#sukiyanen ep 5

[alejunsu]

Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro Ka EP5 (Sakae x Mizuki)

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - People of Earth we have VERSE rep in 2 Thai BLs! Amazeballs!

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

March 2024 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 2 of 8 (10?) - Everyone seems to be a bit of a player and I’m not mad about it. It’s nice to see high-grade flirting, and I really love how very gay the leads feel. Not BL gay. Actual gay. We shall see how it goes, I suspect we are in "messy gay" territory in which case, I predict utter carnage and that this show will drop ranks precipitously for me. But right now? Of all the Thai BLs airing, I'm enjoying this the most. How bizarre. 

I like the side couple (thrupple?) too, despite the prat fall kiss and possible cheating. They very pretty:

To Be Continued (Thai C3 Thailand grey) ep 4 of 8 - oh dear NO honeychild, face masks are gross tasting!

Rule no 966 of the BL world. He’s never asleep. 

Argh Achi wants Ji so bad. Nice mutual kiss tho, despite Ji's baggage. I guess Ji knew what would happen if Achi stayed? But why is he so scared? Just deeply closeted? The backstory is very high school achy and I feel like it explained Achi but not Ji. And the crying in the movie was lovely, so we totally understand Achi's but Ji is just messed up and confused? I admit to being a bit confused too. Why is Ji the one so angry?

On a totally different aside, I really like how the set dressing is done in Ji’s apartment. It looks lived in and not staged. Super rare in Thai BL. I'm reminded of Ai & Pond's dorm room in Love By Chance, which actually looked like a real college dorm.

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 7 of 12 - Why is it always the pulps that actually trot out the best communication, conversation, consent, and healthy relationships? Yes I'm still wincing over the truly bad acting but I’m enjoying their good relationship. The sex scene was sweet and tender, although the likelihood of rose petals getting stuck places wigs me out. (Flower petals + lube = terrible combination. Just FYI.)

ALL PRAISE VERSE REP! And a bottom who owns it! Yay! 

1000 Years Old ep 5 of 12 - How ridiculously colorful and flirty they all are. There is nothing at all vampire about this show. I’m a bit bored by the restaurant plot but I'm tuning in for the bonkers approach to goth. How dare they be so cheerful with my precious emo youth, but also, how very Thai pulp of them.  

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues Youku YouTube) ep 4 of 11 - oh it’s SO GOOD. Reading the yaoi and crying. COME ON TAIWAN HAVE MERCY. The red wrapping of the hands (red thread, yes yes we get it). The boy who doesn’t want to box for so many reasons. Not the least of which is how unpleasant it is to spar with a lover. 

This is easily the best BL currently airing and it is going to hurt us. But I don't care. I love it.

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) eps 8 of 10 - This show is dangerously cute and I’m scared for everyone involved, including me.

Love is Better the Second Time Around AKA Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto (Japan Gaga) ep 2 of 6 - Poor baby thrown in all willynilly amongst a pack of queeny bitchy gay intellectuals. I'd be lost too. It's the worse kind of fight, one you have to philosophize your way out of.

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 10fin - They are extremely adorable and it was a very good ending - mature, adult, and bittersweet. I liked it a lot. But I didn’t love it the way I wanted to.

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 fulfill that promise, not in the way I'd hoped. Did I still enjoy the ride, yes, but I feel just a little let down. 8/10 

My Strawberry Film (Japan Thurs Gaga) eps 5 of 8 - Honestly now I’m just shipping the two girls getting together. Frankly, I really don't like this show, and normally I'd DNF but there's only a few eps left and nothing else is airing rn.

It's done, ready to binge, maybe I'll finally get to it this weekend

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps

The Servant and the Young Master (Vietnam YouTube)

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - A Burmese BL? @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will watch eventually.

It's airing but...

Time the series (Tue Gaga/YT) 10 eps - it's finished now, I dropped it at ep 4. Should I bother?

Close Friend Season 3: Soju Bomb! (Thai ViuTV grey) 10 eps - I'm exhausted by this franchise and the variety pack style of BL. If there is a particularly good couple (or installment) I might watch it, but I'm letting others decide for me.

A Secretly Love (Thai WeTV grey) 10 eps - I watched the first ep but grey is too much work for this inferior of a show. I may pick up and binge if it gets distribution but for now, it gets a DNF from me. KimCop might have held this crap together but Kim without Cop? No thank you.

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school, not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing for some reason.

Gossip

The choreo controversy - Deep Night vs OnlyOneOf. Look, like a musical rift, or a styling photoshoot, there are no new ideas in choreo, I feel like Madonna did this pose too, a long time ago. Certainly someone in the 80s. Or whatever. Anygay, it's an ironic thing to see a Thai BL being called out by a gay-branded Kpop group when both are exploiting eroticized homosexuality for commercial profit... just saying. (HOW DID WE GET HERE?) Not to mention that BOTH are ALSO exploiting the kink community. We live in interesting times, BLabies. In the end, it's a good publicity stunt all round. And I think Nine knows exactly what he's doing (and why he is doing it). Finally: Drama drama drama around coreo? That is V gay boys. Fun fun fun, carry on everyone.

Strike a pose.

You're being recorded for posterity.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting

3/21 Two Worlds (Thai IQIYI) 10 eps - One of those "he's dead Jim so time travel" thingames staring MaxNat. I'm over this concept but Asia flipping loves it and I do enjoy MaxNat. Phupha (Gun) and Khram (Nat) love each other but Phupha is murdered. Then Khram is pulled to a parallel world where, 12 years ago, Khram and Tai (Max) were in love. However, Khram was killed by Tai’s dad. Now Tai finds alter-Khram apparently alive. But then there is ALSO an alter-Phupha to deal with. (Phupha is played by Gun Thanawat who was Khom, the repressed butler bodyguard from Unforgotten Night. We like this, we scared of the love triangle aspect.)

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.

Forgive me a moment of industry noodling?

Have ya noticed that it's slender pickings right now but it shouldn't be? This is not the mid summer slump nor end of year lull. We should be getting some heavy hitters on first quarter release. (Side eyes GMMTV. Perhaps those painful Japanese acquisitions were a bigger issue than any of us realized?)

Anygay, IMHO, Thailand's BL bubble has popped and sponsor money is drying up. This is my shocked face:

Look, the 2021-2023 level of release and growth (exponential) was never gonna be sustainable, so I'm not surprised. I suspect that in 2024 Thailand will actually produce fewer BLs than 2023 (73, 64 in 2022, and 40 in 2021).

I know I'm sticking my neck out predicting any film industry but... I have seen this kinda thing before and it just *feels* like shrinkage. Thai BL's load has been shot, my peeps. (Not to be crass or anything.)

Oh, don't worry you pretty head about it, it's not going away, just getting less prolific.

Don't we all in our old age?

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

My favorite trope, sniff him!

Queen. (both Deep Night)

King. (City of Stars)

Verse rep verse rep verse rep!!! Can you see me doing a little dance this side of the screen?

(Last weeks summation)

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

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy.

[namtanlovesfilm]

1st quarter of 2024 shows ranked

n° of shows watched from january 1st to march 31st: 13

1. analog squad: 9/10

I deeply regret not watching this one in 2023 when it was released bc it would've been my number one favorite show of that year ;_; it's such an original and touching show with one of my favorite tropes (found family) and some of the best characters I've ever seen. definitely already an all-time favorite and a comfort show for years to come <3

2. cooking crush: 8,5/10

y'all know how much I love offgun, and while this was no not me or theory of love, this show really brought me back to my early days of watching thai dramas and freaking out over any cute interaction on my screen & I love it for that! while this show has a lot of flaws, most of them are easily forgettable when faced with such great characters & one of the cutest relationships ever! I truly thought offgun's chemistry had reached its peak in not me but I was wrong, these two never cease to amaze me they really can play any role to perfection <3

3. ready set love: 8,5/10

this show really surprised with how pretty much flawless its execution is! it's hilarious but also deals with very deep & interesting topics well, and day might be one of my favorite female leads ever! a super solid show that is honestly gonna become a classic for me, I can feel it :)

4. love for love's sake: 8,5/10

this was a super sweet show that's very well done, I was dubitative of the plot at first but it really managed to pull me in & make it worth my while! one of the best kbls out there :)

5. the believers: 8,5/10

this is definitely one of the most innovative thai shows out there, dealing with a topic (religion) that I didn't think anyone would dare touch. the story had me hooked all 9 episodes & the acting performances were amazing, however I have to say this didn't pack as much of a punch as I expected it would. it's a very good show, but it stays a little surface level & doesn't explore its characters enough for me...

6. sing my crush: 7,5/10

this was very much adorable, however two things bothered me: 1) I didn't like the time jump from ep 1 to ep 2, I wish we could've seen the friendship between the characters developed more, and 2) I feel like them not revealing their feelings for each other felt a little forced & random. apart from that it's a very cute show!

7. intern in my heart: 7,5/10

this was a really enjoyable romantic comedy that I had a lot of fun in front of :) is it much more than that? not really. pretty basic but with charismatic performances that carried the show well!

8. perfect propose: 7,5/10

really sweet show that I wish was more developed & gave me more, but a good time nonetheless!

9. sukiyanen kedo do yaro ka: 7/10

this show got me, lost me then got me once again lol. I thought the chemistry for an established relationship was some of the best for a jbl, and the story was simple but endearing. but tbh something was kinda lacking for me, which made this ultimately very forgettable imo.

10. the outing: 7/10

I was SO looking forward to this show without much expectation but it still managed to disappoint me lol. the acting was very solid but there's too many characters that get introduced too late & I failed to really understand what the point or purpose of the show was. it seems to me as if this show took all of the worst points from remember 15 (the sex, the chaos, the betrayals & annoying characters), without the substance that remember 15 actually had. it's not a terrible show, and I was intrigued during it, but tbh it could've been so so much better.

11. love class season 2: 7/10

this had some of the strongest and most interesting ships I've seen in a kbl, however the writing & execution of the show was very frustrating. early on the characters barely get introduced & we struggle to understand how they're all linked together, leading to a lot of confusion on my part. it's sad bc it had a very solid story but bad execution imo :(

12. chaser game w: power harassment: 7/10

this had me very excited but sadly didn't deliver at all for me. the story is kinda all over the place & while the chemistry was really good and it's important to have japanese characters clearly labeled as lesbians, I found the acting kinda over the top as well... but it's a start for gl I guess 🥲

13. sahara sensei to toki-kun: 6/10

this is the kind of show that I managed to watch until the end... for whatever reason. but the age gap icked me out & I found that the main ship didn't have much chemistry. overall this story is very empty & didn't add anything for me, but I really liked the character of toki & would've loved to see him in a better show & ship.

[bengiyo]

Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yara ka Ep 5 Stray Thoughts

Last week, Sakae rejected Kazuyo properly, and she coped with her disappointment by joining team Sakae and Soga. She helped Sakae prepare a series of surprises for Soga's birthday. Unfortunately, her boss derailed those plans, and Kazuyo got mad at Soga for not recognizing Sakae's feelings. Thanks to the added support from Kazuyo, Sakae took a step forward and told Soga about his feelings. Soga was a bit surprised, so Sakae told him to think about it. We left on Soga's ex-wife calling him and Sakae's ex showing up at his house.

Mizuki is pretty. I hope he isn't revealed to be a demon twink.

Episode 5: He's returned. What now?

Oh, I don't like Mizuki. You can't put relationships on a shelf like a toy you're bored with and just come back to it.

I love Kazuyo so much. She got Soga to admit he has more than feelings of friendship for Sakae, and then immediately called Kaname when something suspicious was going on.

Mizuki listening in at the sauna is a great gay joke. This sauna is a place only for men, so straight men could talk about their psrtners here without worry. But because Sakae and Mizuki are men, he can chase them out of the space.

I really love the squad reacting quickly to this development. Sakae may intend to be done with Mizuki and can say that without lying, but whatever emotion brought Mizuki back must be faced to get him to move on.

Ah, he got kicked out for cheating and is now hoping to land softly with Sakae, who he knows is a pushover and a sap.

I don't like Mizuki. He bailed on Sakae and is now just gonna be back and chatting with customers. Everyone knows!

Even if it's just Soga's worries, I like that this show is willing to show Sakae being intimate with another man.

Come through, Kazuyo! She is a great character for accelerating the romantic pace of this show. She reminded Soga that he could lose to a determined ex, and also chided Soga for not telling Sakae he plans to move back to Tokyo. The devil works hard, but Kanda-san works harder.

Spies and thieves! I knew he was a liar who lies with his face!

"Is he better than me?" "Yes." NOW GET OUT!

Soga, can you not walk in at the most dramatic moment???

Okay, he got jealous, Sakae pushed that he isn't a fickle person, and we learned that Soga and his ex-wife are working on having a productive relationship even if it's no longer romantic. We also got a multi-angle stationary kiss.

Another problem character next week!

This show continues to be excellent. Japanese teams heard that I wanted more adult romance and they are here to deliver. We have issues with exes, because adults have histories. We have an active support network that challenges our leads to face each other properly. Our leads can speak with each other. This is what I have wanted for so long.

[bldramas]

2024 BL wrap up

This was taken from Reddit and altered a little for me

Series that aired in 2024 that I've finished or watching as they air

75 maybe? I know it is laughable that I track so much BL for everybody but I've slipped at tracking my own

10 ⭐Series in order

Ossan no Pants ga Nandatte ii Janai ka (BL Adjacent )

Monster Next Door

Mitsuya-Sensei No Keikakuteki Na Ezuke

The Sign

Pit Babe

Deep Night

Century Of Love

Cherry Magic

Caged Again

Takara no vidro

Kidnap

BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita

Sugar Dog Life

City of Stars

Please Teach Me

Series from 2024 dropped (I will note it isn't that I didn't like them exactly I just couldn't get into them)

1000 Years Old

I Hear the Sunspot

Sky Valley

Series from 2024 that on hold or plan to complete later

See Your Love on ep 5 Waiting to finish

Jack & Joker on ep 6 Add issues with plot development but will finish now that the show is complete

Our Youth on Ep 6 Got behind and now just waiting to binge

My Love Mix-Up Thai Remake on Ep 10 Making my way slowly through it when I feel like it. It is a disappointment but still want to finish it

Highest rated/top 10v2024 series: 10 ⭐

Ossan no Pants ga Nandatte ii Janai ka (BL Adjacent )

Monster Next Door

Mitsuya-Sensei No Keikakuteki Na Ezuke

The Sign

Pit Babe

Deep Night

Century Of Love

Cherry Magic

Caged Again

Takara no vidro

Kidnap

BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita

Sugar Dog Life

City of Stars

Please Teach Me

Top Anime

Tadaima, Okaeri

Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!

Lowest rated 2024 series:

Uncle Unknown 6 ⭐ Rushed ending/didn't focus on what I expected

Love Syndrome: The Beginning 6 ⭐ Not finished/Rushed/lacks cohesiveness

The Rebound 6 ⭐Boring and slow characters didn't gel well

Time 6 ⭐ Mess of a story

For Him 5 ⭐ All of the stars are for the first 2 episodes the rest of the show is a train wreck

2024 series that you have already re-watched: 

Ossan no Pants ga Nandatte ii Janai ka

Mitsuya-Sensei No Keikakuteki Na Ezuke

The Sign

Pit Babe

Deep Night

Takara no vidro

Love Is A Poison

Dark horse favorite of the year- Series with low expectations of that I ended up loving: 

Your Sky

City of Stars

Please Teach Me

Ossans Love Season 3

Love Sick

Disappointment of the year-Series with high expectations that let me down: 

Perfect Propose They got together at the end with a high focus on one lead's work

Living with Him a is very poor version of the excellent I Cannot Reach You from last year

Night Dream All those romantic posters and very little romance

Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka That ending I loved it up till the last episode

Love is Better the Second Time Around The assistant is the most memorable character

For Him Did they shred half the script 😭

Favorite ship/couple of 2024: I will not I'm NOT a shipper but I support Ohm and Leng because of the shitty way some in the shipping community treat them. Ben and Jay are newbies that I hope continue their BL acting together or apart

Ohm/Leng (Kidnap),

Ben/Jay(Caged Again)

Favorite actor of 2024: 

Poom Phuripan Sapsangsawat,

Top Piyawat Phongkanitanon,

Tawada Hideya

Favorite Director of 2024:

Cheewin Thanamin Wongskulphat

Favorite NEW entry to BL- a show, couple, actor, or director that entered the BL space or debuted this year:

Ben Benjamin Green

Jay Sorathon Chaloemlapsombut

Progress Passawish Thamasungkeeti

Almond Poomsuwan Suwansatit

Fav OST/Song I limited myself I added dozens of song to my playlist this year

BANDAGE by Ayumu Imazu (Love is Better the Second Time Around)

ลางสังหรณ์ (The Sign)  by Keng Tachaya

Heal Your Broken Heart by Ben Wu (First Note of Love)

Unknown by 邱宇辰金在勲

Favorite NON-2024 series you watched for the first time this year:  I only watch two so does this even count LOL

Word of Honor

Most rewatched show of the year (regardless of air date): 

The Sign

Series you’re most excited for in 2025:  I don't generally get hyped about shows so take this with a grain of salt.

Lover Merman if it ever comes

Ok, I'm hijacking this a bit to do my yearly wrap-up of thoughts of the year. I've done one for each year that I've come back into Bl 2022 and 2023

My first thought of 2024 was disappointing, but when I started looking back and looking at what came out this year, it was a really good year. The 1st part of this year sucked for me and JBLs. Every title just didn't seem to hit right. They weren't bad but by the end I was disappointed. It is the first for me since JBLs are my go-to BL. It left an impression on me even though the 2nd half of the year delivered some of my top ten favs of the year.

There were lots of cross-over titles this year bridging 2023 to 2024 that were actually really good. The Sign, Pit Babe, Last Twilight, Cherry Magic, and 7 Days Before Valentine were all some of my favs. 2024 started out with a bang with BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita being a short but really fun show airing over the start of the new year. Ossan Love took me by surprise with the first season of the series that I enjoyed it completely.

Spring seemed to be a dry spell after the huge dump we had gotten over the holiday season. City of Stars was a big surprise from Star Hunter that turned BL tropes on their head while being sweet and charming. Deep Night and My Stand in filled in the gaps for me in the spring with two good strong titles. Deep Night did the host club right while Time did it completely wrong.

Summer was a feast for me. Century of Love and Meet You at the Bloosom both air almost together and I adored them. Grumpy gruff tops and silly cute bottoms are my thing 🤣. Mr. Mitsuya, Takara's Treasure and Sugar Dog finally came out and renewed my love of JBL much to my relief.

Fall brought me the biggest surprise of all in Love Sick. It wasn't even on my radar since I hadn't watched the original. That bald shaved head look is a real turn-off 🤣 Surprisingly I loved both the old and new version and kicked myself for not watching it sooner. Every You, Every Me was also something I wasn't that into except they still kept catching my eye and I found myself wowed by the visuals and acting. Addicted Heroin I often defended to the age police and OG book crowd but was ambivalent to for the most part. In the the show for me was an enjoyable watch as well. Monster Next Door also came out which topped my BL list this year. Green flags are waving proudly this years.

In terms of overall countries. Japan and Taiwan my mainstays have just had an ok year this year. Normally these countries are consistently 8 to 10-star shows but I had several dips into the mediocre 7-star range. Thailand remained the same with a mix of OMG I LOVE to What were they thinking?! Korea this year was depressing. There were some bright spots like Please Teach Me, Jazz for Two, and Love for Love Sake but I'm over the dark mood stuff they have been pumping out lately.

For production companies Kongthup was amazing this year especially with the team up with Wetv. Knock, Knock Boys, Two Worlds, and Monster Next Door brought some unique and wonderful series. Wetv has upped their game this year. Along with having Kongthup work on their series, they have also given up Caged Again which I adore with my whole heart and they have announced a whole raft of titles for 2025 including snatching a BOC title. Also 👍for adding a Boy's Love section something IQIYI hasn't fully done yet. I also love they SHARE with Gaga giving us a choice of platforms.

Gaga on the other hand need to to stick to licencing content instead of making it. Playboyy was like a trainwreck I couldn't look away from. At 25:00, in Akasaka had pacing and story issues and First Note of Love was a slow burn that never lite. I adore gaga for giving us so many LGBTQ niche titles all in one place for a great price but they fail on content creation.

This year also brought a SURGE of app based dramas. I now have 16 apps on my phone and have been ponder whether to just get a phone for all these silly apps. I will admit I HATE vertical dramas but some have come out and shocked me with how go they really are. I also found a love for Cambodia BL through Sastra that has a cheap membership and some fun shows.

Still I hope the trend of app based content dies the death it deserves. When you start breaking down how much these cheaply made shows actually cost whether it is in time or money it is a terrible thing to come to BL. I also will never forgive them for chopping up movies into 50+ pieces interpreting the flow of the show and making them worse just to make huge amounts of money off them.

As for merch, I have cut down a little but not by much. 9 Thai boxsets, 13 Japanese movies, 6 Japanese series, and an assortment of BL merch from Taiwan, Thailand, and Japan. I now need to add another section to my bookcase 😔 My fav item is the ramune bottle from Takara's Treasure and Word of Honor posters. My fav boxset is the Minato Coin Laudary season 1 & 2 for the dance extras.

Finally for my resolutions from last year. I did manage to watch the mainstay Chinese Dramas. Word of Honor and Untamed are now off my to-do list. I just can't with bromance. Untamed left me skeptical of Chinese censored dramas. I had my issues with word of honor but I did like it but I've been told it is an outlier. I did watch less mainly because I now am strapped for time. The website eats hours away like candy and my 12-day work weeks have cut deeply into my free time. So I have been forced to be choosy in the series I watch. Manga has been out this year I lack the time. As for branching out into various countries, I have only managed Cambodia mainly because of my Sastra membership.

No resolutions for this year. I'm fairly stressed finding all the time to do what I want to do so no pressure or goals. Just keep on keeping on with BL watching and organizing as I can 😍

[alejunsu]

Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro Ka EP5

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - I'm Late, I know

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

Feb 2024 Wk 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 12fin - we waiting 2 weeks I guess? Bah.

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 13fin - I wasn't impressed by the last ep at all. Trash watch happened here.

My final thoughts:

Based on alittlebixth's omegaverse novel #พิษเบ๊บ’ set in the world of car racing omegaverse. Thailand brought us the world's first omegaverse BL but then failed to lean into the courage of its a/b/o convictions by not emphasizing the difference between our world & theirs, adding & subtracting characters & allegiances + a weak ending. With earnest performances, enthusiastic sex scenes, a fantastic side couple, and some delightful scenery chewing - the actors tried… poor things. It's just the story failed both them and their parent genre. Frankly? I just wanted it to be more outrageous and trashy, since I never expected it to be good. Instead, it was just… meh. 7/10

(Imma remind all the newbies that this is not unprecedented from me with hugely popular BL.)

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 10 of 12 - I like it but there’s a high % of this show that doesn’t interest me. Anything to do with the side couple, or the friend group, or the cooking competition drives me into a comatose state of UGH. That means that in this episode, I paid attention to about 5 minutes worth. 

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 11 of 12 - I'm ready for this to be done. I think they were trying to be this year's Big Dragon, but they just aren't good enough. I really didn’t need a third couple.

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 2 of 12 - I'm warming up to FueangKrom a bit. It’s cute. I am finding the pacing interesting. That pacing might be bad, but right now it’s simply different. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Love For Love's Sake (Korea Weds iQIYI) 5-6 of 8 - I still love this show a lot, but this 2 ep installment felt a little disjointed. I’m not sure if that’s the narrative structure or the subs. The captions are shockingly bad for a KBL and I don’t have enough Korean to make up for their clear failings. 

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - Oh the return of the manic pixie dream ex. This is all very high school drama for purportedly grown-up adults. But them both being jealous and then kissing was sweet.  

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - They remain adorable and the sunshine robot is very sweet. But it is a little slow. 

Perfect Propose (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 3 of 6 - I prefer the episodes when we get more of them onscreen together. But this was fine. 

Happy Ending (Korea Tues YT) 3fin - The ending disappointed me (are you surprised?). What can I say, not Strongberry's best as far as I’m concerned. High school besties that many could be sweethearts. I don’t like an ending that’s left up in the air. 6/10

It's Done but...

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have any spare time. 2024 is crazy busy for me so far.

The Servant and the Young Master - from Vietnam, it's on YouTube. I will give it a try when I have a window of time.

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - A Burmese BL? @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will give it a watch.

It's Airing But...

[NO INTERNATIONAL] Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - yeah Japan put the smack down on our boys. Sadness. You can use a VPN if you like. Read all about it here.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… probubly not. I won't be watching this. I disliked Season one and actively hated the follow ups. No thank you.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 12 eps - Gave me Luminous Solution vibes. It finished, is it worth it?

Dead Friend Forever (Thai Sat iQIYI) 12 eps - finished, horror, supposed to be very philosophical, I think I'll give it a go.

Time the series (Tue Gaga/YT) 10 eps - dropped it at ep 4.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting Up

2/16 My Strawberry Film (Japan Gaga) - not quite sure how much BL this one is, because... Japan, but we shall see.

2/17 A Secretly Love (Thai WeTV) - Khonprot, a third-year head hazer of the engineering faculty, has a secret crush on Pluem, a tsundere fourth-year head hazer. Over the years, he's seen Pluem cycle through many girlfriends. Recently, after a public breakup, however, Khonprot thinks maybe a boy has a chance. Unless this is really good I probably won't I hate the WeTV interface...

Still Coming in Feb

2/24 Unknown (Taiwan Youku) 12 eps - Older brother tough guy criminal breadwinner looks after his sister and defacto adopted little brother. Little bother falls in love with him and is sent away after a stolen kiss. But when he comes back…

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.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

We gotta talk about LFLS this week. Look at Korea go!

Talking about a dead fish kiss, how meta! This will end up on one of my best of the year moments. I could not have been more gobsmacked.

Also something rarely directly addressed, particularly for same-sex firsts.

And then, a claiming trope, a personal favorite of mine.

Thank you Korea!

I just love them. (Pit Babe)

(Last week)

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - The Sign is Slaying

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top. Happy new year, BLabies!

Jan 2024 Wk 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 8 of 12 - Tharn in Phaya’s too big clothing is the cutest thing in the world.

I gotta to say something about Babe's acting really quickly. I love the way he’s inhabiting the personality of his naga character with reptilian eye and body movements and (I don’t know how to put this) a certain reserved, elegant, slithering- ness. He's very good this new boy of ours. (He come from something physical like dance?)

I adored them doing the walk of shame and being teased.

ALSO I enjoyed the way they handled Tharn’s gender in the past with his costume (the pha chung hang is gender neutral but that green top is a kinda combo m+f) and pronouns et al.

Language corner:

They are using ancient pronouns. I *think* I heard: daow (3rd), khun/jao/tan (2nd), kaa (Ist) - all pronouns in use are gender neutral - to the best of my understanding.

Last Twilight (Fri YT) ep 10 of 12 - Ooo. Day comes out to fam. Also his maa legit took his phone away and said

“I don’t mind you being gay but you can’t date a poor.”

Still, these 2 do kind of make the best secret boyfriends ever.

Also I begin to love Night: “that’s my baby��� indeed. You special ain’t ya?

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 7 of 12 -  I’m starting to find this pretty boring at this juncture. Bummer, because for a while I was enjoying it.

Twins the series (Fri GaGa) ep 11 of 12 - The stuff with the spy on the team is super boring. I’m not wild about the side characters either. So most of this episode was a bust for me. I did like First’s ex. 

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 9 of 14 - Charlie & Babe = honeymoon phase. Jeff & Kim = forgotten. Pete & Way = riddles wrapped in alphas but actually enigmas. Everyone else = gang bang phase…. Apparently. Trash watch happening here.

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 6 of 12 - Loved that this was a mutual kiss. (Also how comfortable are OffGunn kissing now? Babies!) I’ve moved from indifference to absolute loathing of the side couple tho.

Oddball LIES from the script = the gayest bridge in Bangkok isn’t lit up after 9pm.

Meanwhile, very important kicky kicky feet and Doc is a dork about flirting now that he’s all in. Looks like we get the official boyfriend ep next week.  

You and My Stars YT 2of 2(?) - Couldn’t find it. Not fussed. 

Time the series (Thai Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - Okay so there’s a gang and someone named Chris is killed and his boyfriend, actor Foam, is jumped back in time to save him? NO SINGING. Between Chris’s death and that time-slip there’s some kind of accidental murder, a pink pocket watch, Chris being alive again but also a different person, and a make out scene. Are you also confused? Actually, the real question is: Do we continue watching? Remember we (the collective BLorg) do not trust MFlow. 

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) ep 21 of 24 - The acting has been pretty terrible all along with this series, but this one is the worst. I just can’t. I may tune in for the last installment but this one is a DNF for me. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - It’s utterly adorable. Very manga, but so far not grating on my nerves. They so cute! You know I adore a hyung romance. Add a v gay sauna scene and an OUT gay boy and just... YES. All the married breeder regulars being overly invested in their pretty cook’s queer drama queening, it's so good.

AND THEN a confession in the first episode? Japan sure loves to mess with the pacing of plots drops.

Also, how much do I want to eat every single piece  of food in this darn show? 

Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 5 of 8 - Man I wish this were better I enjoyed this more. Sigh. I do LOVE the stepbrother sides. Of course I do. But how can this feature 2 of my favorite relationship types (age gap, stepbrothers) and not be my favorite BL airing? Japan, how do you ALWAYS do this to me? 

VIP Only (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 9 of 10 - I don’t know. I just wish this were better. Also shorter.

I really miss KBL right now.

It's done I Need to Catch up

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have a spare day.

The Servant and the Young Master - from Veitnam so I assume it's on YouTube. I never even noticed. Anyone?

After Sundown - aired on Netflix Thailand. No word on inter release.

It's Airing But...

[INTERNATIONAL] Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - yeah Japan put the smack down on our boys. Sadness. You can use a VPN if you like. Read all about it here.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… probubly not. I won't be watching this. I disliked Season one and actively hated the follow ups. No thank you.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.

Night Dream (Sat YT) 6 eps - It’s a pain to track down and I really didn’t like the first episode so… DNF  

The Whisperer (Sun ????) 10 eps - Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). I don't think even the perfect single dimple can motivate me to watch. Word is... it's terrible.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 10 eps - Giving me Luminous Solution vibes. I'm waiting to binge if safe.

Dead Friend Forever (Thai Sat iQIYI) - horror, meh, tell me if it's worth my time?

In Case You Missed it

All my year-end round ups:

TOP 10 BL Trends of 2023

Top 10 BL Secondary Pairs of 2023

2023 BLs Best Trope Execution Awards! TOP 10

BL 2023's Best:

Back Hugs Thailand & Elsewhere

Cute Bits of Domesticity

Boys Feeding Boys

BOOP!

Best Cuddles

Heads in Laps

Touching Head Touches

Thailand Put His Head on Your Shoulder

Put Your Head on My Shoulder (not Thailand)

BEST KISSES (not Thailand)

BEST KISSES FROM THAILAND

All the BLs Announced for 2023 that didn't happen

Next Week Looks Like This

More Coming Jan 2024

Beside You (Thai YouTube)

1/24 Love For Love's Sake (Korea Gaga)- based on the Manhwa ‘Love Supremacy Zone’ by Hwacha. A young man is dropped into a game based off a novel he loves. His mission is to make another player, YeoWoon happy. But then the game starts unfolding completely different from the novel.

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.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Why are the oversized flappy flappy sleeves so adorable? (The Sign)

Pit Babe

Frankly 2024 is starting on a whimper... mostly from Babe.

(Last week)