Hot Priest but boring story strangely slowly-paced despite its interesting thematic.

Despite its interesting premise, the show was overall disappointing. The storytelling managed to be boring which is very strange as the thematic and concept could have been super cool and exciting. The first episode was pretty intriguing with a strong horror vibe but the story became a train wreck overtime with some disconnected storylines and a lot of (over)explanations regarding the plot.

The actors were doing an OK job but were not helped at all by the wonky scenario. Indeed, it was very difficult to understand some of the characters' actions but also in particular to believe in the relationships between them. The bonds formed between the main female lead and the 2 main male leads seemed to become super strong too quickly which also led to some scenes feeling very flat.

Clearly the series is lacking in many ways but still, there are some positives: the foreign actors acting was not atrocious (-which is pretty rare in K-drama universe), the visual FX were suitable, the fighting scenes were quite nicely produced, and Cha Eun Woo with his insane visual is real eye-candy in his role of priest Johan.

This 1st season is more of an introduction with some world building but unfortunately lacks strongly in characters development. Due to its strange pacing, it provides little excitement for the next season.

I would not necessarily recommend this to people unless they like one of the main actors or the main actress.

Leggi di Più

Indie Chinese BL: interesting premise but flawed in terms of production value, editing and writing

This Chinese drama did almost not made it through, it was first stopped while airing after 4 episodes by the Chinese platform on which it was being released...and then it was picked up for full release by another international distribution platform. That in itself picked my interest and after watching it, it is a real BL story (not disguised at all as a bromance) so of course it did not pass the censorship and explains the release issue.

Regarding the drama itself, there is a very indie and artsy vibe that I appreciated for some aspects. I liked for example the art school context and the opening generic. I also enjoyed some of the relationship evolution that feel quite gritty. But there is also to my eyes a lot of production issues. The low budget is very clear : it gives a raw aspect to some of the scenes but it explains a lot also regarding the limitations of the series. The director is using too much fish eye effect, most of the time there is no clear reason nor need for it, it is not flashback-driven and seem to be used to hide the poverty of the background/sets. The editing is really odd between scenes: you jump out from one to another and it feel a bit amateurish. The camera moves are also sometimes a bit odd.

If I liked the premise of the story, the artsy context in which the characters are evolving, I was a bit disappointed by the way the script resolved out-of-screen or too quickly a lot of the conflicts and issues. Some situations seemed very dangerous and complicated but their resolution was kinda anti-climatic. The acting was not bad but not transcendent. Guo Jia Le, playing Qi Lu, had the most interesting character growth. He had also a believable chemistry with Zhang Xuan Yu, playing Qin Xiao. I was unfortunately less convinced by the chemistry of the secondary couple: it could have been much more interesting but it was a bit of a letdown (not sure if because of the acting or the script).

I would recommend this to people looking for a Chinese BL which does not shy away from what it is and do not disguise it as a bromance. It has a strong indie flavor which is not an issue in itself but the low budget is clearly felt and there are quite a bit of editing / production issue. There are some interesting and gritty parts in the script but the way the story unfold is far from perfect. I think it is quite comparable to the Chinese BL Addicted in terms of production value. So if you enjoyed it, you might as well want to give a shot to this one.

Leggi di Più

Underwhelming overall... Disappointing as I expected more given the meta aspect of the story

Not going to sugar-coat it, I unfortunately did not enjoy this Japanese BL series. The story was really slow paced and honestly, there were too many episodes for what it was trying to say. The storytelling was super dull with the overall energy of the protagonists pretty low. I do enjoy contemplative show but then I need to either truly enjoy characters and their evolution, or just vibe with the atmosphere of the series...That was clearly not the case here.

The characters were pretty unlikable. I did not really get why they liked each other for most of the series which prevented me to really root for their relationship. I did not believe in the chemistry between the actors, it was quite lackluster. The two main actors have quite meta roles, as they play (talented) BL actors. Sadly enough, the drama they play on screen is even more insipid than the "real" storyline. The only character I enjoyed was a support role played by Nagumo Shoma who insufflated a bit of life to the drama.

The production was okay for the genre. Nothing outstanding. It made me believe at first that it would be a more gritty and dark story but my hope quickly died and it remained very tame until the end of the show. In a few scenes, it provided some interesting insights on how the filmmaking of a BL drama works and I wish they would have developed it much more. The soundtrack was completely forgettable.

I would not recommend this to people as they are more interesting BLs out there. The premise is quite similar to "BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen" (which I overall liked). I therefore expected to enjoy "25 Ji, Akasaka de". Unfortunately, rather than providing a more mature take on the "BL actors falling in love with each other" trope, it featured a super slow and boring story, with miscommunication / non-communication being the focus point of the relationship. I would suggest to watch "BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen" rather than this one.

Leggi di Più

Cute matchmaking show for DoMunDi TV production to find its next HIT BL pairing *_____*

This entertaining and cute tv show is a matchmaking competition between DoMunDi TV's 3rd generation actors in order to find their next HIT BL couple pairing. The winners will get the chance to play the main couple in an upcoming DoMunDi TV production BL series.

It was a super charming watch: I was surprised by the many romantic and fluff moments, it felt even more "real" than the last dating show I saw (aka. Single's Inferno S3). There are of course some cringe factor and awkwardness linked to the very matchmaking point of the show in the context of work. As the actors are pairing together trying to find their "ideal" partner / the best fit for working as colleagues, it is somewhat bound to be awkward but in the most sweet way.

I quickly got much more invested in the show than what I was expecting. I was rooting for some pairings and very excited to see the finale decision from the judge pannel. The conclusion was super satisfying to me and I will be watching the winners' next series for sure. If the objective of the producers was to make these new faces lovable for the viewer and to create a curiosity toward their new series: objective is accomplished !!!

This show is not without flaws. The production value is pretty average, you can feel the budget limitation (the finale gave very refreshing schoolplay vibes for example, in a nice way but no "finale" budget clearly). Not all the cast members are at the same level and there are clearly some obvious favorites (at least to me, which I totally was onboard on anyway). I certainly wish that some of the missions would have been more fleshed out and to have seen more acting work. They could have done more to make it interesting on that aspect and to develop also the talents of the participants. I wish to have seen more of the interactions of everyone but given the limited number of episodes they still managed to make us know all of them.

I will recommend this to people that are looking for a different kind of TV show. It is low budget but very charming. If you like BLs series, it is interesting to witness the creation of new couple pairings.

Leggi di Più

Platonic friends-to-lovers BL, quite disappointed by the acting

I'm quite disappointed by this BL series. Friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite trope, especially in an high school setting. On paper, this series had everything for me to like it but unfortunately I did not appreciate the drama as much as I would have wanted to.

The biggest flaw of the series resides for me in the acting. It was honestly very lacking, there is not that much chemistry between the two main males leads and both their acting feel very green. One is really too much overacting and on the contrary the other one tends to not show enough emotions and downplaying everything too much... It is a blessing that their romance stays very platonic because the tension is not there, it felt already awkward as it was, so I'm pretty sure than more skinship would have make it worse to me.

The soundtrack was good with a very catchy ending song (which was maybe used a bit too much but that I enjoyed nevertheless each time it was played). The production value of the show was pretty good as well with some nice school moments very well captured.

I would not recommend this to people because I feel that are better BL stories out there. If you really enjoy Japanese school life drama and/or friends-to-lovers trope, you might want to give it a go. It is mainly the acting that decreased a lot my enjoyment of the show and appreciation of it is pretty subjective after all.

Leggi di Più

Poor writing, not so good acting but entertaining for the chemistry and seaside background

It is clearly a MAME project: the scenario is pretty weak in handling the trauma arcs of the characters, there are some hot moments and cheesy lines, the actors chemistry is rather convincing and despite all the flaws, it is entertaining overall. The best part of the drama is the introduction on the island, when the characters are having sexy time and banter nearby the sea. Once the plot move to the city, the family drama is really not addressed properly, making the story less compelling.

The characterization of the main protagonists is rather poor. It is working when their dynamics is light and on the fluffy side with a dog vs. cat energy that I always enjoy. But unfortunately, the way the main characters handle their internal turmoil and blockage when the story is getting more heavy does not make a lot of sense. I particularly found the evolution of Tongrak badly paced. Out of the two main leads, Mahasamut was clearly the best character. I was also not onboard with the secondary couple: I did not feel the chemistry between the actresses but I must admit that the script does not help them...Given the ending, it felt like a loss of time for the viewer to have so many screentime for their storyline.

Similarly to my predilection in terms of characters, I preferred Fort's acting to Peat's performance. I enjoyed more Fort's golden retriever energy than the closed off / childish character side of Peat's character. Though they have good chemistry, both need to work and improve their game when they play more angsty scenes. The way Peat portrayed trauma was quite unconvincing and Fort felt a bit too light for the heavy moments.

In terms of production, there were some nice seaside background. Those were nice and relaxing to watch, with the soothing noises of the waves from the sea in multiples scenes. The production was more standard in the city environment, suitable enough for the storytelling but nothing really special. Soundtrack could have been better as well.

I would not recommend this to people unless you are a fan of MAME work. It has for sure entertaining value and the two males leads have a good chemistry. However, the script is really poor in the way it pictures trauma and how the characters evolve through the relationship. There are a lot of artificial barriers to their love and therefore the series felt lacking because of the writing. It is even worse regarding the secondary couple arc.

Leggi di Più

Frustrating BL story due to so much miscommunication but good chemistry & production

I'm quite ambivalent regarding my appreciation of this drama. I enjoyed the premise of the story...I really liked the submissive and dominant undertones and the imbalance of the relationship. It is not an healthy romance but it is for sure very compelling. However, I was also deeply annoyed by the stupidity of one of the character who is so dense that it gets very quickly ultra frustrating. I can find interesting tropes around miscommunication and I'm usually pretty receptive to jealousy plot but here I was really not convinced.

I still enjoyed the series thanks mainly to the impressive performance of Higuchi Kouhei. He was the highlight of the show for me: each of his scenes were really believable, even when the scenario was at his lowest. Mashiko Atsuki was okay but not at the same level in terms of acting skills but to be fair, he played also the most frustrating character. Nevertheless, the chemistry between the two main actors was great overall and the sexy scenes were really super hot.

The quality of the production and making was pretty good with some lovely opening and ending sequences supported by a nice soundtrack. It was pop and romantic and I never skipped it.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a BL series with cohabitation trope as well as lot of sexy moments and who do not mind toxicity / red flags in the romance. If you really dislike miscommunication issue and/or really dumb/dense hero(ine), you might get very frustrated as well but as it is very short and supported by good performance, I still think its entertaining qualities outweighs its flaws.

Leggi di Più

Movie missed the mark on many aspects, wish it would have taken a much darker road!

The premise of the story is relatively bonker but is very interesting as well. The way the two main leads are bounded together as well as the mystery could have made an amazing story. Unfortunately, it failed on a lot of aspects making it very difficult for me to connect and be invested in what was happening to the characters.

Acting-wise, I like a lot Zee and Nunew pairing. They are quite good in the more classical romantic moments and their chemistry is still very strong and believable. Sadly enough, I don't think they have the acting chops for some of the more "thrilling" scenes: they lacked quite a bit and it felt blank when it should have been super emotional or frightning. To be fair, they were really not helped by the scenario and the dialogs.

I enjoyed the soundtrack, there are really not a lot of songs but Nunew singing is always really beautiful and once again I truly enjoyed his voice in the movie. Regarding the filmmaking, it could have been much better. The horror factor is too limited, the overall vibe is not scary enough. The mansion is too luxurious and nice, it sets an atmosphere propice for the romance but it diminishes the fright the viewer might feel as the mystery unfolds. I wish they would have taken a very dark road rather than going for what felt as some very safe and run-of-the-mill filmmaking choices.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a BL with some horrific elements. It could have been much scarier but it is at least different from usual BL stories. Scenario could as well have been better, the idea and concept is interesting (while a bit crazy in its starting point) but the way it develops and the ending felt flat. There are better BL movies out there but if you like Zee and Nunew, it might be worth your time to see them in a very different setting than their previous drama.

Leggi di Più

Great performance of Nam Joo Hyuk that could not save the drama from script and pacing flaws

The premise of this drama is super interesting. I loved they decided to go for a very dark tone to explore the vigilante concept. I was positively surprised how far they went into the violence and the choices made by the "hero". The introduction of the story hooked me but I was unfortunately very disappointed by the pace and the writing overall. It felt strangely slow and not as gripping as I would have wished.

The writing did not convinced me. Maybe it is because the series was too short but I found the side characters lacking development and the way the events unfolded felt rather predictable. The hero was a bit too omniscient but without enough details to support the fact he was so ahead most of the time. Some of the relationships he built along the way were pretty compelling but would have benefited from much more screentime to make their bonds believable.

The casting is pretty good overall. I was really impressed by the performance of Nam Joo Hyuk: he was really frightening in Vigilante mode...His gaze shifting from his "regular" persona at the police academy to his vigilante mode was amazing. I also appreciated a lot the other male main roles: Yoo Ji Tae and Lee Joon Hyuk. All three are excellent, even when I felt the scenario give them not enough to work with, they somewhat gave it their all. Unfortunately, I really disliked the sole female character of the series, played by Kim So Jin. I am not sure who is the most at fault here: the screenwriter or the actress, but clearly that character was horrendous.

The production value of the series is high. There are a lot of well-executed fighting scenes. It is very comics-like with the good guys being outnumbered by the villains but still making it through...and those sequences are very enjoyable to follow. The soundtrack was okay but not memorable to me.

I would not recommend this to people unless you like one of the main actors or the source material (which I have not read). The idea is good but the writing does not support it properly and the pacing felt oddly sluggish given the low number of episodes. Though if you are a fan of Nam Joo Hyuk, you need to watch this drama because he is brilliant in it. Be mindful if you have any trigger, it is very violent.

Leggi di Più

Good last episode but same defaults as 1st part, boring with a lot of fillers and flashbacks.

The part 2 of this drama suffers from the same defaults as its part 1. There are some big issues again with the pacing of the show. The last episode is pretty great but it is honestly very boring to get there. Most of the episodes leading to the finale contain too much flashbacks as well as "false" tension. Indeed, each time that a big moment happens it is counterbalanced and slowed-down. The lack of script content and strange screenplay choices are clearly the culprits in the show being so dull and anti-climatic.

It is a shame that the screenwriter and director chose to spend time on what feel as "fillers" narrative arcs and repetition of the same scenes from the past rather than moving the plot forward in the present and building and developing the mythology of this universe. For example, the various powers of the trio of characters are cool but would have benefited of more explanations to properly onboard the viewer when they were revealed.

It would also have been better to spend more time with the three main leads in order to deepen realistically the relationship between them. As in part 1, it was very difficult to be emotionally invested in those characters. I'm still not blaming the actors, they clearly do their best despite the lackluster and empty scenario.

Despite the strangely paced story and odd directing choices, I found the photography beautiful, the visual FX very good and the overall production value pretty high; the scenery, the clothes, the weapons, the props and decors: everything is clearly high quality.

I would not necessarily recommend this to people unless they have seen part 1 and like one of the main actors or the main actress (though the three of them have surprisingly what felt like little screen time).

Leggi di Più

A curse to lift to be able to live : a very meaningful BL

I loved this BL drama. It features one of the most wholesome and touching grumpy-sunshine trope with one of the male lead being quite closed off and the other one really cheerful. It can sound a bit classical but it showcases a beautiful romance, much more deep than I would have guessed from the poster alone. The background of the characters and the evolution of their relationship broke my heart several times, in the best way.

I liked a lot the production value as well as the directing choices. There are a myriad of little signs, indicators, gestures that characters are doing and that in fact have a meaning, are relevant to the story. It is full of details and it was a joy to grasp at the clues and to understand the mindset in which the protagonists were across events and time passing. The soundtrack and opening/ending generics were totally fitting the bittersweet vibe of the romance.

I liked a lot the casting. The two main male leads Kim Nu Rim and Lee Seon had a great chemistry together and were totally believable in their respective roles. Jang Yeon Woo was a great addition and complement to the story. Maybe the three of them felt a bit too mature to play the highschoolers parts but it was not shocking, especially that the heavy context in which the characters evolved required gravitas.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for an angsty BL story. There are some sweet moments but there are also quite a bit of darkness and trauma through which the characters are evolving. The directing and production was really on point and the writing pretty solid with a lot of little interesting details.

Leggi di Più

A touching slice-of-life, more oriented towards friendship and growth than romance

I enjoyed this university BL centred around the encounter of hearing-impaired lonely Kohei and feisty Taichi. Story-wise, I found it very interesting, especially the way they introduced the characters. I loved a lot the slice-of-life aspect, the way the protagonists evolve and find their own paths thanks to each other.

I wish the writing went deeper tough on the development of the romantic relationship. It was much more a friendship story than a romance: it is not a problem in itself because the story did not feel lacking but I wish they went further on many things and make the romantic questionning of the characters more convincing. In my opinion, the story could have been more profound with more time to develop better the romance while reinforcing all the personal growth the main leads went throughout the series.

I found the acting pretty good, especially Kobayashi Toranosuke who played Taichi. Nakazawa Motoki in the role of Kohei did a good job in the first half of the drama but I felt as the series progressed, he had less and less opportunities to show range while the scenario focused mainly on Taichi in the latter part. It is a bit strange to me that the script almost pushed Kohei aside in the latest episodes, with Taichi firmly taking center stage. I wish their storylines would have been better balanced in terms of narrative arc all throughout the show. Their chemistry was good but clearly more on the friendship side than on the attraction side, it was lukewarm in terms of passion but wholesome in terms of friendship.

The making was very good. The way the director filmed the actors eyes and expression was really beautiful. The introduction scene was pretty memorable and left me with a strong impression. The opening song of the series was very nice and fitting the the vibe of the drama.

I would recommend this to people looking for a tender slice-of-life japanese drama. Rather than a BL, it is a story about finding your path and opening yourself to others while seeing world in a different light. I sometimes found myself wishing that the writer either removed all the romantic aspects to spend more time on the healing and friendship parts of the story, either went all in on the romance and make it much more heart-fluttering. I liked it a lot but I would clearly not have minded to have more episodes to further expand on the future of the main characters.

Leggi di Più

Boring and empty BL story: could have been torrid but was torpid instead

This show was very disappointing on many aspects. Given its length (8 episodes of about 1 hour each), it was surprisingly boring and dragging. The first episode was quite fun (even-though non-sensical) and had some super hot scenes but the remaining of the drama felt totally flat and quite of a snore-fest. All the side plots were utterly annoying and I really cannot find any redeeming quality to the writing.

I did not enjoy the chemistry between the 2 male leads. The acting was generic and average at best but the plot is to blame foremost for preventing any credible development in the relationship. Both main characters were unlikable: too much pouting from one and too much grovelling from the other...nothing was working for me. I also did not find believable at all the abrupt switch from enemies to lovers: it was impossible to understand how their feelings were developing so fast. I would have preferred them to go on a dark and more brutal path (especially given the "kinky-side" of the video) rather than this very vanilla romance which did not make sense in the context of the starting point of the show.

I would not recommend this to people, I have seen much better BL series and would advise to not waste too much time with this one.

Leggi di Più

Disappointed by main storyline, stayed for characters, cast and some great shonen action moments

The season 2 of this drama was a bit disappointing to me compared to season 1. The scenario was quite a miss for me as its defaults outweigh its qualities. I foremost found the pacing of the show really not good: it took so much time to get to the point, when it was very clear from start what was going to happen. The fact that the series is centred around one particular storyline (with the fireman) did a disservice to the drama. It was not surprising and rather expected, so it felt a bit of a shame to spend so much time on it rather than to develop more secondary storylines.

There was still some nice elements to the story. I really enjoyed to meet again those characters which I found super likeable as a group. I even appreciated the new addition to the team, as it added some novelty to their dynamics and despite the fact that he might be at some point kind of annoying. Another aspect of the story I appreciated is to have an overpowered hero: after being beaten pretty thoroughly in season, I found really satisfying to see him doing so good and some of his fights gave me all the feel of a shonen manga. I also enjoyed the cartoonish atmosphere with the super villains, they really bring intensity and craziness to the show and made it overall more fun.

The casting was still doing a good job as in season 1. I think they were a bit let down by the script but they did what they could with the material given. I particularly enjoyed the performance of Kang Ki Young and Kim Hi Eo Ra, I'm pretty sure that without them the show would have been less colourful and tamer...I am also strongly hoping to see Cho Byeong Kyu as a main lead again, he did so well!

The production was good. There were some pretty great action sequences with a lot of fun and variety in the scenes. They manage to not make the fights too redundant while still keeping some common framework to be consistent with the mythology of the show (with the developments of some powers as well as the territory concept and so on). The soundtrack was quite good and catchy, it hyped the action scenes well.

I would recommend this to people that enjoyed the 1st season and want to see more of the "counters". I think if you like the characters and the mythology of the story, you might enjoy it. However, the story is clearly weaker than in season 1, if you do not find interesting the main storyline followed through this second season (like it was my case), you might be disappointed.

Leggi di Più

Office Japanese BL with a friends-to-lovers trope that could have been exploited better

This Japanese BL set in an office settings depicts the romance between 2 former friends that find each other back working for the same company. Even though the premise of the series does not seem particularly original, I really liked the first half of the show which provided the context and the background to the beginning of the relationship between the two main leads, back to when they were in middle school. It gave a very painful and real feel to the friends-to-lovers trope as there are a lot of trauma and social pressure faced by the characters at a pretty young age as they are trying to figure themselves out.

However, I was less enticed by the second half of the show which focalised a bit too much on an external conflict with an office manager villain...I'm really not sure if it brought any additional value to the relationship. Given the shortness of the show, I would have preferred the adults version of the characters to spend more time on dealing with their past trauma and handling the internal conflicts than on all the office drama. For me, there was a bit of a missed opportunities in terms of romance, passion, pining and as well as mental health conversations.

Overall, the chemistry between the two main lead was quite average even though they share some relatively noteworthy scenes. I found myself being much more interested by the performance of the actors playing the part of the characters younger. Maybe because that was the part of the story that I found the most compelling...In any case I think they did a good job and were more convincing than their adult counterparts.

The production value was pretty standard for a BL Japanese office drama. Nothing stands really out but it does the job. Similarly, the music was not very present and not that noticeable neither in a good or bad way.

I would recommend this to people looking for a BL office romance. It has some defaults in its storytelling and does not exploit all of its potential but it is still a pretty compelling watch if you like friends-to-lovers trope.

Leggi di Più