Filler KBL

I didn't love it, I didn't hate it -- it'll inevitably be one of those filler series I forget about after this review and move on to the next. Now even with saying this, Jun and Jun still proved itself to be a decent series with a decent plot, beautiful actors, and some petty nice chemistry.

Let's Dive In.

Jun and Jun are friends who end up separating as kids and become close again when Lee Jun is hired at Choi Jun's company. The premise is fun, and so are the first couple of episodes. It just starts to drag by episode 5, with way too much office jargon and a bunch of characters that I just could care less about. I skipped through the majority of the end, only stopping to see the lead's resolution, including his smexy hyung and the idol guy. All in all, the leads had okay chemistry, nothing crazy. Individually, they played their characters very well so the connection just works out because these were good actors. Also, some very well-done physical chemistry, which is what really drew me into their relationship.

This is me being nit-picky but some continuity errors were glaringly obvious, and for whatever reason, it bothered me more than it usually does. One example is Lee Jun holding an empty milk carton that's open but then offering it to Choi Jun later on, closed. Same with my problem with characters picking up drinks (mostly coffee cups) that have nothing in them and it's obvious.

Ratings:

Story: 7/10 - Was pretty funny and had some comedic gold moments. It's good until it becomes boring with too many scenes taking place in the meeting room going over blah blah blah that none of us care about. Romance is okay, but the physical chemistry is good.

Acting: 8.5/10 - Great! Each character played their role individually very well. Hyunwoo is gorgeous, has nothing to do with his acting, but thought I'd throw that in there. Also off-topic, but Hyeongseop's (Simeon) filler teeth bothered the fuck out of me.

Music; 7/10 - It wasn't distracting.

Recommendation Value: 5/10 - Recommend because Hyunwoo is seriously beautiful, but other than that, you're not missing much.

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Confusing Start but Thoughtful Ending

The first episode will have you in shambles, forewarning. I was given the impression that this would be the continuation of season one but it is not. Instead, Love Class Season 2 is the tale of three college couples, all with their own distinct story and conflict. But the only reason this series can't get much higher than the score it has now is because of the ample amount of editing errors that are just so unlike what I've ever seen come out of Korea.

Let's Dive In.

It's unfortunate that the first two episodes are so confusing and don't have a good start-up to the story at all. We're thrown into their stories without even an introduction to their person or who they are or what they do. It gets better by the third episode, by then, I can't remember names, but I can at least figure out who will end up with whom. And the story by the end is actually pretty nice -- it's all wrapped up in a neat bow and given proper resolutions. As well as the plot within the middle being very intriguing, keeping me super enthralled and ready to watch the next episode.

My favorite couple were the cafe cuties, Maru and Minwoo. Kwanghee's (Maru) incredible acting abilities was the reason I was so thrilled with this pairing, so I'm so excited to see that he has a lot of impressive projects lined up for next year. Anyways, I think this pairing worked so well being of their personalities and how they clashed so well together. Maru is super outgoing and bubbly, doing anything he can so that Minwoo won't keep getting bullied by the cafe owner anymore. and Minwoo is just quite the opposite, obedient and to himself, not letting himself share his feelings with Maru until it becomes unbearable. I like that once they get together, it's just that, not some unnecessary conflicts thrown in at the last minute. They're just happy and in love and can kiss (thank god)! And thankfully the friendly female character was able to end up with someone too.

Onto my second favorite couple, the TA and student, Joohyuk and Sungmin. Their story was pretty easygoing and just super sweet. They have a one-night stand that ends with both of them not being able to forget about the other and so they further that relationship by teasing and scheming and some miscommunication, but in the end everything works out. I loved Joohyuk, I loved how he really went for what he wanted and got the TA to fall for him so hard. The moment Joohyuk walked into his office, locked the door, and kissed him leaving without anything else to say?? Oh, I was hooked. Again, once they got together, they were just happy and cutesy and I liked them a lot. Also, Woojae (Sungmin) is gorgeous to look at so that doesn't hurt either.

Not onto my favorite couple that would gotten number one had it not been for the drop in chemistry and the god-awful kissing: An and Hyun. I hate that they ended up being my least favorite couple because they seriously had some great connection and tension build-up from the get-go. Even the flashbacks to when An was Hyun's tutor were so full of tension that I couldn't wait for them to finally get together. And then they do, and it's like all their chemistry drops to the ground. For one, their kiss was so terrible that I don't know how the director approved of it, especially seeing how intense Maru and Minwoo's kissing scenes were. And then they proceeded to kiss maybe 3-4 times after that and it's so gut-wrenching to watch that I just started closing my eyes. That's when their chemistry drops too, and it just feels off and not genuine. For them to also be the main leads, someone should've taught them how to kiss or just not have them kiss at all if it was going to be that bad. On top of that, An's stalker "brother" plot had the worst ending ever. He just suddenly doesn't want to stalk An anymore after years of doing it...? Okay...

Now onto the reason why this series is getting a low overall score from me: the technical/editing errors. I'm not a nit-picky person by any means, but oh my gosh, in each episode there was some type of technical issue that I started just screaming in my room each time I notice it. The amount of times you could see the boom mic had me wanting to reach through the screen and tear it out of the frame. Who edited this? How could you miss something so evident like that? The laziness and sloppiness in this department is embarrassing, and I've never seen this in any series, let alone a Korean series.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - harsh start, but by the end, it's really good. The main couple weren't as poignant as the side couples, so, you know, that's not good, along with the rushed stalker storyline. And then continuous editing errors threw me off completely. But I loved the side couples a lot, so a 7.5/10 will do.

Acting: 8.5/10 - Kwanghee stole the show! So excited to see him in future projects. everyone else did decent too, but Hyomin and J-min's acting was probably closer to the mediocre line.

Music: 7/10 - wasn't distracting so that's good. Also like how for certain scenes (cough cough, Maru and Miinwoo's beautiful and very crisp-sounding kiss) they didn't play music and let the moment be, which is why I wish that a lot of other series would do the same thing.

Recommendation value: 6/10 - Eh. It's cute and not terrible, but some things are better than others. Wouldn't be the first K-BL I'd recommend, but they're all hot, so why not?

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Little GMMTV Gem

Can't say that this series disappointed, and like others, I'm pleasantly surprised by my enjoyment of the story, the romance, and the overall production of this series. Be My Favorite, while still having trouble finding the meaning behind the title, I found the meaning of the series which is that of, "past or present, love always wins".

Let's Dive In.

This series did amazing with the portrayal of time traveling and trying to change the future. My biggest worry was that this was going to be pretty cliche, and while it was (in the BL aspect of the story), it still threw in some plot twist that I wasn't expecting. For one, I was for sure that Kawi was going to be able to prevent his dad from passing, but in each timeline, he does. It goes to show that -- even though there's no way for us to physically change the past -- what happens in our lives is unavoidable, no matter how many ropes we climb or battles we face; the past is the past. There were just other things in this that I really loved, including Kawi's different futures and the becomings of them.

Onto the romance, I really enjoyed it! Going into this, Krist and Gawin were the most random pairing that they paired, but in the end, it worked well. Mostly because both actors can act and Gawin is amazing at pretending to be in love (which is why GMMTV keeps giving him every partner in the company), so the chemistry obviously works. Now from time to time, I was hooked on the romance, and other times not so much, but for the most part, it worked and it worked great. I also really like that Gmmtv is allowing Gawin multiple screen partners so that they can enhance his acting ability and on-screen chemistry. It's great! His acting has also been so fucking good since Not Me aired, I'm so proud of him.

Also, this series is VERY LGBTQ+ represented and it shows tremendously. From Pisaeng accepting himself for being gay, visiting a gay bar, conversations with Max, confessions to his mom -- to having an entire speech and rally included in an episode fighting for lgbtq+ rights and that of sex workers and women. Great, great great! Also, I love Max and his little emo pink highlights lol.

I loved how they also dedicated most of the 10th episode to Kawi being nervous about sex to even having discussions about it with Max to showing a very organic, very sensual NC scene. Very well done, and very well executed.

Now some nit-picky things: Honestly, this series is only getting an 8/10 because I genuinely believe there only needed to be maybe 8-10 episodes. A lot of what we watched felt dragged out. Very nicely done, but I can't deny that I was finding myself to be a bit bored at times. Also not the biggest fan of Pisaeng having to go back to the past to help save Kawi, just felt like they were reaching for something else to put on screen when they realized it was pretty much happily ever after after episode 10.

Ratings:

Story: 8.5/10 - The Time-travel storyline was so good. it flowed nicely, it made sense, and it was enjoyable. There were some other things that were a bit tedious, but it doesn't take over the pleasure of watching this series. The romance is nice, all the side characters have their own stories which are also planned out accordingly, and in the end, it was great.

Acting: 9/10 - Oh gosh, Gawin did great since having seen him Dark Blue Kiss. He just gets better and better by the year. But honestly, for me, Aye (Pearmai) stole the show. Loved her acting, loved how versatile she was, and thank the heavens the writers made her bearable and friendly, and accepting. Everyone else did a great job, with Krist also shining through.

Music: 6/10 - Didn't pay attention to it, so it wasn't distracting.

Recommendation Value: 9/10 - this series has surprisingly low views on YouTube, and I'm going to guess that has something to do with the odd pairing, or maybe Krist who not everybody is very fond of. Either way, please help support the wonderful talent that created this little gem of a series, it truly is amazing with lots of LGBTQ+ representation and lots and lots of fluffiness that just makes a BL series what it is.

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I Liked It!

Okay, so from first glance, this was not much of a fan favorite, but honestly, and to my surprise I liked this, Now, of course, this was far from perfect, especially in the acting department (I shall touch on this a little later) but I mean, come on -- a tall yummy boss has a slow burn with the cutesy idiot employee -- I can't pass that up. Step by Step is so legit in its title as this is the slowest of slow burns I've witnessed this year, and I loved it with all my heart.

Let's Dive In.

The plot is as basic as it gets -- the meanie boss stumbles upon the clumsy and emotional employee whom he immediately starts to admire. The end. It really is a simplistic plot with some more details on the side like a complicated side couple, a pregnant lady, and a confident fem-gay guy. Now the story flows pretty well until the end when it gets a little draggy. For one, they could've easily ended the series at episode 10 and saved us the sappy saga that was so not necessary. 11 and 12 are easily skippable, stop at episode 10 for your own good.

Now, was one of the reasons why I loved this series so much because of Man (Jeng) and his surreal looks including the body of a fucking god? Yes. It was. And I'll be shallow and say it was my favorite part of the series. but no seriously, I don't know where they found that beautiful man from, but I need more Man and any more that look like him. The way I just grunted so loud when we saw him shirtless for the first time, my goodness. Anyways, onto Jeng and Pat's romance -- I liked it. Was it because it was a slow burn? Of course, I'm a sucker for people slowly realizing they like each other, the little stares, smiles, gestures, silly flirting -- I loved it all. Though, Pat being overwhelmed by finding out Jeng was also gay was so dramatic, the writers must've been desperate for conflict. Imagine finding out that a fucking god-like creature also happens to like the same sex as you do and all you can do is wither and be sad -- tf..? I would've pounced, but maybe that's just me. They're cute -- nothing out of this world or top tier, but I did really enjoy watching their romance.

I don't love the ending of Jen and Jaab, but what we did get was everything to me. That kiss?? Top tier. show-stopping. Immaculate. Talentful. Perfection. For real, that might be the best kiss I've seen from a side couple. the emotion, the silence, the build-up, the slow to desperate -- so good. Of course, it's not good to cheat, but I can't deny a good couple when I see one. But they kind of leave off a little weird. I fast forward through the last episode so maybe Jen and Jaab get back together, but from what I see, it's left pretty open-ended. oh well.

I really loved all the side characters, specifically Bruce's character who stole the show for me. I also just love Bruce and his acting, and he did phenomenal. And Zorzo!! I love her, she did a fantastic job! And Poppy!! God, I love him too (and his body). Ying was kind of the only character that I could've done without in the series, but oh well.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - Good! Very unnecessary last two episodes, and also just a lot of office jargon that got to be a bit boring. But I loved the slow burn, I loved the side couples, and overall, I enjoyed the plot.

Acting: 7/10 - Okay so, Man is also beautiful and can act! He did a great job playing this boss role. Now for Ben -- eh. He wasn't terrible, him acting happy and goofy and playful was good, but being sad or crying was not his strong suit. The secondhand embarrassment I got from him crying so hard and yet not a tear escaped hurt. They could've at least given the dude some eye drops to sell it more, but there he was boohooing and not a tear in sight.

Music:6/10: I didn't pay much attention to it.

Recommendation value: 7/10 - I liked it, I would recommend it for many reasons, with one obviously being for Jeng's sake. I mean who would want to watch him on their scene being sexy and amazing and wonderful?

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Really Good in the Beginning, eh by the End

Force and Book are back on our screen after the disastrous Enchante that graced our screen in 2022. I'd like to start off with the fact that I saw growth, and that's the most important thing. But I would also like to state that for whatever reason, Force and Book still don't do it for me. It's like they would give me an inch, and then 10 minutes later, we fell five steps back. I'll explain that one more later, but for now, A Boss and A Babe was the somewhat redeeming series that this up-and-coming GMMTV couple needed.

Let's Dive In.

So A Boss and A Babe is a story about a CEO and an intern falling in love with a few more, low-key not important details. This series really is just a cutesy, no-real-problems-are-happening series. We get a little bit of back-stabbing, poor communication, and the very little stakes of them being together, but nothing in the story gives, "Oh wow, this is getting good." Which is why I said I loved it in the beginning since the set up of the characters was nice, but it all comes tumbling down after maybe the 5-6th episode and things get boring.

But I do want to talk about some of the conflicts we see in the series, with one of the main ones being the situation with Drake's character and Boss. The stakes are there, but overall, it's a simple resolution and nothing serious happens besides a silly little punch. Then moving onto Tian's storyline and the troubles Cher had with his brother Troop, which is not given enough space to flourish. they delve into it a little, but it's so little that it doesn't feel fleshed out enough. They scraped the surface and that was it. I wish we had a whole episode dedicated to this storyline and dedicated to the story that they gave Tian. The same goes for Boss' mother popping up at the end to complain that Cher was a terrible choice for him. Felt like very cheap writing to throw in a last-minute problem that's given no real resolution, just Cher shows up to Boss' office and asks him to be his boyfriend and then it's all better. Okay.

Again with Book and Force's connection. Them being friends shows through their acting, and it's a good and a bad thing. In some scenes, it's perfect. They look comfortable, their dialogue feels organic, and their chemistry feels great. and then in other scenes, I feel that tenseness again, with the slither of awkwardness, and it gets even worse for some of the intimate scenes they have. Again, I judge harder on GMMTV series because I know they have the funds and means to do better, so I expect better, and that's why I'm going to go on a limb here and say that the kisses and intimate moment in this series gets a big ole thumbs down. Some weren't as bad as others, but boy oh boy, let them have a scene where they have to kiss just once, and I'm cringing. The dead fish kiss, the standing ten feet apart, Cher's eyes open doing their last kiss, all of it, just..bad.

Like I stated earlier, I see the growth in their acting which is why this series kind of worked for me. I see that they've tried their best with these new roles they've received, and yes, a lot of it could've used more work, but overall, it's good. The only thing unbelievable is Boss having the label as being mean and super demanding with his employees, when throughout the series he just felt like he didn't care about his job are the things his employees did other than getting him his coffee. But with Book, I think he did a fantastic job. Loved loved loved his character and the choice he made for him. came off as believable, and we see that immaturity mixed with his extroverted energy and his slight shyness around Boss. He did a really excellent job.

Onto the side characters, Mike is back and he was looking better than ever. He's always given the funny best friend roles, and just like in the other series, he did a great job. I would like to see Mike playing a character outside of the norms he's given because I really believe he has more to show. The side couple was very lackluster. Some random fainting, and a bunch of sweet nothings, but those two characters felt like a really odd pairing, and that never changed for me even by the end. Their skinship felt a bit forced, but at least Thi would be labeled the best boyfriend ever. The other characters, Tubtab, Porsche, and the office workers drove the story in a good direction but didn't really add anything (other than the fact that Thor's eye had me in a chokehold). What I really loved though was when their friend group was all together. It added in some great comedy moments and that was probably one of my favorite parts of the series.

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - None of the stakes felt very stake-y, and this really was just some cutesy moments given to both Book and Force to execute which they kind of did. I'll give most of the stars to the Tian storyline that I was most interested in but wasn't given enough of. I also loved the friend group which felt very natural and organic on screen.

Acting: 8.5/10 - I saw so much growth in Book, and he did an excellent job. Force did well too, but I still see the parts in which he can work on those improvements. Maybe it wasn't him and more of the director's choice for his character, but I feel like he could've given us more. All side characters were good too, but the side couple felt way too forced.

Music: 6/10 - It wasn't distracting so good.

Recommendation Value: 6.5/10 - I would recommend this series over the other series they had, but I still wouldn't recommend this if someone wanted to watch a GMMTV series (that spot is still given to ATOTS, which is still GMMTV's best BL series). But Book and Force are two very beautiful humans to look at, so this series is at least not on the bottom of shows to recommend, I'll just say that.

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Eh

Nothing special, nothing new, nothing awe-ing, but it's cute, it's kind of funny, and the leads are very handsome. All The Liquors revolves around single men and their alcohol. The end.

Let's Dive In.

I agree with most of the reviews and comments about this series. There's nothing about it to differentiate it from the plethora of KBLs we're receiving, but it's a quick watch and a fun one at that.

I enjoyed the chemistry of the main leads. I enjoyed Kihoon a lot more because he makes the best facial expression ever and really showed some decent character development for the timing that they had. They ruin that connection a lot with the dead fish kisses, but if you take that away, this was pretty solid.

Jiha needs his own series, I absolutely loved him. He stole the show in my opinion.

Ratings:

Story: 7/10 - It's an okay story, nothing we haven't seen done before, but the good thing is that the boring parts (office, work, etc) aren't shown for too long. The few last episodes are really just the leads growing closer and closer and enjoying each other's company.

Acting: 8.5/10 - The better aspect of this series. Everyone did a job well done, I enjoyed Kihoon and Jiha the best.

Music: 6/10 - Wasn't distracting, good.

Recommendation Value: 5.5/10 - Eh. I'd say watch it because you have time and want something lighthearted and sweet.

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Cutesy w/ a Slice of Angst

Another cute K-BL that was able to fill my void of boredom before I begin school again. Classic office romance, perfect bubbly seme and stern uke trope (even though that stereotype isn't as visible with these two), and super soft domestic shit. Love Mate has all the right components and then some.

Let's Dive In.

I think what I liked most about this series is that it stepped out of the realms of a traditional Korean drama while also being exactly that. It gives a sort of Thailand-esce with its humorous background music and overall tropes that I would compare to Thailand and only Thailand. However, it's still that classic Korean feel, with the photo booth, the ramyeon joke, and the busy bus scenes.

They had me eating their lovey-dovey shit out of the palm of my hands. I fell for it each time. The bus, the date, the office, the house -- anywhere they were, I was also their giving out heart fingers. They had great chemistry, the actors took their characters and meshed them well together.

I few hiccups here and there, I didn't like how wishy-washy Jun was, and Haram was a bit too excessive in pursuing Jun, but all in all, I think this series was really cute. It could've been a bit more fleshed out had they had a longer run time, but overall, I enjoyed it, I had fun with it, and it made me giggle in yearn and because it was decently funny (Also, some really good kissing which is always a bonus with Korea).

Ratings:

Story: 7.5/10 - It's a classic office story! Cute, a little angsty at the end, and then it's happily ever after. I think with the run time they had, everything ran really smoothly. I wasn't a huge fan of the "Ex-returning" trope, felt a bit rushedly added in like they needed a reason for Jun and Haram to have beef. Otherwise, I would've liked it had the ex always worked at the office or maybe was the boss' younger brother, something that's more of a wow factor.

Acting: 8.5/10 - Good! Both the actors did well in understanding their characters and played off of each other well. Not the best acting that I've ever seen, but they sold me on being in love, and isn't that really what matters at the end of the day?

Music: 6/10 - Didn't distract me so it was good!

Recommendation Value: 7.5/10 - Super cute! it's a fast watch so it can be done within a few hours, and most of it is them being super adorable and in love and I love watching love.

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The Potential Was There

Okay look, this series took the cake on the shortest length ever. I thought K-BLs had bad running time, but this one was just bad *italicizes*. Totaling up all the episodes doesn't even get it to an hour, and that's just quite literally insane to me. This production is small, the cast consists of maybe 5-6 people, and the story is all over the place, but the silver lining is that I can see the potential that this could've had had it been thoroughly planned out and much much longer.

Let's Dive In.

It's short, it's rushed, and I don't remember any of the characters' names. But with a run time of 8 minutes for 5 episodes, it can easily happen. Although, what I do remember is that it had a great love triangle, and I mean great. You truly couldn't tell who the lead was going to choose, and it was exciting.

The open ending isn't frustrating just because of the material we got in the first place, and they were probably setting up for a season two, which I have know clue if it'll happen or not.

Ratings:

Story: 3.5/10 - The time jump was hilarious to me because this isn't long enough to literally skip time?? It's rushed, we don't get enough time to learn more about the characters, and I think had this budget been a bit bigger, we could've gotten some really cool things. The love triangle does feel very authentic, so I'll give it at least three stars.

Acting: 8/10 - I actually think these guys could act. I just think they weren't given enough to show their full possibilties. But for what we did get, their potentials' there and I hope to see them again.

Music: 5/10 - I don't remember it.

Recommndation Value: 4/10 - Sadly this is a miss. But it's super short and you would be benefitting a small company by watching, so maybe if you have less than an hour to spear, then go ahead and watch.

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Cute Wittle K-BL

I enjoyed that this series brought me one of two things: easy binge and Omega-X. I've become a fan of them in recent months (After hearing their music all over Korea during my time there) and I ended up becoming a wee bit of a fan. However, I never watched any of their band content or bothered to learn any of the members' names specifically because I remembered that two of them would be premiering in this series, and I live for a surprise. All in all though, I enjoyed this little series, it had a perfect duration time, a great cast, and a pretty decent plot.

Let's Dive In.

Now the leads aren't perfect, but for what it's worth, they did a really fantastic job. I was actually close to dropping this series during the first two episodes because it was giving "My Beautiful Man" and if anyone knows me, they know I loath that series. I'm already not a huge fan of enemies to lovers, but I'm okay with rivalries and competitors and opposing teams, but an actual bully (someone who makes a person's life miserable and quite literally is a genuine bully) to lover concept is hard for me, seeing as I can never understand how someone could fall in love with the person that gives them living hell. But by episode three, it picks up a bit more, it becomes lighthearted teasing, and eventually they become best friends before the lovers part. Actually, I thought episode three was one of the best episodes, and it only picks up from there.

Now on to the actual romance -- I think it dragged in a lot of places, but it was believable enough, so I'm not mad. No kiss which is a tad bit aggravating, but I've been told that there is also no kiss in the Manwha, so I'll leave my feelings out of it. I absolutely loved the last episode, I liked that it was fun and cute and adorable and domestic. It felt very organic and natural and I loved it.

The time jump wasn't very fun, and realistically thinking about it, no one would still be hung up on a crush two years later. but this is fictional, so I'll fuck with it.

Rating:

Story: 8/10 - Followed a steady path from point A to point B. I was actually really intrigued with the whole archery thing, including his rivalry with the other guy. Really nice back-flash storytelling, probably one of my favorite parts. Others were meh, and the friend group was meh, but I think Yeboem (Hogyun) is the cutest thing in the world.

Acting: 9/10 - Really good. Some meh parts, but it was pretty good!

Music: 8.5/10 - I liked it! Obviously, because Omega X was singing their OSTs lol.

Recommendation Value: 7.5/10 - It's really freaking cute, and I think anyone can easily enjoy this. It's not perfect, but it's an easy binge and you get to see some pretty adorable guys act in love.

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Nostalgia of TOTS is Why This Series Means Everything And More to Me

If anyone knows me, you'll know my incredible love for TOTS (A Tale of Thousand Stars) which aired back in 2021. Even still to this day, TOTS is my favorite BL of all time, and nothing has surpassed it. Some series have come close, some even teetering over the line, but at the end of the day, TOTS came first. It drove something in me so hard that I still had never felt what I felt when I watched that series. And boy oh boy, has Love Tractor rekindled some of those feelings.

Let's Dive In.

Now, Love Tractor was amazing times 10, but still, TOTS comes in first, only because TOTS had more detail and just a tad bit more story to tell than LT did. And if my comparisons of the two series haven't made sense yet, then let me clarify. Both TOTS and LT involve my all-time favorite trope -- city boy meets country boy. We don't often get these kinds of tropes, so when we do get them, I'm all over that shit like butter. And what makes it better is when they take place in the very rural countryside where the wifi half works and motherfuckers are feeding cows and shit. Both shows even had similar characters (Tian's dad/Yul's dad, Yod/the-white-dude-who's-name-I-can't-remember-and-he's-not-listed-on-MDL), similar plot moments (Leads helping with the children, playing in a river stream, fainting, playing music at night hoping to serenade the other, etc), and similar settings (Countryside, city boy learning to adapt to a rural lifestyle, fruit/vegetable harvesting, the nice villagers that welcome the newcomer). My love for this trope will never die, and I think it's actually impossible for me to ever rate a series like these ones lower than a 9.

Anyways (and I'll try to stop comparing things to TOTS because both series are still very opposite of one another as well) Love Tractor immediately grabbed my heart in the first episode. I was actually here for the mildly terrifying setup of Yul embarking on a dark and stormy night in the middle of nowhere (Cause sadly I've been there), and as a viewer, it drew me in immediately. But what drew me in more is getting to really meet Yechan for the first time and learning that he's a big ass teddy bear stuck in a macho man's body. No seriously, I want more Yechan's in my life and in my series. I can't describe to you how much love I have for him. This quirky, kind, loving, nurturing, perfect man who is down to do anything for anyone with the fattest smile on his face, whilst walking around with a God-like figure. And bravo to Dojin (Yechan) who blew his performance clean out of the water. The best I've ever seen an actor perform a character. His facial expressions, his postures, the emotions in his words -- like literally magnificent.

This series doesn't have much more time than the usual K-BL (about 20 minutes each 8 eps) but still, everything was well set up, from the beginning to the end. No plot holes, no bad pacing, and the best slow-burn money could buy you. I know lots of people hate a slow burn, but I, for one, am never going to turn my head away from amazing yearning, longing stares, simple touches, and underlying dialogue of confessions. And Love Tractor gave all that to me wrapped up in a pretty bow.

I also appreciated how this series gives us very minimal conflict given that we don't have all the time in the world, because again, the series is a bit longer than most K-BLs, but it's still not long enough to have a fully flesh-out conflict. The conflict that we did have was resolved rather quickly, and without deterring the connection between the two characters. Yul's ex-boyfriend's plot made sense (a little out of the blue), however, I wish we would've seen the flashback to him and his boyfriend before we see Inseo visit. Honestly, that's my only critique. Also, they had some colorism going on there between Yechan and his mom, which was *an image of finger guns to my head*, but this is Korea, so I'll give it a scoff, and just walk away.

One more thing, the series does an amazing job of not paying too much attention to Yechan discovering that he likes a man, or is queer, and it's literally just a cute little series with him having gay panic, but make it fluffy.

Ratings:

Story - 8.5/10 - flowed like a perfect wave. The only argument I have is the ex-boyfriend setup.

Acting: 9.5/10 - spectacular! I think Dojin outshines Won who's like our main main character, but he still did a good job too.

Music: 8/10 - paid attention this time. Really good! Especially Yul's song!

Recommendation Value: 10/10 - I would recommend this in a heartbeat. It's going on my potential of being my favorite for the year, already being placed as my favorite K-BL of all time. Beautiful storytelling, gorgeous actors, and a light-hearted romance. What more could I ask for?

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So Good, But Too Short

Too bad this series is so short and to the point because it stands out tremendously in many aspects. It's the reason I can't give this series higher than an 8, because out of all the good things that happened, its brevity and lack of details withdraw it from being, in my opinion, one of the best.

Let's Dive In.

Our Dating Sim is an office romance that for once didn't have me falling asleep with futile office jargon, or too much time spent watching them work. It was a nice balance of story, romance, and the very slice of video game language that we do get. Ki-Tae is wrapped around the finger of Wan, who confessed his love in high school but then out of embarrassment (and a misunderstanding) runs away and can't be found for the next seven years. Through his online webcomic, Ki-Tae is able to find him again and gain him entry into his game development job, as they try over again. I think the story was beautiful. The way Ki-Tae is so heartbroken about Wan's disappearance, the way we see it again in the later episodes. The consistency of it was faultless, but with the show's little timing, I'd hope they'd be on top of it.

I think my only argument is that because of how short it was, the romance is rushed. even though both actors give off exuberant chemistry, their getting together felt hurried, with nothing but a simple (but fucking awesome) kiss being their reason to get back together. And lost time and all that, I get it, but still, less than a week of reconciling doesn't mean getting together immediately.

Other than that, everything was good. The friendships in the office, the flashbacks to high school, their domestic home life, their connection, the natural chemistry between them, how they look at one another, touch one another, kiss one another. I even really appreciated the mini-dating sim game at the end of each episode, I think it was a perfect touch.

Ratings:

Story: 8.5/10 - Too short, so things were a bit rushed, but they still gave more story than other series. Because everything else was pretty perfect, The score is still very decently high.

Acting: 9/10 - Great! Especially Seungyu (Ki-Tea or Eddy) who carried emotions very well.

Music: 6/10 - I can't keep forgetting to listen to music like this every time, but again, I literally don't remember.

Recommendation value: 8.5/10 - It's a super cute watch, and if people do enjoy watching short series, then this is a good one because you can finish it in less than 3 hours.

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Unintentionally in Love with this K-BL

I've seen a few comments from people explaining how this series didn't feel just stuck in the "K-BL" category for once, but that it branches out into the "K-Drama" field as well. It has everything that a basic K-drama would have, and more. We also get a good amount of episodes that are at least 30 minutes, which didn't only take me 2 hours and a daiquiri to finish.

Let's Dive In.

Since I've freed up some of my hectic space (living in Korea for 4 months lol) I've decided to come back and hop onto the K-BL genre first. I'm glad I started with this once or else I could've very easily fallen back into a "BL-Block" hole. Unintentional Love Story was surprisingly so well put together. Down to the very budget of this series, it provided a perfect amount of drama, comedy, and romance. The story is a pretty basic setup, but throw in some cute actors, a decent budget, as well as pottery, and you have yourself a success story.

I think its weakest aspect was, of course without surprise, the kiss scenes. They would completely sell me with their chemistry and then ruin it with a dead fish kiss. I'd rather they'd not kiss cause the two leads actually had a great connection. Even their hugs and little longing stares were nice. I just wish they would've taken that extra step to really sell me on it, or had just not committed to it at all. But this is a little complaint, and the kissing didn't necessarily ruin the series for me, but with the BL industry somewhat booming right now, it's the small details like this that will bring them further down than the rest.

The secondary couple was doing so great, with their storytelling and intricate plot, but then it falls a little at the end. I wish they would've gone more in-depth with their romance, but I'm not upset with what we got. I like that we're seeing the second couple in K-BLs now, it's a really nice touch.

Rating:

Story: 8.5/10 - The plot was the best part. The script is well done, the actors commit to their roles and pull them off perfectly. Some parts were a bit draggy, mostly the office jargon that I usually yawn at. I wish they would've done some more with the secondary couple, but it wasn't a total bust.

Acting: 9/10 - Great! Wonyoung stood out the best, Taejoon not too far behind. The rest of the actors were good, they truly did a great job. Some hiccups, but overall, it's good.

Music - 6.5/10 - I didn't pay attention to the music (like I usually don't) but I couldn't help but think that some of the background music felt like I was watching a Hallmark movie. Just made me giggle a bit.

Recommendation value: 7.5/10 - Would really recommend this one, a perfect dose of good story and good romance.

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Decent

Nothing spectacular, nothing disappointing. Amerio Paradox was simply just a series that existed. It's one of those series that will be quickly forgotten about once I move on to the next BL. However, it did bring on a fun little twist, some pretty complex characters, and a somewhat fresh storyline.

Let's Dive In.

This was my first BL that followed along with journalism and the life of being a paparazzi. It's fun to see the aspects of how being in such a career works, the ins and outs, the ups and downs. I like that Kaburagi has a specific way in which he likes to handle his news rather than other people. I respect this art and craft cause it's obviously not easy knowing that you could be the reason for destroying a person's life.

Moving on from that, the romance between the main pairing is just okay. Kaburagi can be too stoic at times, and Onoe sometimes looks like he doesn't like Kaburagi at all, even when it's revealed he does. They have good moments, and then other moments are pretty dead. This is why I'm 50/50 with this pairing because I liked them, except they barely brought on anything new for me to really like them.

I liked the story more than the romance. I was more intrigued with Jiro (I think that was the guy's name) and his character arc which was pretty complex for a supporting role.

Ratings:

Story: 7/10 - It was fun! like I said, I like the story more than the actual romance, so I'll take off a few stars since the romance should be more important, but it barely delivers.

Acting: 8/10 - Good! Kaburagi was a little stoic, but that was more of a character choice than the acting.

Music: 6/10 - I didn't pay attention to it so it wasn't distracting. Good.

Recommendation Value: 5/10 - Ehh, watch it, don't watch it, it's up to you. It's nothing spectacular, it's okay, a decent watch, but there are better J-BLs out there. This falls into the same category as other J-BLs I've watched - decent, but pretty forgetful.

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Fluffy First Love Story

I finished this way long ago, but I'm so busy that I just haven't found the time to write a review, but here I am! My School President was the perfect mix of fun, silly, serious, and enjoyable. We had some very lovely actors in this series that have made this so much fucking fun to watch. Here's to the start of a lovely new pairing *clinks wine glasses*!

My School President has about the most basic plot ever; some high schools are creating a band and falling in love, the end. But really what makes this series so great is because of the actors and the script. I've also missed watching these kinds of stories, especially between high schoolers and them falling in love for the first time. It's so new and perfect and brilliant and Gemini and Forth do such a good job at portraying such a simplistic, yet deep emotion.

Honestly, there's not much else to say, the story is just that good. The entire cast and crew were able to put together a series that is rather basic, but they make it thrilling and entertaining. I still am not a huge fan of the singing and such, so I kind of skipped through all of that, but besides that, this series is nearly perfect.

Ratings:

Story: 8.5/10: Again, it's a simple story, but it's depicted in the best way possible. That's due to a really good cast, and some even better directing.

Acting: 9/10: Forth and Gemini did a fantastic job, I literally can't wait to see them in future projects! The same goes for the rest of the cast, everyone contributed to this series being one of GMMTV's top 10's in my book.

Music: 8/10 - the singing that I did sit through was good (it's just that I don't like it in series), so because of that, I'll give it a pretty high score.

Recommendation Value: 8/10 - It's the perfect first BL to get into for anyone interested in starting. It's also very lighthearted (for the most part) and gentle to watch. I won't recommend it for anyone wanting some deep story, but if you're just looking for something fun to watch, then this is it!

GMMTV did right by having MSP be the starter of BLs for 2023. Now they've set a bar and I hope the rest of what's coming out this year doesn't disappoint.

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Not that Bad

TDWBMD was pretty decent. It had its moments, but for the most part, I was fucking with it. I think its only problem is that it's too short so the plot kind of falls on itself and doesn't correlate a hundred percent with what it's trying to be. But nonetheless, it was an okay watch, not very memorable, but I was entertained for the moment and that's all that matters.

Let's Dive In.

The series is pretty short, so the story is rushed perse, but something's kind of off. I really started to enjoy the series the closer we got to the end because it packed in a lot more than the beginning did. The romance feels a little dead between the MLs, it picks up in some parts, but it's not the best. I really stayed for the plot cause that's what intrigued me the most -- especially Denis. The only thing about denis is that we don't get a proper explanation as to who he was, or who he was being controlled by. We can connect the dots to see, but I'm not entirely sure if we're correct. They might've set that up on purpose for a season 2, which, in my rare cases, I'd be happy to see.

The ending was left ambiguous, so it works out if there's to be a second season. I want to see what happens to Denis since some of the people who read the manhwa said he plays a major part in why Dongbeak doesn't die.

Rating:

Story: 7/10 - Decent The plot is intriguing which is why I was kept entertained. Some holes here and there, and I'm not all that interested in the romance part of this.

Acting; 8.5/10 - Youngwoon is hot, but his acting is only okay. It might've been cause he has to play this stoic boss person, but his acting doesn't connect for me. On the other hand, Jeongwoo did an excellent job.

Music: 6/10 - I wasn't paying attention to it.

Recommendation Value: 5.5/10 - Personally, there are better K-BLs to recommend, so this wouldn't be first on my list. But it's pretty good, just really short which is its downfall.

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