russohernandez_
West Palm Beach, FL
Pleasantly surprised
So before watching this film I read some of the reviews on here as well as other websites and honestly they weren't that great. People complained about the bad acting and terrible writing, so with reason I was reluctant to give this a try, but I did. As I watched I kept waiting for the "bad acting" and "terrible writing" many reviewers claimed was an issue. In my opinion the writing was pretty solid and the acting was actually very good, lowkey better than some of the acting in the most popular BL's. Yes the acting is very over the top and exaggerated but that's how it's supposed to come across as this is apparently adapted from a Manga. Long story short I think this was a really cute BL. The story could've used a little more substance but it did fairly well. I think this is a prime example of how you should not allow reviews discourage you from giving a film or series a chance and experiencing it for yourself.Was this review helpful to you?
One of the Best!!!
Tale of a thousand stars is absolutely one of the best BL's that has ever been made. I hope other BL writers take note of how a proper BL is made. You can tell they really took their time developing this story, choosing the right locations to film, etc. Every glance between the Chief and Tian, every touch, every word had meaning, everything felt real. There was no moment during the series that anything felt cliche or like it was added in as fluff. Compared to most BL's there aren't a lot of sexual or kissing scenes but honestly it's perfect just the way it is.Was this review helpful to you?
Good series but many flaws!
Ok I really liked this BL, I thought it was super sweet, the cast is beautiful. It's a light series that's easy to watch and follow. I'm always complaining about how Korean bl's are too short and have very underdeveloped plots but this was the opposite. We were given a nice lengthy season, well developed plot with short yet concise episodes. With all that being said I also have many issues with this series.1) It's very fluffy and cliche with nothing new to offer as far as the plot goes.
2) The script/dialogue was amateurish at times and made many of the characters come across as robotic, unnatural and unrealistic . In a real life conversation you're not going to hold someone's arm for 2 minutes without saying anything, or stand and stare at the person that just insulted you. I get if TaeKyung does these things because he's supposed to be awkward and that's who his character is, however these weird pause and wait moments shouldn't be happening with other characters. Honestly it almost feels like everyone in the show is moving in slow motion. The way they talk, their reactions, body movements etc all appear way too slow, almost as if the actors are trying to remember the script/lines.
3) Can BL writers stop with the cliche plot device of having a random person taking secret pictures and posting them online to stir drama??? It's very lazy and predictable. Let's find new and more realistic ways to create conflict and tension. Same goes for the crazy jealous side chick that tries to sabotage the lead chacters relationship. It's old and overused, we can do better.
3) There was very little character development in this, we know almost nothing about any of the guys outside of school and who they truly are which sometimes makes it hard to understand or sympathize with their actions. I get that exploring the world's of each main character might increase the budget but bits of info about their lives and who they are could've been worked into the script and helped viewers create a stronger connection with the characters.
4) Lastly I'm really tired of Korean (and most Asian) BL's over lightening their actors skin with makeup, filters, lighting, editing etc. You can tell in certain scenes where the actors weren't as heavily filtered or didn't have as much makeup on their true darker/yellower skin tones would show through. This colorist notion that lighter is better needs to stop, all the actors are gorgeous, they didn't need to be lightened.
I know this is all a lot for a series that I actually really enjoyed but I just want the best for all of these BL series. I want this industry to not just continue growing commercially but to get better and produce more quality content and eventually take over the world lol. It can happen if these writers stop cutting corners and put more of an effort into producing higher quality content it's very capable even on a small budget. However if no one speaks up and just continues to fall in love with so many of these series that could be better than no changes will ever be made.
In summary, it's a sweet and comforting BL that is also heavily flawed.
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Best HIStory Story
This is absolutely my FAV out of all the HIStory stories. It was so wholesome and sweet. The writers did well developing the characters/story, both leads had great energy together and there were very few fluffy cliche moments. The acting was very natural (which is hard to find a lot of BL's), the plot made sense and was well paced. Everything felt real. Everything added by the writers actually had purpose, so the emotions behind the characters actions actually had a legitimate cause and you weren't left wondering why this is or that is happening. I really wish we could get a continuation of this particular story.Was this review helpful to you?
Super cute!!!
My god Ohm is beautiful!!!!Took a little break from BL series as I was watching them back to back all 2021. It was nice to come back with this being the first one I've watched in 2022. A little formulaic and cliche but still very cute. Nice relationship progression between Pran and Pat who have such good vibes together. You can tell they have that same chemistry off camera and are really good friends. They remind me of Tay and New in so many ways. I liked the fact that this series didn't revolve around homophobia and gay bashing, which is a great way to portray the normalcy of homosexual relationships. I will say that there were apsects of episode 12 that I think were not necessary and a little cheesy. I would've been fine with ep 11 ending the series but that's just me nitpicking. Overall really enjoyed Bad Buddy, I'll miss Pran and Pat's constant bickering and smiles.
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Solid BL
I'm really confused while looking through all the reviews and seeing many are rating this so low. What's even funnier is I recognize some of the accounts on here and the reviews they leave on other series that are absolutely trash but rate them very high simply because they have a cast that is attractive. Of course they won't ever say that or probably won't ever recognize their bias, but the bias is there. Many will deem a series or film worthy of their attention only if the cast is hot enough for them, which is sad.Anyway with all that aside I will say that Tonhon Chonlatee has its flaws but overall it's a solid series. Both male leads performed very well, and tbh their acting skills were a lot stronger than many of these other BL couples out here. The closeted gay boy that falls in love with his "straight" best friend plot has been done many times before but they did a good job at reworking this plot. The writers were able to create something that feels different and a little more unique even though fundamentally it isn't anything new. I also really enjoyed the comedy aspect of this show which gave it a very light-hearted feel good type of vibe all while tackling deeper topics like self acceptance, homophobia and coming out.
While this series did have it's corny moments and started to lose itself half way through, it still was a pleasant surprise that entertained me up until the end.
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This review may contain spoilers
Could've been better
This was a cute short BL series, however I have a few issues, particularly with the plot. I felt as though Best and Dew weren't given enough time to develope their friendship/relationship. There were so many scenes that could have been cut/shortened to accommodate for better character development for both of them. Best spends so much of the series writing songs for Dew, talking about Dew with his friends, longing for Dew but never officially makes a damn move towards Dew ??. I guess that's sort of realistic. Most boys in Highschool probably wouldn't have the guts to come out and fully confess their feelings for another boy, but this is a BL, we don't need realistic, we want happy stories that give us fanciful hope lol. I liked how supportive Best's friends were of him having a crush on a guy and how they would always gently push him to interact with him. However I hated a particular scene in which someone in this series outs both Dew and Best because they were rejected, very childish behavior; which is likely the reason we got the ending that we did. Overall a cute BL that can be binged quickly but doesn't use it's time effectively to further the plot.Was this review helpful to you?
Snooze fest
I really wanted to like this series as it seemed very promising from the trailers/clips. Unfortunately it was extremely boring. Probably one of the most boring and least innovative BL's I've watched so far. The acting was bearable but my main issue was the writing, it felt lazy, monotonous and very cliche. Which saddens me because Taiwanese BL's are usually very good when it comes to the actual story/writing. The only favorable thing I can say is the cast is very beautiful, however there's no real passion or believable connection between any of the characters so it's like watching pretty robots interact. If by chance there is a second season I hope they hire new writers and put more of an effort into making it feel authentic.Was this review helpful to you?
Not perfect but still loved it!
I've never seen anyone make all red outfits look sexier than Jae-young. Standing ovation for my king!!!!Semantic Error is like the family member that's riddled with flaws but you love them despite all of their issues. The plot could've been a lot stronger, the acting came off a little monotone and lacked range, and for most of the series the script felt too fluffy and unrealistic. These are pretty much the same issues I have with most Korean BL's, but as I said despite all this I really grew to love Semantic Error with each passing episode. It started off a bit slow and shaky but progressed nicely into it's conclusion. The chemistry between Jae-young and Sang-woo was great and the kissing scenes were a far improvement from other K BL's. I actually felt something each time they kissed. I know it's literally like asking for diamonds to fall from the sky but I'm hoping for a second season. It would be nice to see Jae and Sang establish their own successful gaming business and subsequently experience strains on their relationship, putting their love for each other to the test (cliche and cheesy I know but it would be cute lol).
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This review may contain spoilers
Does love always have to be so painful(
Honestly if I knew this movie would be so heavy I would have prepared myself a lot better before watching. While it had its sweet moments this was definitely a tragic love story about everything that could go wrong when falling for a player. But sometimes it just doesn't matter, you fall for someone and as hard as you try to get away or tell yourself that this is not going to end well you stick around.As far as the technical stuff, the acting was good. Both Chen and Lan Yu had great chemistry together and created a believable toxic gay relationship. The pacing and plot development felt rushed. Would've been nice to see a little more of what happened during some of those year's that were skipped which would maybe create even more depth for not only the story but for Chen and Lan Yu. Overall a good film with some hard hitting realities of how love doesn't always pan out the way we want.
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BL writers need to do better!!!!
This reminds me a lot of TharnType. Has that similar one sided love story between college classmates living in dorms, subpar acting, lazy writing, with mediocre dialogue and awkward cringey scenes. The kissing and love scenes however in TharnType were next level probably the best of any BL. With all that being said ? Nitiman wasn't all terrible. There were a few cute moments here and there once you got past all the corny ones. I loved whenever Jin was on the screen, he is too freaking cute, can't get enough of him. I will say though that this series should've been cut down to about 5 or 6 episodes. Nearly every episode was stretched and filled with a bunch of boring filler scenes with robotic dialogue and acting that lasted an eternity. I'd much rather quality scenes that actually added to the plot than 20 million drunk bar scenes or watching Jin and Bbomb's friends be jerks and try to sabotage their relationship for the 100th time for no reason at all. Overall a low quality BL with cringey acting and lazy writing but semi watchable thanks to Jin and Bbomb's cute moments.Was this review helpful to you?
Disappointed
Lost most of the magic that season 1 (ITSAY) had, and honestly I already knew that was going to happen. Season 1 was so special that it felt impossible to top or come close to. After about episode 3 I really had no desire to finish this but I stuck through thinking it might change, it did not. The acting and cinematography were good but the issue was with the writing. There was nothing there to captive me or entice me to continue watching. I agree with another reviewer that it would have made things a lot more interesting and realistic if Teh and Jai ended up together, while Teh and Oh-aew came to the realization that they've outgrown each other and simply decided to remain good friends. I know the fans would've collectively had a stroke with this alternate plot but it would have made for a much more interesting season.Was this review helpful to you?
I enjoyed it despite the heartbreak
"There's a billion things in life more important than suffering for love" and I couldn't have agreed more with Otomo .It seems masochism is a recurring theme throughout many Japanese BL's and this film is no exception. It's time for the gays to break free from the shackles of pain and embrace love in the right places lol. Overall the acting was great and the story was solid. The only small issue I had was with the length. There are portions of this that seemed to drag and could've been condensed, despite that and all the pain and heartbreak I still really enjoyed this film.Was this review helpful to you?
So cute!!!!
If you're looking for a feel good BL that's easy to watch with pretty good acting and plot then look no further. I honestly couldn't stop smiling while watching this. The story itself isn't the most original but the great chemistry between the cast, hilarious interactions, and solid acting from both leads more than makes up for it. As with any series this isn't perfect and has a few corny/cliche moments that could have been executed better. One of them being a moment midway through the series where one of the supporting characters is caught with someone else. I cringed during that whole exchange however I quickly forgave and forgot as this series continuously bombards you with nonstop cuteness. Speaking of cute Barry Cruz is just too much to handle, I honestly couldn't wait till the camera would pan back over to him so I could stare at that pretty face and body a little longer lmboo, both him and Mando were very nice to look at and complimented each other well. Ok enough of that lol, but before I wrap this up I will say that Kokoy de Santos (Mando) is truly an underated actor. Loved him in Gameboys, Fuccbois and several other series/films, he always does a phenomenal job being able to handle a multitude of different characters and appearing very natural on camera. I hope he continues to excel and grow within the entertainment industry.Was this review helpful to you?
LOVED IT!!!!!!!!
I'm always so excited to find BL's that venture into different plots/geners that we don't typically see with other BL series. This cop & gangster romance was my 2nd fav story from the HIStory series. Shao Fei (cop) is quirky and passionate, while Tang Yi (gang boss) is very stoic but can be sweet/vulnerable. They are polar opposites but somehow the dynamic works. They also have really great on screen chemistry. I can only hope that more BL writers and directors follow this stories lead and start to move away from the generic and formulaic plots and embrace things we haven't seen much of before.Was this review helpful to you?
