Welcome
I watch a lot of global BL (Boys Love) and GL (Girls Love) series. People frequently criticize BL fans, and I can understand to a fault — After all, every fandom has a dark side to it. I think the appeal lies in the rarity of LGBTQ+ representation in media. In the USA, you can count the number of series featuring an LGBTQ+ main character on one hand. In Thailand, listing all the LGBTQ+ series would result in a novel.
Another reason for the “global” piece is the great benefit for language learners. Let’s be honest, how long can you be haunted by the Duolingo owl before you realize you haven’t breached the beginner level of a language. Not to mention, college courses are expensive and not always an option. Watching media in different languages is extremely beneficial from a linguistics standpoint.
Finally, most of my reviews will be on works from East Asia. This is because I studied that area in college and plan to continue my study of the region in my (hopefully) future career (and if that career could review my resume a little faster I would be very grateful). Hopefully this clears up what this blog will be about.
Now here’s the fun part.
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I know my opinions are not going to be the same as everyone else’s. I am very particular about series, but when I find a good one I cannot put it down. However I want some consistency, hence the following grading system. (The more points, the better the series is)
Picture: This category is simple. Is the show aesthetically pleasing? Is the filming good? Mind you, I am not an expert at filmography, so this is more based on a viewer’s experience. (Points possible: 1–5)
Acting: This is self explanatory to a fault. If the main characters are amazing actors, I can usually overlook that stiff side character (if you know, you know). Therefore, even if a series has a few bad eggs here and there, I’ll likely be generous with this score. (Points possible: 1–5)
Story: This is the most important part of the series. There are shows with gorgeous scenery and amazing actors, but if the story is bad or makes me uncomfortable, I likely won’t make it past the first couple of episodes. I am not a fan of the you-just-need-to-wait-until-episode-10-it-gets-better-I-swear shows. If a story is good, it has to hook me in from the beginning all through the end. The uncomfortable part is much more my own opinion and less constructive criticism. However I believe some viewers will certainly feel similarly, which is why I take this into consideration. Let’s be honest, not everyone is content watching a character fall for a horrible person. Because it’s my goal that people will use this blog to determine what show to watch next, I feel it necessary to include some warnings for certain series. Because this is such an important category, it has the largest range for potential points. (Potential points: 1–10)
Availability: As you may have guessed, I am from the U.S. Not every show is accessible on YouTube or Netflix. This is even more true for foreign BL series. It’s difficult to watch a series when you first need to set up a VPN and then go to a sketchy website where you’re likely not supporting the company which created the series. There are also series on apps with paywalls, and while I understand why, there are plenty of shows available for free. Therefore, I will only post reviews of free shows and save my readers some money. Now as for whether you will need a VPN and a bunch of anti-virus software, that’s where the points come in. (Potential points: 1–2)
If you read all the way to here, thank you! I hope people will find this useful and understand that this is all my opinion. Representation is increasingly important given the decline of rights in the world. Representation is powerful — I almost guarantee LGBTQ+ series played a role in the emergence of gay marriage in Thailand and Taiwan. Watching a series will not only show LGBTQ+ characters on the big screen, but they also teach you language and culture. I hope you all enjoy.
