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Chained To My Bully Stepbrother (AI Vertical BL Drama)

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 ...

Memory (Vietnamese Series)

Oh god! Another show that had an interesting premise and storyline and the execution falters big time. The show stretches a paper thin plot over 14 episodes each of about 15 isa minutes, but then the repetitive scenes keep going on forever and everything is eventually tied together in 12/13 episode. Three were so many places where I completely lost interest ins hat was going on since it was just not worth it.

Khánh Dang lost his memory after a serious accident. He could only remember he had some sort of interaction with this girl named Tô Linh. When he asked her about it, Tô Linh would tell him that the two of them were actual lovers. Not having any recollection, Khánh Dang believes it to be the case, but somehow doesn't feel committed to this relationship, especially to Linh who is constantly harsh to him. Suffering from constant headaches, Khanh Dang begins to have dreams that he and a strange boy had loving gestures towards each other, which raises many questions for his psychiatrist. As time goes by, Khánh Dang grows more tired, wearied, and depressed to the point where he decides to commit suicide. 

The mysterious boy is Anh Hào, after a fatal accident in which he perishes, he becomes a spirit and goes to the land of the gods. Witnessing his beloved, Khánh Dang, being tormented and seeking to end his life, Anh Hào asks the gods for help. He is allowed to come back to life, with no one being able to recognize him. He will not be able neither to recognize anyone but Khánh Dang. Within the 3-month timeframe, Anh Hào must help Khánh Dang get over his mental health crisis. Simultaneously, Khánh Dang must come to recognize Anh Hào as his beloved. And what role does that girl have to play in all this, is something that will eventually be revealed.

As mentioned above, the story was promising. A contemporary love story with a mythical twist. On paper, the story has promise but the screenplay falters big time. It takes a few episode to realize what the hell is going on and once the premise is clear and the interest peaks up, we are burdened by some sub plots like that of the doctor and all that just takes away the focus from the primary storyline. Its only towards the end of the show that the story comes back to track and by then unfortunately, I personally had lost interest. Also, the big secret of what really happened to the lovers and the girl involvement is something that you see coming from miles. Its a done to death plot twist but within the bounds of this script could have been handled better. The production quality is just average. The only good thing about the show is beautiful scenic mountain locations and some decent looking actors. But other than that acting and direction is average. The two actors playing the two gods were so annoying with their antics and crazy laughter. Vietnam BL has a long way to go but I hope they continue to take the steps in right direction. Its a shame when a story has promise but audience is failed by a jarred execution. Lets hope smelting better comes soon. (3.5/10)

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