#this was such a fun match tho. highly enjoyed. i like it that youtube just lets me know now when new old stuff like this gets uploaded lol

[the-kipsabian]

[sysig]

Some more Just Desserts pets, and thinking about Candy Mers again (Patreon)

Also ft. the pigeon study I did, what a cute bird!

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL

Nov 2021 Wk 2

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.

Ongoing Series - Thai

My Mate Match (Line) Ep 5 fin - aw, it’s kinda cuteness incarnate. We all knew it’d end up the way is did, but what a graceful exit from Sir The Path Not Chosen. I gotta say I like it when the actors are mature enough to kiss like they actually know what they’re doing. (Honestly the Thai BL pulps served us good kisses on a platter this year.) My Mate Match is a bit of a mess and the characters are occasionally too dumb for words, so in the end I give it 6/10 RECOMMENDED BUT PRETTY DARN FLAWED 

Bite Me Ep 11 fin (Viki) - there’s more talking and less cooking in this last episode than all the others combined but that dialogue was stilted, awkward, and cliche. The kiss was pretty, I guess. And it was kinda fun to see a bunch of desserts I recognized from Until We Meet Again. But we spent all our time with side characters. Honestly what the hell happened to this show? I’m not even mad, just let down. My best one word description is: disappointing. If I were one of the two leads I’d be mad though. They were great. The show failed them, not the other way around. Watch it if you like longing looks and cooking shows, but don’t expect story 6/10 QUITE FLAWED 

Love With Benefits Ep 1 - appears to be another meta BL about BL. Plot: The leads of a new BL series aren’t doing well enough to pass as a shippable couple so they are forced to live together to build intimacy in an opposites attract kinda thing. It’s slow moving (not as bad as Bite Me, but what is?) with lots of punching down humor and predatory trans characters (when did THAT become an archetype? grrrr) so... I’m not sure about it at all. 

Loveless Society Ep 0 - dropped 20 mins of bts, no subs, to Line, so I think we can expect that from the rest of the series too. Which may or may not start next week. 

Bad Buddy (YouTube) Ep 3 - I’m getting a real “scion of SOTUS” feel from this show now and loving that for it. Truly. ALL THE TROPES dropped this week and the boys are flirting and softening towards each other. It’s GREAT. I’m live blogging it here.

Between Us special (YouTube) Ep 0 - 3 little vignettes of pitch perfect domesticity, nothing more, no spoilers or foreshadows. And it’s charming and glorious and exactly satisfying. Suddenly, I’m all confident in Wabi Sabi again. Or is this just New doing that sporadic master of the BL universe for the honor of Grayrainbow thing he does? (Closely followed by a 7 Project level betrayal). Who cares. YAY!!! 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

My Sweet Dear (Korea - Viki) Ep 7-8 fin - I really liked this one, I think slightly more than Tasty Florida (I don’t enjoy love triangles), but it rates about the same. Tasty was prettier, Sweet is more stylish and grown up. I’m looking forward to the movie version, hopefully they will iron out some of the editing/timing/flashback issues. This was what I wanted Bite Me to be. I didn’t feel like the crisis/ending was rushed because I watch too many Kdramas and all the shit always goes down in the last few episodes, so I was expecting it. RECOMMENDED 8/10 

My Type (Taiwan indie - hard to find but a kind soul is subbing it here) Ep 2-3 this remains very cute and kinda fun for a baby project. 

Friend or Lover (Taiwan - YouTube) Ep 6 fin - finally the last little installment. It was cute, it’s a fine indie piece, better than most, not actually very good tho. 5/10 RECOMMENDED ONLY IF YOU HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO

Vanishing My First Love AKA Kieta Hatsukoi (Japan - indie subbed) Ep 5 - it’s so fucking funny, Aoki the spaz in the forest, that spider slap on the back, it all just made me laugh so hard my ribs hurt (I grew up rural, this shit is golden). This show is a work of slapstick genius with poor Ida the only stiff in the bunch. It’s gloriously ridiculous without losing any of its earnest wholesome sincerity. 

In Case You Missed It 

New Pinoy BL Rainbow Prince dropped a trailer. It is a musical BL featuring under cover royalty living in a hotel with his dogs. I just... WHAT? 

My DNA Says I Love You is (if you can’t guess from that title) a new BL from Taiwan for next year. Announced on FB but there is the tiniest of teasers on YouTube. 

Korean Bl To My Star confirmed season two... again. 

Not BL, Baker Boys got it’s official trailer from GMMTV. Singto (SOTUS) plays a gay character in this (it will be his last role under GMMTV). I talk about that and the original source material on @heretherebedork​‘s post. 

Thai BL NillunDon is officially delayed for a recast of Don, among other things. 

Thai BL Paint with Love got a new trailer. Interesting casting going on here so far as the Thai studio system is concerned, can I talk about it for a sec? Singto (SOTUS originally GMMTV) with Tae (2 Moons franchise) and a secondary couple made up of Yoon (Cheewin’s stable) and Yacht (who I thought was married to Wabi Sabi and not doing BL) and also there is Natty who’s from Oxygen (Mauve). It’s weird right? I mean, it’s all very well to have a chocolate box assortment but this is like a halloween candy bag that mixed Hershey + Nestle + Mars + Lidnt. It doesn’t make sense. I’m not complaining just confused. 

GOSSIP - Thai BL

Coffee Melody got a teaser! Cafe set BL starring Pavel (my one true love) as a barista (Forth in 2moons2) and Benz as a singer (Ait in Call it What You Want) and they look good together. Forth is my tumblr icon so obviously I am BEYOND pleased with this news. 

Wabi Sabi picked up defunked project Dear Doctor and is apparently bringing it back, staring Grey Rainbow couple Nut & Karn (love them, hate their BL). Adapted from a novel, the show focuses on a romance between a doctor trying to save his patients and the Grim Reaper (both his enemy and lover). I LOVE THIS PREMISE!!! Doom at Your Service only gay? WE WANTS IT. 

Wabi Sabi also bring us My Only 12%. Guess who’s starring? SANTA & EARTH!!!!!! This is based on a y-novel by Afterday (who also wrote the novel behind Bad Buddy). About neighbors and childhood friends, Cake and Seeiw, who have totally opposite personalities and are growing apart because of this. (source + full plot description)

Santa and Earth Santa & Earth SANTAEARTH!!!!!! 

Next Week Looks Like This:

Love With Benefits (Thailand - Line) and Utsukushii Kare AKA My Beautiful Man (Japan - Gaga) are supposed to start their 10 episode arcs. Loveless Society might also be starting on Line TV. Money Boys the movie hits Taiwanese theaters. 

Some shows may be listed later than actual air date for International subs accessibility reasons. Also I tend to put Sat/Sun stuff onto Mondays.

Upcoming 2021 BL master post here. (many of these now unlikely to happen this year)

Links to watch are provided when possible, leave a comment if I missed something.

This week’s best moments?