All posts by PPBongi

“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 It has also been a long time since I have been able to use the outdated term ‘it factor’ but he has it.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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Worst BL Dramas (Nadirs) of 2023-2024

Nadirs are the lowest points or the rock-bottoms of something and these for me are the lowest points of all the BL series I watched in 2024. I did not distinguish by number as they all are equally bathos. One, however, is the worst for me.

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“Bad to Bed” Series Review (Ep.1 to 10)

Confounding, convoluted, deeply disturbing but brilliant! Just Brilliant! It makes no sense. Yet it does. This might seem like an oxymoron but what you are watching is a journey. A journey through the mind of a deeply disturbed young man as he tries to cope with living with an almost unfathomable trauma. It is his stream-of-consciousness displayed in all its resplendence for us to see and participate in. This series is so creative not only in story but also in presentation. I have no doubt that most will intensely dislike it because it just does not fit into any traditional standard of presentation. Through much of it, you may be confused and might scratch your head and ask yourself, “What am I watching?” However, be forewarned, by the end, you may be forced to confront your own sense of reality.

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“Fake Buddies” Series Review (Ep.1 to 7)

Refreshingly cute and fluffy. Words I never thought I would use in a written review of a BL/GL, yet here they are. Additionally, everything is fake- the whole set up, fake. And that is what made it so enjoyable. It is a story of two close male friends and two close female friends who by happenstance were forced to confront a whole new reality for themselves as ‘couples’.

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