Chinese BL - from Taiwan, Hong Kong and China

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Longer short. (41 minutes).

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Has a sequel which is considerably longer--however, it's a compilation consisting of several stories.

Yet another dramatization of one of Chinese BL author Chai Ji Dan's novels. This is bad, especially so in comparison with the adaptations of her other novels; "Addicted" (which is really good) and "Advance Bravely" (which is a very good production.)

Firstly--the extreme revision of the story is a downer. The novel is absolutely insane, (but aren't all her novels, though...) but here it's very much toned down and modified--probably due to the over-the-top setting in the original novel, with snake breeders, mobsters and huge ass plot parts with massive operations of reptile thefts en masse and whatnot... It would have made for a much trickier production to pull off. So it's understandable from a practical POV.

But when scratching the whole snake breeder thing, which the whole novel revolves around--not much is left. Just a moron with a thick skull, the A-hole he gets involved with, and their stupid love story. If the original storyline had been present--"stupid" would have been fine. Because the insanity would have justified everything. Without the world of breeding of venomous crawlers--this just becomes uninteresting and generic and the only insanity left is just odd and silly, rather than insane.

No one in their right mind would call Chai Ji-Dan's stories GOOD, but we like her stuff exactly because they are crazy. (And because of the--often gross, but always eye-popping--smut.)

In addition to cutting out almost all slithering things--this is a really cheap and really crappy production.

Note; The novel has different names depending on which fan translation you read, and it goes for the drama as well. It's often called "Counterattack".

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Glossy, tidy, corny and stupid. And nuts, like all Chai Ji Dan's stories. Gotta' love it. 

It's not realistic, profound or intelligent in any way, shape or form--but it's entertaining. The budget was pretty high and production slick, especially so in comparison with the other dramatizations of Chai's stories--which were really low-budget. This needed that part in order to work. And it did.

There are far too few BLs with action/thriller/other "less cutesy" themes, so I get happy every time we get something like that. Bodyguards, cops and kick-ass martial art scenes that are really well done, to boot. Add some explosions and shit--and I'm a happy Fangirl.
(Yes, once again; I love my BL "manly".)
But don't get me wrong--this is quite typical BL in most ways. Just that the setting isn't.

Guys are hot, acting is decent, OST is quite catchy. The side couples don't work, since there just wasn't all that much material to go on, in the novel--and the drama had even less, so their stories end up feeling like fairly pointless fillers. (I haven't finished the novel, though.) 

The big, big, BIG minus here; Sadly, this is very strictly adjusted to work around the Chinese media ban on LGBTQ content, so you have absolutely zero BL action. Zero. But props to the production for still being able to conjure up some tension and clever scenes to imply stuff they weren't allowed to include. (But if I had to choose--I'd still go with this tame version, because Chai's novels are so dirty that they often step over the line to tastelessly vulgar. I like it hot and if it suits the story--preferably really graphic, but Chai often pushes it to the level of cheap porn-mag-jerking-off-material.)

But to sum it up; this is a mandatory watch for anyone who digs Chinese BL on a light and silly note.

A very short full lenght movie--or a very long short. Depends on how one sees it. (1 hr 6 minutes).

Decent drama series of the slightly angstier and less cutesy kind. Kind of... boring. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely worth a watch--I just mean that the storyline isn't exactly all that exciting. It's mellow, with a melancholy feel to it, most of the way through. 

The plot and execution is a bit uneven but the acting is good. The play with colours as a theme--something you will actually see visually, if you pay attention to colours of clothing etc, as well as in the technical work with lighting etc.--is an interesting and artistic touch. I thought about it when watching, but thought it might just be me over-interpreting, but then I saw a review that pointed out exactly the same thing, so I guess I wasn't reaching. :)
The colours are more than just a prop, they paint the guys and their personalities, moods and states of mind. Observe how they change with time...

Has some really nice smooching and bed scenes, too. (Oh, let's see if you notice a thing which some other critics seem to have missed. Someone complained about that the bedroom chemistry between the leads wasn't even close to as good as the one between them and their respective BFs--but take a close look at the longest and most graphic bed scene.... I would, perhaps have agreed about the chemistry thing, but then I noticed something which I missed at first, but saw when playing back. You see--BF and Crush look similar enough to make you to miss out on something visually subtle in this scene, unless paying attention.)

Watch the specials as well. They give closure to the story.

Huge plus for a GREAT OST and score. I'm definitely not one for sleazy ballads and love songs--but when it's good, it's good. I tend to listen to all kinds of crap as long as it's from an anime/drama/movie I like, because I associate it with them. But in some cases, the music is actually really good. This is one of them. Max Lin's songs from the OST are just really, really beautiful.

De-BL-fied BL... 

We´re all aware of the disgusting Chinese bans regarding LGBTQ depiction in media--so naturally, dramatizations of explicit BL novels will become what they become. 

However, the story is quite appreciated among BL fans even in this "normalized" rendition, and it IS based on a (very dirty--I'm currently reading it) BL novel--so I'll include it on the list.  

Hong Kong oldie. Not a very good one.

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Mini-drama. 

Special connected to the mini-drama "Capture Lover".

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A very short full lenght movie--or a very long short. Depends on how one sees it. (1 hr 6 minutes).

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Short in a collection of five short-films

Short in a series of five short films. 

I loved this one. It seems others don't seem to appreciate is as much as I did--but I think it's great. The story is something you've never seen before, and it's hilarious. Yet, it tells it without glossing over the fact that the issue is impairing to the life of the MC. Short movies need to be able to tell a big story in a short amount of time--and here we get a story fleshed out enough to make this guy and his life real. Everything is in place, the story is complete, and I, for one, loved the nutty theme.

A big plus for the entertaining fact that this series of shorts have open endings--and the audience gets to decide and vote for which ending they want--which will then be included in the final, featured version of the movies.

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Haven't finished this one, since it was too heavy for my current mood... 

I'd been putting it off for years--something I now regret. I tend to do that--create preconceptions that I then hold for true until I give it a chance and realize that I once again judged a book by it's cover. (Not literally, but you know...)

It's a super cheap production--but it doesn't matter, because this is a STORY.
It's realistic, depressing, sad, thought-provoking and a work that puts the plastic BL in another perspective. I love the crappy, ditzy junk, too. But I don't for a second forget that it's fantasies.

There are real people (a shitton of them--5-15 % of the world's population, you know...) behind our obsession and ships. The fandom often forgets to support the real people and their struggle to achieve equal rights and respect. OUR, actually. I belong to the "letter group", I'm bi, but I'm lucky enough to be born in a country where equal rights (ALL rights, including marriage, adoption and everything else) for LGBTQ people are written in stone and any discrimination is heavily scorned upon by most of society. 

Most aren't so lucky. And this is a fact we need to remember, oppose and fight for. Otherwise our fangirling is vile hypocrisy of the worst kind.

If you're a fan of heavier, REAL stories; do not miss. (Even though I haven't finished it, I can't imagine that it would turn less good further on.)

A bunch of super-short specials for the drama "Dark Blue and Moonlight". Bad such, but very satisfying since they gave closure. (Ambiguously presented but still clear, IMO.)

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This is one of those flicks that transcend any label of "BL" or "LGBTQ" or alike, even when it's such a big part of the plot and themes. It's just a movie, just a story, where sexual orientations aren't the main point, even when being the center of attention. That's a very subtle, but pretty hard, treshold to climb. The focus is instead on the emotions, in this mess of a love triangle. 

The story in itself, is nothing new. (Though, perhaps the directions in the triangle, aren't the most common ones.) What's interesting here, are the dynamics and intricate bonds between the three. Which are presented, and portrayed, in an excellent way by the director and the actors. 

I've revised my opinion about most of the BL/Gay themed movies and dramas I used to love back in the days when the assortment was sparse and I was less of a connaisseur (lol), but this is one of few that I haven't downrated with time. 

It's a deep, beautiful little piece, told in a sensitive and poetic way, not just storywise--but also in music, visuals and by solid directorial work. 

It's not just a good gay themed movie. It's a good movie.
That's a pretty rare thing to be able to say about the majority of flicks and dramas on this list.

A very short full lenght movie--or a very long short film, depending on how one sees it. (59 min.)

Not BL but gay theme (which is just a part of the much bigger picture), not light, not cute.
This is cinematic art at its best, in case you want to watch some true quality film-making, from one of my all time fav directors--Zhang Yimou.

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Short of the longer kind. (48 min.)

TBH, I don't remember a single thing about this flick. All I know is that I considered it to be junk already when I saw it, some 14-15 years ago. (Yes... I'm that old... lol)
But it seems that everyone else considers it quite good. That makes me wonder what the heck it was that I hated so much about it... 

Perhaps I should rewatch in order to justify my trashing of it--but considering that I set my bar much lower back in the days, and rated it this low even then... I'm not sure I feel like giving it another shot...

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Here's another one that I watched so long ago, that I can't even remember what it was about--even less why I disliked it enough to rate it this low. 

Someday when I have absolutely nothing else to watch, I guess I might have to rewatch all those oldies that I've trashed. Maybe. 

A very short full lenght movie--or a very long short film, depending on how one sees it. (59 min.) 

This one is strange, too artsy (artsy is fine but it doesn't always work and here it doesn't) and just doesn't come through well enough. Acting is good and production is good for the most part. A couple of scenes are really hot, and to be honest, those are pretty much the only thing I'll remember.

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Even though it's not BL, I've included the different Live Action adaptations of the classic Shoujo manga "Hanazakari no kimitachi he". It may not be BL, but there is a beautiful point made, which I think deserves attention because it's present in a manga/drama which has no BL connection. 

The Korean version is by far the best, IMO. Even though the first Japanese version has it's charm.

Short.

Short special connected to the web-drama/movie (exists in two versions) "Like Love"/"I Love You as a Man".

Like most of the "HIStory" productions, here we have another one which is really good.

This story is a bit different in flavor compared to the other ones. A relationship with an age gap, between teacher and student, and a much more mellow feel. It's sweet, tender and the most realistic of all the "HIStory" installments. It's an everyday-type of love story and it's lovely. Acting is great, the story is well planned and the slow pacing is nice since it makes it feel real. 

The best word to describe it, would be "cozy". It makes you happy.

All the HIStory installments are good, some are excellent. The two "HIStory 2" ones are very good, but not quite as great as the 2019 ones from "HIStory 3". 

This one is lovely. It's sad that there are so few episodes because both the stories explored could be great, but the time frame does not allow for an in-depth look at these two relationships. However, for the runtime and number of episodes, we're still given a very nice little drama that just makes you smile. I'm a total sucker for sports BL, so I'm thrilled every time we get that, and here we even get a nice story to go with it. 

The couples are very cute (even though we don't really get to know the side couple much) and the acting is very nice from several of the main leads. The production is low-budget but good, nothing wrong with it. The music is so catchy! I find myself humming the main theme for weeks every time I rewatch this. If to go into the more shallow aspects of BL, we have some nice smooching here :D Nothing explicit--but nice. 

2020 is supposed to see the release of a sequel movie, let's hope for that. (Update; The title is scratched from MDL so it probably fell through, as the discussions implied already early on).

Ah... something different. We got something a bit similar back in 2017 with "Advance Bravely" but here we have cops and robbers all the way. Almost. Good-guy-mobster?
It's entertaining, it's well-acted and the guys' chemistry builds all through the series--ending up awesome in the end. It's well produced, slick and simply good. (I'm more than a little bit biased towards mobsters and cops in gay-themed stories, though...) 

(Further rec; If you like those themes and if you liked this one; make sure to check out the Korean mini-drama "Long Time no See". Also on this list.)

In terms of the more shallow aspects that we all enjoy; you'll find a fair amount of smooching, of which two kisses are very memorable. One as truly, truly unique (and a bit gross, actually) and then the marathon-kissing-and-rolling-around-on-a-bed-for-several-minutes. That one rocked. Like, really. Something as rare as really romantic, yet really hot.
Since I'm a pervert I tend to scrutinize such scenes and I'm almost willing to bet that the actors got a bit carried away if you can figure out what I mean. Do you have a banana in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

If you really can't take painful stuff--don't watch. (But I'm telling you, you are missing out on an absolute gem...) 

The audience went berserk in their anger about this. (So tiring when BL-fans want to live in a pink world and ignore everything that isn't happy-go-lucky...)
But yeah, it was heavy. I won't spoil but let's just say that not everything turns out as we'd wish. What made it so shocking was probably that it was so unexpected. I have no problem watching sad stuff since I want a good story--not just fantasies.
But one wasn't prepared. The overall feel of the series, turned abruptly--from simple, sweet teen love, to harsh reality--and it hurt. :S

But... I wouldn't want to change it. Because it made this even more memorable.

The drama starts off on a very light note--with a silly and shallow tone, but it develops into one of the most beautiful portrayals of puppy love, ever. Tender, sweet and just so real and honest. The side couple's story is engaging too, albeit not as notable. 

The acting is really good from all involved--stellar from some. Initially, I disliked one of the MCs and considered him a bad actor, until he just suddenly transformed and impressed the hell out of me--growing into being superb in the end. The performances from the main leads in emotional scenes--whether they are sweet, sad or horny--are just so raw that you'll get goosebumps. 

As quite a few other Taiwanese productions, this is graphic. One scene not visually so--just the content and raw feel of it. The other one very visually so. But it's not cheap nor gratuitous, it's beautiful even though it's pretty much softcore AV...
As for kissing--there's a lot. And it's good. One of--if not THE--best kiss scene in any BL to date, enhanced by beauuuutiful directing, editing and music. The OST is really good, BTW.

It's sad, yes, but it's also so tender, so beautiful, so sweet and so real, that it's pure stupidity to miss out on it.

Mini drama adapted from IRL stories.

Short of the longer kind. (49 min.)

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