#antireset

Back to @slonekaru ‘s part 2 of the 15-day BL challenge (a sequel to an earlier one started by @negrowhat ) !

Day 27: Top 3 BL Kisses?

For my own sanity, I'm going to do only 2024 shows. Even then, I could not get it down to less than 10! I divided them into two ways of defining "best":

Best kisses as in most thrilling in the plot:

Wandee Goodday. I should've been pissed at how long they used that no-kiss rule to delay gratification, and many were, but for once I was delighted to be strung along. They did it amazingly well in my opinion, and the payoff was perfection.

(gif from @namtan )

Meet You at the Blossom. Of course I held my breath wondering if there'd be an actual (consensual) kiss, and when it came, and was so physical (snot and all) yet tender, I was on the floor.

(gif from @khunkinn )

Jack & Joker: U Steal My Heart. When they finally FINALLY come to a place where they can confess and kiss, it's wild. At first I was like "War slow down--you're going so fast you're not actually kissing." Then Yin stops him, holds him back for a few seconds, and goes in much slower and more exploratory, and I realized it was completely deliberate the way they did it--Joke was so frantic to finally be able to express his love that he had no finesse or patience until Jack calmed him down. Incredible arc in just a kissing scene.

(gif from @thisautistic )

AntiReset. I cannot tell you how many times I rewatched their kiss by the lake. The interplay of robot-human, student-teacher and servant-master all adding these layers to their dynamic, and then both of them silently agreeing to treat the kiss like a bit of research, Yi Ping's flustered looks afterward and Ever 9's delight that they had a shared joke--it was so many kinds of fun and sexy.

(gif from @alejunsu )

My Love Mix-Up. Although I found the show overall to be a let-down, I truly appreciated the first kiss! Unlike Cherry Magic, I didn't mind the original Mix-Up not having kisses. At the same time, I loved the cheeky way the new one starts the kiss under a cloth, as if they're going to fake the audience out, and then the cloth falls and we get to see it after all. So cute!

(gif by @chinchillion )

Best kisses as in best actors at portraying kisses:

Billy & Babe in The Sign. Any, all, every kiss between them is phenomenal. I know, I've watched each one dozens of times.

(gif from @forcebook )

Sailub & Pon in Pit Babe and This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans. See note above.

(gif from @wanderlust-in-my-soul )

Jes & Bible in 4 Minutes. They had to portray three completely different love stories, and the kisses in each reflected the contrasting vibes with subtle perfection: awkward and giggly, artful and cynical, and soft and romantic.

(gif from @namtan )

Fort & Peat in Love Sea. I mean, no two actors seem as completely comfortable with one another physically. They go AT it with kissing (and everything else), giving the most convincing portrayal of shameless, uninhibited, uber-horny lovers of anyone this year.

(gif from @thisautistic )

Bas & Fuaiz in 4 Minutes. These two were a close second, and the complexity of their dynamic that they had to portray with far less screen time and far fewer episodes was truly impressive.

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

March 2024 Wk 4

Ongoing Series - Thai

Two Worlds (Thurs IQIYI) eps 1-2 of 10 - One of those "he's dead Jim so time travel" thingames starring MaxNat. I'm over this concept but I do enjoy MaxNat. Phupha (Gun) and Khram (Nat) love each other but Phupha is murdered. Then Khram is pulled to a parallel world where, years ago, Khram and Tai (Max) were in love. However, Khram was killed by Tai’s dad. Now Tai finds alter-Khram. But then there is ALSO an alter-Phupha to deal with. (Phupha is played by Gun Thanawat who was Khom, the repressed butler bodyguard from Unforgotten Night. We like this, but we scared of the love triangle aspect.) Did that make sense? Yeah, okay, see what I mean?

Initial thoughts?

The subs are troubling but I’m enjoying this show a lot. It’s nice to see MaxNat get something meaty to sink their teeth into - that’s not just each other. Also it’s so smart of them to give us a fully fleshed out entire episode developing the alter romance rather than just a separation + death. It makes Khram’s grief and motivation that much more believable. Also it’s really nice to see Nat have good chemistry with other actors. 

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 3 of 8 (10?) - I'm still enjoying it. But Two Worlds is objectively better. So this one has lost ranking. Also, unexpectedly chili (the name of my heavy metal Thai cover band).

Lovey switchy and verse main couple too.

This is all quite pleasing.

The bit where the hosts pretend to be a BL couple actor ship was epic on so many levels.

Also unsettling.

All sex work is performative, and in a way there is something more honest about this depiction, in this setting, than what BL actors are made to do on the promo circuit. Which then begs the question, how different is BL from sex work? That's the unsettling bit, for me anyway. Not to slam on sex work AT ALL, we pro-the-true-pros on this damn blog, but actors have been shaded by association with True Professionals for a very long time and BL has already had one epic shut down in this regard. (See the PerthSaint scandal around Love By Chance, no I will not explain.) Where was I? Oh yes, so anyway, see the Gossip section for the part where they better be paid either way!

Also, since I'm a warped fucker, I found this scene funny.

And then hilarious when all of those BL tropes were just trotted out. Like a greatest hits reel.

Truly beyond meta. (How Absolute BL of them.)

Note he’s even standing in yaoi's patented "hands in pocket with the shoulders back"? 

Meanwhile, the gayest bridge in Thailand made its quarterly appearance:

And lip serviced was paid to the most touristy romantic things you can do in Bangkok.

And I mean lip service literally. 

To Be Continued (Thai C3 Thailand grey) ep 5 of 8 - I’m still enjoying it but getting more and more nervous. We getting too close to Promise territory for comfort. EXPLAIN Ji’s reticence well and do it now or risk audience mistrust. We have to be given a GOOD reason for Ji's behavior, or he'll be irredeemable.

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 8 of 12 - NO SINGING. Yes smiley kisses and good communication and a nice healthy relationship. But no singing!

1000 Years Old ep 6 of 12 - Dropping in the ranks. I’m sorry it’s just gotten boring. It has, however, inspired me to invest in my own ridiculous cream fuzzy sweater. Which I plan to wear with leather trousers and huge stumpy boots, like the Kpop queer I truly am. Or do I mean vampire? 

Kiseki Chapter 2 (Sun iQIYI) ep 1 of 6 - Seems to be an excuse for a small posse of Thai actors to wander around Tokyo playing tourist and sing in public . Someone stop them?

“Most people think this kind of thing is bad manners .”

Anyway, it’s v boring. I’ll give it one more ep but I suspect I’ll DNF.

Close Friend Season 3: Soju Bomb! (Weds iQIYI) eps 1-2 of 6 - Meh. This is also looking suspiciously DNF-a-licious.  

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues Youku YouTube & Viki) ep 5 of 11 - It's brilliant. I love it. I'm ready to hurt. Let’s do this thing. 

Distribution note: This one has been picked up and is also airing on Viki now, so it may lose YT distribution in soem territories. I like Youku's hard subs better than Viki's subs, but that's a matter of preference not information since I don't speak Mandarin.

Love is Better the Second Time Around AKA Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 3 of 6 - It is good. Every week I like this show a little more. I'm enjoying a reunion romance explored in Japan's quintessentially contemplative yet slightly surreal way. The juxtaposition of the tenderness of the sex scene with this Japanese brand of authenticity was oddly elegant - for lack of a better way of putting it. All in all, this is a good show. Thought provoking. Stylish.

AntiReset (Taiwan Fri Viki/Gaga) ep 9 of 10 - It remains lovely but they sure are reusing a lot of footage. Also, this was a classic penultimate doom episode. I do wonder how they are going to resolve this show ethically.

My Strawberry Film (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 6 of 8 - It is what it is, and it isn’t my style of show no matter what country of origin. Oddly that's one of the reasons I don't like it. Anyone could have made this, it's not as Japanese as I want it to be, it's just indie film club high school angst. Yawn.

I watched it, finally

The Servant and the Young Master (Vietnam YouTube) 7 eps - I dislike vertical filming, but I kind of enjoyed this show as a BL. I like class conflict romances. For me the rich kid is a bit too dictatorial (edges into bulling), but it’s kinda works. It’s sparse and underdeveloped and a bit plotless, but mildly entertaining. If you're missing Vietnamese BL you might give it a try. 6/10 

Began Beginning (Myanmar YouTube) 8eps - A Burmese BL that I had thoughts about but actually ended up recommending. Read the saga here:

It's done, ready to binge, but I suck

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps

It's airing but...

Graduation Countdown (Taiwan YouTube) ep 1 of ? - on one hand it's micro-installment vertical, on the other it's adorable and from Taiwan. I blame @heretherebedork entirely for my conundrum. As indeed, I did for My Type back in the day. (That was Nat Chen's first BL, yes of Kiseki: Dear To Me fame.) So I think I will also simply lean on Here to let me know when it's done and binge all at once. It's just too much to ask me to keep up with 2 minute pieces, I don't have that kind of endurance training, not even for BL.

Time the series (Tue Gaga/YT) 10 eps - it's finished now, I dropped it at ep 4. Should I bother?

A Secretly Love (Thai Sat WeTV grey) 10 eps - I watched the first ep but grey is too much work for this inferior of a show. I may pick up and binge if it gets distribution but for now, it gets a DNF from me. KimCop might have held this crap together but Kim without Cop? No thank you.

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing for some reason.

Man Suang that MileApo vehicle from last year is coming to Netflix in the USA. I haven't heard much about it and since the KP stans would have lost their tiny minds if it was any good at all, I'm assuming it's not good at all.

Gossip

Thai BL actor Yoon breaks with his former company and talks about some very very VERY shady goings on in the Thai BL industry. Including not being paid.

And whacha know, same thing happening in Korean BL.

Have I mentioned recently how much I hate the film industry?

Next Week Looks Like This:

Starting Soon

3/31 Only Boo! (Thai GMMTV YouTube) 12 eps - New main couple for GMMTV in an idol romance about a boy who dances good and a food stand vendor. Other side of the tracks grumpy/sunshine pair who fall deeply in love but, of course, baby boy idol can't date. Boyband but from GMMTV? Control your singing and I'm game.

4/1 Love is like a Cat (Korea ????) 12 eps - This completed filming Aug 2022(!) which means there have been serious problems with post-production. This is another of Silkwood's Korean+Thai colab projects. Mew Suppasit plays a rookie film star, called the Cat Prince (for his cold arrogance) who goes up against a charismatic puppyish animal daycare director (JM of JUST B). There is also a side romance (love triangle?) with a veterinarian. Geonu of JUST B is also in the cast.

I wonder if this was part of the hold up, with Geonu on Build Up right now, they might have tried to muffle this one. Or maybe it's just that bad...

4/3 We Are (Thai GMMTV YouTube) 12 eps - University ensemble BL featuring PondPhuwin, WinnySatang, AouBoom, MarcPawinPoon - basically the good kind of messy gay friendship group (so more My Engineer and less Only Friends). Looks a bit like the Kiss series but everyone is queer. I'm IN!

Knock-Knock Boys (Thai WeTV?) - 4 college friends conspire to help their friend lose his virginity. Familiar faces like Seng (yes, Billy's previous partner), Best and frest face, news here.

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

NOTE: It looks like one of my personal favorites of last year Unintentional Love Story is getting a spin off!

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Without ghost girl.

With ghost girl.

I think she may be my favorite part of 1000 Years.

CLASSIC tsundere seme description of a sunshine uke. Like classic'est of classic. (Two Worlds)

Is there such a thing as a tired trope in a BL? Since it is a genre that is made up entirely of tropes quilted together? Your philosophical question for today brought to you by Deep Night's kabedon (Japanese trope) + punishment threat (Thai trope).

Love me a lap sit moment. (City of Stars)

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are too much work.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone

Last week, we met a grumpy history professor who barely feeds himself and likes no one. He injured his shoulder catching a student falling down the stairs, and so his uncle got him to try out a forthcoming cyborg home assistant. The cyborg is very attractive, and the teacher kept thinking of him the same way as he did his old pet… that is until he started lusting after the cyborg.

This closet almost looks like a refrigerator.

Whole milk and a granola bar? Sir.

Is Nine experiencing kinship with the robot vacuum? He seemed to resent it last week.

Interesting. Nine expresses disappointment at not continuing to play a game.

I think they’re drying to draw a connection between recorded history, human memory, and artificial intelligence. I will track this and see where we land.

Okay, Ever 9 responding to commentary about his bland food with some sort of remark about the complainant’s unhealthy eating habits is so funny.

Is Ever 9 programmed to project unease when touched by someone other than their master as a way to deter others?

Interesting. Ever 9 can eavesdrop.

Are we going to interrogate the ethics of programming a sentient entity to serve as housekeeper, companion, and concubine?

Is Ever 9 trying to perform oomox on this man???

There’s an interesting component here about how touch-starved this man likely is from how long it’s been since he’s been close with anyone, particularly considering he probably didn’t think of Ever 9 as a person at first.

Are Ever 9’s abandonment issues a result of his programming or something new that developed in him?

I’m gonna need them to return to this programmed affect from Ever 9 and how they programmed him to perform the tropes. There is a real possibility of doing something good with that.

Me during the last 2 minutes of the episode

But then in the preview for next episode, he seems perfectly fine. You can’t play with my packbonded emotions like this!!!!