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absolutebl · 2 months ago

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This Week in BL - Weird Strange Warmth, Thailand

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

Sept 2024 Week 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

Jack & Joker (Thai Mon IQIYI) ep 1 of 12 - Oh it’s fucking great. What a fantastic start! It’s a fun cast too. I adore seeing all of the familiar faces. This is a lot more fun than Kidnap (sorry GMMTV, do better). I mean both shows are serving the same kind of concept but with completely different energy. I love that War is playing phi in this series. I think it suits him much better. In fact. I really like these rolls for this pair. I think they’re gonna knock it outta the park. I am so happy this is good. I wanted it to be good. And it’s good!

Monster Next Door (Thai Thurs Gaga ) ep 8 of 12 - Oh no! He read the journal. No snooping! Well I guess they needed to get some tension for these 2 from somewhere, otherwise they are too good to each other. Meanwhile, I’m not sure about the sides in this particular series. I don’t hate them. The laundry jealousy moment was pretty well done. But I'm not sold, either.

Addicted Heroin (Thai Tues WeTV) ep 5 of 10 - I forgot that we were already on the ICONIC kidnapping section of the narrative. I miss Gu Hai's OBEY sweatshirt from the original. (Someday I will own that sweatshirt.) Hero should at least be wearing an OBEY T-shirt. Frankly I miss the harshness of the original too. Johnny Huang was just so massive, August doesn't have the physicality to carry this scene off. Nor does Thailand have the guts to push it into the creepy obsessive territory that made the first version so thrilling to watch.

The thing about the original kidnapping bit was we could feel Gu Hai's vibrating need to possess overriding everything else (including his sense of humor and frustration with himself). Gu Hai KNOWS kidnapping was an over reaction, he KNOWS he is being absurd, he just doesn't care. Because he doesn't just want to fuck Bai Luo Yin he wants to consume him.

We didn't get any of that from Hero. Hero, as a character, just isn't edgy enough to carry off a kidnapping, he's been softened too much in this new Thai form.

And then... An around the back of head not-kiss? Interesting choice. (Checks to see if BoomPeak are hanging out nearby.) Is that because the actor is under age? We in that head space for this whole show? (Pun intended.) Not sure how I feel about any of it.

It’s a much milder confession this time around, because it’s Thailand, but it’s still warped. So I’m still here for the weird strange warmth of this damn show. I did laugh a lot during this episode.

Kidnap (Fri YT) ep 2 of 12 - Oh I am very much enjoying this.

"You’re the worst kidnapper I ever ever met" is an apt accusation.

Battle of the Writers (Sun YT) ep 7 of 12 - I kinda enjoyed the little side romance story (wealthy writer intellectual + poor local salt-of-the-earth boy = Love Seaing all over my damn screen). It came outta nowhere but... okay.

I honestly have no idea what’s going on with this show. But the kisses are nice. And I pretty much like all of the couples. It’s wild how disjointed it is but simultaneously how pretty. It’s like Star Hunter got hold of Mame’s budget and aesthetic.

I Saw You in My Dream (Weds Gaga) ep 9 of 12 - Boyfriend era to the max. Production is still ignoring the whole "dreaming the future" POINT OF THIS SHOW.

The Trainee (Sun YT) ep 11 of 12 - Jane is VERY COOL. Like tay-style cool… as it were. I like their dynamic when they're given one to play with. It’s the rest of this show I don’t enjoy.

Live in Love (Sun Gaga) ep 2 of 5 - It cute. Bit odd but cute. I like the language play, of course. It’s an interesting pair to watch flirt because it’s all language play so that's fun but otherwise, I'm not convinced.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

The On1y One (Taiwan Thurs Gaga) eps 7-8 of 12 - This BL doesn’t drink from the water bottle to show off its neck. It quietly hands you the water bottle and expects you to understand that is not an act of generosity but of polite distancing. It's about the delicacy of the messaging, and the way themes are conveyed with such nuance.

This story is entirely about the two of them figuring out about each other, and then trying to be what the other person needs based on that information. It means they (and therefore we) are on this journey of discovering affection together. It's brilliant.

I must talk about the physical acting of these two for a second. That scene where they’re fighting over the book and then fall into the pool. That was one take. That’s amazing. These two are really fucking stellar not only at acting but hitting their marks. And let's be clear, that is NOT the same thing. I bet they both have stage training.

Define irony: watching two abandoned kids counsel their respective parents through abandonment issues.

Sugar Dog Life (Japan Sun grey) ep 6 of 10 - It is stupid cute and utterly charming. They are total boyfriends. It’s just that one of them wants to be and one of them assumes they already are. Actually, nevermind boyfriends, they’re married.

I Hear the Sunspot AKA Hidamari ga Kikoeru (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 12fin - It made me whimper a lot because they’re both hurting so much. But in the end it was... fine.

Summation

The compassionate story of a college kid going deaf and the one boy he can hear. I love this manga and was let down by the first adaptation (Silhouette of Your Voice), so I was expecting a lot from this BL. I expected the soundscapes in this one to be fantastic, and the were, but I didn’t expect the filming to be something special too. But it really is. The acting is great too. But the story? It was just fine. They spent far too much time on the build to a relationship, then wallowed in their separation and a problematic girl character, when they should have been showcasing Taichi's character arc and his capacity for connection. Perhaps Japan should pass this one off to Thailand, It's a soft story centering on "food as love" so they might do better with it. I am, yet again, disappointed. 8/10 but I want to give it a 7/10

First Note Of Love (Taiwan Mon Gaga) eps 9-10 of 12 - It’s fine. it’s cute. I enjoyed getting some backstory. More of the sides, please.

Seoul Blues (Korea Fri? YouTube) ep 7 - Honestly, why don’t they just call this entire series The Cheating Diaries and have done with it? I’m only watching it because there’s basically nothing else from Korea right now. But I’m generally mad about it. Including the fact that everybody is so pretty and the acting is so good in the series, but the stories are so terrible.

It's airing but...

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

Happy of the End (Japan Tues Gaga) - A boy is disowned for being gay, dumped by his boyfriend, and ends up in a dysfunctional co-dependant relationship with his would-be kidnapper. We were due for another messy JBL and it's exactly as expected. I do not like it at all. And ya know what? There is plenty airing. DNF

In case you missed it

The Time of Fever (Korea iQIYI & Viki) 6 eps - Side couple from Unintentional Love Story, HoTae & DongHee, return for a spin off backstory show.

It started out fantastic. And it was a relief to have a good Korean BL finally back on my screen, even a high angst one. But I did spend a lot of time trying trying to figure out whether they’re going to rehash or reboot from the previous series. Are we in Between Us territory or Don't Say No or (heaven forbid) To My Star 2?

None of the above, it turns out.

This was a pure prequel about lost first love. As such, it has no real finale beyond what we got in ULS. Which, for this pair, wasn't satisfying. Putting my disappointment over this aspect aside, it is enjoyable on the strength of the characters, actors, and chemistry (if not story). Yes I said chemistry, the kissing is fantastic, sometimes KBL can do that. This one featured the "teach me to kiss trope"!!!! Plus language play. Both favorites of mine. It is all angst, ache, repression, and miles of subtext. It did fudge the ending by not skipping forward and over the events in ULS to depict what happened next (what, no year long time jump when we actually need it, Korea?) It's a worthy companion piece, but should be watched BEFORE ULS for maximum satisfaction, and even then you're going to be left feeling like HoTae & DongHee's relationship was never adequately discussed or depicted in order to achieve resolution.

The little cameo of my baby in ep 5 was much appreciated. But the motorcycle should’ve been set up a little bit more. Of course I wanted it to be about them getting together after the events in the first series. But this was all backstory from start to finish. And while it was good backstory, it wasn’t ultimately satisfying for these characters. Still it’s a good little series. 8/10

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

4 Minutes (Gaga) Ended - Spies reported in to say the ending was not-exactly-unhappy and mostly lackluster. I'm torn over whether to watch. My natural disinclination to binge, meets my dissatisfaction with wishy-washy, is going up against my love for fabulous high heat and pretty pretty men.

Mitsuya-sensei no keimakutekina ezuke finished and it’s reported to be solid. Age gap treated with respect. I'm curious, so I'll check it out. Not doing very well on binging and catching up but it's on the docket...

Next Week Looks Like This:

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

Still Coming Sept 2024:

9/15 Love Sick 2024 (Thai Sun iQIYI) 15 eps - Remake of the original. I'm scared too.

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

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

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

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Love a teach me to kiss, teach me to fuck, whatever moment. (I Saw You In My Dreams sides)

Not gonna lie. I laughed. Addicted.

(Last week)

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

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

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

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ellsieee · 3 months ago

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Some tidbits from The On1y One eps 1 and 4.

The scene in episode one where Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian are officially introduced to each other by their parents is actually quite funny.

When children respectfully greet elders they meet for the first time or haven't seen in a while, the elders will respond with guai (乖). It's said to acknowledge their good behavior. iQ's translation of good boy is better than Gaga's behave. Guai can also be used to tell a naughty child to behave, but in this scene, Jiang Tian is obviously being a little shit and purposely misinterpreting Sheng Wang's "call him ge?" as a greeting to an elder and responding with guai. The tone Jiang Tian uses is perfect. It's exactly how we old people say it to kids. 😂

In episode 4, when Gao Tianyang is amazed by Sheng Wang's question answering speed, he says kao (靠), which is actually closer to fuck than iQ's darn it or Gaga's damn.

The pronunciation sounds like cow in English, and a cow is niu (牛) in Mandarin.

Niu is also slang for awesome. So when Gao Tianyang spells out cow and says niu, he is making a pun and saying Sheng Wang is awesome. iQ got the pun part right but messed up the awesome part, and Gaga got the awesome part but left out the pun.

Some background on Sheng Wang's pfp here.

During the fight scene, people watching the series on iQ were confused about who was talking about Sheng Wang's mom because there was no subtitle for what the bully said under his breath. Gaga subtitled it, but only in English. There are no Chinese subs there for some reason.

"Old Ding" (iQ) or "Uncle Ding" (Gaga) = ding lao tou (丁老頭).

This is an example of 丁老頭 😅 The 丁 is the nose.

#our hearts are usually being ripped out every episode #but there is also subtle humor that sometimes gets lost in translation #the on1y one #cdrama

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mikuni14 · 1 month ago

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Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo - Ep 1-2

Most BL series I watch follow a familiar path: there are 2-3 memorable scenes per episode that I have a normal, healthy meltdown about.

However, every now and then there are series like The Eighth Sense, Love For Love's Sake, The On1y One, which are about 96% made up of only significant, important scenes 💀 And I bet some of them even think to themselves: "you know what, that's not enough", and they put two episodes in at once. Which instead of giving me a regular, week-long sugar rush, which is normal, which is healthy, they just put me straight in a coma 😆

Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo is a worthy successor to the above series.

After watching these two episodes, I feel in love with it, but also overstimulated and have a massive case of FOMO, meaning I'm sure I missed / forgot / both a ton of details imprtant for the story. Luckily, the massive sugar rush makes up for it 🧁🤡

Below is a random, incomplete list of things that I really liked:

how real this series is in all aspects. There are no exaggerated scenes, there are no scenes in which there is an "imagination" of how something should look, there is no exaggeration or sanitization, e.g. how to show domestic violence. For example, running away from home without even taking a jacket, or how JuYeong behaves differently trying to stop the violence towards DoHoe from other boys and from his father, when you can see how he doesn't know how to behave in the latter case, because it is a family issue, the perpetrator is a parent, which can worsen the situation of the victim, and then there is the cultural aspect of "respect for elders". These are details, but they are INCREDIBLY REALISTIC

how the series shows domestic violence, bullying, life in a closet, homophobia, but again without exaggeration, without overly dramatic scenes, with respect for the victims, without the fetish of watching someone's suffering. We know who is suffering and how they are suffering and the series also treats us, the viewers, with respect for our intelligence. And again - everything is very realistic thanks to this

the characters know who they are in terms of their sexual orientation, they know who they like. I love that after their first kiss JuYeong and DoHoe kind of… "fall" straight into their relationship, bypassing all the awkwardness, denial, drama. They are just like: ok, there is no point in pretending that we didn't kiss, so let's keep going lol (I missed this "awareness" that 'we are in this together' in The On1y One)

naturally I move from this on to the scene of looking for places to make out, then the sitting in the car, when you can see that both of them are not thinking about anything else and how they kiss and they are a bit awkward, a bit shy, a bit funny, but so eager that it is visible from space. This is also very realistic, I had such experiences when I was a teenager 😄 Apart from that, I'm a huge fan of BL series, in which the characters are horny for each other and it shows

how they flirt with each other - this is the kind of barely noticeable flirtation, which was also visible in the series I mentioned above. It's so good!!!!

I love how much they do for each other, it's so lovely in such a simple, uncomplicated way. The most ordinary things, such as a train of thought: "oh, it's raining, he doesn't have an umbrella, I'll go get him so he doesn't get wet", "for what the father does, his son will pay, I have to do something", caring for the other person in ordinary, everyday situations - these are the things that always choke me with emotions

I like the intelligent, calm storytelling, in which we gradually get to know the characters. The plot throws in a sentence, a gesture here, a scene there, and that's how we get to know the characters and their past

there's also a turn-of-the-century vibe here, like the late 90s and early 2000s, very realistic and impossible to fake. a bit traumatic too tho...

the whole situation with HyeonHo… ok, don't get me wrong, I hate bullies, I hate closeted bullies even more in BLs, but when such a story is well written, especially in manga or ff because I perceive drawings and written words differently, like here, then normally I would eat such a dramatic, toxic relationship up 😤🤡

when JuYeong, who is normally incredibly lovely, dorky and cute, organized a snow experience for DoHoe and exceeded the acceptable level of cuteness per minute of a BL series in the scene when he peeks from over the gate. it was the sweetest scene ever 🧁🧁🧁💖✨🥺

This series is really good, but because after watching the first episodes I found out that we were going to have a time skip and PAIN, a natural reaction developed in me to control my feelings a bit, so that I wouldn't be too sad and upset later. I'm a big fan of Where Your Eyes Linger by the same creator, where the time skip was bearable and there was a happy ending, so I hope it will be the same this time 😊

#let free the curse of taekwondo #bl drama #korean bl

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polarnightt · 2 months ago

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the ending of the final EP was far better than the one I had prepared myself for since the start of the on1y one , no it doesn't mean I'm not devastated with how it ended but I would choose this ending of season 1 anyday over what I thought director will choose from novel.

#the on1y one #jiang tian x sheng wang #tianwang

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romchat · 2 months ago

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The On1y One visual analysis (Ep. 11): Burned

The subtle shift of The On1y One's coloring from blue to purple to red in Episode 11 really doesn't bode well for these boys, does it? (At least for Season 1.)

The show has long established how orange is Sheng Wang's color while blue is Jiang Tian's so the sudden introduction of purple was noticeable and interesting.

Especially because the temperature of the purple starts cool as Wang talks about his appreciation of the moon (representing Tian) and turns increasingly warm as he fantasizes about Tian in his dreams.

We can feel the crystallization of Wang's desires as red begins dominating the scene's color palette.

And we know that Tian feels very conflicted about that desire by how the episode concludes with a flashback to his childhood.

The trauma of discovering his father cheating on his mother--and with a man--is shot in an uncomfortably saturated red. The overwhelming use of the color in the lighting and production design feels oppressive and lurid.

In this scene, we finally find out how Tian got his burn and we're given more context for why he might have resisted his early attraction to Wang.

Side Note: The fact that in both Wang's fantasy and Tian's memory there are several distinct back shots of Tian's figure kills me--even the costuming is similar with both child and teen Tian wearing a thin sleeveless shirt that leaves them bare and vulnerable. The visual parallelism connects their first awareness of men being with men in a devastating way.

As noted by @benkaben in their brilliant analysis:

"The fact that the last scene was Jiang Tian and Sheng Wang sharing a bed, surrounded by small blue and purple and pink and big red, as in closeness, as in fear, as in danger, as a warning of the past, the danger of knowing, unequivocally, who you are, and doing nothing about it."

The red lingers on Tian's face in comparison to Wang's. Whew, Episode 12 is going to hurt.

#the on1y one #某某 #meta #cinematography #production design #taiwanese drama #taiwanese bl #bl drama

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impala124 · 2 months ago

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Some thoughts on The On1y one (Ep 1-6) :

I see a lot of people praising the main leads for their performance, which is rightly deserved. However, I would like to make note of few things that stood out to me -

All the students act like teenagers. As someone who grew up watching mostly American shows during my teenage years, this is such a breath of fresh air. Like the Truth or Dare scene, I've seen similar situations play out in real life and the questions and the dares are as dumb as you would expect teenagers to come up with.

Reaching out to seniors for help with the hard questions and wiping down the board clean after the teacher leaves the classroom, that brought back memories.

Mr. Zhao's comment about not liking the food served at his son's cafe. Man, that hit way too close to home.

I truly felt for Qi Jiahao and his struggle with imposter syndrome. I don't condone what he has done, but I understand him.

Gao Tianyang is such a menace , I love him.

Mr Ding and Brother Zhao are the best wingmen a guy could ask for.

#the on1y one #the on1y one the series #tian x wang #sheng wang #jiang tian

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iguessitsjustme · 2 months ago

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The On1y One Ep 1 Thoughts

This show won my liveblog poll so here I am. I am dead tired and brain fried from work and procrastinating cleaning my apartment (I have until Friday when my mom is visiting…well kind of visiting? She’s here on business. Sort of. That business is a charity walk. I’m getting off topic). I’ve heard nothing but good things about this show so my expectations are high. I don’t actually know anything about this show except that it’s good. As always, under the cut:

Wait, wait. I can’t start yet. I need my song to finish. God the FMA Brotherhood soundtrack goes so hard. God bless.

Y’all will not believe how many people at once have just walked into my building to be LOUD in a row. I am TRYING to start this show god damn.

Okay already obsessed with this soundtrack.

I already love Jiang Tian. Took 2 seconds. This surprises no one.

Even this tiny little height difference makes me very happy. More of this.

The fact that Wang stopped Jiang Tian from leaving just so he could leave first? Comedy gold. I love him.

How often has this poor baby’s dad actually talked to him about his late mother? How often has he talked to him about his new wife(?)...significant other? How often does this poor baby’s father tell him anything at all? Or does he just move him around and expect him to behave and get good grades and be silent don’t cause trouble? As someone who spent a good chunk of my childhood moving a lot, that affects a person in unexpected ways. I had a good support system and loving family and I’m still a little messed up from it. What does this poor baby have? Does he have any adult he can talk to about anything?

Well, obviously I’m obsessed.

I want this boy to beat Jiang Tian in the test so bad. Just for fun. Plus I like that they’re showing he is smart but he still needs to study and he works hard.

Okay so he didn’t do better than Jiang Tian but I’ll settle for this. His hard work wasn’t for nothing. That cram session really came in clutch.

GLASSES SPOTTED *makes note*

Holy shit look at this little guy. I need to pet this cat. I need to pet this cat RIGHT NOW.

Okay yeah I’m obsessed with this show now. Unfortunately, I do have to work tomorrow and also probably can’t watch tomorrow but I am excited to keep watching this. It’s everything I want and need.

#the on1y one #the on1y one the series #the on1y one series #rae liveblogs #rae liveblogs the on1y one

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mirabella96 · 3 months ago

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I have no idea how I did it but I watched ep 3 of The On1y One instead of 1 and I do not know if I should go back and watch 1&2 or just watch 4.

And it's amazing that this 3 ep could so easily pass as ep 1, like no doubt in my brain that sth is off. Maybe the first scene was slightly suprising but other than that, it made sense.

#The On1y One #the on1y one the series

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manateia-seriallove · 2 months ago

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Almost a year ago I came back on tumblr because I thought I could find something I needed... and I did.

And I lately i also remember why I love so much this platform : It makes me discover new beautiful stories. So throught followers of followers of followers, i discover OFMD few months ago and (very) lately a little taïwanese show : The On1y 0ne.

I'm usually not a fan of asian show (my daughter was a fan, so I watched few episodes with her), especially BL, it's full of lingering looks and... that's all (yeah i know that's cliché, i am cliché sometimes).

Like i said I discover 'The Only One" lately, and I thought, well let's give it a try and literaly start watching season 1 on Monday.

I know i'm clearly not the target for that kind of show, but after watching the season finale here's a some of my thoughts (sorry if maybe i missed cultural reference, it's really unvolunteer from me).

There we go :

-----

They're 17, every little bump on the road is the end of the world when you're 17.

(Some would even threaten to destroy monarchy because their ex is on a date with someone else *cough* marcus *cough* 😉).

Joke aside, they've just been physicaly separate during the day, but before that sheng has been avoiding tian (well avoiding talking to him) when only few days before they were able to joke together and sleep in the same bed.

Tian can feel, since Sheng went back to his bed, that sheng is hidding something from him (don't dare talk to him about something), but can't identify exactly what it is because he is himself stuck in his childhood trauma and think it would be a horrible idea to gave in to the feeling he know he has for Sheng (poor tian need to deal with that trauma, and maybe talk with his father, before anything can happen between him and sheng).

Sheng is on a "full on gay crisis" (i had to use this one, there's way too many possible parallel with heartstopper in this show), so he think being far from tian will "fix him" (i really like the parallel with the mint to talk about how he want to fix things, it's very poetic), but like with the mint in the pot "you've got to snap off the bent part (the socialy construct idea that you can't crush on a guy) then new buds sprout and fresh, beautiful leaves grow back" (you're still you, even if you start liking guys and want to kiss the one that's your new step brother).

I don't think that end is stupid, they're both going through a lot, sheng discover he's most definitely bi (damn that shot of him with the bi flag color in ep 11 was absolutely beautiful), Tian is trying to overcome is trauma and that separation even if just for the moment they are in classroom is just the last straw.

Now all they need is self acceptance, self love, and communication.

I do hope things will be better between them in season 2 (there will be a season 2, right?).

#the on1y 0ne #the only one #the only one spoilers #time to ramble #being 17 is tough

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hughungrybear · 3 months ago

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"It's not that I want to win. It's just that, I don't want to lose."

#the on1y one #the on1y one ep 1 #taiwanese bl #mou mou #tianwang

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craziestfangirl98 · 2 months ago

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I've started watching The On1y One. I love it. It pulled me in sooooo much that it's 2:36 am on a day I planned to hibernate. I'm gonna watch the remaining episodes tomorrow but so far eps 1-4 have been fantastic and absolutely beautiful. I love so much about it, but am unable to put it in words right now.

#the on1y one #jiang tian #sheng wang

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absolutebl · 3 months ago

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

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

Sept 2024 Week 1

Ongoing Series - Thai

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

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

Cliff's notes on these 2 eps as follows:

The pure unadulterated tsundere of it all.

The awesome angst, it aches.

The series of repercussions after the fight was pacing genius.

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

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

"Maybe what we call eternity is just persistence."

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

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

And by "audience" I mean me.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It's airing but...

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

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