Flashback Soup

I just read some of the comments and reviews and I couldn't believe everybody is praising this series, so I feel like I have to remind you to care about quality and never lower your standards even for a BL.

STORY: The idea of the story is actually the best quality of this series. but unfortunately the writers obviously lack the knowledge and attention span to develop believable characters and flesh out the story by creating the necessary plot points to execute the original idea into a series. Therefore the final result feels more like an unfinished project that needs to be retouched much more to become a script that can be turned into a multi episode TV Series.

ACTING: The two leads are both fresh newbies, which would be perfectly OK if they could act. But none of the newbie actors in the series have the ability to deliver a decent performance. Since this is a very dramatic story with an intimate theme, most of the narrative development is based on the actors' ability to convey the deep and complicated feelings of each character through their facial expression and body language. Yet, Mr. Title as Nut can only present the audience with two emotions. This number is even lower for Mr. Man as Phob. He can only give us a bright eyed toothy smile, while in the sad scenes he has nothing to offer.

EDITING: While the review section on MDL ignores editing as one of the main qualities to be discussed on a review note, it is actually one of the more important characteristics of a drama. For The Yearbook, though, Editing is its weakest point. It seems like the director ordered the editing staff to create the perfect Soup for each episode, by taking all the material they have and mix it up as they please. The result is a bunch of consequential scenes scattered with nonconsequential flashbacks that seem to just play on repeat endlessly.
Another super annoying editing issue is the, again very much repetitive, songs that keep playing while the characters are looking at a distant scenery or taking forever to deliver their lines. This technique is nice for a special part in the drama, but over using it made me long for a moment of silence. At some point I was tempted to throw my earbuds out.

Directing: Don't get me wrong. I think Mr. Mean is a talented actor. I actually liked his performance in LBC 2. And there is nothing wrong with expanding his career if he likes directing. But, a TV series at this length is too much for someone who is at the initial stage of his career. I think it would have been a wiser decision if the producers found a more experienced director for this series, and let Mr. Mean and Mr. Benz work as co-directors. Personally, I think the best path for a young director is to start by testing his hand at making a few short films before going for larger productions.

OVERALL: For those who are considering to watch The Yearbook, I can't guarantee you won't drop it halfway. I have read in the comment section that the movie has less flashbacks so maybe you'd better watch that version.

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First BL with almost believable homosexual male characters

My Secret Love (2022) is a Thai BL like any other. The plot, the setting, the theme, the characters all are familiar to the audience who is used to watching this genre. But some of the behaviors of these characters are very different from the those from other BL series.
In most BLs, the characters are pretty similar. Since these series are made for females as the target audience, the male characters in BLs are mostly very feminine in their sexual behaviors, which makes them very different from real gay men.
BL boys are mostly cute and innocent looking. They usually don't have any sexual experience even when they are in college. BL writers downplay the characters' sexual feelings and activities in order to make them likable for the women who watch the series. In a BL, when two boys are attracted to each other they always take a long time going on romantic dates together, they show cute little gestures of affection for each other to develop trust between them. The character development for these stories follows a cliché pattern. The boy who is supposed to be the Top, starts touching the other one. But he is almost always rejected over and over. Rejection never stops him though, and he eventually kisses his lover which is guaranteed to earn him a surprised reaction from the other party. For two boys in a typical BL, it takes very long between the time they realize they have mutual feelings, and the time they actually have sex.
All these behaviors, though, are totally unrealistic. Because most of the time women are the ones who hesitate so long before they have sex with their lover. The way men react to sexual desire is different from women. When men realize their crush likes them back, sex is on top of the list of the things they want to do with him/her. This fact determines the dynamics of all relationships between men and women. For straight men, they usually have to wait before their girlfriend is ready to go all the way with them. but that is not the case for gay men. When two gay men find out their attraction is mutual, they don't wait for another month before they have sex. Of course this is not the case for all men and women, but it is the typical behavior for most of them. Men don't need to trust someone before they have sex with them, the way women do. The reason behind it is our evolutional background of course which I won't go further into detail to explain.
In BL stories, the writers who are most of the time female themselves, write boys with extremely feminine behavior and mindset to the point that it feels like these are girls with only a boy's name on them. The audience who are mostly female as well enjoy this fantasy world where boys behave like girls so much, but we shouldn't forget that these stories are far removed from the reality of LGBTQ+ life.
Now, My Secret Love has adjusted this cliché, which is a welcome change of pace for me. In this series, while the main couple go through the same enemy to lovers trope, once they realize there is a mutual attraction between them, they don't act like unexperienced teenage girls who cry after their first kiss. Kimham, who is supposedly the more submissive one between the two, actually makes the first move, and Mek doesn't look appalled by the idea of kissing him. Them having sex right after is a fresh change from the usual BL plot. And having sex doesn't mean that they are official either. This is much closer to the dynamics of real gay relationships than the typical BL, and it was nice to see it. I hope as the BL industry expands, more writers dare to write more believable gay characters who are not ashamed of living their truth.

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Light and Romantic BL

There are a lot of plot holes in the multi verse mechanism, but they are meant to be overlooked in favor of the romance. It is the first time playing a main role for both Jimmy and Sea, and it is palpable in their performances. They don't have the air of a leading actor in front of the camera yet. Hopefully they are going to arrive there next time. They have great chemistry as goofy friends, but not more much. The kisses feel too forceful, like they are only doing their job here; they are not enjoying it actually. But that's what a BL is after all. Heterosexual actors playing LGBTQ+ characters. I just wish they were better actors so they could sell it easily. Instead of many kissing scenes even naked in the bathtub, only one chaste kiss but with enough passion would make me believe them. I really liked the girls' performances in this series. Namtan, Jeab and Ae are going to be great actresses.

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