There are not many BLs emanating from Cambodia and certainly recently only sporadically. And that is too bad. Much like Vietnam, they tend to tell comprehensive narratives of love from a perspective of a solid beginning, an intensively creative middle, and a romantic end. In addition to telling a chronology in a simply ordinary manner, for which the storytelling creates the feeling that anyone’s life can end up being a fairytale romance. They are stories about ordinary people meeting their love in unexpected everyday ways as well. These moments highlight the allure of chance encounters in love, quietly drawing us in and making us believe that everyone has the potential to be loved.
All posts by PPBongi
“Koi Naam Na Do” Series Review (Ep.1 to 7)
“I have been and – and always shall be – your friend.” – ‘Quote from Star Trek
“Let Me In Your Heart” Series Review (Ep.1 to 10)
Here again is another BL that I desperately wanted to like. And oh, did it have some fine moments in it. Perhaps it might STILL not be registering, without hard proof, of course (because it is difficult to obtain accurate numbers), that the majority of the BL audience may not be Thai or, at the very least, might be very evenly distributed. While the story certainly does not have to appeal to the non-Thai audience, nonetheless, that fact must be taken into consideration. So, the understanding that a large part of the audience might not know the nuances, intricacies, or subtlety of something so unique like Likay. I reviewed this series from a perspective that I know nothing about Likay Thai dance. For me, this was discernably unique, beautiful, exotic, mesmerizing, colorful, and captivating.
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“Mujhe Rang De” (An Unusual Beginning) Series Review (Ep.1 to 7)
Loosely translated, the title of this series means ‘Color me’ and that is an apt description of this mosaic enterprise as it is a mixture of human drama along with a vibrancy of artistic expression. I hesitate to label it as a BL because it is clearly not; yet it is a love story. The protagonists are adult gay men navigating societal norms and challenges that stem from enduring repressive attitudes regarding acceptable sexual behavior in their contemporary world. This is a story of two men who fall in love while facing societal judgments about their relationship. For theirs is a society that is hardly ‘open’ to having two men fall in love and even more intolerant of them staying together. The story is honest, blunt, and full of pain. Oh, their pain is insidiously underwhelming, which makes it perhaps even more acute. What would or could overcome the pain? Love.
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“Love Begins in the World of What If” Series Review (Ep.1 to 6)
With the Japanese so steep in traditions, rich in culture, and bursting with beautiful folklore, it is no wonder that they have a tale surrounding a mystical mirror that would allow you to enter into a world where you would become your idealized self where you are then the person that you really want to have others see you as. At a turning point in his life, Kano (Daigo Kotaro) takes the path to the mirror and makes his wish- that others in his just newly transferred department would see him differently. More like one of them than an isolated loner. In particular, he would like his ace and mentor Ogami (Nakagawa Daisuke) to view him more favorably than he does.
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“Sereno” Series Review (Ep.1 to 10)
“It is okay to make mistakes and stumble in life as long as you stand up in life.” – Quote from Sereno
“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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The BL Xpress 