#2023 BL reviews

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - The unexpected rise of cooking crush & seme bjs

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Jan 2024 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

The Sign (Sat YT) ep 9 of 12 - I love this show so damn much. This may be my KinnPorsche. It’s just so endlessly entertaining in a perfectly unhinged way. I love that they looped Tharn’s dad back into the murder investigations.

You know kinksters have invented necklaces that can’t come off… right? Just saying.

Meanwhile, would it still be BL if our seme didn’t wake up from drowning and instantly go chase snake?

No. No it would not. 

Remember the one hard and fast rule of BL? When a seme gives a BJ it’s penance. Phaya is apologizing to Tharn for leaving him behind.

Heh. Hard and fast. I kill me. 

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 10 of 14 - How is this absurd creature managing to rise in the ranks? Pavel turned in some stellar grief and ALANJEFF have my whole heart. I make Ikea puns in the... Trash watch happening here.

Cooking Crush (Sun YT) ep 7 of 12 - The make-out montage was absolutely charming and very much American rom com style - interesting (and rare) to see in a BL (not to mention from OffGun. How far we have come since Puppy Honey?)

Meanwhile, another wonderful grandma in a BL!

Next week we do an actual harken back to Puppy Honey, so obviously I’m now enjoying this whole show way more than before. I think it helped that I watched it earlier in the week, when it wasn’t competing with any other BLs. 

Last Twilight (Fri YT) ep 11 of 12 - Not gonna lie, I knew from you all that this was gonna be a rough ep. But I very clearly remember the penultimate Bad Buddy ep so I now have slightly more trust than others in GMMTV on this matter. 

That said, this was a crap episode.

You can’t set Mork’s truth and character motivation reveal up like that and then have his lover choose to dismiss him in a way that diminishes not just both character's growth AND all of Mork's actions towards Day, but also our faith in every other character. It was a shitty narrative thing to do to us, and it was a shitty thing to do to Mork. And that doesn’t even take into account the forgiveness allotted by the story to Day’s unrepentant excuse for a mother.  The doom should have been handled differently. The mom shoudl have leaned in even more evil and actively lied to split them apart.

I don't know if they can redeem this misstep in the final episode. But I'm interested to see them try. That said, this plot seem to be true to the book. 

For Him (Thurs iQIYI) ep 8 of 12 - A major trigger has landed. But also it’s clear who’s fault that incident was... and it’s not Him’s. So Blue's so-called-friend really is unhinged. This episode was a little bit more engaging than last week, but it’s only because stuff actually happened. I’m still not sure I enjoyed it. 

Twins the series (Fri GaGa) ep 12fin - Despite the fact that I’ve been annoyed by the show the last couple of episodes, I’m still sad for it to end. It was a good reveal and First had the right response. Also a very sports way to end it. Sprite is a v clingy bf. 

In brief?

A messy very Thai pulp sports romance that actually managed to involve sports in an identical twins trading-places plot. Basically Not Me meets HIStory 2 Crossing the Line (although vastly inferior to either) with an endearing main character and a good lead pair (poor things), both soapy and earnest without too much camp. It tried so hard but the plot, side couples, and extraneous characters let us down. Passable if not great. 7/10 

Time the series (Thai Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - Eh. Whatever. 

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) ep 22 of 24 - skipped this installment

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Although I Love You and You AKA Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro ka (Japan Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - Funny how quickly he retracted that confession and everyone called him out for doing it too soon (including me from a narrative beats perspective). It was a cute screw up - I see what your meta-arse is doing there, Japan. Also our Tokyo-boy’s serious reserved earnestness is extra adorable in the surrounded by Osaka enthusiasm context. His accidental flirting is that much more heart wrenching for our poor baby seme.  And they ended this ep with honorific negotiations!! Be still my heart. I’m really adoring this show.

Your hyung romance super fan is back in the game! 

Meanwhile the Osaka accent is beyond adorable. 

Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 6 of 8 - Japan what are you doing? I do love the not-sorta-ex from the past. 

VIP Only (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 10fin - I loved all the young people in the hawker center supporting the campaign against the terrible mother. They make a good domestically sappy couple. But that is Taiwan's specialty.

In brief?

A sweet if aimless story about a writer and a chef finding love via noodles, fake dating, and family challenges. If it had a tighter script and a shorter run, more like a KBL this might’ve been quite special. But it didn’t and it lost me too many times. 6/10

I don’t like to be disappointed by Taiwan. 

It's done: I Need to Catch up

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - will binge when I have any spare time. 2024 is crazy busy for me so far.

The Servant and the Young Master - from Vietnam so I assume it's on YouTube. I never even noticed. Anyone?

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) - Is TRUST Entertainment bringing us the first ever Burmeses BL? I don't know if it's really the first, but @heretherebedork vouched for it, so I will give it a watch through.

It's Airing But...

[INTERNATIONAL] Cherry Magic (Sat YouTube) ep 3 of 12 - yeah Japan put the smack down on our boys. Sadness. You can use a VPN if you like. Read all about it here.

Beside You (Thai YouTube) - a 3 sp short that's supposed to have started but I can't find it.

Ossans Love Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 5 years later, will anything have changed? This is Japan so… probubly not. I won't be watching this. I disliked Season one and actively hated the follow ups. No thank you.

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 14 eps - Dear Playboyy, it's not you, it’s me… I hate you. You’re about as deep (and as palatable) as a shot glass of cum. While I'm sure you’re someone’s kink, you're my weakest link. Goodbye. I DNFed this at ep 5. Frankly I'm impressed with myself for getting that far.

The Whisperer (Sun ????) 10 eps - Ends next week. Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). I don't think even the perfect single dimple can motivate me to watch. Word is... it's terrible.

7 Days Before Valentine (Weds WeTV) 10 eps - Giving me Luminous Solution vibes. I'm waiting to binge if safe.

Dead Friend Forever (Thai Sat iQIYI) - horror, meh, tell me if it's worth my time?

In Case You Missed it

All my year-end round ups:

TOP 10 BL Trends of 2023

Top 10 BL Secondary Pairs of 2023

2023 BLs Best Trope Execution Awards! TOP 10

All the BLs Announced for 2023 that didn't happen

BL 2023's Best:

Back Hugs Thailand & Elsewhere

Cute Bits of Domesticity

Boys Feeding Boys

BOOP!

Best Cuddles

Heads in Laps

Touching Head Touches

Thailand Put His Head on Your Shoulder

Put Your Head on My Shoulder (not Thailand)

BEST KISSES (not Thailand)

BEST KISSES FROM THAILAND

Next Week Looks Like This

1/23 Happy Ending is a new high school set Strongberry 20 min short staring the actor who played Milk on Choco Milk Shake, so... YES PLEASE. I'm not sure where it will air but we all have our fingers crossed for Gaga or YT. Or both.

1/24 Love For Love's Sake (Korea Gaga & iQIYI)- based on the Manhwa ‘Love Supremacy Zone’ by Hwacha. A young man is dropped into a game based off a novel he loves. His mission is to make another player, YeoWoon happy. But then the game starts unfolding completely different from the novel.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Viva la BL grandma superiority! (Cooking Crush)

Cooking Crush casually givign us some lovely lesbians (as indeed did The Sign). GL makes for a lovely acessory BL, carry on.

Now GMMTV, give us the REVERSE.

I love this dork SO MUCH. (Pit Babe)

I love that Cherry Magic is doing this scene over. One of my favs from the original.

Yai is BEST BOY. MVP and most likely the winner for 2024's Namgoong award.

(Last week)

[liyazaki]

fandom tumblr year in review | last year (2022)

[shortpplfedup]

2023 Year In Review: Quick Hits

It has been...a year. I struggled a lot this year, lots going on in my real life and ending on a mixed bag, but there was a lot that kept me lifted and plenty of it was in and around QL. I legit don't have the energy for a long and intense write up, so some quick hits.

1. The People

So many of y'all, you know who you are, but I want to call out the loyal pod listeners, the whole clown squad (no tags, Fight Club rules) and extra-specially @the-conversation-pod team @ginnymoonbeam @lurkingshan and especially @bengiyo. You don't even know friend, but there's days you legit kept me going.

2. The Shows

There's so much I genuinely enjoyed this year, across the spectrum, and you'll get to hear more on that when we publish this year's VIIB Awards and Year In Review eps around the last week in January, but my personal top 5 this year in no specific order:

Our Sky 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale Of Thousand Stars

Step By Step

What Did You Eat Yesterday 2

My School President

Moonlight Chicken

3. The Characters

I've said before I process a lot of my emotions through media. Here are the characters that resonated most this year:

Uncle Jim (Moonlight Chicken)

Ichijou Souta (Naked Dining)

Kaido Amane (If It's With You)

Cher (A Boss and A Babe)

Kawi (Be My Favourite)

4. The Moments

Most people don't know but I live in Rewind City, on 0.25x Speed Street. Here are some of the moments I watched on a loop this year.

P'Jeng and Nong Pat's first time, Step By Step (neck smelling drives me insane)

Chinzhilla performing 'Just Being Friendly' on the Hot Wave stage, My School President

Mon topping Sam, GAP The Series

Jim sniff kissing the fuck outta Wen and rocking his entire world, Moonlight Chicken

The chocolate kiss, Utsukushii Kare 2

Every time Ritsu pleasured Masumi without taking his eyes off his face, The End Of The World With You

Phupha finally making it right and giving Tian the mosquito net moment he should have given him all those years ago, OS 2 x 1000 Stars

Cher takes off Gun's shirt and just looks at him, A Boss and A Babe

King, Uea and the goddamn birthday cake, Bed Friend

Sailom and Namnuea's wedding, Wedding Plan Special

Hantae carrying Baram to the bedroom, Sing My Crush

The Big Damn Kiss, I Feel You Linger In The Air

Yamato and Kakeru intertwining fingers as Kakeru tells Yamato to keep liking him, I Cannot Reach You

Mhok and Day getting a little closer than necessary on SkyTrain, Last Twilight

5. The Messages

This year more than ever, I found myself gravitating toward shows centred around ideas of compassion, acceptance, bittersweetness and 'a soft epilogue'. I'm well out of the first flush of youth, and while it can be heartwarming to watch the younguns experience it all for the first time, lived experience makes romance DIFFERENT. There's something about having tried and failed and finding it in you to try again that just hits. Something about knowing yourself and feeling something you thought might be dead in you come alive again. Last love for me, every time.

Happy Holidays folks. Onto the next one.

[gunsatthaphan]

no one asked for this but here are my thoughts on the announced shows from today (in order of announcement, BLs are marked with a 🏳️‍🌈, personal favorites are marked with a 🌟):

Enigma: The days where I’m genuinely intrigued by a plot about a mysterious school are over. I’m not a fan of neither Win or Prim so I’m gonna pass on this one.  .

A Boss and a Babe (🏳️‍🌈): I did not expect ForceBook to come back twice next year lmao but I’m not upset. This would be the first series I see with them since I didn’t see Enchante but I really like their chemistry. I’m not a fan of boss-employee romance plots but I will give this a shot. Also the rest of the cast is amazing. Thumbs up!  .

Find Yourself: I did not see the original so I can’t say much about it but the trailer did not intrigue me. next.  .

Double Savage: This looks like a tragic but very interesting story I think, also Ohm and Perth seem to be an S-tier casting choice for this. These characters in this setting fit them extremely well imo. It’s a bit too much violence for my taste but I will take a look nonetheless.  .

Hidden Agenda (🏳️‍🌈🌟): FIRST HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY!!!!!! This looks absolutely amazing. The cast is A+++ and I’m SO excited that JoongDunk are actually coming back. I was hoping they would. The story is right up my alley and it definitely fits them. Joongs character seems very similar to Kluen but I’m okay with that lol. These are the kind of roles that fit him the best. Also we’re finally getting AouBoom 🥺 And is PoddGuy gonna be a thing too? If so then sign me up even more lmao. So excited for this one!!!!!! 💜  .

23.5 Degrees (🏳️‍🌈🌟): I cannot put into words how happy I am about this. We’re not only finally getting MilkLove but we’re finally getting a GL. This couldn’t be better. This looks so precious and so endearing, also GeminiFourth as the sides definitely makes this the most adorable project out of all. I absolutely love this. This is huge. Thank you gmm 🥺  .

Because You are My First Love: DewPrim seems to be a good match but I’m not really feeling it. Next.  .

Cooking Crush (🏳️‍🌈🌟): WELL WELL WELL. What do we have here. Still can’t believe it lol. I love shows about cooking and this looks fun, but to be completely honest I’m not sure how I feel about OffGun bl no. 5 lol. I love them but isn’t it time to move on lol. Also why did they say they were done. Idk. Obviously I’m gonna watch it but I think I would’ve preferred seeing Gun with Tor. Just to shake things up a bit. But oh well. Not complaining anyway ✌🏻  .

Wednesday Club: This looks like a messy version of Club Friday lmao. Not sure. Could be interesting but could be a flop. I think I’ll pass. Next.  .

Last Twilight (🏳️‍🌈): Hmmm..... If I took my glasses off I would probably think this was Vice Versa season 2 lol - I’m hesitant when it comes to shows portraying disabilities so I’m a bit reluctant about this one. I love JimmySea and I really hope they get this right. But I’m not 100% convinced.  .

Loneliness Society:  This looks boring, unoriginal story and a meh cast. Next.  .

Only Friends (🏳️‍🌈🌟🌟🌟): FUCK. ME. UP. This looks amazing. I was hoping for a Jojo series in the style of friendzone and my prayers have been answered. And not only that but with my babes FirstKhao???? And ForceBook and NeoMark????? Christmas came early this year lmao. I absolutely love that FK are going into a completely different direction for their second project. This looks spicy and messy and chaotic - exactly my cup of tea lmao. BRING IT.  .

Faceless Love: The plot around the face blindness is a very interesting concept but I’m not a fan of the main couple. Not sure.  .

Dangerous Romance (🏳️‍🌈🌟): YES I LOVE THIS. I wasn’t feeling it the first time I saw it but after rewatching it a few times I’m really into it. Yes, it’s yet another school setting (sigh) but I’m very much digging the PerthChimon pairing. I didn’t think they would actually get their own show but I’m happy. The trailer is giving Bad Buddy and 2Gether vibes which I hope won’t dominate the actual series lol but I’m intrigued nonetheless. Yay!!!!! .

The Jungle: Sorry but this looks awful. The cast is good but the story seems so weird to me. Hated every second of that trailer. Next.  .

Midnight Museum: This looks,,,,, interesting? I’m a bit creeped out lmao I was expecting to get TorGun and I’m not sure if they will actually be a pair here but we shall see. It looks very abstract which is intriguing but also has me a bit hesitant because it’s giving slight The Blue Hour vibes. But we shall see. Gun and Tor are gonna slay either way.  .

Cherry Magic (🏳️‍🌈): I have no words for this lmao. Like what---. I did not expect TayNew to actually make a comeback and I sure did not expect them to adapt THE cherry magic lmao? I generally find adaptions interesting but I’m not sure if this will work. TayNew are highly experienced so I guess they will do these roles justice but idk. cherry magic is so fundamentally different from thai bls which is one of the reasons why it was so phenomenal so I’m curious how they’re gonna do this. But for now I’m not putting it on my favorites list.  .

Our Skyy 2 (🏳️‍🌈🌟): YES I’m excited for this one!!!! Never in a million years would I have thought that there would be another season to this show lmao but here we are. I’m taking this as a final goodbye to these pairings which is a bit sad but I think it’s a good way to end these eras. I’m excited to see what they have in store for each of them!!!  .

Beauty Newbie: Absolutely hate this one. I’m sick and tired of these shows trying to sell me the idea that beautiful girls are ugly and then some handsome dude comes along and tells them otherwise like what century is this??? Win fits in there though because his characters are almost exclusively conservative snobs. No thank you. .

The Interest: Couldn’t care less about this one lmao. Bye. 

conclusion: 2023 seems to be the year of comebacks lol which I’m not mad about since I love all these pairings, but I do wish we had gotten more new ones. Also I was expecting to see more new faces (besides Title and Great). A few surprises like the ones we got last year would’ve been nice. However I am happy with what we’re getting, especially the fact that MilkLove is finally happening. Incredible. I’m glad they toned it down a bit with the number of shows and also that the event was shorter. A lot of their big shots were either absent or merely booked which was surprising; I was expecting to see people like Bright more frequently but maybe that’s for the best. 

My personal highlights are Only Friends, 23.5 Degrees, Dangerous Romance and Hidden Agenda. 

Can’t wait for 2023! 💜 

xxx

[maddiesbookshelves]

Strictly no heroics, by B. L. Radley

The world is run by those with the Super gene, and Riley Jones doesn’t have it. She’s just a Normie, ducking her way around the hero vs. villain battles that constantly demolish Sunnylake City, working at a crappy diner to save up money for therapy, and trying to figure out how to tell her family that she’s queer. But when Riley retaliates against a handsy superhero at work, she finds herself in desperate need of employment, and the only place that will hire her is HENCH. Yes, HENCH, as in henchmen: masked cronies who take villains' coffee orders, vacuum their secret lairs, and posture in the background while they fight. Riley's plan is to mind her own business and get paid...but that quickly devolves when she witnesses a horrible murder on the job. Caught in the thick of a gentrification plot, a unionization effort, and a developing crush on her prickly fellow henchwoman, Riley must face the possibility that even a powerless Normie can take a stand against injustice.

The writing was very reminiscent of tumblr folk tales, probably because B. L. Radley apparently used to(?) write on here. Or maybe I thought that because I knew Radley wrote on tumblr... Whichever it is, the vibes of the writing style were there, it was fun

It was also nice to have representation that doesn't end at "this character is gay, and this one is black": we get different gender and sexual identities, different body types (our MC doesn't have gressin limbs), different skin colors, Riley's sister even has a prosthetic leg. I feel like a lot of people would think it's too """woke""" but like, that's actually what the real world looks like outside of your bubble? Minorities are still a good chunk of the population and queer people do tend to band together, somehow. Anyways, I really liked that aspect of the story

The plot wasn't some convoluted evil master plan from some removed villain with the fate of the world at stake, it was closer to home (which makes sense given Riley and her lack of powers), so it was really refreshing and made the whole story seem way more realistic.

I'll definitely want to read more of Radley's works if they get more publishing deals after this one!

French version under the cut

Ceux dotés du gène des Super dirigent le monde, et Riley Jones n'en fait pas partie. Elle est une simple Normie qui esquive les combats incessants entre super héros et super villains qui détruisent Sunnylake City. Elle travaille dans un dinner minable pour pour payer sa thérapie tout en essayant de trouver le moyen de dire à sa famille qu'elle est queer. Seulement, lorsque Riley se venge d'un super héros aux mains baladeuses au travail, elle se retrouve en manque cruel d'un emploi et la seule entreprise qui veut bien l'embaucher est SBIRE. Oui, SBIRE, comme les sbires masqués des super villains qui prennent leur commande de café, nettoient leur repaire secret, et font les durs en arrière-plan pendant qu'ils se battent. Riley compte se mêler de ses affaires et toucher sa paie, mais ce plan tombe rapidement à l'eau lorsqu'elle assiste à un meurtre horrible au travail. Prise au milieu d'un complot d'embourgeoisement, d'une tentative de syndicalisation et ses sentiments naissants envers son irritable collègue, Riley devra faire face à la possibilité que même une Normie sans pouvoirs puisse prendre position contre l'injustice.

Le style d'écriture m'a rappelé les contes populaires de tumblr, probablement parce que B. L. Radley écrit (écrivait ?) sur le site. Ou peut-être que j'y ai pensé parce que je savais que Radley écrivait sur tumblr... Dans tous les cas, les vibes étaient là, c'était fun

C'était aussi sympa d'avoir de la représentation qui s'arrête pas à "ce personnage est gay et celui-là est noir" : on voit différentes identités de genres, différentes sexualités, types de morphologies (notre personnage principale n'a pas des membres-gressins), couleurs de peau. La soeur de Riley a même une prothèse de jambe. Je suis sûre que beaucoup de gens trouveraient ça trop """woke""", mais euh, c'est à ça que le monde réel ressemble en dehors de leur bulle ? Les minorités représentent quand même une bonne partie de la population et les personnes queer ont tendance à se regrouper, d'une façon ou d'une autre. Bref, j'ai vraiment apprécié cet aspect du roman

L'intrigue était pas un plan alambiqué fomenté par un lointain méchant où le sort du monde est en jeu, c'était une échelle plus humaine (ce qui a du sens au vu du manque de pouvoirs de Riley), donc c'était très rafraichissant et rendait l'histoire bien plus réaliste

Je lirai absolument plus de livres par Radley si iel publie d'autres livres à l'avenir !

[afabstract]

Kimi ni wa Todokanai - I Can't Reach You Review

Ohara Yamato has it all: good looks, great grades, and a horde of admirers. But he has a secret—he is in love with his best friend. Read our review of the 2023 series 'I Can't Reach You'/'Kimi ni wa Todokanai,' starring Maeda Kentaro and Kashiwagi Haru.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 3.5 out of 5. As soon as the intro song rolled in for Japanese series “I Can’t Reach You”/”Kimi ni wa Todokanai” in its first episode, I exclaimed to myself “Oh no, I guess he is just going to pine for his crush for the whole show until the last episode!”. After watching so many Japanese shows, it seemed pretty plausible that a high-school romance show would just be an achingly…

[ashereadsstuff]

My Books of 2023 Part 1

My goal for the year was 50 books, and I have read 60-ish. I'm not really sure, to be honest. The storygraph considers manga as books, while Goodreads does not. Goodreads considers fanfictions to be actual books, while The Storygraph does not. I, however, consider both to be books, even if they are somewhat not traditional. Here's all of them:

The Delve | By: Dan Fitzgerald

Assorted Wildness | By: Gyeja

Semantic Error | By: Soori Jeo

KinnPorsche Vol 1 | By: Daemi

An Innocent Puppy Meets a Two-Faced Cat | By: Niyama

BL Motel | By: Uhrin

Scared to Live (But I'm Scared to Die) | By: Major_816

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love | By: Lex Croucher

Fence Comics Vol 1 - 5 | By: C.S. Pacat

Striking Distance (Fence Vol 1) | By: Sarah Rees Brennan

Disarmed (Fence Vol 2) | By: Sarah Rees Brennan

Superior | By: Jessica Lack

How to Tame Your Vampire Vol 1 | By: Anni Lee

Fangirl, Vol 1: The Manga | By: Rainbow Rowell

The Vegetarian | By: Han Kang

Every Heart a Doorway (Vol 2) | By: Seanan McGuire

The Leather Boys | By: Gillian Freeman

The Love Hypothesis | By: Ali Hazelwood

All for the Game | By: Nora Sakavic

I think Our Son Is Gay Vol 1-4 | By: Okura

Unexpecting | By: Jen Bailey

Little Distractions | By: K.G. Brightwell

The Hunger Games | By: Suzanne Collins

Ander & Santi Were Here | By: Jonny Garza Villa

Tell Me What Really Happened | By: Chelsea Sedoti

TharnType | By: Khun Mame

Help Me, Uncle! | By: 4E

I Caught Him Getting Off Online! | By: Fujita

Anti - Alpha Series | By: Waka Okuda

Anti Platonic | By: Yupopo Orishima

The Untimely Undeath of Imogen Madrigal | By: Grayson Daly

Epic of Helinthia | By: MJ Pankey

Gender is Really Strange | By: Teddy goetz

Puzzle for Two | By: Josh Lanyon

The Covenant Sacrifice | By: Lee Allen Howard

Yours for the Taking | By: Gabrielle Korn

Her Dark Wings | By: Melinda Salisbury

Cursebreakers | By: Madeleine Nakamura

Kiss Me Liar | By: Zing

My Bias Is Showing?! | By: Nabit

Day Off | By: Dailygreens

Dress Him Up | By: Cheese Carp Bread

Burns | By: Ra-yuan

Aesthetics of Unpleasantness | By: SS

A Trace of You | By: AG

The Proper Way to Write Love | By: Ogeretsu Tanaka

Hands Up Me! | By: Chwesong

Leash Me Up | By: Yp

Why Is it You? | Nansae

Lookism | Taejun Park

Baby Sugar Succubus | Sakana Tojou

When the Glow Lights the Woods | By: Eule Grey

My Younger Childhood Friend is Just My Type | By: Hagi Fukuhara

[kaitiedidslibrary]

Book thirteen! Getting back on track after a busy work week.

I pre-ordered this one too. It was suggested when I was checking out, and I am a weak, weak person.

I'm glad I picked this one up. It reminds me of early 2000s fantasy romance manga and I mean that in the best way possible.

So author Izunome Chiharu has been having a really rough time. His grandma, who raised him, died, and he was away when it happened. (There's also something else about his grandma that he's dealing with, but it hasn't been resolved yet.) When he arrived at the station, he meets Rin, who said he was waiting for his bride.

That bride happens to be Chiharu.

Rin's a dragon god, and despite Chiharu's initial rejection, he's doing his best to convince Chiharu that he will be the best husband.

It's the perfect balance of fluff and domesticity, and seriousness. Rin learning to be human is adorable, and so is their bonding. The scene where he's showing Chiharu his shapeshifting power is so cute. My other favorite is in the tree at the sunset, when he's comforting him.

It's scenes like that I love the most, because it's not instalove- they're learning each other, and getting closer.

The kitsune was unsettling in his shifting, and I'm worried about Rin going a little see-through. I will be ordering the sequel immediately.

Additional notes:

Dragon gods who are simps for their humans.... Very good. One of my favorites. There should be much more of this. 😤

Also, childhood friend arc? 👀

Also, Rin's design? The white hair and green dragon eyes? Beautiful. And his dragon form! I love the electric horns.

The fact that Chiharu has family and they feel real? Ten out of ten.

Ahhh the fact that Rin was like, "You know what you'd like? A dragon form of your own! :D" Chiharu is stronger than me.

And Rin hanging out with Grandma? I need to know.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[vivianstravelblog]

Asian Drama Review: Jun and Jun

~ Warning! Minor Spoilers! Korean Drama Review: “Jun and Jun” 준과준 (2023) ~ REVIEW I was intrigued by some clips of “Jun and Jun” that showed up on my Instagram feed. I am currently on a BL drama kick, and now my targeted content on social media is mainly BL. In “Jun and Jun,” we meet childhood friends Choi Jun and Lee Jun, who were separated and reunited in adulthood. This friends-to-lovers…

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - I Gave a 10/10 to a BL... me!

Organized, in each category, by ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

Nov 2023 Wk 3

Ongoing Series - Thai

My Dear Gangster Oppa (Thurs iQIYI) ep 4 of 8 - I love this show. I adore Tew's the simple backstory. No frills. No fuss. He got dragged in the way many do and he can kill so they kept him. They aren’t trying to make it needlessly complicated (which is rare for Thailand). That said, the pacing is way tf off, the emotional arc is rushed and then sappy out of absolutely nowhere. Before you ask, the kiss is not at issue, we halfway through they should be kissing, but the romantic life changes - too soon. But I don’t care. Finally, they left us this ep reminded of 2 v important things,

this pair kisses beautifully

in BL all mafia be gay

Fun fun!

Last Twilight (Fri YT) ep 2 of 12 - It's official, I love this. It’s a classic caregiver/bodyguard trope where one of them is opening the other one up to the world, but sweetly. I’m enjoying the softness of JimmySea's take and I hope GMM TV takes its cues from the success of My School President and doesn’t push this particular show into rough or edgy territory. Stay on target GMMTV. Don't mess with my bias again!

Twins the series (Fri GaGa) ep 3 of 10 - Finally, our adorable side couple has emerged! This show remains engaging without losing pace (despite the main couple being slow burn), which is all I want from a Thai pulp, and more I could ask for currently from a sports BL. 

(Note: when I dictate the computer always puts "Thai pope" instead of Thai pulp - this is hilarious to me.)

Pit Babe (Fri iQIYI) ep 1 of 14 - I guess they didn’t strip the omegaverse out of this. Unfortunately, I’m not an omegaverse fan, so I find its presence extremely off putting. (But it’s kind of amazing that somebody finally put one on our screen.) Unsurprisingly, it’s a lot of alpha posturing and hyper masculinity, because that’s what this kind of worldbuilding is an excuse for (lazy writing and lazier characterization). This means I don’t like Babe AT ALL except that he’s smell orientated and a bit verse. Way is lovely tho, because Nut is a great soft screen presence amongst the testosterone haze. 

Middleman’s Love (Fri YT & iQIYI ep 2 of 8 - I’m not gonna lie (when have I ever bothered to lie to you all?) I’m struggling with this show. The sound effects are getting worse. That is not allowed. Still I found this installment slightly more bearable than the last last, probably because there was more of the cast in play and less of Jade being too cringe to live. 

Absolute Zero (Weds iQIYI) ep 8 of 12 - AKA temporal paradox of pain.

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) Friends Forever ep 13 of 24 - Ooo it’s a bit of a teacher/student (coach/player) thing. Linguistic negotiation and kinkification of phi. Also actually kinky. But not consensually. Gonna get dark. Bummer. 

Playboyy (Thurs Gaga) 1 of 14(!) eps - Whines. Must I? Gaga doesn’t have a skip ahead button. Sad sack main characters really do not work for me. But this was better than I expected. I wasn’t expecting much. 

Look: This is helmed by Cheewin (shudder) with screenplay by Den (Only Friends - shudder the second) under Copy A Bangkok (they deserve not my shuddders). It's gonna be a shizz show people. It's Thai dark War of Y style - my least favorites. Apparently, there is meant to be a "plot" but when has Cheewin ever bothered with plot?

On a completely different note does the blond look like that Korean actor/idol from At a Distance Spring is Green & Wanna One to anyone else? Or is it just me? (Park Ji Hoon)

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

A Breeze of Love (Korea iQIYI) eps 3-4 of 8 - I like it a lot. Dongwook is so obtuse and socially awkward and reserved and needy and Dohyun is so gay over and simultaneously wildly confused by this behavior. Fantastic. A bit stiff, even for Korea, btu I'm okay with it since everything else I'm watching right now is decidedly NOT stiff.

I finished it!

Let's Eat Together Aki and Haru AKA Aki wa Haru to Gohan wo - Japan BL movie 1.5 hr

Best friends life together during university - cheerful sunshine loves to cook, grumpy tsundere loves to eat. Aki is a bit manic pixie dream boy for me (not my favorite archetype) but they’re cute and it’s one of those Japanese slice of life pieces like Our Dining Table that isn’t really a romance in fact it’s barely a drama. This isn’t friends to lovers because they’re basically already in a relationship (which everyone around them knows) they just aren’t fucking. I did spend a lot of time worrying that they weren’t eating any green things whatsoever. In the end this isn’t my thing when there’s no kissing at all, and this was a bit too dull even for JBL. Sorry Japan, one cannot trade on cute and cheese alone. I know, you want to. But that's not a BL or a personality. 6/10 

I Cannot Reach You AKA I Can't Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai (Japan, maybe coming to Netflix) 8 eps - This classic friends-to-lovers BL is everything Japan does best. Angsty. Emo. Aching. Driven by real thirst. Yamato is deeply in love with his childhood bestie, Kakeru, and has been for ages, unable to hide his ungainly damaging high school need. He wants Kakeru in every way possible and it oozes off of the screen. Kakeru is silly and a little simple, but not frenetic or overly camp about it. He is earnest, and genuinely wants to keep Yamato in his life which means giving a romance (and gayness) a fair chance. We watch him realize his affection and what form it can take in a truly authentic way. This show was impossibly kind to both of its lead characters and I felt honored that I got to watch something so lovely and rare play out on my screen.

I LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS. IT'S SO GOOD.

10/10

Let me be perfectly clear: I have watched 646 BLs and only handed out nine 10/10s.

I talk more about why this one made the cut, here.

It's Airing But...

One Room Angel (Japan Gaga) 6 eps - adaptation of Harada’s manga (which I did not like) about a clerk who's stabbed, nearly dies, and returns home to find an angel waiting for him. With only 5 eps and a good chance this won’t end happy, I'm gonna wait and let you tell me how it goes.

SHADOW (Thai Gaga) 14 eps - I'm not wild about Thai horror (or horror at all) even one featuring Singto and Fluke. I'm holding off on this one and if told it's good I'll binge later.

Beyond The Star (Weds iQIYI) 8 eps - House of Stars meets Boyband. I was NOT impressed. Waiting to be told if I should bother.

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps - I find this series more fun to binge, so I'm waiting until it completes its run.

Next Week Looks Like This

STARTING

11/20 Bake Me Please (Mon Gaga) ep 1 of 6 - trailer here, stars Ohm (of OhmFluke) opposite Guide (bestie from IFYLITA). This looks like an actually gay version of Antique Bakery (play it again, BL). I'm intrigued, it looks HELLA pretty.

11/22 7 Days Before Valentine (Weds ????) ep 1 of 10 - trailer here, horror-esk. Adapted from y-novel of the same name, directed by Tu (180 Degree) stars Jet (Why You… Y Me?). When you want your old love again, but fate sends you a reaper instead. All he can do for you is kill people. I'll likely give this a pass and wait to binge if safe.

11/24 VIP Only (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - Screenplay by Lin Pei Yu (WBL) about a chef who courts a shy writer with spicy beef noodles.

11/25 The Sign (Sat ????) ep 1 of 10 - trailer here, horror-esk, but with a suspense and adult characters. Special investigators who loved each other in previous lives reunite in new bodies. Stars Billy Patchanon (BillySeng) & Babe Tanatat (new). Includes other SCOY favorites as a special investigation team. I may give this a try (depending on distribution) because I'm into the non-horror bits.

11/26 The Whisperer (Sun ????) 1 of 10 - trailer here. Thai horror BL that ALSO involves cheating (what joy is mine). He has dimples (My Ride) but I don't think even that gives me the will. You can tell me how this goes.

11/26 Cooking Crush (Sun YT) 1 of 12 - OffGun are back, trailer here. Adapted from the novel “Love Course! เสื้อกาวน์รุกเสื้อกุ๊กรับ” by iJune4S this is about Prem who runs a not-so-popular restaurant with 2 friends. About to go on a cooking competition with a huge reward, Prem gets involved with Ten, a stressed-out med student who wants Prem to teach him to cook.

Still Coming November BL

11/30 For Him (Thurs ????) ep 1 of 10 - high heat trailer, I suspect iQIYI will scoop this one up. From the people who brought us Unforgotten Night (please no) based on a y-novel, man nursing a heartbreak has a one-night stand, but the other boy didn't want it to end. It looks terribly trashy so I'm in! Maybe I'll do a trash watch?

Nov 2023 line up with screen caps here. Not kept updated.

Original 2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED).

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

To be fair this was last week but I did get the screen shot until now. (You are Mine)

I Cannot Reach You serving all Japan's favorite tropes plus some very un-Japan decent kisses.

(Last week)

[aikawa-kazuki]

So only friends ended. What am i supposed to do now?

[jenyifer]

Why R U?(2023) 8.5/10

Let’s start this review with a bit of a disclaimer in the past I have really disliked Kbl despite using it to practice my Korean so I’ve seen a lot against my will. I also have read some of the Mame-verse and watched all the Thai shows that are out in that universe. So I was predetermined not to enjoy this show. HOWEVER I was really surprised. I dropped the Thai version after 5 episodes because of sound effects and lack of chemistry. This version of the story was 100% better. I felt like the actors and good chemistry not only between the main ships but the friendships as well. Dialogue didn’t feel awkward or forced. The initial episode had me worried but by the end of ep two I was hooked. The show is sadly lacking in musical score and sound design in general but even so I enjoyed it. I’d probably watch it again actually. For a Mame-verse show the list of non consenting kisses were only 2 and they felt very brief in comparison to their consenting kisses so a win for gays everywhere. Thought the ending was very cute made me laugh. Seriously in my top 5 best Kbl I think. Even though it’s not super serious or sexy it’s a school drama that is heavily carried by the actors and didn’t make me feel horribly bored.

What am I watching next?

I need to finish something in my to watch list probs gonna do a random number generator

[tobeornottotc]

Plans are being made for LR in 2023 and January already has exciting things to look forward to 🥹 I will try to work my hardest to be consistent this year ❤️

[afabstract]

My Dear Gangster Oppa Review - Soft Gangsta Romance

Guy is an introverted shy college student in madly love with his best-friend, but that changes when the hot gangster Thiu comes into his life. Read our review of "My Dear Gangster Oppa" starring Ping Krittanun Aunchananun and Meen Nichakoon Khajornborirak

University student Guy is hopelessly in love with his best friend, Wahl. To escape the loneliness of his one-sided crush, he becomes a gamer and befriends a player called Yuri, who takes on the role of a kind healer in his favorite game but is actually a handsome gangster called Thiu in real life. When the two meet for real during their gamer group meet-up, the possibility of love looms in the…