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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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People Like Us: Seasons 1 & 2 (Singapore)

By Golu
People Like Us is a poignant reflection and insightful look at being gay in Singapore, following the lives of four gay men in Singapore as they navigate life and relationships. The series is raw and telling, never shying away from controversial topics while being respectful of the subjects addressed. There are 2 seasons, each with 6 episodes of about 7-8 minutes each. Singapore does have a weird standing where legally gay men have no rights, yet the city-state does have a very active, gay community. 

We meet 4 gay men based in Singapore. Joel has been looking for love but somehow all his ex's left him after sometime. He meets Ridzwan, a Malay origin muslim guy who is in closet. Something about. Him attracts Joel and he pursues him relentlessly till he agrees to go out. Before you realize they begin to like each other, but the conflict arises mostly due to Ridzwan not being out. We then have a 20-something old Indian origin army recruit who is constantly on Grindr looking for Mr. Right until he meets 45-year-old banker Isaac, whom he likes but Isaac friend zones him. Isaac is a late bloomer, was married and wants to enjoy and have sexual fulfillment. Rai meanwhile Haniff, they have chemistry, but something keeps Haniff away. Turns out he is positive and despite him liking Rai, he was afraid he will be snubbed. They talk and things start to look better. Meanwhile Isaac has ben having orgies and sexual relationships leading him to STI's and a bit of loneliness in the process.

While the first season was more focused on the men trying to find a partner, either sexually or romantically, this season focuses on the men having found someone now trying to navigate issues as they get to know each other better. By fleshing out each of their stories, we get a glimpse of their lives, their daily struggles, and their motivations. The respectful and realistic portrayals help us empathize with the plight and struggles of characters example Rai being hopeless romantic but realizing that finding love is not going to be easy. This portrayal sees gay men not as the caricatures we are used to but as real living people, humanizing them and allowing watchers to fully empathize with them. This series is affiliated some local foundations trying to also educate people  about sexually-transmitted diseases, particularly when it comes to HIV. The show tries to use the snippets of lives of these 4 men to not only entertain us but also educate the audience. The show makes you think that homophobia probably doesn't exist in Singapore but in season 2 , some elements of it are shown. We also get to see parents of these individuals and how these guys are balancing being out and open while their parents being ok about this fact. Overall, the show is an easy breezy watch. With its short episodes, it goes by quick. It won't be memorable but it's not bad either. An easy filler watch when you wanna see something that will not ask for too much time commitment from you. (5/10)
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Sailor Maan said…
Very nice little series. After watching so many BL I forgot was real gay life was like lol.
Poor Rai in the first season desperatly looking for prince charming and always being deceived or taken advantage of was so touching. You want to hug him. Joel and Ridzwan meeting was really weird though. But they grew on me.
Liked the safety message they were trying to tell as well.
To bad there is something missing - a season 3 - to end things properly. Still one of those good mini gay series. Reminded me a lot of Gay ok bangkok and The horizon.
July 28, 2023 at 5:39 AM
Golu said…
I agree. the series seemed to have finished jut like that without a closure
August 1, 2023 at 10:23 AM
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