“It is okay to make mistakes and stumble in life as long as you stand up in life.” – Quote from Sereno
All posts by PPBongi
“Reloved” Series Review (Ep.1 to 10)
Sometimes story ideas come along that are so dumb and so mind-numbingly bad, you wonder how you sat through it without completely losing your own sense of reality. Honestly, this is one of the dumbest ideas for a plot I have seen and even adding adorably cute kids to the mix could not salvage this mess. You know you are also in trouble when throughout the series, flashbacks while the protagonists were in college 5 years previously looking the same as they do now. When a series that relies so heavily on days-gone-by without considering that they might have changed in 5 years, you know you have a weak story, and this is one of the most mediocre BLs I have ever seen.
“My Little Ghost” Series Review (Ep.1 to 10)
This is such a gem that speaks softly and gently to you. I would have completely missed it except for a fortuitous lull in my day. Once I began to watch it, I could not believe what a transcendental sonnet it truly was. As it is almost always the case with Vietnamese BLs, this is another story that is filled with élan vital. ALL Vietnamese BLs have a moral to them – an end towards which they are working towards which is redemptive in nature. But here, its didactic teaching is so full of life, fun, joy, humanity, and finally attainment. Yet its road to gratification must traverse a path of unbearable sadness, internal pain, relive painful memories, and finally face personal loss. Does that sound oxymoronic? Perhaps but is not life itself full of paradoxes? While allegorical, it is so explicative of life.
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“Interminable” Series Review (Ep.1 to 12)
This series impressed me with its insightful portrayal of gay love. By far, it is one of the best Thai BLs to have been produced in a very, very long time, with one of the best acted as well. And I do not say that for mere puffery. I was completely and totally absorbed by this astonishing historical/fantasy series. This is a drama best experienced by thinking of it as a theater-in-the-round play, rather than a lakorn. Its nuances and chains of events have to be focused on in general, otherwise one could get lost in its details. Perhaps that is its lack, although I found its cinematography uniquely inspiring. It requires a certain embracement of concepts, at least for Westerners, that are esoteric in nature. One must be absorbed by the story itself to appreciate its evolutions.
“The Love Never Sets” Series Review (Ep.1 to 13)
This is another example of a BL production that, while visually appealing, does ultimately fall short in terms of overall quality when examined more closely. I am not sure when this parade of drivel is ever going to stop, and we will start to get quality Thail BLs that have some mastery to them.
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“Awaiting Dawn” Series Review (Ep.1 to 12)
This is anthology, an omnibus of human experiences that happen to all of us at one time or another in our lives. Realities involve falling in love, losing it, or perhaps realizing we never really had it in the first place. Being ever so cautious of the next time, yet it is feeling so right. Experiences involve making mistakes in life but being able to move forward from those mistakes. It is a treatise of how we live up to family expectations yet be ourselves. Constant searching for the right answers to questions, on whether we give up love to pursue our dreams or stay behind with the one we love. With so many other daily decisions in between.
“A Man Who Defies The World of BL Final” Series Review (Ep.1 to 6)
To be sure, this story is a lot more of the same. A few more BL tropey ‘flags’ that trigger Bl developments were introduced that Mob (Inukai Atsuhiro) wiggles out from with seemingly little enthusiasm or creativity to them. Just like he did in all the other seasons. This time, honestly, I did not find any of it even funny or humorous. It felt old and came across as the usual modus operandi. Even his parents seemed relegated to a more tertiary role. And his brother was, well, just his brother. It was all more-of-the-same. Everyone looked – tired and ready to move on.
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“A Man Who Defies The World of BL 2024” Series Review (Ep.1 to 6)
While I have a great affinity for Seasons One and Two of this series, this set left me just a tad feeling deprived. It felt ‘empty’ and a bit stale. While certainly entertaining and funny overall, it lost a bit of its magic; at least for me. However, its ending did redeem itself.
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“Chosen Home” Series Review (Ep.1 to 10)
“A chosen family is where you are accepted, where you are seen, where you are loved.” – Oprah
“A Nice Indian Boy” Movie Review
What an enchanting and funny movie this is! In addition to being so relatable to everyone even though it is centered around an Indian family. The issues that arise may seem unique to the Indian culture but candidly, they are not. Predicaments with parents and family dynamics are universal and are culturally neutral. That is what made this movie so captivating. It can be universally understood (except by the homophobes, of course) and they gave us a splash of Bollywood at the end!
The BL Xpress 