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Appreciation for Yihwa from Together With Me

She is such a fun and entertaining character to watch. She’s not a perfect person but she definitely owns her confidence and takes good care of her friends. 

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Ming and Kit <3

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Poor Beam, he definitely had that coming. 

2 Moons 2 | Episode 6

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REVIEW: My Engineer

I didn't have plans to watch My Engineer until I started seeing photos and GIFs of Ram and King on Tumblr. I'd watched the trailer prior to this but held off on it. I wrote a review on the first 3 episodes, you can read that here. Initially I didn't enjoy it so much, as you can tell from my initial review. However, and I cannot stress this enough. You should stick it out, things get better by the 4th episode. I'm glad I finished the series, was happy with it overall and can't wait for season 2.

Summary

From WeTV: When Bon the popular engineering students start a revenge plan on Duen The innocent first year medical students slowly their feelings start to grow through roses that Duen Have to buy for Bon every day for a month. The series bring out the different side of each couple and their journey with friends and relationship. Join us and see how their feelings slowly evolved with each other through the 4 couples

Where can I watch this?

You can watch it on WeTV, however some episodes were missing english subtitles so I'd watch it on YouTube instead. Full episodes are only available on YouTube outside of Asia, so you need to use a VPN.

MY REVIEW

I thought the premise was a little bit cheesy (but let's be real, I do love cheesy things at times, otherwise I wouldn't watch them). The pairing of Bohn and Duen, the main couple, was a little bit unsurprising. As the story progressed, they did have cute moments together but nothing to really set it apart from other BL series.

Personally, what really drove the show was the comedy (at times bordering on campy, but it totally works) and the other main characters (Ram, King, Boss, Mek, Frong, and Thara). The pacing of the series was good, we had other couples apart from Bohn and Duen but I felt that they got enough exposure for us to get to know them and develop interest in their characters. I believe they had more interesting storylines and personalities than the main couple.

The series does not really focus on really serious and deep issues. If I were to rate how heavy the series is compared to TharnType at a 10, then My Engineer would be a 3 or 4. It isn't the kind of series where you'd need to prepare yourself mentally for an emotional rollercoaster. It is a fun watch, enjoyable and sweet.

When you watch My Engineer, you would need a little more Suspension of disbelief because there are moments that really don't make sense or are not grounded in reality. Not necessarily a bad thing, just that some scenes are kind of ridiculous but definitely fun to laugh about!

Themes

I won’t delve into all, just one from episode 9 that stood out for me. 

In episode 9, the series tackles the notion of masculine and feminine roles in gay relationships. I was fairly satisfied with how it was treated. When the topic first arises, the reactions of Bohn and Duen are defensive and their friends presumptive. I found this to be irritating initially because it portrayed one person as less than the other. 

However, I quickly realized that their reactions were valid because they probably didn't know more about it. Their environment probably enforced those stereotypes and I can't entirely blame them for thinking that way. We live in a heteronormative society so their reactions to the topic would probably be the reactions of the majority. I won't delve into how they answered the topic as not to spoil the episode, let's just say that by the end of it i wasn't irritated anymore.

Characters

Duen (Poy Kritsanapong Soonthornchatchawet) - My Engineer is Poy's first series, and by goly does it show. His sweet and innocent features match Duen's character but a little too much. So much so, that even when he cries, he has the same expressions as when he is happy. This is part of the reason why the emotional parts didn't hit me as hard, because I could not connect the mood of the scene to Poy's acting. On the other hand, he captures that shy cutesy emotion very well. When he is shy-happy, you feel it as well. In Tagalog, if he is kilig you also really feel the kilig.

Bohn (Cooper Patpasit Na Songkhla) - I thought Cooper's acting was okay. He portrays Bohn, someone who is too into himself well. Bohn's character can border on irritating that I could not help but roll my eyes because of how he was. Bohn is a character that tries hard and I appreciate his efforts but he didn't really win me over.

King (Lay Talay Sanguandikun) - Yes, just yes. Lay is a good actor and his movements and delivery feel natural. As a character, I just love King. I wish he was my friend. King is the kind of person you know you can rely on and trust, and we are all here for that.

Ram (Perth Nakhun Screaigh) - My Engineer is also Perth's first series and I'm impressed. His acting isn't perfect and can be a little awkward at times but it plays into his character, the very introverted Ram. Ram is a character of few words, at times this is cute but sometimes its a little bit too much. When Ram is with King, that's truly where he shines. Their scenes together are some of the best in the whole series.

Boss (Inntouch Naphat Chalermphonphakdee) - Boss is that one guy who hits on girls too much that it becomes awkward already. He is definitely the loud class clown type and his personality really contrasts with his best friend, Mek. I feel like I'm watching a comedy sketch every time they are together, so it is definitely fun to watch them. Boss' character isn't one dimensional, in the series we get to see more sides to him that make him worth watching.

Mek (Ryan Peng) - Can I just say, even after finishing the series, I never got used to how they dubbed him. The voice really doesn't match his face nor mouth movements. Mek is your typical one sided I-like-my-bestfriend type. He is quiet and always in pain, like I always feel bad for him.

Frong (Shane Nutchapol Cheevapanyaroj) - Frong's character initially comes off as the playboy pretty type but he is actually quite mature. He knows what he wants and will try to get it, but if he doesn't then he isn't immature about it. I appreciate his character's maturity most of all.

Thara (MD Nutthapong Phibunthanakiet) - This character is a marshmallow. He is happy, sweet, kind, and caring and perfect if not a little dense. He gives off the vibe that he would definitely be the perfect boyfriend.

Production Value

I thought the production quality was pretty good. Only a few things I didn't like so much: the soundtrack, I didn't feel that the music flowed into the scene (if that makes sense), instead they felt a little to abrupt when introduced and the dubbing of Mek's voice.

Conclusion

Should you watch My Engineer? Definitely, yes, add it to you watch list. However, I wouldn't recommend this for people new to BL series as the first 3 episodes are dragging. I would encourage you to watch this series when you need a good laugh and want something to watch with friends. I watched this series alone but I think it would have been more fun if I had others to watch alongside.

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REVIEW: Senior Secret Love Puppy Honey 2

A few days ago, I finished watchin Puppy Honey 1 and enjoyed the series overall. I was excited to dive into season 2, particularly for the development of Rome and Pick's relationship.

Summary

Emma and Porsche struggle with their long distance relationship as Porsche decided to have his internship outside of Bangkok. While they are apart, they both get closer to other people. Emma meets Night, her brother's friend and Porsche meets Friend, a college student who rescues a cat and has it treated at their veterinarian clinic.

Rome is very clear about his feelings for Pick, but Pick still refuses to confirm his feelings for Rome. Meanwhile, Din, a former member of their disbanded club from the first season happens to be in the Photography club with Rome.

You can watch the series on YouTube here

MY REVIEW (Spoiler free)

This season, the main themes are long distance relationships (LDR) and commitment. Emma and Porsche struggle with the difficulties that come with LDR. Porsche is busy with his internship and can't be there for Emma 100% especially in times when she needs him the most. 

I believe that tackling LDR was a good choice for the second season, especially since it is a problem that some college couples may be encountering as the time to really plan for their future starts to sink in. Their story shows us the struggles of maintaining a relationship after getting together and what that means when other significant people happen to appear along the way.  They delve into the tough decision that you need to make when your work and love life start to clash. Do you do what's best for yourself or for the relationship?

On the topic of commitment, we have Rome and Pick. Rome's character has always been clear about his feelings for Pick. The one still struggling to come to terms with his feelings for Rome, and that he has feelings for someone from the same gender is Pick. 

This is uncharted territory for Pick and his hesitance is understandable. However, Pick's indecisiveness and unclear behavior ends up hurting Rome. Not to mention Pick's personality, most of the time I feel like Rome would have been better off with someone else. 

Rome's patience and maturity is something to be admired, Pick is really lucky to have him. At the beginning of the series, both Rome and Pick appear to be content with their situation. The introduction of Din reveals the issues of their uncertain relationship and forces Pick to finally decide who Rome is to him.

Characters

In this portion I'll be focusing on the new characters: Night and Friend

Night - I was surprised to see Krist as I didn't know he was in the series. He plays Night, a high school friend of Emma's brother O. As a person, Night is so nice. He is basically everyone's dream nice guy. He's not an asshole, he's patient, and he really cares for Emma. I actually feel kinda bad for him because he likes Emma but is caught between Emma and Porsche.

Friend - She is a quirky and high spirited character. She's really cheeky and loves to tease Porsche. She loves cats but is allergic to them. If Porsche didn't have Emma, I would definitely be okay with Porsche and Friend getting together.  Friend's personality reminds me of Porsche from season 1. Throughout season 2, we see a version of Porsche that is mostly sad and unmotivated because of his issues with Emma and their LDR.

What I liked about the new characters was that they were there to add conflict to the plot but they aren't antagonistic. They are actually kind of perfect,  both Night and Friend are good people. 

They served as a reminder that even if you think you found "the one" there are always others out there and that's okay.

The only character I really didn't like was Din. I know he was there to provide friction between Rome and Pick but his character type felt overused and cliche. I think in the case of Rome and Pick, it would have been more interesting to see something else come between them instead of a barely there third party. The difference between Din getting between Rome and Pick as opposed to Night and Friend with Emma and Porsche, is that Night and Friend show us another highly possible and I guess realistic occurrence where someone equally as good as your partner comes along. The more we see of Night and Friend, the more we grow to like their characters. Even to the point of relating to them, since some of us know what its like to be in their shoes.

For Din, it is obvious from the get go that he and Rome will never be anything. Din's character isn't likeable and we don't really get a sense of his personality until the last few episodes. Din just really makes Pick look bad, we already know that Pick is kind of a troublesome character and Din's presence and Pick's jealousy just don't look good for either of them.

Conclusion

As expected, I like the way that the series both season 1 and 2 have a more mature way of approaching the topic of romantic relationships. Despite some parts being exaggerated for dramatic purposes, at its core, their stories and characters are very much relatable. There are new characters to get to know and they do help drive the story and are likeable.

Apart from Din, I liked everything else about this series. Just like season 1, I would recommend this to anyone who wants to watch something relatively light and be happy afterwards.

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idk if anyone knows but p'aam, who directed 2moons2, is going to be releasing a short film documentary called "BL", that looks to go into exploring in depth about the BL genre. the trailer above gives a better flavour. its set to be released on monday 20th july!

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BL List

As of June 5, 2020

Watched

2gether

Dark Blue Kiss

He’s Coming To Me

Theory of Love

Why R U

Sotus

TharnType

Love Sick

Addicted

HIStory 3: Trapped

Senior Secret Love Puppy Honey 1 & 2

Kiss Me Again

My Engineer

Our Skyy (PickRome, PeteKao, InSun)

My Dear Loser: Edge of 17

Great Men Academy

Currently Watching

Where Your Eyes Linger

The Shipper

2 Moons 2

Love Poison

Together with Me

Watching Next (Series)

Sotus S

Our Skyy

Long Time No See

Seua Chanee Gayng: Freshy

Happy Birthday��(not BL)

Roop Thong

My Ambulance (not BL)

My Dream

Watching Next (Movies)

Sweet Boy

Love of Siam

The Blue Hour

Grey Rainbow

Present Perfect

Dropped

These are the series that I stopped watching because I didn’t enjoy them as much. I may possibly revisit them again, to give them a second chance

Until We Meet Again

Love By Chance

Make It Right

Water Boyy The Series

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Rome and Pick being adorable from Secret Love Puppy Honey 2

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I find Off Jumpol and his meme worthy expressions too funny!

Gun Atthaphan’s smile and his character Rome’s playful but kind attitude always win me over. 

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Let us all take a moment to appreciate the beauty that is Gun Atthaphan’s side profile. 

Secret Love Puppy Honey 2 | Episode 5

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Senior Secret Puppy Honey 2

Scene from Episode 1, quote from Episode 2

I thought Ep 1 and 2 were a good start to the 2nd season. The relationship between Rome and Pick just feels right. They may get into fights, but are always able to voice their feelings in the end. Especially Rome, his character approaches love in such a mature way. Its nice to see him patient with Pick and I can’t wait to see how they grow together. 

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Senior Secret Puppy Honey 2 

Episode 2

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#we stan an intellectual (x)

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HIStory 3: Trapped Episode 7

I loved this moment <3

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History 3: Trapped

I’m really enjoying the series and love all the main actors! I think Jake Hsu is especially cute and fits the role really well. 

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I’m in love with Ram and King! These are some of their moments from episode 5 that were my favorite.