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absolutebl · 2 years

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Thai Food You Should Eat Because of BL

Firstly most of these dishes have multiple spellings in English (and also often many different names within Thailand). I just picked one spelling, that will be enough to do a search, if you want to find a recipe for yourself.

Som Tum in What’s Zabb Man

AKA Green Papaya Salad

I think this is the one most people will know on this list. Unlike overseas, in Thailand there are many varieties of som tum (I’ve had an ocean-side version served with little blue crabs, raw and in the shell, AMAZING). It’s often a street food, and it’s usually quite spicy. You order by either asking the vendor (it’s traditionally served from market stalls just as we saw at the beginning of this show) for a heat level or number of chilis. The ingredients are then pounded together with a massive mortar & pestle. The order and amounts of the different ingredients are chef-specific, so the variety and uniqueness is immense with this dish. There are fans of it who make a point of trying as many different versions in each city they visit. Like being a wine taster.

Som Tum highlights what I think is best about Thai food - it’s bright forward freshness and deep complexity of flavors. Som Tum is the firework-in-your-mouth of salads: sour, sweet, salty, spicy, umami, herbaceous. It’s a spectacular dish (which has been ill served by it’s ubiquitousness outside of Thailand). It should be made fresh, (this is NOT a slaw), because if it sits at all the elements become soggy and the flavor muddled.

What’s Zabb Man emphasized the important aspects of this dish. Its spiciness and its freshness, the uniqueness of its flavor, not to mention how each chef makes it his own.

After all when Poon goes missing, Athip finds him again because, after one taste of his Som Tum, he knows who is in the kitchen.

Kao Soi in Bite Me

AKA Northern Thai Curry Noodle AKA Chiang Mai Curry Noodles

Did I do this post because I want to talk about this dish? Probubly. Here in the states it’s a rare to find on offer but it’s one of my absolute favorites.

I’m obsessed with diaspora foods in general - AKA fusion foods that highlight immigrant, colonial occupation, and/or blended communities. Lamb Vindaloo and Banh Mi are some famous examples of this. There was one banh mi place I found in Nor Cal run by a Chinese/Vietnamese couple that made a char siu pork + pâté banh mi, it was WILD and wicked good! Sorry, I digress.

This is a Northern Thai dish, common in Chang Mai, influenced by both Burmese (Myanmar) cuisine and local Chinese communities. It’s wildly variable by family and by region. This is also possibly one of my favorite foods. It’s notable in that it is one of the few traditional Thai dishes you will find served with chopsticks. (When I order it here in the states that’s one of the things I look for.)

It is a noodle soup/stew. Can be rice, egg, or flour noodles, usually ramen style (but sometimes fettuccine), topped with a thick coconut forward curry broth, stewed dark meat chicken (usually on the bone) and raw onion. It has fried crispy flour noodles on top and is served with pickled vegetables, extra spices, fresh herbs, lime wedges, and raw shallots (or some combination thereof) - either on the top or on the side (banchan style). The curry element usually has more in common with Chinese or Japanese yellow curry powers (like those used for Singapore noodles) than red or green Thai curries. It combines what we would think of as traditional Thai flavor profiles with Chinese, and can also uses some Indian spices. It is a very layered dish, with more depth and earthiness and slightly less brightness than a lot of other Thai food. It tends to have a rounded heat to it (hitting all of the mouth, like Indian cuisine). I am a particular fan of the pickled greens element.

Bite Me is not a great BL but Aek sharing his Chiang Mai roots with Chef Aue, most specifically around this dish, is key to the plot (what little there is). But this is not a dish that is served in Chef Aue’s restaurant.

Khai Palo in Enchanté

AKA 5 Spice Pork & Egg Stew

This is the dish Theo remembers from his childhood that Akk’s family cooks for him. It’s a fascinating dish because it’s retains a very strong Chinese influence and is noted for using soy sauce as its salt element (rather than the more ubiquitous fish sauce) and for NOT being spicy, also it involves 5 spice.

It’s also often associated with children or childishness and comfort food. It’s most commonly found as a street food or homemade, and is relatively rare in restaurants outside of Thailand. It has a similar flavor profile to Moo Gratiem which is one of my favorite dishes. (It’s that white peppercorn and garlic thing = NOM.) It’s also very easy to make, I recommend it. There is a Mama ramen noodle version you can sometimes find and buy, but I always need to add more five spice.

In Enchanté this dish is a plot point and is interesting because it highlights both the time when Theo was last in Thailand (as a child), Akk’s interest in courting and caring for him, and Theo’s somewhat childish nature/behavior.

Gaeng Tai Pla in Close Friend 2

AKA pickled fish sour soup

A famous dish developed in the fishing communities of Southern Thailand. Traditionally it involves pickled fish bladder (Tai Pla) + large chunks of dried fish meat, Thai eggplant, bamboo shoots, and/or seasonal greens, with a spice profile similar to tom (lemongrass, lime, shrimp paste, red chili).

I've never been lucky enough to eat this, but it's on my hit list. I think I could make something like it, but I can’t get hold of the the Tai Pla for love nor money.

Luk Choup in La Cuisine (& Until We Meet Again)

AKA no other name, really, but this is also the main characters name in La Cuisine, ลูกชุบ (translation, coated pieces) but the meaning of this dessert is “loved by all, or adored.” This aspect of the name is a plot point in the series. Choup’s older brother, aunt, and grandmother all refer to him as the family’s beloved one, or special one, or most loved.

Luk Choup are tiny imitation fruits/vegetables (or occasionally star shapes) these are made of mung beans cooked with coconut milk and sugar. Once formed, they are dipped in gelatin and painted with food coloring to resemble other food. Recipe here.

This one appeared multiple times in Until We Meet Again, on the bus, at the fair, and at the very end during Dean and Pharm’s separation.

I’ve eaten these.

Consistency wise the exterior is like a gummy but much tougher, and with a bite to it. So like if you made jello into sheets but with too much gelatin. I’ve actually never had anything else to compare to this texture, perhaps like some of the bits in bubble teas? The interior is like very thick humus meets the inside of a peanut butter cup.

As for taste, the gel outside has no flavor and the inside tastes a lot like red bean paste. They are not very sweet.

Here’s a YT vid on how to make these.

Chor Muang in Until We Meet Again

AKA Blue Flower Dumpling

Chor Muang is a purple or blue flower-shaped dumpling that is savory, stuffed with a spiced minced chicken. These days it is a popular appetizer but it was once served as a dessert. The coloring is done with butterfly pea flour. Recipe here.

Chor Muang is a major catalyst food for the plot of Until We Meet Again. It is featured in a play starring Del and Manaow and is the reason Pharm meets and befriends Del. This allows him to start helping fix Dean’s strained family dynamic.

Later he feeds this dumpling to Team, Win, and Dean in front of witnesses. This is the first time he feeds Dean (it will not be the last.)

I did a post all about the sweets in this show. Here’s a YT vid on how to make these.

Nom Yen in SOTUS (also 2 Moons, 2 Moons 2)

AKA Pink Milk

Pink milk is pretty ubiquitous in most Thai BL series. Technically, its origin for association with BL is the original y-novel of 2 Moons. However, most international watchers are familiar with it from SOTUS (more recently it has shown up associated with side characters in Nitman and Love Area).

After watching SOTUS and both 2 Moons installments I got curious. Here’s the full post I did on pink milk, how it’s made and my experience attempting to recreate it. I can see why it might be thought of as a childish drink, it reminded me a bit of birthday cake flavoring, ice cream bean, or cotton candy. It’s very sweet and not a whole lot else.

THAI LANGUAGE CORNER

I haven’t learned the minutia yet but around ordering food in Thai but the Thai bestie always complains the monikers (also verbs?) for dishes have to do with what the dish is usually served inside. So some dishes have names/consumption verbs that have to do with bowls and others with plates.

Much as in English we would use the verb “drink” for broth but “eat” for soup. (And also argue about which one is appropriate under which circumstances.)

To train your ear for BL food:

gin = to eat or to have a meal (also under certain circumstances/sentence structures is slang for to sexually consume or fuck). See Pharm misuse this one in UWMA when Dean first visits his condo.

khao or kao = food but also actually rice, also a name and also third person he pronoun

talay = the ocean and also mixed seafood and a name

pad = usually means a stir fried (dryer) dish

pak = veggies!

kai (sounds like gai) = chicken ไก่ but also egg ไข่ (yes they are different in intonation and spelling, but really I find it darn near impossible to hear the difference)

A list of some common dishes is here.

Please leave a comment if any other dish has shown up you want to talk about, because this is basically my favorite topic EVER. I love to eat and cook Thai food so, yeah. Also the oft mentioned Thai bestie is an AMAZING cook. I often act the part of her kitchen goblin.

(source)

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gunsatthaphan · 2 years

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≖‿≖

#close friend 2 #ohmfluke #ohm thitiwat #fluke natouch #piercephoon #thai bl #bl drama #close friend 2 ep5 #KSJFHDFDF #the way i laughed at this for 7 minutes #the way the seat went down lmaoooooo #been loving this show!!!#its actually yknow.....good djkghdf #no nonsense crap lol #pierce: ur tiny lol #phoon: damn he might have a point #love them 🥺

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longinglook · 2 years

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CLOSE FRIEND 2 | EP. 01

It's like you read my mind.

#close friend #close friend 2 #jediray #copter panuwat #kimmon varodom #kimcop #jedi x ray #*#i am perfectly aware that the audience for these sets is me and 2 other people #but established relationship kimcop is my weakness #and this is the third show that's giving me that in A FEW MONTHS!#so blessed #will this be better than gen y 2 and that's my candy?#doesnt matter because they hard carry and serve every time #their versatility! the intimacy! the chemistry!#(i am also loving ohmfluke in this I had missed them so much!!!!!)#100

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shellthakrit · 11 months

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A brief Fluke Natouch Siripongthon post.

#fluke natouch 🌼#until we meet again #uwma #close friend 2 #oh my sunshine night #between us #609 bedtime story #♥ faves #i always pick fonts that don't support numbers lol

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heretherebedork · 2 years

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Shows I think about the most but no one else cares about:

Meow Ears Up

Close Friend 2

Dear Doctor I'm Coming for Soul

My Secret Love (new addition, may change at any time)

I just love these shows and I'm sad that they aren't more popular. They're all a bit off the beaten path and a bit weird and I'm just enjoying them, okay?

#meow ears up #close friend 2 #dear doctor i'm coming for soul #my secret love the series #thai bl #thai drama #thaibl #thai series #bl drama #bl series

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aliceisathome · 2 years

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Close Friend S2 just dropped on Viki with 3 episodes all at 100% subbed. Tagging @absolutebl @clairificusrex @heretherebedork @placetneplacet @weekendatennuis

#close friend 2 #kimcop #OhmFluke #thai bl #Viki #It just came outta nowhere

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gabrielokun · 2 years

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#Close Friend 2 #โคตรแฟน #asianLGBTQdramas #Typhoon #Fluke Natouch Siripongthon #Fluke Natouch #ThaiBL #Thai BL #Thai series #Thai Drama #BL Drama #BL series #mine edit #Gabriel makes stuff

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allovelyhappily · 2 years

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#copter panuwat #that's my candy #thai drama #kimcop #gen y the series #close friend the series #close friend 2 #kimmon varodom #thai actor

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bengiyo · 2 years

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BL Round-Up

This is the first time in a while that I’ve been watching less than 10 shows at once, so I figured I’d get some of my thoughts down.

Big Feelings

Where is the Sexual Tension?

I am in a weird funk with BL right now about how saccharine shows want to be. I feel an intense mismatch with how much exists within the drama and what feels like overly-modest portrayals of relationship dynamics. Maybe it’s just actor chemistry not lining up effectively with the shows, but I’ve been deeply bored with a lot of pairs active right now, and I wonder if it’s just because the gap between the good and the bad feels extreme for me right now. So, sincerely, where is the sexual tension in the dramas right now? Did KinnPorsche suck all of it out of the genre at once?

Running From Embarassment

This is a Japanese trope that I think I’m falling out of love with. Ever since @absolutebl conflated it with blushing maiden trope, I’ve not been able to unsee it. It feels like an easy way to bring a scene to an end and avoid a Now Kiss moment, but I kinda hate watching boys from each other if they feel a rise in romantic or sexual tension.

The Shows

Close Friend 2 - I am actually liking this show, even if I think it’s a bit slow. I know a lot of people were frustrated with SOTUS S and IPYTM, but I really like when we go past the high of getting together with someone and plunge into the not-so-pretty world of being with someone. I really like that Fluke and Ohm get to show a couple suffering inside the closet together. However, I think I’m learning that I’m not a KimCop fan. I’ve bounced off of almost every project they’ve been involved with, and I’m struggling here too. I like the story being told about their characters and their pairing, but I don’t think I’m really feeling them as a pair. To be clear, I think they’re doing an admirable job even if I’m not totally with them.

Dear Doctor, I’m Coming For Soul - This is another post-school show that I will always support in the hopes that the genre doesn’t get stuck only telling stories about teens and undergrads. However, Prakan’s god complex has been frustrating, and Metha’s misplaced jealousy is going to worsen care for patients. It’s bad enough that I’m questioning Nuch’s crush on Metha, because he is giving off such terrible vibes. I think Nathee falls for Kheeta a little quickly (in the sense that I didn’t feel his feelings shift on screen even if I understand where it may have occurred), but I’m invested in seeing their dynamic through. I’m enjoying the supernatural components, but I’m not entirely certain where this story is headed.

Still, I want to appload this show for delivering solid intimate chemistry with its couples, which I’ve been wanting a lot more of lately.

KinnPorsche - There’s a lot of feelings all over the tags about this show, but I am still liking it. I think the episodes can have some huge tonal swings sometimes (I felt that in episode 2 especially), but damn do I really love how earnest this show manages to be when deceit and manipulation are a big part of the storytelling. There are some banger posts folks have been writing about this, and I’m having fun seeing a lot of folks intensely engaged again. Feels like we haven’t had that since Not Me or Bad Buddy. Really enjoying the work on this show, and enjoying the way Be On Cloud has been doing BTS drops. I feel like this show has a lot of ground to cover in six episodes, but I’m really enjoying the cast and especially the way Mile and Apo are playing out this relationship. More than Dear Doctor, I’m enjoying believing that the characters want to bone.

La Cuisine - I like the friends and family of this show, but HOO BOY is this show SLOW. That being said, I like that this show called a gay bashing what it was, and I like seeing a famous actress express righteous rage at the way paparazzi violate the privacy of children. There are an alarming number of stories in recent years from SE Asia about reporters inflicinting injury on infants and toddlers to get to their parents. Ram and Lukchub are a bit weak for me, but this show has been an easy watch, so I’m not gonna be harsh. There are a lot of neat things in this show, especially seeing people suss out NamNing right away and bring the correct response. Half-joked to my bestie that she was gonna have a gun, and I am sad that I am correct.

Meow Ears Up! - I often struggle with shapeshifter stories for a lot of different reasons, but this show ended up being more fun (so far) than I expected. I struggle with Meow’s awareness of the world, because he seems overly sheltered sometimes and supremely aware other times. Evan and Faiyen are a lot easier to approach. I have enjoyed the GL in this show with Jin and Manni. However…where is the sexual tension in this show? It’s too sweet for me, I think.

Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But To Kiss! - I am really loving this show. Japan is always good at taking a very narrow concept and getting a lot of character mileage out of it. I like Shinomiya being firm with Fukuhara and demanding they be clear about their intentions for each other, especially one that covered a lot of ground. I like Fukuhara starting to look at his life differently. I like the vibe of all of the other classmates. I liked the end of the episode, where once again Shinomiya keeps his worries private and only expresses joy and relief to see Fukuhara whole. We even got to see Shinomiya in an apron that looks so much like overalls that it sent me to the stratosphere. (Shoutout to @liyazaki for giffing that for me). I like this show a lot, and my biggest hope is that we understand why Shinomiya has liked Fukuhara since before the first episode. Also, why is there a GUN in the next episode. So many guns in BL right now!

My Secret Love - I am watching this to support Earth Teerapat, but I don’t know that I’m feeling it after the first episode? It took me three sittings to finish it. Maybe I’m nearing the end of my ability to watch all school BL, particularly enemies to lovers. I think the implication that there are multiple secret pairings is interesting, but eh? Otherwise, the show sincerely seems fine; I just think my tastes are shifting.

Plus & Minus - I love, love, love this show. I’m a sucker for long-term pining between best friends. I’m also a sucker for someone living a quiet life getting sucked up into a new romance with a far more outgoing partner. The bed scene of episode 8 is probably something I will talk about forever, and may devote a second post to. For now, let me say that I was so glad we got to see both Fu Li Gong and Zhang Ze Zhou awkwardly prepare for their first night in bed as a couple. I like that they were able to find comfort in each other, and I really like Ze Zhou being comfortable with Li Gong wanting to stop for the night. We rarely see that in BL, and I loved it. Also, the double date camping trip was incredibly endearing for both couples. I look forward to this and Mr. Unlucky very late on Thursday night to the point that it’s affected my watching of Critical Role.

Star in My Mind - I like that it felt like Kluen could lose Daoneua for not getting his shit together, but goddamn was this show painful for me. I don’t generally enjoy noncommunication as a story driver. I’m also not a fan of the way Kluen consistently kisses Daoneua unexpectedly or when he’s sleeping. This felt pretty familiar in terms of Thai BL, but I don’t think I’m going to reflect on this one fondly.

What Zabb Man - I feel like I wanted something from this show that it absolutely did not promise at all. In a lot of ways, I actually think this show is really delightful in that it takes a lot of the movements of college BL and applies them to people working in food service. You get a competition. You get pining and relationship drama. You get the sort of cute, patient first steps of first time dating. You get a really possessive seme. You even get the complexities of huge wealth gap in a relationship. I think this show is truly fine. I just think I was hoping for the BL answer to Waiting (2005), and was expecting there to be more heat to this show, particularly amongst the kitchen staff. I thought this show would go that route early, but things felt rather chaste in the finale.

I’m still hoping that someone will give us the dramatic and “why is everyone having sex with everyone?” show that we need.

Final Thoughts

I continue to enjoy BL, though I will say I’m glad I’m not watching close to 15 active show right now. I feel like I’m not enjoying the more soft and cute shows with minimal sexual tension in them at this point, especially when the leads and characters are adults; I can understand the restrictions placed on filming and displaying minors in other countries.

Honestly, I feel like I just want more of Kinou Nani Tabeta (aka What Did You Eat Yesterday?) and Papa & Daddy.

#close friend 2 #dear doctor i'm coming for soul #kinnporsche #la cuisine the series #meow ears up #mr. unlucky has no choice but to kiss!#my secret love #plus & minus #star in my mind #what zabb man #Ben watches

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earthfluuke · 2 years

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#close friend #close friend 2 #close friend the series #close friend 2 the series #jedi x ray #jediray #kimmon warodom #copter panuwat #my creations

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my-boys-love-boys · 1 year

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Agendas I Plan to Get Behind in 2023

tall!Chay

PremBoun

MingKit supremacy

Yai slut era

baby dom!Wayo

JediRay (this pairing needs love)

cuddle whore!Pat

ChayKim

Step-siblings Kiyoi & Aoki

Sean needs to learn not to be a little bitch

ace!Arthit

MarkKit deserved better

BOW BEFORE EARTH!!

Let Fort write season 2

You call that a kiss?

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absolutebl · 2 years

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This Week In BL - Japan is BRINGING IT

June 2022 Wk 2

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying the most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Triage (AISplay Mon) Ep 7- This ep was mostly to give movement to the romance plot and since (oddly for me) that’s the bit I find the least engaging I wasn’t as wild about this installment. Next week looks VERY dramatic tho.

Check Out (IQIYI Sat) Ep 1 - This season’s messy gays be messy series! I gotta say I love the intro credits on this one: character + actor names. I need that in all my BL. Our leads are Nine (Chahub) and Daonuea (Best). (My boy Plustor is coming too!) So Daonuea is pining for the boy who ghosted him after a hot fling AND a boss/ex/cheater that wants to date him again. Of course boss & fling turn out to know each other. Best is GOOD. I like an office setting but I’m not wild about the execution here. But the messy exes drama is relatable and fun/different. Captions are quite poor.

KinnPorsche (iQIYI Sat) Ep 10 - Well KimChay moved fast. Meanwhile Kinn’s bodyguards are all pretty naff, letting Tawan get away. The traitor(s) = no particular surprise. Oo death! Also dumb crazy drama gay, but whatevs. I’m mad that everyone looked for Porsche but no one looks for Pete? I guess it’s good to be the boss’s f-toy. Oh, I’m salty abotu this show. Sigh. At least it was an exciting ep?

Sky in Your Heart (Fri YouTube) Ep 2 - It’s perfectly serviceable. I’m not wowed by the chemistry but it’s fine.

My Secret Love (YouTube Sat) Ep 3 - Fake relationship is a go and watching them lampoon BL tropes is kind of fun. No screen caps because, you know, fakel but they covered (deep breath): head in lap, picnic, feeding, back hug, movie date, sharing earbuds, and library assignation. Just because I am having a really hard time keeping this straight (pun intended) here is the character breakdown (aside from the leads): campus star = P’Tim (he comes with portable adorable bestie); pair in the 7 year relationship = P’Park & Lee (who switched departments) - they use rao/ter with each other (cutesy). Everyone else = unimportant.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

To My Star (Korea Viki) Ep 1-2 - YES FINE I’m watching it. I said I was gonna wait but... I CAN’T. OMG I’m so scared. The doorway being used for transition shots between past| |present was very clever. Also my goodness I almost forgot what really good acting looked like in BL! The year separation after a break up is a classic Korean drama plot point that usually comes at the end of a show, not the beginning. It’s going to be interesting and bumpy to watch them deal with this reverse plotting. They better come up with a really good justification for Ji Woo leaving and being that cruel or heads will ROLL. Also, that better be his sister and not an ex girlfriend, I have it up the here with faen fatales. Please don’t betray our trust Hwang Da Seul.

Love in Spring (Korea grey) Ep 5-8 - I love to see a brushing hair trope (in a way I don’t love the usual hair dry trope we get in BL). I have no idea why. Also we had an example of the boy protecting “the girl’s” reputation with fisticuffs. This story reminds me a little of those girl disguised as a boy host club shows we got from Japan for a while – same kind of comedy that is a little beyond my ken and slightly jarring. At ep 7 it finally got good as the leads develop a genuine friendship. The snake thing was odd though. To be fair there’s a lot of odd in the show. I’m enjoying the tension and liking it more each ep.

Plus & Minus (Taiwan Viki *rec* & GaGa Fri) Ep 10 - The dreaded unnecessary break up. At least we understand the bar owner’s motivations. I don’t know where I am with this show now, but I do like that its general assumption is that everyone is at least a little bit bi, and since I too like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, I’m not opposed to seeing it on screen.

Want to See You (Vietnam YouTube) Ep 1 - Boy likes his baths, that’s for certain. Standard psycho female character and a basic but uncommon servant/master set up. I’m getting Jane Eyre or something. Nice kisses already but this is no Mr. Cinderella. (The bar has been set, VBL, now I know what you can do.)

Getaway (Singapore Mon YouTube) Ep 2-3 - Look, I’m the first to admit that there’s a lot of bad and awkward acting in this genre, but for some reason… it feels a lot worse in English. I like how unabashedly gay this show is but (how do I put this nicely?) if I’m gonna watch English language gay-vacay shizz – I’d rather watch Fire Island. Still, as one might expect, the heat execution is good (Taiwan still holds the crown, tho).

BLs That Finished this week!

Dear Doctor, I'm Coming for Soul (iQIYI Weds) Ep 12fin - I was mixed over the sides, but in the end, they were a cute couple (weird kisses thing notwithstanding). This show had a very Korean style unnecessary-separation in the last ep. But I guess I’m used to that now. Are KarnNat the best Thai origin couple at domesticity? Seems like. The show’s ending reminded me A LOT of Love: Life on the Line (Director’s Cut) so if you like that you’ll like this one, but it’s not strictly HEA. I thought it suited the narrative so I’m not mad. But I’m not sure I’ll ever rewatch it either. Like Peach of Time, everything was set up for us, so the end wasn’t surprising and it managed to be substantially happier than Peach or Grey Rainbow (shudder). So maybe I rate it higher because it could have been a lot worse? ARGH. Decisions. 7/10 RECOMMENDED WITH RESERVATIONS Full review here.

Close Friend 2 (Viki Thur) Ep 6fin - I liked the dealing with celebrityhood and fandom storyline, although I thought it was too generous to those fans. But in the end this is, like the first installment, fine but forgettable. I did like the breaking the fourth wall and mentioning each other‘s projects at the end. That was fun insider trading. (I guess we get a season 3 featuring DunBas, not my favorite. Shrug.) Anygay, both pairs did well but in terms of content and story, I wasn’t wowed. 6/10 WORTH WATCHING BUT FLAWED

Fukou-kun wa Kiss Suru Shikanai! AKA Mr Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss! (Japan GaGa *rec* & Viki Fri) Ep 8fin - since this is in the My Love Mix-Up vein of JBL, I was not expecting a final kiss. I consider us lucky that we got the launch kiss, quite frankly. That didn’t stop me from being a touch disappointed, but the final boyfriends cuteness wrestling in bed (VERY Cherry Magic of them) was perfectly serviceable. A solid little JBL. 8/10 RECOMMENDED

Gossip

I still can’t believe they’re allowing it but it really does seem like Korea is bringing us A Shoulder To Cry On starring Jaehan (oldest) & Yechan (maknae) BOTH from Kpop group OMEGA X. Enemies to lovers, school set, 12 eps, due out in the fall.

Also in Korea announced adaptation of Lily's comic Heesu in Class 2 . About a shy unpopular boy with a secret crush on best friend. Looks pretty pat but I’m always open to KBL school-set stuff.

Japan announced BL adaptation of Minamoto Kazuki's comic: Kabesaa Doujin Sakka no Neko Yashiki-kun wa Shounin Yokkyuu wo Kojirasete iru starring Matsuoka Koudai (I know him from Five) and Nakao Masaki (Kakafukaka, Bow Then Kiss - he’s a BIG DEAL ya’ll) slated to be released in October. (source) The description from Crunchyroll is up on MDL but it’s incomprehensible.

Cambodia released a trailer of upcoming Khmer BL មើលបានហាមសម្លឹង AKA Eye Contact. We are in “don’t bet on it happening (or finishing)” territory.

New Thai drama My Coach seems to have a BL side plot.

Art Adore En got a trailer. Country boy studying at a university in Bangkok catches the eye of his senior.

2 Moons 3: The Ambassador announced a cast. That came out of nowhere.

PRIDE!

This is one of those times that I really wish I read Thai and could confirm it, but Thai BL actor Copter Panuwat seems to have come out as non-binary. Copter has always been super supportive since the 2 Moons days. Someone at MDL is ON IT and has updated Copter’s profile to they/them in the bio section, even if the MDL system doesn’t offer it as an option (someone oughta change the back end code on that).

No matter what, happy pride!