#violetviperbl

I particularly liked the juxtaposition of Japanese and Korean drama approaches, and of course both are prone to delve into the cruel and the heartbreaking, to tell stories of the worst of people’s lives and the vilest of humanity. This drama allows you to be happy for 0.2 seconds before wrenching those dregs away from you.

It’s impressive to watch Ok Taecyeon morph from the ruthless villain he played in Vincenzo to a beaten-down young man seeking a place to belong. I also appreciate the bold move for a recently married K-Pop idol to take on a queer role - I think he was perfectly suited to play Johan.

The story itself focuses on the moment. The characters never have time to consider life-altering decisions, and must consistently respond with their instinctual feelings. The many faces of friendship and love are tested by the harsh realities of everyday life.

Ryu and Johan meet because they are both running away. Each of them runs away again and again until they realize they have only fleeting time left to be together.

The queer nuances to this show are what truly got to me, alongside the imperceptible struggles the characters take on to forge new meaning in a thoughtless world. The first scene that brought me to tears was Johan quietly working on his Japanese studies. A man who previously lived his life without concern for himself took the first tiny step forward to embracing something he wanted.

My personal favorite is Shen Wenlang dealing with Hua Yong’s nonsense, and genuinely he’s like ‘what did I do to deserve this, even after growing up in Crime City Central I have never done anything worse than some strategic tax evasion’ 🤣🤣🤣

Never Let Me Go was heartbreaking and beautiful, although I have some saltiness about the ending. Palm’s total denial of his own happiness is frustrating but nonetheless, loved it.

We Are is far from the genre I usually enjoy, so I was pleasantly surprised. A heartwarming show, good for turning your brain off and just enjoying 16 episodes of gay college shenanigans.

Fish Upon the Sky I had actually started and dropped previously, so that’s next on my list to pick back up and see what I think now that I am more familiar with PondPhuwin.

I haven’t watched Our Skyy or any of their solo features yet. I still have other dramas to watch too, lol.

I’ve been on an anime kick again recently, both BL and non-BL, so I thought it would be a good time for this post. My pinned rankings post only includes the dramas I’ve watched. There’s a lot less on the anime list but here we go:

Cherry Magic: Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You A Wizard?

Isekai Office Worker: The Other World’s Books Depend on the Bean Counter

Yuri!!! On Ice

Sasaki and Miyano

Go For It, Nakamura-kun!

This Boy is a Professional Wizard

The Summer Hikaru Died

Twilight Out of Focus

DAKAICHI

Stranger By The Shore

Given

The High School Life of a Fudanshi

Banana Fish

Orenchi no Furo Jijo

DRAMAtical Murder

BL-adjacent anime, AKA the Honorable Mentions

My New Boss is Goofy

Buddy Daddies

Kiss Him Not Me!

Free!! Iwatobi Swim Club

A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation

Ron Kamonohashi's Forbidden Deductions

Prince of Stride: Alternative

The Case Files of Jeweler Richard

91 Days

Moriarty the Patriot

Noblesse

I finished listening to both Heated Rivalry and The Long Game. I already posted my thoughts on HR (both the book and the show), so next up is the sequel.

I want to preface this post, because I have critiques about this series, the story, and the portrayal of Shane and Ilya’s relationship. However, this is also a series I truly enjoyed and have been watching and reading on repeat as my current obsession. This is a “I said it was my favorite, not that it was good” situation.

Obviously it’s very popular, because of the characters, not necessarily the strength of the writing (good not great). Ilya and Shane have the perfect mix of tension and tenderness that draws people in, and both of them (especially Ilya, which is why I love him so much) can feel relatable despite being hockey superstars. The several side couples don’t hold a candle to them. I am trying to read the other books in the series, but so far I have ended up returning to Heated Rivalry. Tough Guy, in particular, has a rough start and I have yet to pick it back up.

It's not my usual cup of tea, but it won me over with an uncanny charm (get the reference?) that has obviously garnered its huge fanbase.

I don't think I have a lot of new opinions to contribute on this. I was talking to some friends about it after finishing the book; I enjoyed the cute, slow-burn romance, and I love Ilya. I want to put him in my pocket. I think it was well-written, although you can definitely tell it started as fanfiction. The constant sex scenes get to be a bit much, and they're a little repetitive.