ride

Rain, BL Boys, and Reciprocity

My Ride Finale

Be My Favorite (how did I get here, I wasn't planning on watching this!)

Permanence in BMF (in conversation with @stuffnonsenseandotherthings)

Lack of Touch in BMF (in conversation with @wanderlust-in-my-soul and @dropthedemiurge)

Cupid's Last Wish 1. Trans Allegory in Cupid's Last Wish (in partnership with @so-much-yet-to-learn and @lurkingshan)

La Pluie

The Language of Love In La Pluie Ep. 8

Ep. 8 Stray Thoughts

Hands in Ep. 7

Hands in Ep. 6

Subversion (a conversation with @lurkingshan)

Pee Peerawich Can Fucking Act

Connection

Body Language in La Pluie Ep. 12

Step by Step

On the Subject of Pat 2.0- A Defense

On the Subject of Pat- A Timeline (a conversation with @waitmyturtles)

Totally Normal About Episode 7

Lighting in Ep 9 (a conversation with @istanchan)

Going Out- Sharing Space with the Unhoused

Compartmentalizing

Workplace Homophobia and Relationship Development Between Pat and Jeng

Our Skyy 2

OS2 x The Eclipse - Characterization

OS2 x BB x ATOTS- Phupa and Queerness aka Damn You WMT (that's right! Damn you, @waitmyturtles!)

OS2 x BB x ATOTS- Validation! aka Phupa and Queerness- Part 2 (and a shout out to @lurkingshan and @waitmyturtles for writing such brilliant meta I almost...almost didn't have to write one myself)

Pat, Pran, Losing Parental Relationships, and Sex (a conversation with @shortpplfedup)

Our Dining Table

Silence (including conversation with @laowen)

Yutaka and Yukata

Bed Friend

True Colors? (a conversation with @dribs-and-drabbles and @respectthepetty)

Uea and Red

Reflections + Uea and Yellow

Uea and Gray (a conversation with @respectthepetty) Uea and Gray but this time not tacked on to RTP's post

Mommy Dearest 2.0

Uea's Episode 7 Costumes

Bed Friend and Reflections- Part 1

Bed Friend and Reflections- Part 2

Bed Friend and Reflections- Part 3 (this is my favorite of the parts)

Water, Songkran, and KingUea

Moonlight Chicken

Heart Confrontation Scene

Heart and Li Ming Colors and Stripes

Red, Wen, and Blue

Naming the Deaf Character Heart

Heart's Communication

Wen's Badge Parallel

Modern Thai Sign Language to American Sign Language Index

Heart's Vocalization

Mommy Dearest (Jam and Li MIng)

Isn't it Difficult to Be Born Poor?

Moonlight Chicken is for the Queers

Resolution

Heart's Signs Translated (this one is not mine, but I don't want to lose this post so I am placing it here)

Best Criers in MLC

Worst Parallel

Utsukushii Kare

Self-Deprecation Harms Everyone

Our Flag Means Death

Over-analyzing the Color Red

Silk as Symbolism for Ed's Heart

[bellarkeandclintashaandsuch]

Shows I’m behind on

So Our Skyy 2 and Minato's Coin Laundry 2 made me realize just how many shows I'm behind on. So pinning this here to remind myself to work through these 😬

A non-exhaustive list:

Vice Versa (ep 11/12)

Unforgotten Night (ep 8+)

Minato’s Coin Laundry (ep 11/12 and season 2)

My Only 12% (ep 1+)

Ai Long Nhai (ep 6+)

Color Rush Season 2 (ep 8)

Flower of Evil (ep 10+) DONE

War of Y (last BewGus ep)

SCOY (ep 4+)

Gap (ep 1+)

La Cuisine (ep 3ish+)

Mouse (ep 4+)

About Youth (ep 5+)

Oh! My Sunshine Night (ep. 3+) IN PROGRESS

Love in the Air (was there a special ep?)

Big Dragon (ep 7/8)

Love Mechanics (ep 9/10)

Kei x Yaku (ep 3+)

Kill and Healer (ep 3ish+)

My Beautiful Man S2 (ep 2+)

Cherry Magic (ep 11/12 and movie)

Cutie Pie (ep 12 and season 2)

My School President (ep 8+)

Never Let Me Go (ep 6+)

Bedtime Story 609 (both ep 11s)

The Eighth Sense (ep 9/10)

A League of Nobleman (ep 14+)

Desire Catcher (ep 20+)

Star In My Mind (ep 7/8) I don't even remember what happens in this one

Sky in Your Heart (ep 1+)

Hard Love Mission (ep 1+)

Love Bill (ep 1+)

To Sir with Love (ep 1+)

My Ride (ep 3+)

My Tooth Your Love (ep 8+)

Even Sun (ep 6)

Still 2Gether (ep 3+)

Theory of Love (special ep)

My Secret Love (ep 10+)

Advance Bravely (ep 5ish+)

The Luminous Solution (ep 6)

Step by Step (ep 12)

La Pluie (ep 11-12)

I Will Knock You (ep 10+)

Ghost Host Ghost House (ep 4+)

Chains of Heart (ep 10)

Naked Dinner (ep 11/12)

Buddy Y Line (ep 2+) waiting to see how this one pans out

Love Tractor (ep 2+)

Love Stage (ep 7+)

Star Struck (ep 7/8)

Our Dining Table (ep 10)

Love Mate (ep 7+)

A Boss and a Babe (ep 8+)

House of Stars (ep 2+)

Senpai This Can't Be Love (ep 5+)

Takara-kun & Amagi-kun (ep 2+)

Tasty Florida (ep 7+)

The End of the World with You (ep 5+)

The New Employee (ep 5+)

Under the Skin (ep 9+)

What Zabb Man (ep 3+)

Cherry Blossoms after Winter (ep 5+)

Kieta Hatsukoi (ep 7+)

Stay by My Side (ep 3+)

Low Frequency (ep 2+)

Stay with Me (ep 5+)

Candy Color Paradox (ep 8)

First Love Again (ep 2+)

Additions!

Laws of Attraction

Absolute Zero

D.P.

Bloodhounds

You Are Mine (ep 8+ and special ep)

Cherry Magic TH (ep 12)

Twins (ep 1+)

For Him

City of Stars

The Sign

Pit Babe

Playboyy (ep 12)

Memory in the Mirror (ep 6) DONE

Knock Knock Boys

Meet Me at the Blossom

Spirealm

Sunset x Vibes

Deep Night

I Hear the Sunspot

Takara's Treasure

My Love Mix-Up!

My Love Mix-Up! Thailand