What a Thrilling Ride...

"An academic test is the most boring activity on earth. The film's conceit is to turn it into a gladiatorial ring, a place of risk, wit and sublime deception ... and against the odds it works." Kong from The Bangkok Post

A thrilling, suspenseful and innovative take on the heist genre that made me want to take a standardized test myself lol. Who knew a film about cheating could be this riveting? I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and my eyes were glued to the screen. I couldn't look away, even if I wanted to. The acting was impressive. The fact that the main cast are newcomers is all the more impressive. The cinematography razor-sharp. The editing though. The EDITING THOUGH! Freaking exceptional! Though there were a few questionable plot points such as how Lynn's father knew to go to that printer address and why is the head of the exam was willing to chase a 'possible' cheater all the way to the train station and why didn't Lynn hide in a women's bathroom instead of trying to run away from him, especially since she was busy texting the answers. Anywho, as many others have said, the ending was a cop-out with its "cheating is bad" message which felt out-of-place and completely unnecessary in this film. Lynn should have said yes to Bank' offer, especially since she was the mastermind behind the STIC cheat and the one who pulled Banks into it. She owed him, but suddenly she got a moral conscience at the end and didn't even take the money. Like what? Her choice didn't make sense, especially since she got caught the first time around yet still accepted to help other cheat on the STIC for the right price. Anyways, I've heard that a Bad Genius series is going to come out soon! I cannot wait to see it and wonder if it will be a sequel to Lynn and Bank' story or a reboot. I hope that it's a continuation. I would love to see Banks and Lynn pursue a relationships with one another.

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GAMEBOYS COPY...

First heard about this series under the Comments section of GameBoys, another filipino BL series that uses technology for its filming. It seems like the creators of this series wanted their own version of GameBoys, seeing the huge popularity of the latter series. And to be honest, it feels more like a YouTube vlog rather than a BL series at the moment (and not a very good one at that). Not surprising though as the protagonist, Mark, is played by an actual YouTuber. Anyways, the story so far is questionable. How does prank calling people with lines from films gonna help you write a script? Only the ending was interesting when a possible ex-lover is introduced. I will continue to watch this series to see where it goes. Hopefully, it'll get better!

Episode 2 was meh. We got to learn a bit about who the ex-lover is, but we barely learned anything. It doesn't help that this episode was like only 5 minutes. And why was the ex-lover's torso filmed for no apparent reason? He wasn't filming a blog like Mark. Just a weird, directorial choice.

Episode 3 wasn't that good either. We get to actually see who David is, but why he is being filmed still doesn't make sense. We are also introduced to Des, Mark's female best friend (just like GameBoys' Pearl) who Mark talks to about David. I know this isn't very important, but why is Des being filmed as if she has a camera behind her computer? Shouldn't she be filmed like Mark as if she is talking to the computer which is filming her? Anyways, we did learn a bit about who David was and what Mark's relationship with him was. Hopefully, the story will get better in the next episodes...

Episode 4 was also quite uneventful as Kevin, another love interest, is introduced. I was bored and was waiting for the episode to end the entire time. If the episodes weren't so short, I probably would've dropped this series to be honest. Poor acting. Bad writing. Ugh.

Episode 5 was quite bad too. Nothing made sense. This series was quite bad overall and has become my least favourite BL easily. Ugh...

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Full of Sweet, Tender Moments...

I've heard that Love By Chance was the most popular BL series of 2018, so I had to watch it. I've also heard a lot of mixed reviews (with several people listing it as their least favourite BL), so I wanted to see for myself how I would like the series. This is my second Studio Wabi Sabi production after Until We Meet Again.

And OMG! This series really hit the ground running. In the first episode, there is an encounter with a possible future love, a blackmailing to out someone and a coming out. And that future love is Ae, who is sooo cute and kind! He is literally the perfect boyfriend! Pete is so lucky to have met him! I wish that an Ae will come into my life, someone to take care of me. Though I do feel like their love for one another is a bit quick and sudden though. I understand Pete falling for Ae as he is kind and protects him. But I don't really understand Ae's love for Pete. Yes, Ae wants to protect Pete because Pete is fragile, but why does he feel this need, this urge to protect Pete? Is it because he is a good human being? Does it stem from some childhood trauma?

Engaging and full of sweet, tender moments. Ae and Pete have the sweetest, cutest, most romantic scenes out of all the BL couples that I've seen thus far without a doubt! The portrayal of first love, the fears of intimacy, of jealousy and other qualms of love were quite nicely done.

Though Ae's friend, Pond, is a jerk (at first) but he redeems himself as a supportive friend. And wtf is with that Trump dude? His actions don't make any sense at all! Why is he so obsessed with getting money from Pete? If he's that obsessed with money, why not get it from an easier source, especially since he doesn't have anymore leverage on Pete? And why doesn't Pete want to report Trump? Because he doesn't want his mother to worry about him? What kind of BS excuse is that? Wouldn't she worry when she sees his bruises and sees that he is in pain anyway. Anyways, the Trump storyline kinda just disappeared into thin air and was never resolved unfortunately.

I love Pete and Ae's relationship, which is very sweet and cute, like watching first love blossoming. Seeing them experience so many firsts together. However, there isn't any friction or conflict between them (until Ae started getting easily irritated towards the end for some reason). Although I do love Pete & Ae, I found myself much more invested in Tin and Can's relationship due to their rich backstory and the dynamic tension/friction between them. which is the complete opposite of Pete & Ae's relationship. How it took so much courage for Tin to open his heart to Can to only have it shut down. My heart broke! When Tin kissed Can, my heart was FULL! I and many other are so f*cking furious at the end of Tin and Can. Luckily, probably through the huge demand for justice for Tin and Can, there will be a sequel where they will be the leads! YAY!!!!!!

On a side note, the subplots with Tar and Tum is completely unnecessary and served literally no purpose at all other than increasing the runtime of the series. The subplot of Techno's brother (Technic) helping to give his friend (Kengkla) a chance to rape No is disgusting, weird and creepy. Both subplots are completely out-of-place in this series. Yes, I know that including these subplots serve as a lead-in to Tharntype, so that people who watch Love By Chance will want to watch Tharntype, but still. These two nonsensical subplots completely cheapened the series and damaged an otherwise wholesome series.

It is interesting though. Love By Chance was the biggest BL in 2018 and Tharntype was the biggest BL in 2019. That's impressive for the author of the BL novels that both of these series are based on. And there will be sequels for each series too! I wonder if LBC 2 and Tharntype 2 will be the biggest BL's of their years...

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Cute and Fluffly!

Light-hearted and fluffy. At first, I thought that this series was slow and dull. I felt bored halfway through episode 2 as there was no momention, no story progression at all. I thought that the story was a bit ridiculous with plot points that don't make much sense. At times, it worked. At other times, it didn't. However, over time, I got interested in the characters, their relationships and their stories. I didn't want the series to end and hoped for a second season so that I could spend more time with the characters. I'm glad that I didn't give up on the series in the beginning.

However, there are several flaws. The acting is mediocre as none of the actors were able to emote properly. Those scenes where Duen 'cries' were so cringey. BohnDuen's relationship was too quick. They immediately liked one another a lot upon their initial encounter and are already heartbroken and 'broken up' by episode 4 and reconciled. Pretty simple. No obstacles or major conflicts in their relationship. Nothing to progress towards. And if there were obstacles, they didn't make any sense. BohnDuen lacked sweet moments as Bohn is always jealous and angry with Duen profusely apologizing for unintentionally flirting with others. Whenever they are on good terms, they just tease one another. They get annoying with their childish antics and I am so over them. Like towards the end, Bohn could have easily said that Mild kissed him and everything could have been solved, but for some weird reason, he didn't. Boss and Mek's story is decent where the gay person lusts after his 'straight' best friend and the straight best friend had always had feelings for his friend. I do hope that they will continue to be together and that Fon can't break them up. RamKing's story is pretty good as their relationship has time to grow. Their story can progress. And there is the appeal of opposites attracting, the extrovert and the introvert. However, I was actually most interested in Dr. Thara and Frong's story to be honest, I like the friction, the animosity between them. And I absolutely LOVE Thara! He's SOOOOOO CUTE and kind!!!! He literally deserves the world!!! In my opinion, the best BL relationships are born from animosity: SOTUS, Addicted and PeteKao.

On a side note, RamKing gets more attention from fans than the main couple BohnDuen, which is interesting. Usually the main couple gets the most attention and side couples also get attention too, but not as much as the main couple. I understood why though when watching the series. King immediately caught my eyes with his striking looks and beautiful hair. I can also see why Ram gets so much hype with his 'foreign' looks and his tattoos though he gives me serial killer vibes and looks like 10 years older than he actually is. And he seems out of place in his friend group, like he doesn't even interact with them or smile with them. RamKing's story is cute though, I must admit, and they do have a lot of sweet moments. I can see why people say that they are the best BL couple in the series. It's kinda weird how everyone is so obsessed and praised the fact that Ram is 'mixed-blood.' I wonder if RamKing would get this much attention if Perth (Ram) isn't part white. I don't think so to be honest. I've seen several people mention that they are among the best BL couples ever. I scoff. They are good, but definitely no where near the best.

On another side note, it sounds like Mek's voice is dubbed (if my ears are correct). At first, I thought that he had a weird voice, but only realized that it was dubbed when I saw that his lip movements didn't correspond with the voice in Episode 4. The voice doesn't seem to be coming from him as the rich, deep voice that plays sounds like someone voicing an audiobook. Searched up about this. He is dubbed because apparently his Thai isn't good. That makes no sense! Why even cast him if you're going to dub him anyways? He always sounds so weird and it takes you out of the series because it's so jarring.

Not a fan of the fat jokes and the fat-shaming though, especially how the girl was able to get the guy after losing weight at the recommendation of the guy. Ugh. Also, not a fan of the obsession with labelling a wife and a husband in a gay relationship and the femme/bottom-shaming though. I do like that they address that the top and bottom has nothing to do with appearance or personality though. Also, I didn't like that another flamboyant gay is predatory who bothers the main character, just like in 2gether. Can we have a fat and/or femme character be part of a BL couple, instead of just comic relief? That would be pretty cool!

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Unlike The Living Dead, this film actually expanded on the story in 'The Untamed' series and answers the question about why Nie Huaisang released the sword spirit that Wei Wuxian asked at the end of the show. Why are the powers of the characters in the films so much more elaborate than the series? Like if I remember correctly, Huaisang has never used magic in the series, but he is able to use it in this film. Also, what is up with that random spirit incarnation power that Red Blade Master showed at the end? And why didn't he use it when confronting the Wen Clan or at the Nightless City? Overall, it was slightly entertaining though there were a bunch of questionable plot points just like the series...

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Dropped/On Hold Because I'm Bored...

Decided to watch this series as it can been compared to The Untamed and been regarded as China's second best option for BL content after The Untamed. The series started off strong. It was interesting. However, it is not a BL at all though. More like a Bromance. Unfortunately, it became slow, overlong and dull. So after watching Episode 10, I decided to drop it or at least put it on hold. Maybe, I'll revisit in the future; maybe not. We'll see...

Instead of an overarching storyline like The Untamed, this series opts for like a "monster/mystery of the week" format. A new case for each episode similar to Western shows like Supernatural. Not a big fan of this format to be honest as I find it to be dull and aimless, like a distraction from the plot. Yes, there is an overarching plotline with the purple hair dude and the Black-Cloaked Envoy, but it takes a backseat to the "monsters."

I do like Old Chu and Little Guo's relationship though. I'm always a big fan of opposite-attract relationships.

Props to China for giving big-budgets to these high-concept, epic fantasy BL novels! The Untamed and now, Guardian! Even Thailand doesn't have a BL on the production level of The Untamed or Guardian, though I wished they did! Also, props to China for having these innovative BL stories unlike Thailand which is practically all like university setting (though there are some high-concept Thai BL's coming in the near future).

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Dropped

Descendants of the Sun was the first Korean drama that I've heard of and wanted to watch, but never got the chance due to accessibility issues. After reading the reviews for the drama about how this series is overrated, my expectations were tempered. However, this remains as one of the most popular K-dramas so I had to watch it. And.... I was disappointed. Upon watching the first episode, the story didn't make much sense. Characters made decisions that didn't seem logical. The mixture of military action, rom-com and hospital drama didn't mesh either. And the story was quite cheesy and awkward. At least the ML is cute and hot though, providing some eye candy in an otherwise dull premiere episode. The next few episodes were cheesy but entertaining however, Episode 4 was quite boring, even with the finale of the two leads kissing. I've decided to drop this K-drama as I don't see the story getting any better. On to the next K-drama...

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Great Start But Quickly Drags (Unfortunately)...

Off to a shaky start. The audio quality is quite bad. The cinematography choices are off-putting and unflattering. The acting is flat and leaves a lot to be desired. Hopefully, the series will get better as it progresses. Not sure why they decided to release the first half of the first episode on a day and the second half a few days later...

The second part of the first episode was much better than the first part as we are introduced to a possible love triangle between Wil, Joey and Jimmy. The interaction between Wil and Joey were quite cute, especially when Wil was hitting on Joey. Not sure why the Madam didn't have Jimmy stay with her though instead of put him in a random stranger's room. Looking forward to the last third of the first episode. Why don't the series just have each part be its own episode? Each part is about an episode length anyways.

Upon watching the last part of the first episode, I'm actually liking this series. There's the introduction of another possible lover in Nuan. So, not a love triangle, but possibly a love square? I love that! The story is cute so far. I LOVE relationships that start as rivals then become lovers. However, there are some illogical plot points, such as how did Joey not know that he grabbed the wrong backpack? And he only realized it when he started taking stuff out of the backpack. Like why did he continue taking stuff out of the bag when he knows that it's not his and that his admission ticket wasn't gonna be in there, even going so far as taking out a condom. Yeah, that didn't make any sense. However, the series is entertaining and I am definitely interested in seeing who Joey will choose: Wil, Nuan or Jimmy (who I hope Joey will choose)!

Upon watching the second episode, I have to say that I love that tension between Wil and Jimmy, especially since it's regarding Joey, who they both share in common. Though many people are rooting/shipping JoeyWil, I am still hoping for JoeyJimmy as I am a sucker for rival-turned-lover stories.

I LOVED the next part (the 2/3 of the second episode)! I love that Jimmy started to be nice to Joey and that he's starting to catch feelings for him! And vice-versa. Though I do like Wil who is a good guy, I do find him a bit selfish, making Joey feel bad for the incident with Jimmy when Joey isn't even Wil's boyfriend. Why should Joey feel bad just because you want him to be your boyfriend? Though the series has a low-budget and cinematography isn't particularly good at times, the story is just so utterly cute, adorable and filled with kilig moments! I cannot wait for the next part and to see Joey and Jimmy interact more!

The last part of the second episode was also enjoyable! I loved the progression of Joey and Wil's relationship! So cute and kilig! Holding hands in the library while studying! My heart! Unfortunately, there wasn't much interaction between Jimmy and Joey though. The minor characters, such as Nuan and the two cross-dressers, are still pretty useless and don't serve any function to the series' plot (so far). Interested to see how a possible pregnancy will affect Jimmy.

In the first part of Episode 3, I was surprised by Jimmy's reaction to the pregnancy. I was sure that he wouldn't want to keep it. I now understand where the baby from the logline of the series will come from. The story is progressing nicely. I LOVED the moment at the kitchen table where Jimmy and Wil kept on trying to make the other jealous. SO MUCH KILIG! I LOVE IT!

The second part of Episode 3 was another entertaining slice! I loved how Jimmy was acting all nice and kind towards Joey's friends and I LOVED the ending when Wil sang to Joey. My heart was full! Not a fan of the addition of another cross-dressing guy who will be used for comic relief though.

Due to its bloated length (30 episodes with 3 parts each), it's no surprise that the series is starting to drag (since Part 2 of Episode 4) where literally nothing happens and scenes gets extended for much longer than they should.

After watching Episode 5, I have decided to drop this series as literally nothing of any substance is happening. Just a lot of boring filler which is no surprise since this series will be 90 episodes total. And no offense to Joey, but why are all these guys lusting after him?

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Decided to watch this series because of Ohm, who is my favourite BL actor at the moment! I absolutely LOVED him in He's Coming To Me. When I learned that his first series was also a BL, I had to watch it! On a side note, he plays BL roles a lot! He's Coming To Me, Make It Right and its sequel and Dew The Movie. Hopefully, at GMMTV, he will be given a BL pairing that will bring him the success and fame and he deserves! I was kinda bored halfway through Episode 2 as the main character, Fuse, didn't interest me. I decided to just watch the FrameBook (OhmToey) cut on YouTube instead as Ohm is the only reason why I decided to watch this show in the first place.

Although I love that BL's focus on university students (being a university student myself), it's nice seeing one with high school students for a change. But damn Frame is a hoe! I have yet to see a BL role with someone as sexually promiscuous as Frame, which is refreshing for a change. I loved his relationship with Book though! It's sooooo CUTE!!!!!!

It is pretty cool seeing how Ohm's acting has improved over the years. In this series, which is his acting debut, I felt that he was trying too hard though. On a side note, the rape did feel out of character for Frame though, especially since he did care for Book like taking him to the hospital because he was bleeding. That's not what someone who forces himself on others would do.

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MaxTul/KornKnock is without a doubt my most favourite BL couple that I've seen thus far due to their insane chemistry and that they're both hot. There is this absolute electricity between them both offscreen and onscreen that makes you hope with all your heart that they will be together. When one of then does wrong, you get so angry and p*ssed at them for their wrongdoing and hope that the couple will reunite. I haven't felt this emotionally invested in a BL couple until I saw KornKnock in the Together With Me series and its sequel. Initially, I wasn't going to watch the Bad Romance or even the MaxTul cut on YouTube due to bad reviews, but after finishing Together With Me: The Next Chapter, I couldn't get enough of KornKnock, so I decided to watch the Boys' Love supercut on YouTube.

Entertaining though the story is all over the place (I did just watch a cut of it though not the entire series so my criticism is biased). Their personalities are like switched with Knock being the upbeat, bubbly, confident gay and Korn being the reserved, panicked gay. The characters' personalities are completely different. Cho is a player but in Together With Me: The Next Chapter, he is timid and quiet. Yiwha is still the same though. Knock seems to be more intimate with Cho, his best friend, than Korn, his boyfriend. What?! Knock is so stubborn! Everything can be solved just by talking to one another, but Knock doesn't want to listen. In Together With Me, Korn seemed to be out of the closet to his peers. It's weird to see him in the closet in Bad Romance. However, he does post couple pics on social media, so yeah. Kinda confusing. I can see why people don't like this depiction of KornKnock. They're always arguing and fighting. Chinook is annoying but not a fan of the femme gay-shaming. And WTF was with that ending?!

Anyways, it was nice seeing more KornKnock scenes and I hope that we can see more MaxTul in the future, whether as another sequel to Together With Me or in a different BL drama. I genuinely hope that we do...

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A Compelling Trainwreck...

A complete mess. But a compelling and absolutely engaging one at that. This series started off strong with logical, natural plot points but delved into cheap melodrama like its prequel, Together With Me. I like how there are a lot of scenes with Korn and Knock this season as I felt that the first season didn't have enough. But I don't think that Korn and Knock are popular enough to have a fan page and to be a top trending topic on Twitter. Like what? They're not a celebrity couple. They're not famous for anything. Why do they get so much attention on social media?

I do like how the series handled coming out to one's parents. The fear of losing your parents, being disowned by your parents was portrayed quite well in this series. It's nice how they show a homophobic parent (Korn's father) who is willing to disown his son just because he is gay. It provides a different viewpoint that is more realistic. The series shows him struggling and trying to accept his son's sexuality, but that it would take time. You don't see that often in BL's. I have yet to see that personally ever since I started watching. They all either don't come out to their parents or their parents aren't shown. And if they are, the parents are supportive. On the flip side, Knock's parents were supportive. I loved how supportive they were and willing to learn about LGBT. It's kinda cute how both Knock and Korn's parents think that they want to be women just because they like guys. A lot of people probably think like that, so it was nice to see the show answer that honestly. I also liked how the series portrayed the struggle of bisexual people and the allure of a 'normal' family life since they do have a choice.

Several plot points that don't make much sense like how Jay doesn't like that Korn and Knock tells him what to do since that is his job and they are his superior. Since he worked there longer, he probably had other superiors who told him what to do. There are anti-discrimination laws in regards to employment in Thailand, so what Jay threatens to do could get him fired. So, that didn't make much sense.

I was so invested in the Knock and Korn's relationship. You get so angry at Korn for delaying coming out to his father because it's affecting his relationship with Knock. It is clear that Knock is visibly being affected with the stress of having to hide his relationship and it's taking a toll on his ability to work and yet Korn does nothing, which makes sense, but still! You get so angry! You need to believe that Korn loves his father enough to not want to cut ties with him. Not sure if the series was able to portray that fully though. Their bond could have been more fleshed out in my opinion. Also not sure why Korn and Knock would go swimming with Pete, their boss, in the first place. Why are all the older gays in this series lusting after young guys? Why are all the older gays in this series trash? Like literal trash that preys and manipulates young gays. It's disgusting and unneccessary portrayal of older gays.

Don't really cared for Yihwa's straight relationship to be honest. Only cared for the gay relationships, specifically Korn and Knock. Knock's coming-out scene! My heart was FULL! And F*CKING KORN cheating on Knock with their boss! WTF! What Korn did makes sense on paper: Korn was angry at Knock for not understanding him and he was drunk. And there was Pete, who understood him. However, was Korn drunk enough to cheat? I don't think that he was, to be honest. He only seemed buzzed. Definitely not drunk enough to lose his rational thinking. And yes, he was angry at Knock for not understanding him when it came to coming out to his father, but he wasn't angry to the point of doing something to hurt Knock. Especially for someone who is so paranoid that their partner would cheat on them. What Korn did didn't make sense. The reasons he gave to Knock when everything was revealed made no sense. And anyways, in the first place, if Cho felt weird about Pete and knew that their boss was hitting on Korn & Knock, why didn't he go to the party to make sure that Pete wouldn't hit on Korn or Knock. What a sh*tty friend!

Why the f*ck did Korn and Knock believe a word coming out of that f*cking snake, Pete's, mouth? Like literally, they cannot be that dumb! And in regards to Pete abusing his position, they trusted him as a mentor and as their superior and he broke that trust. How disgusting! Its nice seeing topics of sexual harassment at work and abusing one's power and seniority be addressed in BL's.

What is up with the excessive amount of cheater in this series?! I cannot fathom it! And from characters who would never cheat! It's out of their characters! Yihwa would never cheat, but she did. I lost all hope for Farm who did a complete 180 at the end of the first series. It's like the writers can't create compelling stories for the characters without inserting some cheap cheating drama (which are engaging and edge-of-your-seat no doubt, but still cheap). Manipulative, but it works. I got so emotionally invested in Korn and Knock's story. Absolute character assassination. I can see why people criticize this series. However, the fact that I and many others can get this emotionally invested in these characters, their lives and choices, does say something though. The fact that we get so angry when they cheat on their partner is an impressive feat in itself. I must say that I do like that they show forgiveness after cheating and not just break up forever. Everything can be solved if they just talk to one another.

The acting was on the same level of the first season. MaxTul's chemistry was undeniable no doubt and their intimate scenes were extremely hot. I felt that Tul's acting did slightly improve from Together With Me though. However, Max's acting seemed to stay the same, being unable to emote properly in emotional scenes.

Together With Me and Together With Me: The Next Chapter are similar to SOTUS and SOTUS S as their prequels focused on the chase and accepting one's feelings while in school and the sequel dealt with coming out and the work environment. On a side note, interesting that Phubet and Professor Kavitra weren't in this season at all.

Lastly, I felt that the takeaway message of this series is: Learning how to be in a relationship; what it means to be in a relationship; about compromise, priorities, being monogamous, forgiveness and sharing your life with another person.

On a final note, I hope that there will be another season of Together With Me. I thoroughly enjoyed both Together With Me and Together With Me: The Next Chapter. Yes, they both were flawed. They both started off really strong but took a dip in the second half. I would like to see the characters grow though and see their journeys progress. Hopefully it will happen though I don't think that it will as it seems that only 2 seasons are the consensus :'( MAXTUL 4EVA!

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Soft and Endearing...

Oxygen was probably the most anticipated BL series of 2020 based on all the hype and buzz that I've seen on social media. I've read so many people stating that Oxygen was the BL that they were most excited for so my expectation for the series was quite high.

The premiere episode was cute and charming though a bit disappointing considering its massive hype. It was great to see multiple BL couples being formed. As others have noted, it was also refreshing to see characters be comfortable with their feelings for another guy, instead of struggling with them (though there is nothing wrong with that either). So far, I'm liking Solo and Gui the best, which is perfect as they are the lead BL couple. Though I don't like Khim, the annoying fujoshi character, I'm still excited to see more!

This series is slow, but the interactions between Solo and Gui are so cute as Solo becomes more forward while the scenes between Kao and Phu are quite endearing as Kao begins to break down Phu's walls. Upon watching Episode 3, I have become hooked and can see this series start to live up to its hype! I am really liking how this series takes its time showing the blossoming relationships between its main couples. I don't care for Dr. Perth and Khim's budding relationship though.

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Too Many Coincidences To Be Believable, But You Get Invested in #PeteKao...

Watched the three-part PeteKao/Kiss Me Again cut on GMMTV's YouTube channel and their Our Skyy episode in preparation for Dark Blue Kiss. Heard about how this series deals with the struggles that gay people have to face in society, which it touched on. I wished that it went deeper into that struggle though. I also like Sun's back story with his father, which is a reality that a lot of LGBTQ+ people face, going against their parents wishes to lead a life that they will be proud of. Disappointing their parents with their career choice and their identity. And the parents shaming their children to try to control their lives. And the pressure to be successful in one's chosen career/being held to a higher standard since they are already disappointing their parents by being gay. The series also deals with cultural issues, such as the distinctly Asian parent characteristic of comparing/showing off their children. And the feeling of incompetence when you are surrounded by family members who are successful in their careers and who know what they want to do in life. All themes that are extremely relatable for me at the moment as someone who was forced to go to dental school by my parents and though I did fight with them, I didn't fight them enough because subconsciously, I knew that I was already disappointing my parents by being gay. I also liked how they mentioned that gay marriage isn't legal in Thailand, which is absolutely ridiculous considering how Thailand is always being promoted by their tourism board to be an LGBT-friendly place.

I found the story to be manipulative. The fact that the Non just so happened to be bad at math and that his father just so happened to be Kao's mother's boss and that he just so happened to be Pete's rival because he just so happened to arrive at the building at the same time as Pete where he just so happened to mistaken Pete, a grown man (not a stereotypical fan girl) for a fan, not just once but twice. Way too many coincidences to be believable. It's just so much bending the story to make it fit a certain mold, a 'cheating' story in this case. The story doesn't flow. It's not natural. It's clearly constructed. Yes, all films and series are fiction and fabricated, but the story still has to flow. If it doesn't like this, it feels fake. But at least, PeteKao's story is compelling though I give it that. You get fully invested in their relationship.

Pete is quite possessive though and quick to anger. He was being unreasonable, always barging in on Kao's tutoring sessions. But Kao did lie to him about stopping tutoring Non. Not sure why he didn't tell him, especially since Non kept on appearing every so often anyways. And if the truth came out, it would have showed that Kao lied, that would be way worse than telling Pete that he was still tutoring Non so like why didn't he? And Kao did know that Non liked him and could reveal their tutoring sessions to Pete at anytime. Yeah, so not telling him didn't make sense. Anyways, if Non's father is so strict and the director of a school, shouldn't Non already have a tutor if he wasn't doing that well in class? And shouldn't Kao know that Non would be too scared of his father to be able to actually make him fire a perfectly good employee (his mother)? I hate that two-faced Non b*tch who tried to out Kao to his mother. Disgusting, especially coming from a gay person himself! I don't get why Kao doesn't want to tell his friends that he is a couple with Pete. Like they already suspect it as PeteKao do act like a couple and coming out to them, it's not like his mother would hear about it anyways. And when Pete decides to go Kao's house to apologize, it just so happened that Non was there for dinner and that he just so happened to get a phone call where he just so happened to take it outside of the house. And how does Non even know the address of Kao? Isn't that illegal to give out addresses like that? And it makes no sense that his father would make him bring dinner to Kao's house. Yes, he could have used that as an excuse to eat with them, but still. And that random phone call from Non's friend, asking Kao to bring Non home. Like what?! A taxi could have brought Non home. His friend could have brought him back to his home. It makes no sense for Kao to not bring up those excuses, especially since Pete is angry that Kao keeps on associating with Non. And why the f*ck is Kao cleaning him instead of just leaving after bringing Non back? And why didn't Kao try to explain what happened to Non's father instead of just saying, "I didn't do it." WTF?! And why didn't do anything to try to clear his name earlier? Cheap writing to create drama. However, you do get invested in PeteKao's relationship and get so f*cking p*ssed at Non, so props to the writer and director for that.

In regards to Sun and Mork, like Rain could've easily said that it wasn't Mork's fault, but he decided to say, "Let me explain." Like what?! He could have easily said, "It's not his fault." Same number of words but more effective.

Anyways, TayNew do have great chemistry. Their acting isn't as strong as other BL actors, but it is perfectly fine for this series. I felt so attracted to Pete and Tay Tawan watching this series. He's HOT! On an unrelated note, the cafe is way too understaffed! Like what?! Anyways, Pete's father is literally the best! Accepting his son's sexuality and supporting his son's desire to pursue whatever he wants without pressuring him. Ugh. How I wish my parents were like that...

The story is pretty predictable. About to finished episodes 2, I can predict where 5e story is going to go: Non is going to come on to Kao. Kao won’t like it but he will relent because he doesn’t want to turn down Non for fear of his mother getting fired and possibly feeling bad for him because of his strict father. Pete will get pissed and avoid Kao. Kao will try to explain to Pete. The truth will come out and Non will get in trouble with his father for abusing his connection. PeteKao will reconcile with a happy ending. I’m placing my bet that this will be the story. --> So my prediction was partially correct.

The story does also feel a bit aimless at times. Don't really care for the other couples in the show. Only interested in PeteKao to be honest. I felt bored watching Mork & Sun and Manaow & Rain.

On a side note, can sequel season not use cheating as a cheap way to generate drama and tension for couples? Together With Me also employed this cheap tactic. That is why SOTUS S is the superior sequel.

On a side note, I'm surprised seeing Sun and Non be so tall compared to the people around them. On another note, why do all these BL couples have fan pages/fan clubs/hashtags in their shows: PeteKao in Dark Blue Kiss, KornKnock in Together With Me and Sarawat & Tine in 2gether.

Not sure how the titles or poster relates to the series to be honest. The title, poster and opening credits make this series seem like a sophisticated, serious drama, which it isn't really. It's more light-hearted.

A touching write-up on Youtube about the portrayal of PeteKao which I wholeheartedly agree with: "i can't express enough how important it is what this series is doing with petekao. some people complain about there not being many kisses and consider it boring, but they're giving us something so much better and significant than just a bunch of kisses. apart from the purely dramatic aspect of the show, which is the whole non storyline, they're showing a relationship that is maturing and evolving and thinking ahead of just their attraction towards each other. they're talking about mutual love, trust and support, and everything they have to face as a couple.

they're having them talk about their sexualities and their love for each other as something normal and not exceptional (they didn't go with the "i don't like men, i only like you" trope but instead they talked about how it's something they both know since they were kids: "if we had talked about this with our parents when we were kids then we wouldn't be stressing about it now"); they're having them criticize what people expect from them ("why do we have more to prove than others? it's not fair. you and me are just like other people" "i'm good because i want to be, not 'i have to be a better person than everyone else because i like men'"); they're showing parent's acceptance and support through pete and his dad, and then the struggles of coming out through kao. they're talking about safe sex and how important it is for parents to allow their children to be open about their lives and feelings with them. and then in this chapter, they're having them talk about their futures and same sex marriage. that's HUGE. all of those things are huge and so important, yet still rarely talked about. not just in bl series, but in general, western shows included.

as a member of the lgbt community this kind of depiction is so so refreshing and great, it makes me feel understood and hopeful and i wish more people would appreciate it as it deserves."

On a final note, I hope that we get another season of #PeteKao. I truly do. Maybe in a similar vein to SOTUS S where they are in the work environment. That would be awesome!

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My Favourite Pinoy BL So Far...

The trailer for this series was great! Everything was on point! The editing and transitions were perfect! I rewatched it several times, which is something that I have yet to do with the trailers of other BL series. However, the first episode was quite disappointing. There were a number of moments that were too quiet and could have benefitted from background music like the scenes with the aloof girlfriend who cares only about appearances. The editing was slow. The acting was mediocre. The story was quite simple, predictable and actually too quick in my opinion. Within the span of one episode, Mico and Xavier went from strangers/rivals into friends who remind one another to eat, all without actually meeting one another in person. GameBoys, another pinoy BL that uses video calling, does a better job of showing the relationship between the two leads develop. However, I did enjoy the ending where Mico got flustered when he accidentally liked one of Xavier's IG post and Xavier reached out, asking if he liked him. And Tony Labrusca (Xavier) is hot! Anyways, hopefully, this series will get better in its next episode.

Episode 2 was good! The story and the actions of the characters felt more natural and realistic than the first episode. This series does have a slow pace when it's working so far. It's nice seeing Mico and Xavier's relationship progress as they get to know one another more, learn to build trust with one another and start to break down their walls (unlike GameBoys where Gav immediately wanted to get with Kai). Seeing Mico learn to be empathetic towards Xavier, instead of just worrying about his grades was a nice touch as it showed his inexperience dealing with someone that he likes. Hopefully, he will continue to learn to be a better friend to Xavier. Like a YouTube comment said, "It feels like an indie." I'm excited for the next episode and to see Mico and Xavier's relationship deepen!

Episode 3 was a bit slow as Mico and Xavier's relationship continues to progress. It felt a bit awkward at times, both in terms of the acting and the story. I'm quite sure, along with others, that the last scene is a dream of fantasy of Mico's. There's no way that Xavier confessing to Mico is legit (at least not yet). Or it's Xavier messing with Mico, which could end badly like the opening scene of this series where Mico is seen crying from heartbreak.

Episode 4 was quite good as Mico and Xavier got closer and there were several kilig moments between them. Them virtually sleeping next to one another was so cute! My favourite episode of the series so far! I cannot wait to see them meet one another

Episode 5 was okay. Other than the beginning where Xavier and Mico met and ending where Xavier confessed his feelings for Mico, I was kinda bored throughout this episode, which was a bit slow as there wasn't much progression. As others have stated, there is only 3 episodes left, so I wonder how Xavier crying (which was shown at the start of the series) will be portrayed and if he will have a happy ending.

I actually really enjoyed Episode 6 unlike other viewers. Many people criticized the writers for both Mico's reaction to Xavier's confession and Xavier getting back together with Crystal. However, for me, it made sense. Mico is insecure and believes that Xavier is straight, so when Xavier confessed that the love song that he just performed was for Mico. Mico was shocked. He couldn't believe that his fantasy of having Xavier like him back was coming true. As a result, he deflected by laughing and asking if that was a joke to which Xavier, who is experiencing feelings for a boy for the first time, also laughs due to not wanting to feel embarrassed since he was just rejected. I really hope that there will be a happy ending! Just two more episodes! I'm happy that they're not extending the series like GameBoys, which keeps getting extended to the detriment of the quality of the series.

Episode 7 was kinda cheesy to be honest. The performance that Mico and Xavier put on, which just so happens to also mirror their actual feelings was a bit too on-the-nose. JC's acting is quite good! I was always impressed with this acting chops though he is still relatively a newcomer. However, Tony, who has been in the industry longer, pales in comparison. He is unable to emote and every emotional scene with him felt forced unlike JC, which felt natural. I am looking forward to Mico actually confessing his feelings to Xaiver though I doubt (unfortunately) that they will have a finale kiss or embrace due to COVID.

Episode 8 was very cheesy, especially when Xavier sang for Mico who finished the song when Xavier forgot the lyrics. It was also cute though. I was so disappointed that there wasn't a kiss. I wanted - I was waiting for a kiss after the hug, but we got another hug. *shakes head in disappointment* The new high-five lol. I do wonder though why there wasn't a kiss. Was it because Tony or JC didn't want to kiss? Was it because of Covid? Was it the way that it was written? Anyways, I've heard that there will be a Hello Strangers Movie! I truly hope that there will be a kiss in it!

All in all, I really enjoyed Hello Stranger. It was entertaining, touching, natural and perfectly paced. My favourite pinoy BL series thus far (and that's including GameBoys lol). I'm going to miss coming home every Wednesday to watch another episode of this series :'( Anyways, on a more positive note, I hope to see JC and Tony in more BL roles in the near future!

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Dropped After Watching 2.5 Episodes...

Seeing the new episode of The Gifted Graduation being released on GMMTV's YouTube channel, I was reminded about its prequel, The Gifted, which has received a lot of praise from viewers, but I never was interested due to it not being a BL. However, I decided to give it a chance because I wanted to see what all the hype and praise was about and I wanted a new series to follow while it airs. After watching 1.5 episodes, I was a bit disappointed. Though the performances and production were okay, the writing wasn't particularly good as the story had a lot of illogical plot points and felt a bit too simple in a way, as if was the writer was glossing over the story rather than digging deep into it. I decided to drop the series after watching 2.5 episodes. I found the series to be boring and I didn't enjoy the story. It just wasn't my cup of tea persay.

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