#bl recap 2023

[foralleternityidiot]

BL/Drama Recap 2023

Thank you @ommited-miscellaneously for the tag (ages ago). I finally cracked open my laptop and decided to give a go at catching up on some tagged posts.

Number of BLs you watched this year: I watched 140+ dramas this year, and I know at least 100 of those were BL. I didn't keep exact count though. There are even more if we count dropped series.

Primarily watched BLs from: Thailand. Hands down. Japan probably ties with Korea for second place.

You spent way too much time thinking about these characters: Hmmm TinnGun ate up a LOT of my brainwaves in the early months of 2023. Later in year I was all about WubiSuyu, then DaouOffroad for a while there, and now everything is HuaLian as far as the eye can see.

Your favorite show was: My School President probably tops the list. Runners up include Moonlight Chicken, Stay with Me, Love in Translation, Laws of Attraction, I Will Knock You, Our Dating Sim, Taikan Yoho, The Eighth Sense, Our Dining Table, La Pluie, Be My Favorite, god this list could keep going and going... oh, and we have Last Twilight and The Sign finishing out the year strong af. Footnote: I'm watching the donghua of Heaven Official's Blessing and honestly, it takes the whole BL cake for 2023.

You read the most fanfiction about: I really don't read fanfiction. At all. I was once fiercely addicted, but I haven't touched the stuff in over 10 years.

Another favorite from this year: Going for non-BL favorites here. Hidden Love was my favorite 2023 drama hands down, but I am also OBSESSED with A Journey to Love (I just haven't finished it yet). Although Love Between Fairy and Devil was a 2022 show, I watched it in 2023 and it's the best thing I saw all year.

The soundtracks you listened to the most: Definitely the MSP OST, but actually I listened to the originals more than the covers (City by Three Man Down, my beloved). Lots of Thai OSTs of even series I didn't watch fill up my top 100 playlist for 2023. And the soundtrack to LBFAD gets a regular listen.

Ok, that's all for me. Here are a few no pressure tags from my recent notes. The last three blogs in my activity feed are: @writerwithoutsound @fiddlepickdouglas @youdontnohme

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

2023 Through Rose-Tinted Glasses

Rose's Favourites Our Dating Sim

+

[anotherblblog]

2023 Top BL Fanmeets

In 2023, I was able to continue my international bl fan ways and I had a lot of fun going to several events and getting to meet and greet and re-meet and re-greet some of my absolute favorites. I am definitely hitting picture limit with this one but here are my top bl fanmeets and whatnots

1. My School President Prom Night

Ok, MSP definitely was one of my most pleasant bl surprises of the year. I only started the show because Mark Pakin was in it but the earnestness and charm completely had me hooked, although I still sometimes hear "Hot Wave" in my head and snicker. When the live show was announced, I wanted to go and this event was a trial and tribulation to get a ticket for. Second to PP's for how much I overpaid because of 3rd party ticketers and this one had the unique galling factor that my reseller would only sell me 2 tickets and not one. So Day 1, I arrive, get my goodies and take my seat. The show starts and I was thoroughly impressed by the show. These kids put on a hell of a show and I have been to somewhere around 10 GMMTV live concerts and MSP was easily the best one. And because I ended up with two tickets it meant I got 2 photos with the cast. So after I took my first one, the staff moved me to the end of the photo line for my second one. In the immediate moment, I thought this was really inefficient and an inconvience to me because the goodbye sessions for these events are long. LONG. VERY, VERY LONG. But me going through twice and being the last fan to get a picture with the cast meant that when the boys saw me again they knew the fan portion was over, so they were so excited and energized to see me again and they laughed after I said now we could all go home. My two tickets were for Day 1 but I was still in Bangkok for Day 2 but didn't wanna go sit in the venue again but still wanted to hear it, so I bought a virtual ticket for Day 2 and I got the ticket with a raffle chance to win a video call with a ship from the show. I bought 2, one for MarkFord and one for Gem4th and I ended up winning the video call with MarkFord, so I was hella elated. Fast forward a month or so and I'm sitting in a zoom lobby for like half an hour and then suddenly I get moved into a zoom room and I see Mark and Ford and then they see me and have a big reaction and are exclaiming something but I hadn't connected to the audio yet but when I do they're like "it's you again!" and the commotion causes Gemini to come over and he sees me and goes roughly "hey bro, I remember you bro, I love you bro!" and then I have one of the fastest minutes of my life chatting with more Ford because of his comfort with English but it was great and I wore a sleeveless sweater vest and they commented on it and I said I was repping TwiPor and it was really great moment. So with both a fucking really great concert, a funny meet and greet/photo op story, and a bonus video call with the actor that got me into the show, MSP Prom Night takes my very coveted number 1 BL fanevent of 2023. Also! This happened in the spring and for Beluca Manila (winter) fans there recognized me from my last picture with the group and the boys energy at my reappearance. Really cute.

2. PP Krit ~ Lit and Glitter

My number 2 favorite show of the year was PP's first solo show Lit and Glitter. I Told Sunset About You is still my favorite Thai series and a good number of the staff at Cape Pawna Resort (Oh-Aew's house) know me by name and sight because everytime I got to Thailand, I work in a trip to Phuket. My very first BL fanevent ever was BKPP's Last Twilight in the Park. So when I saw the announcement of PP's first solo concert, this was half my anchor event for my spring trip. I can't remember if this was announced before My Beautiful Man Eternal but either way, I wanted to go real bad. It was another trial and tribulation to get a ticket for PP's show and............................ it was so damn difficult. Really fucking difficult. The scammers were out and tried very hard to deceive me but I perserved and found what I hoped was a legit seller and ended up with tickets to both nights of PP's show. Lit and Glitter was my first Thai show of that trip and it rivals MSP Prom Night for highest production value and budget (I presume). One of my irl bl besties is also a huge fan, so I got merch for us both and one of my newly made bl twitter friends who was instrumental in getting me connected to a legit reseller ended up sick and not being able to go so I got her merch as well. PP's show was amazing. It was fun, it was cunty, Billkin sang Alicia Keys with him and they both cried their way through their duets and I was tearing up too. I met a lot of fans and had some great conversations with people. It was a whole ass vibe. I luckily ended up being the first fan to get a picture with PP for the goodbye session, so I got a little more time on stage with him while they were finalizing the camera and whatnots. I lived in Hollywood/LA for a few years and that coupled with my travels and adventures I have been fortunate enough to meet many celebs I admire and people I find hella fucking attractive. Having around 1 minute of eye contact and smiles and polite conversation with PP Krit was easily a top 3 celeb moment of my life. The bambi eyes and just aura of that beautiful human being! Incredible. If I didn't luck my way into that vid call with MarkFord, this would be my number 1. It was an amazing show and the meet and greeting with PP was a true fucking delight. A friend I made in line was kind enough to take a video of my meet and greet and it's something I show all the damn time.

3. Gun and Friends events aka GMMTV Fanday in Osaka, Beluca Manila, and Starlympics

Ok so like, Gun is literally my number 1 GMMTV actor and this year I've gotten to see him many times and have been blessed to have so many little moments and conversations and jokes and smiles and amazing times, it's been so fucking incredible. Anytime I go to an event with Gun, it always becomes Gun (and maybe another person) and friends because Gun is my number 1. BUT I have always said at least "hi/hello/nice to see ya (again)" to Off and he and I have had some fun jokes too at my many appearances at their events. My number 2 GMMTV actor is Tay Tawan so when they started doing this Beluca (OffGun TayNew joint collab concert series) series, it was definitely on my radar and I was happy to see some shows were scheduled when I was already wanting to be back in Asia and I just keep having great moments with them. Last year, I went to Love Out Loud Fest and that was the first time I saw them in person on stage (along with BrightWin and KristSingto) but this year I got to get meet and greet and have hi touches and convos with Gun and Tay (and New and Off). Started my bl fan year with Gun, Mix, and friends in Osaka and ended my bl fan year with Gun, Tay, and friends in Manila. So like I've won as a Gun fan. And damn it all to hell, if Tay Tawan isn't a troll and tease. I ended up with 3 pictures/hi touches at Beluca Manila and after my first walk through, Tay would always make some joke at me and also laugh because I kept hoping I'd be in front of Gun and would say as much in jest to him as I ended up in front of him/Tay twice. OffGun and TayNew are veterans at fanmeets and so professional yet entirely engaging and fun to be around. Beluca in Manila was definitely the hypest crowd and best emceed bl event I've ever been to - absolute biggest shout out to Mela Habijan for being the best fucking host, she kept the energy up and also told the crowd (politely) to stfu at times so we could all hear the answers and translations [sidenote: these events can be so wild and chaotic and overwhelming at times, so literally it was incredible and refreshing to have an emcee who could keep that energy high and focused and occassionally quelled without ruining/harshing the vibes, masterful!]. Also also, shout out to @seinehsh for giving me blessing to use their incredible GramBlack fanart. I printed it out for my first time meeting Gun. I wish I could have gotten it signed but so far none of my Gun events have had the opportunity for a signing. With these events, so much of my fun and moments come from just utterly chance encounters, like me being in the exact right position to get an extra conversation or chat in crossing while the actors are being moved around. Or my position in line letting be right next to Gun (Osaka) or near enough to Gun for some chats (Manila). Now, I do have tickets for the next Beluca show in Taipei and this week they announced a Gun solo show which shouldfit in my schedule but I need to get a visa (actually lemme start the application today lol). So hopefully I will luck my way into more amazing memories with my number 1 and number 2 gmmtv actors. When talking with fans at these events, I was called "the American" and "the Gun fanboy" - really cute. And at Beluca Manila, fans recognized me from MSP Prom night 9 months prior.

4. About Us But Not About Us movie screening

Gameboys is what got me into BLs (and somewhat back on tumblr/twitter) and my love and devotion for Gameboys, The IdeaFirst Company, and specifially Elijah and Kokoy are so damn deep. Gameboys is what inspired my first international trip and my luck and opportunities have gone into overdrive when it comes Gameboys and Elijah and Kokoy. Last year, I unexpectedly got to meet Elijah when he came to a screening for his Blue Room movie (picture on my shirt) and that had so many amazing moments and lead to the absolutely wildest week of my life. Also the Gameboys and Elijah and Kokoy fanclubs have been really good to me and helped me a lot when it comes to getting invited or a heads up about these events. I've been able to meet and have really lovely conversations with Elijah and his parents so when I arrived to the theater for the About Us screening, they saw me over the crowd (I'm tall) then Elijah and his parents had the funniest reactions to my shirt. It was so cool and touching they remembered me and we always talk like we're dear friends and it's just really awesome. Gameboys and Elijah and Kokoy are just my whole ass heart and anytime I get to see Elijah, it's the coming home feeling. My lil pogi best actor. <3

5. KaownahTurbo DP DANCE STUDIO “HELLO & GOODBYE charity showcase 2023”

My other "fan luck pushed to the max" actors are Kaownah and Turbo. These two have been so kind to me and their fanclubs have been amazing and their management staff have been amazing to me. It's just incredible. I've had so many lengthy and meaningful conversations with them, it's astonishing to me. Them remembering me by face, sure, I stand out at these events, but they remembered my name unprompted and during one of the after fanevents, they specifically looked around and asked for me by name because they didn't want me to get left out of a group photo. Like these are my dudes and we always have a good time when we chat. Turbo did also give me a bit of a teaser after this event about The Campfire/My Universe and that was cool getting a lil tea from an actor directly.

Honorable mentions and one more picture because I'm at picture upload limit:

SantaEarth:

I saw them twice this year and the second time I was able to stay focused and have a cool chat with Earth and tell him how much him being out and open meant to me as a queer fan and it was really touching. I also told him I hope his next character is happy and he said "yes, finally I got it" so there will be at least one not traumatized character for him - we'll see how true that ends up being. And Santa, I told him I can't wait to see him as a vampire and he laughed and thanked me.

FirstKhaotung - I saw them in Brazil. Made some great friends. Went with my irl bl bestie and that was a lot of fun having company to witness all these shenanigans energy of a bl fanmeet. I asked First his favorite Beyonce song and he said Single Ladies and I told Khao the voices in my head say he's really cute too and First laughed hard and Khao laughed and got so shy, it was super endearing.

My Beautiful Man s2/eternal - so these "events" were so random and not necessarily fan events. The one opportunity I had for a fan meeting with Yusei, I didn't win. I did structure my spring trip around seeing the movie and the special edit and I did end up winning a raffle to go to a special themed dinnner for the movie at a really cool cafe. And it was my first time in Tokyo proper and I went to a lot of the filming sites for the show.

Starlympics - so I mentioned Starlympic above with Gun and in addition to him, I did get to see what felt like the full might and breadth of the GMMTV bl and gl actor armada. Highlights would be: seeing Neo and Mond and Great and Ohm in person for the first time, watching some questionably athletic people try to be athletic to varying degrees of success, watching some athletic people go super try hard mode (Neo and Fourth), watching what appeared to be some truly uninterested people do their mandatory miminum effort to say they participated (Gun and Mix and KhaoFirst), just observing a lot of the actors chill and hang out with their work friends. And then it was like a 3 hour music medley from basically everyone. Starlympics was definitely a showcase of "GMMTV can field a literal army so who can challenge us." Oh and yeah, watching Tay do his best to not get in Mark's way during the Badminton match, you better believe I wanna tease him about it in Taipei next weekend.

Tagging @bengiyo and @liyazaki because I have sorta fulfilled my earlier hope of posting my bl adventures

[notthisdeath]

2022 art recap

[gunsatthaphan]

✌🏻✨ ~ 2023 wrap-up ~ ✨✌🏻

another year gone, another post no one asked for djkghdf

I normally don't talk about personal stuff on here but like in the previous year I wanted do a little recap and give shoutouts to some lovely people 🧡

It hasn't been an easy year for me, I started a new job which has been stressful and annihilated my work-life balance which resulted in me being sick a lot & just being stressed for most of the year lol. I barely found time to maintain this blog which may not seem like it on the outside since I somehow managed to frequently post but it's been difficult. I know I don't have to be online 24/7 but the fear of slipping into irrelevancy due to lack of content remains. I didn't have much time to watch bls & asian shows in general which I still consider my safe space and escapism so I'm resentful that I didn't get to fully take in and enjoy the things I'm passionate about and make content about them like I did in the previous years. That being said thank god for all the weekend shows that I did manage to watch and fully focus on like Only Friends and now Cooking Crush and Cherry Magic. Those have been life savers lol and also thank god for all the talented creators who gave us tons of content; I will mention some of them below.

But aside from my personal schedule and despite not watching a lot of stuff, I still tried to keep an eye on what's going on in the BL world for my monthly breakdowns, which I still enjoy making and I will likely continue them in 2024. I also came to the conclusion that 2023 ended up being another rendition of quantity > quality in the BL-verse so not much has changed lol - not that I expected it to. We got a wild and extended mix of different genres and subgenres this year which was nice to see. We saw companies & actors experimenting a lot (with varying results), we got new ships, new fandoms and new enemies, as well as a variety of comebacks and retirements. My watchlist this year was limited to Thai BLs and my blog mostly consisted of gmmtv related content and like I said, if I had had more time I probably would have explored more different shows - but I eventually resorted to what's familiar. I guess I needed an anchor in midst of all my personal chaos lol.

But despite my short list, there were a few gems that I enjoyed. The big ones like Only Friends, Moonlight Chicken, Be My Favorite, etc., and the small, less popular ones like Be Mine Superstar, Mission Fan Possible and a few more. I enjoyed talking to friends & making content about them in the limited timeframes I had. My opinions mostly matched those of the general public but unfortunately there were a few disappointments that were bathing in a success that I could not wrap my head around - Dangerous Romance and A Boss and a Babe being at the top of that list, followed by La Pluie and also a few of the lakorns I watched. But anyway.

Anyone who knows me knows my blog has been 83% FirstKhao this year lmao, they're my favorite people in this industry and watching them act, interact & making content about them has been one of my highlights. I'm excited to see what 2024 brings for them and even if it's not a series, I'm looking forward to seeing what else they will be up to 🥺 🐈‍⬛ 🐈

I'm going into 2024 with mixed feelings but above all I hope I will get the chance to expand my watchlist a little. I will post a personal top10 of the shows I watched this year shortly; until then I want to talk a bit about some lovely people this year - I’m not good with words lmao but thank you for being you and making this hellsite a better place 🥹 lol.

@leonpob - bestie!!! 🧡 our BL opinions have drifted apart this year lmao but who's to say friendships are solely based on mutual opinions. You're the best, stay the way you are and here's to another year of sharing thoughts and hopefully finding more shows to watch together (no matter if trash or not lol) 😉😘  @mayalunas - ahhhh I loved talking to you sooo so much this year, we agree on so many things that I'm convinced we share the same BL braincells lmao. You're one of my favorite people on this website, thank you for being such a good listener and a positive & supportive person to talk to 🥺 I hope you have the best 2024!!! ily!!! 🧡 @khunvegas - GURL idk where you went this year or if you still exist sdjkds but just know I haven't forgotten about you and I miss our talks 🥺 come back pls thank. @my-wandering-rabbit - I love our random out-of-context talks once a month lmao, I appreciate you and I hope we will continue our ritual of me watching shows and you asking me questions without watching them kjsdhg @bl-recs-and-reviews - Bestie!!! I love our catch-ups on Discord, you were one of the first people I ever talked to like 4 years ago? crazy. look at us. I still love you, you're the sweetest and I love talking to you 🧡🥺 @dreamedofyou - ahh I absolutely love your blog!!! I noticed you a lot in my notifications this year so I wanted to say thank you so much for interacting with my unhinged content (mostly FK related lmao) - We haven't talked a ton but I think of you as a very nice person and I hope we can talk more next year 🥹🫶🏻

and then of course some more shoutouts go out to all the wonderful and talented creators out there; I will never be able to tag all of you so sorry in advance but here are a few that I appreciate, some of which have also mentioned me in their wrap-up posts so thank you for that!!!

@taeminie @seatawinan @loveisactivated @forcebook @jimmysea @guzhu-furen @daymork @itsallaboutbl @seatawinans @blneobin @blmpfff @wanderlust-in-my-soul @pranpat @milkpansa @raypakorn @ahxu-laowen @forcebookish @forcebookcorner @morkofday @chinzillas @seajimmy @dimpledpran @i-got-the-feels @bengiyo @benkaaoi @25shadesoffebruary @moonkhao @smittenskitten @respectthepetty @earthfluuke @pharawee @khaotunq @khaotunqs @pranink @gabrielokun @piningintrovert @zhaozi @markpakin @firstkanaphans @firstforkhao @khaotungsfirst @wen-kexing-apologist @firstkpp @firstmix @bunnakit @khaothanawat @alienwlw @ffirstkhao (I can't tag the last 4 for some reason..)

have the best 2024!!!

🧡🧡🧡

[khaotungsfirst]

2023 BL wrapped

@khaotunq tagged me!! tysm ❤️❤️

Welcome to your 2023 BL Wrapped! Let's see how your year went...

You watched a total of 48 QLs.

You watched 409 episodes total with an average length of 37 minutes.

All of this amounted to a total watchtime of 247 hours and 34 minutes or a bit over 10 days.

Your busiest month was August with 12 shows finished.

Your top country was Thailand with a whopping 54,17% of the dramas being produced there. Here‘s your full breakdown:

Thai: 26 = 54,17%

Korean: 10 = 20,83%

Japanese: 8 = 16,67%

Taiwanese: 2 = 4,17%

Chinese: 1 = 2,08%

Hong Kongese: 1 = 2,08%

30 shows you watched were released in 2023. You caught up on 13 dramas from 2022 and 5 from previous years.

Your overall BL mood was eager. You've been gone from the scene for a while and were excited to fully get back into it.

The acting pair you couldn’t get enough of was FirstKhao. Their performance in The Eclipse and Only Friends captivated you to the point of changing your url.

Your most listened to OST is Your World, My World by Khaotung Thanawat and First Kanaphan for Our Skyy 2.

You giggled and yelled at your screen approximately 78* times and had 132* mental breakdowns.

Thank you for reading! Stay tuned for my full recap to find out about my favourites of the year and let me know if you wanna be tagged for it ☺️

idk who hasn't done this yet so I'm just gonna tag a bunch of ppl 🫶

@firstmix @blneobin @maxescheibechlinichacheli @first-kanaphan @gunsatthaphan @itsallaboutbl @ithappensoffstage @bunnakit @jeffsatur @veemark @omegaphobe @bfwangji @akkpipitphattana @gayshrug

*rough estimates based on zero evidence

[bengiyo]

Happy almost 2024! I really like your recaps of 2023. Maybe someone already asked, but what are your 5 wishes for QL in 2024?

Oh, let's think about the future.

More GL

I feel like we had less offerings this year than before. One of the projects got into distribution frustration for me so I haven't been able to go back for it. I still need to finish catching up with the others. I feel like I only watched GAP this year and I gotta do more than that.

GAYS IN SPACE

I am a Star Trek fan. I want QL to tackle Gays in Space, but not the way YYY did it. Please give me a space opera QL.

More Domesticity QL

Vietnam really had this nailed down early on. I wanna see more domestic QL. WDYEY is a good starting point. Our Dining Table scratched the itch. Naked Dining tried. Other attempts this year have fallen a bit flat. Keep working on it, QL.

Gamer QL

The intersection between the teambuilding of multiplayer gaming and the rapid closeness of gaming anonymity is fertile ground for queer storytelling. I was chatting with @twig-tea @so-much-yet-to-learn and @lurkingshan about this when we were discussing what we wanted from My Dear Gangster Oppa. I didn't want another mafia BL. I was hoping that the mafia stuff with be a bit in the background of them focused on preparing for a tournament or defeating a rival team. When you're online, people's real lives are just lore.

More Terrible Gays

The biggest thing wrong with Only Friends is that it doesn't realize that it's entire cast is full of terrible queers. it's why the audience latched on to Boston because he's the only one punished for it. Lee Jun is also a terrible gay in Love Mate. I want more terrible gays that the narrative knows are terrible gays and to explore why people are such terrible gays. We talked about Queer as Folk way too much this year because of Only Friends, and everyone's memory of that show is wrong. We do need a QL answer to Queer as Folk, Noah's Arc, and The L Word.

Ask Me Top 5 BL 2023 Anything

[weizhiyuan]

2023 Recap - Songs from (QL) Dramas

Thank u for the tag @troubled-mind !! Choosing my top 10 songs from qls isn’t too difficult but I’m gonna force myself to stick to shows that came out in 2023 only

1. Bitter by Roce - FROM MY FAV BL OF THE YEAR UTSUKUSHII KARE (2)!!!! I’m only counting this one (& not follow by roce) cuz the first one didn’t come out in 2023. There is just something so addicting about it. I think at one point in the year it may have been in my top 10 songs of 2023 lol

2. Plumeria by Cocktail - the INSTRUMENTALS. the YEARNING. the ROMANCE! IFYLITA is one of the best bls of all time and that INCLUDES its osts…

3. ต้องโทษดาว… by Bird Thongchai - ever since it played in last twilight I’ve found myself going back to it quite a bit

4. รักคุณยิ่งกว่าใคร by NuNew (cover) - this cover is probably my fav ost from not just cutie pie 2 you but all of cutie pie! Nunew slayed

5. Hook by Gemini Norawit - if I don’t put hook on this list I’d be a LIAR. I was listening to the new hook version of msp credits when they dropped on loop for way too long before the full song came out lmfao

6. Come Closer by Ford Arun - out of all my bl songs harp covers this was my fav to do. Ford’s voice is beautiful and it was in this moment I felt a switch go off in me while watching msp and I knew I’d be hooked (no msp ost pun intended…)! Another fav bl ost of all time ngl

7. City by Gemini Norawit & Fourth Nattawat (cover) - ur out of ur mind if u don’t think I’m gonna put at least THREE songs from the damn MUSICAL bl… anyway this is the highest ost from a ql in my 2023 top songs of the year lol (it’s at 11th place!)

8. Is This Love by Better Weather - cheating bc yes I got into this song from love sick which is NOT a 2023 show… the actual song (as in, not the cover that they did for love sick (which I listened to more)) was used in the cherry magic Thailand pilot trailer and I’m saying it counts enough! It’s a complete ear worm and I physically cannot get it out of my head…

9. My Fault by Bain (JUST B) - one of those songs you listen to on repeat for a few days tbh. and I did! (Also from one of the fewer higher tiered kbls this year imo..I rlly liked sing my crush)

10. Night Owl by Anonymouz - I liked Jack o' frost! I may have liked the ost more…?? I listened to it a LOT…

The order doesn’t really matter in this list but ya these are the ones I rlly enjoyed hehe

Tagging: @pondphuwin @justafriend-ql @celestial-sapphicss :-)

[hirmienworld]

2023, BL's recap, so far.

THE DROPPED ONE

Crazy Handsome Rich - I didn't go beyond the first few minutes. The dubbing is truly terrible, without it MAYBE I would have been able to go a little further but I know very well that I would never have finished it. I would have just read how it ends or peeked at the ending.

Dinosaur Love - The story would have been nice. The usual drama that you watch without commitment but brings smiles and some emotions. Unfortunately, however, the skill of the actors leaves something to be desired and there is no chemistry anywhere, even if you try hard to look for it. First two episodes and then put in the drawer.

House of Stars - I don't know why I didn't like it. I can think of so many flaws and yet there is always that I don't know what that could have pushed me to continue it, but I couldn't. Its timing and dynamics bothered me, with each episode I struggled to remember who was who and what the plot was (was there a plot anyway?) until I finally gave up. It's not for me.

Low Frequency - Very boring. There were many dramas on air, was this one worth adding to the list? I realized very quickly that the answer was no, so I dropped it. Surely there are those who like it, I don't feel like criticizing it but I have higher standards.

Tie the Not - As written above. With the addition that the acting immediately annoyed me.

[withingerly]

dramas I watched in 2023

I'm more of a reblogger/lurker here and I don't really post much (at all), but I was looking at my spreadsheet of dramas last month and realized I was about to hit an insane, personal record number of dramas watched in a calendar year. So I decided to write up a recap post, mostly for my own sake because I have a terrible memory.

I am closing out 2023 having watched 92 dramas. What the actual fuck. I thought watching 67 dramas in 2021 was a cry for help, but I really have no excuse for what happened this year. (To be fair, 43 of the dramas I watched in 2021 were c-dramas, whereas this year, 65 of the dramas I watched were BL, so by total hours watched [which is not actually a metric I keep], I did probably watch more in 2021.)

So, if you care to read about which of the 92 dramas I enjoyed the most this year, along with other random categories like favorite lead characters, favorite ships, and favorite drama with X trope, read on.

Favorite C-Drama: Mysterious Lotus Casebook

Okay, this was the year I finally got what all the fuss was about with Cheng Yi. He's honestly a little weird looking to me, but damn the dude is charismatic and magnetic and I could watch him spit up fake blood all day long. (Maybe someday I'll finish Immortal Samsara, but also I'm finally beginning to make my peace with the fact that xianxia just isn't really my thing, so maybe not.) Although Cheng Yi played a huge part in my love for Mysterious Lotus Casebook, it wouldn't be my number one c-drama of the year if everything else about it wasn't excellent too. This show gave us unhinged queen Jiao Li Qiao, Qiao Wan Miao finally cutting down Xiao Zi Jun as he deserved, actually interesting cases to solve, the best shiniang and the most pathetic shixiong. And oh yeah, a truly fantastic polyship. Pretty much every single thing about this drama was perfect to me, which is a rarity. This one is definitely going up there in my top 5 c-dramas of all time.

Runner Up: Love and Redemption

They really don't make dramas like they used to anymore – literally. I would love to rewatch this one, but I don't currently have the bandwidth to make it through all 59 episodes again. And the way they genderbent Xuan Ji in the final arc but still kept her love line with Si Feng as a central plot point regardless? Currently airing c-dramas wish they could (but no seriously, fuck censorship so hard). This one might also deserve all-time top 5 status, but I blazed through my first watch so fast and furious that I think I'd have to do a more reasonably paced rewatch to confirm. In any case, this was the drama I couldn't binge watch fast enough (only a Neo from the Matrix moment, where I literally upload the drama into my brain in an instant, would have sufficed), which is a testament to how thoroughly I enjoyed this one.

Favorite K-Drama: Revenant

It seems like every year there's a k-drama that makes me go against my own taste, and this year it was Revenant. I am pretty firmly anti-horror, but the gifs of Kim Tae Ri in this show got me so intrigued and she was an absolute beast. Her performance alone would have carried this to favorite status, but then my pathetic little man Hong Kyung showed up and I don't even know why I shipped them so hard but I really really did. 

Runner Up: Alchemy of Souls

I'm cheating and putting both seasons here because even though I've probably rewatched more bits from Light & Shadow, the second season wouldn't have any of the emotional weight it does without the first season, so I'm not picking between them and you can't make me. At first, I was so disappointed that Jung So Min had been recast, but I ended up loving the second season anyway. Actress switch aside, Light & Shadow feels like a very different show, but I loved the way they handled the repercussions of the first season in a way that felt both consistent and earned. 

Favorite K-BL: The Eighth Sense

Absolutely no question here. The Eighth Sense ate my brain while it was airing. It was the strong Shelter vibes at first, but then Seo Jae Won and Kim Ji Hyun totally won me over on their own merits. By the end of episode 9, my heart was in throat. 

Runner Up: Cherry Blossoms After Winter

When I started writing this out, I was not expecting Cherry Blossoms After Winter to be here at all, but it really snuck up on me. As soon as I finished the drama, I binge-read the webtoon, and then I ended up rewatching the series more than a couple times, so yeah, I enjoyed the hell out of this one, with all its old-school vibes.

Bonus Shout Out: Our Dating Sim

If Our Dating Sim had been a little angstier, it might have given the above two a run for their money, but regardless, I have to give it a shout out because "Have you been well, without me?" is a line that just lives in my brain rent-free from now on.

Favorite Tw-Drama: Oh No! Here Comes Trouble

This could just be the recency effect, but I might go so far as to say Oh No! Here Comes Trouble is my favorite Taiwanese drama of all time. The mysteries were engaging, it's funny, it's emotional – don't get me started on how many tears I shed. The acting and writing were just top notch, and if they bless us with a second season, I will be first in line to watch. 

Runner Up: About Youth

I don't think I hear many people talk about About Youth on here, so I feel pretty justified in calling it an underrated gem. It was basically, for me, a perfect drama all the way through. The main couple and the side couple were all wholesome babies and I wanted to protect them. Ye Guang's struggle in particular really resonated with me. I often think I'm getting too old for high school and college dramas, but when they hit that nostalgia factor just right, I am sold.

Favorite J-Drama: Utsukushii Kare: Eternal

Cheating a bit here because Eternal was a movie, but it was the final installment to the Utsukushii Kare series and it was perfect. We finally got the character growth I wanted, that made me believe these two crazy kids would actually make it. 

Runner Up: Tokyo in April Is…

My best friend pointed out recently that j-dramas are great with obsession, and yeah, I do love my j-dramas a little fucked up. Not only does this one feature obsession, but it also has another of my favorite tropes: second chances. Ren had my whole freaking heart, and the way he finally got his happy ending left me on the floor. That chase scene was one of my favorites.

Favorite Thai BL: A Tale of Thousand Stars

(Fun fact! Prior to this year, the only Thai BL that I had watched was Kinnporsche. RIP to me.)

This was definitely my hardest category, because it was my most-watched category (33 dramas), but I gotta give it to A Tale of Thousand Stars. Solid execution of some of my favorite tropes and it just ticked all the boxes: good pacing, good acting, good plot, good chemistry. And lucky me, we got Our Skyy 2 this year. I'm usually not that bothered by proposal scenes, but this one got me hard. It was exactly the kind of epilogue to Tian and Phupha's story that I didn't realize I needed.

Runner Up: Lovely Writer

On the complete other end of the spectrum, upending all our favorite tropes, is Lovely Writer. I rewatched this after watching a dozen more Thai BLs, and I have to say I enjoyed it even more. During my first watch, I hated the first half, only stuck with it because I liked Gene so much, and loved the second half. Upon rewatch, the first half was not nearly as unbearable, and I think it was because I could see that Sib was intentionally playing into a BL archetype. But still, the second half has all of my favorite moments. Once their shared history is revealed, Sib stops being a cardboard cutout and becomes more human, and the entire storyline picks up and I am much more invested in his and Gene's relationship. That dinner where they come out to their families is excruciatingly awkward and I love it (and the episode that follows) so much – those scenes alone elevate it to favorite status.

Favorite First Half of a Drama: Destined

I love both Bai Jing Ting and Song Yi, so my expectations for this drama were very high, and the first half of Destined absolutely delivered. Just sheer perfection, no wrong steps, everything I didn't even know I wanted. Unfortunately, that kind of means the show peaked when they found themselves in the wilderness, trying to get the other to survive out of sheer willpower purely because they believed in the other's goodness. THE BLOOD FEEDING!!! Ahem. So yeah, the second half was okay, it had its moments but was generally a little boring and predictable, but dear god that first half was incredible. 

Runner Up: The Blood of Youth

It may seem strange to have The Blood of Youth in this category, since I ended up giving it a 5/5 rating, but I just loved the Xiao Se x Wu Xin x Lei Wu Jie dynamic so much and as the show veered away from that, I couldn't help but be a little disappointed.

Favorite Drama That I Wouldn't Actually Recommend to Other People: Love in the Air

I know some people loathe everything MAME touches, but Love in the Air worked for me on every level. Well, I wish the acting for the couple in the second half had been a little better (ducks and runs), but I loved the first half and still quite enjoyed the second half. I really wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but it speaks to my little lizard brain. 

Runner Up: History 4: Close to You

I absolutely get why this show is controversial and why people hate it. I also don't care. This show had some delicious angst, and I was emotionally invested in both couples. Just a thoroughly enjoyable watch, but yeah, unless you're familiar with certain BL tropes and know you like them, I wouldn't actually recommend this one.

Favorite ML: Li Lianhua / Li Xiangyi (Mysterious Lotus Casebook)

Look, was it really going to be anyone other than this broken and silly man that feels the weight of the world on his shoulders and thinks his own life is worth less than everyone else's? It's been 4 months since I finished this drama, and I am still so emotional about Li Lianhua.

Runner Up: Xie Wei / Xue Ding Fei (Story of Kunning Palace)

I love an unhinged bastard, okay? When you realize that he loved her all along, her suicide in the first timeline hits that much harder. But I do love that he (albeit unknowingly) gets a second chance, and the man just goes for it. Never ever over the scene where he stabs his own hand, through the table no less, despite his obsession with playing the qin, to protect her. Romance storyline aside, I also love a good hidden identity trope (yes, there's a theme to this category). Xie Wei's revenge quest was delicious, and I freaking loved his scenes with Yan Mu and Yan Lin, all the meaningful looks and things unsaid until Yan Lin finally knelt in front of his cousin and acknowledged him.

BL Shout Out: Ai Di (Kiseki: Dear to Me)

It's hard to compare MLs from shows that run for 40 episodes vs. 12, but I have to shout out my favorite feral gangster Ai Di. I love me some good pining, and not only has this man pined for nearly his entire life, but he makes it everyone's problem. 

Favorite FL: Xu Hongdou (Meet Yourself)

Xu Hongdou was just so cool and kind and gorgeous, and okay, yeah, I had a big crush on her. I've never seen Liu Yi Fei in anything before, I didn't even realize she played Mulan in that recent Disney live action production until my sister pointed it out much later, but she's one of those actresses that can make me cry just by tearing up. Xu Hongdou felt like a real person, kind but not a pushover, strong but still vulnerable, and I somehow want to grow up to be her even though I'm older than her.

Runner Up (tie): Shim Woo Joo (Call It Love) / Gu San Yeong (Revenant)

This one is a tie because I loved both Woo Joo and San Yeong for the exact same reasons: they were just so fucked up but trying so hard, and more than anything, I just wanted them to be happy. While the ships in both dramas were great, for me the real otps were the FL x happiness.

Favorite Supporting ML: Wu Xin (The Blood of Youth)

Every time Wu Xin was on screen, it was just a breath of fresh air. I get that he's totally overpowered, so for plot reasons it made sense to remove him, make him mind controlled, etc. But every time he wasn't on screen, I missed him. Even though the casting was a bit of an odd choice (they gave us a man in his early 30s playing a teenager), I can't imagine loving Wu Xin as much as I did if it hadn't been Liu Xue Yi. He doesn't really manage to look like a teenager, especially next to Li Hong Yi and Ao Rui Peng, but he really pulled off Wu Xin's innocence and naivete and childish humor. He also gave Wu Xin a certain gravitas and realism that I don't think a younger actor could have pulled off.

Runner Up: Jin Fan (My Journey to You)

Jin Fan, my beloved. His backstory was delicious and made his relationship with Gong Ziyu even better. Also, the fact that he actually secretly liked Gong Zishang back the entire time??? My man.

Favorite Supporting FL: Yang Ying (A Journey to Love)

A YING MY GIRL. Her journey from neglected, unloved princess to capable and powerful grown-ass woman who marries a dude she doesn't love to protect her people was quite possibly my favorite thing about this show. I would 100% watch a drama just about her, and I so wish we'd gotten an actual glimpse of her and Li Tong Guang in that little epilogue in the final episode. Their alliance/marriage is fascinating to me. He Lan Dou better be a FL in some dramas asap. She was equally convincing as both a meek, terrified princess, helpless to the whims of bigger political machinations around her, and an icy cold princess in enemy territory, actually playing the game instead of just being a game piece, determined to not only survive but to also protect everyone she loves.

Runner Up: Yoon San (The Eighth Sense)

Shout out to the only person who was actually Jae Won's friend in this show. Yoon San was a total scene stealer for me, don't even get me started on that bit when she was singing by the fire on the beach (swoon), and I found her friendship with Jae Won really sweet and believable. I think this actress is super talented, she nailed the funny moments, she nailed the heartfelt moments, and I would love to watch her in another drama.

Favorite Non-Canon Ship: Gong Shangjue x Gong Yuanzhi (My Journey to You)

I did not go into this drama expecting to be so into these cousins/sworn brothers, but Gong Shangjue and Gong Yuanzhi's relationship as it unfolded throughout the show became the one I was the most invested in. I fully admit I'm a sucker for a dynamic where one party is wholehearted devoted to the other and also wholeheartedly believes the other is not nearly as devoted, so as soon as we got their tragic backstory, I was solidly on board.

Runner Up: Na Na x Da Mai (Meet Yourself)

I know Chinese censorship blah blah blah, but Na Na and Da Mai should have been girlfriends, cowards. I guess at the very least, neither of them ended up with a real love line of their own, but still, they should have been girlfriends. It just makes sense.

Technicality Shout Out: Li Lianhua x Fang Xiaobao (Mysterious Lotus Casebook)

The only reason this pairing isn't at the top of the list is because I, personally, don't consider them non-canon. They read to me exactly the same as the pairings in The Untamed and Word of Honor, thus they are canon.

Favorite Friendship: Pu Yiyong x Chen Chuying x Cao Guangyan (Oh No! Here Comes Trouble)

Watch the last episode of Oh No! Here Comes Trouble, and tell me this friendship trio didn't make you cry buckets. You know each of them is wondering how they ended up with the other two as friends, but somehow they're also totally ride or die and I love them all so much. 

Runner Up: Lom x Yiwa (Wedding Plan)

I loved Lom and Yiwa's long history together, the sacrifices they made for each other, their deep love born out of a bond of shared family pressure and mutual understanding. Their friendship actually drove the plot, and even when I was hollering at Lom to just be honest, his actions (and inaction) felt realistic once we got to know how important Yiwa is to him and why and once we had the context to understand how he had lived his life up to that point.

Favorite Found Family: Liudaotang (A Journey to Love)

If you've seen this show, I feel like it needs no explanation. These spies and scouts and murdery people with big ass swords and spiked shields and automatic crossbows were too good for this world. And the way their little family just kept getting bigger and bigger (spoiler: UNTIL IT DIDN'T) was so much fun to watch (spoiler: UNTIL IT WASN'T).

Runner Up: Rainbow Premium Taxi Service (Taxi Driver, Season 2)

I loved the way they addressed the end of season 1, by showing that these people are all a little messed up and they belong together and they really need the revenge business just as much as their clients do. When Kim Do Gi got roofied and he had his little housewarming hallucination, where they all wore matching slippers with hearts (!!), it honestly made me wanna cry a little.

Favorite Drama Featuring Friends to Lovers: My Only 12%

I don't know if it's because I missed it when it was airing, but I don't think I see many people talk about this show and I don't get why. This is to me quintessential friends to lovers. Seeiw and Cake's friendship felt absolutely real and lived in and honest, and the episode when Cake's family moved away had me bawling. Seeiw's pining physically hurt me, and Cake's confession scene in English could have been cringe but it was actually so fucking romantic.

Runner Up: Fake It Till You Make It

I don't know if everyone else would classify this one as friends to lovers because from the moment these two meet, it feels like they're teetering on the cliff of a romance or at least an excellent one night stand. But I just loved the way they flirted openly and then talked honestly about why they needed to stay friends and nothing more. I'm not typically that into "will they won't they" romances, but here, their hesitation to get more involved made sense emotionally, but at the same time their chemistry was fire and their attraction to each other was palpable, so it all just worked for me. Also friendship rings instead of couple rings was so stupid and I loved it.

Favorite Drama Where Nice Guys Finish First: Light On Me

This is totally not to say that Shin Da On isn't also nice, I just have no idea what to call this trope, but it's one of my faves, where the lead character ends up with the person they didn't actually fall for first. I did not foresee Tae Kyung ending up with Shin Woo at all, which is some poor media literacy on my part because all the hints are there from the beginning, but that kind of made the ride even more fun. One of the reasons I enjoy this trope so much is the built-in pining, and Shin Woo had some excellent pining. "Yesterday, today, and probably tomorrow, I will continue thinking about you" was a freaking great line.

Runner Up: My Ride

You might think a drama about two actually decent guys would be boring and lack conflict, but this drama employed this trope perfectly by starting out with Tawan getting a shot at his first love, the seemingly wonderful Por. So instead we got some great pining, Tawan being an oblivious sweetheart, and Mork trying so hard to be a good friend and not overstep, even as he was dealing with his own sexuality crisis. Just delicious.

Favorite Drama About Soulmates: Until We Meet Again

Did I only watch two dramas with the soulmate trope? Maybe so, but it's my list, so I do what I want. Until We Meet Again was what I would call a pitch perfect show – it delivered on everything it set out to do. I thought I was doing okay with the whole tragic soulmate storyline, but then I got to the very last episode and cried pretty much from start to finish. From the start, that episode got me so good and did not let up for like the next half hour, and so I was basically just left leaking tears until it all wrapped. Damn you, Fluke.

Runner Up: La Pluie

God this show was interesting. Smarter people than me have written a lot more nuanced and thoughtful meta than I ever could, so all I'll say is that I thoroughly enjoyed that a drama based on the premise of soulmates was really actually about how love is work. It wasn't a perfect show, but it was so interesting and the cast was so great that it was definitely a stand out.

For a true glimpse into my insanity this year, here is the full list of dramas I watched, including my ratings, in the order that I watched them:

Alchemy of Souls (4/5)

Alchemy of Souls: Light and Shadow (4/5)

Unchained Love (2/5)

Hi Venus (2/5)

The Blood of Youth (5/5)

Meet Yourself (5/5)

Silent (3/5)

Big Dragon (3/5)

Love in the Air (4/5)

My Tooth, Your Love (4/5)

Moonlight Chicken (4/5)

Utsukushii Kare: Season 2 (3/5)

A League of Nobleman (3/5)

Lovely Writer (4/5)

The New Employee (3/5)

Be Loved in House: I Do (2/5)

Not Me (3/5)

Tharntype (3/5)

Roommates of Poongduck 304 (3/5)

Theory of Love (3/5)

Tale of Thousand Stars (4/5)

Wish You: Your Melody from My Heart (2/5)

Our Dating Sim (4/5)

Cherry Blossoms After Winter (4/5)

Call It Love (3/5)

To My Star (3/5)

Bed Friend (3/5)

The Eighth Sense (5/5)

Taxi Driver: Season 2 (3/5)

Takara-kun & Amagi-kun (3/5)

A Shoulder to Cry On (4/5)

About Youth (5/5)

Light On Me (4/5)

Minato's Laundromat (4/5)

History 2: Crossing the Line (3/5)

History 1: Obsessed (2/5)

Dark Blue Kiss (3/5)

Together With Me (3/5)

Oh No! Here Comes Trouble (5/5)

My Engineer (3/5)

Never Let Me Go (4/5)

My Only 12% (4/5)

Black Knight (3/5)

Love Mate (3/5)

Until We Meet Again (4/5)

Love By Chance (4/5)

Bad Buddy (4/5)

Between Us (3/5)

Here We Meet Again (3/5)

Secret Crush on You (2/5)

Love Tractor (2/5)

My Ride (3/5)

Star in My Mind (2/5)

La Pluie (4/5)

2gether (3/5)

Destined (3/5)

Hidden Love (4/5)

Tokyo in April is… (4/5)

Revenant (5/5)

Mysterious Lotus Casebook (5/5)

Sing My Crush (3/5)

Bad Guys (3/5)

Love and Redemption (5/5)

Oh! Boarding House (3/5)

Stay By My Side (3/5)

Jun & Jun (3/5)

Fake It Till You Make It (3/5)

The Legend of Zhuohua (3/5)

My Lovely Liar (3/5)

My Journey to You (4/5)

Second Chance (3/5)

Lost in Translation (3/5)

My Personal Weatherman (3/5)

Wedding Plan (4/5)

Laws of Attraction (3/5)

Bon Appetit (3/5)

Oxygen (2/5)

Why R U? (Korea) (3/5)

Kiseki: Dear to Me (4/5)

Hidden Agenda (3/5)

Behind Cut (3/5)

History 4: Close to You (4/5)

Destined with You (3/5)

Dangerous Romance (3/5)

Story of Kunning Palace (4/5)

Perfect Marriage Revenge (3/5)

My Dear Gangster Oppa (2/5)

A Breeze of Love (2/5)

I Cannot Reach You (4/5)

Be Mine Superstar (3/5)

A Journey to Love (5/5)

Ai Long Nhai (3/5)

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

2023 Through Rose-Tinted Glasses

Favourite Shows If It's With You | Kimi to Nara Koi wo Shite Mite mo

[ineffable-opinions]

Sahara Sensei to Toki-kun (2023) ep. 3

Ongoing Review: Going good. Ongoing Rating: 7.5/10

Summary: Yanki remakes himself after falling for his class teacher.

Pairing: Class teacher X Yanki Probable side-pairing: Senpai X Kouhai (step-brothers)

What I liked:

# Bloody sweet first kiss

I had tons of apprehension regarding how this scene’s gonna play out. I am very pleased with how they handled this scene. I am not a fan of falling into a kiss. If I’m not wrong it is a visual story-telling trope and seldom shows up in books. But this one was really good and changed my mind about it. The kiss was triggered by a knee giving out, a slip of foot, shown in slow-mo as sensei falls face first onto our yanki only for skin to break and blood to flow. While their audience is shell-shocked.

# Step-brothers trope

It has been a while since I last encountered this trope. I am surprised that this is side CP to a sensei X yanki pairing. Classics. I am glad that the supportive friends trope got complicated. Also it has ushered in another: all male characters are BL targets.  

# Sweetest evil stepmother

I am such a fan of Rise. His looks, attitude, personality, aura – so dazzling! This is the kind of person I would unknowingly emulate. Seeing him in stepmother costume made me realize: if that character was a female, I would have had a serious case of akka pasam* for that character while watching.

# The girls are so vivacious. It is a delight.

# Mirror to comphet

The scene of Toki contemplating what kind of person sensei likes. Three doors open and Toki’s classmates pop-out. Now that’s an awesome expose of how comphet operates. It props up artificial limits to what one is allowed to feel and imagine. Why were Toki thinking of his classmates in terms of Sahara’s love interest? Because that’s whom comphet picks out for him (not necessarily for Sahara) – “right” age and gender.

# Opening song is pretty cool

# Same-sex theatric performance

I’ll take it as a tribute to premodern kabuki queers.

# The prince who conveniently fell ill.

It is the silliest. But hey, the prince got scared. It is no Ojou-sama he is paired with, rather a yanki who live by the lines_

Forget safety.

Live where you fear to live.

Destroy your reputation.

Be notorious.

_ (oft attributed to) Rumi

Of course, I’ll remember Rumi and Shams-e-Tabrizi. That too was student-sensei aashiqii.

It is no wonder his nervous jitters were particularly bad. Convenient for the narrative that the yanki scared his classmate away so that his prince can be who saved the day.

# Todo Takuya-kun

I love how creepy, stalkerish he is. It has been a while since I had walking, stalking obsession gracing my screen. My Beautiful Man: Eternal (movie) was months ago. I liked the interaction between Takuya and Toki. My precious perverts assemble.

# Snow White Braveheart

Toki-kun’s version of Snow White looked like a valiant warrior marching into a battlefield.  He was such a delight on stage. I felt Sahara, almost. Sensei and yanki, both look pretty good with make-up make-up.

# Outburst, overflow, on target

Post-kiss scenes were spot-on. While I am not particularly interested in Sahara’s swimming past, I loved how all of it (him and his history) landed on Toki.

What I didn’t like:

# Sahara’s ex

I don’t think I’ll like that character even a little bit. I want Sahara to stop thinking about him too. This is such a great feeling. I like being made to feel this way. The storytellers are clearly doing something right.

I mean, it is so deliberate. Look how cold the frame with the ex is. Compare this to frames with Toki. They designed Toki’s wardrobe such that each frame with him feel warm.

# So much recap from previous episode.

The episode is way too short. The source manga is probably typical length 2 volumes. In that case, they don’t have a lot of material to work with. Even though I would take recaps over useless filler scenes (except for scenes of Toki fighting and being yanki which sadly we won’t get) any day, I am feel undernourished after each episode.

# Intentionally dense

While I understand Sahara, I don’t endorse. I like how Todo Shinji brings it up subtly – Icchan’s kanji, of course. But Shinji-kun, my son, hypocrisy clearly doesn’t suit you.

_____

Akka pasam – (Tamil) love for elder sister. Similar to sis-con.

[gunsatthaphan]

🎆 🥂 𝐻𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓎 𝒩𝑒𝓌 𝒴𝑒𝒶𝓇!!! 🥂🎆

*cue piano music* another year is gone and I know no one asked for this but I wanted to take the opportunity to do a little recap and also give shoutouts to some lovely people 🥺  

It’s been a rollercoaster of a year, both for me personally and also regarding the content that came out. We got some amazing stuff but sadly there was also a lot of less amazing stuff and ultimately, the quantity > quality tendency dominated once again. 2022 was the year where I decided to take a few steps back in terms of my watchlist; I have come to the realization that the more stuff I watch, the more stressed I get - both regarding the pressure of always being up to date with everything, but also the pressure of creating content around said shows. Which might be a ridiculous thing to think but I usually have a feeling of insufficiency when it comes to my content. Which is why I put a few things on the backburner this year. Additionally I have also realized I’m not willing to put up with shows anymore that are not 100% to my satisfaction. Hate-watching is something I somewhat enjoyed before and admittedly there were a few shows that I watched despite not liking them (like unforgotten night or OMSN) which was mostly due to the amusement of making fun of them lmao. But I ended up finding a lot more joy in putting my whole focus on the few shows I genuinely enjoy, instead of watching an abundance of mediocre stuff on the side. Which was why the variety of content on my blog was a little limited this year. 

I took a 3 month trip to Thailand where, amongst other things, I emerged myself into the on-site fan culture and got to see a bunch of actors close-up and while that was an incredible experience, it made me realize how insanely commercialised this industry really is and how exhausting it must be for these people to always appear at these events with perfect smiles and what not. which was also part of the reason why I stepped back. I don’t want to make this sound overly dramatic but that was the vibe I got when I was there. oh and also don’t forget that time where I got shadowbanned from tumblr for almost 1 month and thought I would never get my blog back... good times 😬 

However despite all, I loved creating content for the things I was passionate about over the past year and I’m looking forward to making more in the next one!

I’m gonna post a personal top10 of the shows I watched this year shortly after this post goes up. Until then, I want to talk a bit about some of my favorite people this year - I’m not good with words lmao but thank you for being you and for making this hellsite a better place djkghdf 💜  

@leonpob - bestie 🥺💜💜 you know you’re one of my favorite people, I love talking to you every day and sharing our thoughts on shows and other things!!! You radiate so much comfort for me and I can’t wait to continue our talks in the new year!!! 😘 

@khunvegas - another year of collectively simping, trash-talking and screaming and I wouldn’t want it any other way jkdfhg. I cherish our unhinged and shameless conversations and I appreciate your non-judgy nature when it comes to unpopular opinions lmao. looking forward to another year of bl bants 🫡

@my-wandering-rabbit - you’re always sooo sweet and I absolutely loved talking to you this year!!! 💜 I appreciate your balanced opinions and your honesty and I'm looking forward to more chats in 2023!! 😊 

@odi-et-amo85 - I love our random convos lmao and I appreciate how nice you always are!! you’re so fun to talk to and I’m so glad we started chatting! 😙

@sleepypurplenote - ahh I love talking to you!!!! your messages are always so lively and fun lmao I love it!!!! 🥺 I love that we share so many opinions when it comes to BL stuff so thank you for being here!! 😘 

@laowen - We haven’t talked a ton this year but just know that I absolutely love you and your content!! on top of that you’re one of the nicest people I’ve met on here and I appreciate you and your blog so much!!! 💜 

@pharawee - we haven’t talked a lot yet either but your content is so amazing!!! I love your gifs and everything else that you do!!! keep up the amazing work and thank you for helping me with my giffing troubles! 🙈 

@bl-recs-and-reviews - my discord bestie 🥺 I absolutely love catching up with you and even though we don’t talk every day, it always feels like coming home when I talk to you 💜 let’s do that a lot more next year pleeasee!! 

@mrsandypants - ahhh you’re legit one of the sweetest and loveliest people I’ve met on here!!!! you’re so nice and fun and your asks are my favorites!! 💜 stay the way you are and please stop by my blog as much as possible 😄 

honorable mentions go out to these lovely people 💫

@10ways @offspring-of-calliope @jjungkookiess @fiftyshots​ @chainsawandronan@victooooorious @sillybiscuitshepherdskeleton @dollopheadsandclotpoles @theblbois @emisfritish @boun-prem @hecalledhimhyung @bengiyo @benkaaoi @clairificusrex @tumcialgun @vegaspetes @eaasysarcasm @german-bl-kpop-lover @patandpran @earthpodd @spine @tobeornottotc @ilajudica @zeejade88 @hunginggrapes @malec4everr @nanons @praninlovex @flukenatouch @dimension-eater @bfjeff @billkinspp @coldties @freensrcha @gooseras @guzhu-furen @jaehwany @jeffsatur @kaonoppakao @kimporchay @lakorns @liankuea @loveisactivated @machikeita @paisky @pranparakul @pranpats @prapais@patpran @seanwhites @seawherethesunsets @smittenskitten @sunsetandthemoon @tachinekoii @taeminnie @team-win @tehohaews @tirpse87 @wanderlust-in-my-soul @yibo-wang @ncppanut​ @ddreamzee​

thank you for making this fandom-year amazing with your content and just by being cute 🥺 happy 2023!!! 💓����

xxx 

[khaotungsfirst]

khaotungsfirst’s 2023 BL recap

Alright, I know I'm late but it’s the time of the year again where I post my favorite BLs of the year even though no one cares about my opinion lmao. Buckle up cause this is gonna be long...

Top Thai BLs

I Feel You Linger In The Air

What a breath of fresh air this was! Not only was the romance top-notch, I was also really invested in the plot and what was happening to other characters. The wlw sideplot felt natural and not shoehorned in and was what we all deserved. I'm just so happy to have experienced this masterpiece!!

Only Friends

Came for SandRay, stayed for BostonNick (and SandRay). Though it had its ups and downs I can't help but love it. There was so much messy drama that I was LIVING for every single week and experiencing that along with the rest of BL tumblr was the best thing. We desperately need more shows like this in the BL world.

Laws of Attraction

Ridiculous SFX could not deter me from loving this show. It's dramatic, it's over the top and it's ridiculous at times but it's crime so of course I liked it. Bonus points for cutting from the villain being killed in prison straight to the main couple's wedding. We love to see it!

Top Korean BLs

Our Dating Sim

This was my last watch of the year when I was looking for something that I could squeeze in without many expectations. How could I have guessed that it would turn out to be my favorite Korean BL of the year? Though the story is nothing new or groundbreaking, I enjoyed the main actors chemistry so so much. Korean BLs, to me, often feel a little stiff but they managed to make it feel so real and easy, I loved it.

The Eighth Sense

Oh, this was something else... High quality cinematography and high-quality story-telling. In the end I went into it with expectations that were too high to meet but still, such a touching BL that will definitely move you (maybe even to tears).

Why R U? (KR)

A show held together by three pieces of duct tape but enjoyable nonetheless. I don't think it's comparable to its Thai original. Yes, the plot is more or less the same but you gotta see it as its own thing. I do love me a panicked gay/confident gay pairing so it already had me from there. And let's talk about the kisses cause !!!

Top Japanese BLs

Tokyo in April is…

Friends to lovers my beloved!!! The PINING, the ACHING, the YEARNING! YEARS OF IT!! How can I not love it? Yes, this was a bit of a heavier BL but it was done SO WELL and the payoff from all the trauma was so satisfying.

My Personal Weatherman

What can I say? Japan just knows how to do it. In any other show the miscommunication between the mains would be annoying as hell. But the chemistry between these two was just off the charts. Nothing more to say.

I Cannot Reach You

Friends to lovers my beloved!!! the sequel. This time less traumatising but just as sweet and moving. A cute and innocent watch.

Top Taiwanese BLs

Kiseki: Dear to Me

The way I IMMEDIATELY knew ChenAi were gonna be my new hyperfixation as soon as I saw them in episode 1... They just have that je ne sais quoi, that special 'make me fall to the floor and bite my fist' quality to them. BZY and FZR also had their insane moments and in combination with everything that ChenAi were doing this show just hit the right spot. Can't wait to rewatch it.

Stay by My Side

Was it ridiculous? Yes. Was it cute tho? Also yes. Nothing I would rewatch but it did make me laugh a lot so there's that.

Top Chinese “BL”

Stay With Me

It’s not like we have much of a selection regarding Chinese BLs (cries in when will Eternal Faith, Immortaily and Winner is King be released from the dungeons?) but HOLY SHIT did they deliver with this one. I didn't know this was specifially made for international release when I went into it so I was in for a few surprises here and there. And I'm gonna say it: it's better than Addicted Heroin. The way their love story developed just has me screaming internally I LOVE THEM SO MUCHHHHH!!!

Top 3 overall

Kiseki: Dear to Me

Stay With Me

I Feel You Linger In The Air

Top pre-2023 BLs (that I watched in 2023)

The Eclipse (2022)

Can you believe that I only just joined the FirstKhao nation this year? I completely skipped this show last year NOT KNOWING what a masterpiece I missed out on. Finally a highschool BL with a capital P Plot! And the enemies to lovers was so so good!!! AkkAyan you will always be famous!

Love Mechanics (2022)

I'm not a fan of cheating stories at all but DEAR GOD these two!!! It's the YinWar magic that pulled me in and will never let me go. The constant back and forth did get a bit annoying at some point but I won't complain when we also got things like the shower scene...

Roommates of Poongduck 304 (2022)

Can ZB1 disband faster so Jiwoong can return to BL acting please? I jest, I jest... kinda. I loved the relationship dynamic in this one so much because they both held power over the other (and both were petty bitches about it lmao).

My Gear and Your Gown (2020)

The girls that get it get it, the girls that don't don't :) Falling for MarcPawin during Dangerous Romance and THEN realising that they're the mains for this show immediately put it on top of my watchlist and I'm not ashamed to say I liked it. It's very 2020 but sometimes that's all you need.

Favorite currently airing BLs

I did not want to consider these for the final rankings because they’re still airing and could theoretically still pull a Game of Thrones S7 on us but I have really high hopes for them.

Cherry Magic

HELLO???!?!? I LOVE ACHI SO F U CK ING MUCHHHH!!! And the way Karan is in love with him so gently and so deeply I- AAAAAHHHHHH. This is gonna be my new obsession I can feel it!!

Last Twilight

At first I didn't even plan on watching this because I didn't think JimmySea were a pairing I would enjoy (Vice Versa has been on hold for over a year lol). But GODDAMN did they prove me wrong! So soft, so precious... P'Aof you did it again!

The Sign

What a hodgepodge of genres... One second you're chasing a murderer, the next you're having sex fantasies about your coworker and then you're having visions about your past life with your soulmate (who is also said coworker). Love it!

Most disappointing BLs

Be Mine Superstar

I was so excited for a new JaFirst series as I really enjoyed Don't Say No, and Remember Me didn't quite quench my thirst. But this... if this was a BL then why did we spend SO MUCH TIME on the beef between the agents?? Shit was annoying af. Moreover, I really could not deal with Ja's character. I know a lot of people liked his innocent puppy-like behaviour but it was just too much for me. The only redeemable thing was the side pairing but even that turned into a hot mess quite quickly. Had to drop this at some point after I started watching it on 1.5 speed and realized that I'm torturing myself.

Low Frequency

Exciting concept but stiff acting and a plot that dragged on. Dropped halfway through.

Bon Appetit

It's not bad but just straight up boring. I finished it but it didn't leave any lasting impressions. I know you can do better, Korea...

Most anticipated QLs of 2024

Vampire Project (BOUNPREM VAMPIRE BL!!! I CAN DIE HAPPY ONCE THIS IS FINALLY ON MY SCREEN)

Jack & Joker (War finally getting his villain role let's fucking goooo)

IFYLITA Season 2 (PLEASE GOD MAKE IT HAPPEN P L E A S E also special ep WHEN????)

Spare Me Your Mercy (i will always be a slut for crime BLs)

23.5 Degrees (give it to us!!! LET US INNNN!!!)

My Love Mix-Up TH (istg if gmmtv doesn't learn from this whole cherry magic debacle...)

Eyes on you (even more spy/mafia/crime BL yes and thank you!)

Uranus 2324 (the production?? the story?? the cinematography??? I need it NOW)

Red Peafowl (this is either gonna be really bad or really good and I'm curious to see which one it's gonna be)

(I had Stay With Me S2 on this list until it was announced as cancelled on Jan 1st 😭😭 I wil never recover)

2023 Superlatives

Most iconic intro: Only Friends (long live First's thighs)

Quickest drop: Middleman’s Love (i was rooting for you Jade!)

Best supporting character: Tin's grandma - Laws of Attraction (sweetest lil supportive grandma who didn't deserve any of this)

Best Worst character: Jaewon's girlfriend - The Eighth Sense (I think this is the only bitchy ex-gf of the entire year and I'm glad about it)

Best side pairing: ChenAi - Kiseki: Dear to Me (do they even count as a side pairing anymore? If not then I'd go with GuyNawa - Dangerous Romance)

Best could have been if the writers wanted us to: NameSaifah - Dangerous Romance (no it was NOT enough!)

Biggest green flag: Win - Between Us (asking for consent is so sexyyy) / Yai - IFYLITA (he's the softest, most caring boy who's so so in love)

Biggest red flag (affectionate): Hira - Utsukushii Kare (my boy highkey needs therapy but Kiyoi wouldn't want it any other way so we'll let it slide) / Lom - Wedding Plan (the way he went about things was... questionable but I understand his reasoning behind it so I can't hate him)

Biggest red flag (derogatory): Boeing - Only Friends (bro just wanted to fuck with - literally and metaphorically - every and anyone and I respect that but dude...)

Most iconic kiss: Lee Won/Ji Oh - Why R U? KR (this was so fucking unexpected but they ate and left absolutely no crumbs)

Most iconic makeout scene: YangJai - Love in Translation (IN A GROCERY STORE?? FINGERS IN MOUTH??!)

Most iconic sex scene: TopBoston - Only Friends (oohhh the DRAMA of it all… truly gagged everyone with this)

Best unhinged horny scene: Jom - IFYLITA (I will never be able to look at massage oil without thinking about this...)

Best gays on a bike scene: Stay With Me (like… facing each other…. grinning at each other.... give me a minute)

Newest addition to the poor lil meow meow collection: Ai Di - Kiseki: Dear to Me (my feral murder kitten I LOVE YOU SO MUUUUUUCHHH)

And there we have it! What a year it's been... I can't wait for 2024 to be just as wonderful, unhinged, crazy and amazing. If you've read until this point I wanna thank you for enduring all that and also for supporting me and my edits throughout this year. Whether we're moots or not I truly appreciate every single person that interacts with me on this hellsite 🫶❤️