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Chained To My Bully Stepbrother (AI Vertical BL Drama)

By Golu
This is the second vertical AI BL drama I've sat through, and honestly I went in knowing better. I had it on while I was doing cardio at the gym, and what struck me was just how much the plot echoed the last one I watched. Same step brother romance angle, same mystery girlfriend showing up near the end, same extra guy pining after one of the leads. Genuinely the only thing going for it was the runtime, the whole thing wrapped up in forty five minutes flat.  The setup kicks off with Finn moving schools because his mom just married into money. He finds out his new step brother Aiden goes to the same place, and he's warned to keep his distance from him. Their first run in at school is rocky, just like you'd expect, but there's this odd pull between them neither can shake off. Finn keeps telling himself not to read into it because Aiden's straight and openly homophobic. Things shift when some kids start bullying Finn and the student council president, Ryan, steps in to ...
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Call It What You Want: Season 1 (Thai Series)

By Golu
A drama that explores the sinister and exploitative side of the acting industry , especially in the BL world. The drama sounds amazing on paper, but it is unbelievingly badly executed. The first 5 episodes are wasted in a wishy washy love story, whereas they could have easily gone to the main crux of the story. By the time the meat comes, the season one ends in a limbo and now we will have to wait to check what happens in season 2.

James is an upcoming director who gets hired to direct a new BL show starring Ait and Bas. Tee, an older guy runs the production company, who is a very unfriendly person and very strict rules on how the new BL couple should behave. His company was recently in news when the lead actor quit. During their introductions, James is surprised to learn that Ait has been forced to get a nosejob, while Bas is on a restrictive diet to maintain his physique. Ait develops a huge crush for James, who eventually reciprocates the feeling, despite repeated warnings form the producer. We also meet Marco, James' best friend who clearly also loves him. Meawhile Bas is getting unpredictable and one day he finally confides into Ait, how he had been sexually abused by Tee, the boss. The previous actor also comes out with allegations against the producer Tee. The show's last episode is all about Marco spending time with a very devastated and broken Bas trying to cheer him up and eventually leaving him at his brother's place. Clearly season 2 is in order.

As I have said before, for some odd reason the series wastes80% of its time in a love story that is not even appealing at any level. Ait's crush on James just happens randomly and even from James' reciprocation. It is totally unbelievable. We have seen this stuff so often in so many places, I wonder why the makers did not think about bringing Bas' story sooner. The series would have benefitted from a more focussed approach rather than a very incoherent screenplay and a wobbly packing. Ait and James have no chemistry. The last episode brings more focus on two interesting characters of Marco and bas but just when it starts getting a little interesting, it just ends. I understand the makers idea of keeping the audience engaged and wanting a second season but I really wonder when the first season is so underwhelming, can I expect anything better from the sequel? (3/10)
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Sailor Maan said…
I have the exact same analysis as you : 3/4 of the show wasted on a dull relationship. And when things finally get really interresting, it's over...
I wanted to shake James who would take forever to answer everytime, that was horrible. And can we talk about those car scenes omg.
Thankfully, season 2 is a lot better imho. It's still flawed, but more Bas/Marco and less James/Ait is enough to make it worth it if you've already been through season 1.
October 17, 2021 at 2:29 PM
Golu said…
I have just started to watch season 2, so keeping my fingers crossed.
And yes, th horrible car scenes. OMG!! It was like they were gonna run over by those really bad CGI traffic. lol
October 18, 2021 at 1:41 AM
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