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#nitiman ep 7
liyazaki · 3 years
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gunsatthaphan · 3 years
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~ Introducing: Monthly BL Breakdown ~ 
- JUNE 2021 - 
hello lovely people! ♥️
Since the bl world is always on the move and it can be difficult to keep up, I thought I’d make a little segment on this blog where I summarize everything that’s going on in the bl universe once a month. Including new shows that aired, upcoming shows, stuff I particularly liked/disliked this month and any kind of news that are worth mentioning (new show announcements, honorable mentions, cancellations, etc...) 
I know there are already a ton of update accounts all over the internet but I figured the more the better? 🙈 So here we go! - Updates coming at the end of every month! :) 
Also since I probably won’t be able to cover every single detail, feel free to reblog/add a reply with more stuff! ♥️
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~ Disclaimer: All shows can be streamed here or here! For more info about the shows, check out their MDL pages! ~ 
What came out this month? (green tick = seen or currently watching)
🌟2Gether the Movie - June 4th (Japan)
🌟Worth The Wait - June 5th 
🌟Lovely Writer Special Ep - June 9th ✅
🌟Gaya Sa Pelikula Special Eps - June 11th 
🌟Stuck On You - June 11th
🌟Country Boy - June 15th
🌟Lust Never Lasts - June 15th
🌟Love’s Outlet - June 17th 
🌟Hometown’s Embrace - June 18th
🌟Golden Blood - June 23rd ✅
🌟Made in Rooftop - June 23rd
🌟We Best Love: No. 1 For You Special Edition - June 25th ✅
🌟My Boy - June 27th
🌟Love By Fehler - June 27th 
🌟Ossan’s Love: Love or Dead - June 28th
🌟Light On Me - June 29th ✅
Monthly likes/dislikes
❣️ Lovely Writer special EP - I was living for the supernatural theme and I loved that they decided to go into a different direction for the final installment of the show. I miss them so much 🥺
❣️ IPYTM - Despite everything I really liked it. I obv hated the story around the breakup but I liked the way it was executed. Jai’s actions were more than questionable but I think he’s a fascinating character and I respect them so much for choosing a path like this.
❣️ Nitiman - Idk why but they all stole my heart lol. Bbomb and Jin are the best and it’s my guilty pleasure of the summer for sure lol. 
❣️ FUTS - this show was super chaotic and for the first time I had the aggressive feeling of straight up being too old for this sh*t lmao. Gmmtv really outdid themselves in terms of silliness lol. It took me a while to get into it but I eventually warmed up to it and Mork and Pi grew on me so much! They’re absolutely adorable; especially episode 10 was pure bliss; also the finale was better than I expected!!! It was a fun ride for sure <3
👎🏻 Y-Destiny - This show has been a disappointment. PuthKaeng were a highlight and the MasukTeeJia story is not bad either (also the best one for sure) but the rest was just straight up awful. So many stories were super strange & way too cliché and most of the acting is not good. Which is a shame because the concept of the show is actually not bad; but sadly the execution is very poor. 
New show announcements 
🎥 Call It What You Want ss2 - coming July 23rd -> official trailer (Thailand)
🎥 The Theory series (starring Dome Woranart, Ken Prarunyu and others) - date TBA (Thailand)
🎥 Best Sisters Forever - coming July 2nd on GagaOOLala (Taiwan)
🎥 Rainbow Prince - date TBA (Philippines)
🎥 ฟ้าลั่นรักเดอะซีรีส์ (Fah Lan Rak The Series) - coming 2022 (Thailand)
🎥 Check Out (starring Best Vittawin & Chahub Marut) - coming August 2021 -> first teaser (Thailand)
🎥 Love Stage (starring Kaownah & Turbo) - coming 2021 (Thailand)
🎥 Light - coming August 13th 2021 (Taiwan)
Other news from the bl world
❗️Singto P. and Tae D. will be the leads of a new bl adaption called “Paint With Love”, along with Yoon P., Yacht S. (Pond in LBC), Natty T. (Aim in Nitiman), Gun K. (Green in 2Gether), Maengmum (Yiwha in TWM) and others.
❗️The official poster for The Tuxedo was released - date TBA
❗️2Gether the Movie came out in Japanese movie theaters on June 4th, though so far, Japanese fans are unwilling to spoil anything lol. 
❗️The complete soundtrack of 7 songs for the upcoming show 7Project was released. The official air date of the show is still TBA
❗️Kaownah and Turbo will be the leads of the upcoming series Love Stage, the thai adaption of the japanese manga - date TBA.
❗️The official soundtrack for the upcoming second season of CIWYW has been released 
❗️Teddy Jen from HIStory 1 got engaged to his boyfriend (which maybe isn’t newsworthy but he made a really cute post about it so I wanted to share 💜)
❗️JOOX Music announced the production of “Fan Krub”, starring Ohm T., Perth T., Tommy S. and others. - date TBA.
Upcoming shows & movies for July 
☝🏻Pornographer - July 1st (Japan)
☝🏻Sweet Curse - July 1st (South Korea)
☝🏻Best Sisters Forever - July 2nd (Taiwan)
☝🏻Why Love Why SS2 - July 3rd (Philippines)
☝🏻Don’t Say No Special EP - July 4th (Thailand)
☝🏻Him Will Be His - July 8th (Philippines)
☝🏻Unforgettable Love - July 8th (Philippines)
☝🏻The Best Story - July 9th (Thailand)
☝🏻Love While You Can - July 10th (Philippines)
☝🏻The Yearbook - July 15th (Thailand)
☝🏻Given - July 17th (Japan)
☝🏻Love Area - July 17th (Thailand)
☝🏻Call It What You Want SS2 - July 23rd (Thailand)
☝🏻Lockdown - July 23rd (Philippines)
☝🏻Gameboys: The Movie - July 30th (Philippines)
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dramadeewani · 3 years
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I have to be asleep in an hour so it must mean it’s time for me to watch and react to a hour long drama - the Nitiman ep 6 edition:
- Have I said the theme song slaps?
- I don’t want Som Som hurt by Jin but at the same time if she is then there’s Jack? And I want Jack to be happy but I also want Som Som to be happy. Things are complicated 
- Also good for Som Som shooting her shot
- Jack is up to something regarding Bbomb and Jin
- Keeeeeaaaaaammmmmm! Why are you trying to console Jin about Bbomb? I really hope the show answers all our questions about you
- Aw Som Som you did nothing wrong girl 
- I’m petty, Bbomb getting revenge was great
- Ha! Jack wouldn’t let him! He was up to something!
- *gasp* a gear!... Wait isn’t Bbomb in law?? Did I miss something? Is it because of his name?
- Omg Keam when he sees Ball! He just... malfunctioned lol
- Jay looking at Song like I like this person?
- My parents never had/have any of my friends phone numbers? Is that a thing?
- The scene in front of the 7/11 is it going to make me cry? This show is not supposed to make me cry!
- Jin has tears in his eyes! I have tears in my eyes! 
- Okay didn’t cry (yet)
- *gasp* pink milk! We really should have started a bl bingo for the series
- Okay that song was sad and it can apply to a lot of characters in the show
- Jack looking like ah yes my master plan worked
- *insert weekly confused about Kean rant here*
- I mean that’s technically a bridge? Did I get a bingo yet?
- Seriously Jin don’t cry because I will too
- I’ve found gazebos romantic ever since watching Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
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Nitiman Ep 7
Sadly, this weeks episode is a bit boring. Jin and Bbomb don't really talk because they are always around other people. We don't get a private conversation between them when they settle things, so jealousy is already infiltrating their relationship. They are both unsure if the other is really that sincere and real about the feelings they seem to share. I know, they verify it sometimes but they don't clarify where they are. They say, they are dating, but I don't see any dates. But at least, there is a contrast between this 7th ep and the 6th because they are together all the time, so there's no missing each other like crazy and feeling miserable all the time.
The jealousy obviously arises from insecurity. Like I said, they are not sure. If you have something halfways and others could easily take it away from you, then you want to protect it no matter what. They make each other feel a lot better, so they want to keep that feeling. But the senior is a threat for Bbomb and the girl Bbomb texted with is a threat to Jin. I just hope, they will talk about it and ensure each other. I don't want the next episode to only contain evil glares, bad moods and fights over nothing. But it's sure gonna end like this because they both didn't say anytging yet.
Nitiman once again proved the huge amount of clichés, but that's fine. Both friendgroups are apparently gay which amuses me a bit to be honest. Yes, it's possible, but it's just funny how they all are in a crisis of discovering their likes or struggle with one-sided love at the same time. Thing is, I really ask myself if they all will be togeter in the end because they are all more apart than close. But okay, let's see. I'm rooting for Jay and Song so much at this point. Keam just confuses me. Does he have a crush on Jin and Ball or just Ball? Maybe he's just seeking Jin's attention because he feels awful lying to his girlfriend and just wants to talk about it. After all, Jin spends a lot of time with Bbomb which outcludes Kaem. Maybe he just feels left out...
Anyway, I said before, Nitiman scores with realism for me. Problem is, for me it's not realistic to have a growing jealousy and not talk about it, so this episode loses its realism. But what I do find realistic is the scene right at the beginning when Jin and Bbomb are sitting on a bank after the kiss and just don't know what to do or say. This awkward silence was everything for me. I felt that deeply.
Let's see what next week will bring. Please not an entire epsiode of misunderstandings because that would cause Nitiman to not look as good any more.
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save-the-data · 3 years
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The Week That Was (July 5th - July 11th)
Completed Works:
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HBD Boun Noppanut
BTS “Permission to Dance” Music Video
Boun Noppanut “I’m Sorry” Music Video
W x Y (Ep 9)
Ongoing:
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Nitiman The Series (Ep10) - ENDED
Fish Upon The Sky (ep7) -  ON HOLD
Be Loved In House: I Do (Ep9)
Top Secret the Series (Ep1) - ON HOLD
The Comments (Ep1) - ON HOLD
Siew Sum Noi (Ep9)
Stuck On You (Ep2) - ON HOLD
Friend or Lover (Ep3) - HIATUS
Hometown’s Embrace (Ep3)
Light On Me (Ep3)
Light On Me (Ep4)
The Best Story (Ep1)
In Progress
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Varieties of Love (5/118)
Hehe & He (7/16)
Monster in Law (4/31)
Tomb of The Sea (51/52) ↑ 6
Guardian (20/40)  ↑ 1
Part Time The Series (6/24)
Trapped (3/20)  ↑ 3
New Trailers
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liyazaki · 3 years
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liyazaki · 3 years
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liyazaki · 3 years
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liyazaki · 3 years
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absolutebl · 3 years
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This Week in BL
April 2021 Part 2
Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.
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Ongoing Series - Thai
Love Poison 2 Ep 3 - incomprehensible plot, confusing characters, terrible audio, I’m dropping this one. 
Second Chance Ep 2 - they are my adorable babies and I LOVE THEM. Must protect Jeno at all cost. Chris, come on, boy needs you. (They’re the jock/nerd pair.) Then there’s the friend-to-lovers (Paper & Fah) and cafe cute boys (M & Near). We got artful injury tending (finger & lip) and some jealousy or something. Is the script good? Hell no. Is anything happening? Nope. But I’m INVESTED in the nothingness. 
Lovely Writer Ep 7 - mostly set in the past, but the child actors they got were decent. I actually liked how they explained Sib’s behavior (I mean losing your BFF + figuring out you’re gay at the same time gotta mess with your head). We got touch my lip, carry baby to bed, let’s sleep facing, face touch, hair touch, and a hand kiss as well as The Kiss. With so many intimacy and caring tropes, I’m well pleased.  BONUS: NO SOUND EFFECTS. Please make then have fired the sound tech. OHPLEAESEOHPLEASEOHPLEASE. 
Fish Upon The Sky Ep 1 - I like it. Might as well break the 4th wall if you’re gonna do a voice over. Some super cringy moments but I think that’ll improve post makeover. Yet again we have a BL poking fun at its own tropes. 2021 is definitely the year of meta. Oh and Phuwin’s English is really good. 
Call It What You Want Ep 1-2 - it’s slow and more arty than I expected. The actor playing the main character looks eerily like Up (Gene in Lovely Writer) + an ex of mine - it’s disconcerting. 
Brothers Ep 10 - my two got together and ARE ADORABLE. I actually really like how they dealt with Khun’s seme ownership freak out. That’s some sexy communicating, boys! So many couples (and triads) I’m well confused, but I only love KhunKaow so no one else matters.  
Y-Destiny Ep 2 - cute, bit raunchy, kinda fun, about a million tropes in one tiny ep. I’m getting So Much in Love meets something from Strongberry. No bad thing... no real good thing either. But I was expecting a lot worse. 
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Ongoing Series - Not Thai 
HIStory 4: Close To You (Taiwan) Ep 4 (AKA Ep 7-8) - I don’t wanna blog about it. I can’t even think about it. I’m still gonna keep watching it. Conclusion? I’m trash. 
Word of Honor (China) Ep 22-24 - Wen is as much as a drama queen as Gene (in his own special way). Most of his past is now revealed plus obligatory bathing scene. (Is Gong Jun contractually obliged to be topless in all his dramas or is it just for the good of the planet? Asking for a friend.) A good 60% of the time I have no idea what is going on (so many names! who is this Lovelace putz allasudden?) but I don’t care cause they so pretty. 
Most Peaceful Place (Vietnam) Ep 3 - didn’t drop this week, or was it only 2 episodes? I’m so confused. 
We Best Love 2 (Taiwan) Ep 6 fin - It’s GREAT, they’re great, everyone’s great, the world is great. So pleased to get Shu Yi and his dad talking Japanese. I love it when Taiwan makes use of bilingual actors (see Because of You) almost as much as them flexing their marriage equality muscles. The full circle pool kiss was adorable and this series is officially a favorite. (@heretherebedork your boys don’t end unhappily but they don’t get an HEA either, everyone else does. I think you’d be okay with this one.) 
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Stand Alones 
Tell the World I Love You (Thai BL movie) released into theaters? Or not? Haven’t heard anything about it. 
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Breaking News 
Bite Me got a full trailer and it looks GOOD. Mark Siwat seems to be carrying this one, which is fine, we all know he can (especially if you’ve seen his non-LBC stuff). Quality controls seem relatively high, although this may only be a fund-raising trailer. No eng subs at last check but I’m disposed to be hopeful. It feels like we are in Oxygen territory and that was one of my favorites last year. 
You’re My Sky dropped what they’re calling an “official pilot.” No eng subs. I think this is a tester trailer to raise funds. MDL listing makes this sound like a standard college BL, but trailer portrays a sports romance. Stars almost-familiar new faces from Y-Destiny. It’s like we have a new crop of BL actors chomping at the bit to take over from MaxTul or MewGulf, and with the 91 line aging out*, maybe they aren’t wrong? 
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* Don’t crawl into my craw, they’ve most of ‘em said they don’t wanna keep doing BL after turning 30 and frankly, why should they? 
Gossip 
Nitiman dropped BTS from their publicity shoot. No eng subs. 
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Next Week Looks Like This:
Some shows may be listed later than actual air date for International accessibility reasons. 
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Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.
Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.
Spring Line Up:
Close Friend the series (Thai trailer) April 22.
2gether the movie (Thai trailer) April 22 to Thai theaters.
Nitiman (Thai) May 7 on One31.
I Told Sunset About You 2 (Thai) May 27 on LineTV
Ossan’s Love (Hong Kong) June to Viu
I joined MDL under this handle AbsoluteBL. Find me there if you like, currently it’s just ratings, tracking, & three lists: 
Japanese BL & Live Action Yaoi Manga
Korean BL
Taiwanese BL
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absolutebl · 3 years
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This Week in BL
March 2021 Part 4
Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. 
This is a LONG ONE, it’s been A WEEK everyone. 
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Ongoing Series - Thai
Lovely Writer Ep 5 - a little slow this week, but at least Gene finally flirted back, and very cute flirting it was, too. Also we got Aey’s motivation, background, and love interest. Thank goodness for that. 
Brothers Ep 8 - still pants, what can I say? Clearly I am a BL masochist. Very embarrassing for everyone concerned. 
1000 Stars Ep 9 - the conflict over Tian’s father was REALLY well done. The plot of this drama is excellent, the leads are great together, and yes I totally cried. What, you didn’t? 
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Ongoing Series - Not Thai
Word of Honor (China) Ep 16-18 - big battle fighty fighty stabby stabby. Ep 17 switches to “this drama isn’t big enough for two chaotic-neutral godlings!” So what do they do? Drink together and bicker... A LOT. Then in Ep 18 we all get the dubious joy of really freaky puppets. (I HATE puppets.) Also how is China letting this be so SO VERY VERY GAY?  Also, I wanna walk through the forest wearing a smanshy purple robe and waving a big fuck-off white fan around simply because I’m a pretentious fuss monger. And frankly, I feel like this is an achievable life goal for me. 
We Best Love 2 (Taiwan) Ep 4 - not gonna lie, this is looking to be one of my top 3 BLs of 2021. It’s SO GOOD. Big bonus to this ep for treating stalker behavior like the mental illness it is and not as some dumb representation of enduring love. 
The Most Peaceful Place is My Place (Vietnam) Ep 1 - finally dropped (find it under NƠI BÌNH YÊN NHẤT LÀ VỀ BÊN EM on O2′s channel). It’s got actors already comfortable with BL and looks pretty good so far. An angry tsundere uke reunited with his ex, a stoic chef, giving us lots of snap, crackle, and pop out the gate. 
Dear Uranus (Taiwan GL) Ep 2 - I want to love it, but it is just moving too fast. There’s not enough character dev and then they’re throwing flashbacks in? It feels like a treatment rather than a show, and a rushed treatment at that. Bummer. 
HIStory 4: Close To You (Taiwan) Ep 2 (AKA Ep 3-4) - let the cheesy popcorn continue! Idiot remains an idiot; ingenue remains an ice queen; nice gay guy remains nice and gay; obsessive stalker brother is getting ever more whackadoddle. Of course these last two have the best chemistry. (It’s caregiver codependency and the salvation trope. We got us a Leo/Fiat situation going on.​) Plus lots of classic BL tropes because OF COURSE there are lots of tropes. 
Occasionally, I am tempted to argue that shows like H4 or Cherry Magic or Ossan’s Love aren’t technically BL because of the office setting and age of the protags - but then they all behave like high school students anyway, so *shrug* 
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Stand Alones
Cute little Taiwanese micro BL Friend or Lover dropped, about bisexual realization within a friendship group. Normally these are too short for me, but this one did pretty good with its 15 minutes of charm, plus it’s abad boy + shy softy pairing. 
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Breaking News - Thai BL
Fish Upon the Sky released its actual trailer. The upside-down kiss is gone, which makes everyone sad, and it seems far less rivals to lovers than the first iteration, which makes ME sad. But it still looks good and a more classic BL than GMMTV has given us in a while. New trailer focused more on the makeover trope and they’ve upped Mix’s role (the object of everyone’s affection) now that he’s proved himself. (Or they are using him more to carry the trailer since he has a fan base form 1k*). Starts April 9 on GMMTV in 1K*’s time slot, probably with a 10 ep run. 
2gether the movie is apparently coming April 22 to Thai theaters. F4 Thailand must be having issues or GMMTV just wants to milk the BrightWin cash cow. It’s rumored to be a combination of 2gehter + Still 2gether with some extra scenes and ending. Also, one assumes a lot will be cut out, if it’s movie length.
Call It What You Want released its updated trailer. If anything, it looks more scary than before. What are we in for? April 9th. 
Nitiman got a release date, May 7 on One31. 
I Told Sunset About You 2 got an updated release date of May 27 on LineTV. 
Second Chance the series is coming to LineTV on March 29. I don’t know much about this one. Tons of familiar faces (mostly TharnType side dishes) and some nice looking new talent but a dearth of eng subs. I think it may take on Brothers’ time slot. Line did eng subs for Brothers so maybe they will do 2nd Chance too? 
Close Friend the series is coming April 22. This is a combination of 6 couples with 6 story arcs as music videos (maybe)? It’s an epic fan service with familiar faces like OhmFluke (UWMA), MaxNat (LBC also in Y-Destiny), YoonLay (YYY also in Y-Destiny), KimCop (GenY), and JaFirst (TT2).
Y-Destiny starts March 30, and has starting dropping couple’s trailers. I’m still suspicious given the director but it seems like there is plot (or plots) and a theme. Looks to be a series of 7 single ep vignettes (amended, see comments, might be 2 eps each for 14 eps total), different couple each time, some with supernatural elements, all with decent chemistry and acting chops. 
Sun MaxNat’s tutor/student arc
Mon jaded rich kid meets poor innocent  
Tues sports romance enemies to lovers 
Weds the messy realistic actual dating one 
Thurs hot ghost boyfriend (sad) 
Fri YoonLayPerth coping with loss and finding new love (sad). This one will all rest on Lay's acting so we know it’s in safe hands. Our boy is going to KILL it. 
Sat time-slip memory loss reunion romance 
I’m thinking we can’t expect any of these to end happy or be classic BL. They’re gonna be more slice of life-ish. 
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Gossip - BL Outside of Thailand 
Scholar Ryu’s Wedding Ceremony AKA Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding (Korean historical BL) got a legit teaser (eng sub here). @curriculumvtae​ reports that it’s releasing April 15th on WeTV (Philippines & Thailand) and Idol Romance (South Korea), while Will of Thai Bl says it’ll be on Viki too. It’s a short run of 8 ep built on a fake relationship trope (arranged marriage variant):
Ryu Ho Seon’s (Kang In Soo from You Wish) arranged marriage turns out to be with his expected bride’s brother, Choi Ki Wan (Lee Se Jin from Mr Heart). Ryu tries to undo the marriage, but his ill mother opposes this saying the scandal would be too much. Meanwhile, Kim Tae Hyeong (Jang Eui Soo from Where Your Eyes Linger), a senior at Ryu’s school, comes to congratulate him and falls in love with Choi. Then one day, the original bride disappears.
Okay it seems a bit twisty turny for ONLY 8 EPS, but oh my goodness how excited are we? Our first intentional historical BL out of Korea!
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We already knew Hong Kong was doing a remake of Japan’s Ossan’s Love under the same name (not my favorite Japanese BL but so very popular) but it’s now reported to be coming to Viu in June. Who knows how the CFA will take it. Depends on whether Hong Kong bows before the NO GAY KISSES regs or if they are going to use this as a political nose thumb... things could get cray with this puppy (the original has several kisses and s shower scene). Are we back in Addicted territory only with added comedy and civil unrest?
Speaking of Japan, Absolute BL (AKA Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai vs Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko) dropped sooner than anyone thought, March 27. But being Japanese who knows how/when/if we get subs. Protag finds himself trapped in a world of BL, but being straight he fights against any hot guy that draws near, but the whole world (literally) is conspiring against him. It’s a parody adapted from a yoai.
What with Absolute BL from Japan plus Lovely Writer and Call it What You Want from Thailand, is 2021 the year of BL being ultra self referential? Sure feels like it.
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In Case You Missed It
Faded a gay micro film from Taiwan from 2017 deals with parental acceptance and serves up a ton of BL tropes (piggyback, forehead kiss, etc). I’m pretty sure this was a propaganda piece for legalization of gay marriage, and it’s an interesting nugget of BL history as a result. Yes, it ends happy. It’s cute. 
Next Week Looks Like This:
Some shows may be listed a day later than actual air date for accessibility reasons.
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Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.
Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.
Man there’s a lot going on right now! Spring has sprung... I suppose. 
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P.S. I cannot believe I missed Absolute BL as a blog name. Numbnuts = me. 
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absolutebl · 3 years
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This Week In BL
June 2021 Wk 4
Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.
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Ongoing Series - Thai
Nitiman Ep 8 - I think I love this show so much because it really reminds me of undergrad. Is Keam the best or the worst flirt on the planet? I can’t decide. Anyway, looks like major drama next ep, although this one was rather tame. 
Y-Destiny Ep 13 - the first of the 3 part YoonLayPerth sad series. Talay carries this one and boy does he ooze charisma, such a pleasure to watch. The fact that he hasn’t been given the lead in a full length series is a crime. Anygay, this is a second chance at love story which we almost never see in BL. It’s rare in regular romance too, because it defies “the only one” trope which is such a cornerstone notion. The idea that there might be another “one” is pretty off-putting for most romance audiences. It happens to be a favorite of mine, though, so I am here for this. I love that they are using Lay for this as he has two solid existing pairings and great emotional chemistry with both of them. Bring on the tears, I say. 
Fish Upon The Sky Ep 12 fin - Oh well, next? 
Golden Blood Ep 1 - I like it! The leads are engaging it made me hoot with laughter and left a big grin on my face. There’s only 8 episodes so join me, it’s gonna be fun. (Full first ep review here.) 
Top Secret Together Ep 7 - ooo nice twist for the main couple. And how will this be resolved? Not enough of my side couples, why introduce them if you aren’t going to use them? 
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Ongoing Series - Not Thai
Monster in Law AKA Mẹ Chồn Dâu Cáo (Vietnam) Ep 8 - was mostly about the sister side character about whom I couldn’t care less, but it piled on more family drama conflict for our main couple. Beginning to get Cinderfella vibes from poor Jackie. 
Love is Science? (Taiwan) Ep 12 (BL subplot) - DELAYED again. They keep postponing this one week by a week. I’m starting to worry about the health of the cast & crew. 
Friend or Lover (Taiwan) Ep 4 - Probably won’t drop until next month.
Be Loved in House: I Do (Taiwan) Ep 7 - OMG this is the softest side dish ever. I feel like we are witnessing seedling gay cafe advice dads. They are SO CUTE. Meanwhile, tusndere with a heart of caramel is going through his bisexual identity crisis, where’s my popcorn, Harold? Unfortunately, it looks like we have faen fatal incoming. 
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Breaking News
Japanese gay series Kinou Nani Tabeta? AKA What Did You Eat Yesterday? is getting a movie. Rumored to be out in November. It was a quiet comforting little series, I suspect the drama of the movie will be coming out at work, but I’m not sure. Anyway, it’s a nice thing to see get green lit. 
Wabi Sabi dropped SantaEarth’s OST for upcoming 7 Project and it’s kinda adorable. Ya’ll know I’m not a big fan of Thai OSTs but this one is cute, bright & cheerful. Santa can actually sing (I am all amazement). There are clips from their upcoming episode at the end, which seems to be high school Love Sick esk. If you wanna know why people freak out about SantaEarth’s chemistry, this OST will show you. Also it’s a prime example of the use of ter for you in Thai. 
Don’t Say No, the new MAME vehicle staring JaFirst, will be a direct continuation of LeoFiat’s storyline from TharnType 2 if the sample is to be believed. It looks soft. Do we trust M with soft? NO WE DO NOT. *this is my conflicted face* 
New Thai BL pulp The Yearbook dropped at trailer, this is directed by Mean (Tin in LBC) and featuring Prem (Team in UWMA) but staring unknowns. It’s a reunion romance about high school bffs (sweethearts?) who parted badly and reunite years later because of a tragedy (?). Something like that. It's coming to Line TV next month starting July 15, 2021, with 10 episodes. 
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In Case You Missed It
We Best Love special redux = I got confused because we already had one WBL special (that wasn’t very special) but apparently we were due another one. But this was also... not special? It was WBL#14U with maybe a bit of extra content? I’ll watch it again over the weekend and see if I spot anything new.  
Made in Rooftop - this Korean BL movie was supposed to release this week but I couldn’t find it anywhere, so maybe it’s in theaters and not streaming? 
Speaking of, Korea gave us a BL pulp with some seriously honest queerness and a relatively high heat level. Who knew that could happen? It’s called Company Romance (AKA gay boys in suits) and it’s awkwardly adorable. I’m pleased to report excellent rep of dangling silver earrings, drunken one night stands, and one of the couples is (rumored to be) an actual couple (they kiss that way). On YouTube. It’s kinda self referential and the soundtrack is very funny. Expect all the issues with Thai pulps (only in Korean and short) and you’ll be fine. 
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(spot the matching Bromance tats)
Starting Next Week
Ossan’s Love is the Hong Kong remake of the (bizarrely popular) Japanese original as a 15 ep series. Who knows how censored it will be... Hong Kong and China and all that. It’s office-set BL, lots of comedy and I’m looking forward to a fresh take since I found the original story interesting, even though I wasn’t wild about the execution. Think Cherry Magic only, no magic and WAY more flailing. I suspect this one will be hard to get hold of. 
My Boy the series is a new 10 ep Thai BL university pulp that looks like a pastiche, although the POV is out gay (v rare). Enemies to lovers meets secret romance + all the tropes. There’s a 7 minute trailer so you don’t need to go in with a blind eye. I’m interested, but I never met a Thai pulp I wasn’t willing to give too many chances to. It’s supposed to be airing on Line TV soon.
Light On Me is a 16 episode high school set BL from Korea (those might be short eps). Loner boy joins the student council and things get confusing with various members of said council maybe interested in dating him (?). There is also a girl. Honestly, I thought this was anime, so when it came on my radar a few weeks ago I didn’t report on it to you. My bad. It looks like typical Korean BL: low heat, sweet, high production values, everyone v pretty. EXCITING!!! On Viki (teaser). 
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Next Week Looks Like This:
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Some shows may be listed later than actual air date for International subs accessibility reasons.
Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.
Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.
166 notes · View notes
absolutebl · 3 years
Text
This Week in BL
June 2021 Wk 3
Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.
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Ongoing Series - Thai
Top Secret Together Ep 6 - aw, dejected puppy is dejected. Enter new cactus baby (file "potted cactus” under the “things that are inherently gay” tag?) It’s ep 6 so we got a hug and an aborted kiss for the main couple. New couple is cute but highly unnecessary. Not enough gay advice dads. Never enough. 
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Y-Destiny Ep 12 - the timeslip ep continues and I just found the main characters problematically naive and childish. So this one was kind of a pass for me. 
Fish Upon The Sky Ep 11 - whatever 
Nitiman Ep 7 - I’ve decided that basically everyone in this show is a confused bisexual except Bbomb who is just gay af. His little face anytime Jin does anything remotely proprietary. These boys are the cutest tentative boyfriends but Jin doesn’t trust himself so neither do we or Bbomb. The tension is mounting. Things about to get dramatic and messy. 
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Ongoing Series - Not Thai
Monster in Law AKA Mẹ Chồn Dâu Cáo (Vietnam) Ep 7 - a morality tale about living with in laws? Not sure, but we are finally getting to the meat of the matter and we are 7 eps in. So is this one going long? That’s crazy rare for Vietnam. Then again could end abruptly next ep since pacing is NOT Vietnamese BL’s strong point. Still, loving the gay domesticity of it all. 
Love is Science? (Taiwan) Ep 12 (BL subplot) - DELAYED again. *whine* 
Friend or Lover (Taiwan) Ep 4 fin - Probably won’t drop until next month. 
Be Loved in House: I Do (Taiwan) Ep 6 - THEY ARE SO AWKWARD AND SO CUTE!!!!! What more to you want from me? My brain is entirely occupied with the frown smoothing and the metal ring making. GAH. I’m dead, throw some bread on me. 
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Breaking News
Korean queer media studio Strongberry dropped their latest short, Fingers After. It's good. They went serious with this one. Weird, but I like it when they’re weird. 
Strongberry also posted the teaser for their next short, The Confidential Coffee Brake, which features professors in a secret relationship. I’m sure it will be good, they never disappoint. 
Thailand’s Wabi Sabi did intros for 7 Project with 7 Songs, just images with music track samples. You can look at Studio Wabi Sabi YouTube channel if you wanna investigate. I found it sublimely lackluster. Here’s the rundown: 
SantaEarth - Would you be my love? 
BounPrem - I’m sorry
BoomPeak - Crush on You 
SammySamantha - Memory 
YachtSood (het) - Safe Zone 
Plan? (het) - Loser
Perth? (het) - Social Distancing 
I was kinda hoping Wabi Sabi was doing a Friend Zone thing, with a group of university students of different orientations falling in and out of love. But it’s a lot cheeper to do Close Friend style installment eps. With this kind of OST release, we are heading in that direction. 
Thailand’s indie pulp bodyguard romance, Golden Blood is still dropping promo stuff, so I guess it got funded. EXCITED. 
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In Case You Missed it
Y-Destiny dropped a 10 min players (Peuth Kaeng) special out of the blue (YouTube). There is NO high heat on screen right now so maybe they were like MORE OF THESE BOYS to fill the vacant market? (Although I don’t think Thailand gets that targeted.) Maybe it’s an interest teaser for a pitch? Wouldn’t that be great? Anygay, no subs, but what can ya do? I don’t mind the pet names mostly because of the implied switchiness of it. These two already have a switch vibe and this just exacerbated that. (Although I don’t think that was the intention.) 
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The Night Beyond The Tricornered Window or Sankaku Mado no Sotogawa wa Yoru is available from Japan and it’s pretty good. Scary, bloody, suspense ghost story bromance, but ya know, obvs not a bromance. Hell if you give WOH a pass, why not branch out a bit? Essentially, a fated mates trope about a supernatural Sherlock Holmes who can preform exorcisms but can’t really see the spirit world. He meets the boy of his dreams (literally) who can see ghosts and the history of dead bodies (but is terrified of them as he is unable to do anything about them). If they are physically touching, they’re unbeatable exorcists. Together they help the police investigate a serial killer poltergeist. Adapted from a manga, and filmed that way. (Incidentally Mikado-kun is played by the actor from You're My Pet or Kimi Wa Petto, one of the few het romances I really love - on Viki.) Anyway this is horror so all the usual trigger warnings that aren’t sex-related. 
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Speaking of Japan, Love Stage!! is currently on YouTube. This is a yaoi/anime live action adaptation that released in 2020 that no one seems to know about. Watch it now if you’re intersted. This is Japan + YouTube so who knows how long it will stay available? 
Basically the uke is from a family of actors. When he was little he ended up accidentally appearing in a TV ad as an adorable girl. (He v pretty.) The other child actor fell in love with the girl him. 10 years later the uke (still pretty) is now an introverted college kid who just wants to be a manga artist. The seme is a famous actor. He refuses to do the reunion advert without the original girl. When the uke shows up and reveals he is actually a he and always has been, hijinks ensue. 
Stylistically, Love Stage has more in common with something like 2014′s Docchi Mo Docchi than anything recent. So it feels somewhat overacted, stilted, and dated (e.g. bloody noses, dub-con, dead fish kisses). The plot is rushed for the movie-length time frame and may be incomprehensible if you’re unfamiliar with the original anime/manga. But if you’re hungry for Japanese BL (like self) it will satisfy, it does have kisses and an HEA. 
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Next Week Looks Like This:
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Some shows may be listed later than actual air date for International subs accessibility reasons.
Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.
Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.
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Vietnamese BL Monster in Law bringing the gay domesticity combined with the bridge trope. HOW MUCH DO WE LOVE THEM FOR IT? 
149 notes · View notes
absolutebl · 3 years
Text
This Week In BL
May 2021 Part 1
Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.
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Ongoing Series - Thai
Second Chance Ep 6 fin - Chris & Jeno were TOO CUTE we got ALL the tropes: parental passing on the torch of care (a rare one), hair drying, hair touching, the prom with everyone was in adorable suits (Tang Yi approves), GOOD kisses, confessions galore, boop (+ bonus pool boop), tumblr now thinks they’re lesbians (new trope I’ve just decided on), claiming, rooftop assignation. Conclusion? This is one of the best BL pulps I’ve seen in a really long time. We are PLEASED! 
Y-Destiny Ep 7 - a pretty classic take on the “reformed player/rake” romance trope plus a ton of BL visuals like back hug, messy eater, rooftop assignation, and pillow clutch (a Cheewin signature). Cheewin sure knows his tropes (he should, he started a lot of them and his YYY Special is nothing but a trope parody pastiche, it’s Absolute BL before Absolute BL and A LOT weirder). 
Lovely Writer Ep 11 - The casting closet has come to play. I really like that LW is taking the industry and fans to task. It’s hard to watch sometimes, but it SHOULD be a little squirmy and uncomfortable. This was an excellent Episode 11 and we all suffered for it. I hope they can resolve it well in the finale. They’ve done great work so far, I trust them. 
Close Friend Ep 3: (Willing or Not) - sports kinda romance, it was cute because MaxNat are cute together, but it reminded me a lot of their arc in Why R U, which is to say, short and somewhat forgettable. 
Fish Upon The Sky Ep 5 - am I over this? I think I might be over it. Not into the punching down humor in terms of femme or Sikhs, I don’t like Pi, and found myself fast-forwarding through most of this ep. Mostly I only watch when Mork is on screen. I wanna know why Mork likes Pi so much, but that’s all I’m interested in. Tons of tropes but I’m not even motivated to screen cap, which is saying something. Look, the characters pretty much lack motivation and so I’m losing sympathy. 
Nitiman Ep 1 - oh I like it. This is the standard Thai BL delicious trash I know and love. 2 Moons university setting pastiche, check! Engineering students = gay, check! Instant hate vrs instant love, check! Seme vrs tsundere uke, check! Plus the side dishes are tasty. I’m disposed to be pleased, especially as Fish is disappointing. Sadly they insisted on singing, but you can’t have everything. 
Love Area Ep 1 - I’m not holding this post just for one BL that I’m not sure if I’ll be able to find tomorrow, so I’ll let you know how it is next week. 
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Ongoing Series - Not Thai
Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding (Korea) Ep 7-8 fin - so flipping cute, their little smiles, just GAH. Bit of a dead fish kiss but I don’t care because I loved this tiny show full of soft bois and no one saying anything directly (except our man with the poetry, I hope he finds his true love). Adorable. 
Papa & Daddy (Taiwan) Ep 3 - HOW IS THIS SHOW SO WHOLESOME? This is possibly the cutest thing on air right now (and I don’t actually like children). Just GAH! The actual Taipei pride footage. I didn’t even mind all the product placement (I happen to like that bubbly myself). It’s just so cute. Everyone should be watching this. It will make you feel so good and happy. Not gonna lie, this ep is ALL about queer found family and I might have ugly cried over the teddy bear at the end - in a good way.  *** Quick note because I think it’s super important: in 2020 Taiwan Pride was called March for the World. Why? Because Taiwan managed to control C19 better than any other country, they were the only country able to hold pride safely, so they did it for all of us. I don’t feel like they got enough recognition for this. 
Word of Honor (China) Ep 34-36 fin - In the end, WoH turned out to be a morality tale about the superiority of agrarian society over semi-nomadic tribes combined with a message about enduring love profoundly undermined by Chinese censorship. It’s like this amazing meal. I ate my fill, and enjoyed every bite, but had a bit too much, and now I have heart burn. Am I upset about the ending? Sure am. Good for them for manipulating my emotions! Was this a great drama? Yes. Did I expect this from China? Sure did. Do i feel betrayed anyway? Sure do. I guess these things are going to have to coexist in my psyche. Along with heart burn. Here have the actual-not-really-epilogue-ending. It's wafer thin.  I’m putting this one to bed. I feel like I’ve said my piece and I want to move on from 36 courses of pretty men in pretty robes full of pretty innuendoes and deadly peanuts. I’ll miss the big fuck off white fan, tho. 
My Lascivious Boss (Vietnam) Ep 5 - still very much enjoying it, the secret identity lies are beginning to unravel, tension is increasing. I don’t see how they can resolve this in just one episode tho, so this series might go longer than 6 episodes (rare for Vietnam). 
HIStory 4: Close To You (Taiwan) Ep 8 - I demand Boxiang & Zhigang (repping for the healthy LTR and marriage equality) show up in every HIStory installment henceforth. This was a cute ep, lots of good communication & tropes. Still not sure how I feel about the stepbrothers, but can’t complain about their chemistry (waves at TharnType). Speaking of, how awesome that Yongjie caught the man he always wanted, that man is a SUPER bossy bottom, and Yongjie is like ...
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Gossip
Crazy rumor that Singto has a new BL in the works (totally unsubstantiated). It’s Still Just Us (frankly, the biggest strike against this being true is how grammatically correct the title is). 
Vietnam is messing with our heads and hearts by putting the leads from Nation’s Brother and Most Peaceful Place together into a delightful little love triangle of... something or other. Honestly, I’ve no idea what this is. The actors playing around? A new series? An advertisement? What? 
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Breaking News
Mandee (of Why R U fame) dropped a “mini intro” for something that they’re calling Bed Friend series. HI BEER! But I thought these two (James & Net) were the side dishes for Middle Love AKA Middleman's Love. I am so confused. (Get your titles together Thailand, no one wants you going down the Taiwanese rabbit hole, mm’kay?) 
Taiwan would call it: Middleman’s Middle Love: Bed Friend. 
Top Secret Together got a full trailer with subs. I’m kinda over ensemble pulp pieces (like Close Friend, Bothers, Y-Destiny) but the presence of Newyear makes this one I’m still going to watch. It starts this Friday on Line TV. 
Cutie Pie the series got a teaser (fundraising trailer). Arranged marriage, home/office set, Thai BL staring Zee? Sign me tf up! I am so excited, I hope they can make this happen. Deets here. (Thanks @heretherebedork for the tip.) 
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Next Week Looks Like This:
Some shows may be listed later than actual air date for International accessibility reasons.
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Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.
Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.
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226 notes · View notes
absolutebl · 3 years
Text
This Week in BL
May 2021 Wk 3
Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.
It’s a cray cray Friday when Vietnam gets its eng subs up before GMMTV Thailand. What alter-reality are we in? Well, the Vietnamese offerings are better right now anyway. (Oooo, feel that burn.) 
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Ongoing Series - Thai
Top Secret Together Ep 2 - pulping it up in the best possible way. Sure sound and production values are pants, and in classic Thai fashion the editing in post is exacerbating (rather than fixing) pacing issues, but it’s still CUTE AF. I don’t even mind the added university storyline, because they’ve got good chemistry (and a confident gay fresher after a panicked gay hazer is an old favorite... what can I say, SOTUS was my first love). We aren’t spending too much time with any one couple, so it’s weighted a lot better than Brothers was, but also character development is slow. 
Siew Sum Noi Ep 2 - Unfortunately, it’s just too hard to find, plus no subs. I’m dropping it in the hopes it comes back on my radar some day. 
Y-Destiny Ep 8 - (Thurs) It’s rough having a ghost boyfriend, half your friends are scared, the other half think you’re crazy, and kissing shortens your lifespan. This was a cute couple even if I wasn’t wild about the surrounding story. 
Close Friend Ep 5: (Dear My Star/JimmyTommy) - about high school penpals. It had to rely entirely on voice over work as the actors only meet face to face at the end. It’s a good thing they are appealing screen presences on their own, with good vocal control. It’s hard to imagine any other BL pair carrying this kinda plot. It’s by far my favorite of the series so far, and I’m not even a big JimmyTommy fan. 
Fish Upon The Sky Ep 7 - no subs. Do we care? Not really. Because we have... 
Nitiman Ep 3 - currently my favorite out of Thailand. It’s the university Thai BL i’ve been waiting for since... when was the last good one? My Engineer? Yowza. Anyway we got: head on my shoulder, baby is a floppy drunk (but still wants to be in control), proximity alert, boyfriend’s closet, seme gets seriously jelly, and a cute twist on feeding him. There’s something fun and complex about Jin’s character. He’s not a panicked bi. He knows exactly what’s going on, he just hasn’t decided if he wants Bb or not. He clearly enjoys being looked after, the compliments, and the attention, but he’s not sure if he’s going to like what happens if he gives in. I like that twist on the usual tsundere uke archetype a lot, cautious rather than willfully obtuse or freaked out. We can see Jin realizing in stages: I like this person, I like that they like me, I like the romantic attentiveness. But in the background is... do I actually want to f*k him? It’s a dynamic we don’t often see on BL. 
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Ongoing Series - Not Thai
HIStory 4: Close To You (Taiwan) Ep 10 fin - the most ridiculous show using BLs worst tropes in a sort of weird smoothie of bitter greens and too ripe banana. The ending was the sappiest cheesiest thing ever, like cheese syrup tapped from the cheese tree. So of course I loved it, but I’m pretty sure I giggled through all the bits meant to be profound. Because, in the end, to tolerate this show at all, you just can’t take ANY of it seriously. RECOMMENDED (with some SERIOUS reservations and trigger warnings.) Full review here. 
Be Loved in House: I Do (Taiwan) Ep 1-2 - I don’t mind a damaged seme character but this one is a bit weird for me. Like creepy Cheese in the Trap level weird. On the bright side, the story has given our tsundere uke good motivation for his angst and great existing friendships, loyalty, and likability. Plus I’m invested in the cafe owner/innocent puppy side dishes. So if it’s only the seme character I’m not jiving with, and he’s the most established actor, it should all turn out fine. I believe in you, Taiwanese BL. 
Papa & Daddy (Taiwan) Ep 6 fin - speaking of belief. This such a good show but they gave us a cliffhanger ending. Now we must hope against hope for season two. That’s never guaranteed with Taiwan tho. So, I’m docking a few points and saying, RECOMMENDED so long as you realize it’s a cliffhanger. 
Love is Science? (Taiwan) Ep 1-9 (BL subplot) - this is a good het romance, but the fact that the BL subplot is a beautifully acted disaster bi + confident gay means you’re hearing about it whether you want to or not. Plus they just added in some GL! Come on! I gotta support Taiwan normalizing queer to this extent. They are fighting the good fight and if I also have to watch a career lady and her much younger softest straight boi get it on, too? Twist my arm with that service sub subtext. Go on Taiwan, TWIST IT. It’s on Viki. Join the revolution.   * Incidentally if you actually like the D/s het dynamic of this show, I highly recommend Japanese Kimi wa Petto - career woman keeps a hot young dancer boy as a pet. Oh yes, an actual pet, that IS the pitch. Never doubt Japan when kink is on the line. It’s also on Viki. Go get your kink on, thank me later. (If it helps: That was not a request.)  
Most Peaceful Place 2 (Vietnam) Ep 2 (AKA 5) - love triangles aren’t my thing, but if you’re gonna do it short form, by all means bring in the lead’s other BL pairing so the chemistry is on point. Now I've no idea who I want him to end up with. Can’t they just be in a poly triad? 
My Lascivious Boss (Vietnam) Ep 7 - I’m still enjoying it a lot. It’s still unabashedly queer and the tension is ramping up. We now have secret identity, blackmail, femme fatale, faen fatale, and incoming seme confrontation. Best of all, the series is still airing, which makes it longer than any other Vietnamese BL I’ve seen (aside from Tein Bromance - which is just too weird to count). 
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Gossip - Thai BL 
SEVEN PROJECT TEASERS
No one is entirely sure what Studio Wabi Sabi’s Seven Project/7Project will entail. 
It might be like Close Friend (1 episode per couple, no linking), 
or Y-Destiny (2 episodes per couple, loosely linked), 
or The En of Love (4 episodes per couple, linked but independent consecutive stories). 
They’re giving the couple’s arcs separate titles. So each one would be what? Seven Project: Once Upon a Time or the like? We’re in Taiwanese title territory people and NO ONE WANTS TO GO THERE. Anygay... 
Once Upon a Time is the BounPrem (og UWMA) anchor story, and seems to be the most dramatic and likely saddest. These two can handle most of what’s thrown at them at this juncture, so it should be good. 
Vs Love is a BoomPeak (og Make it Right) university vehicle. Since I thought Boom was done with our nonsense, I couldn’t be more thrilled and surprised this pair is doing another show together. I don’t think either of them are the greatest actors but I find Peak very endearing and Boom charismatic on screen, so I’ll watch. 
Would You be My Love is the hotly anticipated SantaEarth launch. They’re a (cultivated) IRL ship and Earth is an established BL actor. They have great chemistry and high energy so this could be lots of fun. 
We are also getting a GL from this series from established BL actresses Samantha and Pineare. Nothing teased yet on that, but I’m looking forward to this installment the most. Also curious to see how the ladies handle the branding and promo side, not to mention the culture. (Thailand variety shows gonna force *girls* to play the Pepero game?) 
Secret Crush on You upcoming Thai BL with no release date, co-produced by and featuring (but NOT staring) Saint and directed by Cheewin (sigh) with all fresh faces. (Previously known as Stalker the series.) It looks like pure pulp and I’m not wild about the plot but could be better than expected as it’s adapted from a novel. Cheewin is an okay director when he has an actual story to follow. 
Don’t Say No the series. Coming from the producers of TharnType this is the JaFirst vehicle many have been waiting for. Friends to lovers + a good boy/bad boy pairing on a sports romance foundation. It’s basketball so they tapped Meen as well (he’s semi-pro). The bad news? You get one guess as to who is writing the darn thing? Yep it’s MAME. So, ya know, expect some slam dunk kidnapping, a light dribbling of rape, and me turning into a basketcase. AKA... 
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Will I have to live blog this series in order to survive it? That seems to be the only way I can. So probably. Which means the bad sports puns will continue. Look, if I’m suffering, SO ARE YOU! 
Rumors of a new YinWar vehicle The Best Story (mini series) coming in July. Also rumors that their previously announced Love Mechanics (full length series) has either been delayed, is facing money issues, or is moving studios, or all three. 
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Breaking News 
DELAYED (I’m talking these three off the watch list until we get new airing dates) 
Love Area’s release was pushed out but it got a trailer. 
Golden Blood was supposed to drop Weds but comments in MDL report that it is delayed due to C19.  
Love’s Outlet (Taiwan) is supposed to have started a 50 episode run (only 3-5 min each, what utter nonsense). Sadly, this delay is due to a surge in cases in Taiwan which was doing so well, but also doesn’t have many inoculations. 
Bad Buddy has started workshopping at GMMTV actual. 
Kang Insoo’s BTS for Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding is SO FLIPPING CUTE. You have to watch it. Trust me, I don’t rec behind the scenes stuff often. 
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Next Week Looks Like This: 
Some shows may be listed later than actual air date for International accessibility reasons.
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Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.
Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.
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148 notes · View notes
absolutebl · 3 years
Text
This Week in BL
April 2021 Part 1
Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.
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Ongoing Series - Thai
Second Chance Ep 1 - living up to its name since it looks to be a series of redemption arcs. Launched with a college confession and a broken friendship, then a flash back to them as seniors in high school. Pairings include friends to lovers, nerd/jock, and maybe cafe boss/employee. There’s a lot going on, but it’s still... quiet and sweet. The script is pretty pat but it’s still WAY more watchable than Cupid Coach or Brothers and most of the acting is solid. Ep 1 tropes included: he’s in engineering, wound tending, fast & bicurious. This could turn into what I wanted My Gear & Your Gown to be. Fingers crossed. 
Love Poison 2 Ep 1 & 2 turns out I did watch and report on season 1 (8 eps), season 2 seems equally unmemorable. Thai countryside setting, strong dialect, incomprehensible plot, camp side characters, and ghastly singing. 
Y-Destiny Ep 1 (eng subs?) - opened with the sports romance enemies to lovers (they aren’t going in the teaser order). When the couple got over fighting, the flirting was v cute, but the flipping SPONGE BATH trope had to rear its ugly head. Still, this series is shaping up to be less coy and more frank than most BL, better than expected. It feels, I don’t know, gay-er or something?  *** Sources were correct that each couple is getting (at least) 2 eps, and MDL has been updated to say this is a 15 episode series (not 7). 
Cupid Coach 12 fin - The new Nite was great and should have been a main all along. It felt like we got a tiny nugget of what could have been in about 10 minutes worth of this last ep. It was way too slow with terrible editing and a criminally bad script, but at least it ended happy. Mostly, like Friend Forever, I’m just disappointed that these two actors were done dirty by the series. Bad Cupid Coach, no screen caps for you. 
Lovely Writer Ep 6 - breaking news, there’s a het couple I like: toppy bi femme + soft boi = such a good pairing! I know, but this NEVER happens. Meanwhile, Sib’s secret is out, Gene is a bit of a drama queen, and the plot thickens. We half way through.  
Brothers Ep 9 - Kaow had a serious moment of advice giving that was truly lovely. Lots of family dama made this a superior episode to... well... any of the others in this series. Which isn’t saying much. 
1000 Stars Ep 10 fin - at the start this series didn’t grab me the way GMMTV’s last BL, Tonhon Chonlatee, did. But boy did it end 1000x better. Might have given us 2021′s best forehead kiss. I enjoyed the ultra romantic cliff-top reunion kiss, and I LOVED the stinger flirting scene. That was an absolute gift we had no right to expect. This drama is a poster child for finishing on a high note (always focus on that dessert course). Final thoughts? This was FAR more a classic romance than it was BL. There were some BL tropes used but not many and most of them originated in the romance genre not yaoi. A picture perfect ending bumped 1000 Stars much higher up my best-of list than expected. Not sure how often I’ll rewatch it as a whole, but this last episode? I’m probably rewatching it right now. 
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Ongoing Series - Not Thai
Dear Uranus (Taiwan GL) Ep 3 fin - I guess that’s it? Okaaaaay  
HIStory 4: Close To You (Taiwan) Ep 3 (AKA Ep 5-6) - we got actual legit gay culture not just BL (always appreciated) from XingSi. I’m starting to find LiCheng’s “show them we fucking” hijinks hilarious rather than annoying (not sure why, maybe I just love a rubber chicken, or maybe it was the STUFFED CORN WITH THE TASSEL that did it). 
-- H4 Moment of RANT --
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Tropes included beach trip, there’s only one bed, cook for him, baby is a floppy drunk, carry baby to bed, and.... drunk non-con. Whoopdedoo. Here we go again. Did TharnType teach us NOTHING? (Apparently it taught us if the chemistry is good enough, I have no morals at all.) At least H4 seems to be taking us out of cheese into serious when it comes to assault. Or is it? 
I take back what I said last week about XingSi & YongJie being codependency + salvation trope, that only works if YongJie is the uke. He’s NOT. So we got us an obsessive predatory villain with a possible redemption arc. That’s more common in crime dramas, mafia romance, and epic fantasy than BL. It’s real hard to redeem a sexual predator in a reality-grounded universe like contemporary romance (See Kla in LBC1&2). 
Next week is gonna be a test of the whole damn franchise. Imma remind both me a you that this was ep 3 of 10 so we got a ways to go yet... but ooof, what have we wrought, BL? (I ended up doing a whole post about the stepbrother trope because of this sub plot.) Taiwan is killing me.
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-- RANT ended --
Word of Honor (China) Ep 19-21 - over half way point so we got ALL the back story (in a classic 4 act story structure midway reveal). Now we know who WKX really is and his lineage. We also got some cute hugs and hand holds. Moving along at a nice clip despite being 36 eps total. Still gayest thing to come out of we-not-gay China since Advance Bravely. 
Most Peaceful Place (Vietnam) Ep 2 - takes them a while to get eng subs together and ep 2 didn’t drop until late. So I’m putting this in a Thurs time slot going forward. Miscommunication already cleared up and a 2nd couple has been introduced. The pacing on these Vietnamese BLs is always a bit... off. But it’s still better than most of its ilk, enjoyable. I’m thinking it’s a 6 ep arc. 
We Best Love 2 (Taiwan) Ep 5 - after the initial drama DRAMA of ep 2, the current external crisis at work is much quieter, giving this whole season a top heavy feel. Taken along side the first season, I think it’s fitting nicely into a 4 act structure, but that might be my bias. I hope I’m not wrong, we’ll find out next week. Shi De puttering about being domestic with Shu Yi on his back was the best execution of the piggyback trope EVER. Meanwhile, our little D/s side couple of codependency, salvation trope + mental illness is becoming weirdly appealing. I don’t know. H4 done mess with my head. 
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Stand Alones 
Absolute BL AKA Zettai BL ni Naru Sekai vs Zettai BL ni Naritakunai Otoko  (Japan) Ep 1-4 mini series. Found subs under A Man Who Defies The World of BL. IT’S HILARIOUS. It’s Japan making fun of us, but also itself for having started this whole BL nonsense - from yaoi roots to present day. It’s parody goddamn gold. Utterly cheeky unto the very last line. We are not worthy. 
Apparently the most powerful tropes of all time are: baby is a floppy drunk and the piggyback fo nobility. Oh and chocolate. {Full review here.} 
Honestly, this show may have been made with only @heretherebedork and I in mind. I don’t know if you’d even understand half of it if you don’t have a history with the manga source genre and an obsessive interest in underlying narrative devices. I haven’t seen much chatter in the blog’o’sphere on this one because, in the end, it’s not a romance at all, it’s social commentary. 
The ending line was a masterclass in lampooning a genre. I’m going to rewatch the whole thing just to catch all the digs I missed first time around. It is a thing of beauty and a joy forever. 
Thank you Japan. I forgive you all your hair-styling sins of the last decade. 
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Breaking News 
Spring Line Up:
Scholar Ryu’s Wedding Ceremony AKA Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding (Korean historical BL) April 15th 
Close Friend the series (Thai trailer) April 22. 
2gether the movie (Thai trailer) April 22 to Thai theaters.
Nitiman (Thai) May 7 on One31.
I Told Sunset About You 2 (Thai) May 27 on LineTV
Ossan’s Love (Hong Kong) June to Viu 
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Gossip 
Bad Buddies released its first promo op via Arm Share, which means GMMTV is at least *thinking* about filming it. 
Fun behind the scenes gossip sesh with eng subs for Tell the World I Love You (that Perth Bas movie we are maybe getting someday but will likely be sad). 
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New Thai BL Bite Me (adapted from novel Grab a Bite) dropped a teaser. It stars Mark Siwat (Kla in LBC) as uke character Ake, a delivery boy with special foodie powers, and chef Eua (seme played by Zung Kidakorn) who discovers him. It’s from the same author as Manner of Death so we might even get some actual plot. Since it’s an established BL actor who I happen LOVE, a known author, and a plot about FOOD, I could not me more excited for this one. 
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Next Week Looks Like This:
Some shows may be listed a day later than actual air date for accessibility reasons. Some are dropping multiples at a time but just started so I’m not sure on numbering. 
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Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.
Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.
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