you better put your rose-colored glasses on for this one guys

Let's set the scene.

Imagine you are a teenager, just discovering BL and watching a show called Until We Meet Again and you fall in love with a little side couple called WinTeam. And there are rumours that they will get their own show!? The years go by and you still harbour the hope that maybe, just maybe they will get another chance at telling their story again. And then, it happens. News breaks out. Between Us is happening! It is actually happening. You mark your calender and count the days, actively following the countdown on the company's instagram. You stumble over the cast and are little shocked to find five (!) couples listed in there, but you tell yourself it's gonna be fine. You waited three years for this, they know what they are doing. And finally on Nov 6th, the first episode airs. You are thrilled. And you think this show actually managed to live up to the insane hype it gathered over the past few years. Can it be? A show that actually can live up to someone's expectations? And then you keep watching and a few weeks later, you suddenly catch yourself fast forwarding through an episode of your beloved show and you stop and ask yourself: What happened?

If you think to yourself: Wow, this reviewer didn't have to ramble so much in such great detail to tell us this story, it got boring pretty fast. Well, then I guess this show and I have something in common.

Sometimes the best stories are the one's untold. What makes Goncharov so good is that it doesn't exist. And maybe what made WinTeam so popular is the fact that they got just enough screen time to get viewers interested but never enough to give us something. But I'm rambling again.

This show is said to start with Win and Team entering a FWB situation. But the writers, directors, or whoever is to blame for this, didn't seem to know what the key factor of a friends with benefits story is, it's the friends part. They are friends first. Friends before anything else. But Win and Team were barely aquaintances before they hooked up. That's why I think FWB set different expectations that were impossible to fulfill. If you'd ask me I would describe their relationship as a one-night-stand that slowly turned into casual hook-ups with no emotions, then they got to know each other and became friends and developed feelings for each other afterwards. If they had labeled it as such, I'm sure more people would've set their expectations accordingly. There was never a line that got a little too blury for them between being friends and being in a relationship, because they were never friends to begin with.

This show also had a massive time problem. I already mentioned the five couples, one of which only get's blick-and-you'll-miss-it screen time, which is fair because they got their own show already. For the other four well... To summarize it: Wayy too much time was wasted and there was too much back and forth that led to the ending feeling rushed.

Win and Team: Okay, let me be straightforward for once, they could not carry 12 episodes. The beginning was strong, but towards the middle they became more boring. If took these guys 11 out of 12 episodes to finally confess their love for each other. That only gave us one episode with them being happily and sort-of openly in a relationship. And I wish BLs would stop pretending that after you enter a relationship everything is perfect and your get a HEA. I want to see them get together AND how they work in a relationship.

Team's "does he like me or does he treat everyone like that?" didn't make any sense. In UWMA yes, maybe. But not in Between Us where my man was out here leaving his room unlocked for his teammember to come in the middle of the night and sleep in his bed. He was making him breakfast, paying for his lunch, taking care of him when he got sick, driving to his dead cousin's grave to pick him up in the middle of the night while it's pouring, and a bunch of other stuff (not to mention that he literally said something about his FEELIGNS FOR HIM). And Team looked us straight in the eyes and said "yeah but maybe he does it for everyone"??????? ARE THESE OTHER PEOPLE HE'S DOING IT FOR IN THIS ROOM WITH US RIGHT NOW??? And Win too like "nothing every belonged to me, I always had to share" my guy this is not a Barbie doll or your favorite jumper, this is another human being. I'm sorry that you as well suffer from being the Middle ChildTM but pLEASE.

Speaking of which, I would've loved to see not only Team's trauma, but also Win's struggle with trying to please both his parents and supporting his siblings.

Prince and Bee: Their scene felt so out of place, like they gave off such different vibes that I was always so violently taken out of the story every time they appeared on the screen. They were cute, yes, but the acting was lacking. With a little more experience they will make a great couple. I also partly blame the material they had to work with. They couldn't get me invested. Sadly, because the concept was interesting. Also, if my friends would constantly make fun of me, I would not consider them my friends. I'm so over the friend group just being complete assholes to the guy and it never being called out. Saying that a guy is out of his league is one thing but to constantly rub it in his face and make fun of him for trying to make an effort to get with the guy and calling him dumb and whatnot, A and Sea were truly a waste of my time.

Waan and Tul: Probably the side couple I was most intruiged by. They got like five minutes of screen time every other episode and it was not utilised at all. They spent too much time on them talking to their phones. You tell me that Waan who told Tul multiple times "I don't want to meet you in rl" had the audacity to blame him for not telling him immediately that he was T-Rex??? And for some reason Waan hates liars so much that he is not even ready to hear Tul out but we never find out why??? Their story was so intruiging and I liked their chemistry. And the NC scene in ep 12 UFF what happened my dudes? I don't know if it's Yacht or O being uncomfortable kissing men or if it's the directing or idk. But it was really awkward and happened way too fast. We just had the big fight between them and they are already making up in the next episode. Give me at least a few minutes of angst and pining, jesus.

Manaow and Phruek: Oh what trist and grey show we would've gotten without them. While I wasn't sold on them in UWMA, I was definitely on board with them in Between Us. Sammy has a great on-screen presence and I love her energy. Even though I gotta say that I wish they would allow Manaow to be a little more serious sometimes, because Sammy can do serious scenes, but the constant over-acting was getting on my nerves a bit. Especially when it was used for cheap comic relief.

Wiew is a ray of sunshine and I'm glad he was added to the cast. But it seemed like he was a middle schooler rather than a high schooler, because he was acting like a child, not a teenager. His naivity was bordering on stupidity a few times, but Santa has a certain charm that makes you overlook it.

I wish this show would've cut down on WinTeam's drama a bit and maybe a couple or two and use this time instead to show us more of the friend group. I missed Team, Pharm, and Manaow so much and the little crumbs we got of them was everything to me.

Between Us feels very 2019 to me, even though this show tried to make some changes and adjust. And I was on board with some of the changes (most noteably the sheer amount of CONSENT LIKE YESS!) but not so much with others. Like New tried to recreate UWMA. Instead of P'Deeeaaan we got Hiiaaaa, ever other second. And now Team is suddenly scared of intimancy and doesn't like kissing his boyfriend for...reasons and he seemed to whine a lot more. And Win is suddenly no longer the flirty, grinning, always down for a joke type of guy but very serious and overprotective of Team. This show tried so hard to be UWMA, but it's not and therefore it didn't hit as much as it could've. Because the passion was there, you could feel the love of the cast members who put their heart into this show. That makes it even more sad that Pharm and Manaow and their friendship with Team felt more like an afterthought, since they got pretty much sidelined with their boyfriends. I did appreciate it though that Win got some bro-love from his two besties.

After seeing a lot of BLs directed by New, I think it's save to say that I just don't vibe with him. I don't know what he's doing but it's not it for me. On top of that I just disagree with his stance on NC scenes. The shade he has thrown at them just doesn't sit right with me. He acts as if Nc scene are inherently something dirty to be ashamed of. And if that's what he thinks, than the problem is him. And I wish he would just get over himself and leave high heat projects alone and get himself some BL scripts that are "pure" and have almost no heat in it. So everyone can be happy. Alas, he seems to get so many stories with interesting concepts (and with a high heat source material).

While we still haven't fully moved past the stereotypical portrayal of a gay relationships, we now get more shows that portray the two parties as equally in love and not one having to constantly chase the other. And excuse me, I have to get this off my chest: IF I HAVE TO WATCH ONE MORE SHOW WHERE ONE PARTY (USUALLY THE YOUNGER/SMALLER ONE) OF AN ALREADY ESTABLISHED RELATIONSHIP SEEMS TO DISLIKE KISSING THEIR BOYFRIEND IN THE COMFORT OF THEIR OWN HOME WITH NO ONE WATCHING I WILL LOSE IT!!!

PS: To like the five people who have not watched Until We Meet Again before watching Between Us, I'm sorry. Seeing Pharm and Dean having a cameo every other episode with little to no context of what the heck is going on must have been confusing as hell. You are truly stronger than I am.

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one of the best shows of 2022 (and one character that almost ruined it all for me)

This show was definitely one of my top BLs of 2022 and even though I was a little sceptic at first, First and Khaotung totally sold this show to me in the very first episode (mind you I don't watch trailers). So, I was hooked.

Story: I am a little torn about this one. I really loved the show, I loved the characters, and I loved the message behind the story. But, of course, it wasn't perfect. There were a few minor and major plot holes and a few inconsistencies, which I happily overlooked. But there was one thing that I just couldn't brush off. It bugged me so much that I even had to drop my rating from 10 to 9.0. My frustration lies with the character Thua and how they completely ruined him for me. But I will rant about this later. Over all, I really enjoyed this story. To see the characters grow and learn from each other and accept themselves for who they are and fight for what they believe in was really inspiring and nice to watch (but also heartbreaking at some points).

Casting/Actors: I am so in love with First's and Khaotung's acting, they did an amazing job portraying Akk and Ayan and their chemistry was through the roof. I've seen them in other projects before and I have to say that they did a great job already, but improved quite a lot nonetheless. Same goes for the rest of the cast. They did an amazing job and made the story what it is. I would even go as far and say that I would have not enjoyed this show as much if it wasn't for them.

Music: I absolutely adore the intro song. I listen to it every day. Khaotung has an amazing singing voice. And the version with First and Khaotung singing it together is just *chef's kiss*.

Rewatch Value: My initial reaction was to rate it 5/10 since I'm not one to rewatch things lightly, but I think that this show definitely has a great rewatch value, since you see a lot of things with different eyes after the finale. But the ending left a sour taste in my mouth, so I couldn't give it more stars.

My Rant About Thua: From the start I was a Thua-fan. I was totally on his side and was rooting for him, when he decided to finally speak up and tell the school about the one who was behind the curse, I was cheering... until the moment he decided to go off topic and out his friends in front of the entire school (mind you these people bullied Thua for being gay for years). Which is a plot twist a lot of BLs like to pull to get some tension and drama. I'm not only extremely tired of this trope, it is also almost always handled very poorly (looking at you Bad Buddy). And it was no different here. I would have loved to see Thua realizing that he went too far and regretting his impulsive decision and learning from his mistake. Instead, the story took the easy way out and just.. brushed it off and all the characters (especially the main couple who went through something traumatic) just collectively decided to forget about it. They didn't even think it was necessary for him to apologize for it (you know, the bare effing minimum). And if that wasn't already bad enough, shortly after Thua outed his friends (only approximately 10 minutes later) we had to watch Thua and his boyfriend have a coming out to their peers. I'm really glad that he had the comfort of coming out on his own terms and at his own time. If only your friends were given the same choice... :))
And to add fire to the fuel, Thua gave a speech in the final saying: "Coming out doesn't require just our courage. We need an understanding and supporting community and family as well. We are lucky you guys understand us."
Truly the biggest middle finger I have ever seen.

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if you think you know what this BL is about - no you don't

Okay, first things first: This BL wasn't at all what I thought it would be. I don't really know what I was expecting, but it surely wasn't this. I expected a lighthearted and heartwarming BL about love, but what I got was... well... what was it? Do you know that gif of that guy holding a skateboard and he starts running and you expect him to use the skateboard, but he never does and he just keeps running... Yeah, that's how I feel about this show..

The story was both too long and not long enough. While the show felt like it was going on for too long, it also felt like there was too much happening and it needs more time. There were some elements that could've made something unique and good out of this, but they didn't use them at all and therefore, the show fell flat.

Yoona is getting stalked by someone and is scared of men (except Jiwoon 'cause he's cute or idk) and Hyewon is in love with her professor and that's why they don't wanna be paired up with boys and ask the professor to be paired up with girls instead. Because of that (and because there are just too many men in general) our two main characters Jiwoon and Roa have to be paired together. And the rest is history.

A perfect set-up to address some issues like the very heteronormative and amatonormativity view that a family is only considered a family when it consists of a man, a woman, and a child/children, same-sex marriage, etc. But this BL did nothing. They just said "well I guess you can pair up in same-sex groups but this class isn't for you students to fall in love anyway so it's fine"... like... thanks?? Also, what was the purpose of this class, then? All the students did was go on dates, spent some time together and money, and... that was it. There was literally no point in this class. I actually thought the concept was interesting but they did nothing with it.

Look at the cover. If you think that this show is about a group of four men taking part in this class and trying to navigate their way through it and find friendship and love, you are wrong. It is about four people, but these two boys that aren't the main characters don't really play any big part in it. They are just there, think of the Thai BL best friend group that isn't really contributing anything to the plot. Instead, it focuses mainly on Jiwoon, Roa, and Yoona (and Hyewon is there as well) who are more or less in a love triangle/corner. The guy with the short hair is only there to be the jealous best friend who has a crush on Roa. And the other guy... idk actually.

Halfway through the show, the stalker took a picture of Jiwoon feeding Roa and took it out of context, saying that "homosexuality was found in the love class" or some other bs and while it caused some trouble in paradise (and led up to a cute scene between the protagonists) other than that it wasn't brought up again. Who took this photo? Why are they homophobic? What was their goal with this picture? Is Jiwoon suffering from internalized homophobia/biphobia? How does that affect their relationship? Why can nobody in this love class just mind their own damn business? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Okay, I think it's time to address the elephant in the room. The stalker. In this BL, Yoona being stalked is used as a plot device so she could spend time with Jiwoon. Who is the stalker? Why is he doing this? How does he know her? How does he access all this information? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I was so convinced that it was the professor, I was 98.99% sure. It all pointed at him.
These are the things this show told us about the stalker:
- He knows where Yoona lives.
- He knows that Jiwoon is walking Yoona home.
- He knows that Jiwoon and Roa are doing this "dating thing" for class.
- He has a bit mark on his wrist from when he attacked Jiwoon and he bit him.

And the professor checked all the boxes.
- He knows Yoona in private (through her uncle or something), so of course it would be no surprise for him to know where she lives.
- He said to Jiwoon that he "heard" that he was 'taking care' of Yoona.
- He is literally the professor of this class, so he knows everything about Jiwoon's and Roa's "dating thing".
- He's the only one in class who didn't show his wrists and covered them all the time.

And oh boy, was I disappointed when it wasn't him. So, you probably ask yourself, who was it then? How did they find out who it was? Did they come up with a great plan? How did they get all the info about her? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

It turns out that the stalker was just *some guy* that we don't even know the name of. We get one (1) scene where Yoona says casually: "I'm glad that they found the culprit." And that's it. We never hear from it ever again.

And if you think that at least we get some cute, romantic scene out of it. Not really, I mean sure, there are quite some cute moments, but there aren't nearly enough to outweigh the sheer frustration I was feeling after the whole stalker plot that went nowhere. Jiwoon mostly hangs out with Yoona and has a crush on her until he suddenly doesn't (???) and he is now in love with Roa... And they kiss in the very last scene after we get a classic "he rejected me and left and now I have to go find him" twist thrown in at the very end. In my frustration and attempt to make this at least a little more interesting, I told myself that maybe the prof was blackmailing him or something but no. And to put the cherry on top, the professor is now going out with a student (Yoona's friend Hyewon). :))

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a perfect example of you can't have a cake and eat it too

The premise sounded very interesting and I'm always open for more BLs that try to shed some light onto the shadiness of this industry. But it falls into the same trap as many before. This show tries to call out and appeal to the same audience.

This show has twenty episodes (which is honestly a lot for BL standards) and they are divided into four stories (Story 1- Neu Ship, Story 2 - War of Managers, Story 3 - Y-Idol, and Story 4 - Wife). This show tries to create a soft transition from one story to the other by introducing the main characters of the following story in the current story and only semi-succeeds, but we'll get to that.

Each of these 5-episode stories tackle a specific issue and try to deal with it while also focusing on a couple (which is always the main two characters). It is always told from one of the main guys' perspective. If I had to rank these stories from best to worst it would look like this: Y-Idol, Wife, New Ship, and War of Managers. Y-Idol and Wife are pretty much interchangably since they were both done well one has a weaker beginning while the other has a weak ending and it's just whatever you prefer more, I guess. And I know that many people rated New Ship way higher than that but the truth is that it's been months ever since i've watched this story and I only remember bits and pieces and these bits and pieces didn't make me rate this show any higher than that. But let's go into each one of them, shall we?

*Story 1 - New Ship with Pan and Nott*
We jump right in with the very first episode tackling a very heavy topic. Pan is dealing with all the fame he got with the hit series and now they are shooting season 2 but oh no, there is a new ship coming into town and they threaten to take some spotlight from them. Also, he is casually hooking up with his on-screen partner and is on his best way to develop real feelings for him. And if that wasn't already a bad enough combo, his manager offers him to whoever gives her enough money, letting them do whatever with him basically in exchange for sponsorship.

I wish we would've focused more and Pan and his negative experiences with the industry. We know that his manager was selling him out to sponsors and we often get scenes of him aggressively cleaning himself and whatever parts people have touched of him and things he owns. So it felt like there was a big story there that they only touched on very lightly. We didn't see much of Nott outside of him being his on-screen partner and his love interest. Which seems to be a pattern in this show. It was just a big mess. And I'm glad that Pan decided to take some time off to heal and get some rest. I think that the story itself is worth being told but it was all so messy and at times confusing that it didn't do it justice. The acting however was great. Billy and Seng (Billy specifically) were acting their asses off. They brought these characters to live and especially with all these difficult scenes Billy got, he did a phantastic job.

*Story 2 - War of Managers with Gus and Bew*
In this story we focus on the relationships the actors have with their managers a little more than in the first one. The managers are friends and once they turn on each other and become enemies Gus and Bew and their careers suffer because of it.

Gus and Bew are introduced to us in the first story already but as background characters only getting a few scenes. They are the second couple in a second season BL that the two guys from Story 1 are leading in. Then, when more and more spotlight is shifted away from Pan and Nott and more and more spotlight falls onto Gus and Bew, they also get more and more NC scenes and attention from fans. They are both under quite some pressure to perform and to deliver, to make their fans happy and to stay relevant. The managers are not holding back to turn on their friend to get an opportunity for their actor to shine. This puts a strain on Gus's and Bew's work-and rl-relationship since they are constantly pitted against each other. Bew and Gus hook up quite at the beginning of their story and lead a secret relationship, but as it turns out it was all orchestrated by the managers who wanted them to... be together to have better chemistry? And there also is a mysterious girl blogging about them like gossip girl and is ready to reveal all their secrets.

All in all, this story was messy, a different kind of mess than Story 1, uniquely messy if you will. I would've loved an entire story about the fact that Bew and Gus were the first BL couple to publicy confirm their relationsip because I feel like this would be a huge thing and an interesting story to tell. Their acting was fine, nothing outstanding or particularly worth pointing out, but it was fine.

*Story 3 - Y-Idol with Peak and Kla*
It really surprised me that this show made it this high on my ranking, because I felt like this would be my least favorite by just reading the premise. But while it did feel a little stretched out, it was filled with opportunities that were either used or thrown away.

In the third story we focus on a korean-idol-surviver-show-esque premise. With three chosen BL couples competing against each other and whoever wins gets a role in an upcoming BL series, which means big fame and big money. Peak is struggling big time putting up a fake happy smile and creating ship content with his ship-partner Kla. Throuought the story we see Peak slowly using more and more tricks to stay relevant and gain attention, even faking an injury and then actually hurting himself so he isn't exposed. He is also in a constant fight with Achi, the guy who seems to be his biggest rival. Who seems to be able to look through all his tricks and can be quite mean at times.

Peak and Kla hook up one day which complicates their relationship and their performance as neither of them is ready to admit their feelings towards each other. In the end, Peak breaks under the pressure and all his lies and confesses. The votes are manipulated and Achi and his ship win the show.

*Story 4 - Wife with Achi and Most*
In the fourth and final story we focus on the winners of the Y-Idol tv show from Story 3. Achi and Most are now staring as the main couple in their own BL and it seems to go great. Achi and Most are very close and manage to motivate and encourage each other. Then, a new girl comes into the mix and the duo turns quickly into a trio. The new girl is Fern and she quickly befriends Achi and Most and we find out that she was sent there to keep an eye on them to not fall in love by the producer (P who we already know from Y-Idol) but also to create some fan content and boost their popularity. At first everything goes well, until Achi and Fern hook up and start a secret relationship. And because Achi just can't keep it in his pants, once Most realises his feelings for Achi and tells him about it, they hook up as well. Only that their relationship status isn't official and they have a sort of fwb situation going on. The cast and crew are whispering about their chemistry and that their might be more to their relationship than work.

Fern is getting more and more suspicous of the type of relationship Most and Achi have and them flirting with each other behind the camera doesn't really help either. Once she catches Most and Achi having sex (in a shower on set... it's... these people are too horny and think only with their private parts *sigh*) the truth is finally revealed. They both break up with him and from that moment on things fall apart. P finds out about Achi hooking up with Fern and fires her, news break out and now the whole internet knows about the affair between Achi and Fern, at the press conference Achi outs Fern as trans and reassures that their relationship ended.

We then get a little scene with Achi and Fern meeting up and they have the most confusing talk and I don't konw what's going on anymore. Basically they are hiting at them planning most of these things. They shake hands in a "we good now" way and that's the last thing we see about them and the last time we hear about Fern. Whatever happens to her or her career remains a mystery.

We get one last scene between Achi and Most where they are offered a second season deal since the first one did surprisingly well. We cut to three months later and both Achi and Most have yet to decide if they will do the second season or not. Most is like "my answer was clear from the very start. I'm in." while Achi seems hesitant. Most and Achi sort of make up, Achi finally owning up to the shit he pulled and Most forgiving him. After that there is no season 2 happening and we have to sort of fill in the gaps ourselves.

*The Reunion*
The last few minutes are a big reunion with all cast members at the 13. Greatest Y-Awards. A few people are not at the award show though. One of them is Most, through a video message we find out that Most is no longer persuing a career as an actor and instead focuses on becoming a musician (yeah I don't know how that happened either).

P wins the prize for most popular Y-actor and it's insinuated that he manipulated the results. He uses the spotlight to also introduce his new BL show with his ship partner. Which seems to be a huge surprise since many thought he would not act in another BL again. Also there seems to be some unresolved tension between P and his ship partner but it's never mentioned again. Then, big plot twist, turns out the Twitter gossip girl was HIM ALL ALONG! End credits roll.

*The Good and The Bad*
-Something this show does very well is make you feel sympathy for the characters, especially the mains that do the most shit. Which is really important given that everyone in this show is not 100% good and fucks up in one way or another.

-This show loves to tease you with the characters making out and then someone screams "cut!" and you are like "Ah, okay so this was for their show" which happens way too often and it takes a while until you get used to it, but since this was the first story it was new to me and I had to get the hang of it first.

-A pattern that you might have noticed by now is that no couple get's a fairytale happy ending. Which fits the dark, realistic tone it is set in. And I guess it's for everyone else to decide whether they like that or not. I am a sucker for happy endings but I didn't mind as much, given that this show tried to be dark and more realistic.

-The comments and the overall portrayal of fans was pretty spot-on. Sure, there were a few unrealistic instances but for the most part, it seemed realistic. I also appreciated that they translated them so we could understand the ones that weren't in English. Even though I have to say that I would've appreciated if they had placed the translations a little differently like in a smaller font in the upper part of the screen, because I had to watch so many scenes where actors were doing lives or a press conference and half of my screen was covered in text.

-While I did like that this BL tackled more issues and divided the show in 4 stories, they felt all very disconnected. Each story is a standalone which is fine, but makes them feel isolated. You don't see or hear anything from Pan and Nott for like fifteen episodes until they show up in the very last few minutes of the final. And you tend to forget. I can't remember the first story as well as the last one, because I haven't heard or seen anything about it in months. I saw many people say that this show had too much going on and maybe it would've done better with fewer episodes and maybe letting a few stories happen parallel, to connect them a little better.

-While it does mention that NC and fan service is getting more and more and is a problem for the actors for mulitple reasons, this show features many NC scenes. Sometimes it's used to highlight an issue (like directors and people behind the camera mocking NC scenes will still working them in because they know sex sells). It's clear that this show had to be careful with calling out some certain parts of the industry as they were playing right into it. They lampshade a few important issues but since this show is still a BL after all, can't expose them for what they are. They talk about how tiring fan service is and how the producers often rely on NC scenes and include more of them to make their shows a hit, but they themselves include quite a few NC scenes in every story (most noteably in the last story imo). And that's the big problem with most of these call-out-BLs. They can never fully commit, because they fear to lose the audience. And that's why often the messages and morals of the stories were undermined and fell flat, because they couldn't fully commit. I'm not saying that it's impossible to create a BL that calls out BLs and the BL industry, but it's certainly not easy and this particular show was suffering because of it.

-The thing is that this show is after all a drama and not a documentary of any sorts and therefore the lines between "these are stories that actually happened" and "this is fiction and we dramatize and sensationalize a few parts of it for TV". And therefore we quickly jump to the conclusion that every bit of the stories that we brush off as unbelieveable are automatifally fake, even though they probably are very real to some extent.

-To end this review on a good note: Aside from the Twitter posts and forums and whatnot, the show uses a specific tool to question us (the audience). It shows us polls from a gossip girl-like user without ever telling us the results. Questions like "Do you think that NC scenes and fanservice can lead to actors falling in love?" And there is no right answer and this show is also not here to give it to you. They are used to make you think for yourself, maybe question what you belief. It's a clever tool that I wish was used a little more during the show. The last thing we see right before the credits roll is actually a twitter poll. Right after We find out that P is the mastermind behind it all, we get one last twitter poll. "Do you think the stories are based on real life or made up?" So, after all, it's up to the viewer to decide what to believe. And end credits roll. I think it's a fantastic way to end this show. A fantastic tool over all.

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A good story with potential but not enough time to utilize it

The potential was there, but this KBL has the typical issues you know from other KBLs. It's too short and therefore lacks depth and feels rushed. The story itself wasn't that bad, but the love between the two characters developed too quickly (which wouldn't be a problem if the couple had insane chemistry to make up for it). The central conflict fell flat. The acting was also lacking. There was no noticeable/outstanding chemistry between the two leads. Many scenes felt stiff and awkward. For a BL to be enjoyable (IMO), it has to fulfill at least two of the following things:
1) captivating/interesting story
2) chemistry between the characters (platonic and romantic)
3) good acting

The premise was that Jun Ho was trying to make Min Hyun fall in love with him so he could drink his blood and not die from the curse (?). But I didn't feel the tension or the heaviness of the situation when Min Hyun fell for Jun Ho. I didn't feel the inner turmoil of Jun Ho when he fell for Min Hyun and had to decide whether he should kill the boy he likes to survive or let him live and give up on life. The worldbuilding was very shallow. Nothing is explained (like the whole pureblood thing) or the curse. It's all very shallow, and I guess you could argue that this show has less than 90 minutes of runtime, but so do many movies, and even they manage to make the most out of it.

You could say that the CGI-vampire-eyes aren't done well, and I guess I'd have to agree. Still, just like in Color Rush, I think it has a certain charm (even though I don't understand why they decided to make the vampire eyes red and green without any information or explanation - surface-level worldbuilding, hello).

Another point that made me lower my rating was the ending. It wasn't satisfying or a reasonable conclusion for the story. It felt empty (to me). BUT not everything was awful. I think that there are probably many people who will enjoy this show. I thought it was an easy and quick watch; it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Min Hyun found out the truth about Jun Ho pretty quickly and was just okay with it. Also, the guy he fell for wanted to use and then kill him was not a deal-breaker for him. Therefore, I didn't care either. Min Hyun kept begging Jun Ho to drink his blood; Jun Ho refused, Jun Ho died. The brother who was supposed to be an obstacle was never brought up again. The principal lady, who was apparently Jun Ho's friend (?), didn't do anything significant either.

I'm not super opposed to sad endings or major character deaths if they are done well. Ending your show with one of your main characters dead and just leaving the whole show on a sad note should be handled carefully. In this case, Jun Ho's death wasn't impacting me the way it should have. If that was because I wasn't super invested in the characters and the story anymore or because of the acting or directing, I don't know. One thing that played into my apathy towards the ending was that Jun Ho seemed like he accepted his fate and was not afraid of dying or fighting to stay alive. Therefore, I wasn't feeling sad that he had lost his life. Like yeah, it's unfortunate that he and his love were separated, but they knew each other for like what? Ten days? Three weeks? Six months? (the time span is also very vague, and one can only guess) I didn't expect this show to have a Twilightesque scene where Jun Ho ultimately decides to suck Min Hyun's blood and has to stop himself before he kills him, but I guess that I would've expected... more.

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Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique

For everyone who plans on watchign this show: It's important to note that this BL doesn't follow the typical BL formular and isn't mainly about the love story. A huge portion of this show is focusing on the social political issues in Thailand and how the gang and other people are suffering from it and trying to fight against the system. If you find yourself totally uninterested in anything regarding politics or anything that ISN'T a very romanticized version of a Wattpad mafia/gangster story than this isn't for you. I highly recommend this show to everyone, but it's important to go into this show with the right idea in mind of what to expect.

Story: I think this is one of the Thai BLs that actually swept me off my feet. When it first was promoted as another OffGun show, I wasn't expecting too much of it. And I don't mean that in a negative sense, I mean that I didn't expect OffGun to take part in a show that was more serious and dark, since I've only seen them play in lighter and typical BL stuff. But HOOOOH BOY WAS I WRONG. It's way darker and more realistic than I thought it would be, but there were enough funny and cute moments to balance things out.

There went so much love and care into this show and you can really tell. I adore every character. They were all incredibly facinating to watch and flawed. They all deserved so much more screen time and sadly, some of them didn't get their deserved time to shine.

While the main love story of White and Sean (Gun and Off) is never an afterthought, it takes its time to be developed and doesn't take away the attention from the main plot or the development of each character. There is no unnecessary drama or abusive bs.
The side couple with Dan and Yok (Fluke and First) was a great addition that was not only really sweet but also relevant for the main story (and I do love when there are side couples that actually contributes to the story). They are the total opposite of White and Sean but were created with just as much care and love in mind.
The third couple I will not talk about for two reason 1) it would be a spoiler and I wouldn't want you guys to miss out on being shocked by that plot twist and 2) I wasn't really invested in them.

The friendship was really wholesome and really sweet to watch and aside from like the political scenes, one of my favorites. The relationships between the characters were all unique and deep and complicated.

Acting/Cast: The whole cast was great and I thank whoever was in charge of it. They all acted their ass off and it really shows. The whole crew did an amazing job. But I have to mention two actors specifically whose performance stuck with me.

1) I was seriously impressed with Gun being able to pull off playing White and Black and White pretending to be Black and Black pretending to be White pretending to be Black. You always knew who was talking and he managed to play them very differently. The way he smiled, talked and even cried. Just amazing really! I know that there were a few people criticizing the show for not using actualy twins, but seeing what Gun did with these characters, I can't imagine anyone else in these two roles.

2) Also not to forget: First who had some really great scenes all filled with different, complex emotions that he all nailed. But the ones that stung out to me the most were the ones where he was able to perfectly capture the rose-colored glasses look, the puppy eyes and just the absolute adoration in his acting and the one where he totally broke down in tears, crying his eyes out.

Music: Amazing. This show wasn't afraid to use silence when it was necessary, but it also shone with the choice of music. There were many great songs that I still listen to daily, but the one that got to me the most (musically and storywise) was Everlast (if you know you know).

Rewatch Value: Super mega high.

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impactful but cute story about loss, love, and friendship

OK, I know what you think. "How can you watch a show with a guy who literally falls in love with his pet dog reincarnated into a human body??" And yeah I know how that sounds, but hear me out, I was also at times a little taken aback by that premise, but once you get over it this story is great, I promise!

This story is about Jung Woo who has lost his parents and his pet dog and cat. But one day suddenly, his pets returm home in human bodies! But they can't stay forever... This show is so full of love and fluff that every time it becomes serious and about the many forms of loss and grief, you are actually shook and it hits so much harder. This show knows what it is and what it isn't, therefore it's not trying to be too dramatic, while still giving their emotional moments enough depth and room to be taken seriously, while still lightening up the mood with the funny bits. This story was really lovely and warmed my heart. Jung Woo, Choco, and Milk have my whole heart. As long as they are happy, I'm happy. And yes, sometimes it IS cringy because these actors are so good at playing pets in human bodies and therefore you are reminded that you are actually watching two pets who are suddenly thrown into adult bodies and have to do adult stuff, BUT once you get used to/over it, you can lay back and enjoy the show with all it's fun and sad moments.

You have to know that this show is low-budget so some stuff is more implied and told to you rather than shown in flashbacks. Sometimes they use drawings and little animations with is charming and a nice alternative.

The actors were all great. Specifically the actors of Milk and Choco who really encapsulated the cat and dog mannerisms. And the actor of Jung Woo who was able to portray his grief and his internal struggle.

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perfect sequel to To My Star (and probably the best sequel to ever exist)

When I first heard about the synopsis I was already making up my mind and lowering my expectations that this season would be just as awful as all the other sequels. There would be some stupid cheating plot and miscommunication, and it would be frustrating to watch and could've been resolved easily if the characters would just talk for two minutes. I was worried that this sequel (like so many other sequels before) would butcher the characters for easy drama and make me hate them. But what I actually got was... so much more profound and better than I expected.

Story: At first it may sound out of nowhere and odd that Jiwoo just up and left to go to some tiny village to open up a restaurant. But it makes sense when you think about it. In season one you can already see that Jiwoo is more the type to suffer in silence and run away and isolate himself once things get too much for him, which is exactly what happened here. This season stays beautifully in character and doesn't once feel overly dramatic or forced. Jiwoo sure did cause me a lot of frustration because of how he treated Seojoon. And I know that many expected a big declaration of love and Jiwoo on his knees begging for forgiveness, but that wouldn't be in character, since Jiwoo has trouble expressing his feelings and that's why I find that scene perfect. The show took its time without it seeming too lengthy. While the make-up scene is handled rather quickly, it doesn't feel rushed at all.
At first it seems very unreasonable for Jiwoo to just cut Seojoon off and throw away everything they've built for each other, but the more time passes the more you find out what led Jiwoo to do such a thing. And you slowly learn to understand his character more and more. And the way they resolve their issues was beautiful. The show didn't end with them making up and everything being fine. Jiwoo voices his concerns about their future almost immediately and they talk it out. They make compromises and communicate and that's how they make it work. Neither of them has to give up their life or their profession and that's actually a perfect ending. They can both still pursue their jobs and keep their homes. And the show manages to convince you within just a few minutes that they will make it work. I'm also glad that we get to see the story of the side characters (some of which we already know from season 1). They go on their own little journey and find their way in this world, making new plans for the future and finding love and friendship.
This ending leaves you both happy and sad. Happy, because it ends perfectly, and sad because that means we have to say goodbye to our beloved characters.

Acting/Cast: As always, the acting was superb. The cast is perfect, and I wouldn't change a thing. There are a few new faces this season and they make you like them almost instantly. They manage to make you interested in their stories. It's amazing.

Music: I think that music and soundtracks are actually one of KBLs strengths. I have yet to watch a BL where the soundtrack wasn't at least decent. And the music in To My Star season 1 was great and season 2 surely didn't disappoint.

Rewatch Value: I know that since this season isn't Jiwoo and Seojoon being happy 24/7 isn't going to make people rewatch it a lot, but I think that you should at least watch this season twice. This season has a lot of rewatch potential since it completes the story of the characters and now you know how things will play out you will see a lot of the scenes in a new light and you will be able to understand the motivations behind the character's actions more. Also, when you rewatch season one now you can already see the little foreshadowing and the little hints that lead to everything that happens in season two, which I think is always a great thing.

Overall: I think Hwang Da Seul and the rest of the cast and crew did an amazing job once again. And I am so grateful for this season and how things played out. This sequel is proof that there can be a sequel that deals with issues that are realistic, not out of nowhere, and don't involve cheating. And for that alone, I am glad.
I definitely recommend it to anyone who has watched season one.

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the only bitter and gritty thing about this show is how I feel about it

Uff, this really hurts to write, but I need to write it anyway. When I first heard about this show and its premise, I’m gonna be honest, I wasn’t too happy. But I was reassured that it would not be your typical cheating storyline and it would be handled more realistically and less like your typical BL cheating plot. It was also said that this show would be very realistic, gritty, and bitter. And I prepared myself for that. Once the actual trailer dropped though, it didn’t look nearly as bitter and gritty as they promised. And surprise, surprise it wasn’t. And what was left was...a mere shadow of what it could've been.

This show was so dead-set on being realistic and the first thing they do is cast a 28 year old to play a middle aged man. Like…come one. The joke writes itself. I’m not saying that Earth wasn’t fit for this role because of his skills, because he is a good actor. This is entirely about his age and how the role makes him out to be way older than he actually is. It just turned into this joke that whenever Uncle Jim sighed or complained about the youth and how old he is, I had to laugh.

There is a very clear ship>casting mentality in the BL industry. If it wasn’t for the specific ship(s), I am almost certain that the cast wouldn’t look as they do now. Not that I would want to recast most of them, but it's obvious.

Someone said to me that P’Aof is really great in making lighthearted, fluffy BLs and maybe he should stick to what he’s best at, because bitter and realistic isn’t hitting nearly as much as his previous works. It does look amazing though, you gotta give him that.

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cute little story that felt a a bit shallow and rushed

About Youth was a relatively short story (8 episodes with each about 22 minutes long) with a lot of cute factor. Specifically the main couple Ye Guang and Xu Qi Zhang were great. This show was really shining in the first few episodes but like most shorter BLs it had too many plot points that felt either rushed or were dropped once the series progressed (e.g. Qi Zhang's uncle, Ye Guang's rival? bully? whatever-his-role-was?). The acting was okay, nothing outstanding, but not bad at all. 3 out of 4 of the main cast are still teenagers after all. I really loved Qi Zhang's mother and how she was so supportive of her son's passion. She also brought such a good vibe into every scene she was in. There is not much intimate scenes between Qi Zhang and Ye Guang but that's fine by me, since it is realistic for both characters to be inexperienced and move at a slower pace (also given the young age of the actors on top of that) their kiss was quite sweet and so was their whole journey; really loved them.

My main problem was with the second couple. I wish the script allowed them a little more screen time to develop them a little more or at least give some context and maybe explain their actions a bit better. There was this whole plot point where Ray kissed Jian and the latter said he needed time and Ray stormed off. We never know why, if he was just a little overwhelmed by the sudden kiss, if he was questioning his sexuality, if he was not sure if he felt the same way for Ray, etcetera. Jian just decides that he now is ready to be with him out of the blue and starts following Ray around and keeps sending him messages, Ray is not willing to hear him out and it seems like he is not interested to be with him anymore, which makes their dynamic a little...icky (also given the age gap in real life and I assume in this show as well?) So, in the end they never talk about it again and just get together. Which felt very abrupt and not like a well deserved pay-off.

The music was great. We got two bangers and whenever I could hear the piano version playing in the background of a sad or happy scene it felt really natural and beautiful.

The ending was fine on page but let me feeling like there was something missing. Like I said, the second couple doesn't get any big moment after their get-together, so they are just hanging out and chilling without talking about anything. And Ye Guang's parents just magically realise that they should treat their son better after he sent them a little video. We never find out how that will look like or if they will actually change. The show ends with Ye Guang and Qi Zhang getting together and having their first kiss, this also means that we never see them do much as an official couple. We don't know what will happen once they finish high school, since one has plans to go to a fancy school and the other one just started finding himself. We also don't know if the parents would be accepting of their children if they ever found out about their relationship. So many unanswered questions. But I guess this show was never really about these things to begin with. Just a cute little show about four friends finding themselves and their boyfriends. Which is fine, just not what I expected and therefore it felt a little lackluster to me.

But there are many cute moments to make up for most of it. So, if you are looking for a cute little show without having to thinking too much and great music this is it for you.

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cute show that could've been more

Takara-kun and Amagi-kun was a cute show that felt very cosy and lighthearted at first but felt a little lost at the end.

Pros:
- Amagi and Takara shined when they hung out and just enjoyed each others company. Amagi was expressing his feelings for Takara constantly and that was so lovely to hear. And whenever Takara showed any physical reaction to Amagi's words or actions it was great, even if it was just him covering his mouth so nobody could see him smile. And Takara going from never expressing his feelings to voicing his thoughts and feelings more and more so Amagi wouldn't misunderstand him all the time.

- I loved the dynamic between Amagi and Katori, their friendship was amazing and to say that Katori is Amagi's platonic soulmate added 10 years to my life.

- The music is great. It didn't stick out too much to distract from the story, but it was not an awkward or repetitive background noise.

Cons:
- Tanaka was very charismatic but his personality was just trash. He constantly asked Amagi inappropriate questions that made him uncomfortable. Even asking Amagi if he had sex with Takara and if he should try as well (I still don't fully grasp what the writers tried to do there). And even going as far as to harass Amagi for days. It was really uncomfortable to watch and the fact that he was never properly called out or "punished" for it just left a sour taste in my mouth. And his constant rapey-vibes he gave off were just the last straw for me. Whenever Takara would say that he'd wait until Amagi was ready to be more intimate he grimased as if that would be something totally unheard of. Just a really weird guy.

- Even though Takara constantly said that he would not force Amagi to do anything and would wait until he was ready as well, I think I can remember like three times Takara kissed Amagi and the latter was not feeling it. Amagi was very clear that he was very inexperienced and didn't know much about the physical stuff and Takara reassured him (and us) that they'd take it as slow as Amagi needed. Only that that was not true. Even in the last freaking episode Takara goes in for a kiss (in public which is another thing Amagi is not too keen about) and Amagi panics and headbutts him. Amagi apologises right away and Takara uses that opportunity to go in for another kiss which is framed as this beautiful thing even though it's just disappointing.

- I'm not really a fan of the small childish boy who always shrieks and panics whenever his boyfriend wants to get a little intimate and the tall emotionless guy who is always the one to initiate physical contact and does so even if his bf is not comfortable with it.

- I expected the last episode to deal with a different kind of problem. It's like we wasted so much time with other problems that we didn't focus on the more important ones. Like, Takara constantly suppressing his feelings and trying to never show any emotion. Or how they will go on to the next stage in life (university and work) and make their relationship work. They never had a first real fight yet and they are already promising to stay together forever. We also don't really know what happened between Amagi and his mother, we only get a few hints here and there but not a real explanation. I did like the conflict of Amagi worrying that Takara would lose all his friends if he kept ditching them for him, but it wasn't like Takara cared about his friends or losing them, so why should we care?

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enjoyable but not in the way it wants to be

Is this show great? No.
Has it good acting? No.
An interesting story? No.
Did I enjoy this show? Absolutely, but not in the way I should (probably).

I did have a great time watching it and laughed quite a lot, but not when the show wanted me to laugh. I found myself cry-laughing when serious stuff happened. I think I have Tumblr to thank for that as well.

The story was filled with many clichés that weren't executed in a new or fun way (forced proximity, the girls who are just there to make the guys jealous, the mean father who wants to separate the couple, etc.) The side couple was not all that bad and actually had quite some chemistry, but it felt very awkward in terms of continuity. Pitch was the walking stereotype of the creepy over-the-top flirty antagonist until he just...wasn't anymore. I don't know what happened but I suddenly found myself actually...liking him??? Also, his and Bank's (the side couple) storyline obviously got cut short (scene of a preview that alluded to some drama never happened) which took the flow out of their storyline and the overall story.

I guess if you look for a well-written story with good acting and revolutionary takes on clichés, don't watch it. But if you look for some cheap entertainment with many (unintentional) hilarious scenes and an enjoyable (cut-short) side couple and many missed opportunities for actual deep metaphors (cube), then I found the perfect BL for you!

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starts with a bang, ends with a whimper

The first few episodes of this show are wonderful. I do consider them my "comfort episodes". The chemistry was believeable and the acting was fine (nothing truly outstanding or oscar-worthy especially during the more emotional and tough scenes). It's another enemies to lovers BL set in high school, though the dynamic between the two lead characters was super interesting.

It's like the first few episodes are a balloon slowly filling with air and you expect it to burst any moment, but instead someone pokes a tiny hole in it and the balloon is deflating very very slowly. I can't really say what I expected either, just that this show felt a little lost at the end. I don't remember watching episode 7, what does that say about my memory and this show? Probably that both is pretty weak. I only remember that for the past few days I thought to myself "I can't wait for the last episode to come out, hopefully it will be better than the last one", and then I opened up Viki today and I saw that I had already watched it. Whoops.

I gotta say though, that there are many cute scenes to make up for it. So that's why I gave it such a high rating. I do love me some fluff. I haven't seen the manhwa yet, so I can't really say if it did it justice (judging by the other reviews I'd assume the answer is no).

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this show is a mess and I still enjoyed it because I was isolated and depressed

Story: I did like the original idea of the story, especially the surreal/supernatural aspect; sadly, the show didn't go all in. At first, it seemed to be dancing around the question "Is this happening because of Zol's fanfictions or because it's just life?" And after a few episodes, it was dropped entirely and only brought up again when it was convenient. I don't know how much they had to cut short and/or change because of COVID, but you could feel something was missing. Aside from that, there was way too much going on. We don't need like 4 (?) couples in a show. Especially if those couples aren't even given the necessary screen time or like a coherent storyline that accomplishes something. They felt very out of place and pulled you out of the moment. We definitely didn't need the cat couple. You could've cut them out, and literally, nothing would've changed. And I'm choosing not to talk about the things that upset me about Dew/Champ/Blue because I do not condone the bullying and how they just glossed over it and made Blue get together with Dew at the end (also the rl age difference wasn't doing the story any favor).

This show also has all these problematic things that I apparently chose to forget while watching it the first time and only remembered after rewatching a few episodes. Like all these very over-the-top support characters and, just in general, the amount of slapstick sound effects and cringy moments.

And the more I think about the 'Zol writing fanfiction thing', the more it bugs me. Zol writing fanfictions isn't the issues here, it's totally okay if she does that. But she is writing fanfictions about people in real life... (I mean, I guess she asked *some of them* for their permission sometimes?? Which is like the bare minimum but still). About Her Own Brother... And nobody...not a single soul found that at least a little bit weird??? Right.

Also, not to mention how effed up the whole Fighter/Tutor/Hwahwa situation is... This show tries to paint Tutor as a great friend who is a great friend and an angel but all the while he's in his room having a hot make-out session with his best friend's boyfriend.

Acting/Cast: It was fascinating to see Saint in a role that was so different from his previous one (Pete in Love By Chance). For the others, I have to say that I adored Jimmy and Tommy's chemistry, which had a very innocent and sweet vibe and managed to carry the over-the-top comedic duo into a semi-serious relationship. Zee and Saint had fantastic chemistry as well. The producers hit the nail on the head with them. Perfect choice.

Music: Actually, I've watched this show like two years ago, and I don't remember a single song or background music that impacted me in any way, so I can't say anything about it... which isn't a good thing; I guess? But also not super bad because bad and annoying music stick with me as well. So, I think the music was meh. But what I do remember is the absolute insane amount of slapstick soundeffects, they were driving me nuts. At some point I turned the volume off.

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[insert some smart metaphor about the little prince and the fox]

I knew what I signed up for when I read the plot summary, but I still found myself quite frustrated at the whole "single rule" thing. It never made any sense, no matter how much Jin Yu Zhen and the writers bend over backward. But I choose to not take it too seriously.

The main couple has good chemistry and falls more under the slow-burn category which is one of my favorites actually. The side couple though wasn't my tea at all. I don't really like couples that not only have a noticeable age difference but also further the power dynamics by making the younger one inexperienced, shy, and dependent on the older guy. So that was a no from me. The straight couple had like two scenes together and were only there to set up some sort of conflict.

Through the show, we encounter quite a few clichés that were mostly executed as you would expect them. Therefore, there aren't a lot of moments that genuinely took me by surprise. That's not necessarily a bad thing, I guess. I didn't mind it, since most of those tropes are one of my favorites (e.g. one bed), but a little bit of creativity never hurts ;)

The intro "I do, I do, I do" was quite catchy and I would recognize it and immediately think about this show, so that's a good thing.

The rewatch value is actually surprisingly high, thanks to the main couple who is carrying this whole show on their backs (and Shi Lei's mother of course).

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