Category Archives: Vietnamese Reviews

Vietnamese Reviews

“My Sweet Brother-in-law” Series Review (Ep.1 to 5)

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There is so much to unpack in this short series. It is a prodigious tale as well. Initially, the way it was presented felt as if it might be a light, even comedic tongue-in-cheek story. Full of fun. But true to the nature of Vietnamese BLs, it emerges into realness. The human drama becomes honest, sincere, and relatable especially because of what happens when we simply are unable to truly be ourselves. It is a story of gayness and the inability to be free and open about who you are and the person you love. The Vietnamese have mastered the perfection of being able to portray these emotions with such intensity.

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Vietnamese Reviews

“Fight for Love” Series Review (Ep.1 to 7)

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This is yet again another winning BL from Vietnam. It is so definitive in its outcome and perhaps you can see it ending in the same way I did. Satisfying. The whole story unfolds right before you in a magnificent panoramic sweep. Funny. Sad. Poignant. Ordinary. But always entertaining. Always. And so relatable. Almost everything in this story, one can relate to or perhaps have even experienced in some form or another. They can take the ordinariness of living and make it seem extraordinary. Making the issues we face on a daily basis and seeing the traumas we have experienced come to life helps us get the picture of how that impacted our own persona. Perhaps we may not seem important, but our issues certainly are, and we get to see that through them. They visualize our experiences to make them real, impactful, and powerful. At the very least truncate the sum total to see how it does affect us. That has always been the beauty of Vietname BLs. It makes the ordinary seem prominent. And they validate our feelings, failings, and foibles along the way. In a sense, we find we are pretty much the same as everyone else.

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Vietnamese Reviews

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

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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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Vietnamese Reviews

“People Come Later” Series Review (Ep.1 to 4)

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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.

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Vietnamese Reviews

“Under the Oak Tree” Series Review (Ep.1 to 10)

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This series, without wanting to sound hyperbolic, is in an instant classic category and in essence prototypical. It is one of the most remarkable BLs I have ever seen or perhaps will ever see. It is that good. It is certainly unique. True to Vietnamese BLs, it is a series that digs deep into the internal onuses of humanity and its various components of human passions. I have stated this before and shall state it again. Some of the finest, if not the finest BLs come from Vietnam. They tell deeply insightful stories of humanity that have heart and aspiration and tell it in a way that underlying it all is still the message of hope. And they tell these stories in ways that if we listen and observe, can help us change to become better individuals. The narratives are just remarkable.

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Vietnamese Reviews

“The Servant and the Young Master” Series Review (Ep.1 to 7)

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Once again, the Vietnamese prove their superiority in BL story telling over other countries with their big budgets and slick productions. Not only do they portray a human story, but, because of budget constraints, do so in a short period. Can you imagine if they had the money to put on full productions what these BLs would be like? And yet, the interest in Vietnamese BLs is obviously nowhere near those of Thai or Korean, which I find sad and disheartening. Why? Because most of these stories are relatable, connect to us personally, and genuinely touch us on an emotional level. This one is no exception to that axiom. It tells a deeply profound story not just in acting but in words as well. This is very well written.

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