Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top. (Note: there is actually more BL airing right now than ever before in the history of the genre. It is a struggle to stay on top of it all. Forgive me if I miss something.)
May 2026 Week 4
Ongoing Series - Thai
Your Dear Daddy (Sat iQIYI) ep 4 of 8 - I love it. The pursuit is getting aggressive now but in a soft way. We have established the age gap and engaged in some serious honorific play (hello linguistic flirting trope my old friend). This is lots of fun. And you know what else? This show is being kind to us, its a resultful experience, and with so much on, we need soemthing like this in the line up to give us space to breathe.
Payback (Sat iQIYI) ep 1 of 10 - This is a Thai adaptation of a Korean webtoon and it shows. Korean names in the credits and you can feel their fingers all over the tenor of production and I LIKE THAT. A gang member joins the entertainment industry for revenge, and a powerful mogul becomes obsessed with him. There are no good guys in this one. It's Bangkok Boy + Top Form and I'm obsessed. It has a harsh but great opener. I’m looking forward to a new pairing and some fresh faces. A few familiar ones too (waves at Shogun from Deep Night and Tor from For Him). But the wig is pissing me off.
(We discussed this in 2019, Thailand. No wigs for you.)
Lately It's Winter Season Fourever You2 (Fri WeTV) ep 3 of 8 - Big ol' crush plus gay panic? Suer is SUCH a drama queen.
A Dog and A Plane (Fri Viki & Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - I like it and I gotta be honest, I didn’t think I was in the mood for this kind of show at all. But I quite enjoyed myself. It’s probably just that I find TayNew incredibly appealing on screen. They’re just… fun. And Tay playing a chaos monkey might be the most apt casting ever.
Cherm Chey (Tues Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - Yay kinky sniff test! And more kink! i love that they talk about everything. Permission meets demands meets hardcore flirting and switching verse within all of it. Guess what BL world, communication can be fun! This show is fun. I cackle a lot. Weirdos in love! Also, meeting the family already are we? How uhaul can we go?
Love of Silom (Fri WeTV) ep 6 of 12 - Aww adorable bf wake up scene. Although struggles ahead due to class divided, but cute family is cute. Being told you have to stay in the closet after you’ve decided to become boyfriend is a bit “maybe you should’ve said this first.” At least they are having a conversation about it. Putting Mild in as a foil (the college boyfriend that should’ve been, but wasn’t) to act as second lead is genius romance plotting. But I do spend most of the time Talay and Poom are together feeling sorry for both of them.
Love Upon a Time (Fri iQIYI) ep 10 of 12 - Exciting episode. The sides got some action. Our mains are in danger. Still enjoying this a bunch.
When Oranges Fall (Weds YT) ep 3 of 12 - Yes, yes everyone is v cute. The sides are just glorious. I am enjoying this more than I thought I would.
Ticket To Heaven (Sat Viki Gaga) ep 1 of 5 - Bright appeared on my screen and I squeaked in delight. I had no idea I missed him so much. I do like that Gem gets to carry this show for a change. He’s turning into a great little actor. Look, I’m not really enjoying this, but I never thought I would. But I am intrigued by the concept and I will stick with it, especially as it’s not a particularly long series.
(Is that communal washing setting from somewhere? Caged Again? NO WAIT that SantaEarth mini in Seven Project before My Only 12%. Yay, I love it when my brain actually works.)
Flower Boy (Sat Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - Miserable boys are miserable, and only one of them actually deserves it. This is another one currently airing where I am not sure the main couple should be endgame at all. “I have no sent for you” is such a good line.
Magic Move (Tues iQIYI) ep 6 of 10 - No singing. Love these sides now.
Ongoing Series - Not Thai
Fake Fact Lips (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - I love them SO MUCH.
Love Class 3 (Korea Thurs Viki) eps 1-2 of 10 - Oh, I am very much enjoying it. It’s basically the idol drama of my dreams. About the after effects of a boy group competition where the boys fall in love during filming but everything went south when some don’t make it. What happens next? From Korea. Finally.
Smile after Tears (Taiwan Weds Gaga) ep 3 of 12 - This remains painfully cute. Emphasis on the pain, not the cute.
The Gaze (China YT) ep 9 of 10 - It was a decent episode. I like the abject apologizing going on. Still not sure our seme should be forgiven. Do I even want them to get back together? But it’s nice to see some earned suffering. Not enough of the sides tho.
Life in Smokey Blue AKA Smoke Blue no Ame Nochi Hare (Japan Tues Gaga) ep 8 of 10 - OMG I love then. Also the script and dialogue in this show is fantastic. What a lovely lovely BL, it’s very serine. Is this the zen garden of BL?
Journey With You (China Fri Gaga) ep 5 of 8 - Politics politics. Our boys are fighting. Too much time is being spent with evil prince of darkness and his feather duster. Nice angry kisses tho. Also, did China just give us a full on gay nc scene? I fear these boys are def dyeing… again.
Unexpectedly Naughty Fukami AKA Yatara Yarashii Fukami-kun (Japan Mon Gaga) ep 8 of 10 - Aww, poor baibees. It’s okay, you’re in a comedic JBL, You’ll be fine.
Wishing Upon The Shooting Stars (Taiwan Thurs Gaga) ep 11 of 12 - Ooo the sides gave us a GREAT NC scene. Everyone say thank you, Taiwan (well, and Japan).
Double Helix (China Fri & Sat Gaga) eps 7-8 of 12 - Oh dear, these poor, ill faded boys. I do enjoy the slides a lot too. Meanwhile THIS SHOW. Just aaaasshhhhh PAIN.
(Eagle eyes will note this has dropped in the standing substantially, that's because it's proving we ain't gonna end well.)
The Boy and I Who Will Break Up in 100 Days AKA 100 Nichi Go ni Wakareru Boku to Kare (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - This is filmed like a reality TV series or a documentary drama. It’s intriguing in concept, but I don’t actually like it much.
It's airing but...
One Year (Thai Sun YT) dropped at ep 3 of 8, not for me.
CrazyLove-MooMoo AKA Crazy Love, Moo-Moo (Thai Sat VIU) 10 eps- It's BossNoeul in a comedy based on a novel but who tf cares when my boy Noh is there paired with Turbo? How delightful. Honestly? I would love to watch this, but they sure aren’t making it easy as the lack of gifs is proving.
Lost to You (China Gaga) 12 eps - I decided to hold off on this one and wait until it completes its run and I know the ending. I greatly mistrust any BL description that includes the word “bittersweet” especially out of China. Thus I depend upon those with greater courage than moi to tell me how this goes.
Check in to You (Korea Thurs YT) ep 2 of 6 - didn't drop this week, not sure if moved to paid subscribers only or just got lost. I hate bodyswap so I'm not fussed. My goodness, Strongberry, how the mighty have fallen.
Dual Stars (Taiwan iQIYI) 6 eps: Dropped the whole darn thing, all at once. Like we have nothing better to do. I watched most of it, now waiting for the final 2 eps to release out of "I don't pay enough". I like it a lot, but it doesn't feel like Taiwan, it feels like Mainland using Taiwan to distribute. Anyone know The Truth?
I finally watched it!
Tell the World I Love You (Thai 2021 YT) - Perth (Ae Love By Chance) opposite Bas (Wayo/Wayu 2 Moons, Gen Y) in this action movie direction by Poj, with Net (Bed Friends) in the main support role. A v violent but also kinda sad story of poor hs students who get involved with their neighborhood gang. While I’m glad I finally watched it, and it was better than I expected, the content wasn’t my thing. Also Net pre-James was amazing to watch.
(The fan translation for the grey version on YouTube are truly terrible. I only really understood what was happening because I speak enough Thai to correct some of the worst offenders in my own head. But I did not take that into account with my rating.)
7/10 recommended with reservations
Next Week Looks Like This:
The unalloyed insanity.
But Wait... There's More: Coming June 2026
6/4 The Lie We Lived In (Korea Thurs Viki) 8 eps - A contract killer, Seo I Do, arrives at a house to take out his target, Heo Dong Hwa. Before he can finish the job, his boss orders him to stay and keep Dong Hwa captive instead. Then a cheerful stranger (policeman), Chu Tae Jeong, shows up. Tae Jeong and I Do fall in love.
6/4 The Summer You Kissed Me (China Thurs YT) 5 eps - I got nothing more.
6/20 Lost to Light (Thai Fri ????) 10eps - Once an idol group with dreams of stardom, they’re now forced to wear mascots and sing children’s songs for kindergarten kids.
6/24 My Summer of You AKA Kimi wa Natsu no Naka (Japan Thurs ????) 10 eps - I love LOVE this manga. I will watch this grey if if doesn't get picked up for inter distribution.
6/30 Knot (Thai Thurs iQIYI) 10 eps trailer - From the My Stubborn team, Thailand watched ABO Desire and said to the BL world "Here, hold my pink milk" and then tossed it to BoatOat. WE ARE SEATED.
6/?? The Man Who Married into a Wealthy Family (China ????) - Forbidden romance between a poor man and his wealthy wife's older brother. Looks messy and the kind of thing that sould be a vertical... so very much my thing.
6/?? The Prosecutor's Office's Proposal (Korea ????) 8 eps - Watcha is back! Adapted from a novel. Lee Chae Ha, failed police officer, becomes a prosecutor’s office investigator. He has lived his life bearing the label of “murderer’s son,” enduring bullying from peers and violence from his uncle. He reunites with Prosecutor Ju Tae Seon, a respected figure who once helped clear Chae Ha of a false accusation. When Tae Seon selects Chae Ha as his partner in a murder investigation, they get close. I'm paying attention, Korea.
All BLs Announced for 2026 that I knew of at the start of the year. (Not kept updated.)
Revenged Love (逆爱) has set a new precedence being the first uncensored BL cdrama of it's kind starring Chinese mainland actors, where the couples are not being framed as 'brothers', the romance is not implied only through subtext if you squint hard enough. I'm still astounded how this wiggled through all the censorship loopholes but thank god it did.
Let me preface, the quality of cdramas has been questionable in the last 10-15 years or so. Series plagued with lacklustre acting, crap CGI and terrible writing. So the fact that this surpassed my expectations and managed to make me laugh had me overjoyed. I instantly got the hype and why this is so beloved.
The initial premise for the story is suitably bonkers. We're introduced to presumed straight protagonist, whose girlfriend dumps him in pursuit of a richer man. In order to enact revenge, he decides to seduce the man she left him for, in order to win her back. And in doing so, comes to suspect that he might be a raging gay himself.
The series spans 24 episodes, which is short in cdrama terms but long if you're used to Thai BLs. The story leads very strong in the first half or so, but gets a little sluggish/contrived towards the latter third for the sake of further drama. However, the series never sacrifices on decent character development within its run time. The writing has a self-aware, snappy wittiness to it that was delightful, sometimes bordering on a *wink wink nudge nudge* to fans of BL in it's jovial lack of shame. One character frequently says variations of, "I want to f*** you", "I want to do you" in deadpan, never failing to crack me up.
The dynamic of the two couples and quartet overall did remind me of Love in the Air and there are some similarities in trajectory here. I think anyone who enjoyed that will also have a good time with this.
The cast is wonderfully entertaining and spot-on (the only weak link is the ex-girlfriend), and the actors do a great job of bringing them to life. From our main quartet to a host of side characters, they're all fleshed out with unique and memorable personalities. Even the snakes get more characterisation than other ensembles I've seen, so hurrah to that.
There's a great balance struck between physical and emotional chemistry in the romantic development of both couples. You'll get the hot and spicy, but plenty of heartfelt tenderness too. Both couples go on an 'enemies to lovers' arc.
Wu Suowei and Chi Cheng are the fiery and passionate couple. WSW spends most of the first act gay panicking and being bumbling and misguided. But this is very much his coming of age tale and we watch him grow into his own sense of personhood. Chi Cheng is an archetype we all know. Cold, mysterious and brooding - we come to find out he's immensely heartbroken and scarred over his ex and is deeply sentimental about it. These two have a 'ride or die' attitude to love that keeps the tension high at all times. Zi Yu who plays WSW throws himself into a lot of challenging content, and is particularly moving during a series of episodes where he loses his mother. Tian Xuning is insanely magnetic as CC, his possessiveness commands the screen. But he also adds a tonne of depth and heart to this overdone archetype.
Jiang Xiaoshuai and Guo Chengyu are our bickering and fluffy secondary couple. As a doctor, JXS's desire to help others knows no bounds, but will turn on the sass to keep unwarranted pests away. His kind disposition masks a deeply embedded trauma of his own. GCY is our comedic counterpart to CC, packaged as a shameless flirt and bonafide himbo, he uno reverses our impression of him and turns out to be a raging green flag and harmless softie. These two spar a lot at first, and we get some very funny moments of push and pull. Once GCY discovers the extent of JXS's past, their romance becomes very wholesome indeed.
An honourable mention is Liu Jun who plays Wang Shuo, who makes for an impactful and intimidating presence as CC's infamous and toxic ex. He also looks uncannily like a snake - the casting for this show has just been excellent. Other than the ex-girlfriend, I honestly can't think of a single character who isn't distinct in their own right and I appreciate that so much due to the seeming rarity it is.
The production of this series is very solid throughout. From the sets, to the way things are filmed, to the music used. Everything is done very competently, considering they also include elements of fight choreography and working with live animals.
Direction: If you've watched any of the hours of BTS footage that the team have made available on youtube (which I highly recommend as bonus content), you'll quickly discover how much of a passion project this was for the director. This was in the hands of someone who knew what she was working with, knew what fans of BL want to see, and knew how to bring out the best in the cast and script.
>>>
FINAL THOUGHTS: What is so exciting is how the success of this show has set the tone for more BL cdramas to emerge in future (e.g. ABO Desire is currently airing), and it's honestly about time based on how much success Danmei novels have had worldwide, MDZS being the most famous example. I had a great time with this, and they are currently releasing the full series on Youtube so do check it out.
I hate to end on this PSA but I want to mention the horrendous treatment Tian Xuning and Zi Yu have had from fans, as a side-effect to their huge spike in fame due to this series. That level of intrusion and harassment should never be experienced by any human being ever, and I'm utterly appalled by the lack of protection they have had. I pray that the majority of fans would never stoop to this level, and I hope we can all advocate for better welfare of actors, idols and celebs alike. I cannot stress how dangerous this is for all involved.
(Disclaimer: These are just my own opinions. It goes without saying that one still can enjoy a show for all its successes as well as recognising its shortcomings).
First things first, Semantic Error and To My Star were actually the 1st ones I watched, like a 4 months ago or so, so while the shows are not fresh in my mind anymore, I do remember liking them.
I recently had a surgery and 2 weeks off work post op for recovery, during which I fell into the rabbit hole of the bl world.
So here I am, writing down my overall thoughts as I watch more shows. Mainly so I can keep up with what I've watched and if I liked them or not.
First up is:
Until we meet again
3/10. Did not finish.
It felt like most scenes of this show were just unessarily dragged on and on. I only got to like ep 6. I think the past couple's whole Romeo n juliet concept and the whole reincarnated lovers concept just wasn't my cup of tea. I dunno. Tbh, after I stopped watching, I just looked up the side couple's, winteam, scenes on yt afterwards. Their scenes were much more intriguing to me than the main's. Again, this is just personal opinion please don't hate me.
Hidden Agenda
8/10.
Honestly fuckin love this one so far. Did not realize that it is a currently airing show when I started it. And kicked myself in the ass for that one because I am a binge watcher. Love the actors that play the main 2, especially Joke. I love his character a lot. It's not overly complicated, and the episodes never feel like they're dragging on. In fact, I'm usually sad when I realize an ep is over. Like I can't get enough of it.
I'll give an updated review when this ends.
The Eclipse
6.5/10.
It's khaotung/first. Like what more can I say. Currently also watching Only Friends and fell in love with them, so I had to immediately watch this one when I saw they were in it. The plot was a little hard for me to follow at first, but boy. . . The plot twists in the end had my jaw on the ground.
Bad Buddy
111111/10
Fucking superb. Top fave so far. 👌 Nanon has quickly become 1 of my favorite actors from gmmtv. And I'm already looking up whatever else he plays in and adding it to my watch list. The relationship in this one... where do I even start? The communication between them was a highlight for me. I also got teary-eyed anytime a heart touching moment happened, so it was able to drag me in emotionally which is hard for me to connect like that with a show. Idk I wish I could watch this show for the 1st time again. Definitely a rewatcher for me.
Not Me
10/10
Would easily be the top fave if bad buddy didn't exist. I did not think I was going to get so attached to the main character White as much as I did. Also, First's acting was amazing. Especially in the later half of the show like wow. I loved the plot of this show. Like if anyone knows anymore bls like this 1 pls rec them to me.
Simply 🤌chefs kiss🤌
My School President
💯/10
This show is everything I've ever wanted in a romantic comedy. Fourth and Gemini play their characters so well. Very charming characters and butterflies-in-ur-stomach-feeling inducing. I felt excited to watch another episode after each would end. I loved the music in this.
Update: It's been a week since I've watched this and I'm still listening to all the songs on spotify. And I already want to rewatch it. I feel like this will become my comfort show.
A Tale Of A Thousand Stars
6/10
The scenery in this is phenomenal, as is earthmixs chemistry. Reminds me so much of the soap operas id see on tv while channel flipping when i was a kid. But the slow burn of it all was having me wish for the ending to come too quickly. I feel like I didn't enjoy as much as the other shows I've seen so far but still liked it none the less. Also, very important opinion: Longtae is such a cutie!!!
That's it for now. If anyone wants to rec me something, pls do, I'm still new to bl so I don't know all whats out there. I'm mainly just sticking to gmmtv series right now since it's easy to access on viki and yt. But I'm open to trying all that's out there lol.
I'll post more mass reviews like this every once in a while when I've completed more series.
Quick background, I have been reading m/m romance, fanfics and yaoi manga for a very long time. Currently I’m more interested in Korean webcomics BL and Chinese web novels.
I was never interested in TV shows or movies, since there used to be the bury your gays in so many of them.
Then I stumbled into the world of Thai BL at the beginning of the year and been watching a few shows, TharnType, Manner of death, ColorRush and SOTUS.
I realized pretty early that I like it better with some additional story line, than just college or high school angst.
So, I really want to dive in the Shows, I even got a Viki subscription, but I’m unsure on how to proceed.
Since you the expert in this field, what would be your best shows to start? I prefer already finished, shows since I like to know that there is definite a happy ending.
thank you!!!
Welcome!
Okay, so you're looking for... plotty romances with happy endings. Definitely can help you out there! Also, holy shit, got called an expert in something.
ANYWAY.
I'll pull together a list here (and tag @absolutebl because they have SO many lists) so they can also support you in this fantastic journey. And their much more organized post is here!
Tale of a Thousand Stars: Up on YT for free, an absolutely fantastic piece about changing your point of view, accepting yourself and learning about others and discovering who you can really be. A beautiful, deeply plotty and deeply romantic show.
Until We Meet Again: Also beautiful and deeply plotted. There is a distinct warning on this show for death and suicide but there's also a happy ending so... take it as you will. A story about reincarnation, taking chances, true love, pain and learning to be better brought to you by some absolutely amazing actors.
Most of the Korean BL movies: ... I was gonna get more specific but then I realized that, frankly, this applies to almost all of them. Think of them as romance short stories. Color Rush is one of the best but To My Star is also beloved. My Sweet Dear and The Tasty Florida are also enjoyable little romps. Not deeply plotted but they aren't university or high school either.
Lovely Writer: Oh, also fantastic. Also on youtube! Very, very good story about a writer of BLs whose novel gets picked up for a show and the main actor in the show ends up moving in with him. Lots of tones of choice and love and coming together and the intricacies of the BL/Entertainment industry. Imperfect but good and enjoyable, do recommend.
Anything by Strongberry: I got a GagaOOlala membership to fulfill this need but you can also find their stuff on vimeo to support them directly. A tiny production house in Korea making authentic and amazing queer short films. Just everything by them gets the stamp of approval.
Cherry Magic: Practically perfect in every way, a darling office romance about a shy and introverted young man who gains the ability to read minds with a touch because he's a virgin on his thirtieth birthday and finds out his amazing coworker has a huge crush on him. Soft and beautiful and just... one of the best.
He's Coming To Me: Another of the Best Thai BL set, this is the story of a boy who can see ghosts and a ghost the he falls in love with and rescues from the graveyard. Also crime, solving old issues and a still happy ending at the end of it all!
History (2, 3, 4): Just any of these will fit you will. Even the ones that are set in university/high school have enough plot to carry them through and they're all great. Only go back to History 1 if you really find you like their stuff and, even then, I mostly only recommend Obsessed. All of these are on Viki, FYI. Trapped and Close To You are likely to both be up your alley. Close To You comes with a stepbrothers/stalkers warning, though. MAKE OUR DAYS COUNT IS NOT ON THIS LIST, DO NOT WATCH, NO HAPPY ENDING!!!
Love is Science?: The BL is a secondary plot, it's true, but Mark and Ou Wen is one of the most amazing love stories I've ever seen and it's just fantastic. An unintentionally homophobic hairdresser and an out gay matchmaker (basically) cross paths over and over again, building a friendship into a relationship into a family as they grow closer and closer. Just... it's so good, it's worth the rest of the show to watch these men.
We Best Love 1+2: Mostly only available on grey sites, sadly, depending on your location (possible WeTV if you're if you have a VPN? No idea). It starts as a college romance and turns into a gorgeous office romance and it's deep and fantastically acted and I feel like I just kind of have to recommend this on the principal of everyone should watch it.
You Are Ma Boy: A Vietnamese BL on youtube about a barista and a popstar and their very soft love story. Lots of domesticity and care and a tsundere barista and a puppy popstar. Far better than it probably should be, frankly, and very enjoyable.
Absolute BL (The Man Who Defies the World of BL): This is best to watch after you're watched a bunch of others... but it's fantastic and enjoyable and on Viki as well! It's a loving send off to tropes and the entire genre.
In terms of not BL, though, may I interest you in 3 Will Be Free ( a poly mafia story that's fantastic and has BL vibes but also a girl).
Also, depending on your stance on censorship, I am also willing to offer recs of Chinese censored romances but I do not offer those unless requested.
Also, depending on how queer you want and how you define a happy ending... Like in the Movies (Gaya Sa Pelikula) is a beautiful and authentically queer story that's amazing and heartrending and ends without a romantic happy ending but with a generally happy ending? So, take that as you will.
ANYWAY.
This is the best I can do as my dog stares at me because it's time for his walk, I'll add links when I get back from that! Hopefully this is a good list!
Disclaimer: This is my very own humble opinion. If you agree with my review, I’m glad that I’ve found someone like-minded, if you do not agree, that’s fine too. Every opinion is valid. Don’t hate me for mine.
I do not speak any asian language and therefore I rely solely on subtitles. And we all know that they are not always flawless. So if I misread a situation or misunderstand something, feel free to inform me. Spoilers ahead!
Synopsis: Yeon Woo knows the world is full of colors but he has never seen them for himself, he’s only able see the world in shades of grey. At least until the day Yoo Han comes crashing into his world. And it turns out that they are mono and probe. Means that Yeon Woo is able to see colors, everytime Yoo Han takes off his mask. While all this is going on, his aunt Yi Rang searches desperately for her sister who went missing years ago.
Main Character(s): Choi Yeon Woo, Go Yoo Han
Side Character(s): Jung Joo Haeng, Kim Min Jae, Yoo Yi Rang
Short Appereance: Yeon Woo’s mother & father, the school nurse
Main Couple(s): YeonWooxYooHan
Side Couple(s): /
My review:
I went into this show trying to keep my expectations low - well as low as I can keep them. This was my third korean BL, before that I watched Where Your Eyes Linger and Mr. Heart and I liked both of them. Oh boy, I wasn’t ready for the rabbit hole I was going down.
I always try to remain a somewhat objective side in my reviews, so that everyone can enjoy it, no matter if they actually liked the show or not. I will try my best to do it with this BL as well, but just know that it’s not easy for me. The last few days were a wild ride and thanks to the pandemic and the semi-lockdown that we have for weeks now, I am in no good place to get emotionally attached to characters or series. But here I am.
In this review there will be a few terms that some may not know or understand and before I have to repeat myself, here a little definition:
Mono: A mono, is a person that isn’t able to see colors, even though they have everything they needed to. Their brain just can’t decipher them for some reason. Only, when they look at the face of a special someone called “probe” they are able to see colors.
Probe: A probe is a person which can see all colors and by looking at their mono, with their whole face uncovered the monos can see colors.
Color Rush: It’s something the mono experiences every time, he looks at his probe. The frist few times are pretty heavy and the mono mostly faints, but at a while the effects wear off.
Decolorating: After some time (e.g. the mono isn’t looking at the face of the probe anymore, they seperate) they begin to lose the ability to see colors again. It depends on different factors (e.g. how many colors rushes did you have, how close are you with your probe, etc.) The more you “get used to” your probe the longer you can see colors.
Anyway, let’s begin.
Yeon Woo and Yoo Han
In the beginning of this story our main character, Yeon Woo, explains his view on this whole mono/probe thing. He himself is a mono and his mother was also a mono. The chance for a mono to meet his probe is extremely rare and most don’t think that they will ever meet their probe at all - and so does Yeon Woo.
The problem with the whole mono/probe thing is that many monos are getting really often obsessed with their probe and the colors that they are able to see. The fear of losing them is driving them insane and therefore some monos kidnap, hurt and kill their probe.
Yeon Woo stance to that: A mono should never meet his probe.
After beating up some guy who made fun of Yeon Woo for being a mono, he has to transfer schools again. On his way there he explains that he can actually see different shades of grey and that his mother teached him the ten differenct shades of the grey color palette.
Introduction of orange hoddie guy. He slept on his desk but now he wakes up (the teacher’s don’t even care to wake him up anymore, love that). And after he introduces himself as Yoo Han, he wants to make very clear (perhaps too clear) that Yeon Woo is “really pretty”.
He even gets up from his chair and follows Yeon Woo across the room, to tell him that again. In case he forgot over the course of a few minutes. But hey, we all need a friend who constantly reminds us that we are enough and beautiful, go Yoo Han!
Anyways, Yeon Woo is minding his own business and stares at a poster and after Yoo Han once again admired Yeon Woo’s beauty, Yoo Han takes of his mask, that he was wearing for some reason (Joo Haeng said that he tried to make it a new trend or smth).
We don’t know why he took it off. If he had trouble breathing, if he wanted to prove to Yeon Woo that he was also stunningly handsome or if he just felt like it.
And that’s when Yeon Woo experiences his first color rush. Overwhelmed by the it he faints. And for some reason, Yoo Han seems not scared at all but excited to be part of this adventure. And after taking Yeon Woo to the school nurse, he says something along the lines of: Oh his eyes are closed but his eyes are moving, that means that he is experiencing a color rush.
And the nurse, that probably doesn’t get paid enough, repsonds with: Yeah, maybe. I dunno, it’s my first time seeing this. Let me know if he rips out his eyeballs or dies or smth. I gotta go get some stuff. Bye.
Yeon Woo opens his eyes and is amazed by the colors that he is able to see. But loses the ability pretty quickly. And Yoo Han declares - in case Yeon Woo might have missed it - that he is in fact Yeon Woo’s probe.
Of course, Yeon Woo is really sad that he is back to the grey-ish palette of life again, but he stays strong and says that he does not want to do this again. He reminds Yoo Han that being a mono/probe is all fun and games until the mono get’s obsessed. Like, monos have kidnapped and killed their probes and apparently ate their flesh?
But Yoo Han couldn’t be more unbothered by that. And I don’t know if I should be impressed or worried because of that. After Yeon Woo explains his concerns to Yoo Han, the guy’s like: Ah.
Yoo Han is not only immune to fear and common sense, he is also very headstrong and is determent to teach Yeon Woo the colors. The question we all have in mind probably is:
Why is Yoo Han so eager to continue this dangerous relationship?
Well we get a great answer to that from Yoo Han himself: He likes Yeon Woo’s eye moevement while he experiences a color rush, so...yeah.
Great reason, let’s move on.
The next day of school, Yoo Han got a color palette to show Yeon Woo and to teach him the different colors. But since Yeon Woo doesn’t want to do a color rush again he pretents that he isn’t interested. Yeon Woo has enough of Yoo Han constantly being all up his ass with all this color rush thing, so he tries to leave. But Yoo Han tricks him. After Yoo Han recognizes that Yeon Woo isn’t giving in, he takes off his mask. Yeon Woo faints and wakes up in the nursing room.
This time, the nurse isn’t there. it’s probably her break or something. Before Yeon Woo can get really upset about Yoo Han’s trick, he sees the colors palette and all the colors on it. And the desire in him grows. But decolorating happens only a few seconds later.
And there’s where we see the first glance of desperation of Yeon Woo. He demands that Yoo Han takes off his mask, so he can see the colors again, but Yoo Han is a smart business man and so he wants something in return. He’s like: That was the preview, the free trial is over. From no on, you gotta pay.
And since Yeon Woo isn’t giving in, their ways part. And the story ends...if Yoo Han would actually respect boundaries. But he doesn’t so here we go.
Yoo Han tries again to lure Yeon Woo into agreeing to his deal. He shows him with the power of science and prism a rainbow and the nightview.
No matter how hard Yeon Woo tries to stay away from Yoo Han, Yoo Han pulls him back in.
Yoo Han says that this the last time, that he will give Yeon Woo a color rush for free. And Yeon Woo agrees, thinking that this will be his last time before telling Yoo Han that he will end this for good.
As the colors seem to fade away again, the desperation creeps up on Yeon Woo once again. He asks Yoo Han what he wants in return to keep doing this. And as we all know he wants to look at his face.
And to our big surprise, Yeon Woo finally agrees to Yoo Han’s deal. The next day, Yeon Woo regrets what he did, just like someone who drunk too much last night. He considers to avoid Yoo Han, but we all know how that works out.
So, Yoo Han has the great idea to scare Yeon Woo, by jumping in front of him and scream, which results in Yoo Han getting accidentally punched by Yeon Woo. They go the the nursing room and at that point I ask myself how they are doing in school, since they never seem to attend classes.
The nurse is probably still on her break or she just quit, who knows. We get the classic “I’ll treat your wound” scene. The inevitable happens, and after putting a little too much pressure on Yoo Han’s wound, Yoo Han flinches and the mask slides off his face. Another color rush.
Yeon Woo wakes up but can’t remember anything. Yoo Han explains that Yeon Woo cried his eyes out, but didn’t seem concious.
Yeon Woo apparently said that he needed the colors to see the headband (of his mother who disappeared and apparently wore the headband that day).The nurse comes in and seems not too happy about the fact that these two visit her at least once a week.
She says that this was totally normal and one of the phases a mono went through, while adjusting to one’s probe. The color rush would extend and he would not be able to remember afterwards. In that way his subconcious could surface.
And while Yeon Woo’s feelings are still all over the place, Yoo Han has set his priorities straight: So that he get’s used to the color rushes is a good sign, right?
Like, your man is sitting there crying his eyes out and you think about him adjusting to you? Dude, at least pretend that you care about his inner turmoil.
The nurse keeps up a professional facade and adds as polite as she can be: Don’t do it at school for the time being. Which basically translates to: Can you two give me a break for once? I haven’t worked this hard since 1986 and I’m 29.
On their way out, Yoo Han says: I’m happy that you are adjusting to it. Like he just wasn’t right next to Yeon Woo weeping like someone would rip his heart out. That’s when Yoo Han remembers that he has a heart and should use it once in a while and he adds: You scared me a little back there.
Yeah, me too, buddy. Me too.
While Yoo Han tries to have this converstaion, Yeon Woo is caught up in his thoughts. And I mean he has all reason to be upset. He is scared of what will come next. What if he get’s used to his probe and the colors? What comes after that? Obsession...kidnapping?
Because Yeon Woo hasn’t said anything, Yoo Han is scared that he might has forgotten how pretty he is, so Yoo Han has to remind him again. We love a supportive probe. But for real Yoo Han, we got it the first three times, I think he knows by now.
Yoo Han doesn’t think about any of this “obsession”-stuff at all, so he doesn’t get why Yeon Woo isn’t so thrilled about the whole thing. Outside, Yoo Han cuddles Yeon Woo from behind and says that he was actually worried earlier and they have to wait here because it’s raining.
We never get an explanation why that’s a problem. Maybe he forgot his umbrella and doesn’t want to get wet or wait there all on his own? Or Yoo Han hopes that he can show him a real rainbow this time? But wouldn’t it be a little careless to do another color rush shortly after what had happened?
Yeon Woo is again caught up in his thoughts. And we can feel how much he suffers already: [...] But when I felt a moment of happiness, I saw the happiness draining out from my view. Loss. Only having moments of happiness...that leave me all alone in a land of grey...terrifies me.
Long story short, Yeon Woo tries to run away, and after Yoo Han stops him and asks why he did that, he says: Because it just crossed my mind that I want to keep you forever.
HUGE RED FLAG my guy! Yoo Han RUN!
This might have been cute in other shows and all...because we tend to romantacize this “I can’t live without you” and “I never wat to lose you”...but we all know that it isn’t meant in a cute way. He wants to keep him. You know, like you would keep an object. A refrigerator or something like that. Not a human being.
The following day, Yoo Han is not in school and you got me there. I was really thinking that maybe my boy here would finally take a hint and leave. Yeon Woo thinks that it’s because of what he said to him yesterday, which would make sense. But we all know Yoo Han, with his death wish that he probably has and the distance that he keeps from comon sense.
So, of course he isn’t avoiding school, becaue his mono - that told him mulitple times that monos get obsessive and kidnap their probes - just now told him that he wanted to keep him. And it seems that Yoo Han is really wearing rose-colored glasses, because he isn’t able to see the red flags. Or maybe he has his own reasons why he wants to be near him...(yes I’m blatantly forshadowing here).
He later texts Yeon Woo and they make a trip to “have fun with colors”. This is the first time Yeon Woo doesn’t faint, while experiencing a color rush and they goof around and hold hands and are cute together. And Yeon Woo is thinking that he would want to keep these colors and the happy feeling forever, even if that would mean that he would have to hurt Yoo Han...true love right there, people.
Alas, this trip ends and Yeon Woo returns to his tense state, worrying that he might get more and more attached to his probe. He thanks Yoo Han for this trip and wants to go, but Yoo Han isn’t ready to let him go just yet.
So, they both return to Yeon Woo’s house, thinking that the aunt is still on her “business trip”. Shortly before Yeon Woo’s father died, he painted a picture of his mother, but he never got a “real” look at it with all its colors. Yoo Han agrees to help him see the picture with “all its colors”. After a brief breakdown and Yoo Han reassuring him that he is by his side and he will be the key to his colors, the door opens. Turns out the aunt is back! You didn’t see that coming, did you?
Yeon Woo and Yoo Han try their best to keep their mono/probe status a secret. And they are as good in hiding a secret as kids are, when they give you a totally normal drink that they definitely didn’t fill with salt or dirt or something and can’t stop giggling and begging you to take a big sip.
Yeon Woo tries to act normal, even though he sees his aunt in “full color” for the first time. And Yoo Han is over there smililing like: yep, I know exactly what’s going on right now, you can thank me later.
Yeon Woo walks Yoo Han to the bus station. On their way Yeon Woo is happy to let Yoo Han know that he can still see the colors. And Yoo Han gets all excited like: OMG! That means that your feelings for me let you slowly accept it. And Yeon Woo is like: Yeah, no definitely not. Feelings for you??
They arrive at the bus station and Yoo Han has to flex with his kind of impressive knowledge about colors. After Yoo Han entered the bus, Yeon Woo’s decolerating.
Yeon Woo is again, desperately trying to cling onto the colors and has a minor breakdown. Thinking that without Yoo Han life is empty and lifeless and he’s just feels like an empty shell. And I’m here like...dude the ship is about to sail, get on board and leave as long as you can! You are already obsessed with him, please!
As he returns back to his aunt, she let’s him know that she ain’t stupid and knows that Yoo Han is his probe. Isn’t that obvious? The whole school probably knows already. I mean, look at them.
The aunt got all the brain cells and she’s like: You have to transfer schools and we have to move. Finally an adult being an adult and doing wise and good things. But oh no, it’s too late and Yeon Woo is determent to stay: “I will try my best to handle it. I’m different I’m not like other monos.” I can resist and rise above the urge.”
Huh..my dear, are we just pretending like you weren’t breaking down, because your life felt lifeless without him and you already think about keeping him? And now you are sitting there pretending you are all high and mighty and “different?” while you are obsession over the guy you met like a week ago? Lying to her saying that you can handle it and will rise above the urge, while you had a breakdown just FIVE MINUTES AGO? Mmk...
And the aunt is continuing asking the real questions: Are you not aware of the loss you’ll experience? How can you possibly handle that? And I’m like: YES! Please, help them! Go get him! But alas, my hopes crashed, because Yeon Woo starts to cry and no one can be mad at Yeon Woo when he cries. And so his aunt’s like: K, we stay.
And so these wise words were sadly too late. Yeon Woo is already in too deep. The next time he is in school, Yoo Han is not there. And he switched to full obsession mode. With a concerningly calmy voice he asks his friends: What if I kidnap Yoo Han? Like it was something totally normal to ask.
Joo Haeng tries to make this situation less weird and says: Hah..ha.. I mean, if you would kidnap him he probably would lock the door himself.
His other friend, Min Jae totally looks through this “jokes” and says: Do you really want to become a monster? That’s when Joo Haeng seems to understand that this wasn’t a joke at all. And his expression changes and you could slowly see the realisation:.haha..that’s a weird joke to make..okay..no one’s laughing..wait..you were joking right?
Yeon Woo falls more and more into the dark rabbit whole and buys a bunch off stuff that you would totally need to kidnap someone, but the seller is like: Teenagers these days. Guess, I’m minding my own business. Which I always aprove, but not in this case! Dude you live in a world with monos who go insane and kidnap their probes and you don’t wanna maybe...inform some authorities? Check his ID or call the police? Anything? No?
Espacially with so many cases popping up shouldn’t monos get asigned some therapist or counselor or someone who keeps an eye on them?
While Yeon Woo is researching how to tie a rope, his aunt comes in and asks him, if he is okay. Sweety, I love you, but he is CLEARLY NOT OKAY! She says that she can feel that something’s off. He reminds her off his mother, shortly before she brought home his father. Yeon Woo reassures her that he’s fine and not up to anything. And she just... leaves.
Yoo Han returns to school because he missed Yeon Woo - probably the way Yeon Woo stares at him. Yoo Han notices the mark on Yeon Woo’s wrist (he tried to tie the rope around his wrist to learn it) and get’s worried. But not about himself, of course. Because why would you?
And Yeon Woo’s like: I wonder how this mark seems to him. Well I’m telling you, if he isn’t running away now, don’t worry too much about Yoo Han, because I think that he really has a death wish. He would probably tie his own rope, if you ask him nicely.
Yeon Woo reminds us that he was right all along. A mono and a probe shouldn’t meet. A mono will only hurt his probe, because he doesn’t want to lose, what the probe can show him.
So, yeah. What’s the lesson here, kids? When someone tells you that they are “not good for you” or “dangerous”, believe them. Because they are.
Despite Yeon Woo’s assumptions, Yoo Han can’t read minds and that’s why he has no clue what’s going on. Instead, he lists the different shades of brown. And oh boy did this show teach me about all the different shades of colors I didn’t know existed.
Yeon Woo is seemingly melting. The two look at a picture that Yeon Woo painted of his mother in grey colors. They talk a little about how Yeon Woo sees the world, when Yoo Han isn’t there.
Despite standing so close to his probe, Yeon Woo decolerates. This catches him totally off guard and he runs away. At home, he rambles on about how he becomes a monster and that this monster is coming for Yoo Han. And that there is only one way to keep Yoo Han safe. And he uses the rope and tries to hang himself.
He wakes up in a hospital. His aunt is with him and tells him that he was out for ten days. She adds, that she knew that something was up and what he was planing. Mmhm, yeah of course. That’s what I always say when I pretend that I saw a plot twist coming. I know your game Yi Rang.
The house is back on the market and no one knows where he is (well besides the two of them ig). We follow him for an unclear amount of time. He takes pills that are supposed to help him.
Even though Yeon Woo is sad that this means goodbye Yoo Han, he accepts it, thinking that this was the only way that things could get back to normal again. What a selfless man. Putting the well being of his love before his own happiness (well it’s also better for his sanity tbh).
And that’s how it all en- Oh, right. Yoo Han is not selfless and he doesn’t care about his own well being. That’s why one night, after Yeon Woo overanalyses his current situation, someone is standing outside of his window. And surprise: It’s Yoo Han.
He climbs through the window with such grace that I thought that this might be a dream. And Yeon Woo probably felt the same, because he says that this can’t be real and that this is probably only another hallucination. But Yoo Han takes off his mask to show him, that he’s real. He is here to rescue him..from the hospital, I guess. After Yeon Woo changed, they both run to a bus station and drive off into happiness aka to the ocean.
They are planning to go to the beach, because Yoo Han wants to show Yeon Woo the real color of the ocean, but they have to stay at a hotel overnight. While Yoo Han has to sleep on the floor, he opens a little bit up about why he is here and what happened.
And what basically happened is: Yeon Woo disappeared and because he didn’t want to lose him, this was the only solution he had in mind.
The next day they both chill at the beach and it’s time for Yoo Han to show off his color-knowledge again. So he lists all the different shades of blue - well the shades he can recall. And Yoo Han says that he memorizes them and the thought of Yeon Woo would make it easier for him to do it. What a man, honestly. Like, I struggle lately with studying and concentrating and seeing him putting up with all that work for, so he can pretend that he is the master of the color-universe for two minutes or less. That’s determination.
Yeon Woo calls his aunt to make sure that she doesn’t die of a heart attack, after her nephew also disappeared and the aunt says that Yoo Han has a really powerful family and that they will press charges against Yeon Woo for kidnapping Yoo Han, if they don’t come back. Yeon Woo is upset that Yoo Han’s parents are pressing charges against something he didn’t do (well I mean he probably did it multiple times in his head).
Yoo Han FINALLY tells him the whole truth. That he is no longer interested in becoming an idol and prefers to study and (more importantly) he tells him the REAL reason why he was so eager to have Yeon Woo around him.
And get ready you guys because this will blow your minds: He isn’t able to recognize faces. Faceblindness. BUT he is ablte to see Yeon Woo’s face. Which was the reason that he was so drawn to him. Everytime they would seperate, he wouldn’t be able to remember it. Only, when he saw him in front of him (espacially when he experienced a color rush) he was able to see it.
Just imagine how lucky they are? I mean, just imagine you can’t see faces and one day you can. But only one face and this one face belongs to Yeon Woo who is just gorgeous and has a beautiful and kind soul. It could’ve been any face that he was able to see. Same goes for Yeon Woo. His probe could’ve been anyone. To be this lucky just once in life..
Yeon Woo still worries that he might get even more obsessed over time and that he might harm Yoo Han one day. But Yoo Han is like: Dude, don’t you realize how super special we are? I can only see your face and you can only see colors with my face. I don’t care. I can see your face. You can see colors. We like each other.
And so they kiss and become boyfriends and return home.
A little time jump. Yeon Woo is preparing some food for Yoo Han and talks to his aunt who is not a fan of all of this but she supports him anyways. In school Yoo Han is talking to Min Jae who is giving him the code to the rooftop door of the school, so Yeon Woo and Yoo Han can have a little date. And everything is back to normal. The mother is still missing, Joo Haeng is still treated like the least favorite child by Yoo Han. And Yeon Woo and Yoo Han still don’t attend classes.
Min Jae and Joo Haeng
Apparently Joo Haeng and Yoo Han are childhood best friends, even though Yoo Han seems to have a different definition of friends than I do. Yeon Woo meets the guys on his first day at school.
They are helping him, when he experiences a color rush. Min Jae is able to speak to his dead grandpa and gets visions form time to time. And the fact that Min Jae was able to predict the death of two students is just quickly talked about.
While Yeon Woo and Yoo Han have their moments we sometimes see Joo Haeng and Min Jae had their little “look at them being all cute and in love together” moments.
The aunt
Most of the time the aunt is away for “business trips” and Yeon Woo explains to us that she is actually looking for her sister. We never find out if she actually finds clues or why she is looking for her on an island.
Yeon Woo has many chances to tell his aunt that he has met his mono, but every time he chooses not to. Eventually she finds it out herself, after looking at Yeon Woo and Yoo Han for five minutes. And I mean, that was relatable.
When she walked in on Yeon Woo doing suspicous stuff, the only thing she says it: Don’t do anything stupid. Because that ever prevented something stupid from happening. Ma´am, if you think that he might be up to something stupid and you feel the need to point out that he shouldn’t do anything stupid why don’t you keep an eye on him???
In the end she is still a little careful about her nephew and the probe, but she accepts them being boyfriends, I guess.
Things I disliked
This show was wild ride. I even considered droping it, because I was not in the right mental state to watch a bad ending. But I made it through and I’m happy that I did. I love this show. But you know me. Nothing’s perfect.
Better built up to the drama. Even though the built up was pretty good, it would’ve been way better, if it did include the side characters more. So that the side characters could actually play an important/active role in this. Like the random nurse who was only there for exposition and only appeared when it was convenient, she could’ve seen Yeon Woo being all obsessed and talk to him or Yoo Han about it. And I mean, Min Jae was able to see visions and knew so much. He could’ve talked to Yoo Han about Yeon Woo “joking” that he would kidnap Yoo Han.
Too much plot for too little time. Most BL Kdramas have about the same length as a movie (circa 80 min.) which seems much, but really isn’t, compared to straigth Kdrama and the fact that it’s a series not a movie. It is espacially not enough, when you look at the heaviness of the plot. If you have a lighthearted and fluffy show, you don’t need to go too much into depth and make a 200 min. drama out of it. But Color Rush deals with so many heavy topics (obsession, suicide, loss). And the series is suffering because of that (so many questions left unanswered).
Like, the obvious one is that the mystery about the mother’s disappearence is never actually a plotline. The aunt runs off looking for her and Yeon Woo is sad because she’s gone but that’s it. I watched this show so many times and the more I watch it, the more questions I have... Did the mother also plan to kidnap the father? But they fell in love and got married before she could go psycho on him? Did she kill him? Is that why the mother disappeared? Did she run away because she just couldn’t live without him after he allegedly died?
And also an important questions: Why the hell, was Yoo Han so styled up in the last two episodes? He arrived with his hair styled and all dressed up like he just finished a photoshooting. Was that what was happening? Was that related to him being an idol trainee? Or was that the teenager in him trying to dress up for Yeon Woo like “well I don’t know if he is actually there but we haven’t seen in two weeks, so I gotta look breathtaking, you never know when you are going to meet the love of your life”. This is one of the questions that keep me up at night. I. Need. Answers.
I am dying to know the answer to these questions, but we have simply not enough information to guess what could’ve happened.
So yeah, they definitely have a time problem, which isn’t that uncommon for Korean BLs. Don’t get me wrong. A short serie can still be good, if it can carry the plot. It shouldn’t be too big or too heavy. But I will always prefer series that have 30+ min. per episode simply because as soon as I am invested in the episode it’s already over. Ten or fifteen minutes aren’t enough most of the time.
The ending seemed rushed, too. So many things were left unresolved. Like, Yeon Woo is still dangerous and even says that he only get’s more obsessed every day. And suddenly the parents and the aunt are totally okay that Yeon Woo and Yoo Han are together and hang out, even though they were so against it a few minutes ago. Something that could’ve been solved over time with more episodes and time.
More scenes that establish the characters and the friendship. In a short series it’s important that every scene drives the plot forward or at least establishes something important. That’s why Where Your Eyes Linger worked so well, the mains already knew each other, so you could immediately start with the plot and you didn’t need to waste time for them to meet and fall in love.
There is no room for filler or anything like that. I wish we would’ve seen more scenes with the whole friend group (all of them present) and more between Yoo Han and Yeon Woo without the color rush. Let them hang out afterwards to let them bond more. Because Yeon Woo says this very poetic thing at the end of the series: Am I obsessed with you becaue you are my probe, or am I obsessed with my probe because it’s you.
And as poetic as this sounds, it throws me off a little, since Yeon Woo and Yoo Han haven’t spent much time together to really get to know each other the answer that Yeon Woo is only obsessed with Yoo Han because of the mono/probe thing seems more believeable. The “am I obsessed with my probe because it’s you” implies that Yoo Han is special and means much to him as a person and that’s why Yeon Woo just HAs to fall for him. But they rarely spent time together that doesn’t focus on the color rush and the mono/probe part.
But then again, maybe it’s a choice to show that Yeon Woo isn’t aware that he and Yoo Han could be more than mono/probe? And that makes Yeon Woo think that he has no chance but to kidnap Yoo Han to be near him. Like, looking back, Yeon Woo never thought about it. His mother and his father (mono and probe) married, but him being in a relationship with Yoo Han still didn’t cross his mind once. He was like: We can’t see each other every day and went straight to well i don’t want to ever lose you so I gotta kidnap you.
Show more struggle. This show deals so much with internal struggle of Yeon Woo who realizes that he slowly get’s obsessed with his probe. And even though I really liked how they showed his struggle internally and externally to some extend, I wish they would’ve done more with that. I want him to have the rope ready in his backpack but not giving in to the to the urge. I want him daydreaming about kidnapping Yoo Han and really having a plan in mind.
No warning. Another thing that sort of bugged me a little was that Yeon Woo didn’t warn Yoo Han after the beginning. Just one scene were he’s like: “Dude, don’t you get it. I can’t be without you. I think about you constantly and the fear of losing the colors- of losing you is driving me insane. You need to keep your distance from now on. I can’t gurantee you that you will be safe with me and I can’t promise that I can actually resist the urge anymore.”
And then you could either seperate them or Yoo Han says smth like: “I know that feeling, I also think about you constantly and I miss you” and this just turns into a big miscomunnication/love confession-thing. Because Yoo Han really understands the feeling, since he is kind of obsessed with Yeon Woo too (because of his faceblindsness and the fact that he can only see Yeon Woo’s face) and Yeon Woo thinks that Yoo Han is not getting it and it’s a love declaration but it’s not - well it is but you get the drill.
Or, as I addressed earlier, Min Jae playing a bigger role and telling his friend that Yeon Woo is slowly going insane and thinks about kidknapping him.
And if all that doesn’t work out for some reason or it’s just...too much effort make a parallel to the one scene between the talk of Yeon Woo and his aunt at the beginning: The aunt finds the stuff that Yeon Woo baught (or she just connects the dots sooner) and she wants to talk to him. “How can you handle it?” and this time Yeon Woo says “I don’t know what to do. I thought I could handle it, but I can’t.” and they work together to make a plan. And you can still have him go to the hospital and Yoo Han coming to the rescue.
All the time, I keep asking myself, why apparently no one felt the need to inform his aunt or maybe the probe about the situation? “Hey Yoo Han, Yeon Woo was really weird today. Talked about kidnapping you, please be careful.”
Like, I watch so many BL’s and at some point the parents or the ex-girlfriend or SOMEONE is always getting involved and tries to tear the couple apart. And for once, I would be okay with this plot device of the friends being cockblocks or the aunt threatening Yoo Han to stay away from Yeon Woo ESPACIALLY IF IT’S FOR HIS OWN GOOD DAMN SAFETY! But no.
That’s all the friends needed to do. You had one job, guys, one job.
Things I liked
The music. A banger. Listen to it on Spotify almost every day. Korean BLs just have on of the best music.
The chemistry. In a short series (espacially with short episodes) a good chemistry is fundamental so we can bond faster with the characters and the relationships. And in this show where the two leads are getting obsessed over each other, so here it’s espacially important so we can feel their deep desire for each other, if you want to call it that.
Yoo Han seemed a little emotionless and stiff at times, but IIRC he’s supposed to have a hard time with all these emotions, espacially with facial expressions, which makes sense.
The rainbow scene. One of my favorite scenes by far.
the handholding. We all know that it’s about the hands with the gays. It’s all about the hands.
the colors, the hole scene looked so beautiful shot with the dark background and the blue shirt of Yoo Han and the freaking rainbow.
Yeon Woo having fun, which is a rarity in this show.
We get another glimps of how fast Yeon Woo can go from uwu to -.-. The way he smashes Yoo Han against the wall...
The display of the power dynamic and how both of them try to get the upper hand. And looking back this scene shows that Yoo Han tries to contorl his own obsession by luring Yeon Woo into accepting the deal.
The iconic lines: The colors in this world are yours to enjoy...only when I let you see them. Which was an asshole move - but dare I say it - ...kinda savage.
The storyline. Loved it. Great idea. I want more of it. I’m a sucker for soulmates. I know some think that this series was problematic and had bad writing and I respect that, but I have to disagree. Sure, it’s not perfect and definitely not a masterpiece. But it’s good, imo. The forshadowing of Yoo Han and how he from day one was so facinated by Yeon Woo and his face, that nothing could bring him to his senses to freaking run. It was cute, fun and exciting to watch. I wouldn’t mind a second season to wind up some loose ends.
The beautiful editing. I loved the editing in this one! No unecessary slapstick sounds. No unecessary music that would play randomly. Just the color rush that showed you not only what Yeon Woo was seeing, but helped you to get a deeper understanding in what was going on. It was also used to help you relate to his situation more.
The power dynamic. In this show there is a constant power change. In the begining you think that a probe should be the one with power, right? Since they have the power to let their mono see colors and take them away from them. The monos want something from them and that gives them power. Probe > Mono
But you learn that monos get obsessed and can be extremely dangerous and therefore many probes should run from their mono. Giving the power to the monos. Mono > Probe
In this series, it at first seems like Yoo Han (the probe) holds the power since he is constantly trying to be around Yeon Woo and demostrates his power (the rainbow scene). Probe > Mono
But the more episodes you watch, you realize that Yeon Woo gets more and more obsessed, means that he is dangerous. He could hurt Yoo Han any time. So it seems that Yeon Woo was in power all along. Mono > Probe
BUT in the last episode Yoo Han explains that he can only see Yeon Woo’s face and as soon as they seperate he forgets his face. This would further proof that Yeon Woo has the upper hand here. BUT the thing is, they are sort of equals here. Yeon Woo has the “power” to let Yoo Han see his face and taking it away his face from Yoo Han. This means that in some way both hold kind of some power in their relationship making it somewhat equal, which is important. Yeon Woo = Yoo Han
And I think that’s beautiful. A relationship needs to consist of two equals. It can’t be healthy if one is always the one in charge and the other has no say in things.
The Color-Talks. I read a few post complaining that the series was wasting time by talking too much about colors. And I can kinda agree that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but in this show they did it for a reason. They could’ve cut it out, but it was important. The series is called Color Rush (look at the name, read it again, think about it, reread it, take it in and exhale it and now look in the mirror and answer the question: What is this show about?). Take I Told Sunset About You they also talk a lot about the chinese letters and what they mean and how you write them, would you consider that a waste of time? Maybe, but it’s not.
I’m actually glad that they didn’t cut it out. Just imagine one scene like this: “Oh there are many different shades of brown. There is chocolate, caramel, cinnamon [cut] and the last one is chestnut.” It would not only take away the flow but also feel somewhat half-assed and undermine the importance of this for Yeon Woo, who learns about the colors for the fist time. It means the world to him.
Also that they thought about the ten different shades of grey fits perfectly and seems well thought through. It makes perfect sense that people who are only able to see grey, would try to name the different shades.
It’s about the hands.
And this aren’t all of them. Do I have to say more?
That’s all I have to say about this series. Check out my other reviews.
My BL Review List: https://urmyquerencia.tumblr.com/post/627642344497364992/bl-reviews
This Week in BL - Getting Good & Hot 'Round These Parts
Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.
July 2026 Week 4
Ongoing Series - Thai
Payback (Sat iQIYI) ep 9 of 10 - Not many notes on this ep because I was riveted the entire time. It was very fast paced. I am, of course, nervous about next week (so far the ending has felt rushed). But there’s only one way to find out how they’re gonna land this sucker.
Dark blue sheets are very straight-dude coded. Just saying.
The Edge of Horizon (Sat Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - It is so good. I love this show so much. One of the sweetest, most tender NC scenes we’ve had in ages. I love that they are nesting but it’s sinister nesting. The contrast of their pure love and the corruption and tension all around them. Those rings are proper Thai gold! YES!
Peach and Me (Sat iQIYI) ep 3 of 4 - I do adore the sibling relationships in the show. They are all so charming. I did like that we got to see the bodyguards in action and some actual killing. And Rome turns out to be a bad ass. So does Peach. I gotta say, it’s dangerous to do back-to-back kissing scenes when the side dishes can out kiss the mains. But I’m not going to complain more than that.
Be My Player Two (Thurs WeTV) ep 2 of 10 - this episode wasn’t as good as the first one, but I still enjoyed it. Is that blond hottie Gunnar's new pair? That'd be nice. Question: is Kade going to be in everything Team Wabi Lite has its mits on now? I'm not mad about it. But maybe we could pair him up and start him kissing boys while we at it? Just saying.
Love Destiny (Tues iQIYI) ep 2 of 10 - I'm glad we are immediately given good reason for our lead to be a doctor. I’m also glad they left in some of the bathroom humor and the ancients did what now? I'm enjoying this show, but I’m pretty sure a large part of my enjoyment is based on nostalgia. So far I haven’t been able to emotionally separate this one from its precursor.
When Oranges Fall (Weds YT) ep 11 of 12 - This story is following the standard coming-of-age high school pattern. And while still cherishing some affection for it, I am a little bit bored.
A Dog and A Plane (Fri Gaga) ep 9 of 10 - They are so stinking cute together. It’s charming. I agree with others who pointed out that it was a terrible idea to put Tay in any kind of dance class. The man is a human wrecking ball. (Pandan cakelits! Khanom Krok Bai Toei! I love those!)
Oh my, is this the first time we’ve seen the military draft show up in a Thai BL? I think it is. Nice! Thailand usually doesn’t allow that. And this is GMMTV!
Knot (Thurs iQIYI) ep 4 of 10 - don’t ask questions when you know the answer is one you don't want! Frankly, I’m a little bit more into this show when it’s just the bedroom scenes and making out. I'm right back out and crinkle-nosed annoyed when they feel like they have to do due diligence to the world building or plot or whatever else is going on. (Incidentally our Pure Alpha uses chan/nai but Pure Omega uses khun) I do wish we were getting more with the sides. I know it was meant to be a dramatic, but I did giggle wildly at the stair/scent-off.
Singing my little refrain: still hate the script, still hate the wardrobe department.
Ongoing Series - Not Thai
The Prosecutor's Proposal (Korea Fri iQIYI) eps 7 of 8 - I did giggle at "Surprise! Pop-up boyfriend." Ju Tae Seon is the tsundere seme to end all others. My goodness. I did clap when our uke sub went inside his dom's house of his own free will. Never did I guess we would get a 3/3 heat rating out of a KBL. Wonders may never cease.
Bittersweet Love (China Fri Viki & Gaga) ep 7-8 of 12 - Oh I hate the family. Everyone is a bully. Poor baby trying to protect everyone including himself by running and I get it. All of the manipulation from Lu Qing and "friends" is so very bad it’s good. I hate how much I love this show, but I LOVE this show.
My Summer of You (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 5 of 10 - Oh right, the letter. I forgot about that part. And the POV switch. Of course. How classic JBL can we go?
Love Algorithm (China Fri WeTV) ep 1-2 of 10 - A writer for a reality dating show's former high school bestie (almost love turned enemy) goes viral. Now writer-boy must recruit his ex-whatever for said show. AND it is GREAT! Like really really good. There is pining already, and a cute sullen boy, and a hot talented boy, and moot crushes hidden away, and it's gonna be messy and glorious.
This feels/sounds like a Taiwanese production but it is labeled as produced in (of all INSANE places) Malaysia and distributed via Thailand, so I guess it's mainland money and talent? It's not on MDL tho (the Malaysia part could explain that). China is money laundering homosexuality at this juncture. We live in WILD times, people. Wild. When China comes to play there's no rules. None.
The Servant Prince (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 4 of 10 - Japan getting its freak on as per usual. About six of us are watching this, but all six of us are having a great time with extended kink negotiation, some nice communication, and an oddly sweet relationship. I love a Dom continually shocked that he gets to schtoop the boy of his dreams. Good work Japan.
A Winter Sun Wakes the Wind in Spring Hills' Dream (China Fri Gaga) ep 11 of 16 - these two are also really sweet together. They’re in a married couple phase at this juncture and it’s adorable. When China deigns to serve us up some domesticity, it’s tasty.
Are the Sexy Buttocks Not Good? (Japan Tues Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - I can’t believe I get to say this, but this is not my favorite JBL currently airing. Wild statement. Nevertheless, I am enjoying this. It is very awkward: awkward to watch and awkward because of the way the characters interact. I think that is the point, Japan does this sometimes. I’m just not a huge fan of this style BL.
Your Summer My Storm (Japan Tues Viki) ep 2 of 10 - Linguistic negotiation, my old friend and favorite trope, except this time around there was a negotiator. Or maybe... arbitrator? All of which is to say, this is a good high-quality JBL as we might expect, but for some reason it’s not hitting with me. At least not yet. I don’t love the cheating trope as a general rule. Even if it’s just a crush. And maybe it's not BL? Something feels off.
Smile after Tears (Taiwan Weds Gaga) ep 11 of 12 - I’m going to say it. This is one of those everybody loves the uke dramas... except me. I don't understand why anybody wants him. He is mind-numbingly dull.
It's airing but...
Ordinary Love (Japan TVer) 8 eps - I did want to see this, but it seems hard to find from Japan (SIGH) and I just don't have the energy for their prima-donna behavior.
Blue Lips (China) 16 eps - I watched 3. I like the visuals, but the production is absolutely abysmal. This definitely feels like it should be animated or AI or something. Dropped without further thought.
Sin and Love (Korea iQIYI) 10 eps - I didn't make it through ep 1. I find the leads utterly lacking in chemistry (still). Police, drug lords, undercover agents, and spies inhabit a power system that is collapsing. This feels like a bunch of kids playing dress up.
Make it Right 2026 (Thai Fri Viu) 10 eps - The remake no one asked for on a channel no one watches.
When Light Fades (Thai YT) 10 eps - dropped at ep 4. I just wasn't engaged and I don't think it's going to end well.
Deep In (China Viki) 12 eps - The leads of a BL cannot tell the difference between acting and reality. (Just like many BL fans.) I'm waiting until we know how this one ends. One can take the BL outta China, but one cannot take the mistrust of Chinese BL outta me.
Class Crush Crisis (Thai Netflix) 8 eps - trailer One of those high school messy gay shows Love Sick style. I like this kind of BL but I don't have Netflix and I'm not renewing my VPN until Sept, so...
Don’t Be Too Emotional (Thai iQIYI) 12 eps - By ep 5 I truly could not figure out how to enjoy this show. So I've dropped it.
Next Week Looks Like This:
Coming July & August 2026
7/26 Match Point (Thai Sun YT?) 10 eps - trailer Finally GMMTV is bringing us a sports BL. I don't think Ping is a particularly strong actor and I don't know Teshow but maybe they will surprise me. This is Bad Buddy plays tennis so I'm not exactly mad about it. SingChimon as the second leads is SENDING ME tho.
7/26 Your Third (Thai Sun iQIYI) 12 eps - trailer Like ForceBook I prefer MaxNat when they do drama, not comedy, so I am not sure about this. Enthusiastic secretary has to track down and bring back his boss's spoiled heartbroken younger brother.
7/27 Duty First, Kiss Later AKA Kiss wa Sousa no Ato de (Japan Mon Gaga) 10 eps - trailer stars Watanabe Shu and Saito Ryu directed by Ouchi Takahiro (Sugar Dog Life). A kindhearted beloved detective in his late 30s constantly bickers with his sharp-tongued, much younger colleague (10-year age gap). A sudden matchmaking proposal for the detective takes their contentious relationship into something deeper.
8/1 Your Sky: Hare Nochi Koi (Japan Thurs ???) 10 eps - I'm never wild about a Japanese adaptation of a Thai BL, partly because it's been MAME most of the time and partly ebcause they have a huge back catelogue of quality yaoi waiting to adapt, why opt for the poor story structure that is Thai BL (and I loved Your Sky). But I will keep trying.
8/5 After Changing Seats It Seems the Guy Sitting Behind Me Likes Me AKA Sekigae Shitara Doyara Ushiro no Otoko ga Ore no Koto Sukirashii (Japan Weds ????) 8 eps - Ordinary student Haru finds a handwritten confession from Kosei, the impossibly handsome and popular kid. Haru finds himself swept up by the relentless advances of a boy who has been hiding his feelings for far too long. School Trip 2.0? I'll take it.
8/8 Gelboys 2 (Thai Sat iQIYI) 8 eps - I won't be watching this but I know some of you loved Season 1.
8/6 Unlucky Bae (Thai Sat YT?) 10 eps - trailer ThamMac (with sides AunStamp - same as Revamp) star in this adaptation from the novel Chut Chop Sai Mu by LuaAimei. When his boyfriend, Aun, cheats on him, sorcerer Mac curses him but accidentally gets Aun's hot bestie instead. Feeling guilty, he tries to protect Tham from his own hex. (In case you are confused like me, Mac was the uke role in that horrible Thai remake of Addicted Heroin, and Tham is a fresh face. They both babies, so this is basically GMMTV's debut pair this year.) I like the premise and it looks silly and fun, will ride on the chemistry of the lead pair, so only one way to find out.
8/10 Popular Serizawa Acts Weird Around Me AKA Yokya Shudan ni Iru Serizawa wa Ore no Mae da to Yosu ga Okashii (Japan Mon ????) 10 eps - Suzuki, a loner student, secretly wrote a BL novel using the name of Serizawa, a popular guy in a group of outgoing people, as his model. But when Serizawa ends up reading it, Suzuki panics, convinced he'll be mocked. Instead, Serizawa unexpectedly showers it with praise. From that day on, Serizawa keeps finding reasons to hang around him and invite him out.
8/11 Yokya Shudan ni Iru Serizawa wa Ore no Mae da to Yosu ga Okashii (Japan Tues ????) 10 eps - Suzuki, a loner student, secretly wrote a BL novel using Serizawa, the school popular guy, as his model. When Serizawa reads it, Suzuki panics, but Serizawa showers it with praise. Then Serizawa keeps finding reasons to hang around him and invite him out.
8/14 Connecting to You (Taiwan Fri Viki & Gaga) 13 eps - trailer From 2025, Jia Kai can't see ghosts, but he can see the different colored threads connecting people. An accident brings him into contacts with a skeptical cop, but Jia Kai's ability can help start cases, they start living together. THIS IS THE SHOW I AM MOST EXCITED FOR THIS MONTH.
8/14 Chotto Matou yo Harutora-kun (Japan Fri ????) 10 eps - High school student Sui is often teased by the boys in his dorm. Though he laughs things off, deep down he's wary of close relationships. Then he's assigned to share a room with straightforward Harutora. A coming-of-age romance that captures the awkwardness of adolescent love.
8/16 Love3 AKA Love Cubed (Thai Sun iQIYI) - trailer The same team behind Love Sick 2024 uses much of the same side pairs to bring a Make It Right 2026 feeling peace. Chaotic boys in blue shorts. The scond trailer gave me more hope than the first.
8/25 Nour (Thai Tues WeTV) ?? eps - Oh it looks SO GOOD. Just watch the trailer. An actually creepy vampire suspense thriller with a touch of the macabre? Fresh pairs? I am VERY intrigued.
8/? Mr. Fanboy (Thai ???? iQIYI?) ?? eps - trailer Fanboy becomes an actor to get close to his crush but ends up with that crush's enemy and turns antifan. It's messy actors and I don't like fan stuff, but in this one both aspects are getting twisted. So I'm in. AuauSave getting to be leads with James back on my screen as the badie and I am not mad about any of it.
THIS IS INSANE
If you have more to add please leave a comment with deets. But Imma run out of tagging space soon. THIS IS TOO MUCH Y'ALL.
All BLs Announced for 2026 that I knew of at the start of the year. (Not kept updated.) Domundi Line 2026 Line Up (mid year)
This Week in BL - Thailand is Back, Bringing Daddies & Evil Dads Along With
Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.
July 2026 Week 2
Ongoing Series - Thai
Payback (Sat iQIYI) ep 7 of 10 - Trippy condo there, Jay. Jay is SO INTENSE and a total basket case and I love it for all of us. What a good show.
When Oranges Fall (Weds YT) ep 9 of 12 - it is really so very sweet. And the sides are so cute!!! I mean, the kissing is not awesome but it’s nice to see them try.
The Edge of Horizon (Sat Gaga) ep 4 of 10 - This show is very lakorn dramatic but in a tight tidy way. Not sure how to put it except that the melodrama very much works. Largely this is because of the actors. I’m reminded of JamFilm in this regard (DEATH GLITTER). And I have to say, I’m enjoying this largely because of the actors and the beautiful production values. Pond is possibly having too much fun with his role of Bad Boy. Horrible parents persist. Also... the Hickey of Despair vs the Hickey of Hope = NICELY DONE.
But why must these two persistent making out in public?
On a completely different note, I would like to see the pairing of Net + Ongsa.
Please and thank you.
The war of the best eye-work in all Thailand would be deeply absorbing to watch on my screen.
Peach and Me (Sat iQIYI) ep 1 of 4 - I love that we open on an affectionate battle between an introvert and his extrovert. I forgot how much this show makes me laugh. It’s so funny. The overabundance of EXTRA is so good. And the loving tolerance of the EXTRA is so sweet. Also, how much did I adore that we got a linguistic negotiation between friends!? Deeee-light-ful! (They put that part in for me.)
Est is having so much fun with his role. (Love the hair, love the glow up. V good. They filming You Maniac rn I assume.) So Rome can get a bit extra, just like his brother? Also, I see the lesbians have entered the chat.
This show defines entertaining and I am entertained.
A Dog and A Plane (Fri Gaga) ep 7 of 10 - I'm still enjoying this. I’m not sure it knows where it’s going anymore, but I don’t care. I have a smile on my face the whole time I watch it, which means I’m not bored. And it seems that’s all I need from Thai BL right now. Also a little linguistic negotiation never fails to make me happy.
Knot (Thurs iQIYI) ep 2 of 10 - Petrichor pheromones, huh? Asshole father brigade persists I see. They certainly went for in the heat/rut tropes. And... that's all I got because look this is not good. I want it to be good!
I like ABO! I also understand it, and its range of flavors. But this? I'm constantly questioning the worldbuilding and I don’t want to be doing that, it makes me think that my main character is an idiot. They could’ve solved this problem easily by making omega Petrichor a foreign exchange student (from some mythical island that also speaks Thai exactly the way they speak it in Bangkok). That’s more believable than whatever tf we have going on here. Also, the dialogue and execution is incredibly stilted. Also, I hate Petrichor's shorts so much. ALSO did it feel to anyone else like the cafe scenes had been cut in out of order?
I finally figured out what’s going on. This watches like fanfic. I don’t mind if something reads like fanfic, but I want my BL to watch like a BL. I don’t care about the authenticity granted to buy the "omegaverse fanfic relationship origin story" that fandom is obsessed with. This should still be a good omegaverse BL. You can argue until you are blue that it is "good omegaverse" but it isn’t good BL. And I DEMAND BOTH. And I'm mad about it. Because they had all the right ingredients with this one but the execution is FAILING ME. *whines in lazy alpha*
Cherm Chey (Tues Gaga) ep 9 of 10 - I’m relieved this is ending next week. I couldn’t really take much more. The weird thing is I do like it, I like it’s saturation of innate queerness and weirdness. But I’m not engaged with it in any way.
Don’t Be Too Emotional (Fri iQIYI) ep 3 of 12 - this is getting nicely creepy, I just don’t love creepy from Thailand. For me, it kinda doesn’t really jive with the nature of Thai BL. I’m interested in it and what is going on, but I don’t like it very much. Still, I am curious to see what happens when you break the devil‘s heart rather than his contract. I hope this is unflinching.
When Light Fades (Thurs YT) ep 3 of 10 - I don’t know what it is about this show, I just cannot engage with it. I’m not interested in the story or the characters or the chemistry. I think I might have to drop it out of boredom. There’s too much airing right now.
Ongoing Series - Not Thai
Are the Sexy Buttocks Not Good? (Japan Tues Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - Oh Japan. This is so you. But I like that everybody knows what they want (or want to try) and it’s just all very gay. I really appreciate that we got us actual bedroom voice from our daddy. Very nice. Also, I like the "teach me daddy" trope always. It’s one of my rarely seen favorites. I also like an age gap. So, yeah, this is great. Thanks, Japan. Communication. Permission. And it’s sexy. What’s not to love?
The Servant Prince (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - I’m not surprised that this one isn’t popular. It appears to have been made for approximately 6 people on the planet (all of us on Tumblr). But that’s it. Essentially, we are just watching two dudes trying to figure out their DS relationship and define the parameters. (Lifestyle service top meets spoiled prince?) It’s an extended kink negotiation BL. Didn’t even know such a thing existed, but apparently it does from Japan. (Then again, maybe that’s what My Personal Weatherman was…)
My Summer of You AKA Kimi wa Natsu no Naka (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - The quiet sweet cautious flirting is so adorable with these two boys. Also, baby‘s first taste of jealousy. That was fun. It’s nice to watch a JBL that feels like it’s going to be perfectly suited to the length that we all know it’s going to be. This kind of simple high school narrative just seems so well suited to Japan's format.
I MUST say: I have no idea how you get food on your face with chopsticks. I have never once done that. Spoon maybe, fork absolutely (stupid utensil), but chopsticks? Never.
The Prosecutor's Office's Proposal (Korea Fri iQIYI) eps 5 of 8 - oh it’s very good. That lip bite thing is excellent hot-sinister.
Gotta say I enjoy the intro music on this one. And I gotta say it because I never say that.
Love Class 3 (Korea Thurs Viki) eps 13-14 of 16 - It’s a change up for the books that I’m way more engaged with the main couple than the sides in this one. Sides still delivered a sweet NC, I gotta say. I’m looking forward to seeing how they end up resolving this show.
Bittersweet Love AKA The Man Who Married into a Wealthy Family (China Fri Viki & Gaga) ep 4 of 12 - such a fascinating dynamic. Such a complicated little dance of egos around one person who has essentially no ego or self-worth at all. I like this show a lot.
A Winter Sun Wakes the Wind in Spring Hills' Dream (China Fri Gaga) ep 9-10 of 16 - more evil dads. I'm still enjoying this. I really like the acting the directing and the chemistry. It’s the opposite of what Thailand has been serving us recently. We live in very interesting times.
Smile after Tears (Taiwan Weds Gaga) ep 9 of 12 - The backup pair is living together now. They’re very cute. it’s kind of interesting to watch a show where the second lead is the one who actually gets the boy in the end... So to speak.
It ended my thoughts:
The final pickup ep of Fourever You aired. It was lovely. We got a check in on everyone and it was very sweet.
I adored that it was mainly about North and making sure he had time with his friends.
Fix the Error! (Korea Fri Gaga) ep 6 end - An aggressively milktoast piece about a grim reaper who gets confused between two people, one of whom he’s supposed to kill. Then kinda falls in love with both. The premise is intriguing, unfortunately, only the actor playing the reaper had anything going for him. The surrounding cast was lackluster at best and scenery chewing at worst. 5/10
The Summer You Kissed Me (China YT) Did anyone manage to watch this? It's supposed to be done now. NOTE from helpful comment: this has gotten picked up by both Gaga and Viki as Your Summer, My Storm!
It's airing but...
CrazyLove-MooMoo AKA Crazy Love, Moo-Moo (Thai VIU) 10 eps- It's BossNoeul in a comedy based on a novel but who tf cares when my boy Noh is there paired with Turbo? How delightful. Honestly? I would love to watch this, but they sure aren’t making it easy (as the lack of gifs is proving). This has now ended, worth going grey for?
Lost to Light (Thai Fri YT) 10 eps - I really did try. The leads are cute. I watched the whole first episode. For which you should absolutely praise me. Because this is bad. Very slapstick. Unreal amount of egregious sound effects. To the point that I, who am mostly inured to idiotic noise in Thai BL now, still noticed them. And there’s like some form of some iteration of do we call it?) “music” involved. No. Not for me. Ends next week.
Ordinary Love (Japan Fri ????) 8 eps - Fumihara Ichiro and Higashi Kei are colleagues whose relationship began through a shared love of movies. While Kei admires Ichiro as both a mentor and a supervisor, neither expects their growing bond to develop into something more. I did want to see this, but it seems hard to find from Japan (SIGH) and I just don't have the energy for their prima-donna behavior.
Summer Clouds Bring Love and Chaos AKA Natsuiro no Kumo ga Koi to Arashi wo Makiokosu (Japan Sat ????) 10 eps - Starring Jpop idols (from the same group). Takemiya Natsuki, a high school senior, is having the worst summer ever: dumped by his girlfriend plus terrible mock exam scores. His worried older sister arranges for her boyfriend, Kobayakawa Sota, to tutor Natsuki’s. Surprise, he falls in love. This one is just not avaiable for inter audiences (see Ordinary Love).
Blue Lips (China) 16 eps - I watched 3. I like the visuals, but the production is absolutely abysmal. I mean worse than normal for a pulp out of China. But like the looping is awful. The music doesn’t sync. I don’t know what they want us to believe is going on, but whatever it is, there isn’t much of it. This definitely feels like it should be animated or AI or something. Dropped without further thought.
Sin and Love (Korea Tues iQIYI) 10 eps - Oh, this is definitely not for me. Not only is the chemistry still off with this pair, but the show feels like a bunch of kids playing dress up. I don’t like it at all. Didn’t even make it through the first episode.
In the News
Poom of UpPoom catching serious flack for good reason. Apology here. It's very complicated, read the whole thread. Ultimately IMHO: yes he's referencing a specific Thai stock character (think: commedia dell'arte) but online is a global stage and some stock characters, like BL tropes, should be left behind. Something need not be preserved through reenactment simply because it is culturally relevant. What's old is not, by default, better. (See logical fallacy argumentum ad antiquitatem.) All cultures evolve and change, sometimes via global pressure and respect for marginalized communities. That is not weakness, that's compassion.
God is back. Or at least returning. Maybe. No not that God. And those of you who have been around since Pink Milk was subbing the original 2Moons will know what I’m talking about. However, he’s not really back, and this YouTube video does a psychological analysis of fandom and parasocial relationships, that I think it’s really important for everybody to watch. So go watch it.
Next Week Looks Like This:
Coming July 2026
7/14 Love Destiny (Thai Tues iQIYI) 10 eps - trailer Adapted from the novel Bupphesanniwat co produced with China directed by the same man who directed the popular Thai het version in 2018 (also Interminable & The Cursed Love). They changed the main character to be a dr not an archeologist (disappointing). Leng stars opposite August (both of whom had prior pairs broken by scandal but) but ALSO both are great actors. I'm interested.
7/16 Be My Player Two (Thai Thurs WeTV) 10 eps - trailer NERDS IN LOVE!!! YAY! A sharp-tongued streamer and rookie gamer! What begins as a hunt for a rival unexpectedly turns into a discovery of love.
7/17 Make if Right 2026 (Thai Fri Viu) 10 eps - It's the remake no one asked for on a channel no one watches.
7/24 Class Crush Crisis (Thai Thurs Netflix/YT) 8 eps - trailer One of those high school messy gay shows Love Sick style.
7/26 Your Third (Thai Sun iQIYI) 12 eps - trailer Like ForceBook I prefer MaxNat when they do drama, not comedy, so I am not sure about this. Enthusiastic secretary has to track down and bring back his boss's spoiled heartbroken younger brother.
7/26 Match Point (Thai Sun YT?) 10 eps - trailer Finally GMMTV is bringing us a sports BL. I don't think Ping is a particularly strong actor and I don't know Teshow but maybe they will surprise me. This is Bad Buddy plays tennis so I'm not exactly mad about it. SingChimon as the second leads is SENDING ME tho.
7/27 Duty First, Kiss Later AKA Kiss wa Sousa no Ato de (Japan Mon ????) - stars Watanabe Shu and Saito Ryu directed by Ouchi Takahiro (Sugar Dog Life). A kindhearted beloved detective in his late 30s constantly bickers with his sharp-tongued, much younger colleague (10-year age gap). A sudden matchmaking proposal for the detective takes their contentious relationship into something deeper.
All BLs Announced for 2026 that I knew of at the start of the year. (Not kept updated.) Domundi Line 2026 Line Up (mid year)
This Week in BL - A week of sads, sinister moments, and shaky chemistry
Except not from Korea! 2 GREAT NC scenes from KOREA this week. We live in wild times.
Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.
July 2026 Week 1
Ongoing Series - Thai
Payback (Sat iQIYI) ep 6 of 10 - (in which I get creeped out again by BL’s furry fetish, not to yuck your yum but it really isn’t my thing) These two are serving up a very classic yaoi body language, seme/uke dynamic, and execution. And I’m enjoying it. Chemistry is great. Carry on.
When Oranges Fall (Weds YT) ep 8 of 12 - poor tortured emotional youths. Augar is the BEST!
A Dog and A Plane (Fri Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - at least we know the chemistry is solid. I do like how the morning after is very fraught. It seems more honest, making this a very mature BL for Thailand. I like that they’re using one of their mature couples executed. New is a very cute rabbit. And I like that they have their little dating moment. Oh my goodness, do I adore the side couple. So much flirting! Mond does a very good pathetic face.
GMMTV is doing some interesting things with this lineup right now. Except WOF, that is pretty classic no-frills.
The Edge of Horizon ( Sat Gaga) ep 3 of 10 - very much an "other side of the tracks" romance that is giving me The Servant and the Young Master meets Love in the Moonlight. (It seems we’ve been getting a lot of of these lately. Or is that just me?) So we got a very dramatic and sad parting. And then a full 11 year time jump. Which I appreciate. WE now facing up to the Siamese Revolution of 1932. I said it in previous commentaries on these shows, this is one of my favorite times in Thailand’s history. It looks like we’re gonna get a meeting of the minds that facilitates a smooth power transition, through the lens of lovers. Our prince is a pretty sweetie with very yearning eyes, but boy has no riz whatsoever. Phob’s character clearly is referencing real officers involved at the time of the revolution.
(All of which is to say, I encourage you to read the Wikipedia article I linked above, I think it will facilitate your enjoyment of this show substantially more.)
Cherm Chey (Tues Gaga) ep 7 of 10 - not gonna lie, I'm kinda bored with this. All this nothingness could have happened in 5 eps and I'd have been fine with the show. But this is just dull.
Knot (Thai Thurs iQIYI) ep 1 of 10 eps - From the My Stubborn team, Thailand watched ABO Desire and said to the BL world "Here, hold my pink milk" and then tossed it to BoatOat. WE ARE SEATED.
Okay we were seated. I'm fidgeting now. It is stiffer than I wanted (yes yes I get the pun and the irony). It's just not as good as I want it to be. I have questions:
Why is the script so terrible? Was this written by a 12 year old?
What us the directing so juvenile?
Why us the hair so ghastly? (this isn't Japan)
Why his he wearing the ugliest shorts I have ever seen in my life.
Why does our omega know nothing about this own society?
Why so much infodumping about the stuff we don't need to know and so little character devlopment?
I did seriously entertain doing a trash watch for this. But I’m not sure it’s going to be bad enough for a trash watch. I'm mostly just confused and bored and, frankly, disappointed.
Don’t Be Too Emotional (Fri iQIYI) ep 2 of 12 - this remains sinister and creepy and I remain modestly intrigued. Not yet sure if this is going to be about a standard abusive relationship, or one that involves a pact with an actual demon, or if it’s meant to blurr the boundaries between the two. There is something weirdly endearing about a monster who is trying not to be a monster because he has encountered the first person in the world who makes no demands or desires of him.
When Light Fades (Thurs YT) ep 2 of 10 - Hum. Not sure.
Ongoing Series - Not Thai
Love Class 3 (Korea Thurs Viki) eps 11-12 of 16 - HOORAY, IT’S SO GOOD! Good kisses (FINALLY) and a nice soft mutual NC. From Korea? You really gunning to win the ranking, aren't you?
My Summer of You AKA Kimi wa Natsu no Naka (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 2 of 10 - this is one of those where just by the gentle reaction to the confession we understand why Saeki likes Wataru.
The Prosecutor's Office's Proposal (Korea Fri iQIYI) eps 3-4 of 8 - oh unexpected drunk hook up. My goodness this is going quickly in a direction I was not expecting. These two are in all sorts of trouble and all sorts of protocol violations, all of the time. And I don’t know anything about the Korean legal system, but I still know that. Fun for us to watch, tho.
Bittersweet Love AKA The Man Who Married into a Wealthy Family (China Fri Viki & Gaga) eps 1-3 of 12 - Buckle up, strap in, put on your collars folx, we got un one of THOSE.
This is a period piece (1990s) which I wasn't expecting. It's also more realistic and less camp than I thought it'd be. Frankly, I thought this would be one of those CBLs that could be a vertical, but nope. It’s more gritty than that. It’s actually a pretty cutting critique of the elite and ultra wealthy. How daring of you, China. (But I suppose it’s a BL they can get away with more when it’s not being internally distributed.) I really do not think the voiceover is necessary at all. The actors are doing a fine job conveying what’s going on. Owner/pet dynamic. I really hope the lead is going to come into his own eventually, but I suspect not, given the title.
If you're kinky, this is your show. This is an obvs D/s dynamic. There are aspects of both whipping boy and bully romance to this, but really it is just pure D/s.
I’m gonna add this note, 'cause I know there are a few of you out there who read this blog because you know my personal proclivities. So far, the D/s is well done. This is a lifestyle submissive with pleaser tendencies and a strict demanding dominant (possible saddest). These first 3 episodes they’re quite young, so we’re watching them figure this out about themselves.
There is this little twist that it’s obvious the sister was married to our submissive because they needed either a scapegoat, a fall guy, or a husband in reserve because she is so wild. Essentially, the marriage is a face-saving endeavor. And it would seem the idea for this came from the brother. Since he seems to be a manipulative strategist. The fact that in arranging this marraige, he got himself a subby boy who is a near perfect match to his proclivities, is part of his internal conflict and struggle.
Clearly, I am enjoying this cause I have a lot to say about it.
The Servant Prince (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - Ah whipping boy my old friend. No one does you like Japan does you. Plus spoiled price? Nice. This is another extremely fun dynamic. (They making this one for both me and @heretherebedork at last!) The hair is obligingly ghastly. Interesting that we are essentially starting with the end. I’m not mad about it. How are we gonna get 10 episodes out of it though?
A Winter Sun Wakes the Wind in Spring Hills' Dream (China Fri Gaga) ep 7-8 of 16 - I really do enjoy the lead couples dynamic, and I like the filming style a lot. I suspect you have to enjoy both those two things to stick with this show for as long as it’s gonna go, as it is slow. All that said, I'm now watching this on 1.5 speed.
Fix the Error! (Korea Fri Gaga) eps 5 of 6 - The bad guy Grim Reaper seems to be just a kind of a caricature of a villian with no motivation whatsoever. I’m not wild about this plot twist. Cute unexpected kiss from the white knight. And more kisses. OK. I mean, we all knew the roommate was endgame because he’s taller, but I’m a little confused as to what’s going on in terms of chemistry.
Smile after Tears (Taiwan Weds Gaga) ep 8 of 12 - It’s just sad.
It ended my thoughts:
Lately It's Winter Season Fourever You2 (Fri WeTV) ep 8 end - It was a very sweet final episode and this is a very sweet installment in this series. Probably not my favorite of the line up, but still sweet.
Summary
A classic friends to lovers story except one of them happens to be in the mafia and pines for six years through high school and then college. Then they finally get together. That's basically it. 8/10
Love of Silom (Fri WeTV) ep 12 - A nice, if slightly unearned, ending.
Summary
UpPoom (kings of complex BL) return for their 2nd offering. The story of a closeted cop and a bar host with family troubles who fall in love and investigate drug trafficking. This was a good BL with a solid story, but what carried it was, without question, the lead pair. Who were excellent. It’s never going to rise to the top as one of my personal favorites, but I did enjoy it. 8/10
On a completely different note, it was very fun for me (I don’t know if any of you were in on it) to imagine that Host Kade (who is also a college bestie in Lately It’s Winter Season), was actually the same character. He obvs had this whole double life as a host.
Ticket To Heaven (Sat Gaga) ep 6 end - Ah, the insidiousness of faith. I enjoyed that in this final episode we got the contrast between parental figures, both of whom want the best for the lead character, but who represent polar opposites of social hierarchy, politics, and POV. In fact, all along this show has had some interesting dialogue around mentor and parental figures.
Summary
The story of an orphan boy in seminary and the rebellious troubled kid who enters and upsets his life with love. There’s some unique allegory around parental figures in this show, but apart from that it’s a relatively simplistic narrative that manages to be quite special because of cast and productions. Ultimately this is a beautifully acted (G4 both do a stellar job with their respective parts ) short series about the conflict between morality as prescribed by faith, and the ethics of an honest identity and real love. This is not new ground, it has been tread, many times over, by thousands of queer narratives. But it was new for Thai BL. In this, although they are different in tone, this show has more in common with BLs like Present Perfect, I Told Sunset About You, or Not Me. While. I understand why these shows appeal, they simply do not appeal to me. Yes I cried. I can see how this could go high as 10/10 for some but for me its a 8/10.
The Boy and I Who Will Break Up in 100 Days AKA 100 Nichi Go ni Wakareru Boku to Kare (Japan Weds Gaga) 10 eps - I gave the first ep a try and it just really wasn't for me. (Advised that yes, don't bother.)
The Summer You Kissed Me (China YT) Did anyone manage to watch this? It's supposed to be done now.
It's airing but...
The Boy and I Who Will Break Up in 100 Days AKA 100 Nichi Go ni Wakareru Boku to Kare (Japan Weds Gaga) 10 eps - I gave the first ep a try and it just really wasn't for me.
CrazyLove-MooMoo AKA Crazy Love, Moo-Moo (Thai Sat VIU) 10 eps- It's BossNoeul in a comedy based on a novel but who tf cares when my boy Noh is there paired with Turbo? How delightful. Honestly? I would love to watch this, but they sure aren’t making it easy as the lack of gifs is proving.
Lost to Light (Thai Fri YT) ep 1 of 10 eps - I really did try. The leads are cute. I watched the whole first episode. For which you should absolutely praise me. Because this is bad. Very slapstick. Unreal amount of egregious sound effects. To the point that I, who am mostly inured to idiotic noise in Thai BL now, still noticed them. And there’s like some form of some iteration of do we call it?) “music” involved. No. Not for me.
Ordinary Love (Japan Fri ????) 8 eps - Fumihara Ichiro and Higashi Kei are colleagues whose relationship began through a shared love of movies. While Kei admires Ichiro as both a mentor and a supervisor, neither expects their growing bond to develop into something more.
I did want to see this, but it seems hard to find from Japan (SIGH) and I just don't have the energy for their prima-donna behavior.
Next Week Looks Like This:
Coming July 2026
7/7 Are the Sexy Buttocks Not Good? (Japan Tues Gaga) 10 eps - The older man who saved him from a groper turned out to be the president of the company where he would later work.
7/8 Sin and Love (Korea Tues iQIYI) 10 eps - Not gonna lie I find this pair utterly lacking in chemistry. Police, drug lords, undercover agents, and spies—all layers of the power system are collapsing. Behind a seemingly lawful police hierarchy lies a city controlled by corruption, desire, and hidden power games, where human lives are only bargaining chips. Love and sex become tools of control and exchange.
7/11 Peach and Me (Thai Sat iQIYI) ? eps - You know how I feel about second seasons but I am making an exception for this ridiculous gem.
7/11 Summer Clouds Bring Love and Chaos AKA Natsuiro no Kumo ga Koi to Arashi wo Makiokosu (Japan Sat ????) 10 eps - Starring Jpop idols (from the same group) in the lead roles. Takemiya Natsuki, a high school senior, is having the worst summer ever: dumped by his girlfriend plus terrible mock exam scores. His worried older sister arranges for her boyfriend, Kobayakawa Sota, to tutor Natsuki’s. Surprise, he falls in love.
7/14 Love Destiny - gay remake of the 2018 het drama (Thai Tues iQIYI) 10 eps - trailer Adapted from the novel Bupphesanniwat co produced with China directed byt the same man who directed the popular Thai het version in 2018 (also Interminable & The Cursed Love). They changed the main character to be a dr not an archeolgist (disappointing). Leng stars opposite August (both of whom had prior pairs broken by scandal but) but ALSO both are great actors. I'm interested.
7/16 Be My Player Two (Thai Thurs WeTV) 10 eps - trailer NERDS IN LOVE!!! YAY! A sharp-tongued streamer and rookie gamer! What begins as a hunt for a rival unexpectedly turns into a discovery of love.
(Yes yes I'll try to get July releases together next week. You want more? Insanity)
All BLs Announced for 2026 that I knew of at the start of the year. (Not kept updated.) Domundi Line 2026 Line Up (mid year)
