#this show WAS maxtul from beginning to end

[waitmyturtles]

I AM CRRRAAACCCKKING UP AT THIS ENDING

BUT

To see MaxTul like that as well — CHEF’S KISS.

Y’all: THAT WAS A GREAT SHOW. 100% belonged on the OGMMTVC syllabus! I cannot WAIT to write about it.

Okay, for not being a BL, Manner of Death is a REALLY GOOD BL! Complete with an incredibly cute side couple in ThatSorn and TENDER GAY UNCLES! Come awn!!!

[bunnakit]

Current Tag game

@aikinn tagged me in this AGES ago and i totally forgot

Current Time: 10:21pm (GMT-7)

Current activity: slowly getting some work emails done, obsessing over and planning 'one more time' (my gumpayok timeloop fic)

Currently thinking about: what other piercings i could get bc i want more

Current favourite song: i've been listening to a lot of fluke gawin songs lately (this live show with his beautiful haunting intro makes my heart do flippies) but the big one i've been listening to on repeat is Blink-182 "One More Time" for uhh, probably obvious fic-related reasons (pls dont forget i'm old and grew up with blink-182, this song punches me right in the gut)

Currently reading: i'm currently rereading "Reforged" by Seth Haddon and adding annotations and then i'll be reading the sequel "Reborn" - Seth is an absolute sweetheart and encouraged me to begin writing my own novel and i cannot recommend his books enough, especially for big medieval fantasy BL enjoyers.

Currently watching: Together With Me, it's terrible but i really need a maxtul fix

Recently Watched: Triage and we all saw how that fucked me up emotionally (positive)

Current WIP: "One More Time" My GumpaYok time loop fic where Yok passes away shortly after the protest at the end of the show. His absence is felt like a gaping hole in the group and Gumpa blames himself for putting him in that position - if he'd never known Gumpa, never been influenced by him, he'd still be alive and safe. The boys drift apart; Sean and White move out of the garage, Gram distances himself entirely from everyone, Black disappears entirely (and only maintains minimal contact with White,) and Gumpa isolates himself in the garage that now feels like a mausoleum to his waking shambling corpse of the man he used to be. If only things could have been different.

Tags: i'm the worst tagger bc i never know who has already done this so uuhh whoever wants to I'M SORRY IT'S SUCH A COP OUT

[bldramagalore]

Hi, do you have any favorite doctor characters from any series or dramas you've watched? Who are your top 10, if any? Thanks.

Hi anon ! Top 10 is maybe a little much since i don't have that many in mind but I'm sure I can manage a top 5 😂

5) Plakao in Wandee Goodday. I recently got to that one and it wasn't a new favorite exactly but I did love Drake in it. I wasn't expecting an ace character to begin with and I also really liked that they used having a main character as a doctor to talk about sex and STIDS in a more serious and professional manner. I wish they had actually explored his storyline way more but eh baby steps I guess.

4) J(w)ay from Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist. It's probably too early to put him here but I am manifesting me loving STGD and Mark Pakin's first lead role 🙏

3) Tyme from 4 minutes. Honestly this is just based on vibes and me liking the show because if anything Tyme was probably one of the characters I was the least interested in (don't kill me) in the begining but he really grew on me by the end. Also every scene of him and Great at the hospital in the beginning cracked me up.

2) Third in Century of Love. I love San but Century of Love is for sure a show that made me feel for the guy that doesn't get the main lead with doctor Third and him being the best support out there for Vee.

1) My favorite has to be Dr. Bun from Manner of Death ! He's still the first doctor that comes to mind when I think doctor and bl together. Still miss MaxTul too.

I'm also ready to be swept up by First and Jimmy in the new JimmySea show they're filming as they both seem to be playing doctors.

[that-bl-bitch]

Ok so I decided to do a favorite bl dramas of 2021 even though no ones asked lol, although looking back at everything I watched this year I really didn’t watch that many at least compared to 2020, like I really slacked on my bl watching this year like at one point I was watching 12 or 14 at one time (this included like older completed ones too as well as airing shows) now if I’m watching 5 or 6 I feel overwhelmed which is so frustrating so if I was setting a bl related resolution it would be to get back to that 12-14 territory, anyways I've watched around 20 something dramas give or take some short films and movies but just to focus on the dramas of it all for this list, although I didn’t watch that many this year I still feel like I watched some very good ones and I very very happy with every single show on this list that being said let’s get into it.

**DISCLAIMER** these are not in any specific order like best to least or anything like that cause it would absolutely break my brain and my heart to rank them

**P.S** spoilers for some of the shows I’m gonna talk about if you haven’t got to them yet

#1) WE BEST LOVE: NO. 1 FOR YOU

Ok not much to say about this one just really solid and I really enjoyed it and the fact that it’s only 6 episodes but felt like a full long series is really something, great story, great acting, great chemistry a full chefs kiss

#2) WE BEST LOVE: FIGHTING MR.2ND

Same thing like the first one I really enjoyed it and the angst in this one is next level like just the right amount for me personally, so so good chefs kiss again

#3) I PROMISED YOU THE MOON

Really very good for obvious reasons I liked this one a lot cause we got to see Oh and Teh actually in their relationship and all the struggle that comes with transitioning from dating in high school to dating in college and honestly didn’t really expect them to get back together at the end so that was very nice cause I love a happy ending

#4) HISTORY4: CLOSE TO YOU

Great show love a HIStory so this was a no brainer great acting great chemistry sometimes the story got a little ehhhhh?? But honestly I could look past that

#5) TO MY STAR

Hands down probably my favorite Korean bl or at least top three, I’m SOOOO EXCITED for season 2, can't wait

#6) BE LOVED IN HOUSE: I DO

A very cutesy show perfect balance of enemies-ish to lovers it was just very cute and I really liked that the big bad turned out to not really be a big bad

#7) MANNER OF DEATH

Now technically this one came out in 2020 but I finished it in 2021 so I’m including it

Great show! at first I did not want to watch this show at all like when it was announced I immediately wrote it off cause it just didn’t seem like a show that I would be interested in, I love maxtul and that almost got me but....it was around 4 episodes in that I decided to binge them to get caught up cause I saw some gif that caught my attention and as soon as I started it i was so sad I wasn’t watching it from the beginning it was literally so good. I’m very excited for whatever maxtul next thing is cause they are do something together right? It’s something not sure of the details, fingers crossed for a sequel tho

Ok now for the next two I felt kinda weird about putting ongoing series on this list cause part of brain thinks well yeah it’s good right now but it could get bad or have an ending that completely ruins the whole show for me, which doesn’t happen often but happens (*cough cough* modc) but honestly these two are just so so so good that there is no way that I couldn’t put them on this list

#8) PAINT WITH LOVE

Paint with love honestly really took me for a shock cause I was not expecting to like it SO much like it's got some sort of Je ne sais quoi like I have no idea why I like it so much like I love the story, it’s so funny, I love all the characters, got my girl Yiwha from together with me you couldn't ask for anything more perfect, the chemistry I love it it’s all so cute, it blows my mind that some people don't like this show

#9) BAD BUDDY

Do we really even got to talk about tho one like if you’re watching bad buddy right now and not enjoying it enthusiastically then babe something is wrong with you, I could name so many fucking reasons why this is the best fucking show ever but then this post would be even longer than it already is, if ykyk

#10) MY BEAUTIFUL MAN

Now this bitch probably the most shocking to me that I even enjoyed this a little bit let alone put this on my overall 2021 list like huh? I absolutely hate the whipping boy trope it’s makes me sad and angry and makes me feel bad for everyone involved but this shit right here was in-fucking-credible now I didn’t get obsessive over this one until episode 4 cause the first three episodes were all iffy but not enough for me to call it quits so I kept going and bitch let me tell you episode 4 made up for all the shit in episodes 1-3 like episodes 4-6 oh my lord I was literally so close to not even starting this show and I’m very very very glad that I just randomly had some free time and wanted to watch something cause, and not to be to dramatic or anything but if I would have left this earth without having experienced this show what a disappointing waste of living fucking fire, like watch it if you havent cause you won't regret it

Ok there you have it long as hell and probably the most energy, preparation, and effort I ever put into a tumblr post in a long time but worth it cause while I didn’t watch that many bls/gls this year I watched some really good ones and I’m very happy with what I did watch, im looking forward to all the new ones to come honestly a little stressed about it low key cause there are so many shows to check out but very excited nonetheless

[watchinglikeafangirl]

I'm sick of the BL industry

To be honest, yesterday, I was very close to stop watching BLs - or I should say Thai BLs - because I lost hope things will take a good turn. It was just a thought I had for a second and it may not seem like an important decision that would change my life. It wouldn't affect me much to return to Netflix but it wouldn't mean anything better. The Thai BL industry has the same problems as Hollywood, so why bother what to consume, right?

And it's not like every BL is problematic behind the scenes and it's the same with Hollywood. To be real here, I only watch Thai BLs because I like the language, food and culture in general. And because it's about love no matter the gender in a very romantic and innocent way. I spend years with American shows and watching something from Southeast Asia is very different. I can't name the difference, but it's huge.

But the Thai BL industry has a bit of an image problem going on right now and I'm very curious how things will turn out and if shows like "call it what you want" or "lovely writer" can actually start a debate about abuse and binding contracts because they are immense problems, I'm gonna talk about here.

Casting

It all starts with the casting. Mostly, actors are being casted who are already famous on social media and I get the strategy. The company can generate more fame and popularity of the show but isn't it enough to cast one famous person and that's it? I don't know anything about BL actors to be honest, so I can't say if they were that famous before or not but even if they weren't, then they are mostly casted for a supporting role and are not the protagonist or his love interest. Mostly, I know the actors from somewhere else and it's sad and unfair for the other actors who don't even stand a chance to get the main role. If you are not famous, you won't get there, and that's clearly inequal.

Binding contracts

So, these people get casted and are now part of the crew. The next problem is the contract they have to sign. I have never seen one of those, so I can't say anything credible about it, but what I can figure out is: the contracts must be very long and detailed. The contracts are the real problem here because they put up boundaries and build lines that shouldn't be crossed that are unnecessary and even though the actors can hide it, something seems off. My favourite example is Saint because he seems nice and all but I always have the feeling he fakes everything and I can't tell were his true self begins and his professional one ends. I find it kind of creepy because I can't figure him out and feel like he's broken or at least, hates his job sometimes. I don't know. These contracts lead actors to fake their whole life, lose their identity and turn them into a**holes. It really makes me sad because these people are obviously scared of saying something wrong because then they would be over. What kind of working atmosphere is that? It's not healthy - that's clear - and the actors are always very distant with each other. It's obvious the things they say, do and laugh about are only said, done and funny when the camera is rolling and it's something I really don't like. I deteste fakery and that's why I don't like certain BL casts because I feel like they are pretending so much they don't like each other off camera at all.

Certain people have too much power

People in high positions definetely have too much power over the actors, directors and the whole crew itself. It's not only the binding contracts. What the trailer of "call it what you want" already addressed was way more than that. They are controlled and surpressed. Simply put, the companies and CEO's don't always see them as humans with a soul. It's really extreme and I know, it's not like that with every BL but I also know, it's the case with enough of them. Tracking your phone, getting you fired if you save the wrong number and keeping you apart from the outside are just the three things mentioned in the trailer.

Of course, there's also the problem with sexual harrasment and it's not only a problem, it's a challenge a whole generation has to face. After watching the video "BL: Broken Fantasy" I felt really stupid because someone who was interviewed was saying the BL industry is acting the same as Hollywood, and of course it does but I never saw it this way. Now I feel stupid for being blinded by all the promotion, shiny music videos and happy interviews because in the end it's also just a film industry, so why would things be different behind closed doors? Then of course, sexual harrasment happens a lot and even abuse. I'm even more mad now that I think about all the BL actors who also never spoke up. There must me billions of people worldwide... anyway, turning back, I just wanted to say that CEO's of production companies in Thailand can be as pathetic as the ones in America and sexual abuse is still a thing no one talks about.

Atmosphere on set

As a BL actor, you go to the casting because you personally have no problem with kissing another man. What still surprises me is actors saying they were not as open-minded when they started filming but understand the conflict much better now after they were acting it out and can even imagine falling for someone with the same gender. I thought every one of them doesn't care, but I guess they do.

What really disgusted me in the video "BL: Broken Fantasy" was when this director was talking about the camera man turning away to vomit when the BL leads would kiss. I have no words for how disgusting, inhumane and respectless this is. He even said, the whole crew tends to be homophobic which is like what the f**k?! And he added, he was surprised when he was shooting a film with a japanese crew that offended no one which is so low standard, it's sad. No wonder the atmosphere between the actors and crew behind the scenes looks tense and not that close.

Fanservice

So, here's the problem I've been thinking about for some time now because it's the most viewable one and appears everywhere. I hate fanservice. I just want a normal boring interview with the actors and I'm happy but I stopped watching interviews with BL leads because it's packed with so much wannabe-cutesy fanservice, it's actually uncomfortable. What I don't like about it is that it looks so forced and fake. You can tell just by watching they are only doing it because the contracts say so. They gain money - and I don't believe it's just a bit - to make the fans happy. It's just a part of the promotion but it leads to many problematic situations with fans. I'm not saying Hollywood is much different. During the red carpet shows are so many screaming, crying and fading fans, it's ridicolous. I'm not such a fan and will never be because I don't sympathize with this kind of cult. But at least I feel like Hollywood kind of protects their stars more. In the BL industry the fans can get very close and the promotion is more about the shipping couple than the show itself which causes these big personality cults I already addressed here.

I have two examples: MaxTul and SaintZee. They are not so different when it comes to fanservice but their chemistries are not comparable. MaxTul seem to care about each other whereas SaintZee don't seem to be very close. MaxTul have fun and much of it is fanservice which gets cut into cringey edits on YT but they have a vibe. They look each other in the eyes and know what the other thinks - at least, I have the feeling they do. Their whole friendship looks honest and healthy. In contrast, SaintZee were pretending a lot. It's pretty clear, it was all for the fanservice. They touched so much, it hurt because they wanted to please the production company and follow their contract and out of fear to do something wrong, they overdid it. And then, they had a fallout which wasn't very surprising, because I believe the atmosphere between them was very tense and all that touching was too much.

End

In conclusion, I hope things will change but it's such a long process, it's gonna take years. Now the BL industry doesn't look very bright in my eyes and it's gonna take a while to convince me otherwise. So, I decided for myself that I can consume the shows but won't care about the promotion any more.

I was too close to quit watching yesterday to just ignore it. I got mad again while writing this so I'm just gonna say, I will definetely watch "lovely writer" and "call it what you want" until the end because I wanna know more about this. I wanna know more about what happens behind the scenes.

Anyway, I hope I haven't turned your mood down 🙃

[nomoregoldfish]

Apart from their extremely good looks and chemistry, you know what makes MaxTul more appealing? The sense of being in control of the narrative of this ship. Maybe not from the very beginning, but they’ve definitely gained it over the years. It’s not the directors or production/agent company that made them make out passionately onscreen, ultimately it’s their decision, they did it of their own free will. They’re not forced into this. That’s why they’ve created some of the hottest, most iconic, authentic and memorable kisses and sex scenes (come on, stop calling it love scenes, it’s so embarrassing how us Asians still “shy away” from any topic regarding sex and sexuality in general) in this very twisted, mostly low-budget, poor quality, storyline-not-making-any-sense, vilifying-female-characters, full of non-con and toxic masculinity and stereotypes and gender norms, sometimes even anti-queer, niche sub-genre. They’re free, they stay true to themselves and the audience, they decide what to show in public and what to keep private, and it feels more real and liberating. I started this side blog six years ago for another early sensation of the Thai BL dramas, Lovesick. Got the name out of the frustrations that the show used a goldfish tank as props to “cover” the sex scenes. Then gradually lost interest in this fakeass business. I didn’t know what I missed back then and never thought there would be this fearless (reckless? lol) onscreen couple that challenged it, and finally changed it, they decided to do it their way. So here we are, at the end of their journey, have a reflection and really enjoy every bit of this beautiful, brave ship.

[momentsofbllove]

I watched The Untamed on Netflix and fell in love. Much to my delight I found out that there’s an entire genre of BL shows and series that I never knew existed!

Now I'm neck deep into BL dramas and I can't contain it any more. The people who follow my main blog have forgiven me for the 147 The Untamed posts that I stuck in my queue, but I doubt they'd stick around for the 500 posts about all the other dramas I've watched recently.

So... I’ve made a side blog, yay!

(My personal ratings: loved it 💜, liked it 💚, won't watch it again 💔

Shows I'm currently watching:

Noblemen Ryu's Wedding - 1/6 I love literally every second of this show already... but. I feel like we're only getting half the seconds! Every scene just jumps from one to the next without any transitions or explanations in between. It's like the writer's had a whole bunch of little scenes they wanted to create, but no actual way of tying them together. It's a bit discombobulating. Now don't get me wrong, this is a historical fake relationship story, with two great actors, comedy and a touch of sensuality that was done *chef's kiss* so beautifully! I love it... but it's definitely missing a lot. 💜

Fish Upon The Sky - 2/12 I'm liking this one so far. It's silly, and there have been more than a few cringey moments, but it stays in the 'cute' side of that more often than not so it's okay. I like the three main characters (the side ones are there for comedic effect only, so I'm trying to judge them only on that, they're where most of the cringe is coming from) and the story is moving along at a good pace. This is true University BL at its finest. I'd put it squarely on the lower end of 'loving it'. 💜

Lovely Writer - 8/12 Well, Aoey is back to being a boring, one dimensional antagonist with no actual story of his own. And I finally realized what frustrated me so much about Sib. He always makes sure to get consent and be respectful of Gene PHYSCIALLY, like asking for kisses, telling people not to take his picture without permission, etc. But he doesn't respect his agency in any other way. Refusing to leave the apartment when Gene asked him to, following him to his house despite being told Gene wanted space, MOVING IN NEXT DOOR after Gene asked for him to leave so they could start over and Sib could earn his trust back... none of that is respecting Gene's choices or personal agency and it bothers me so much! Also that comment Sib's brother made about Gene not being able to escape Sib was disturbing. 💚

History 4: Close To You - 5/? I love literally every second of Muren and Licheng and Xingsi... and every time the brother comes on the screen I want to start throwing things. It is such a dampener to the rest of what is actually a really good show. I'm disgusted that Xingsi forgave him and that the show is referring to r*pe as 'taking advantage*. Uhg. But I'm loving Licheng more and more and his pursuit of Muren is adorable and sweet and very sexy. So I'll keep watching. And thinking about the perfect poly triad that my boys could have been if the writers hadn't been awful. Think about, no one has done a three way friends to lovers story before! That would have been way more intriguing that r*pe apology. (Despite the fact that I love and adore 3 of the 4 main characters and one half of the couples I still can't give this a higher rating than the broken heart. What the brother did was unforgivable and it's so gross that they're portraying it in a romantic light. Most BLs keep their consent issues in the realm of 'dubious'. This one crossed a line I just can't forgive.) 💔

Y Destiny - 3/15 Okay, definitely liked this couple better than the first one. Although, despite the fact that this is supposed to be comedy, Nuea breaks my heart a little because he is obviously desperate for attention and it seems like the only way he knows how to get it is with his money or his sexuality. But the fact that Sun went from 'this kid is an arrogant brat and I can't stand him' to COMPLETLEY ENAMOURED with him in all of like 20 minutes was cute as f*ck, so I'm looking forward to the next episode. 💚

Hidden Love - 4/? This show is so fucking awful why am I still watching it?!! 💔💔

Manner of Death - 12/14 If I never watch the last two episodes, then I never have to admit that Tul and Max are probably never going to work together again, right? 💜💜

Shows I've watched so far:

(ones with links will take you to my personal in-depth reviews, this link will take you to a general review of all the shows I watched in 2020)

The Untamed 💜💜

Until We Meet Again 💜💜

Love By Chance 💚

Tharntype 💚

Why R U 💚

Together With Me 💚

Where Your Eyes Linger 💜

Because of You 2020 💜

HIStory 1: Obsessed/Stay Away from Me/My Hero 💔

HIStory 2: Crossing the Line 💜

HIStory 3: Trapped 💜

My Engineer 💚

Mr. Heart 💚

YYY 💔

Tien Bromance 💔

Roommates The Series 💚

En of Love 💔

#MyDay 💔

Quaranthings 💔

The Effect 💚

Dark Blue Kiss 💚

Theory of Love 💜

3 Will Be Free 💜

Craving You 💔💔

My Gear and Your Gown 💔

Like In the Movies 💜💜

He’s Coming To Me  💜

Oxygen 💔

Wish You 💚

Cherry Magic 💜

Life - Love On the Line 💜

Ingredients 💜💜

Color Rush 💚

Follow My Sunshine 💔💔

We Best Love: No. 1 For You 💜💜

To My Star 💜

Sotus 💜

Nation’s Brother 💔💔

You Make Me Dance 💜

A Tale of Thousand Stars 💜💜

We Best Love: Fighting Mr. 2nd 💜

Shows I want to watch:

2gether/Still 2gether

Sotus S

Bad Romance/Together With Me: TNC (maybe. i've heard things about these ones that are 😖 but also MaxTul have such amazing chemistry so I'm like 🤷‍♀️)

Long Time No See

A million more that I can't think of right now

Shows I need to come out immediately:

Between Us (WinTeam was the beginning of my intense love of side couples, so getting a whole series focused on them is a dream come true!)

KinnPorsche (I am so freaking excited about Jeff and Gameplay being together again! And Mile and Apo have incredible chemistry together. If they don't go too camp with this show, it's going to be amazing!)

Not Me (OffGun reuniting for a series that's not set in uni? Sign me the f*ck up!)

Bite Me (this looks really cute and I'm excited to see Mark in a role that doesn't make me hate him 😆)

Golden Blood (I've been intrigued by this one for a while, but that trailer... oh man, this looks right up my alley! Please give us a released date!)

Any way! Come into my message/ask box if you want to talk about literally anything BL related!

[jasper-unofficial]

the new episode of together with me ? more like hardest cringe compilation ever

for my fav @ctl-yuejie and also for myself , because what the fuck ?

was this episode shit ? it absolutely was . any sort of chemistry that has ever existed between cho and yihwa has completely disappeared . not only am i allergic to straight people , now y’all force me to watch them kiss each other , like they both are a piece of wood and are kissing a piece of wood too ? no , thank you . with how comfortable maxtul are around each other in real life , i can’t even begin to suppose what could’ve happened with korn and knock , but this episode made me extremely uncomfortable - mostly because of how awkward they were around each other . 

was everything in this episode shit ? no . mainly because of two things : farm and rit , and our girl fai . which brings me to one of the most important points in this whole rant : the writers don’t know how to write established relationships . they are very good at writing side characters that don’t have romantic interests , and work as a support character for their friends , or even for one couple specifically . this is why fai has always been so fun to watch , and this is why yihwa had less charm in bad romance than in the first season of twm , and has completely lost pretty much all her charm in this season . another thing they’re good at writing ? new couples . all things considered , farm and rit are already kind of awesome , and they have chemistry too . unfortunately , i am about 85% sure this whole storyline is going to go into the drain , because farm is going to end up with bright ( it’s gonna be sort of like a dbam situation , except three times worse ) . so , i guess they’re gonna ruin one of the only things that are good about the show right now . and what’s the point of watching it and enjoying farm and rit at all then ?

another thing that pisses me off big time is inconsistency with the first season . i could easily forgive them not being consistent with bad romance in twm , because br didn’t pay that much attention to korn and knock , and mostly just scratched their surface . besides , the biggest inconsistency there was how and when korn found out about knock’s shrimp allergy . this time around though , they’re inconsistent in characterization - and that’s something that should never happen .

some people might argue with me on this , but the whole storyline with korn’s father should’ve been passed to knock . according to season one , korn is very comfortable and sure in his sexuality . he already had a boyfriend in high school , he didn’t mind his and knock’s pictures coming to light , he told his sister to go straight to hell , if she doesn’t accept him for who he is , and there are lots of other little things that prove my point . plus , another minor thing is the fact that korn’s father wasn’t even in the picture in the last season . when korn’s sister found out about him being gay , she said he doesn’t think about their mother and their family’s reputation . yet now , everything centers around korn’s father , that didn’t seem to exist in the last season - even in words .  yet , korn seems to be really secretive and uncomfortable this time around . he’s only ready to show off him and knock around their closest friends , and even panics a little , when he realizes their boss knows . that’s something i just can’t see korn i knew in season one do . knock , on the other hand , got all the confidence and comfortableness in his sexuality from season one korn , it seems . he is fine with pda , doesn’t mind everyone knowing , and even after hesitating a bit , practically tells his parents that he and korn are dating . now , i am not saying it’s unrealistic for him to be so proud of that part of himself - i am just saying that with all the facts we have from season one of the show , it would make much more sense for knock , rather than korn , to have such problems with his family and worry about them so much , if they wanted to have the “ unaccepting parents “ storyline so hard .

now , i don’t know if i am going to continue watching this . it seems like i’m more interested in the couples that aren’t supposed to last . the most interesting sotryline at the moment belongs to farm and rit , which are most likely not endgame . i’m even kind of interested in yihwa and her boss , as opposed to yihwa and cho , yet the latter ones are obviously also endgame . according to the internet , there is also mew coming back in this season , and if that’s true - even though i’ve never liked the thought of them together before , especially with how much pain he caused korn - if they do it right , i might be interested in that as well . 

right now , the writers are aiming at something they can’t write at all - established relationships , and wrap it all up with a drama that makes my head hurt , because it doesn’t make any sense to me , in a sense of consistency with the first season , which is supposed to be literally the most important thing , while creating a continuation of a story that already exists . i might give the third episode a try , i might wait for something interesting to happen through simply following the tag without watching the show itself , i might wait for the whole show to come out and then watch it , i might not watch it at all - i don’t know yet . the only thing i know right now is that together with me : the next chapter might be the biggest disappointment among bls of 2018 .

[waitmyturtles]

The very fastest of Old GMMTV Challenge updates, writing to you from the back of a speeding car in the heart of the East Coast megalopolis!

1) Because of this crazy road trip I’m on, this week’s review of I Told Sunset About You will be delayed to Tuesday. But it be dropping, so please stay tuned! This review was, in part, a love letter to my Southeast Asian culture, and I was so appreciative to have this moment to celebrate it.

2) I crushed Cheewin Thanamin’s YYY last week, and listen — we can pooh-pooh the utter insanity of that show, but there were a few moments worth celebrating, and just — POPPY. I ended up liking it a lot. But my liking it isn’t the only reason why it should be listed as an important show on the OGMMTVC, and I’ll get into that in next week’s review of it.

3) OMG — I finished Manner of Death last night. Y’ALLLLLLL were right — IT WAS SO GOOD! It was EXACTLY what I needed — it had suspense, crime, comedy, luuuuvvv, MaxTul, I mean — they and the show fucking delivered. I cannot WAITTTTT to write this up, and it was a total necessity to add it to the OGMMTVC list. Thanks to ALL Y’ALL who advocated for its inclusion, you were all SO RIGHT! (Was MoD the first time we saw empathetic tender gay uncles in a BL? Because I think My Ride came after, right?)

4) And now, the first of the OGMMTVC rewatches begins tonight with A Tale of Thousand Stars. I’ll write this again in my rewatch review, but ATOTS was only my second GMMTV drama ever, after I watched the second half of The Eclipse during live airing. I picked up ATOTS last year as I realized that Moonlight Chicken was going to be A Moment, and I wanted to get to know EarthMix. It was my first Aof Noppharnach show, and for me — the rest is history. I cannot wait to watch it again, now that I have P’Aof’s early shows under my belt, and watch ATOTS to continue picking up on his unique tropes, as well as to see how ITSAY spoke to ATOTS by way of cinematic feel.

We keep movin’, fam!

[absolutebl]

How long does it usually take from an announcement to getting more info on a BL being made?

(this post from an ask from @tsukiyadori that got code corrupted so I’ve reformatted so I can keep it updated) 

Depends on the country, the quality of the announcement, and what you take as valid gossip etc… 

(question was referencing this post)

That’s a little like asking how long a book option takes to become a movie in Hollywood. Some books get stuck in re-upping option phase or dev hell for, literally, decades.

I’ll try to answer anyway, just please be aware that this is broad brush strokes and what I’ve noticed trend wise and it various on a case by case basis. So it’s not predictive. Don’t hang your hopes and dreams on this post, okay?

So when you read an announcement (in Twitter, FB or IG especially) you should probubly ask yourself:

What’s the source and is it reliable?

Are you actually seeing the first announcement or is this just the one that became popular enough to hit the algos and show up on your feed?

Was it a leak from an actor involved? (See Tul recently leaking that he and Max have a new series in the works. For Thailand this usually means that they are booked to perform, which means funds have be raised and it is probubly actually happening. But then MaxTul is a bankable pair. On the flip side, sometimes Korean idols will leak that they are involved in something that then never materializes.)

Which country is is from? (more on that in a moment)

If the initial announcement is from the studio official: 

Is it an acquisition announcement?

That’s usually when all you see is manga art or a book cover. That’s actually them testing enthusiasm levels - from fans, yes, but also backers, and sponsors. Acquisition/option/adaptation announcements are money raising tactics. That show might never actually happen at all. (Here in the USA it probubly will never happen.)

There is no predictive window on more information in most cases. This is why I don’t often report on these in this blog, unless I’m very excited about the source material or it’s from Korea (read on). 

Is it a casting announcement?

Were there actor stills along with the official statement? That means they have at least some funding and they are cycling up to get promo (they want you to follow the actors on social media etc) and distribution.

This show is more likely to happen and for most BLs I would put a 6 month window into place on advancement to next stage (and more announcements) which is…

Is there a teaser or a trailer attached to the announcement?

That means it’s mostly cast and in production. (They wouldn’t have footage if they hadn’t already started filming.)

In MOST countries this means the show is actually happening and we should expect official air times and distribution announcements. Those are usually within about 2 months of air time (EXCEPT Thailand).

VARIATIONS BY COUNTRY

Thailand

A trailer does NOT a movie make.

Because Thailand relies heavily on sponsorship deals and the actors are some of their cheapest assets, they will fundraise via a trailer in order to get interest. See the saga of KinnPorsche.

The exception to this is GMMTV which can be relied on to produce the shows it announces at the beginning of each year… eventually over the next two years. But even their trailers will be materially different from the end result. You can consider their trailers more like treatment pitches than actual teasers for fans. Because they aren’t really for us fans, they’re for backers. Wabi Sabi and Star Hunter are working their way up to GMMTV’s level in this regard.

There are shows Thailand announced (with a teaser or even full trailer) 3 years ago that I am still tracking to see if they get made.

Taiwan

Very short lead times.

With the exception of the HIStory franchise, Taiwan tends not to announce a new BL until they have completed filming, or at least have everything cast and funded. When a trailer comes out from Taiwan, the show is usually about to drop (like within a month). However, they tend to struggle to get international distribution.

So with Taiwan the window between announcement and more info/show actually happening is shorter than other countries.

Korea

Very carefully and official about their announcements. They are nothing if not reliable. 

Their lead time isn’t a short as Taiwan, but if they said they are going to make a BL, most of the time, it means they are actually going to make it. Even if it’s just an acquisition (6 months to a year out from release, usually). They are good about getting sponsorships and funding (not to mention idol talent) and they tend not to say a thing is going to happen unless it’s actually going to happen.

After an initial announcement we can expect another one about casting within 6 months. Then radio silence while they are in production for a couple months, then an announcement of filming wrap-up. Then distribution announcements within about a month. 6 months is the fastest I’ve seen from announcement to on screen debut, 2 years is the slowest. 

They have their production machine in order though, and it seems to becoming ever more efficient.

Japan

They cray cray.

Generally we get an announcement from them about 10 minutes before the show drops and then you can’t find it anywhere, or in three places at once. Or we find out it was made a year after it released.

Okay, I’m being sarcastic, but Japan is really frustrating. In other words: the Japanese film industry is not at all predictable at any stage of the process from announcement to casting to production to distribution. Except that it is reliably high quality.

I don’t know if they just don’t like to write checks they can’t cash. If it’s just really hard to raise funds over there (they don’t really do sponsorships). Or what is going on. It’s all very mysterious. And I think they like it that way.

But with Japan I often feel like I’m in a terrible D/s relationship:

SURPRISE BL?

NO YOU CAN’T HAVE IT.

BAD FANDOM. NO BL FOR YOU.

WELL, MAYBE JUST A LITTLE BL.

YES! 3 AMAZING SHOWS ALL AT ONCE.

1 ABSOLUTELY CRAPTASTIC BIT OF BL KINK-FEST INSANITY.

*silence*

BL WHIPLASH!

WHAP. WHAP. WHAP.

No aftercare for you.

——

Other places: I don’t keep tabs on The Philippines. Vietnam is too small to be predictive. I can’t even with Mainland China.

Images for this one mostly from excellent BL reporting resource BL Update 2020 on Facebook.

(source)

[absolutebl]

Hi! Sorry if you've talked about this in the past (I tried looking on your 2gether tag but couldn't find anything), but I'm curious what your thought are on 2gether and still 2gether. I watched both series without having read and reviews, or being involved in any fan community, so I went in absolutely blind to all the criticism. My assessment after I had finished 2gether was basically that I liked it up until they became a couple, and then it kind of went down hill, due to the shows seeming fear of having them act like an actual couple. And I'm not talking about kissing (I think honestly that critique is a little tiresome, and I like high heat media I should add), just that I think the writing kind of failed, and even the editing and directing should have gone in a slightly different direction. Maybe have more lingering shots on hand brushing, longing looks, etc. I thought Bright gave some pretty good flirty looks, the show just could have emphasized it a bit more, and in general the camera could have been better when it came to showing the romance. However despite it not being a perfect show, I thought it was a perfectly serviceable romantic comedy. But some people seem to REALLY hate it. I'm curious where your thoughts on all of this fall, and the ending, and I guess the outrage because of lack of kissing. I actually think brightwin's chemistry wasn't bad. It's not like mewgulf or maxtul or something, but in this case I'm more inclined to blame the actors. Though I did read that it may have been in their contract to not have more then two kisses or something like that (though I feel like that's just a rumor)? Which is a bit strange imo, BUT once again, I would blame the writing. Just move the 2 kisses or whatever to after the characters get together, and don't waste them in the beginning of the show.

Hi!

No worries, I have so much content most of the time I can't remember either.

I'm curious what your thought are on 2gether and Still 2gether

So unlike quite a few people I was already deep into BL by the time these two rolled around. So BrightWin are not particularly formative for me. I find their chemistry... lose? Questionable? Awkward? Something. I don't know. Not totally believable, I guess.

It took me three tries to watch it at all. I HATE HATE HATE Green's character in every possible way and could not get past him for months. From the punching down humor against femme gay, to the stereotype, to the way Tine treats him, to how he is acted. I do not find Green in anyway funny and I blame the director, not the actor.

Apart from that I have a few niggling objections to do with chemistry and the like but it was fine. I didn't find the show ground breaking in any way. It's a serviceable BL with issues and concerns like other BLs, charms and pleasures like other BLs.

I gave it a... lemme check...

8/10

(Which is what I gave SOTUS, Theory of Love, My Day, Word of Honor, Given, You Make Me Dance, and HIStory 4 for comparison.)

I tend to rate media on what it's trying to do when compared to others of its type. So 2gether is judged as a high production BL from GMMTV, and that's what it's up against. Something like Golden Blood also got an 8/10 from me, but it was being judged as a Thai BL pulp, so different standards.

Is this grading on a curve? Let's call it that.

I rarely read reviews, so I went in blind to all criticism as well (in fact I remain so), although I was aware of the obsession and adoration. That tends to make me suspicious. I'm always suspicious of what's popular.

I agree with you that it's a "perfectly serviceable romantic comedy."

I wasn't aware that some people seem to really hate it. But I guess I can sorta understand. Where it misses the mark, it really does miss. Kind of like HIStory 4, although not it quite the same way, of course.

I tend to draw a distinction between:

not my thing - for weird personal reasons (I Told Sunset About You) and that's my hang up

dislike - I can't really explain I just don't really like something about it, even though I should be obsessed (Like in the Movies)

disappointment - we all know you could have done better in some significant way - chemistry, story, ending (My Gear and Your Gown)

betrayal - we have a contract about what it means to be a good BL and you BROKE it, you're dead to me (History 3: The BL That Shall Not Be Named)

2gether never really betrayed or even disappointed me. It just is what it is. Nothing special.

I actually think their Big Kiss at the end of Still 2gether was really good, and their chemistry got a little better in the second season.

But nothing about the show keeps me up at night.

It's just this show.

Ya know?

[absolutebl]

I’m gonna weigh in this way because commenting text limits and all, hope you see this @waitmyturtles my sweet...

1. I LOVE that you are loving Love Sick. 

I kinda suspected once you were in you were in you’d get stuck watching season 2. 

2. The playlist you linked is the same cuts as everywhere else. 

There only seems to be one set of full subs officially out there for season 2.

I watched the ones you found up to Ep 9 and then I switched to these combos: 

Eps 10-18

Eps 19-28

Eps 29-36

But I binge at high speed in larger chunks. 

2.A. You should MAKE SURE to watch this deleted kissing scene after Ep 7, it makes ALL the difference.

3. Watch chronology & Make it Right 

I have lots of thoughts.

I talk about why I choose the ones I do in the Thai BL section of the 101 BL Film Course, and I name Make it Right but I don’t necessarily recommend it. NOW if you watch and enjoy the Thai pulps, like Future the series (airing now), then MIR might be for you. I happen to be self proclaimed “world’s foremost MIR apologist.” I love this dumb show. Fuse is an adorable idiot and one of Thailand’s first true chaos bis, and Tee is one of the best piners EVER put on screen. But it has issues. 

If you are feeling in the mood for more Love Sick even after getting through ALL of Love Sick 2, then you might want to go for MIR. It has the YA sweetness that very few of Thailand’s BLs have had since 2016 (until My School President.) 

HOWEVER definitely watch THIS version of the first season:

TeeFuse cut 1

TeeFuse cut 2

Episode 5

Episode 6

Episode 7

TeeFuse cut 4 

If you’re HUGE on Ohm and interested in FameBook (Ohm’s first BL pairing, he’s 16, it’s high heat, but at least they kiss good... ugh, I feel gross just saying that), then you can’t watch this way, but that first installment does have an extra starter bit for TeeFuse that the normal eps do NOT have. 

So At least watch the first 3-5 scenes of the TeeFuse cut 1. 

No one warned me of this when I originally dove in. Then again, it wasn’t uploaded either. 

YouTube Channel Forrest Gump hosts most all of MIR content. 

4.) Now if you’re committed to Aof Oeuvre

YES absolutely watch HCTM & Kiss + DBK (watching guide for PeteKao here) BEFORE 2gether. 

I am afraid that in order to understand what tf is up with 2gether you kinda just have to WATCH 2gether. Like Love Sick or SOTUS it’s hard to explain ahead of time. 

5.) If Your committed to a Thai BL historical approach 

I actually have that as a kind of watching guide, in my THAI BL MASTER POST. (It has three watching guides 1. most significant over time (the one you want) 2. Understand the History (the one I thought you wanted) 3. My personal best ofs.

Considering what you said above, you might consider this list: 

Most Significant/Impactful Thai BLs Over Time, and WHY

2007

 Love of Siam (queer movie, critically acclaimed, sad ending first BLish anything from Thailand)

2014 - 1st Gen, THAI EXPANSION  

Love Sick (Thailand’s first real BL, hugely popular INSIDE Thailand)

My Bromance (out gay actor in a main role, NOT recommended)

2015

Love Sick 2 (longest BL season ever)

2016* - 2nd Gen, BEYOND BORDERS & THE RISE OF GMMTV 

SOTUS (GMMTV’s first BL, Thailand’s first global hit, responsible for Thai BL becoming the soft power it is today, SingtoKrist origin)

Make it Right (first Thai BL pulp, BoomPeak origin)

Puppy Honey (BL side couple, OffGun origin)

Kiss the series (BL side couple, TayNew origin)

Bad Romance (BL side couple, MaxTul origin)

Grey Rainbow (KarnNut origin - NOT recommended) 

2017 - the rise of the pulps, Thai BL begins exponential growth**, the concept of short spin offs and specials starts to be explored

Together with Me (first major MaxTul vehicle)

2 Moons (first attempt, first major fansub)

2018

Love By Chance (first MAME offering)

My Tee (GMMTV’s pulp)

Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cut (first BL cut by a studio)  

2019

Great Men Academy (Thailand tries manga filming style)

The Effect (Thailand criticizes its own worst BL tropes, NOT recommended)

TharnType (MewGulf break the internet, other people notice BL)

He’s Coming to Me & Until We Meet Again (Thailand applies complex story structure to a BL foundation, GMMTV splits a branded pair, SingtoKrist)

2020 - 3rd Gen, GLOBAL EXPANSION (lockdown)

2gether (everyone learns about BL, 3rd Gen)

Theory of Love (an established pair given new roles, OffGun)

YYY (how weird can Cheewin make BL?)

Why R U? (how high a heat can we take?)

Ingredients (BL as advertising)

My Engineer & Oxygen (first major non-pulp Thai BLs from unknown studios)

I Told The Sunset About You (Thailands first high cinema BL)

2021

1000 Stars (first high cinema BL from GMMTV)

Manner of Death (gay romantic suspense using a grown up BL couple)

Lovely Writer & Call it What You Want (Thai BL gets meta with self criticism)

Top Secret Together (first out gay couple in a BL)

2022

KinnPorsche (BL gets known by Romancelandia) 

* The GMMTV Holy Trinity of Thai BL (OffGun, SingtoKrist, TayNew) all started in 2016. Also MaxTul, KarnNut, & BoomPeak.

** Thailand has experienced exponential growth in BL output since 2017, adding to the number of BLs it produces each year by a factor of 25-35%.

Friends, family! Some updates and questions on the Old GMMTV Challenge – if anyone catches this post, I would love your input! (AND THANK YOU for all the input on this watch journey so far, I LOVE YOU, FAM!)

1) Love Sick. Oh my gosh, I am TOTALLY enjoying this show. Yes, lots of problems, LOTS of issues, and I get to enjoy the BL cuts, so I’m missing all the messy het context (thank GAWD). 

But seriously – oh my god, oh my god. Noh and Phun are like, a canon Thai BL couple? They’re SO PERFECT FOR THE JOB. It’s so amazing, they’re so amazing. Noh is so insane and WISE. Phun is SO CRAZY IN LUV. I love that Phun just CANNOT HOLD BACK! THOSE EYES! (This guy is my TUL?! TUL?!)

So watching Love Sick now makes me regret, by quite a lot, not watching these shows chronologically. I think it would have helped me a lot to watch Love Sick before SOTUS, but alas, I let my curiosity about Singto get the best of me. More on this in a second.

2) @absolutebl, @clairificusrex, @nieves-de-sugui, and anyone else who wants to chime in! Question for y’all: I found this playlist on YouTube for BL cuts of Love Sick season 2. Do these edits look reliable to you? I unfortunately have to multitask at all times when I’m watching dramas, so I can’t fast-forward – I think I might need to rely on this playlist to finish out LS2. Gah. I hope these work for the task at hand!

3) Okay, chronology. I would love advice, thoughts, feedback on the following questions! (I’m sorry I’m asking all these questions, btw: I have a huge trip coming up, and may run into rights issues where I’m going, so I want to get a good watch plan solidified before I leave. Because… I’m a list person, oh god.)

Like I said, I think I messed myself up by watching SOTUS before Love Sick. I think it would have really helped me to understand SOTUS even more if I had watching LS first, to catch on some tropes that were clearly borne out of LS.

@absolutebl recommended, as the third drama of the OGMMTVC, 2gether. But, in a separate comment thread, @shortpplfedup also mentioned that Love Sick and Make It Right kind go together (@shortpplfedup, let me know if I’m stating this reliably) as two of the early high school pulp BLs. 

I don’t know if Make It Right is as referenced, trope- or script-wise, as an early BL as Love Sick or SOTUS. But it does have Ohm Pawat, who is one of the actors I permanently rabbithole, and I do really appreciate watching Love Sick now to see all the high school tropes being built. 

So I’m wondering: for chronology’s sake, would it make sense to watch Make It Right/MIR2 next, after Love Sick, if this is a side-path I want to take to learn about canon regarding high school settings? 

Or… is Make It Right not worth it? I know @absolutebl has said before that the heat of MIR may be wiggly for the youth of the actors. I’d love input! If MIR gives by way of education, I may want to dig into it while I’m on the road.

4) And then after that, closing out the OGMMTVC would be 2gether. However!

a) My other side commitment is to understand Aof’s oeuvre. And He’s Coming to Me and Dark Blue Kiss both aired BEFORE 2gether. So I’m kinda wondering if I should watch those first, before 2gether.

b) And then there’s his involvement with the 2gether franchise, which – I had no idea about until I perused MDL. And I’m totally not quite following what all the sequels mean and maybe, why he got involved in the franchise?

Was 2gether so bad, in a way, that Aof and Fon Kannitha had to come in and, like, rescue the franchise for Still 2gether and 2gether: The Movie?

And, what the heck is this MDL description of the movie? Is it, like… a summary of the two previous series?

(Is all of this messy-mess indicative of why 2gether landed on the OGMMTVC list? Ha.)

I’m a little confused by what the whole deal is with 2gether, and if the sequels are worth watching. For me, the priority would be to watch Aof’s work as it progresses over time, which makes me think I should interrupt the OGMMTVC to watch He’s Coming To Me and Dark Blue Kiss first. Because, again, I’m wondering if he or GMMTV felt that he needed to come in and, like, save the 2gether franchise. When I was digging into all of this in MDL, I was totally surprised to see his name there.

Whew. I know this was a lot, but I appreciate ANY crumbs from the experts. (2gether, on paper, looks like a hot mess, but I know BrightWin are beloved, so…what’s up with that, ha.) If anyone’s reading and commenting this – thanks, y’all, in advance, for your input!