All posts by PPBongi

“Ossan’s Love Thailand” Series Review (Ep.1 to 12)

The saying that ‘imitation is the sincerest form of flattery’ is not always true. This series proved that. I shall come right out and say it. This is one of the worst BLs I have ever seen and one of the worst supposed remakes I have ever seen as well. To put it bluntly, this version was fatuous. Everything about it is. The production. The acting. The story. The plot. Hardly any of it even resembles the originality of the Japanese version. That had humanity. It had heart. Most importantly, it had authenticity sprinkled with humor, grace, and tons of human emotions. I can categorically tell you that the original Japanese version of Ossan’s Love was a masterpiece. This is simply a farce. Before you start clutching your pearls and calling me names, let me explain my reasons.

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“Best Friend” Series Review (Ep.1 to 4)

This is a stunning and beautiful short BL that while soft in its approach speaks volumes in the message. Paing Kha (Khay Han) has lived with his best friend Tun Ko (Shin Ye Htut) for many years. To say they are close would be an understatement. There is a fervid attachment between them that goes deeper than friendship but is not quite sensual. Much like a hand to a glove. They seem on the surface to be connected to the same tree of life.

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“A Perfect Match” Series Review (Ep. 1 to 10)

Occasionally, when you are watching something, you just get a sense that you are going to be affected by it. And in this rather short series (just about 2 hours long total), you get a feeling you are going to smile and be delighted when it concludes. And that is exactly what this beautiful mini-BL series does to you. It is so entertaining and so well crafted, you might feel that if you had not watched this, you would have sensed something was missing from your life. It is that good. The whole story unfolds so beautifully with the perfect cast that you begin to feel immersed in the presentation itself.

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“The Heart Killers” Series Review (Ep.1 to 12)

It is exceptionally rare for me to begin a review with who I think literally steals this series from everyone. There is only one reason to watch this series. And that is because this story has Style. Style gave this series distinction. He IS the series and the only reason I finished this rather mundane and pedestrian story. Dunk Natachai as the character of Style brought such uniqueness to his persona from the beginning. Layered with arrogance, shallowness, pomposity and yet underlying it all was still a sense of sincerity. I could observe that he began his pursuit of Fadel (Joong Archen) simply as a challenge in the beginning. But once he undertook to know who Fadel was, he fell for him, hard and began to peel away at his exterior gruff layers, much like you peel an onion. As he did so with Fadel, he also peeled away at his own layers of shallowness surrounding himself. As he got Fadel to open his soul to him, he too did the same. With Dunk’s characterization however, I could sense and feel it deeply. His facial features and the way he looked at Fadel were not just about acting. It felt real. And oh, his love scenes with Fadel were not just fervently romantic; they were simply hot, erotic, and alluring. It has been ages, especially for a Thail BL, for me to actually feel a sensuousness emanating from an individual. He exuded it. Not only in words but in his expressions and his actions. It has also been a long time since I have been able to use the outdated term ‘it factor’ but he has it. He is the whole package. I never once felt as if he was faking it or ‘acting’ it out. He was genuine, sincere, even when he was being perhaps impish and immature in his approach to winning Fadel over. Deep-down, he projected such passion and intensity that he is the only Thai BL actor in an inordinate length of time that felt authentic. When he kissed, it looked sensual, seductive, and steamy. Excuse my vernacular, but his actions were hedonic, and his scenes made him tantalizingly erotic. Not afraid or ashamed to show it or be it. Something that has been missing in Thai BLs. He is an exceptional actor as he made it look so nature and unguarded. What a performance and kudos for making it feel so damn genuine.

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“I’ll Turn Back This Time” Series Review (Ep.1 to 6)

Admittedly, this is one of the most disconcerting BLs I have ever watched. While apocalyptic in nature, it does not quite end that way, although, given that it is from China, can be a matter of interpretation. I honestly do not know what to make of its ending. If you are an optimist, then the cracking of the ensorcelled pendent means the curse has been broken. If you are a pessimist, then you view the cracking of the charmed pendant as a fait accompli. You must decide which on your own.

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“Twosome Boys” Series Review (Ep.1 to 6)

This is best described as an anecdote BL. For me it was a bit cryptic and hard to follow. The screenplay might have made sense in Korean. Maybe it was due to translation issues or merely not understanding Korean culture very well, but I did not understand the nuances of the plot. The overall story, however, is a familiar, tried and true, standard one. Tropey. Cliché. Stereotypical. Parts of it did intrigue me and I kind of liked it, despite not fully grasping where it wanted to go.

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“Khat- The Lust” Series Review (Ep.1 to 3)

This is NOT a BL but a gay story of love instead. As the title implies, this is a saga of lust. Loosely translated, the title means ‘thirsty’, and in a way that more aptly describes this story. It is an account of a sexual fervor that manifests itself in a reality we are unaccustomed to in the BL world. While the BL world is fantasy, this diegesis is anchored in realism. Like most Vietnamese BLs, this premise is also rooted in a world of authenticity. However, its ending becomes unambiguously romantic. It simply takes a different route than the usual formulaic path of a BL. Frankly, this one is based on what happens between two young men drawn to each other in the real world through eroticism. Uncolored. Unfettered. Unvarnished. But not in any way ribald.

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“Winter is not the Death of Summer but the Birth of Spring” Series Review (Ep.1 to 5)

The title of this series alone had me hooked since it is so esoteric. This whole series is unique in that despite its dark surroundings, it is still a human connection that binds two people together and that might be the requisite for survival in their world. Perhaps without that, the days and nights become a crestfallen abyss. If that connection is a form of love, then let it be named so. All I know is that this throw-away series is an exceptional and phenomenal series that says more with less.

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