BL / Gay - New Movies and Dramas 2020-2021

Upcoming  2021 (no release date announced) sequel season for the reboot version of ("2 Moons"); "2 Moons 2", from 2019.

Mini-drama. 

This... kinda' grew on me. After ep 1, I was "meh". Then I started to fall for the guys and now I kind of like it. But I might be biased. Anything that has guys with guitars and puts this much focus on music--is bound to get me hooked. 

But the MDL rating... Seriously?!

There isn't much to the story--it's standard and more than a little bit stupid (aren't most...), but it's generic BL. It's not meant to be super deep. It's sufficient for a fix of cute boys love. (Also, the MC actors are just about the prettiest BL leads ever. A runway model and a fairytale prince. Something like that.) Most of the cast is made up of familiar faces from earlier BL. Acting, from all involved, is... okay.
(Gunsmile drives me crazy, though. He CAN act, but he always goes over-the-top in comedic roles. I hate that.)

As for technical aspects... Not impressive. The editing is really weird and at times--so abrupt that it feels like one went to the bathroom during commercials and missed out on a couple of minutes... The jumps between the couples, are really haphazard. And the amount of time they get, is so odd in proportion that the side couples feel unnecessary. (But since I love Toptap, I won't complain. He's adorable. I want to adopt him. I want to pinch his cheeks. Like, really.) 

In Ep 10, stuff went haywire in writing/pacing. The story up until then, building slow, just went into total lightspeed, causing a crazy rushed progression. It took them 9 eps to get to mutual admittance of feelings--then one episode to hook up, shack up and shake it up... 

But fuckups aside--the OST is catchy and the cheery intro song from this series blasting when my alarm goes off in the morning--turns my cranky mood down a notch. 

Basically; despite a thin plot, messy techs and lack of originality... gorgeous guy x 2, with nice chemistry = Enjoyable even if it would be utter crap.

It's not amazing, but Me Like.

Sequel season for drama "So Much in Love". 

No releasedate available as of now.

Upcoming March 18th 2021.

This is fricking hilarious.  
I laughed my ass off--and I'm not a person that's all that easily swayed past the level of occasional giggles. (But if you aren't one for sarcastic humor, you might not be quite as amused as I am.)

I'm immensely entertained by everything that makes fun of BL, since no matter how much of a fangirl I am--I'm also a cynic... (And too old and hardened to wear rose colored glasses 24/7...) 

We've seen a bit of it lately--with Thai dramas "Why RU?" and "Lovely Writer" (haven't watched the latter, though), but this is different. It really, REALLY shows off all the nonsensical things with BL--outright and literally, not just with a wink. And it's great.
Here--one is allowed to laugh one's ass off at pathetic situations, predictable plots and cheesy stuff :D We're meant to.

It's not mean, not condescending and not judgemental--just sarcastic hightlighting of the stuff in BL that would make anyone roll their eyes if they weren't so caught up in a BL-high. All seen through the eyes of a dude that rivals even me in terms of having a sarcastic view of the world.

It's unique in its storytelling and definitely one of my favs for this year. It becomes a little bit haphazard towards the end, so it doesn't quite hold all the way--but all in all, it's a little gem of a different flavour. Love it.

Upcoming 2021. (Maybe).

This struck a chord with me, to an extent that very few pieces ever has done.
Even though I'm borderline compulsively objective, I just can't be with this one.

That feeling Yeon Woo gets whenever he sees color? I got a little piece of that when watching this. 

I won't call myself an artist, since I totally suck. But I've been glued to pencils, crayons, paints and pens since I was old enough to grab them. Losing my eyesight--losing the world and all the colors in it--would kill me. So the theme... Iget it. I truly, truly get it..
Also, I have sensory hypersensitivity, so I know that pleasure rush of awe.

But this drama has even more than the exceptionally unique story that it is on the surface. Put these guys and the way they experience their world and each other, in a deeper context.
Alienation, loneliness, "lack of color" in a metaphorical sense rather than actual--and the emotions evoked when finding someone who (or something that) normalizes it all. The high when discovering it--and the extreme pain of then losing it.
I truly get this part, too. 

There are profound thoughts and concepts handed out, but it's never written on the nose--it's subtle enough to avoid that trap. Some scenes are just exceptional. Like the one in school when Yoo Han is trying to convince Yeon Woo by talking about color theory and showing him the color chart. To be able to make such an innocent scene so sexually tense--one truly is a hell of a script writer... The effect is awesome, and shows us just how tempted and mesmerized Yeon Woo really is. 

The drama is so solid, so well told, and so well acted, that it became an instant fav of mine--even though I usually prefer to keep away from anything that even slightly resembles fantasy-themes.
Sure, it has a few flaws. Sometimes, the editing is a bit stupid and some parts of the plot are left hanging--but overall, this is a great, great, great little piece of art. 

Mini-drama.

No releasedate available as of now.

Umm...

Upcoming drama with the much beloved pairing of Jimmy and Tommy ("Why RU?")...

I'm not thrilled... I do like the guys, and they do have nice chemistry as actors--but their physical interaction is soooooooo bad that I can barely watch them in those kinds of scenes :S
Perhaps it could work if they do some advanced make-out-workshop or something... lol... 

No releasedate available as of now. 

Sequel season to "Love By Chance", this time focusing on the side couples, mainly on Tin and Can. 

I completely trashed this when I had watched the first episode, and totally ignored watching it, until recently. 

I didn't like it very much, but it wasn't as bad as I expected... 

I'll get to writing some thoughts about it, when I feel motivated to do so...

So... Waiting for this title, I was apprehensive. 

Furukawa Yûki in a BL role? Could work. I've never been a fan, but he did do a pretty good job in "Erased".
How about the manga? Well... it's cute. Mediocre, but cute. 

I finally got my dirty paws on the movie, a while ago.

It's actually really cute, and a good adaptation of the manga :) Furukawa, once again, convinced me that he's actually talented, and not just the annoying dude from sleazy, crappy Shoujo-adaptations. He was pretty fricking adorable in this one :) 

It's innocent, it's grounded, it's simple and it's really, really sweet. Totally in line with Japan's new style in BL--and I really, really love their 180-turn. (Or, perhaps their TWO 180 turns... From plastic manga-crap--to two polar opposites... Everyday love--and dark and twisted...)

I'll admit that I've only watched it unsubbed, so far. There doesn't seem to be any English subs available yet, but they should be out soon. My Japanese is weak, I'm far from skilled enough to be able to pick up more than the rough outlines of dialogue--but I HAVE read the manga, so I'd say I get the picture well enough to be able to rate the flick. 

Definitely worth a watch!

No release date available as of right now.

Short.

Mini-drama.

Super-duper-mini-short.

Upcoming 2021. (Probably).

(Might be) upcoming 2020? Info is really messy.

A short-film/docu about the BL industry and the fandom? Haven't watched it and the rating is horrible but could be interesting enough to take a look. 20 minutes or so isn't too much of a sacrifice, even if I suspect that my own philosophical ponderings on the matter, are probably far more elaborated than what this little chunk on the matter, can serve.

Mini-mini-drama.

Upcoming April 9th 2021.

Special for drama "Capture Lover". 

Hmm. I'm ambivalent about this one... 

I was totally hyped up when I heard about it, and waited eagerly for the release. (I would've liked it no matter what--since I've been waiting a long time to see Max and Tul reunited in BL...)

After a couple of episodes, I gave it a "temporary" rating of 8, but I've lowered that considerably since then... I still haven't finished it, since I just can't say that I think it's very good :S I guess I have to get to finishing it, though...

The genre is tricky to navigate if one has been working in BL (director behind "The Love of Siam" and "Dew, Let's Go Together")--especially when giving a love story equal space. One will have to yield and here it will be the thriller part that gives in to the romance. Which is sad--and awesome--depending on how one sees it.  It's hard to mix and find the balance and it doesn't turn out that perfect here, but perhaps that's because of the original novel, I don't know. I plan to read it. Eventually.
I wasn't expecting thriller quality á la South Korea, so I wasn't too disappointed. 

I'm a bit split about that part above--since we're talking my two fav genres, BL and crime, I don't want either to fall flat. But I'll choose to see it this way; this is a BL thriller. Not a thriller with BL. And then it's fine. And I'm SO HAPPY that we finally get gay content in other genres than sappy romance and/or heavy dramas. So even if I'm critical, just that simple fact makes me love it. At least to some extent.

My final judgement shall fall when I've finished it...

Just a nerdy side note; As a life-long criminology/forensics buff + worked in human and vet care--I spot quite a few annoying little technical stupidities and errors in procedures and whatnot... but... who cares... 

Something rare; historical BL. Generally, it's not my fav theme--but I'll definitely take a look since I'm really impressed by the direction Korean BL has been taking in the past years. 

Upcoming spring 2021.

This is so simple--just your basic, lightweight, by-the-book cliché BL manga (here in live action version)--but darn, is it fricking feelgood...
At times, quite hilarious--but mostly just... cute and puts a smile on your face. 

Add to that a  pretty nice production and decent acting--that wraps it up as one of the most endearing BLs of 2020. 

I can't rate it higher than this, since it's just TOO light weight to make an impact, but it's so sweet that I'm not bothered by its silliness and ridiculous innocence.

Short in a collection of five LGBTQ themed short-films.

Another one in the collection of five LGBTQ shorts. 

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.

Short.

Okay... 

WOW.

The insane ratings made me a little bit suspicious. I did think it sounded interesting when waiting for the release, but I'm always sceptical to crazy ratings, so I didn't except quite this level of awesomeness. 

I was blown away. And THAT does not happen often. With BL--practically never. Sure, I can adore BL series and movies--but I seldom think they hold exceptional quality in terms of story and direction. This did.
As a BL--this is a fricking 10/10. No... it's actually 11/10... (I kid you not.)

But thing is--this holds the quality of being close to flawless as a DRAMA. Not just as a BL such. I'm very restrictive with my 10s. But I can't--just can't--find anything to motivate anything other than a "masterpiece"-stamp of approval. The 0,5 point deduction is not really based on anything particular--more, like, a moderation in case I find some tiny flaws when rewatching...

This should finally convince those BL-fans who diss and label (all) Thai productions as "cheap", "commercial fanservice", "run-of-the-mill" and alike. There is true quality stuff in Thailand.

This is one of the most realistic, tender and engaging coming-of-age stories I've ever seen in the department of BL. Relatable to anyone who is, or once was, a teen--gay or straight. The insecurities, infatuations, search of self, impulsivity and intensity. 

Exquisite athmosphere, masterful direction based on careful script and planning, wonderful pacing, beautiful visuals, bulls-eye score and music (too cheesy for me, but always perfectly fitting). And the acting is absolutely phe-no-me-nal. From almost every single actor. Chemistry is outta' this world... 

DO.NOT.MISS.
Seriously. 

(Btw - the reference to Oh-aew looking like actor Tor--I was flabbergasted from first appearance, about how similar they look, and laughed my ass off when they actually pointed it out... haha)

Documentary series about the making of drama "I Told Sunset About You".

Well... It's a commercial spot. There is no point, no story, no time. It couldn't possibly be GOOD... Take it for what it is; fanservice with Off & Gun. Who are always cute.

Upcoming 2021. (Probably).

I wasn't very impressed with the latest Korean BL mini-dramas, but this was by far better than the higher rated "To My Star". 

The synopsis made me suspicious, since i expected something shallow "idoly", but it wasn't like that at all. A simple and straight-forward little love story that was quite adorable. 

It's lacking in depth, and that's definitely because of the short runtime, but it makes up for it decently, with a beautiful score and OST, good acting and a nice production with many beautiful scenes and atmosphere. 

Nothing I'll remember for a long time--but definitely not a waste of time.

Short special episode for the drama "30-sai made Dotei dato Mahotsukai ni Narerurashii" (damn, that title's always a bitch to write...)  

I have no idea what this is about--but it has Perth, who is always excellent.
Also features other familiar faces--and I was kind of delighted to see Nick come-back-popping-up in a BL. He's not... all that good--but I kind of love him since the idiotic horror parodies "Make Me Shudder"... 

The director could make this a disaster, really... He's the dude behind a big bunch of crap, like "Dangerous Boys" and the before mentioned "Make Me Shudder" flicks... But he's also the guy behind "Bangkok Love Story", which isn't exactly good, but at least unique.

Upcoming on April 6th 2021.

Third and last in the "En of Love" trilogy of mini-dramas, released back-to-back. 

Second in the "En of Love" trilogy of mini-dramas, released back-to-back.

Oh, God. Where do I even start? 

The reviews for this first of the "En of Love" trilogy of mini dramas--were a slaughter-house. But I'll watch (almost) anything once. If for nothing else--at least to be able to trash it. I mean--it couldn't be QUITE that bad?

It was.

First cringe; A crazy, squealing fan going bonkers in an (utterly uninteresting) video rant. I don't want to see it in a shitload of dramas. (Which we do.) Second cringe; The intro song. (The whole OST is awful.) And thus began the major cringe-feast. 

Keywords; 

Cheesy. As in drowning in a swimming pool-sized fondue pot level of cheesy.
Far-fetched. As in--the assigned bottom (sigh), even giving in to the out-of-nowhere courting, was about as believable as Kim Jong-Un's unicorns.
Win. (In the role of Gun.) Who casted this guy?! He's about as good an actor as a some poor kid assigned to play a tree in a school play. Stiff, flat, monotone and (I'm sorry;) came off as more than a little bit... intellectually challenged. Both the character and the actor. And (if to be even more mean;) he's not fit for the role of a supposedly super-hot uni idol that people will walk over corpses to date. I actually LIKE non-gorgeous leads, but it just becomes weird when a whole school shrieks and faints over a really plain, clumsy, dorky dude who just screams "Forrest Gump".

Techs and production were fair. Acting from everyone else, varied between "uhh" and "totally okay". Folk (Bar) has promise, with a bit more experience. He's definitely the one redeeming factor of this crap.

But overall, this was just awful. A corny, sleazy, syrupy, illogical mess.

However--I don't hand out "1" ratings, unless it's an absolute catastrophe of epic levels. The extremes of "1" and "10" should be very sparsely used, IMO. A "4" is fair, taking everything into consideration. I.e.--significantly below average.

No releasedate available as of now. 

Yes!
Sequel/prequel/parallel story to "Until We Meet Again", but telling the story of Win and Team. (Much needed since the parent story gave them, like, zero time and just made their storyline superfluous and shallow. Which was a pity since I kind of really like these two... But now we'll get it. Great.)

Upcoming 2021. MDL has made a tentative update, stating "june" as a possibility.

No release date available as of right now. 

Sequel to mini-drama "I Told Sunset About You". 

Upcoming March 11th 2021. (YES!!!)

Upcoming 2021. (Probably).

Upcoming 2021. (Probably. No release date available as of now.)

Upcoming 2021. (Probably.  No release date available as of now.)

I haven't read the novel on which this is based, but if to judge from previous productions on a more serious note, to come from China--this could be good. However, I wonder how it'll turn out due to the Chinese media ban on LGBTQ content.
There is a reason for most Chinese BL/Gay themed stuff being produced in Taiwan...

Mini-drama.

Second season for drama "Friend Zone". 

Upcoming 2020 or 2021. (Release date yet to be announced.)

No release date available as of right now.

?!

As a fan of the manga--I'm equally super excited and terrified. It could end up a disaster. But then again--it might not. I'm looking forward to it either way.

Release July 17th 2021.

Short.

Upcoming 2021? (Probably. No release date available as of now.)

Movie sequel for drama "His: I Didn't Think I Would Fall In Love". 

It was really good, actually. Better than the drama. 

Like its previous installment, it continues that "organic" feel--realistic and sombre in tone and expression. It doesn't make a fuss of things, it doesn't stray into melodrama, it just tells the story of two guys and their relationship through ups and downs. Exactly my cup of tea.
The Japanese BL usually goes in one of two directions; either it really stacks up a shitton of enhancers as to reaaaally make the audience FEEL it--or it refrains from all of it, and lets the acting and scenes speak for themselves. This belongs to the latter category. It took me quite a while to react to the fact that there was absolutely no score whatsoever. (Later on, there was a bit.) And you know what--it wasn't needed. It actually even made it better.
When they get it right--no one does realism as well as the Japanese. 

I like cutesy and cheesy BL as well--but what I find most rewarding, are stories like this one. Fairytales can be nice, but what touches me--are the love stories that are relatable. 

Since I love this type of storytelling, I really appreciated the effect that the simplicity of direction and production, brought. The acting is good as well. 

Not to be missed. 

Fourth season of the "HIStory" series. 

Upcoming 14th of March 2021.

Short.

Short.

Series of shorts based on IRL stories.

Upcoming 2021? (Probably. No release date available as of now.)

Upcoming 2020 or 2021? (No release date announced.)