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.
All posts by PPBongi
“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.
“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’.
“Our Golden Times” Series Review (Ep.1 to 6)
Honestly, I was not expecting this short web series to be so effective and poignant. But it truly is! And I was surprised by its effectiveness. Where it fell flat was its lack of fully committing itself to the romance.
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“Love Sick” Series Review (Ep.1 to 15)
I hate to be so brutally honest, but this is one of the worst BLs of 2024. Literally, everything about this series, except perhaps the acting, was uninspiring. Although the young performers did a ‘yeoman’s job’ in trying to keep this shipwreck afloat, they alone could not salvage this complete mess from sinking. Honestly, to say otherwise, is living in a fantasy-land and not dealing with any sense of reality. It is a tepid story with a fragmented screenplay, ineptly directed, disjointedly executed, and undoubtedly should never have been (re)made. The only plus about this series literally is that they had the appropriate aged actors and actresses for the roles. They were young, attractive, innocent in real life, and tried their best to make sense of a story that was essentially senseless. Full disclosure, I did not watch the first ‘Love Sick’, so this was all ‘new’ to me. Thus, I cannot compare it to the original. Besides, this is a stand-alone production and ought to be judged on its own merits or faults.
“The Renovation” Series Review (Ep.1 & 2)
This is romantic imagery at its best. I thoroughly enjoyed this series and did not see it as bad as some comments about this series have stated. While I am hardly one to dispute another person’s opinion of a series, this one, I think, was misunderstood. It is a gay soap-opera, not meant to be deep or intense. I loved it because it is not pretentious in any way. What you see is literally what you get. A stardust between two guys who found each other at exactly the right time in their lives. Will it work out? Will it last? Who knows, but it sure was a fun romp. The story itself is congenial, entertaining, and enjoyable. Nothing more and does not pretend to be anything but that.
“Haunted Hearts” Series Review (Ep.1 to 7)
Hidden gem. That is what this series is. While it is not perfect, it certainly is one of the more entertaining BLs of this year. To be sure, most Filipino BLs are a bit more adventuresome in their amorous scenes, which made this series surprisingly tame. Yet it does have a smorgasbord of everything in it. Horror, comedy, romance, pathos, redemption, and a heaping amount of love. And for me, it will be something I shall watch around Halloween every year. It is one of those series that makes you feel good about a holiday and in this case that is most definitely Halloween. It shall be my Halloween BL classic to watch every year!
“I Saw You in My Dream” Series Review (Ep.1 to 12)
Wasted potential. That is what this BL was, which is such a shame as the premise was initially entertaining. Then it slipped into banality and triteness.
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“People Come Later” Series Review (Ep.1 to 4)
This is an astonishing gem of a series that is packed with so much sagacity and common sense, it almost overwhelms your own sense of value. I have seen so many endings that are artificially contrived to be happy but here is one that does not. And I lamented as I really wanted one. But the reality is that not everyone in life has one. And in this case, the choice was made, deliberately, not to have one. Unquestionably, this series is one of the most powerful BLs I have seen this year. It is astonishing but unfortunately, will not be seen by many because it is a low budget production, the quality is imperfect in places, and the story is just too real for most BL fanatics. This story is about ordinary life. That in and of itself makes it unique and unfortunately not within the mainstream of the BL genre. Vietnam has a masterful way of presenting its series with genuineness and reality. This is no exception.
Continue reading “People Come Later” Series Review (Ep.1 to 4)
“Blue Canvas of Youthful Days” Series Review (Ep.1 to 12)
Ah, shucks! This series started out so promising with fantastic characters. I was hooked and consumed by the story – initially. Who would not be? A rich kid trying to escape from his abusive father. A marginalized young man with ginormous artistic skills. An astonishingly handsome young man with a hearing loss trying to make it in a world cruel to him. And an art teacher operating an art school on a shoestring budget and who turns to alcohol to try to deal with an insane mother. Plus, a grandfather suffering from early stages of dementia. Wow! I am totally in.
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