It's sad, but it's also fun

I honestly skipped this show for some time because I knew it was always part of “saddest BLs” lists and I’m not particularly a big fan of ghosts as main characters.

Yes, the show is sad, specially in the very beginning and towards the end. But “He’s Coming to Me” is also fun and happy in multiple occasions. The main actors work out amazingly well together. I feel like Ohm totally matched Singto’s acting ability. Chimon and Sing are great in this show. This series is a great example of how to do a female love interest in a BL. Everybody knows that Thun is not gonna end up with Praifah, so there’s no need to try to drag that romance until the very end. It’s also great how Praifah doesn’t become an insane villain just because she doesn’t get the guy. I also feel that this show did a great job balancing the time Thun spent with Med and with his school friends. The ghost friends are great too. The mom reveal at the end and the whole last goodbye almost wrecked me. Thun really showed Med how much he liked him by solving the mystery and allowing him to go onward. I doubt anybody watched the last episode without crying at least once.

Now, regarding the mystery. It’s not necessarily an amazing mystery nor a surprising reveal, so I’m glad it’s not brought up every 5 minutes. Like every show that has a secret at the center of the story, that’s the main reason this show is not super rewatchable from start to finish.

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Disappointing, even if you just want to watch for Frank and Drake

I came into this show without high hopes because I’ve never seen people praising it for its quality or plot. Overall, I wanted to like this show because they get some things right. It’s undeniable that Frank and Drake have amazing chemistry (but it's not romantic chemistry). Their best acting moments are opposite each other. Gord and Morn work out great as a pair and the actors are good.
But, unfortunately, this series is a mess. The audio when the scenes are outside is terrible, specially in the bridge, which they visit every episode. Some plot lines either don’t make sense or just don’t go anywhere, like Bambie and her friend (?) or Tee’s dad. The story is not linear, it feels like the writers don’t know how to flow from one plot point to the next, so they just jump forward with no explanation. I don’t know if the writing is just bad or if they didn’t have money/time to make this show right. It’s very weird to see such a poor production quality from GMMTV.

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At some point the constant crying scenes loose their intended effect

This series had a nice concept. It’s not the most original in the world, but it’s different for a BL. The problem is the fact that there are 17 episodes. Without much story, it ends up being too repetitive. Every episode has a couple of dreams/nightmares, followed by one of the many characters waking up crying, it’s like a never-ending loop. Then there’s the crying when they feel something that reminds them of their early life. By the end I’d seen them cry so much that it had no effect on me. To make matters even worse, I feel like we don’t really get a relationship out of Dean and Pharm. A majority of the things they do is based on what In and Korn did. Their only real original moment as a couple was going to the aquarium.

But there are good things. Manaow is amazing in every second she’s on screen. TeamWin is my favorite couple by far, even though we don’t get as much of them as we should (again, 17 episodes…). I also have to point out the condoms. I don’t remember other shows bringing up condoms at all, so that’s a big plus for UWMA.

Until We Meet Again could have worked as a 10/12 episode series. Stretching it only made it worse.

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It feels like 11 episodes of the breakup scene from movies and then the last episode

The concept for the show is very interesting. Somewhat basing each episode on a famous romantic movie could allow the show to explore different cliche as scenarios without it feeling forced. But I feel that Theory of Love actually kept repeating the same type of plot in every episode. We got 11 episodes of the breakup/disappointment/sad part of every time tic movie and then things moved forward in the finale. We got: main character finds out they are in love with a jerk; main character overreacts and the couple fights because of miscommunication; main character doesn’t trust their other half… I expected a bit more range with the plot.

Third and Khai’s story kept repeating itself over and over. Khai was a jerk in many moments, but I feel like Third could never be satisfied with anything. The scene at the beach with Jam, for example. He was unhappy because Khai was cold with Jam and said that past relationships are difficult. I understand that it made Third think that he’d loose the friendship if the romance was over. But I’m certain that Third would be complaining if Khai was friendly and talked nicely to Jam. He’d complain that he’s still a player, never changes and blah blah.

The only character’s plot I liked from beginning to end was Bone’s. He’s the best character on the show. He’s a good friend, he’s a good guy and does his job well. I felt it a bit forced for the show to give him a girlfriend in the end, but I understand how it fits the tone of the series. Two is a nice guy and White is always great. But his story with Un was SO forced that I cannot feel any spark of chemistry there. Was that supposed to be an enemies to loves story? White and Earth worked together in Waterboyy, and had good scenes together, so I think it’s weird how the show couldn’t make them click better.

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When a show has *basically* everything and still fails

This show had potential, but 14 episodes of build up end up taking you nowhere.

New and Earth don’t really have that much romantic chemistry, but I think the pairing somewhat worked. The other pairs, not that much. I really don’t understand the idea behind Pan’s story. Having a strong lesbian character was one of the strongest aspects of this show, but in the end she gets a rushed ending with Fah?! Wan and Min’s story was a circle of repetition. The new couch plot line was very bad. And what’s up with the high school and college relationships on this show?!

I understand that there’s been some time since Kan and Tee relationship became “public”, but I feel like people don’t seem to understand how problematic it was and see Waii’s reasoning. I know this show came out in 2017, but the “half of the couple decides to spend 1 year abroad our or nowhere in the last episode” is a lazy plot device. Besides the travel cliche we all get the coward main character that spends 14 episodes unable to break up with the girlfriend + the villain girlfriend in a BL.

If the actors were really bad I wouldn’t mind it too much, but this cast had so much potential! To be fair, New and Earth got better in other projects, but people like White, Piglet and Victor were actually good here.

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Not for everyone. But my favorite Viki BL

First things first, Color Rush has a very weird concept and I understand why people would skip it. I was honestly surprised by how dark this shows started and the actual Color Rush moment visually surprised me.

From the original Viki mini dramas, Color Rosh is my favorite one. The main actors have amazing chemistry and both did a great job. The main concept, at first glance, is weird and might sound a bit silly, same with the color rush scenes. But it's originality won me over. I’m not the biggest fan of school setting BLs because they tend to be too cheesy or whiny, but this show is kinda dark sometimes. I think the show dealt with some heavy topics (violence, grief, mental health...) in a good way.

I admit that the secondary plot line like the ghost that speaks to Min Jae, or the issue around Yeon Woo's mom and the missing Mono's goes nowhere. The missing Monos and the mom disappearing probably only exists to make his aunt travel. But I feel like it's important in the series’ universe to show how Monos are dangerous (as we see on tv every time it's on) and maybe are targeted. I expected Yoo Han to have an ulterior reason to being so obsessed with Yeon Woo so quickly. Obviously, we find out in the end that being able to recognize Yeon Woo is more than enough. But I kinda expected him to be a jerk or be scared at some point, so that not happening was refreshing. I also enjoyed the side characters and the music.

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A good show, but could be shorter and with less comedy

Vincenzo is definitely one of my favorite shows of the year. The main story is compelling and the acting is great. But I’m not the biggest fan of the comedic part of the show. I feel like those moments break the momentum too much. I feel like the show would have been even better with less episodes, probably something around 16. Also, the fact that the show was heavily spoiled to me might have lessened the overall effect. It took me months to finish it because of that.

It’s inevitable for me to compare Vincenzo with The Devil Judge, which was released after but I watched first. Both shows focus on revenge, have charismatic protagonists that are self proclaimed villains, punish people via “the law”, and there’s not much romance. Yet, I’d say both shows are very different. I enjoyed The Devil Judge more, since it’s shorter and with no comedy. But I probably would say Vincenzo Cassano is the best character of the year.

The cast was overall fantastic. All the main cast is outstanding, specially Taecyeon, Joong Ki and Yeo Jin. But, in my opinion, the best was Kwak Dong Yeon. Han Seo was probably the death that got to me the most and I loved all his scenes. I’m glad he was the key to defeat his brother in the end.

The Plaza gang was probably the weakest point in my opinion. I perceive them as a subplot to slow down the main story. I didn’t care about them until they finally started to be more useful by helping Vincenzo and Cha Young directly. The entire gold storyline was boring, too long and didn’t even have a good ending. Obviously, without the gold vault there would be no Vincenzo in Korea or a stablished place to put the Guillotine file. But for a plot that was stablished in the very start of the show, it didn’t go anywhere.

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I understand why people might like it so much

It took me some time to finally give the show a chance. First, I didn’t like the original trailer when I watched it a while back (but it did do some things better than the actual show). Besides, I’d heard from people that don’t completely adore the series, that the last few episodes are not that great, and I agree.

What 2gether does right, in my opinion, is developing the relationship early on. We don’t have a enemies to lovers story nor someone trying to take advantage of the other person. And thankfully we don’t have a crazy ex doing insane stuff to break the main couple up. A positive aspect of the series is that the main couple doesn’t follow the basic recipe of opposite roles, usually with a dash of stereotype. We don’t have a delicate/strong or shy/popular typical main couple. The actors could be flipped and the show would run exactly the same. I like Bright and Win together on screen. I don’t particularly feel romantic chemistry, but I think it works well enough for the show. The slow burn romance also contributed to the feeling that they got more comfortable with each other as scene parters, while the characters get closer.

But after the slow burn and quite unproblematic first 2/3 is the show. I feel like the last 3/4 episodes belong to a diferente show. I don’t know if the writers didn’t know how to write happy moments or if they got rushed into completing the show. The “challenges” Tine and Wat face towards the end of the show come out of left field and kinda make the show be more unoriginal. The last batch of episodes is based on a few very common plot devices that don’t fit with the earlier moments. We get a love rival, an older brother that doesn’t approve the couple and a girl from the past that has feelings for one of the main guys. It’s a miracle we didn’t get the “someone is traveling to another country” cliche too.

Type is also part of my other big problem with the show, the side characters. None of the supporting characters have motivations or plots. Even the two side couples don’t get much development. We get introduced to the possibility of Type and Man early on, but nothing happens for quite some time. Then it’s all rushed in a couple of episodes. It’s just as forced as Mil and Phukong. The show obviously knows that people like Drake and Frank together. So, I feel like, they thought that people wouldn’t mind that they barely talk to each other and are together in the end. The story around their couple is the only thing I think the trailer we did better. In the original trailer we got a fight between them and Phukong confessing his feelings. That kind of turning point is missing in the actual show. Mil is trying to get together with Tine for 99% of the show and then suddenly he realizes he’s got feelings for Phukong because we needed them together in the ends, for the fans.

For a show so based on music, I feel like the songs are not all that incredible. But I like how it looks and sound like the actors are actually singing and playing on screen, and it’s not studio like perfect.

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Cute

Eternal Yesterday is a series with a premise that caught my attention right away. We’ve seen a lot of “impossible supernatural BL romance” in recent years, from He’s Coming to Me, to Dear Doctor and Peach of Time. But this is the first BL I’ve seen with a human/kinda zombi couple.

Like most Japanese high school BLs, the story is quite cute. But this one actually delivers some kissed throughout the 8 episode season.
The main couple has chemistry, but Mitchan’s personality kinda compromised my appreciation for the plot and rhythm.

Since the present day takes place during about 1 week, there’s not much time for big character development for Mitchan. That’s a problem, because he’s so bland and closed off that it’s hard to watch him reacting the same way in the flashbacks and the present day. Yes, he starts to open up towards the very end of the show, specially with Koichi and his dad, but it might be too late for it to push the series all the way towards what it could have been. In a way, that’s different from the typical supernatural couple, where the human tries to live every second with their lover to the fullest. Mitchan and Koichi just go to school and back home. There’s no dates or no visiting places that are special. The most special thing, the baby sister being born, is pure luck.

But I have to give the writers a thumbs up for actually killing Koichi for real. I half expected him to show up somehow at the camping site.

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The series should have focused on the main characters

At first it was a bit weird to see Phuwin and Neo as brothers, since they worked so well as friends, and a bit more, in 'Cause You're My Boy. But it helped with the scenes they had together, since they already had chemistry.

Duean’s scenes with Pi, his family and friends are great. But unfortunately, most of the time he’s on screen is paired with the worst part of the show: Meen. He’s such an annoying character. He acts like as if a 12 year old teen got stuck in a college age guy’s body. Thankfully their story is pretty much skippable in a rewatch of the show, you just need to forward until the aspect ratio goes back to normal.

Our main couple I enjoyed way more. Pi and Mork work well together. But I feel like the show could have set them together around episode 7, and not try to make Pi go for Nan again. They didn’t need to be happy or dating officially from ep. 7 to the end, but I feel like we could have had more sweet movements between them. The drunk night with the rain scene was a perfect example of moments we would have. I think it wouldn’t have made the last episode so rushed If they got together earlier. Also, the friends reveling that she has feelings for Mork was just unnecessary. I was prepared to praise the show for not doing that.

The ugly duckling aspect of the show is very forced. First, it’s not like Pi changed that much. And above all, I don’t like the fact that Mork used his voice as Pi’s only friend to point everything wrong with him and try to make him change. I was very surprised with how well Pi took the reveal about Mork being his Facebook friend. It’s quite the betrayal, since he opened up and told his secrets to Mork, and he used that to get his way.

I’m also very frustrated with how this show wasted Mix. I understand that they might have had him for only a limited time, but his character is very one note all the time. I also feel like the professor that only spoke in English was random. The older brother and the mom drama did not contribute anything to the series.

Surprisingly, the shippers here didn’t annoy me so much as in other series. But they caused much of the couple problems.

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