#Joong is such a great actor

[crispywizardtale]

[7698]

[conscbgb]

GMMTV OUTING DAY 2024

[airenyah]

awwww besties supporting besties

[mctna2019]

+Sir, who is Do-jun?

-Do-jun? Do-jun.....he is my grandson. the one who is most like me. my grandson.

[noona-is-afk]

Completed Dramas, Ranked

Masterlist of all the dramas I have finished and my rankings from 1-10. Keep in mind I don't usually finish dramas that I don't like, so most of these reviews will be 6+ ratings.

Recently added: Hit the Spot, Money Heist - Korea, Alice, The Final Weapon, Lovely Runner

Lovely Runner - 10/10

Finished 2024-05

Truly a masterpiece from start to finish. Some incredible twists at the beginning that take the plot to somewhere completely new. The fantasy is handled so well in developing the love story and tension. SML borders on second lead syndrome, but they are the only drama to handle that role properly imo. Honestly perfect. Not a single episode or plot point I didn’t like.

Favourite quote: “It will rain tomorrow. Then as you wait for the rain to stop, live another day. If you keep this up, there might a come a day when life doesn’t seem so miserable.”

Tags: time travel, love triangle, idol drama, rom com, serial killer villain, mental health and disability themes

Twenty Five Twenty One - 10/10 Finished 2023-08 I will never recover from this drama. I cried and laughed and fell so in love with the entire cast. The friendship between the two female leads is beautiful. Nam Joo-hyuk the actor that you are. That ending will be permanently etched on my heart. Another incredible display of how talented female writers are in kdramas.

Favourite line: “It’s love. I love you, Hee-do. I don’t need a rainbow.” Tags: melodrama, sports, friends to lovers

Doom At Your Service - 10/10 Finished 2023-07 Cried my eyes out. Park Bo Young is too cute. The whole premise is so good and they do such a good job pacing it and throwing in twists to keep it interesting. Also has made me a huge Seo In Guk stan, the man is crazy talented at playing a villain with a heart of gold.

Favourite line: "Love me to the point that you will want to destroy the world for me." Tags: fantasy, melodrama, enemies to lovers

Reborn Rich - 10/10 Finished 2023-09 There has never been a better revenge drama. Succession meets time travel fantasy meets enemies to lovers romcom meets 90s period piece. Song Joong Ki absolutely nails it once again.

Favourite line: "There are 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year. They say time is fair to everyone. However, time isn’t fair. Just like everything else in this world." Tags: revenge, enemies to lovers, time travel, 90s

My Name - 10/10 Finished 2023-07 Despite being traumatized by the ending, this is still one of my fave dramas. The acting. The fight choreography. The romance. 10000/10. Pil-do might be one of my favourite male leads ever. I love me a soft boy who would do anything to protect his strong, independent woman.

Favourite line: "Is life supposed to be fun?" Tags: revenge, action, enemies to lovers, gangs vs cops

Romance Is a Bonus Book - 10/10 Finished 2023 -07 So rewatchable. Truly the coziest kdrama out there. A great start into noona romances too. Also the line where she talks about how it was so nice to be called by her name, instead of “mom”, “honey”, “you” really stays in my heart. Also started my obsession with Jong-Suk.

Favourite line: "Instead of 'I love you,' soseki natsume said, 'the moon is beautiful." Tags: friends to lovers, noona romance, workplace romance, romcom, love triangle

Extraordinary Attorney Woo - 10/10 Finished 2023-08 Absolute perfection. Jun Ho is the new standard. Deals with autism in a surprisingly modern way. Some interesting episodes on feminism in the workplace too.

Favourite line: "All my thoughts tend to center around me, so I make people close to me lonely. I don’t know when or why I do that. And I don’t know what I can do to stop it." Tags: legal drama, autism, workplace romance

Captivating the King - 10/10 Finished 2024-03-03 Incredible directing. Best acting performance of the year surely from Jo Jung Suk. Perfect if you liked Kings Affection. So much tension, little bit gay in a great way, and the palace politics are actually so interesting. All the characters are very morally grey and make for such interesting stories.

Favourite quote: “I love to win but I cannot put up with boredom.” Tags: FL disguised as man, historical drama, enemies to lovers

Nevertheless - 10/10 Finished 2023-06 Female gaze times a million. And the supporting cast is one of my faves (except for the TAs, they were boring as all hell). It’s also one of the few kdramas that tackle a relationship that’s kind of “friends with benefits” and you can very much tell it was written by a woman.

I get why some people really don’t like this one, but I’m a big believer in not needing the main characters to be good people for it to be a good piece of art. Everyone is very flawed in this (nearing on toxic), but it tells a lot of important stories that I really connected with.

Favourite line: "I know it will cause me pain again. Nevertheless..." Tags: friends with benefits, college drama, red flag ml, love triangle

Hot Stove League - 10/10 Finished 2024-03 Baseball is life. Definitely the best sports drama out there, although it’s a close race with Love All Play. This drama has no romance, so I was really surprised that it hooked me so much. But the drama is amazing. The villains are so good. And mostly I just love this goddamn sport man. Even if you don’t like sport, I think you’ll enjoy the twists and turns and found family dynamics of this one. Also Park Eun Bin never misses.

Favourite quote: "Everyone's situation is different, we all fight with the resources that are available to us. If we start listing excuses, we'll lose again in the same situation." Tags: sport drama, found family, no romance

It's Okay Not to be Okay - 10/10 Finished 2023-07 This was a slow start for me because I found the main female lead so annoying at first. But trust me she grows on you. Literally one of my fave dramas now. The emotions are SO real, I was crying constantly. Very attached to this little trio now. And the parallels of the beginning and ending are soooo good. All the characters have so much character growth, some of the best writing I’ve seen in a kdrama.

Favourite line: "Your body is honest. When you're in physical pain, you cry. But the heart is a liar. It stays quiet even when it's hurting." Tags: enemies to lovers, autism, mental health

Alchemy of Souls - 10/10 Finished 2023-10 Absolutely binged this. Such a fun watch. The lore is really cool too. My only thing is I LOVED the female lead from S1 and it felt weird not to have her in the second season. Also second season felt a bit rushed on the ending. Otherwise perfection.

Favourite line: "If you stabe me, then I wil die as the one who released the assassin. If you withdraw your sword, I will make you another promise." Tags: fantasy, enemies to allies to lovers, magic, love triangle

Love to Hate You - 10/10 Finished 2024-04 Incredible binge watch. Only 10 episodes, and all about 40 min or less. They don't get distracted by any unnecessary side stories and really just focus on the characters. Both the ML and FL are incredible, and the secondary couple is just as cute. I will forever remember the look that he gives her when she finally says I love you back. A great mix of comedy and swoony romance.

Favourite line: "I can stand other people hating me, but I can’t live with hating myself." Tags: enemies to lovers, idol drama, fake dating, badass FL x soft boi ML

Flower of Evil - 10/10 Finished 2024-05 So good that I had to stop and take a break at ep. 14 because I didn't want it to end. The closest I've ever seen to a truly romance thriller genre. The romance between this married couple - despite one of them potentially being a psychopath murderer lol - is literally one of the most adorable and authentic in any drama I've seen. This drama has definitely given me an unhealthy bias for Lee Jong Gi soooo...

Favourite line: "He is the father of my child. He is my family. He is my person. He has a wife who will stand by his side no matter what happens." Tags: married couple, serial killer thriller, detective drama

Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo - 9.5/10 Finished 2023-08 Too cute for it’s own good. Male lead is adorable. Only docking points for some of the weird mentions of the female lead’s weight and her being ‘ugly’. Otherwise the perfect drama. Great for a light watch as there isn’t much drama between the couple really, they communicate well and most of the tension is in their family and career.

Favourite line: "You fool, I like you. Not as a friend, but as a woman. If I don't see you, I get curious. If you're depressed, I get upset. If you smile, it makes me happy. If you're sick, I get worried. It's driving me crazy. It means I like you, doesn't it?" Tags: friends to lovers, childhood friends, sports drama, college drama, romcom

Descendants of the Sun - 9.5/10 Finished 2023-09 Beautiful. So sad. Chemistry is insane between the main leads. I cried so much. Also the friendships between all the characters are really great. The plot too is amazing. Only docking it a half point because some of the military propaganda is a bit much for me, otherwise perfect.

Favourite line: "Regarding the kiss, what should I do? Should I apologize for that? Should I confess my feeling to you?" Tags: exes to lovers, military drama, melodrama

Vincenzo - 9/10 Very addicting, plot is crazy fun. Leads have so much chemistry. Some episodes ran on a bit though. Tags: revenge, legal drama, workplace romance

The King's Affection - 9/10 Love the premise. Essentially a gayer Mulan plotline. Rowoon is cute AND badass. Also can’t believe this is the same Park Eun Bin as Attorney Woo?? The range!!! Tags: fl disguised as a man, historical drama, kinda gay

Love All Play - 9/10 Only docking a point because Taejun’s whole family deserved the shit beat out of them instead of a stupid redemption arc. Otherwise the perfect romance angst. Taejun is THE green flag. Tags: sports drama, college drama, partners to lovers

Soundrack #1 - 9/10 Beautiful. Short. Simple. Some of my favourite leads. Great winter watch if you’re feeling like some cozy, friends to lovers vibes. Tags: friends to lovers, winter, music

Mr Queen - 9/10 Really good, really funny. Just wish the ending was more gay. Tags: body swap, time travel, historical drama, comedy

Start-up - 9/10 I can’t believe how underrated this one is. First love triangle story that actually had me questioning who I wanted to be endgame. The male leads are written so beautifully and they are both so complex and interesting. And the female lead has you rooting for her so much. I also really loved how they wrote such an insecure male lead, the character development was amazing to watch and Nam Joo Hyuk crushed it as per usual. Tags: workplace romance, paid to date you, love triangle

Happiness - 9/10 Really really good. I always thought it would be interesting to get a zombie story post pandemic. I just think some of the directing wasn’t great near the end. Some of the scenes just needed to hit a bit harder for me, considering I know how good this cast is in other dramas. Tags: zombies, friends to lovers, fake married, cohabitation

Dr Romantic 2 & 3 - 9/10 If you like Grey's Anatomy for the crazy end of season events, this is the show for you. Wil ride, amazing chemistry with the leads, loveable found family. Tags: medical drama, found family, rivals to lovers

Hospital Playlist - 9/10 If you like Grey's Anatomy for the relationships and friendship however, this is the show for you. Medical stuff is sometimes boring in this one, but the found family and ships 100% make up for it. Also there's like 100 episodes of behind the scenes to watch and the cast is too cute. Tags: friends to lovers, slow burn romance, medical drama, found family, ensemble cast, music

Hit the Spot - 9/10

Really underrated! Double the friends with benefits to lovers trope. Very risque for a kdrama, and some really mature and modern themes around feminism and sex.

Tags: mature rating, friends with benefits to lovers, sex positive

Money Heist - Korea - 9/10

I’m such a sucker for a heist narrative. Really great found family of robin hood thieves. Great action, romance, drama. It’s got it all. Seriously underrated. Also loved all the interesting political unification stuff. Hoping for another season, I need my slow burn Rio x Tokyo plssss

Tags: action thriller, bank heist, political drama, Korea unification, romance sub plots, found family

Alice, The Final Weapon - 9/10

Perfect little action thriller. Sweet teen romance on the stage of brutal violence. Both the leads are incredible in this, both in the action and drama and in the humour bits. Easy watch as its only 8 episodes, 30 min each.

Tags: mature rating, assassin’s, teen romance, first love, mental health and suicide, badass female lead

Castaway Diva - 8/10 Loved the first 10 episodes. But felt it didn't wrap up great, especially with the romance. Tags: stranded on a desert island, music, childhood friends, finding your first love

Marry My Husband - 8/10 It's good, but kind of burnt out on revenge dramas with time travel. Villains were great though and Na In Woo is adorable. Tags: time travel, revenge, ml falls first

My Dearest - 8/10 The tension between these leads is unmatched. Also just a gorgeous show. Little too dramatic for me. Like after the tenth time they just missed each other, I wanted to pull my hair out. Also desperate for a little epilogue in the last episode. Tags: romance drama, historical, fated love

Oh My Ghost - 8/10 I love Jo Jung Suk, and with Park Bo Young??? Match made in heaven. I’m desperate for them to get on screen together again. Fun fantasy elements. Both characters have so many flaws but they develop so well. Tags: enemies to lovers (ish), ghost possession, restaurant drama

Welcome to Samdal-ri - 8/10 For the Hometown Cha Cha Cha fans for sure. Definitely under utilized Ji Chang Wook (where are the epic kisses pls), but overall the leads had incredible chemistry. 2nd ML was annoying as hell though. Give all the awards to the little girl. Tags: friends to lovers, exes to lovers, love triangle, middle-aged drama

Suspicious Partner - 8/10 Super cute. SO much chemistry. Bit too melodramatic for me and the second female lead is a bit one-dimensional. Really funny though and a decent legal drama. Tags: legal drama, enemies to lovers, workplace romance, cohabitation

Wedding Impossible - 8/10 Enemies to lovers plus a fake relationship to hide your bestie is gay. It's mostly really fun and silly, the FL is one of my favourite korean actors, but it falls a part a bit in the middle of the season. Would have been saved with more scenes with Do Han and exploring what it means to be gay in Korea. Even just more scenes where he's happy. Great finale and fluff throughout for our main leads though. Tags: Enemies to lovers, fake wedding, beard for my gay best friend, idol story

Melting Me Softly - 8/10 Really great premise and the chemistry of the leads is unmatched. Don’t be fooled by the branding, this is very much more of a rom com than a melodrama. Really liked the directing too, beautiful show. Tags: time travel, shared fate, workplace romance

Revenge of Others - 8/10 You know I love a good revenge thriller. Very good series, incredibly gritty for a high school drama. Twist at the end was kind of meh though. And also wish there was more romance as the leads were so cute. Tags: little to no romance, high school drama, revenge

While You Were Sleeping - 8/10 Really great premise. The main trio are all so good. I just think some of the romance drama near the end was a bit annoying. Shoulda been like 3 episodes shorter, just got a bit tiresome. Tags: shared fate, fantasy (ish), legal drama

Fight For My Way - 8/10 Very cute friends to lovers. Great chemistry between the leads. Very similar vibe to Weighlifting Kim Bok Joo, just wish the last episode was a bit more impactful. Tags: friends to lovers, sports, college friends

King the Land - 8/10 Very cute and fluffy. Love both leads. Liked how there was no unnecessary drama between them. Really healthy relationship. Just not my favourite plot of all time, hasn’t hooked me like other shows. Tags: workplace romance, chaebol ml, hotel management

Crash Landing on You - 8/10 Definitely hooks you. Starts to drag in the last 5 episodes with too much melodrama. But I loved how they switched it up mid-way through. Really engaging. Also the chemistry with the leads is unreal, makes sense that they’re married in real life now. Tags: found family, north korea, enemies to lovers, melodrama

Moon in the Day - 8/10 Very solid fantasy romance. Found it a bit boring though in the middle. Kim Young Dae is defs underrated though. Hopefully this will kickstart him as a lead now. Tags: fantasy, loved each other in a past life, revenge, enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers again

Sh**ting Stars - 8/10 Like 90% fluff. Also cool to see the behind the scenes of k actor management. Lee Song Kyung literally plays enemies to friends to lovers perfectly. Nearly same love story as Dr Romantic and Bok Joo, love to see it. Tags: enemies to friends to lovers, college friends, acting drama

Business Proposal - 8/10 It’s pretty good, but very trope-y. If you like a chaebol romance or workplace romance you’ll love it. It just didn’t surprise me that much, so very middle of the road. One of the few times that I actually was more obsessed with the secondary love story than the main. Tags: workplace romance, fl pretending to be someone else

Let's Talk About Chu - 8/10 Kind of ridiculous but surprisingly deep and heartwarming. Loved the chemistry of all the couples. Tags: sex positive, queer secondary couple, friends with benefits, taiwanese

Destined with You - 7/10 Another drama where the chemistry of the leads really carry the show. Also Rowoon is so talented. I like the premise, but the execution was kinda messy and the first few episodes kinda drag until they let Rowoon being a goofy boi. Must watch though if you love fluff and soft bois. Tags: enemies to lovers, love potion, fantasy, past life, betrayal

W: Two Worlds - 7/10 Despite wanting to rewatch this show constantly, it is kind of a hot mess. Really fun though, just the plot is like a yo-yo. Insane chemistry with the leads. Tags: fantasy, love across universes (webtoon comes to life)

Lovestruck in the City - 7/10 Great show and then the last episode is just like really a bummer. The main couple are super cute though and I like the jumping back to the beach town. Good summer watch! Not sure I really like the mockumentary style, but it’s quite cute. Tags: mockumentary, short episodes, summer romance, exes to lovers

So I Married the Anti-Fan - 7/10

The beginning and middle are really good and cute. Ending is just kind of rushed and feels a bit disjointed from the plot. Overall fun rom com though!

Tags: rom com, enemies to lovers, kpop idol

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon - 7/10 It’s very cute, but just way too fluffy for me, especially near the end. It’s a good light watch if you’re looking for something like that. Highly recommend watching the behind the scenes of this series too, because Park Hung Sik is just so in love with Park Bo Young and it’s adorable. Tags: workplace romance, superpowers, comedy

Hometown Cha Cha Cha - 7/10 This was my very first drama so I really need to rewatch it as I don’t know if my review is just because it’s aged in my brain. But it’s very cute, very wholesome. Supporting cast is incredible. My only real issue with it is I don’t love the female lead as much as I like other leads, just didn’t root for her as much as I would have liked. Tags: small town, enemies to lovers, found family

Forecasting Love and Weather - 7/10 Bit boring, but the chemistry is unreal between the leads. Really good twist near the beginning that still sticks with me. Also love seeing Song Kang as little puppy dog heart of gold boi. Tags: noona romance, workplace romance

See You in My 19th Life - 7/10 Love the premise and the leads are amazing. Female lead in particular nails the role. Just a bit too melodramatic for me. Another one where the side characters really make the show, especially her sister. Tags: past lives, childhood friends, murder mystery

Vagabond - 7/10

Great action thriller, the political plot had me the whole time. Suzy never misses. But it ended on a cliffhanger and I wish I’d known that before. Especially since Season 2 hasn’t been announced 😭 Otherwise the romance is great, ML is incredible.

Tags: action romance, enemies to lovers, spy thriller

Coffee Prince - 7/10

I think this drama is a bit overhyped, but I still binged it pretty quick. I’ll be honest, though I loved the main couple, I skipped over almost every other side plot because they were so boring. But Gong Yoo is great in this and we know I love a kdrama that’s a little gay, so still definitely a drama I’d revisit in the future I think.

Tags: FL pretending to be a man, kinda gay, rom com, office romance

My Holo Love - 5/10 Kinda just meh. Like it was cute and fun but nothing special. Female lead was really good though. Also I do like the plot around face blindness, just not super memorable as a show in general. Tags: mystery, ml shut in

Love Alarm - 3/10 Too cringe and immature for me I think. Interesting premise though. Song Kang is really good in it (although he plays a massive red flag again lol), I just really didn’t like the other male lead to be honest. Tags: love triangle, fated love, fantasy (ish), red flag ml

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - New & Old Tropes Galore

Entirely subjective yadda yadda. Organized sorta by favs in each category.

Sept 2023 Wk 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

I Feel You Linger in the Air (Fri grey) ep 7 of 12 - occasionally I forget that Yai is like 20 and this is his first love affaire. That poem bit gave me very Goethe vibes. Lots of doomed lesbians in this ep. Doomed love in general. Frankly? I was hoping for more oil less sad. Also, these two are making some v stupid mistakes. Also: MORE boys dancing.

Finally... who was it wanted a rain kiss? You got your rain kissing here, okay? No umbrellas to be had, apparently.

Dangerous Romance (Fri YT) ep 7 of 12 - I love them so much. They are so darn adorable. I like how forthright Kang is. Boy has no game and is such a dork but at least he's enthusiastic. I love the “my boyfriend smells good” trope that BL is into these days. I’m into it, too. The bff enemies drunken bathroom shenanigans was v funny. Also @heretherebedork your boys are couple dancing all over the damn place this week.

I guess we get the boyfriends ep next week?

Hidden Agenda (Sun YT) ep 12fin - The conflict really kind of wasn’t in this last ep. But I guess it was a fine, if not a particularly strong, ending. I wish we’d had the family conflict threaded throughout the series. It would have felt like a deeper more honest drama and the actors could have handled it. They’re ready. How pretty were Joong’s single picturesque crystal tears? Honestly, it's been lovely, boys. Not at all memorable, but lovely.

Quick pitch Hidden Agenda: 

A relatively simple and harmless old-fashioned style university Thai BL, that started out Cyrano de Bergerac style but then drifted away into forgetfulness. It felt like it could have fit into the En of Love universe, except that it was high quality GMMTV with very pretty makeup. I enjoyed it for what it was, it's just that wasn’t much. 8/10 RECOMMENDED

Naughty Babe (Sat YT) ep 5 of 8 - Am I mostly watching this for Est and annoyed he doesn’t have a pair? Yes. (Am I writing a whole revenge plot in my head: "seduced to the good side by my enemy's hot bodyguard" with him and the Tem character? Yes. Yes I am. But that’s way too KinnPorsche for this show.) That said, MaxNat really are a great pair. Nice that Dio is figuring out how evil his own family is. Weirdly, I kind of like this speculation that if gay marriage were legal rich families would use it for arranged-marriage power plays. Can you imagine what China would do with this concept if they had access to it? 

Love in Translation (Sat iQIYI) ep 7 of 8 - The morning after was sweet, I do like it when we get these scenes in BL. FYI no one misgendered Bojji except the caption writer. The screaming "discovery" scene was adorable. And I am very much falling in love with all of the side characters. I also love how aggressive Yang is, like he stepped out of a 2016 Chinese BL into Thailand. And I adore the main brother relationship.

I have to say, this is going to be a difficult BL for me to review. I didn’t like the first 4 episodes but it seems like I’m going to love the final 3. I’m actually really looking forward to the finale next week. Boy, do I feel strange about this. In other news, is it just me or is it weird to get a gay kiss from Ngern almost 10 years later? How late is too late for smooching a boy? 

Never too late...

Absolute Zero (Thai Weds iQIYI) - from 2021, Studio Wabi Sabi and New Siwaj finally brings us this “time loop to prevent tragedy” romance based on the novel of the same name. I think we can expect this to be sad (so it will likely slide down my list as I become more confident about this). Mix is a great actor, so I’m not worried about that aspect, but I am warning you this won’t be your classic fluffy Thai BL. It’s a bit slow moving for me so far. Meanwhile, a revelation:

Thai high school BL is all about the hands. I blame Love Sick.

FYI the outdoor movie they watch is Love of Siam Thailand’s first real queer movie, also featured in My Only 12%.

I'm in trouble, Ongsa is such a sunshine cutie and Sansoon is so lost and sad. Pretty sure I won’t have the patience for 12 episodes of this, but I’ll stick with it for now because a pair like this is yaoi-induced catnip for me.

Only Friends (Sat YT) ep 8 of 10 - Ah, Ray, baby, you can’t get what you want if you want the wrong thing. Also, corruption charges much? Is Ray turning into Ton or is that just me? I still hold that Jenny’s is the only story I actually wanted. Although, I did enjoy the two bi boys bonding over Freddie. GMMTV sure is making good use of Title now that they got him away from Wabi Sabi and I’m NOT mad about it (4 shows & counting). Under ordinary circumstances, I probably would have dropped this show by now. But something keeps dragging me back.

My Universe (Sun iQIYI) Right Time Right You ep 6 - This couplet ended up feeling like an amateurish short. It was interesting in that way shorts can sometimes push into unusual territory, but very slow. My favorite so far, but that’s not saying much since we've only had 3. Kinda amorphous ending. 5/10 watch it if you have nothing better to do. Next week's looks pretty but silly: You Are My Soulmate.

Venus in the Sky (Tues iQIYI) 5 of 10 eps - I don’t understand the bit with the girl, car & eyebrows. Was that all just ad copy? This show is so bad I’m mostly fast forwarding now. I mean the leads are cute and earnest but that’s it. NO SINGING! And... nothing happened this ep. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Kisseki: Dear to Me (Taiwan Tues Viki & iQIYI) ep 7-8 of 13(?) - Buckle up I got A LOT to say. Ep 7 was the boyfriends ep! Look there’s a a lot of problematic going on here by western standards: age gap (FYI age of consent in Taiwan is 16) + teacher+student, but if you’ve been reading this blog for a while you should know that Taiwan likes both high heat and taboo content (and so do I) plus (unlike Mame) they just lean lube into those kinks. And I, for one, am delighted. I talk about taboo in terms of age gap here and stepbrothers here. I’ve never done teacher/ student because we don’t get it often enough (insert sad face). These are not things that I’m going to complain about or rehash, so, moving on...

I found a lot to love about ep 7: tie grabs, smiley kisses, communication, being held down, younger aggressor, AND preliminary research= all good things. They even brought in morning aftercare, and shared trauma! I love a show that’s both unexpected yet entirely classic Taiwanese BL. I love that the family appeared as a plot device and then disappeared again. It’s all highly amusing.

Gaga dropped ep 8 a week early, I’m assuming this was a mistake since they skip next week. But hey! 

Ep 8: def uhaul lesbians. Also cute queer fam moment. Ring finger biting = v hawt. Then of course it all goes south. Tres romantic means of taking the rap, gotta say. No one does gay sappy quite like Taiwan. Also, now we know why he loses his memory and Ai Di has to go in after him. Honestly, I’m not pleased to see yet another amnesia trope raise its ugly… head (why so many this year?). But it seems to be this year's trend. 

And I know there is more trauma coming, but in classic Taiwan fashion it’s all gonna be fine in the end even if that HEA is chaotic and entirely unearned. Don't worry, all. We good.

You Are Mine (Taiwan Fri Gaga) eps 4 of 10 - Oh noes, sunshine has a cold. And not from the rain... just, like, a normal cold. Amazing. But then when baby gets kidnapped, daddy gets v mad. Honestly, I am charmed by the show. It is very old-fashioned "domineering CEO puts little lady up against the wall" and it’s Taiwan, and thus I am not mad about it. This is what we would be getting from Mainland China if China we’re still making pulp BL. I am disposed to simply enjoy the utter "80s bodice ripper but gay"-ness of it all.

Bon Appetit (Korea Weds iQIYI) 1-2 of 8 - from 2022. If you have premium icky VIP you can binge it all now. I don’t, so instead I’m watching it 2 new episodes every Weds. Struggling heartbroken loser-ish office worker who lives off junk food + sunshine neighbor who loves to cook (from his past with a long-held crush). Also there is a "love class" element. Why does Korea like this conceit so much? Do their universities really engage in socialization training? Gotta say I’m getting whiffs of stalker... but only whiffs. Basically, this show is going poster child “way to a man’s heart is through his stomach“. Bit too much flashback, but I like that our chef is open about liking a boy, and I like that they remember things differently and in alignment with their own egos. And I like that we got a confession already. Ah KBL, it is nice to watch something that MUST move plot quickly. 

My Personal Weatherman AKA Taikan Yoho (Japan Sat Gaga) ep 6 of 8 - Jealous weatherman is ridiculous. Japan = queen of “why don’t you guys just talk?” 

Mr Cinderella 2 (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 2 - Ba Vinh & Minh Thao reprising their roles as Dung & Khoa what do we think? 8 eps? 10? We got the stepbrothers (or whatever they are) backstory. Also My Prettiest Cat-boy does certifiable nutcake v well. Psychopath looks hot on him.  

It's Airing But...

Crazy Handsome Rich (Sun Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - The sound. No. DNF 

I Cannot Reach You AKA I Can't Reach You AKA Kimi ni wa Todokanai (Japan Tues Netflix-Japan & ????) - Adapted from the manga, childhood best friends: The cool, smart one who’s good at everything, and his average, dorky friend who struggles. Always by the other’s side, but not together in the way they truly want to be.

Unfortunately I Cannot Reach You, in classic JBL fashion, could not be reached. 

In case you missed it?

Viki dropped Our Dating Sim the movie. I didn’t notice any extra footage and they took out all the in game/high school flashback stingers. At first, I didn’t really miss them but by the end of the movie I really did. So this is going to be one of those rare KBL instances where I recommend sticking to the original series over the repackaged movie.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Upcoming October BL

10/1 Can I Buy Your Love From A Vending Machine? AKA Sono Koi, Jihanki de Kaemasu ka? (Japan cinema release in-country only) - This one is a movie from Japan so in customary fashion who tf knows when (or if) it will get international distribution. Salaryman Ayumu Koiwai just can't tear his eyes away from the strong, muscular man as he checks on the stocks of the vending machine in his office.

10/5 If It’s With You AKA Even If I Fall In Love With You AKA Kimi to nara Koi wo Shite Mite mo’ (Japan Gaga) - from MBS a live action adaptation of Kubota Maru’s manga ‘君となら恋をしてみても. Amane has stopped loving people due to trauma until he meets Ryuji. At first Amane just wants to play with Ryuji but… feelings. I am assuming 8 eps and rumored to be taking Weatherman's spot so that date is likely wrong.

10/6 What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) - 4th installment in this series (1st series, 1 special, 1 movie prior) about a lawyer who lives with his boyfriend, a hairdresser, and cooks for him. Season 2 will follow the couple as they enter their 50’s. Slice-of-life drama adapted from a beloved manga series of the same name.

10/6 My Beautiful Man: Eternal AKA Utsukushii Kare Eternal (Japan movie Viki & Gaga) - This is the 3rd and final installment the series. The 2nd season didn’t blow me away the way the 1st did, but I still liked it. I'm looking forward to the finale. I hope we get character growth for a change.

10/31 SHADOW (Thai VIU ????) - this is a horror BL featuring ghosts and other paranormal elements in a high school setting. I'm not wild about Thai horror (or horror at all, but if it must be done in BL let Japan do it). It features Singto (who did paranormal BL He's Coming to Me) opposite Fluke N (who's done a couple horror's before). Also Fiat. Dan suffers from sleep paralysis, and in his dreams he sees a shadow that suffocates him. It gets worse when he transfers schools.

October? Bump Up Project AKA Bump Up Business (Korea ????) - BL staring OnlyOneOf that released(??) as a movie in July but is now being recut and reissued as a series. Stars NineMill and from Idol Romance bulled as a love story between a trainee who is about to debut and a celebrity from the same agency (based on a webtoon). OnlyOneOf have been auditioning for this since Libido IMHO. You can watch me chronicle their BL MV work in this post. Idol Romance will do sad but can do good kisses (Wish You, Nobleman Ryu, Once Again, Kissable Lips, Poongduck 304, Tasty Florida, Tinted With You) but I don't think we will get any in this. After that OmegaX Shoulder bullshizz buisness I am very wary of this show.

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

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

There was a ton of truly great stuff in this week's Kiseki, but this was hands down my favorite. (Pun intended.)

Oh and the neck kisses of course.

I LOVE HIM your honor.

GMMTV's ongoing love affair with the scent trope.

Calling out out new couple's dance trope. (Both Dangerous Romance)

(Last week) 

[livealittleoc-cb]

[Not So] Small Greyson Update!

🐉: I got the biggest opportunity in my life recently. I would have to thank my oldest sister for this, she some how got ahold of one of my lyrics sheets and sent it to one of her friends who so happens to be a producer and well… he liked it! *laughs with a big smile* He actually liked it enough that he called me and asked if I wanted to record and help produce and turn this into an actual thing to put out into the public. Both the song and music video have dropped! Have some shots from the video of ‘Don’t Go Insane’, hope you enjoy it!~

I’m very happy with how everything turned out, I think it fit my artist visions perfectly.~ *snorts* This is actually a dream come true, I never thought this would happen. I thought the minute I dropped out of college and went into the club scene I wasn’t going to really have an opportunity but I guess…things change. *smiles warmly* I really have to thank my sister, my mom is also very proud. She called me screaming and raving about how talented I am and that she knew I was destined for great stuff. *fond eye roll* I’m so happy right now gods, I still can’t believe this happened. I’m on one of the best highs.

I will say this whole music video made me realize I look fucking hot in suits. Like damn I should wear them more often.~ *crosses his arms with a smirk*

It also made me realize that I love collars and need to buy myself some more.~ They’re such a good fashion statement. *tiny squeal* I love the colors throughout this whole thing, the clothes is amazing, the actors in the video were so nice, just ughhh I’m going to stop rambling. *laughs* I’m so blessed and so euphoric with stuff right now anddd…there might be something else coming out sooner or later.~

Now! *claps his hands* Jooheon is taking me out to eat to celebrate.~ Make sure to check out the song and music video.~ *winks*

🩵🩵: @monsterhigh-cb [🐟🤍💍 && ⚡💙 && 👻💜 && 🐺💕 && 🎤💖 && 👑💛] @evicted-oc [☕️🤎 && 🐼🖤 && 🔦💛 && 🧊🩵 && 💄🖤] @theinvitation-bot​ [🐭🩶💒] @welcome-to-maniac [🐇🖤 💍 && 🌻❤️ && 🌕❤️‍🔥 && 🐿️❣️] @fantasyaespa [🐈 💚💍 && ☀️🩵] @k-venturetime [🍓❣️] @multi-joong [🌧️🧡💍 && 🎨💚] @kardpackcb [🌙💝 && 🐺❤️‍🔥]

possible new residents: @faywithlove @badbf-cb @clubwnderland @domxbot @welcometosector1 @lunaaofthemoon @reve-rv @multi-esme @the-hellhounds @3rachabot @san-cb @jinju-oc @hoteldelluna-rp @enhanced-cb @camboys-com @lavienrosecabaretxo @yandereskzcb @multeez-cb @oppositesattraxt @domrachaa @hwangsiblings-oc @coffeexdreamcb @silcntxnight @moonlightchn @blogger-yura @crimson-l @thesugaredalchemists @folklore-cb @neonvandalsxcb @doom-bc @hearthstone-apothecary @theboys-oc @vandalsxcb @redlight-cb @inferno-cb @damnationinc @moongoddesselene @darkloversxcb @urluvlyfe @9ateez-multiau-bot @k-dislyte @k-half-blood [DM + / -]

[manogirl]

I mean, am I going to watch all the QLs? Yeah, of course. I'm almost a completist when it comes to GMMTV QLs--there are a pesky few I haven't watched, that I will, I swear--so yeah, I'm gonna watch them all.

But I'm a little....frustrated? sad? mad? that there is gonna be another giant ensemble piece from the same damn director this year. I'm sure Perfect 10 Liners will be fine, and I adore many of the actors in it. And it's obviously necessary to get all these damn men jobs (there are so many. so many. so many. so so so many. GMMTV boys), but ugggggggh two in one year is too much. I think. Maybe.

Other thoughts:

Will follow Jojo anywhere and if this weirdo gun romcom is his jam it'll be my jam too. I think Joong and Dunk are doing some of the best GMMTV kissing so there's that.

Mark Pakin lead with Ohmtpk which is what we all knew was going to happen. I'm fine with it. Show looks fine.

Okay, they are CLEARLY trying to keep the humor from the original Ossan's Love and I'm nervous. I think the casting is great, but still. Nervous.

Thame-Po looks SO FUCKING CUTE. I like William. I'm cautiously optimistic that Joong is teaching Est all his little boykissing tricks. So fingers way crossed for this one. (Also I love Lego because um hello who does not? If you do not love Lego please tell me what Lego has ever done to you.)

I am shockingly RIDICULOUSLY excited for the KristSingto show. I don't even care what it's called--something about...exes? What I do know is that it's taking the second-chance romance trope and putting THESE dudes in it, and it's a masterful choice on GMMTV's part. Because in some ways Krist and Singto felt like exes for the last 7 years! I never in a million years thought I would be so excited for a KristSingto show, but here we are.

ALSO OH MY GOD THEY GOT THEIR OWN SIGIL. They're back, baby. I think I might be a peraya now.

Revamped. Yeah. BounPrem. Yeah. I'm not sad about the guys they recast in the trailer. I'm into it.

I can't imagine watching any of the het shows. Maaaaybe that Scarlet Heart thing because the cast is stacked, but I don't know, flowers bleeding isn't really my jam. Boys trying to be with a girl isn't really my jam either. So many of the het shows were very....thrillery. The antithesis of my taste lol.

[pod-together]

Filk Broken Telephone 2023

We highly recommend listening to these by starting with the first work in each chain and going in order!

Chain 1

[Filk] Exy Swing (All For The Game - Nora Sakavic) written and performed by Ceewelsh Summary: [Filk] Neil considers Riko

More Than a Dream [Filk] (天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù) written and performed by esbielle Summary: A song that could work as an epilogue for the whole novel.

[Pod_together Broken Telephone Filk 2023] This Bitter Earth (Burial Mounds Edition) (陈情令 | The Untamed (TV), 魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, Original Work) written and performed by Mangacat Summary: "This Bitter Earth - Oh, how it stares at me" To the Tune of 'On the Nature of Daylight / This Bitter Earth'

[Filk] Not Your Grave (Supernatural (TV 2005)) written and performed by TheArcher Summary: Song from Castiel to Dean, telling him to survive, set to Such Great Heights.

Chain 2

[Filk] Dreams (Danny Phantom) written and performed by legonerd

[Filk] Ghosts (山河令 | Word of Honor (TV 2021)) written and performed by irrationalpie Summary: Wen Kexing sings about revenge (mostly). Set early in canon, when he's plotting to sow chaos and expose hypocrisy by getting the self-proclaimed heroes of the Five Lakes Alliance to kill each other infighting over the Glazed Armor

The Loric Who Remain [lyrics and audio] (The Lorien Legacies - Pittacus Lore) written and performed by farkenshnoffingottom Summary: John's POV from I Am Number Four, set to the tune of All Time Low's "The Reckless and the Brave"

As the tides wash away all hint of facade (Our Flag Means Death (TV)) written and performed by Elle_dubs Summary: Stede & Ed are feeling things ... differently at the end of Season 1.

Chain 3

The Night it calls my name (No Fandom) written and performed by Dr_Fumbles_McStupid Summary: a filk about vampires set to Ingrid Michaelson's the chain

[Filk] Gratitude (Thai Actor RPF) written and performed by Wereflamingo Summary: Joong is getting lost between fiction and reality. A filk to the tune of Dum Dum by Jeff Satur, written and recorded for Filk Broken Telephone 2023.

[filk] choosing time (The Ultimatum: Queer Love (TV)) written and performed by olive2read Summary: an ode to the messiest lesbians on reality tv

Poison & Win (?) (This is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone) written by wilfriede0815, performed by SerenaEW and wilfriede0815 Summary: A filk about the poisoned final letter to Blue from Red.

(I Want To Be) Part of Your World (Red White & Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston) written and performed by bluegeekEM Summary: An Alex/Henry, enemies-to-lovers filk set to “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid.

Chain 4

The Night it calls my name (No Fandom) written and performed by Dr_Fumbles_McStupid Summary: a filk about vampires set to Ingrid Michaelson's the chain

[filk] In Whitby (Dracula & Related Fandoms, Dracula - Bram Stoker (Novel 1897)) written and performed by ArtemisTheHuntress Summary: A song about something haunting the idyllic seaside town of Whitby.

m (dragon) e (No Fandom) written and performed by minnabird Summary: Infinite Escher mirrors Reflect familiar eyes There is no monster, it's just my heart Dark night of the soul It's here -- A M◐◑N palace filk written and recorded for Pod_Together 2023, for narrative group 4

Whatever Mama Wants (Fandom - Fandom) written and performed by mahons_ondine Summary: A filk broken telephone production--a little villain song!

[Filk] This World is Mine! (Phantom: The American Musical Sensation - Yeston/Kopit, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra | Phantom of the Opera & Related Fandoms) written and performed by SerenaEW Summary: What if Carlotta strived for world domination? Crack-ish filk.

[bengiyo]

GMMTV 2023 and the Shadows of Korea and Japan

I’ve been enjoying everyone’s reactions to GMMTV 2023. I thought about doing my own reactions to individual shows, but I first wanted to talk about what stood out to me the most regarding the queer offerings this year: GMMTV is aiming for the space in genre that Korea and Japan have been avoiding for the past year and a half. The proposed shows this year all feature complex relationships and promise more heat than what Korea or Japan will deliver. I also noticed that we aren’t getting a show helmed by newcomers this year. 

The entry of Korea to the genre, and the expansion of Japan’s, may be the strongest influence to the 2023 GMMTV slate.In 2021, many of us commented that all of the shows made under the GMM corporation had upgraded their cameras and their editing equipment. The sort of overly-bright sheen that hovered over their shows (like 2gether) had started to fall away. They also stopped whitening the actors’ skin so noticeably (FUTS is my last big memory of it). I suspect this had to do with the Korean entry into BL and the early praise their small offerings received. In 2022, Watcha followed Light on Me (2021) with Semantic Error (2022), which may be one of the best BL offerings we’ve ever had. Korea has been leveraging the global popularity of kpop to successfully jumpstart a nascent BL industry. 

From Japan, MBS and other teams have returned to BL in a meaningful way, to widespread praise. Despite some of my specific qualms about Japan’s reticence to display intimacy, this has been a solid year of Japanese BL with multiple memorable productions, including Minato’s Laundromat, Takara-kun & Amagi-kun, Old Fashion Cupcake, the Cherry Magic movie, Utsukushii Kare (at the end of 2021), Mr. Unlucky, etc. Japan may not have the global appeal of kpop, but it does have a mature film industry that produces some of the most talented actors we get to see in BL. 

I think GMMTV recognized this, and it’s why the first thing that stood out to me about the eight shows proposed for this year don’t feature any new talent taking on lead roles. Of the eight offerings, I only noticed newer actors as a side couple in 23.5 Degrees (which I will comment on; hang on, lesbians) and as the newest member in Only Friends. GMMTV seems to be relying on the talent it’s cultivated this coming year, and will be relying on its veterans. I suspect that the ongoing disruptions that have delayed 2022 projects also contributed to them keeping to teams and talent they know. 

The next thing I noticed was that GMMTV was finally willing to try out a GL as a full project. Unsurprisingly, they keps to Milk and Love from their ongoing popularity. We’ve done a great job demanding GL, and I think GMMTV also wants to try to stay in front of the genre by making sure they start releasing GL content. We’ve had some small projects out of Korea from smaller teams, but the most notable GL pieces in existence right now are Pearl Next Door and Sleep With Me from the Philippines, and GAP the series from IdolFactory in Thailand. I think GMMTV recognized that if they delayed any longer they would risk irrelevancy, and would be called out for being late when they finally released a show in 2024 or later (it would remind me of the energy fans had about Black Widow’s movie showing up six years after the fervor had died down). 

Finally, we can start to break down the queer offerings from GMMTV this coming year. Of the nine projects, only two appear to be set in or around high school, with the cute one going to Milk and Love. Only two of the projects are set in high school, one a messy friend group helmed by Jojo, and the other a messy romance from Dunk and Joong. We’ll see two workplace romances, one with Force and Book, and the other a Thai adaptation of Cherry Magic. We’ll see two shows that feature adults forming a connection with each other in Last Twilight (helmed by Aof), and Cooking Crush featuring the unexpected return of Off and Gun. Finally, GMMTV clearly wants to see what stuck out to us the most with the second wave of BLs from them by packing all of their BLs into Our Skyy 2 to see what was the most popular. 

What I noticed about this set of offerings is that GMMTV seemingly wants to tackle messy queer romance, since Korea and Japan have been in fluffier territory. I think GMMTV sees how crowded the field is becoming and knows that viewers have to pick their winners now. They know that in a battle of the most endearing, they may not win against Korea and Japan. With so many other studios pushing into the field as well, GMMTV knows that the Thai and international audience are receptive to high-heat productions (most notably KinnPorsche, LITA, and Big Dragon this year).

So, how do I feel about all of this? Honestly, I think I’m really unsure about these shows. I am intrigued by most of them, but can feel GMMTV trying to hold on to what it’s got and searching for a new path. Still, after the Eclipse and staying abreast of the protests in Thailand, very relieved that we won’t be staring at uniforms all year from GMMTV .For those curious I’ll break down my thoughts on each show now from cold to hot.

A Boss and a Babe - Mild. I like the energy between Force and Book a lot. I’m a bit worried because the energy they gave off together in this trailer reminded me a lot of Kimmon and Copter, and we’ve had about 8-10 projects of them at this point. 

23.5 Degrees - Warm. I am glad that we’ll finally get a MilkLove show, and I’m glad it looks endearing. I think it was smart of GMMTV to include a BL side couple in this to guarantee eyes. Still, the chaste way Milk and Love have played things before has me worrying that the girlies will be let down again. 

Cooking Crush - Mild. I like Gun a lot. I appreciate Off. OffGun is not my fandom. I’m hoping that Thailand can finally give us a solid food show, because Thai food is so delicious and looks so pretty when we do see it. However, I think I’ve really only enjoyed What Did You Eat Yesterday? as a show about food. Bite Me was beautiful, but ended up being a huge let down. I wasn’t that keen on La Cuisine or What Zabb Man! as food shows. I like Off and Gun finally playing adults that aren’t tangentially attached to schools. A chef and a doctor should feel refreshing. Gun also teased that he showed ass in Not Me and we never got to see it. Redemption in Cooking Crush?

Only Friends - Hot. I think the primary reason I’m excited about this is that it shows a willingness to let the cast have sexy moments with other actors. I remember the drama around He’s Coming to Me where Krist fans panned the show because Singto dared to work with someone other than Krist. I was also disappointed with others that GMMTV was too afraid to let Gun interact with anyone other than Off in Not Me. It feels like we were heard in this project, because we’re going to see multiple actors spending intimate time with multiple cast members. I’m also excited to see Jojo do messy queer friend groups again, because 3 Will Be Free (2019) is still one of my favorite Thai productions. It’s already been fun because people have had to make charts to help us keep track of what the hell is going on. 

Last Twilight - Lukewarm. Look, I love Aof and will always support him. I also want to like Jimmy and Sea, but I did not like Vice Versa. Jimmy seems to be very likable and kind, and I hate that he always seems to be asked to play against type so that his natural magnanimity softens would could be a harsh character. I think he and Sea had decent chemistry in Vice Versa, and so I get the choice to pair them again. I think I’m just leery of GMMTV tackling this because I was so recently unenthused by Want To See You from O2 Production in Vietnam, and feel like I’m going to spend two or three months irritated with a Jimmy and Sea pairing not resolving the clear source of conflict between them. 

Hidden Agenda - Cool.  I’m not a JoongDunk fan, especially after Star in My Mind. Another pairing from them where the line between them is unclear and messy in college just doesn’t really appeal to me. This feels like a second attempt of the same type of project involving them, and I’m feeling rather disinterested at the moment.

Dangerous Romance - HOT. I’m so stoked to see Perth and Chimon in BL again. I think both of them are enormously talented, and both were asked to play high heat probably too young. I’m excited to see what their return to genre looks like together. Perth feels like a monster talent every time I see him in action. I am also interested in seeing enemies to friends to lovers with them. I think this is something Thailand can do really well in a way that I don’t think Korea currently can. 

Our Skyy 2 - Warm. I’m a sucker for my faves, and I like the idea of seeing some small outings for A Tale of Thousand Stars, Bad Buddy, and The Eclipse. I like the opportunity to give fans closure on things they maybe didn’t get to see in the original show, and I like these small visits back. It worked for me last time, so I hope it does here. I’m disinterested in seeing more of Star in My Mind, Fish Upon the Sky, and Vice Versa, so I might honestly skip those. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Enchante, but I will at least see what Force and Book are up to. 

Cherry Magic - Lukewarm. I don’t always enjoy Tay and New together. I like Tay, but Newwie always seems to be mildly uncomfortable in BL. I get the choice of them as Kurosawa and Adachi, though. I hear rumors that Sing Harit was picked for the Rokaku role and that sounds amazing. However! I also heard rumors that the Fujisaki character won’t be ace and/or may be paired with Rokaku and I want to firmly state that I hate the idea of that. 

Whew! So that’s my thoughts on GMMTV’s 2023 queer offerings. For those who want more, I’ll give my reactions to the het or other shows under the cut. I probably won’t watch most of them, but I did at least watch the trailers. 

The Interest - Frozen. As @shortpplfedup said, they keep trying to make fetch happen with Bright and I just do not see it. I liked what he did in 2gether, but the magic has faded for me. I will have to be convinced to watch this.

Beauty Newbie - Cold. I despise “ugly duckling” stories. Liking the cast is not enough for me to push through that. 

Midnight Museum - Warm. I love Gun, and this looks so weird! I’m probably going to watch this if I have time. Also excited to see Tor post Nadao. 

The Jungle - Warm. So many of my faves are in this! Ohm, Lee, Nanon, Luke, Off, and Mix! This looks messy as hell! Krist is also here… I’ll see how folks are enjoying it, but I’m receptive to it.

Faceless Love - Mild. I was admittedly intrigued by this. I don’t think this is how prosopagnosia works, but I can accept the dramatic conceit. I also like the cast. 

Loneliness Society - Cold. No. I don’t like the lying in this.

Wednesday Club - Mild. This also looks messy as hell! Ohm streaks? There’s a gun? A whole show of middle child problems? My goodness. 

The Untranslated Show - Lukewarm. Lot of Dew next year. Prim is also really good. Not sure how I feel about a show where Dew doesn’t smile most of the time. This looks serviceable. 

Double Savage - HOT. Ohm and Perth with guns and beating the shit out of each other? Sign me up!

Find Yourself - Warm. I kinda like the way the age gap is going to be a big part of this, and that it’s a younger man. This felt like GMMTV was reaching for some of the stylings of kdrama in the trailer. 

Enigma - HOT. From the team that gave us The Gifted? Thai supernatural and horror elements? I’m also into this.

[7698]

[dreamingkdrama]

Drama: Vincenzo (Episode 11)

This drama is just a perfectly balanced krimi and comedy and I really admire Song Joong-Ki how he can handle all the parts. He is incredible in the serious scenes, I have chills when he enters the full killer mode. But he can do a great comedy too, what a great actor :)

[dribs-and-drabbles]

GMMTV 2024 part 1

My thoughts on the trailers (from what I can remember and from some dms I shouted to @grapejuicegay two nights ago...and which I also did last year as well - that was interesting to read again!) and in order of preference/excitement about its potential:

Pluto has to be top of my list because not only WOMEN but WOMEN KISSING OTHER WOMEN. I'm a little confused on the story (like most people it seems) but I'm here for a little mystery. I just hope we don't get a repeat of 'one twin being awoken from a coma by the other twin having sex'...or maybe I do.

Of course Ploy's Yearbook is second because, again, WOMEN. But also JIMMY! And Joong and Mond! I don't even mind the 'adopted siblings' thing, because in my mind the adoption is a recent thing and they haven't grown up together (watch me be wrong). Anyway, here for the ladies not for the story.

How could I not put My Precious the Series in third spot with Nanon (and Film)?! Not only are these two adorable together but HOW has Nanon managed to look SO YOUNG here? (At 22 I know he's still young but he looks even younger). I guess the plot is a simple teenage friend group lovestory but I don't care, I'd watch Nanon in just about anything. (Ooo, and Fon [10 Yrs Ticket] is co-directing!)

Whether Peaceful Property is a bl or not I am signed the f up. This trailer was the best to be honest. It was like a refreshing slap in the face and I would have set it top if it hadn't been for The Women and Nanon. Spooky hijinks? Absolutely. Found family? I'm eating that shit up. Jan being kooky? More more! New in a more domineering role than Tay? Yes please. This was basically me:

I'm sort of 80% believing/trusting that Kidnap is a BL, not that that's the only reason I'll be seated for it. No, I'm here for Ohm. Now, I did say that about him last year in Double Savage and then I couldn't get past ep 3 (even though I had said I couldn't wait to see him in something heavy and dramatic...the intergenerational trauma was just too much for me) but I have high hopes for this one. And I'm intrigued as to why they've put such a newbie (Leng) opposite such an experienced actor (and someone SO experienced with bl series), so I'm thinking they will either use that difference in the plot, OR they know Leng is just That Good, OR he's a 'placeholder' for another actor who will be recast in the role. We'll see if I'm right. (Also, it's directed by Noom [Midnight Museum]...)

What's not to love about The Trainee? (apart from the fact that we haven't even had Cooking Crush yet so how am I supposed to get excited over another Gun/Off show?!?). We get Off and Gun again, and then there's Sea...and a possible GL side couple??? And it's not set in a school/uni!! Let's see how different it will be to ABAAB...

At first I was a little disappointed to see that GMMTV was doing a My Love Mix-Up! remake, even with Fourth and Gemini (whom I love) and Au directing (MSP and BBS), because I would have preferred to see them in something new, maybe something meatier (having seen what they could do in Moonlight Chicken), but I guess I don't mind. It will be interesting to see how Thailand approaches this story and if they can do the nuance of the exploration of sexuality as well as the original.

I'm excited for Wandee Goodday mainly to see Great again but Inn also looks good. This is an interesting pairing, and I love some of the side characters. The main reason it's not higher up the list is because I'm not a fan of boxing, but I'm definitely here for the friends-with-benefits to fake-dating shenanigans. Oh and for Golf (The Eclipse) directing.

What can I say about My Golden Blood that hasn't already been said?! Gawin in another BL! And with Joss! And Mond again! And it's about VAMPIRES! Signed and sealed. Give it to me. (Also, it's the same director as Shadow: Ark).

We Are looks cute, and it's nice to see all the couples again but the trailer didn't wow me. Having said that, it'll probably end up being my favourite or something knowing me 😂

The main thing I'm looking forward to with Only Boo! is to see Louis and Aun (and maybe the other two but I don't know them) killing it with the dancing (unfortunately there'll probably also be singing). I mean, look at this. Show me what you've got Louis!

I'm not really feeling Summer Night at all to be honest. And they used the ost for UMG at the end which threw me as well. I'll see what the real trailer looks like and decide whether to watch it then...but my hunch is I won't.

High School Frenemy had FAR too much fighting in it and I'm not sure if I'll watch this one. It seems like it should be a bl but I don't think it will be (I am fighting the urge to read up on the Korean original). BUT I might show up for these three...as well as View, Est, Mark, Mark, Prom, and AJ AND JJ (my beloveds). I'm warning the show, though, it had BETTER have a DAMN GOOD REASON why Shin won't forgive Saint. (I've just seen it's directed by Fon, so that's giving me more hope).

I'm really really hesitant about Ossan's Love Thailand and it's not because I know the original (because I don't) but mainly because I've never felt inclined to see the original because of one of the age gaps. I'm usually fine with age gaps but this one just feels icky. I wonder what they'll do with the Thai version...but it's directed by Au, so I'll probably watch it (and because it's Earth/Mix - duh), but I might not do the whole comparison with the original thing.

And lastly The Interest (Movie Trailer #2) and Enigma 2 which I doubt I will watch. The former is a movie, so I don't know if it'll get an international release, and the latter is a sequel and I haven't seen the first series...and probably won't unless someone gives me good reason to otherwise.

[dramalets]

So many fun GMMTV 2024 guesses around. (Some I feel more realistic than others 😂) I’ll stick my hopes and dreams under the cut, continue the fun. (I’ve only included the boys. I’ll take anything you want to give me with the girlies. Like pls. All the ladies in 2024.)

Feels Likely/Almost Certain

GeminiFourth - Duh. Young blood and very popular. I’m guessing MSP2, Mark hinted at it and it makes sense. I doubt these two will be progressing to anything past like freshman in college roles for awhile.

FirstKhaotung - They’ve had an amazing year and are really popular with I fans. So I can’t see how they won’t be getting new stuff. I 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 they get the RomCom they’ve been hinting at wanting.

ForceBook - I’m not a ForceBook girly but I know plenty are so it makes sense they’d bank on that.

Earth/Mix - I’m guessing maybe not more than one project but probably something. They’re popular and their dramas do well.

Perth/Chimon - Dangerous Romance is working well for them and they’re widely liked. They’re also just that smidge older than Gem & Fourth so could convincingly play slightly older college age.

Not Sure

Pond/Phuwin - Pond’s been talking about going back to school and Never Let Me Go got weirdly mixed feedback. They are popular though and that might be enough.

Jimmy/Sea - Listen, I love them. Vice Versa had the absolute worst ppl and I still ate up every second of their cosiness. But, also, Jimmy’s a damn doctor and they’re both pretty introverted so I’d struggle to see them in another pairing.

JoongDunk - Hidden Agenda wasn’t that well received and nor have their previous dramas been. Joong would work well in a het drama tbh but I’m just not sure what they’d do with Dunk.

Aou/Boom - I want this so badly and I know lots of others do too. Aou has said he’s got stuff coming up with Boom I’m just hopeful it’s a main role.

Others

Nanon - idc what I just need him in things. I doubt they won’t use him. Just not 100% on if we’ll have him in a BL again.

MarkNeo - No doubt we’ll have them as the best friends in things as always but I’d also love a main role for them. They’ve proved with Only Friends that they can carry themselves.

OffGun - They’re getting older and they’ve truly done their time. Gun’s had some great non BL roles and I’d be excited to see him in more of those.

TayNew - Honestly not a clue with these two. I think they’re both great so won’t really mind if they’re split and stuck in het dramas. I just ask that they’re good.

Krist/Gawin - idk if it’ll happen but I’m in the camp that would love to see him with Gawin again. But I also just think they’re great actors so I’d like to see more in general. Everyone I’ve seen paired with Gawin he’s been good with.

[dekaydk]

GMehMehTV 24 Part 2

A few of these seem promising, but a lot of it seems like I'm not the target audience. Which is fine. I'm not the target audience for a lot of entertainment. That said, I'm gonna indulge myself for a minute and hot take the heck out of this.

First, a general observation on the way the GMMTV system seems to work. The actors do all KINDS of stuff, not just acting. They're so busy it seems like they're basically full-time employees: when they're not on a series, they're doing fan meetings, or singing gigs, or apparently mandatory social media livestreams. They don't seem to have any downtime. This plus GMMTV's overarching "everything must be branded" philosophy seems to dictate a great deal about what they can be in, and so on. Some of the drawbacks of the old Hollywood Studio System, hopefully without the casting couch evil.

The Promising

KristSingto. (The Ex-Morning.) Period. Krist made a fan out of me after how he selflessly promoted (apparently painfully shy) Gawin. (Goes to show you that it doesn't matter how hot you are, you can still have a lot of self-doubt.) Then there were his unmistakably queer-friendly moves around his concert. If I got this correctly Aof is involved so there should be some meat to the plot. (But if they blow it as badly as Last Twilight, I'm going on Aof Strike.) Also, gotta admit that the premise sounds like fun.

ThamePo Heart that Skips a Beat. This is my kind of story, where it's not about dumb misunderstandings and contrived conflict, but instead the leads are united against an external enemy. In this case, corporate image management and control over people's personal lives. Also, a good-looking trailer. Lots of colors. Looking forward to the color coding analysis from "the colors mean something" folks.

Ossan's Love Thailand has potential, especially if they fix some of the original's weaknesses. I've wanted to see Earth play a comedic role forever because that seems like more like him as a person. He's done more than enough stern/mostly-mirthless roles. I'd watch Mix in just about anything.

Revamp looks like it's high-budget, so if the directing is good, this may be a romp. New Siwaj, though…sigh. Who am I kidding? Boun as a vampire!

The Waste of Good Actors

Mark Pakin finally and deservedly gets a lead role…and it looks like something he could have phoned in over a bad connection. The trailer for Sweet Dentist Goofs Around or whatever it's called makes Cooking Crush seem like Shakespeare. Fluff has its place but this trailer makes it look like it will drown the audience in treacle.

First and Khaotung should be given meatier stuff. They're serious professionals and will make it work, I know, but it would be nice to see them in something that gave them more opportunity to really act. That said, probably not gonna turn down this energy:

(via @chawarin-panich)

Jimmy looks like he will be able to phone in his cafe-boss-slash-rival role. Which is fine, but that's not why I watch him. Let Jimmy cry!

Actors I'd Like to Be More Excited About

Pond doesn't ever seem to inhabit a character. Extremely attractive, but he seems to have about three main acting notes. (This is also why I haven't yet started We Are, as much as I love Au and Boom, Winny, Satang, et. al.) Leap Day has Gun doing something interesting so there's that. Putting Leap Day on the "Maybe Because Gun Seems to Have a Good Role In It" list. (Although I expect to struggle a little with what looks like a predestination plot.)

Joong and Dunk are cute of course but I have yet to see either of them in a difficult scene, and, sadly, based on what I've seen, it's difficult to imagine them carrying such a scene. Aside from kissing, which they can do really well, they have both been just…kinda flat in everything I've seen. It's almost like Joong too-heavily suppresses his normal clown-around-and-have-fun nature in order to be different on camera. The script description has me intrigued, so that's another point in favor of The Heart Killers. It's probably just a romcom so nothing serious anyway. Still, maybe this will be the show that lets them show us what they're capable of. Fingers crossed.

Perth Tanapon is gorgeous…and never quite convinces me his character wants to kiss guys. Chimon seemingly has more acting chops, but always telegraphs deep discomfort with MM intimate scenes. Even when these guys get to act, I get only so far with suspension of disbelief. I don't know how to fix this. (Not my job to fix, but neither is it my job to watch a show where the kissing/love scenes are unconvincing.)

Athough he's inspired a great deal of looking disrespectfully, Force just never makes me feel much. He looms, he smolders, he exudes dom/top energy effortlessly. (I haven't seen Enchanté so I may be missing important data.) Book seems to have more of the acting prowess in the pairing. It would be nice to see them do something independent of one another, but GMMTV can't allow that! Also, these two as college students? Why can't we have them acting against type? Imagine Force as an untrusting, damaged bodyguard-with-a-horrible-childhood and Book as the boss who (by virtue of his ability to show that someone dominant can be loving) brings Force's character back to his original sunshine nature? Now something like that would give them both a chance to act their socks off. Pun intended.

Unexcited So Far

Dark Dice: jumanji spirealm something something. Hoping that Gemini can carry a show, mostly because I want good things for him. A maybe on this one.

JittiRain. JittiRain. JittiRain.