#there are so many shows on my watchlist i want to watch but i just keep watching the same ones on repeat…. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

waitmyturtles · 2 months

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Turtles Catches Up With Old GMMTV: KinnPorsche, and Analyzing the KP Cultural Zeitgeist Edition (Part 1)

[What’s going on here? After joining Tumblr and discovering Thai BLs through KinnPorsche in 2022, I began watching GMMTV’s new offerings -- and realized that I had a lot of history to catch up on, to appreciate the more recent works that I was delving into. From tropes to BL frameworks, what we’re watching now hails from somewhere, and I’m learning about Thai BL's history through what I’m calling the Old GMMTV Challenge (OGMMTVC). Starting with recommendations from @absolutebl on their post regarding how GMMTV is correcting for its mistakes with its shows today, I’ve made an expansive list to get me through a condensed history of essential/classic/significant Thai BLs produced by GMMTV and many other BL studios. My watchlist, pasted below, lists what I’ve watched and what’s upcoming, along with the reviews I’ve written so far. Today, in a two-part series, I offer my thoughts on KinnPorsche, my very first Thai BL, and the impact that I think KP has had on the Thai BL industry since 2022.]

Hot damn! It has been a MINUTE since my last OGMMTVC review, so I'm glad to be back. I've been very much looking forward to writing my thoughts about my recent KinnPorsche rewatch: I enjoyed this ENTIRE process, especially in regards to watching KinnPorsche in the context and chronology of past Thai BLs, and man, did I ever see KP WAYYYYY differently than the first time I watched it.

Why's that? Welp -- *KinnPorsche was my first-ever Thai BL*. (Not my first BL drama ever; that award goes to the GOAT, Kinou Nani Tabeta?/What Did You Eat Yesterday?)

But when I joined Tumblr officially in July 2022, just about a year and a half ago (in the heat of passionately obsessing over Old Fashion Cupcake), my dash was awash, AWASH, in KP posts. AWASH.

I had no idea what the fuck the algorithm was telling me.

I went into KinnPorsche knowing absolutely NOTHING about Thai BL tropes, the history of the genre, the actors in the roles, what made KP so innovative by way of its storyline, NADA. Dudes -- I'm half-Malaysian, and I had never even watched a show from the Southeast Asian region, let alone Thailand, and I was unaware of how prolific the Thai drama industry was (at least compared to the Korean drama machine).

When I first watched KinnPorsche, my perspective was that I had watched a pretty good show, and I was left surprised back then in particular by the No Homophobia Bubble (well, almost no homophobia, Big) that I now know is so much more common in Thai BLs than I realized.

It was through KinnPorsche that I discovered Thai BLs, and it was subsequently through Bad Buddy that I realized that I NEEDED to understand the development of this national genre -- so back to the history annals I went, through my OGMMTVC project, starting from 2014's Love Sick, and here we are at this moment of the timeline, the hot hot late spring and summer of 2022, enjoying the ✨vibbbeeezz✨ between Mile Phakphum and Apo Nattawin, and leaving me wondering why there was a national shirt button shortage in the midst of a Thai mafia crime drama. I'm glad I have history on my side now as I think about KinnPorsche as a standalone drama, and as I also think about the impact it has had on the Thai BL genre and fandoms prior to its premiere, up to today's moment in time.

I took my time to draft this piece partly because I was busy watching Be On Cloud's second and latest serial drama in Dead Friend Forever. I think BOC is doing something very interesting by way of their acting and contracted scripting choices, which I want to ponder by way of the context and aftermath of KP's airing. As such, while I had intended to write just one post about KP, I have a bunch of thoughts that'll spill over to tomorrow. So here we go, a quick overall outline for the lovers for today and tomorrow on my ruminating thoughts:

1) My critical thoughts on KinnPorsche as a standalone drama in the context of the history of previous Thai BLs, 2) My thoughts on how new arrivals to the wider Thai BL fandom shaped the perception of KP vis à vis older Thai BLs, 3) How I think KP has impacted how other studios approach, market, and write Thai BLs now, and 4) A quick passing thought on BOC's own continued influence on the Thai BL genre and industry since 2022, particularly by way of Dead Friend Forever.

I'm going to concentrate on numbers 1 and 2 in this piece, and they're actually going to be a touch conflated, because I want to lean into a now-obvious fact that the BL Elder community knew all along about KP when it first aired in 2022: there was not much that was new about what KinnPorsche was doing. (This is not necessarily a bad thing, as I’ll get into below.)

When I was a newbie on Tumblr, and the algorithm was feeding my dash, I remember seeing posts about how Be On Cloud, the studio behind KP, was doing things differently than the rest of the Thai BL field -- I recall posts about the studio hiring the best acting coaches, how the cinematography was nothing like what we had seen in other shows, and how Be On Cloud was committed to creating safe environments for its actors, particularly Apo Nattawin, who had reportedly faced discrimination in his past acting career, reportedly leading him to leave the Thai drama industry for a number of years.

While some very early Thai BL studios were known to not have the safest or friendliest environments (the filming of What The Duck comes to mind by way of this lore), by the time of KP's airing, GMMTV had strongly established itself as the leader of Thai BL productions, and other players, including New Siwaj and Cheewin Thanamin, had produced quite the number of dramas under each of their respective studio outfits. The industry, by 2020 and 2021, when KP was in its development origins, wasn't new anymore. Acting coaches, such as Aof Noppharnach, were now also regularly writing, directing, and producing original shows, and major BL studios had introduced workshopping as a regular step to production. On the artistic end, studios and writers had established expected artistic tropes -- 2018's Love By Chance is the first example that comes to my mind of when the Thai BL genre crystallized in a structurally derivative piece of art by way of containing and using prior trope references and dynamics.

Be On Cloud, in picking up the KinnPorsche script from Filmania during the pandemic (I use these posts here and here for my non-primary sources of KP lore) clearly knew it had something innovative on its hands by way of producing the genre's first mafia-based BL romance.

But 2020's Manner of Death had already introduced crime and mystery to BL, and 2021's Not Me continued a multi-genre perspective somewhat successfully around romance. And regarding sex and heat: KinnPorsche didn't do that first, either. MaxTul brought it first in 2017's Together With Me, and MAME has owned this corner since 2018's Love By Chance and 2019's TharnType. (Props to MaxTul for being in both Together With Me and Manner of Death; MileApo owe those dudes some beers.) By way of cinematography, which KP does extremely well: we had already begun seeing prestige cinematography in 2020's I Told Sunset About You, and 2021's I Promised You The Moon and A Tale of Thousand Stars.

It was natural, I think, for much of the KP fandom to think that KP was innovative in a lot of these categories, because, like me -- KP was our first-ever Thai BL. By way of money clearly spent on the show, the directorial purview of the show, the utterly gorgeous cinematography (man, that nighttime pull-away shot when the guys are in the roof pool, oof, why couldn't I find a gif), a new fan might think, geez, this has never been done before! But it had, and not just in Thailand, but for years prior in Japan, and more recently in Korea.

This is ALL not to say that KinnPorsche “suffered” because of what I'm uncovering by way of KP's misunderstood innovation. I think a perception of KP being entirely “new” in the BL field has contributed to its lore and enduring influential status. On this rewatch, I appreciated the mafia-based storyline as a support system to the central KinnPorsche romance. Yok being centered as an important mentor to Porsche, played by the inimitable Sprite Patteerat, was refreshing to see. Porsche accepting his bisexuality, especially with Yok's support, without the typical BL head-spinning queer revelation, was a welcome element to the show. And, frankly -- I had, on my first watch, missed, of course, the clear references to Thai BLs of the past in this show, references that I really loved seeing this time around.

From the old school, we got Kob Songsit, the OG BL dad, no longer Tong's dad in the seminal movie, The Love of Siam, nor Dean's dad in Until We Meet Again. This BL veteran is now a damn dad don, weapons and all.

We've also got Na Naphat, who played important side characters in IPYTM and UWMA. We have former BL lead guys in Jeff Satur and Perth Nakhun. We've got guitars and singing, we have underwater smooching, we have a cute-cute first date. We arguably have questionable kabedon in Kinn's and Porsche's first intimate moments. We have cooking for your lover, we have feeding your lover, we have the towel-drying of the hair. KP, by 2022, keeps up with Idol Factory's Secret Crush On You in prominently featuring a femme-presenting side character in Tankhun, PHENOMENALLY ACTED by Tong Thanayut, who we had seen previously in TharnType.

KP was, in part, directed by Pepzi Banchorn, who served as an assistant director on 2019's Dark Blue Kiss and 2021-22's Bad Buddy, and had a quick guest spot in 2022's The Warp Effect. KP was also, in part, directed by Khom Kongkiat, who played Uncle Tong in Bad Buddy, and subsequently directed The Promise in 2023. AND, finally, one of the KP screenwriters is Bee Pongsate, who has co-written so much flippin' BL: Last Twilight, Bad Buddy, Dangerous Romance (😬), Vice Versa, My School President, A Tale of Thousand Stars, 2gether and Still 2gether, and that's not even scratching the list -- you get it.

KP's supporting cast and crew was simply stacked with BL vets, who clearly knew the scene, and who helped to support Mile Phakphum's rookie acting and Apo Nattawin's return to the screen. I'd posit that this group of people knew EXACTLY what references they were putting into KinnPorsche, from actors to tropes, and also knew when, where, and how to innovate around those references to still make this show unique.

Certainly, KP's approach to sex and heat -- by way of Kinn's and Porsche's first drunken encounters (hi again, MaxTul), the uncut intimate scenes between them, and Vegas's and Pete's union by way of, well, semi-torture and/or kink -- was bold enough to be overall quite notable. But again: Thai BLs had been pushing that envelope for years past, and it has continued to do so in shows like MAME's Love In the Air and GMMTV's Only Friends.

In other words: after this rewatch, with the history of the older Thai BLs I've watched under my belt, I don't see KinnPorsche as firstly innovative. But I appreciate the show differently now, in particular for how very obvious it worked to include past Thai BL references in its production, and I actually gained a different appreciation for it.

I also want to made a quick tangential note about Apo and Tong specifically by way of innovation. Dr. Thomas Baudinette, a long-time BL fan and academic researcher on Thai and Japanese queer media, notes in his book, Boys Love Media in Thailand, that an ideal trajectory for a Thai BL actor is to debut in BLs in order to transition to more popular primetime het Thai dramas, as Gulf Kanuwat of TharnType, and Ohm Thitiwat and Kao Noppakao of UWMA and Lovely Writer, respectively, are notably doing at the moment. Apo Nattawin did this the other way around: he had established his career in het lakorns, most notably in 2015’s major hit drama, Sut Khaen Saen Rak, and subsequently left the Thai drama industry after reportedly being discriminated against for his skin tone and fashion choices. And his way back to the industry was through BLs. Taking the lore of Mile Phakphum recruiting Apo for KP out of the picture for a moment: I think this indicates a shift in how BLs are increasingly perceived in Thailand, and even globally, as being a career-worthy genre of content on its own for actors. (Apo's exploding fashion career is proof of this.) And BOC has now recruited another lakorn vet in Jes Jespipat for its third upcoming drama, 4 Minutes.

As well, Tong Thanayut’s very public coming out after the conclusion of KP’s airing is notable for how Be On Cloud has continued to center Tong in its productions after that fact, most notably in 2023’s film, Man Suang, while other out BL actors are not as lucky by way of guaranteeing and attracting future work.

I have a lot more to say about KinnPorsche's and Be On Cloud's impact on the current Thai BL industry, and how I think that impact has affected the marketing and creation of more recent shows like 2023's Only Friends, and 2023-24's Playboyy. But this first post has gotten long, and I actually haven't written much about the actual show itself, HA. So let me say this:

I think it's notable that the first shows that played around with themes outside of romance, like 2020's Manner of Death, and 2021's Not Me, were not perfect shows. We see now how multi-genre BLs are just exploding, what with Dead Friend Forever and the upcoming slew of vampire BLs that are going to drop (and let's not forget the first omegaverse BL drama in Pit Babe -- or should we forget it, I dunno). Not all of these shows are perfect, but the genre has only been around for a decade. There's a lot of time, and a tremendous amount of interest and funding, that upcoming shows can leverage to become better, especially these multi-genre shows that we're seeing more of.

KinnPorsche as well, was not a perfect show. I have some thoughts particularly on VegasPete to offer tomorrow, and I think, overall, that KP could have easily been a shorter series with more impact.

But I'll still give the show some of its flowers, because I think, unlike MoD and Not Me, that KinnPorsche did a better job of centering the Kinn and Porsche romance for dramatic effect, particularly by leveraging comedy. Were there many moments of hibbly-jibblies? Oh, totally. Dudes, also, Kinn fucking forgot about Pete! Pete coming back to the house and reminiscing about Vegas while holding his neck? Eeeeyikes, no thanx. There were a number of these weird bumps that I think could be explained by way of intentional camp (which I think KP did pretty well), but I do believe the show could have been tighter with more editing.

But, I gotta admit: I had a great time re-watching KP. That says something. Was it the heat that tiddled my dopamine cycles? Probably, somewhat. (No shame in my game.) Or -- a more reasonable theory, ha, is that Apo, as a veteran actor, demonstrated more range than I originally remembered. He can really do comedy well, and he timed his comedy perfectly for the absurdities that peppered KP through the series (the bread crawl, the constant throwing of hands, the jumping-on-Kinn when the ghost of Pete showed up, oh shit we're in the forest now, etc). Apo and Tong, in particular, stayed true to the bit many times during the show, and I think the series benefitted greatly from their collective comedic talent and timing -- which I thought was nicely refreshing for the genre.

With that, I'll have more ruminating tomorrow about the show itself, about how I think the impact that KP and BOC have had on the genre after KP's airing, and other thoughts about the cultural moment that KP demarcated when it aired -- see you tomorrow!

[MORE MORE MORE KP tomorrow! And I'll have more thoughts about the watchlist then. But for now, here's the classic OGMMTVC list for you to chew on!

1) The Love of Siam (2007) (movie) (review here) 2) My Bromance (2014) (movie) (review here) 3) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (2014 and 2015) (review here) 4) Gay OK Bangkok Season 1 (2016) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 5) Make It Right (2016) (review here) 6) SOTUS (2016-2017) (review here) 7) Gay OK Bangkok Season 2 (2017) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 8) Make It Right 2 (2017) (review here) 9) Together With Me (2017) (review here) 10) SOTUS S/Our Skyy x SOTUS (2017-2018) (review here) 11) Love By Chance (2018) (review here) 12) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) (no review) 13) He’s Coming To Me (2019) (review here) 14) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again (2018) (review here) 15) TharnType (2019-2020) (review here) 16) Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey (OffGun BL cuts) (2016 and 2017) (no review) 17) Theory of Love (2019) (review here) 18) 3 Will Be Free (2019) (a non-BL and an important harbinger of things to come in 2019 and beyond re: Jojo Tichakorn pushing queer content in non-BLs) (review here) 19) Dew the Movie (2019) (review here) 20) Until We Meet Again (2019-2020) (review here) (and notes on my UWMA rewatch here) 21) 2gether (2020) and Still 2gether (2020) (review here) 22) I Told Sunset About You (2020) (review here) 23) YYY (2020, out of chronological order) (review here) 24) Manner of Death (2020-2021) (review here) 25) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) (review here) 26) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake Of Rewatching Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (re-review here) 27) Lovely Writer (2021) (review here) 28) Last Twilight in Phuket (2021) (the mini-special before IPYTM) (review here) 29) I Promised You the Moon (2021) (review here) 30) Not Me (2021-2022) (review here) 31) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) (thesis here) 32) 55:15 Never Too Late (2021-2022) (not a BL, but a GMMTV drama that features a macro BL storyline about shipper culture and the BL industry) (review here) 33) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) and Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (2023) OGMMTVC Rewatch (Links to the BBS OGMMTVC Meta Series are here: preamble here, part 1, part 2, part 3a, part 3b, and part 4) 34) Secret Crush On You (2022) (review here) 35) KinnPorsche (2022) (tag here) 36) KinnPorsche (2022) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For the Sake of Re-Analyzing the KP Cultural Zeitgeist

...interrupting the OGMMTVC list here to watch War of Y (2022) (watching) in chronology to decide if it gets listed...

37) The Eclipse (2022) (tag here) 38) The Eclipse OGMMTVC Rewatch to Reexamine “Genre BLs” and Internalized/Externalized Homophobia in GMMTV Shows 39) GAP (2022-2023) (Thailand’s first GL) 40) My School President (2022-2023) and Our Skyy 2 x My School President (2023) 41) Moonlight Chicken (2023) (tag here) 42) Bed Friend (2023) (tag here) 43 La Pluie (2023) (review coming) 44) Be My Favorite (2023) (tag here) (I’m including this for BMF’s sophisticated commentary on Krist’s career past as a BL icon) 45) Wedding Plan (2023) (Recommended as an important trajectory in the course of MAME’s work and influence from TharnType) 46) Only Friends (2023) (tag here) (not technically a BL, but it certainly became one in the end) 47) Last Twilight (2023-24) (tag here) (on the list as Thailand’s first major BL to center disability, successfully or otherwise) 48) Cherry Magic Thailand (2023-24) (tag here) (on the list as the first major Japanese-to-Thai drama adaptation, featuring the comeback of TayNew) 49) Ossan’s Love Returns (2024) (adding for the EarthMix cameo and the eventual Thai remake) 50) Dead Friend Forever (2024) (thoughts here) 51) 23.5 (tag here) (2024)]

#kinnporsche #kinnporsche the series #be on cloud #mileapo #mile phakphum #apo nattawin #kinn x porsche #porsche x kinn #tong thanayut #bible sumettikul #turtles catches up with old gmmtv #turtles catches up with thai bls #turtles catches up with the essential bls #the old gmmtv challenge #ogmmtvc #pond krisda #dead friend forever #kinnporsche meta #kinnporsche the series meta

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fategoflatass · 7 months

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My Fall 2023 Watchlist & Opinions

Welcome to the comeback of my reviews that no one expected! But hey, I think this would be a nice practice for me to develop my writing skills and my critical thinking (?).

Take in consideration this post will be long because #unemployed, so everything will be under the cut.

Ready or not (I sure am not), here I go!

Atarashii Joushi wa Dotennen

Comedy, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆¾

After an atrocious experience with an abusive boss, Momose decides to switch workplaces. Used to such a toxic environment, he never expected his new superior to be so goofy!

The most wholesome show you'll find this season, and one of the most I've seen in general!

The work environment is pretty much paradise, each and every character being the living representation of the sweetest and most tender cotton candy you'll be able to find.

While the comedy mostly relies on Shirosaki's sillyness, it never gets old. Alongside the laughs, you'll find yourself aww-ing to many, many scenes.

Also, the series is conscious of the way people takes it (no, this is not a BL) and dedicates some scenes to it by giving different double meaning scenarios (they're all wholesome, no need to worry about that). Just a heads up, in case you're not into this kind of thing.

Want to know more? There's a canonical bisexual character in it! And here I was thinking that we didn't exist for Japan.

Totally recommend for those gloomy days, or even when you just need to shut off your brain.

Dr. STONE: NEW WORLD Part 2

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi // ☆☆☆☆

No summary due to spoilers.

I don't think there's much I can say about this one? I mean, unless I want to spoil someone, and I'm not a spoiler kind of person so...

For those curious about my experience, I'm enjoying myself very much! I decided to give it a try since my best friend loves it, and I liked it so much I quickly got up to date with it.

Now, do I understand every single thing they talk about? Hell nah, do you know how many times I failed chemistry and physics?!

But besides that, this show is a pretty wild and fun ride. And not only the previous parts, but also this one! Again, don't feel like making spoilers but the quality hasn't lacked not even a little bit. The characters are still as charismatic and funny as they've always been, and the plot keeps getting more and more interesting as it progresses.

Only thing I can say without explicitly spoiling anything: one of these days, Gen will end up messing with the wrong people. Can't tell you what tells me that, but he's messy enough for me to be unable to think otherwise.

Hametsu no Oukoku

Action, Drama, Fantasy // ☆☆

Once benerated due to their wisdom, witches are now being hunted down by humans who accuse them of impeding the progress of civilization. Adonis, a human raised by a witch, swears revenge against those who took his mentor from him.

CW: instances of extreme violence, forced non-sexual public partial nudity

Yes, I watched this one. Yes, it's an edgy one. No, it's not fun.

As someone who's always down to anything that has to do with fantasy, magic and supernatural beings, as well as being able to enjoy the trashiest things in life, I had some hope in the plot. Not in the way that it might be actually good, but in the way that it could be so bad I could get some laughs out of it. Sadly, this series takes itself quite seriously.

Which wouldn't be a problem if it weren't because it isn't even that good. The characters are plain, the episodes feel longer than they should, and there are times where you can see it go all over the top.

A pet peeve I have is when certain abilities/powers have ridiculous names, and this show does that to a tee by giving them some of the dumbest/edgiest (not exclusionary) names I've seen in a while.

"Do they even have to do with what each witch's magic is supposed to be?" I ask to the void in utter confusion.

"Absolutely not, but doesn't it sound rad?!" an easily impressed twelve-year-old exclaims from the grades.

Anyway, wouldn't recommend this show to anyone unless you're looking for an edgy power fantasy where characters die in gruesome ways not even five minutes after being introduced, magic type and all.

Also, can someone explain to me what does it mean to have "Natural Law" magic?

Hikikomari Kyuuketsuki no Monmon

Action, Comedy, Fantasy // ☆☆¼

After three years of becoming a total shut-in, Komari wakes up to find out she's the newest Commander in the Mulnite Imperial Army! Although she's descendant of a pretty powerful vampire family, she's rather inept when it comes to magic, even finding blood disgusting. Will her, alonside her maid, be able to make her path to success, or is failure awaiting for her around the corner?

Damn, this one took its sweet time to take off, only to crash and burn because the method was so cliché and overused.

The first three to four episodes are boring and not interesting at all, characters are bland as a wet piece of cardboard and the comedy excels at falling flat.

(Mild spoilers ahead, because I couldn't care less about this one)

And now you mean to tell me your seemlingly powerless main character is actually OP, only that under hypnosis? I didn't need to be a hound to be able to smell that crap from miles away, now did I?

But let's leave that aside to talk about Vil, A.K.A Male Gaze 101. I understand why she's attached to the protagonist, don't get me wrong, but did she need to sexually harass the protagonist or...? Also, how could I forget about the time where she almost forced Komari to pee herself in front of her!

Bro, if I were to know this was an omorashi hentai wannabe I wouldn't have given it a chance.

Anyways, if you're into any of the things I've mentioned previously, then enjoy yourself. This anime's definitely not for me.

Kamierabi

Action, Drama, Psychological, Supernatural // ☆½

A group of high schoolers see themselves forced to fight each other to death for the coveted title of God. Who will emerge victorious and claim their godly throne?

You have no right to ask that in the summary when you spoil the results in the first minutes of the first episode.

Let's be honest, if anyone is talking about this series is because Yoko Taro's name served as free promo. But did you know he's credited, not for the story, but for the concept of it? Big yikes, huh?

If you are a three-episode-rule kind of person, I assure you won't be needing that for this anime. One episode is enough torture, trust me.

The first minute is there to make sure you understand this story is different, is mature. There are no friendships, no love interests, only tons of suffering and betrayals. You know, what people back in 2011 probably went for when Mirai Nikki first aired.

Characters are not only boring as hell, but their designs are nothing to die for, heavely based on their assigned colors because you'll be forgetting their names the minute after they get introduced.

Fun fact: If you pay enough attention, you'll be able to see their phone cases' designs. Not only they look ugly, but they also spoil their so secretive abilities!

Speaking of character design, did you know the one in charge of it didn't even bother to create background character's templates? They all look like gray extraterrestrial things trying to pass as human beings, their never changing facial expressions being the cherry on top. This might be one edgy way of showing they don't matter to the main story, but it just feels super lazy. Also, this... artistic choice is just another spoiler, since everyone who has some sort of relevance has an established design. But oh well.

Fun fact: Every single one of these NPCs are gray, expect for a couple of them in episode six who are red and blue. One of them is the bad guy, can you guess who?

In summary, this show is utter trash. Wouldn't recommend unless you're as messed up as I am and like to watch crappy productions.

Kamonohashi Ron no Kindan Suiri

Drama, Mystery // ☆☆☆¾

When police office Totomaru is assigned to a serial killer case, he turns to Kamonohashi Ron for help—a once considered genius who, after a fatal mistake, got himself expelled from the top detective training academy and was forbidden to become one.

This is your classic detective show with the more normal character having to learn how to deal with the more eccentric one who's always really good at deducing. And I love it.

Yeah, it might be a copycat of other series with the same dynamics (like many other mystery anime), but they're all still dear to my heart. I just love them, man!

Every case they've introduced until now have been interesting and fun. It's been entertainting trying to think by myself what happened, who might be the culprit, how did they do it and why. As always, it's especially cool when you get close enough or, even better, when you were in the right. Serotonin kicks like those are always appreciated.

The dynamic between the protagonists is also really fun, Ron's shenanigans never getting old. Totomaru might not be having the time of his life, but I sure am!

If you're a fan of these kind of shows, then I totally recommend! If you're tired of the same scheme over and over again, maybe not so much. Would be nice if you'd give it a try, though!

Kanojo mo Kanojo Season 2

Comedy, Ecchi, Romance, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆¼

After their hot springs trip, Naoya continues his relationships with both Saki and Nagisa. Alongside Milika and Shino, they embark on a summer vacation full of romance with a fireworks festival, camping, and Okinawa. Chaos ensured.

There are not many series that touch upon polyamory which saddens me to a fault. The closest to this concept would be harem series, but a polyamorous relationship should never be a competition to see which whom does your "shared partner" choose to spend the rest of their life with.

While KanoKano isn't the best representation of this type of relationships (Saki often feeling like she's competing against Nagisa), it's not a bad series? Or, at least, not that bad. Rather decent, actually.

It's not boring, although it isn't the most entertaining series either. If I had to decide between KanoKano and any other series that touches upon polyamory (even if they do it with the tip of a stick, miles apart of the concept), I would probably go for Hamefura's canonical (albeit not in the way I would like it to be) Katarina fan club.

I just feel something's... wrong, you know. I get Naoya loves them both and that, in theory, both of them understand that, but I can't help feeling uncomfortable when Saki mentions this supposed competition the girls have (and the way they treat polyamory as "two timing" when that would imply it wasn't consensual?).

Besides that, it's a decent series to watch whenever you're bored. Not a masterpiece, but is not like it's trying to be one.

UPDATE: Rating has been lowered to ☆ as of 11/10/23. Visit the reblog section for more.

Kimi no Koto ga Dai Dai Dai Dai Daisuki na 100-nin no Kanojo

Comedy, Romance // ☆☆☆☆

Rentarou has been rejected a total of 100 times throught his entire life. Is when he visits a shrine and prays for better luck when he meets the God of Love. He reveals to Rentarou that he'll get to date 100 women in the foreseeable future. The catch is, once he meets them they must happily love each other. Otherwise, they'll die. What will be of Rentarou and his 100 girlfriends during high school?

He has arrived. The man, the legend. The harem protagonist of all harem protagonists.

Rentarou Aijou has arrived, and he's here to make you and your wife part of his loveable and excessively numerous family.

As I mentioned when talking about KanoKano, I've been looking for series that touch upon polyamory. And if you're like me, then you've just hit the jackpot!

While I'm conscious 100Kano is a parody of harem series and was never meant to be taken seriously, the way none of these girls are competing for the protagonist's exclusive love is refreshing. They're actually a pretty big family, always supportive of each other and down to give each other a hand or two (or twenty, if needed). They'll do anything they can to make their boyfriend the happiest man alive, and so will he with them.

There're no favoritisms whatsoever. Such concept as "the first one to arrive gets to win" does not exist in his agenda. In Rentarou (and every single one of his girlfriends)'s mind, everyone wins because everyone is his favorite.

An excellent series to watch by yourself or with your pals in case you're looking for something silly and easy to digest.

Kusuriya no Hitorigoto

Drama, Mystery // ☆☆☆☆¼

CW: infant death, classism, self-harm, kidnapping

Maomao lived a peaceful life with her apothecary father. Until one day, she’s sold as a lowly servant to the emperor’s palace. When rumours about imperial heirs falling ill surfaces, she puts her knowledge in medicinal herbs and poison to good use and finds a cure. It's then when she catches the eye of Jinshi, a handsome palace official who promotes her. The series follows Maomao as she solves numerous mysteries.

I can't explain just how excited I was for this one. As I said before, I love mysteries, but I also really like historical series. So when you mix both genres, you get characters who try to solve various cases with only the means they had yesterday.

Besides the art being drop dead gorgeous (alongside every single lady who makes an appearance in the story), the story is engaging and so much fun. The episodes are already a bit shorter than usual (albeit not for much, it's just me being petty), but the way everything develops makes it feel like they last no more than five minutes.

And Maomao—God Maomao! She's one of the best female main characters I've seen as of recently. She's not lacking personality—she actually has way too much, and I love that. She's so clever and capable at what she does, I bet it'd be so much fun to just stare at her as she picks different herbs or just stays still for hours, trapped in her thoughts.

I'm a sucker for good relationship dynamics and the one between Maomao and Jinshi is just *chef's kiss* exquisit. The way he's constantly trying to seduce her and she just stares at him in apathy or disgust (bonus for when she brushes off the places where he'd placed his hand on) are golden. I also love how what started as teasing and doubt about the other's true intentions morphs into genuine interest and maybe, just maybe, a tiny itty crush.

A pretty strong contestant for anime of the year, in my opinion.

Megumi no Daigo: Kyuukoku no Orange

Action, Drama // ☆☆☆½

The series follows three young firefighters who share the same goal—becoming members of the special rescue corps known as "Orange". We'll follow them from their early training days to the day they face the crisis that'll push Japan at the brink of collapsing.

I don't know about you, but I've never seen a series focused on firefighters. Yes, I know about Promare and Fire Force, but those aren't "real" firefighters, if you know what I mean.

Where's their daily life at the station, their training—just everything that comes with being one of them? I don't want flashy fight scenes against angsty twinks, I want to see people getting rescued from collapsed buildings and cats getting saved from trees.

Along with interesting characters and tense situations, all these making it difficult for you to not empatize with, Megumi no Daigo is here to bring us a peek on how the real deal is—with both the good, the bad and the ugly.

This anime is confirmed to be the prequel to a movie released in the 90's, so there's even more content in case you're interested!

Migi to Dali

Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆

Twin brothers Migi and Dali pretend to be the Sonoyama's adoptive son, Hitori, in order to find out the truth behind their mother's death.

CW: (prepare your bingo cards) *inhales* forced non-sexual infantilization, forced partial nudity, forced non-sexual pet play, bullying, implied murder, classism, forced eating, non-sexual groping, surveillance, invasion of privacy, kidnapping and imprisonment. ~95% of these happen to a minor, so yeah.

While the main focus of the first two episodes was the comedy (it's still present in the rest of the series, just not as much), I didn't find it especially hilarious? It does give off Sakamoto vibes at times, but it never makes me laugh as much as the author's previous work did.

The mystery is still there, thought, and that's what keeps me coming back. The suspense surronding the twins' mother's passing is engaging, you genuinely want to find out what happened there and how the place where they've moved and its habitants are involved in the case.

Now, as I mentioned before this anime is disturbing and thus can be highly triggering for some. So please beware before giving it a chance.

Overtake!

Drama, Sports // ☆☆☆¾

Kouya is a professional photographer who, due to past circumstances, gave up his passion for taking pictures of people. But his fate changes the day he meets Komaki Motors, a family-run shop that regularly competes in F4 along with their only racer, Haruka.

CW: implied death (car accident)

Sports anime of the season, let's go! This time, about car racing. Never watched an anime like this one before, although I know Initial D is out there. I just haven't watched it... yet.

To be honest, I didn't expect to connect with the characters to this level. I got hooked to the story from day one and has been like that ever since.

The story is fun, the races will have you at the edge of your seat while cheering for your favorite team.

Because yes, I think the rival team can also be cheered on! Maybe their main face might not be the bestest guy, but Toshiki does deserve everything in this world and so much more.

And when it comes to the drama, it never comes out as over the top. Every single reason for them thinking, responding or acting the way they do makes total sense given their past ciscumstances.

Speaking of the characters, everyone here has enough personality to be separated from the rest: Haruka's overachieving and at times harsh demeanor makes a good contrast with Koutaro's more calm and playful behavior. And while Satsuki's charismatic, conceited and women-loving persona might be a pain for many, Toshiki serves as a good companion with his serious and ambitions being. And I could mention the adults, but I think you catch my vibe.

I so recommend this one!

Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou desu Season 2

Fantasy, Romance, Slice of Life // ☆☆☆½

We follow Sei, an office worker in her twenties who was suddenly summoned to another world as a "Saint". Taking advantage of her natural love of plants, she started working at a medicinal plant research institute. We also get to meet Albert Hawke, with whom she's more than friends but less than lovers.

Season two arrived and I have yet to rewatch the first one, although I think it might be a little too late for that.

Don't go into it expecting a wonderful series because it is not (or, at least, it isn't for me). It's a pretty neat feel good series, but definitely nothing out of the ordinary. Just nice people living their lives.

Sei and Albert's relationship is as wholesome as always, I appreciate them taking their time and not rushing into making things official. It feels, I don't know... adult.

There's literally not much I can say about this one other than I would recommend for those who are looking for a nice and relaxing shoujo.

Shangri-La Frontier

Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi // ☆☆☆¾

Rakuro is a "crap-game hunter"—a strong aficionado to clearing buggy and just straight up bad titles that aren't even compatible with the now more frequently used VR technology. The game he's chosen to tackle next is the widely aclaimed "Shangri-La Frontier" that counts with thirty million players and counting. Little did he know this decision would change his fate alongside with many other players he meets along the way!

I can barely count the times I had this much fun while watching a series, and I can count even less the occasions where a gaming-inspired anime made me feel this great!

I've found myself dumbfounded so many times at just how detailed Shangri-La Frontier is. It's obvious there was research behind it, the author's a straight up legend for dedicating so much time and passion to something others would've easily disregarded as another basic, boring ass medieval-inspired MMORPG.

The level of character customization (you can even modify their origins like ‼), the many monsters you find along the way, and tons of easter eggs that players have yet to find in their entirety! It's my first time saying this when it comes to gaming-centered anime, but holy hell I wished this game existed IRL!

And honestly, I identify with Rakuro a bit too much when it comes to enjoying crap. In his case, are bad games. In mine, bad anime. I would love to have a chat with him and share our experiences and disgraces that come with this harsh hobby.

SHY

Action, Drama // ☆☆☆½

When we needed them the most, they appeared! As we were on the brink of World War Three, individuals with superpowers appeared all around the planet with the only mission to mantain peace. They would eventually become symbols of their nations, their presence being enough to lower the crime rates. Teru, most known as Shy, is Japan's heroine. When a mysterious and menacing association called Amalareiks surfaces, Shy must join forces with her fellow superheroes to stop their plans, all while dealing with her shyness and, overall, her teenage life.

CW: violence, death, self hatred, intrusive thoughts

Would it be cool to call it the more mature version of Boku no Hero Academia?

I had the manga for this series on my pending list for a while and when I saw an anime adaptation was coming out, not gonna lie, I got quite excited.

Now, I have to admit it's not one of my favorite series this season. It might be the pacing that sometimes gives me the feeling the episodes are, although just a little bit, longer than they actually are.

I love the concept and how it's executed, I really like the characters and the setting in which they're established. The drama they all have feels realistic and you can easily empathise with them. In my case, Teru's constant conflict with herself hit a little bit too close to home.

I would recommend it to those who're looking for a more mature series while also wanting to watch shounen-esque scenarios.

Sousou no Frieren

Adventure, Drama, Fantasy // ☆☆☆☆½

The adventure's over. The Demon King has successfully been defeated and thus Frieren and her fellow adventurers make their way back home. Now a highly regarded mage, she goes back to her slow-paced life only to realize years later, while attending Himmel's funeral, how short human's life expectancy is when compared with her own near inmortality. Frieren then makes the decision to begin a new adventure in the search of new absurd spells and friends alongside whom she expects to understand what life means to them and just how impactful can be what she perceives as nothing more than an instant.

CW: death, grief, mild violence

Oh Lord, this one's painful. I've no idea how they managed to do it, but they got me attached to the hero's party so quickly and so deeply this crap had already scarred me on episode one.

This story's gorgeous, I don't think I have to explain myself on that. Besides the more than stunning art, animation and music that acompannies us during the entirety of Frieren's self-discovery adventure, the slow pace and quiet moments are quite the delight.

The characters we meet along the way are also fantastic, written with such love, thought and care behind you'll fall for them in no time.

I truly don't want to talk much about it since I think this is an experience that one must live for themselves, but trust me when I tell you this is something you'll never forget.

SPY×FAMILY Season 2

Action, Comedy, Slice of Life, Supernatural // ☆☆☆☆

The same as season one, only that now the family's heading on a cruise ship expedition!

I don't think there's much I can say about this one? The second season's been giving the same vibes I got from the first one, so a wholesome, found family-centered comedic slice of life about three persons who don't know each other at all and do their best so that situation never changes.

Anya keeps on being the chaotic menace she has been from day one, Yor is still one of the best mothers ever alongside a woman I would never dare look for a fight against, and Loid keeps on repeating his more than iconic mantra as he unsuspectingly falls asleep while dreaming about certain woman surrounded by a zillion flowers.

But, you know, anything for the mission.

When it comes to the upcoming arc, I'm excited for seeing Yor at work! Been dying to get anything like this, and I'm so glad my prayers have been heard.

Undead Unluck

Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi, Supernatural // ☆☆☆¾

All Fuuko wants is a passionate romance like the one in her favorite shoujo manga. Sadly, her Unluck ability deems this dream impossible. But that anguish will have to wait because Andy, someone with the Undead ability, takes her as his test subject to see if, thanks to her misfortune, he can finally rest in peace. It seems peace has never been an option, though, because certain secret organization has begun chasing after them.

CW: not-quite-concenting groping

If I took my sweet time to start watching this series was mainly because, for some hell of a reason, it gave me big Mashle vibes. Don't ask, I just thought the comedy would be similar. And since my humble opinion on Harry Potter 2.0 is that it has its humour stuck up its ass, you might understand I gave an olympic jump over Undead Unluck.

But then I decided to give it a chance and man, Mashle would never!

Not the funniest series I've watched, but I appreciate the multiple laughs it gave me.

Now, what I do not appreciate are the various groping scenes. If Fuuko were to consent all of those, then cool. Who am I to judge whatever two consenting adults (Fuuko's 20+, right?) do with their lives and bodies? The thing is, not every groping is consented by her, especially at the beggining. So yeah, beware of that.

Putting that aside, the characters are pretty cool and so much fun to see fighting or just interacting with each other. The ability system the series has is rather interesting, would love to learn more about it.

Watashi no Oshi wa Akuyaku Reijou

Comedy, Fantasy, Romance // ☆☆☆½

We've heard this story before: girl reincarnates into her favorite otome game and, since she knows her way down every route, she gets to win over her favorite bachelor. Only that, this time, it might not be as predictable. After all, who knows what's truly inside Rae Taylor's mind? Claire François for sure doesn't, especially now that she's going after her—the game's villainess!

CW: discussions of homophobia, classism, rae can be creepy at times

In the words of @arataka-reigen, “This anime is like if Maria from Hamefura was the one who got isekai'd and then fell in love with OG Katarina”. Couldn't say it better, pal.

While this series is not one of my favorites this season, the characters not going right down my alley and the pacing not being the best, I truly appreciate the cafeteria scene. I've never seen such a discussion over diverse sexualities adn homophobia in an anime before, and I can only clap to that.

And not only that, but it seems like it's going down a rather... interesting path. I mean, the whole classism that's present during the series, the "commoner" students' complains, the game's title being "Revolution"... I smell something nice.

Yuzuki-san Chi no Yon Kyoudai

Comedy, Drama, Slice of life // ☆☆☆¾

From the day the Yuzuki brothers lost both their parents, Hayato never stopped taking care of his little siblings, making sure all their needs are met and nothing's lacking. They share tears, laughter, and a specially unbreakeable bond.

I've no idea what might be the reason, but all these stories about family (whether related by blood or not being quite irrelevant) alongside the others where they include and/or center around pets are my weakness.

The four brothers feel like actual humans beings, their dramatic and joyful moments in life will definitely take you for a ride althought, admitely, it might not be the most intense one.

Hayato would do literally anything for his family and, honestly, same. Both Mikoto, Minato, and Gakuto are downright adorable and would love to pinch every single one of those cheeks like there's no tomorrow.

If a cutsie family-center slice of life it's what you're looking for, look no further. But if what you want is a drama in general, then I would recommend Frieren first.

If you reached the end, thank you so much for reading! I literally stayed up til 2 AM to finish writing this (and I didn't even include the titles I dropped), so yeah. Highly appreciate!

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gunsatthaphan · 1 year

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🎆 🥂 𝐻𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓎 𝒩𝑒𝓌 𝒴𝑒𝒶𝓇!!! 🥂🎆

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

honorable mentions go out to these lovely people 💫

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

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

xxx

#Happy New Year #2022 recap #bl dramas #thai bl #personal #💜💜💜#much love

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blackfemmecharacterdependency · 2 years

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The Casual Killing of Black Female Characters on Camera

This is a rant of sorts. An outcry, if you will, about the number of times that TV will find entertainment in the onscreen deaths of Black female characters, whether or not it makes sense.

And even at times when it does narratively, the fact that we have to see it, and the fact that she could be recurring, even a main character does not strike confidence within any Black female viewer who might want to use television as an escape from Black femicide and misogynoir.

It is literally inescapable.

Sometimes, you could say, "Well, its the nature of that show, to show us death onscreen. Seeing a Black female character die shouldn't effect you any more than any of the deaths in this fandom..." but... how many Black women were even there? How much representation was provided for them? Even in a show filled with them, seeing another Black woman killed, especially if done so brutally, can be hurtful to witness.

This is magnified when she was the only one present in the work, one of very few in the work, or in a series where there was not very satisfactory representation in the first place. And this is the truth for most fandoms, even your faves, even ones that get heralded as progressive or praised for having diversity.

So, whether or not the genre or the content had death and murder regularly, if there wasn’t enough Black female representation to pad the death of the Black female character, I’ma be offended and upset and often times traumatized by the shit. Let me make you a list of the ones that especially hurt me:

Dualla.

Anastasia Dualla, aka Dee, was the most prominent Black female character of Battlestar Galactica. She was a side character, having her only big storylines being a love interest, the wife of a cheater who was in love with somebody else, from an area that faced racism, never finding her family after the attacks, divorce... do you get the gist? Dee had about 3 times that we were allowed to see her happy. I know, times were tough for everybody, so I shouldn’t expect “special treatment” for Dee. God forbid that she be given any storyline that gave her actual joy sometimes.

But. She killed herself, on my screen, in my face, without any apparent provocation. As a suicidal person, I know that it can just hit you. I know that things can seem fine whenever it takes place. As a Black viewer who had been watching this show for years and happy to see one of Dee’s seldom smiles only moments before, it was crushing. The biggest problem is that it didn’t need to happen for the narrative and was unnecessarily hurtful, and for what? All these years later, what was the point of making us watch Dee kill herself? It didn’t advance the story, and it took away the only Black female character in the series before the ending. (The only others being a delegate that I don’t even remember really, played by Judith Maxie, and Elosha, played by Lorena Gale, who ALSO died on screen and was only used to further a white woman’s plot. - Something that I was willing to get over at the time, even though it was messed up, I was willing to get over it, because at least we had a regular and she was okay).

Until she wasn’t. And to this day (it’s been since 2009), and TO THIS DAY, whenever I have to endure another Black regular or main character die, I get thrown back into that scene, that hurt, that senselessness that the Battlestar Galactica writers inflicted on us for no good reason, over a decade ago.

So, whenever I saw the actress, Kandyse McClure a few years later on Hemlock Grove, I was glad to see that she appeared to be a main character and while I wasn’t really interested in much else about the show (the premise was okay, but it didn’t look like a great production from a glance), I decided that I’d put it on my watchlist to see Kandyse working again...

Clementine.

Dr. Clementine Chasseur was the only Black woman that I recall from Hemlock Grove, a show that was not good at all, and I only was watching for her, to be honest. This show took the one Black woman they had, had her skinned and flayed, then left in misery until another character came along and suffocated her to her death. It was horrifying. The show wasn’t even good. I wasted my time and got mentally and visually assaulted with one of the most ugly acts of violence I’ve seen in a show. I have a mental image of something genuinely disturbing from a show that I hated. Fuck Hemlock Grove. I wish it could get canceled twice.

Donna.

Donna was a mermaid and the sister of the main mermaid character in the series, Siren on Freeform. From the first moment we see Donna to her last breath, she was fucked over. They captured her, kidnapped her, enslaved her, researched her, and when she escaped and sought vengeance, she was murdered. So many other decisions could have been made. Later on, they brought in her lightskint daughter as a character, seeking vengeance for her mother... But. What happened to Donna was heartbreaking, through and through. Nobody else on that show went through worse in the time that I was watching it.

I never finished, because it went down the drain after a while, but whenever I WAS watching it, I had to see one of the only two dark skinned women on the show have the most miserable experience on land, and then get shot and killed. (The other dark skinned woman was an unstable drug addict who abandoned her family). Sidenote: Whenever you find a show and the Black women are written with garbage skills, divest. Because it is almost a guarantee that the fandom will be racist pieces of shit, something that we learned early in the Siren existence. They literally harassed the main Black female actress (not the one who played Donna, but Maddie, the one who was in a relationship with the main characters) so much that she fled social media during the show’s run.

*Try not to get attached to shows and characters with poor writing for their Black female characters. They will be unsafe places eventually.*

Tara.

Tara Thornton was a True Blood regular for 6 full seasons. Not the only Black woman in the show, but the one with the most writing. She unfortunately was under the influence of a popular trope of being the best friend to a white magical girl and having to bear the brunt of a bunch of bad shit because of it. (Like Bonnie Bennett but without magic)

At first, it was indirect. Having to see shit go down and be exposed to danger because of her best friend’s proximity to vampires and shit. Then, it was direct. Being targeted because of her proximity to vampires and shit.

She’s been kidnapped, taken as a hostage and sex slave, and even killed, yes, shot down dead because of a friendship with someone who wasn’t any good for her.

Then, she was turned into a vampire, at her friend’s request. She didn’t want to be a vampire or ask to be a vampire, but her selfish ass friend, who she died for had her turned into one because SHE didn’t want to lose her...

And after all that, they turned Tara into a pile of vampire goo at the opening of the last season, and added insult to injury, insult to memory, by having her spirit take a journey to make amends with the people who abused her in her childhood. It was the most disrespectful send off for one of the most disrespected characters that I had ever seen in my life. I wish I would have followed my first mind and not even tried to watch the final season, because I had been stopped watching it by the time that it aired, and I think I found out that Tara died, so I wasn’t that interested anyways. But then to actually see their final decision? Insulting. Revolting. Among the worst pieces of television of my life.

I say all of this to get to my most recent reason to rant...

Anacostia.

She deserved better. First of all, the fact that they continued the Salem Accords instead of freeing witches from the bondage of the military, especially after how easy it had been for human terrorists to overthrow it and gain control from the inside. They should have done away with the obligation.

Then. They should have either killed off someone else or brought Anacostia back to life or let us see her peacefully on the other side. War took another good witch, and the rest of us had to not only see it, but BARELY had the chance to process it, and DIDN'T get any real closure. The way that we had to see the decoy of a dead Kelly Wade, the murdered, dismembered body of Charvel Bellweather at her own wedding, and the Sacrificial Negro Trope in action with Anacostia's death scene, they could have at least given her a last image of light and love.

The least, the VERY LEAST that they could have done for us was to let her be seated next to Alder as the Mother gives our girls their final words, and to grant us the image of her moving on peacefully. The last time we get to see this beautiful soul is crushed, pinned against something as her love has to walk away from her dead body.

Her mother, her daughters, didn't get to properly send her off. They cried and kept fighting and I GET that that's war. But, why so much for these types of things does one of the few Black women have to be offered up. Even in a show like this, with diversity and representation?

Easily one of the worse finales of my life, and it could have been salvaged by just not doing this one grossly disrespectful thing to a brilliant and beautiful character. Fuck Motherland: Fort Salem's ending. Suck dicks in hell for doing that to Anacostia Quartermain.

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Other onscreen unnecessary/pointless Black women’s deaths:

Jordan Gladwell on iZombie. She was the only Black girl and she died for no good reason. It sort of promoted a white man’s story, but... not to the point where it was justified. (That show did miserably with Black women).

Abbie Mills (I didn’t see it, but I heard from the fans that were still there when it happened and WOOO, they was PISSED!) I had stopped watching the show by then.

Goddamn near EVERY Black woman that appeared in The Vampire Diaries. And from what I am told (I stopped watching that mess too) the one that lived was the person who had to save everybody else. BUT, whenever I WAS watching it, she actually DID die (and came back later), so I will include Bonnie Bennett in all the Black women TVD killed in front of our faces.

Which reminds me Amanda Fisher of Ash VS Evil Dead. I am reminded, because that show, too, killed every last Black woman in the characters.

The Fairy Godmother on OUAT, The Faerie Elder on True Blood, that fairy on Shadowhunters (Lanaia), tbh... Shadowhunters is one of those shows that don’t get the slander it deserved for the antiblackness/misogynoir in the writing while under the shield of a diverse cast, but that’s a whole nother post entirely)

Nikki on Misfits (and Tulip on Preacher - I DO NOT CARE if they brought her back. You made me see this woman get shot and die and the people who saw her return only did so because they weren’t so scarred that they had to cut ties with the show. They knew what the fuck they was doing ending that like that, making us see that)

Breeze Clair Browne’s mom in The Good Doctor

Jean in The Oval. Look. I know that’s a Black show, but that was a terrible death for a good person and it hurt like hell.

Angela in Mortel... and here’s the thing about Mortel... you don’t get a lot of death scenes. You have some death scenes and you have a lot of deaths spoken of, and there are grim portrayals of violence. But it was not lost on me that the dark skinned Black woman died gruesomely. Mortel will really play in your face. Somebody down there is colorist and somebody down there love some whites. That’s a very different conversation, for another rant, if I feel like it some time.

Missandei - I’ma be honest, I ain’t watch that show, so idk how important it was to plot or nothing, but I know that I remember saying, “Whoa, the Black girl on that show lived the whole way through?” and like, the next week or that week, she was getting her damn head lopped off. Shame. They got all the way to the end and swiped her ass outta there. Smh.

Ol’ girl from Charmed... I didn’t watch that either, but the girls was really upset about it... Macy?

Candy from Pose. WHY DID THEY SHOW US HER DEAD BODY? WHAT WAS THE REASON?? WE WERE ALREADY FUCKING SAD ABOUT THE SHIT!!!

POUSSEY. I SHOULDN’T HAVE TO FUCKING EXPLAIN.

Honorable Mentions for Hannah Grose and Rebecca Jessell, Because since so many people died in that story, them dying in bad ways and onscreen were unfair and hurtful, but not outside of the scope of the material. HOWEVER, them being murdered, and then having to STILL somehow be sacrificial negroes for the kids and them... THAT was just extra misogynoir and I ain’t like it. Of the ones that did survive, you didn’t get the two important Black characters. Not even one? And then they both had to give more to protect the others? Y’all gave me Ghost Mammies? FOH.

Not completely pointless, but unnecessary or unfair, to say the least:

Alisha in Misfits. The way that I had to watch this was troubling. Like. Yes, it was that kinda genre, but I didn’t wanna see it. Like... I’m upset every time.

Jaden in Nikita. She was doing right, doing what they were supposed to and after all that animosity they had her throw out, she seemed like she was getting to not be the bitchy Black girl, and they killed her right in front of me. Then they killed Emily Robinson, who was killed specifically to further a white man’s character arc.

Joss Carter could have easily been written out of Person of Interest peacefully if Taraji was moving on to other things. Characters CAN just leave. People do this in real life. Sometimes, they just leave.

Diana Tilton in The Shannara Chronicles... They so unceremoniously killed her off, and it was like... not on screen, if I recall, so you didn’t really know and then if they mentioned it later, it was very casually.

And Because This Also Happens in Cartoons:

THE SUNFIRE QUEEN, KHESSA From The Dragon Prince. That. Was. Horrifying. Hated it.

And a friend said Allura, which reminded me of all the times I saw people mourning Allura, even though I know nothing about that media. I don’t even know the name... Voltron Action Adventurer or whatever.

Edited 2/22/23

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neuroticbookworm · 7 months

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Current Tag Game

Tagged by my dear friends/mutuals/incoherent scream sesh partners @twig-tea (here), @colourme-feral (here), @blmpff (here), @telomeke (here) and @waitmyturtles (here)

Current Time: nearly 5:00 PM

Current activity: Doomscrolling on social media (not recommended), writing this post (highly recommended, please interact on Tumblr, that's what makes this hellsite fun!)

Currently thinking about: Just watched the IFYLITA finale this morning with my bestie @lurkingshan, so my brain is currently ??????-ing all the different iterations of Yai we got to see (I like that Commander Yai looks more self-assured and confident than our widdle-20-something-lost-and-confused-baby Yai, but, DEAR LORD, The Mustache has to go. Just.. nope. Get that man a razor, STAT). Oh, and also, thinking about dinner.

Current favourite song: I recently watched Utsukushii Kare / My Beautiful Man (Season 1) a few days ago and I have the song from the opening credits stuck in my head on repeat: Caramel / カラメル by Mosawo / もさを。(Original MV with English captions)

(I'm also gonna link the Utsukushii Kare Lyric MV from MBS because I want Kiyoi's pretty face on my post)

youtube

I've also been feeling nostalgic lately and listening to some decade-old bangers from my teen years (ah time, thou art a cruel wench)

Patakha Guddi lyrics, translated from Hindi, here

Mogathirai lyrics, translated from Tamil, here

Currently reading: Nothin' but meta posts from the lovely big-brained folks of Tumblrville

Currently watching: Oooooh. I actually wrapped up a lot of live watches and caught up on some incredible shows last week, so lemme do 3 mini-lists:

Recently Watched: Only Friends, Utsukushii Kare / My Beautiful Man, If It's With You / Kimi to Nara Koi wo Shite Mite mo, I Feel You Linger In The Air

Currently Watching: Midnight Diner / Shinya Shokudo, endless reruns of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Community

Next-Up on the Watchlist: I Cannot Reach You / Kimi ni wa Todokanai, Shadow, Dark Blue Kiss, Middleman's Love, Last Twilight, Playboyy, The Whisperer

Current favourite character: Ryuji from If It's With You.

< mild spoilers ahead for If It's With You >

This show did an incredible job portraying two people who have different levels/intensities of desire for one another and I was *floored* when Ryuji responded to Amane's confession in episode 4 with so much care, thoughtfulness and respect for both Amane's desire and his own boundaries. "Please make it one sided for a while" will live in my head rent free for the foreseeable future.

And Amane and Ryuji's conversation at the beach in the finale was another heartfelt and expertly written moment. I deeply adore how Ryuji basically went "I miss you and want to meet you whenever I feel like it, and if that means being a lover, then so be it. Let's date".

So yeah, I'm in love with this highly articulate, fictional, Japanese teenage boy

Current WIP: Ohhhhh man, SO MANY. The most pressing one is a retrospective meta on the Only Friends finale, which I must release into the wild before people move on from the show

Tags: I'm epically late to this one, so I might tag folks who have already done this, so if I do, apologies, friends!

@bengiyo, @italianpersonwithashippersheart, @sunshinechay, @syrena-del-mar, @ranchthoughts, @troubled-mind, @sorry-bonebag, @so-much-yet-to-learn and anyone else who wants to participate. No presh!

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thestorytellersdepartment · 15 days

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Under the Bridge flying under the radar because Hulu just had Shogun is so unfortunate. Not that Shogun doesn’t deserve all the attention and appreciation it’s getting. (It’s literally is the best thing on TV since the earlier seasons of Game of Thrones). However a smaller show with smaller budget is so easy to get sidelined come award season. Especially considering how both of them are limited series and will be competing in the same categories.

But yeah hats off to the performance of every single actor. Even though at times I felt like Roy, Scott, Manjit, and Kelly come off like caricatures, they reign it back in pretty quick. My favorite performances so far have been the portrayals of Suman, Raj, and Warren. Their performances feel so grounded and seasoned. And such great work by the teens who did Jo, Dusty, and Reena too. It’s so refreshing to watch actual kids play kids.

And what can I say about Lily and Riley that hasn’t been said already. I genuinely believe they’re two of our finest actors in the show business right now. The way they light up the screen is so magical to watch. And it doesn’t even feel like the directors have to do anything special when they’re performing. They’re both just really good and steal every scene they’re in. So lucky that we get to witness their greatness together.

I'm gonna be honest here, I haven't watch Shogun yet (it's on my watchlist tho) but I've kept up with the Emmy talk and from what I've gathered, a lot of people have decided that when it comes to limited series, Shogun is the clear winner as best series and RDJ might win for best performance (and I get it the guy just won an Oscar). Many don't think that shows like Under The Bridge and We Were The Lucky Ones (Hulu's most recent limited series) are gonna get nominated, but that Lily Gladstone will get nominated for an Emmy. That's all just speculation, of course. But I can see where they're coming from. It's also kinda funny that the two Hulu shows that are being a little sidelined deal with kinda similar themes but who am I to judge?

Obviously, this is also a kind of "side-effect" from the strikes. The shows could've been released with more space between them (UTB seems like the perfect fall/winter show, doesn't it?) But many productions were stopped or delayed during the strikes and now everyone has a bunch of shows ready to go and an Emmy deadline getting nearer and nearer everyday. Maybe if Hulu wasn't trying to get all their Emmy qualifying shows out before May 31st, the show would have gotten a bigger chance to truly shine. But hey, both the show and Lily already got nominated for a Gotham Award, so there's hope for the Emmys, at least.

I know I've praised the show a lot (and it totally deserves it) but the show is, of course, not perfect. No show ever is. Take the latest episode for example, the character arcs and storyline were great, and the acting was absolutely amazing but there were too many cuts and some of them were kind of awkward and a little... brutal. Some of the acting is a little cringe at times, which might be intentional in the actor's case (it might be with Kelly, she has to come off a certain way, so I don't blame Izzy G for some of her acting choices) or it might be that some of the actors have difficulty saying the lines and acting the way is necessary for their characters. It might be the writing or the directing, while an actor can make or break a scene, so can the writing and directing choices. And some of the lines and angles are a little bit awkward, ngl. But all in all, the show is great and it truly deserves more attention but I know that this kind of show is not everyone's cup of tea and I'm glad it has so far only attracted the people who have a true interest in it.

Lily and Riley are absolutely amazing, both separate and together. I'm slowly turning into their fan, I truly want to see more of their work... but later, of course. Right now they're Cam and Becca for me and I like it that way. I realize that was a long rant and I'm sorry but I truly have a lot of things to say about this show.

#under the bridge #give lily gladstone an emmy 2024 #utb ask

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theanimeview · 3 months

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[Recommended Watch] The Apothecary Diaries

Source: Crunchyroll/Toho Animation Studio x OLM, The Apothecary Diaries

By: Katherine Cañeba | @kcserinlee

We are well into the winter anime season, and a certain show called The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) should be on your watchlist if it isn’t already. I saw the poster for it on my Crunchyroll homepage back in January, and I recalled seeing the trailer being unveiled at Anime Expo 2023. It left a lasting impression on me with its gorgeous animation, historical setting in Imperial China, and the concept of exploring herbal medicines and poisons from that time period. However, since the trailer release, I had seen and heard virtually nothing about it. I admit that I can be quite the contrary to the popular trends, so I was driven to see what was becoming of The Apothecary Diaries, despite Frieren and Solo Leveling dominating the anime discourse these days. So, I clicked on the advertisement and started watching. The rest is history. Now, I come to you today to spread the word about this show so you, too, can enjoy this gem hidden in plain sight (and help ensure a Season 2 gets made!).

The story is set in a fictional universe inspired by Ming Dynasty-era China (1368-1644 in the real world), and all the beauty and ugliness of life in that society. 17-year-old Maomao simply wants to live a quiet life with her apothecary father and her “big sisters” (high-level courtesans) in the nearby brothel. However, Maomao is unfortunately (and/or fortunately) kidnapped and sold into the Rear Palace, the garden of the Emperor’s concubines. She starts at the bottom as a servant girl and soon reveals her knowledge of medicines and poisons to save the Emperor’s newborn heirs from a mysterious illness.

From then on, she is swept up in solving the medical mysteries befalling those who live and work in the Imperial Court, while working her new day job as a poison taster for a high-ranking concubine. All this while rejecting and evading the increasing infatuation and sometimes creepy, sometimes endearingly, childish advances of Jinshi, the Rear Palace manager who is also the most beautiful eunuch around.

Fans of medical dramas, detective/mystery dramas, historical dramas, and comedic innuendos will find lots to love about this show. It has a well written development and a lot of really interesting, accurate tidbits. There is even a “Pharmacist Reacts” YouTube series on The Apothecary Diaries by DefinitivelyZach that is particularly educational and just as entertaining! The animation quality, voice acting, and soundtrack are all top-notch too.

Maomao may be smart enough to solve every puzzle thus far, but she is too well-characterized to be a Mary Sue. Lest you be wary of a toxic reverse-harem situation here, with Maomao potentially collecting suitors left and right and treating them all like dirt, the romance aspect is not the immediate main focus of the story (although there is clearly a slow-burn romance between Maomao and Jinshi that has grown on me the more Jinshi matures).

On par with recent trends for female characters in anime, we see a highly intelligent woman like Maomao earn the respect of everyone she meets through her tact and problem-solving skills, despite her commoner status. She also remains hilariously aloof to Jinshi’s advances when he puts on insincere, seductive airs.

As a girl who grew up on the doorstep of a brothel, Maomao has seen many women be lied to and downright betrayed by men. If Jinshi can be more consistently honest with his feelings around Maomao, and grow out of his childishness, he might just stand a chance with her!

Once I got used to Jinshi being cringe-worthy levels of creepy and accepted his weirdness as innocent immaturity (because at least he never has harmful intentions, despite his questionable methods of flirting), I quickly fell in love with The Apothecary Diaries and I’m confident that you will, too!

Season 1 Second Cour of The Apothecary Diaries is currently streaming on Crunchyroll. Cours 1 and 2 are 12 episodes each for a total of 24 episodes in Season 1.

–

If you enjoyed this post, please consider buying us a coffee, leaving a comment, and/or subscribing to us!

Copyedited by: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting

#ANIME #APOTHECARY DIARIES #RECOMMENDED WATCH #REVIEW #THE APOTHECARY DIARIES

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havockingboo · 11 months

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Grrrhrhrr I love ur art so much I wanna put it under my pillow

Also what's monkey wrench? 👁

WEEE THANK YOU BONES

And oh?

Well well well i’m SOOOO GLAD YOU ASKED my dear friend.

Monkey Wrench is an indie animation cartoon created by Zeurel, an amazing animator that came from newgrounds and is known mainly for his vinesauce animation!! Monkey Wrench story focuses on a team of two mercenaries: ‘Beebs’ and Shrike Sánchez! The series followings them on their many merc adventures in *space*!

YES this wonderful little cartoon is a sci-fi adventure FILLED WITH ACTION PACKED SEQUENCED AND INCREDIBLE ANIMATION it’s humorous!! It’s got witty and dumb humor that makes me laugh!

Not convinced enough yet? Did you know there’s gonna be a whole lotta LORE to be seen? Little hints and puzzle pieces in dialogue and scenes that says “oh? well isn’t That interesting hmm??” So far there’s only 2 episodes up on the main youtube channel but ITS SO SO GOOD!! It’s Zeurel’s and NeatoTito (the lovely co-creator and writer of the series✨) first series that they’ve just put out into the world!! They’re learning along the way of how to make each episode better than the last and MAAAN me being the animation fan i am, I just love seeing this series just being made!! In real time!!

But whew ahah yeah!! It’s a show worth watching!

If you love space hi-jinks, charming and lovable characters, ANIMATION, unique character designs, Action!! And a story driven show—then this little web series should be on your watchlist!

youtube

And heeeey if you got a few bucks to spare toooo, this show ain’t easy to make! Like anything else, it costs a whole lotta moola!! Money!! There’s a link in the description of the video to the Monkey Wrench patreon and let me tell you as a patreon myself there—it’s worth every penny man.

If you want to support a small indie animation like this one, or just wanna see more of this show like behind the scenes! heck! even get your name in the credits, go on and throw a buck! They need all the support they can get! (This of course if you’re able to!! Support the show any means as you can!! By spreading the word or just watching it over and over haha!)

Soooo in short!!

Watch Monkey Watch 🔧

(I need more episodes guys PLEASE)

#I am so sorry for infodumping about my interests #it WILL happen again 😔#i’m just so! very passionate about cartoons and animation in general urgh #ISKFLSFJFN BUT YEAH THIS DHOW #THIS FUNKY SPACE SHOW #is amazing #my review: it saved me from major art block!#and now i draw these silly guys EVERY DAY!! whew!!#monkey wrench talk #answered asks

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lucky-bishop · 5 months

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Thanks for the tag, @starcrossedlesbians!!

Last movie: Finally in the process of watching the D&D movie! Very fun so far

Last show: Also finally finished Only Murders in the Building

Last song: The Mighty Fall by FOB

Song stuck in my head: Still Here, the new LoL cinematic song for season 2024

Favorite color: Baby pink!

Currently reading: I haven't started it yet because I've been busy, but it's going to the The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.

Currently watching: Picking back up on my Buffy/Angel rewatch

Next on your to watchlist: There are so many things I've said I would watch. I honestly couldn't tell ya.

Currently consuming: Just my morning water!

Currently craving: Sleep and melted cheese (this is a constant).

Sweet/spicy/savory: Sweet! I have a really bad sweet tooth.

Relationship status: Single

Current obsession: Peter Hale's inner voice, desires, and machinations

3 favorite foods: Sushi (I just had the best tempura roll I've ever had this weekend, while I usually prefer raw rolls), Mushrooms (in things, alone, whatever, I just love them), Breakfast Foods (yes I know this is cheating but no I don't care)

Last thing you googled: The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet because I couldn't remember the author to answer the question up above

Dream trip: I don't really have a "dream" trip but I'm excited about doing an upcoming road trip on the east coast! I'm also a big fan of national parks and I'd especially love to see Arches someday.

Anything I want right now: To not be working. Also an iced chai latte.

Tagging (no pressure!): @exequien, @geekmom13, @dear-massacre, @teenwerewoofs, @like-lazarus, @lavender-lotion, @thotpuppy

#ask #tag game #about me

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javierpenaispunk · 3 months

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Tagged by @sigelfire. thank you 💜

Last song: Shake It Out - Florence + The Machine

Favorite Color: Blue

Last movie/show: I've watched Home for Rent last night which is a Thai horror movie, and I'm currently watching True Detective season 4

Next on my watchlist: Andor

Last book: I don't remember the last one I read but I just ordered a copy of "Manhunters: How We Took Down Pablo Escobar” by Steve Murphy and Javier Peña

Last game: I don't really play games, only Merge Mansion on my phone. And to be clear, I was playing before Pedro told us to 😂

Sweet/savory/spicy: Spicy

Relationship status: Single.

Last thing I searched online: How to spell a word in English

Current obsession: That talented and sweet Chilean actor

Greatest flaw: The feeling of never been good enough

Fic I'm currently reading: I have so many fics in my tbr list (I haven't been a very good reader lately) and I don't really know where to start but i'm thinking "Visiting" by @ladamedusoif is the next series I'm gonna read.

Np tags: If you want to do this, consider yourself tagged <3

#tag game #about me

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linghxr · 1 year

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What I’m watching (cdrama edition)

I don’t really talk about cdramas on this blog except for this one ask I responded to over 1 1/2 years ago. I’ve been branching out and watching more Chinese-language shows lately, so I thought I’d share what I’ve been watching.

Already watched:

《想见你》 Someday or One Day Unless I’m forgetting something, this was the first Chinese-language show I ever finished (I previously started but abandoned a few others). It’s a love story but also a mystery and kind of a time travel story, so it really has something for everyone. I am not a romance fan, but I ended up crying over the relationship. I was somewhat disappointed by the movie version, which only made me think more highly of the show honestly.

《开端》 Reset I couldn’t watch this show late at night because it really got my adrenaline pumping, and I just couldn’t turn it off! If you want a show that that will have you on the edge of your seat but also has a more human side, then definitely check this out. The characters were very memorable, and the show was the perfect length in my opinion. I think this show deserved all the hype it got.

《流星花园》（2018） Meteor Garden (2018) I decided to check this out because I’ve seen a lot of reference to Meteor Garden over the years. I chose the 2018 version because I could not bring myself to look at 2001 hairstyles. This show starts out as kind of an enemies-to-lovers story but then shifts to just a romance story. My interest waned a bit by the second half—I think they should have kept it under 40 episodes. I also didn’t really care for the subplots involving the secondary characters.

《摇滚狂花》 Rock it, Mom This was a very short drama and a quick watch. It’s about a has-been rock singer reuniting with her estranged daughter. At first, it felt fresh and interesting, but it got old fast. I felt like the characters didn’t have much growth or development. I also found the ending to be unsatisfying.

Currently watching:

《消失的孩子》 The Disappearing Child I've been watching this show gradually with my friends, and we’re almost done! We’re all really enjoying it. As the name suggests, there is a child who disappears, but there’s also two other storylines involved. We were going crazy trying to guess how the three would connect. Now that the plotlines are starting to converge, the payoff is insane. This show will hook you instantly but also keep you on your toes.

《猎罪图鉴》 Under the Skin I am about 1/3 through this show, which I’m watching...with my dad! It follows an artist working as a police sketch artist and a police detective, both of who are haunted by a past murder that connects them. I don’t think this show is very realistic, and it’s also hard to follow at times, but I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes.

《你安全吗？》 Are You Safe? I watched the first few episodes of this show but then stopped because I was watching too many shows at once. I’m determined to at least give it another go. So far it’s about a man who works as a technology consultant/vigilante hacker(?). I’m not sure where it’s going because frankly I don’t remember what has happened so far.

《她和她的她》 Shards of Her I literally just started this show, so I don’t even really know what it’s about or what will happen. But it looked interesting, and I heard it was good.

On my radar/watchlist:

《隐秘的角落》 The Bad Kids

《沉默的真相》 The Long Night

《狂飙》 The Knockout

《摩天大楼》 A Murderous Affair in Horizon Tower (shoutout to @liu-anhuaming)

《回来的女儿》 Homesick

As you may have noticed, I’m mostly interested in short mystery/crime shows. Police lingo is difficult for me to understand, but hopefully I will improve as I watch more shows!

#cdrama #cdramas #my watchlist

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waitmyturtles · 1 year

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Turtles Catches Up With Old GMMTV: He’s Coming To Me Edition

[What’s going on here? After joining Tumblr and discovering Thai BLs through KinnPorsche in 2022, I began watching GMMTV’s new offerings -- and realized that I had a lot of history to catch up on, to appreciate the more recent works that I was delving into. From tropes to BL frameworks, what we’re watching now hails from somewhere, and I’m learning about Thai BL's history through what I’m calling the Old GMMTV Challenge (OGMMTVC). Starting with recommendations from @absolutebl on their post regarding how GMMTV is correcting for its mistakes with its shows today, I’ve made an expansive list to get me through a condensed history of essential/classic/significant Thai BLs produced by GMMTV and many other BL studios. My watchlist, pasted below, lists what I’ve watched and what’s upcoming, along with the reviews I’ve written so far. Today, I’ll cover He’s Coming To Me, how this show centers Thai-Chinese/Asian culture, shipper culture, and the brilliance of Ohm Pawat and Singto Prachaya. THIS IS A LONG POST.]

I’m gonna have to hold myself down for this one. He’s Coming To Me. This kind of show. HCTM is ABSOLUTELY the reason why I created this project watchlist in the first place -- to watch this kind of show. This show cements my utter respect and passion for the work of Aof Noppharnach. This guy’s work needs to be taught in schools.

I’m like -- after days of finishing HCTM, and furiously and hungrily rewatching episodes, I am still shaking my damn head at this show. I knew it was great, but y’all didn’t prepare me for ITS GREATNESS. (And to be watching it the same week as Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars -- it’s been an Aof-themed moment, and I’m a touch overwhelmed by EVERYTHING I’ve absorbed.)

I am actually contemplating -- I’m seriously contemplating this! -- if I like this show better than either Bad Buddy or Moonlight Chicken. I know, I KNOW. I’m not talking about the story, the structure, the filming, the writing and direction. I’m literally just talking about my own damn preferences. I might just LIKE this show better, for what it held, what it told, and how the show showed so much respect for its story.

And there’s a lot I want to touch on in this piece, so as usual, a little list for myself:

1) Where this show came from vis à vis the watchlist, and what I think it meant by way of previous BLs 2) The Asianness of the show and how it transcended the usual BL tropes 3) A celebration of Aof’s favorite themes, and how cool it was to see them being born in HCTM (including the theme of young/first love that I haven’t seen before in his work) 4) A hopefully brief and not angry reflection on shipper culture, homophobia, Ohm, Singto, and how that affected HCTM in the annals of Thai BL

Without having seen his My Dear Loser work, or his screenwriting for Gay OK Bangkok 1 and 2 (which I plan to watch after the OGMMTVC is over, in preparation for Only Friends): HCTM is the first full Aof vehicle to enter my watchlist. So just quickly looking behind me: I’ve had shows like Love Sick, SOTUS, Together With Me, Love By Chance -- shows that began to toe the line, then define the line, then sharpen the line of what BL was. As I wrote in my Love By Chance review last week, I felt that LBC was the first show on my watchlist that felt like a true derivative BL, complete with tropes that had been born during Love Sick and SOTUS, and sharpened over those first few years of the Thai BL industry growing.

So it’s 2019 now, and we get He’s Coming To Me, both written and directed by P’Aof. Tropes? No tropes. What a flip from LBC.

Instead, we get an absolute head-first dive into many of the themes that we see Aof continued to play with in his later works. For me, HCTM evoked Moonlight Chicken the most, especially for what I call the Asianness of this show -- Aof’s unabashed focus on Asian cultural themes and threads that create structure and movement for his characters.

Before I get ahead of myself, I want to thank @telomeke very deeply for chatting with me about how I could learn more about Thai-Chinese culture, because themes and behaviors related to Thai-Chinese demographics are clearly common in Thai BLs, and I’ve felt that it behooved me to learn more about the culture (or as much as I can from the internet) as I continue to review these shows. But @telomeke reminded me that a lot of the assimilation of Chinese cultures and populations mirror the cultural mixing that took and takes place in Malaysia, where a part of my family hails and where I’ve spent a good portion of my life. So I’m relieved that I actually understand more about Thai-Chinese culture than I gave myself credit for, BUT -- that’s only a caveat, because I still have so much more to learn.

I say this because I’m using this word, “Asianness,” to describe in part at least one impression I have about HCTM, which is taking seriously the theme of ghosts and what role ghosts play in a human’s life. We see very often in Japanese doramas the practice of praying at an altar honoring past ancestors -- ancestor culture and worship are big in Japan, and the doramas don’t shy away from that. We see temple trips all the time in doramas and BL doramas -- especially during New Year’s. (Our Dining Table being just the most recent one.) We see Buddhist temple culture in Thai BLs often -- in KinnPorsche, in Bed Friend, in Big Dragon, and very especially in Moonlight Chicken.

I think what I want to point out here, if I can say it eloquently, is that a Western viewer might find more notable in an Asian drama, than in a Western show, the inclusion of practices of spirituality. In the West, spirituality might be indicated by a trip to a church, or prayer. But it strikes me -- and maybe this is because I’m a first-generation Asian-American, my eyes open to ALL the differences between my culture and America -- that Asian dramas incorporate the practices of spirituality more seamlessly, because practices like lighting an incense stick and giving a quick prayer before breakfast is more culturally embedded in places like Japan or Thailand. The practice is there, and you just do it, because that’s what you do for your culture. (I often see a stick of incense lit and burning next to a plate of fruits in the early mornings when I jog past Thai restaurants. It’s just -- what you do.)

It struck me, and I still wonder about it, if Western viewers may have thought that Thun was going overboard with his interest in Thai-Chinese Buddhist practices, including being so diligent about offering alms to the passing monks, going to the temple for merits, and keeping electric incense sticks on him to make sure that Med wouldn’t disappear. An auntie on Whatsapp might cock a curious eyebrow, but also regard Thun as a “good boy” who’s devoted to the temple.

In any case, this struck me particularly deeply, because I think, if P’Aof had been a little more abashed, that he could have toned this theme down -- the theme of the everyday practice of Buddhism.

And he didn’t. He didn’t tone it down. He leveraged it as THE major theme of the drama: that ghosts exist in Thai-Chinese-Buddhist culture and practice, and that some people can communicate with ghosts, including both Thun and his mom.

The ABSOLUTELY wonderful @telomeke affirmed this for me, writing so eloquently: “Underlying HCTM is an unshakeable belief in the spirit world, and it's also a given ... for a majority of people in SE Asia and Thailand in particular that the spiritual realm is as much a part of the everyday world as much as the physical reality of what we can see and touch.”

The reason why I’m hammering on this in particular is because it categorizes the show as one that is utterly representative of A SPECIFIC CULTURE -- just like Moonlight Chicken, with its commentaries on spiritual and economic practices of the particular place of Pattaya. @telomeke, I know you have specific feelings about the ending of HCTM, which I’ll get to in a moment, but I think for me, the ending of HCTM is deeply satisfying BECAUSE of this connection to Thai-Buddhist culture, what it says about ghosts and spirits, and how they continue to be incorporated in the ongoing life of a young Thai adult like Thun. AND, I appreciated that the ending skirted, just slightly, what we might have expected about someone losing their lover (à la Eternal Yesterday). Thun only temporarily lost Med... but Med still doesn’t quite exist. And I think there’s layers there that I’ll hopefully get to teasing out, either here or in a future post.

Going back to BL tropes and structures... I mean, HCTM was just like, yo, I’m gonna play in another ball field. I’ll have more thoughts on this after I watch Dark Blue Kiss, but at least, as far as I’m aware WITHOUT having seen DBK yet, that it’s not until late 2021 that P’Aof begins playing in the BL sandbox, takes his toy dump truck, and turns the tropes upside down in Bad Buddy.

And I see, in HCTM, P’Aof laying the groundwork for the themes that he DOES love, that I happen to love, and that get repeated in his oeuvre:

- The theme of community: the need for young and old queer individuals to interact with other queer individuals (most recently depicted in OS2/BBS/ATOTS) - The theme of NOSTALGIA: Med having never left his moment 20 years prior, listening to the same music of Thun’s mom’s generation (nostalgia being most recently depicted in Moonlight Chicken) - The parable of 1,000 stars: what it means to be the last star on which to make a wish (most recently depicted in ATOTS and OS2/ATOTS) - The anguish of coming out: Thun, Uncle Jim, Li Ming, Pran coming out to Dissaya -- all heavy, all impactful, all different stories that carry heaviness and their own meaning to each of these incredible characters

And there’s so many more. But what I really want to do, to get up on the rooftops that P’Aof loves so much, and YELL TO THE AIR is:

THE GENIUS, THE SHEER GENIUS, of linking these themes -- many of these as ASIAN themes! -- to specific issues that face the queer community, such as coming out, and being invisible (like a ghost) in a majority cishet society.

GAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH. Oh, the pain in my heart. This is exactly what I wrote in my notes while rewatching the show: “This is the first time we get Big Cultural Themes outside of issues with the queer community -- and Aof LINKS the Big Cultural Themes WITH queer issues -- the brilliance of it all.” Just like he did subsequently in Moonlight Chicken.

What was so beautiful to me about He’s Coming To Me -- and how it was channeled with GENIUS TALENT AND GRACE from Ohm and Singto -- is that, unlike Moonlight Chicken, this was the story of one young man who needed to sort out his feelings. And there was another young man, a young man who was killed, who HAD begun realizing his feelings, but was trapped by station (from a rich family) and role (the only son in a family). Med even said, it would have been impossible for him to come out as the only son of his family.

As far as we knew, Med had only come out to Kwan, Thun’s mom, before he died. Med may have very well been attracted to other men before he died -- but we see him VISCERALLY attracted to Thun, and vice versa, and that burst of first love for both young men, IN THE CONTEXT OF Thun’s spiritual practice and abilities to BRING Med to “life” in Thun’s life -- I mean. I’m shaking my head. It’s a parable for manifesting what you want in your life, and making it happen.

And yet, what HCTM also touches on, is that many times, you DON’T get what you want in life. Med WILL disappear one day. He will be reborn. It wasn’t his time at the moment of the ending, but it will be his time one day. Thun only has Med temporarily -- we don’t see the WHEN of that.

BUT. I would posit (and @telomeke and @wen-kexing-apologist, I wonder what you think of this), à la OS2/Bad Buddy, that P’Aof is OKAY with us not seeing this, and not necessarily considering the ending of HCTM to be a happy ending for Thun and Med. Because he knows -- and he knows that his Asian viewers know -- that Med WILL leave Thun one day. Not yet, though. Thun still has a little time to grow wiser and older and stronger. But Med WILL disappear one day. He had been hinting at it all throughout every episode of the series. He will have to leave Thun’s side.

I think the way the show ended was graceful. It leaves that door open for Med to find his rebirth, because was a good kid and deserves to be reborn in a happy life. It allows Thun time to grow through his first love -- first love being such an important theme to this show. It’s COMPASSIONATE to Thun, very similar to me to the kind of compassion that P’Aof showed to Uncle Jim throughout Moonlight Chicken, and just now in OS2/ATOTS to Phupha. But it’s also rooted in the SPIRITUAL REALITY that Med WILL leave -- just not yet. And P’Aof is saying, I didn’t need to show y’all, because y’all Asians already know, Med’s outta here one day.

The other thing to note about the ending is that P’Aof had already shown a tremendous amount of Thun’s pain. Thun wasn’t necessarily HAPPY in this show. He was curious, exploring, and loyal to Med. While Thun is clearly a young man who DEMONSTRATES happiness -- MY GAWD, the 19-year-old smile of Ohm Pawat!!! -- I wouldn’t say that he was a happy child. He lost his dad young. He was SCARED as hell for potentially letting his mom down. And: he had a lot of secrets to keep. The secret of being gay. The secret of being able to see and talk to ghosts.

“He’s coming to me.” Thun comes out, twice. He’s gay, and can see ghosts.

Even though others can’t see ghosts, I can. Even though others aren’t gay, I’m gay. Mom: I’m different.

When Thun sobs for Med while holding onto the jar of stars in his bedroom. When Thun spins around, looking for Med on the rooftop in episode five. When Thun calls for Med and Med isn’t there. Thun is alone. He is alone with his secrets, and Med is not there -- he is NOT coming to Thun in those moments -- and Thun is left alone, different and unique, as he has been his whole life.

I’d posit that that uniqueness is particularly difficult to deal with in collectivist Asian societies as in Thailand -- which led, in part, to Thun not knowing the language of his feelings as he came out to Med in episode five on the rooftop, and being SCARED, to his bones, to come out to his friends and his mom in episode six.

For 2019: I see this show as being ahead of its time, way ahead of its time. I have lots of theories as to why this show isn’t considered a more striking part of the canon of Thai BLs, and the incredible @bengiyo and @shortpplfedup have helped me to understand the magnitude of the impact that P’Aof made in breaking up the KristSingto ship to pair Singto with Ohm -- and how the fan shippers came for HCTM, and pushed GMMTV to hide this show for years before finally releasing it on YouTube with subs.

But besides that fucking bullshit, which I’ll return to in a second, I also want to note that maybe -- considering that we have more years now, after 2019, to consider the massive trove of Thai BLs that exist now -- the skirting of the still-nascent BL tropes framework was too early for many when this show came out. As I’ve demonstrated here in this piece -- this show’s complicated. There’s A LOT A LOT. I mean, I’m in love with P’Aof’s work because I LIKE HAVING A LOT in my shows. But you go a flip side and you get Together With Me and MaxTul with love bites and throaty kisses (in the words of Seinfeld, not that there’s anything wrong with that).

HCTM is heavy. It carried a lot that wasn’t overtly sexual by nature, like many BLs at that moment in 2019 and right beforehand (randy Perth, randy MaxTul, etc.).

I understand from @bengiyo and @shortpplfedup that, because Ohm needed to move on from Make It Right and the OhmToey ship due to Toey leaving BL after MIR, and Ohm joining forces with Singto, that Ohm received massive criticism, and continues to be a subject of criticism and bullying today (some of which I’ve seen on this site). And that Singto was also the subject of online bullying as well.

With all of this in mind -- Ohm, Singto, and the unique nature of HCTM -- I’m continuing to mull over the issue of homophobia in shipper culture. If BLs are reduced down SIMPLY to the pairings that lead these shows -- and that there’s an EXPECTATION that the shows NEED to depict certain acts of queer sexuality, SPECIFICALLY among actors who identify as straight -- that seems straight up homophobic to me.

I can see HCTM being too ahead of its time to begin shifting that paradigm. I’ll see what Dark Blue Kiss does next in the Aof oeuvre from this purview, but what I want to get at is:

IT IS CRIMINAL THAT HCTM ISN’T MORE WIDELY KNOWN. This show is affecting me literally at the same level as Bad Buddy and Moonlight Chicken.

What HCTM HELD by way of Asian culture and spirituality, by the RESPECT IT HAD for the experience of first young queer love, by LEVERAGING the ABSOLUTE BRILLIANCE OF ACTING OF OHM AND SINGTO (omg, AND SINE INTHIRA, are you kidding me?!?!?), and, oh shit, by BRINGING THAT ALL TOGETHER? To TELL a story of queerness and spirituality in Thailand?

Fuck. I’m just shaking my head. If it’s too much for the shipper folk, then... okay, go off. Leave the good stuff to me and the fam that GETS IT — the fam that gets that what we’re watching is ART, and not intended vessels for fantasy and fetish.

Last notes. I just want to say that in my SOTUS reviews, that I theorized that Singto would be brilliant when paired with a really good actor, and HCTM proved it to me. If it weren’t for this fucking shipper bullshit, I would have liked to see Singto and Ohm paired again.

Ohm is probably the most prevalent actor on my Thai BL list. I get that he was nicknamed “the king of BL,” and that he’s been the target of bias for that label and his predilection for being utterly brilliant in telling queer stories (thank you to @bengiyo and @miscellar for helping to fill me in on this).

Let me just say that this man is a goddamn MASTER. @shortpplfedup nailed it in her Ohm appreciation post. @absolutebl summarizes why Ohm is singular in this BL space. Shippers who want to bully the mans, bring him down or whatever, spread misinformation, I want to say, angrily and rudely -- fuck off, and be afraid of talent in y’alls lives.

With the tangle of homophobia and cyberbullying that seem to have an overstated impact on the Thai BL industry, it is a damn shame that Ohm doesn’t get more of his flowers, because he makes shows better. I mean: this guy OWNS ROOFTOPS. Episode five of HCTM?! Episode five of Bad Buddy?! Get this guy on a rooftop and he will SLAY. Pair him with people -- Singto? Nanon? Perth? OHM MAKES THESE GUYS BETTER ACTORS than they ever were previously.

I say the following, in all honesty, with a touch of disdain, of condescension, and sadness, for the people who don’t watch this show because it doesn’t have pectorals or hot make-out sessions, and because it features actors that many fans might want to bully:

HCTM does not have the reputation that it deserves. It’s not just a good show. It’s an HONORABLE show. For me, it pays homage to Asian cultures and practices that I relate to. It features a story of queer revelations and love that is written with passion and respect. It features probably the best acting I’ve seen so far on my watchlist. And it features two actors who were willing to subvert expectations, at the risk of their own careers, to tell this story, as written and directed by one of of the most brilliant, subversive, experimental, and creative filmmakers I’ve ever watched in Aof Noppharnach.

I want and need BL fans to appreciate Asian culture more in these shows. And I want and need BL fans to appreciate human behavior development as well. Because P’Aof is telling stories out here, stories that can enrich our lives. I wrote in my Bad Buddy thesis that BBS will be required viewing for my children. HCTM joins that list. HCTM makes me want to be a better Asian mother, and to make a world for my children where the experience of first love and coming out can be regarded not with pain, but with celebration and joy.

[It’s going to take me a while to get over HCTM, but I’ve already begun Dark Blue Kiss, and am having a FABULOUS time with it. That opening theme! P’Aof and JOCKS! Yum. Another frappé, please.

Here’s the updated list! Much to the chagrin of everyone-I-know-on-Tumblr (I’M SORRY @shortpplfedup), I’m adding a VERY fast rewatch of ATOTS. Blame it on Our Skyy 2. I’ll want to watch ATOTS after the cinematic affair that is ITSAY, and after I’ve seen P’Aof do his thing on two existing series in DBK/Kiss and Still 2gether. ATOTS was my very first P’Aof series, and I want to rewatch it in chronology.

Here we go. As always, I’ll take recs, comments, etc.!

1) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (2014 and 2015) (review here) 2) Make It Right (2016) (review here) 3) SOTUS (2016-2017) (review here) 4) Make It Right 2 (2017) (review here) 5) Together With Me (2017) (review here) 6) SOTUS S/Our Skyy x SOTUS (2017-2018) (review here) 7) Love By Chance (2018) (review here) 8) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) 9) He’s Coming To Me (2019) 10) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again (2018) (watching) 11) TharnType (2019) 12) Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey (BL cuts) (2016 and 2017) (I’m watching this out of order just to get familiar with OffGun before Theory of Love -- will likely not review) 13) Theory of Love (2019) 14) Dew the Movie (2019) (not an official part of the OGMMTVC watchlist, but I want to watch this in chronological order with everything else) 15) Until We Meet Again (2019-2020) 16) 2gether (2020) 17) Still 2gether (2020) 18) I Told Sunset About You (2020) 19) Manner of Death (2020-2021) (not a true BL, but a MaxTul queer/gay romance set within a genre-based show that likely influenced Not Me and KinnPorsche) 20) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) (review here) 21) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake Of Rewatching Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS 22) Lovely Writer (2021) 23) I Promised You the Moon (2021) 24) Not Me (2021-2022) 25) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) (thesis here) 26) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) and Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (2023) OGMMTVC Rewatch 27) Secret Crush On You (2022) [watching for Cheewin’s trajectory of studying queer joy from Make It Right (high school), to SCOY (college), to Bed Friend (working adults)] 28) KinnPorsche (2022) (tag here) 29) The Eclipse (2022) (tag here) 30) My School President (2022-2023) 31) Moonlight Chicken (2023) (tag here) 32) Bed Friend (2023) (tag here) (Cheewin’s latest show, depicting a queer joy journey among working adults)]

#he's coming to me #hctm #ohm pawat #singto prachaya #thun x med #med x thun #thai bl industry #shipper culture #asian culture in bl #asian culture in thai BLs #turtles catches up with old gmmtv #turtles catches up with thai BLs #turtles catches up with the essential BLs #the old gmmtv challenge #ogmmtvc #backaof noppharnach #aof noppharnach

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ditzybea · 2 years

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Anyone? Really?

Really?!

Why did no one tell me that watching KinnPorsche was like a gateway drug? I never watched a BL series before and now I have subscribed to three streaming services exclusively showing Asian dramas. Not to mention the two dozen or so new accounts I'm following on Instagram!

I've watched KinnPorsche, all of TharnType, I'm caught up on Unforgotten Night, and I just started CutiePie. And my watchlist just keeps getting longer!

A little warning would have been nice, it's all I'm sayin', because I have no chill.

UPDATE! Cutie Pie was better than I thought it would be. Don’t Say No was a hot mess....that I watched in one day. And the angst in Love Mechanics is killing me. Like I said...NO CHILL!

UPDATE UPDATE! Bad Buddy was so good. Not enough kissing...but that says more about me than the show 😁. Old Fashioned Cupcake was so sweet and realistic. Loved it.

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE! On my God...Love Mechanics. Oh my GOD! Loved it on so many different levels. YinWar...such a great couple. I love them both...equally...and completely. And JimmySea in Vice Versa are gonna break my heart, I just know it. Sea Tawinan is A-Dor-Able!

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE! Watched Why R U and phew...ZeeSaint. I need a drink after that. Jumped right into Love by Chance season 1, because Saint is adorable, and some parts were pretty cringy, but I am in LOVE with Perth. I want to watch everything he's done. I am also full-on obsessed with Love in the Air! I get upset when the episode is over. Hopefully this feeling lasts.

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE! I had to stop and restart Love by Chance 2. I hated that they essentially retconned TinCan and started over. I thought they left it a great place at the end of Season 1. Probably didn’t have enough material to start from there for the second season and tried to stretch it out. Oh well, I really only watched it for Perth anyway. Love him so much! Tum and Tar’s relationship still makes me feel icky. They did it better in TharnType a little, but here it was worse. I’m just gonna float in AePete for a little while before I find another ship to ruin me. Hoping for a third season, I need Ae and Pete back together on screen.

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE! Well, I was introduced to OffGun with Not Me. The story was really good, I watched almost the whole thing just today, and I liked the development of the relationships. I only have one gripe to make. The only full-on declaration of love (i.e I love you) came from a couple that had like four scenes and never fully were together on screen. REALLY?! Don’t get me wrong, there were a lot of pretty words that meant love, but an actual “I Love You” came from a guy with a crush.

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE! Ok, this week I watched Theory of Love with OffGun. I loved it! I love really angsty stories anyway and this checked all the boxes. Story was well done, none of the characters were super annoying; all round good one. Unforgotten Night....ugh! I just can’t. After the tenth time Kamol called Kim his lover, I was tapped out. The story was mess and acting was not good. I love trashy as much as the next person, but I couldn't do it. I will say that KhomBaiboon was adorable and I was hoping for more of them. It seemed like everyone was just uncomfortable in their roles. And I am the only one who is loving ViceVersa? It’s a slow burn, but I love everything about it. Plus it brought Perth back! My heart flipped when he came on screen. I ADORE HIM! And Love in the Air is NOT disappointing. It kills me to wait a week for an episode. Boss and Noeul are killing it and I have a feeling that Peat and Fort are going to as well. I can’t wait until they are all interacting!!! And I may have watched "the scene" a few times by now. I can't help myself.

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE! I wasn’t going to update until the weekend, but I just watched all of Semantic Error and y’all! To all the people that recommended this one...THANK YOU!!!! It was so so so good! I loved it from start to finish! I need more of them! I was talking to the TV it was that good. I think I haven’t done that since first season of Ted Lasso. It gave me the same feelings of Lasso, like a warm hug! I’m going to bed now with a light heart.

WEEKLY UPDATE!!! This week I watched Star in My Mind and Star in Your Heart. I had been seeing clips KluenDao popping up my YouTube suggestions and I looked right up my alley. I have always been a sucker for mutual pining and jealous bouts. Not to mention the main protagonist being lusted after by at least four different people at one point. What? It’s a guilty pleasure. JoongDunk were good and they have great chemistry. Some of the dialogue was little cringy, but I am poor barometer for that. I think The Notebook is terrible, mainly because of the dialogue. And honestly the only reason I watched the sequel was to see how it ended. It was a little boring, sorry. Also, I knew the twist in Vice Versa was gonna happen. I knew they were gonna be separated, but that does not mean I was not heartbroken when it happened.

UPDATE! It has been a while since I last updated, so here we go. Vice Versa ended and I loved it. It was completely different and beautiful to watch. I agree with a lot of others, I wanted some of Tess and Tun living in other world, but JimmySea were so lovely. And I can not wait to see what else Sea does.

I watched SOTUS and SOTUS S as recommended by a commenter. I really liked it and SingtoKrist were a great couple, I have crushes on both now in varying degrees. Not a fan of bullies so it was hard to sit through the first few episodes. The push and pull between Kongpob and Arthit was a great enemies to lovers. I mostly watched the second season because there was angst coming and I am an angst whore. It was bit boring, but they were good.

Love in the Air ended and I loved the whole thing. FortPeat were amazing in their half of the season. Sky’s love letter was realistic and not over the top lovey, which is a huge pet peeve for me. Peat played his PTSD so well. It was played really well into the story and was believable. I may have also bought the presale on the special episode and preordered the box set. Never done either before, hopefully everything works out. 😬

I am LOVING Between Us and WinTeam/BounPrem are amazing. I had seen them on in passing for awhile but I hadn’t really watched them, but DAMN! I also watched Until We Meet Again to see the other half of Between Us and I have some feelings. It was a great story, angsty and bittersweet and uplifting...but Dean is a dick! I know it is an unpopular opinion, but I can’t help it. Ohm is great actor and very beautiful, but....he was always pushing Pharm to do things when he wasn’t ready for, whether it be meeting In’s sister or learning about their shared past. I don’t know. He was really selfish in my opinion. Also what was up with Sin’s wig? How can they make someone as gorgeous as Ja creepy looking with that wig. And poor Fluke! That poor kid probably used buckets of Visine and the reason he was so small was because he was very dehydrated. Also their family trees were really hard to keep track of. I’m still not sure who is and isn’t related to who. The world is not that small. How did I not know that all of my favorite BL actors were in one show? But it was a fun surprise each time another favorite popped up.

UPDATE!! Not sure if anyone still reading this to this point, but I’m gonna keep adding to it. I watched Cherry Blossoms After Winter and I liked it. It was a little on light on the intimacy, but it was sweet. I just really wanted more kisses, I can’t help it. I really liked Taesung and Haebom’s relationship. Sucker for protective boyfriends. It did feel a little rushed at the end, but worth the watch.

Finally watched We Best Love 1 & 2 after seeing people raving about it. It checked all my boxes; hidden/secret crush, bickering, really sweet relationship, little bit of jealousy, break up then make up, and great kisses. Definitely worth the time. The secondary couples were kind of glossed over, but SamYu make up for it. Loved it. EDIT! A quick addition to my We Best Love watch. If you can watch the Special Edition version, DO IT! Shots linger a little longer, some scenes are longer, and some things are explained a little better. If you thought Sam broke your heart before, ohhh just wait.

UPDATE! Been a few weeks, so here we go. I've ventured into non-BL dramas for a little bit. I finished Vincenzo on Netflix and OH MY GOD!! It was amazing. Highly recommend! I also watched True Beauty on Viki. Super cute and angsty! And everyone was right, both men were swoonworthy. I even read through the entire webtoon to see how it would have ended if there was a second season.

Ok, back to BL. I watched My Tooth Your Love and it was adorable. The couple, Andy and Yujin, were so good together. Fully enjoyed, but I could not stop seeing Sam Lin whenever I looked at Yujin. I just couldn't help it and I'm ok with it.

Between Us came to an end and well....it was a bit underwhelming, but not why you'd think. The story didn't really fall into the normal tropes in BL, in my opinion. It was a straight up love story. There it a normal drama. People complain when queer stories are not told like "straight" ones and then people are complaining when this one was. You can't please everyone. I was underwhelmed because there were too many couples. There were 5 couples. FIVE! And with only 12 episodes, there was not enough time. As cute of couple as BeePrince were, it just didn't seem to fit. They could have been cut out and their time could have been given to the others. At least with DeanPharm and PruekManow they had time UWMA, but WanTul didn't get enough time. You have to grumpy and sassy would have been so fun to watch.

I watched Lovely Writer and man! I was so much. It was too much. I understand that it was supposed to be a commentary on the BL industry, much like War of Y was last year, but they crammed too many tropes into one show, into one storyline. You name the trope it was in there. Grumpy/sunshine, fan culture, lying/deception, hidden agenda, childhood friends, only one bed, hidden relationship, love triangle, soul mates, closeted parent etc. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but it was so much. I kept waiting for another one to pop up. I will say one thing, KaoUp have got kissing down! Damn! I was impressed!

UPDATE!!! Ok, its been a while since I've posted and I have not stopped watching. Bed Friends was not what I was expecting. I thought it was gonna be sexy, which it was, and fluffy, which it was. What I was not expecting was the trauma that they wrote into it. Uffda! I loved the chemistry between Net and James, they really are adorable. I wasn't big fan of Yim's character, his voice grated a bit, but I love Tutor and him together, so I'm excited to see their show next.

I watched Roommates of Poongduck 304 and fell in love with Ji Woong and Seo Bin. Their chemistry was really sweet and Ji Woong was so good. The angst was just the right amount and I wish they had left in the finale kiss as is, but what can you do.

I watched a few Japan BL's; Jack O' Frost, The End of the World With You, and Beautiful Man 1 and 2. No lightness is these, aside from a few comedic moments. These are your more grown-up BL's. I do like that episodes were short so I can watch them in one day. The relationships were a bit more uneven, not toxic per se, but one was definitely subservient to the other. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed them, but.....

The Korean's BL's this year are gonna get their own post because reasons!

Keep the recommendations coming! :)

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