Skip to main content

Soul Mate (Japanese Series)

Is this technically a gay show? Even after getting through the whole thing, that's still kind of tricky to answer. There's never any physical intimacy shown between the two leads, not even a single kiss. What it gives you instead is something that goes way deeper than that. It traces an emotional bond that spans a full decade between two guys who are both dealing with their own baggage, and what they share basically amounts to being soulmates. The story moves across Japan, South Korea, and Berlin. Honestly, whether people want to call what they have a romantic relationship or not doesn't really matter to me. A relationship doesn't need a label like boyfriends attached to it to actually mean something. And closeness doesn't need to be physical to feel genuine. What this show captures is something quieter but way more powerful, a bond rooted in understanding, respect, and just showing up for each other. Across eight episodes, each running 35 to 45 minutes, this is one...

Nation's Brother (Vietnamese Series)

This Vietnamese BL series could have been so much better. They had a great looking cast, a decent story on hand, but like most companies, the makers got trapped to use almost BL tropes in one single show and the editing of the show was so bad. The scenes felt a disjointed at many places. What could have been a good goofy comedy, if treated well, turned out to be a below average fare. The show is 6 episodes of about 25 minutes each.

Minh is a businessman who lives with his younger sister. One night while walking he meets drunk student Tan and next thing you know is they have a one night stand after a night of drinking. His sister is not getting good Martin school so he is looking third tutor and Tan applies for position and gets the job. Minh remembers who Tan is but Tan can't recollect the said night. Slowly Tan starts to become integral part of the brother-sister family cooking them meals as well. Things change, when Minh's childhood friend arrives and it feels that he is madly in love with Minh. Its only later we learn that he just hasn't figured out who he really is. Meanwhile Minh and Tan are going through regular flirting but none making the move. There is the usual misunderstanding and Tan is asked to leave home but its only later Minh realizes his true feelings for Tan. Spanner is thrown in the mix, when Minh's assistant who has harbored crush on Minh for a long time tries to break up Minh and Tan but eventually love wins and all misunderstandings are cleared.

As I mentioned before, the makers a had an interesting story on hand, had they treated it right. Tan and Minh had great chemistry. Minh is someone who is questioning is sexuality (turns out Tan is the only one he has been with since he is literally allergic to women) and Tan is sure he is gay and also likes Minh, except he cannot handle his attitude. Minh is stubborn and a man with ego which clearly he tries to force on his sister as well, but thankfully the girl playing the role of the sister is amazing. She reminded me of Pearl from Gameboys and in my opinion, is truly the star of the show. She knows when to push buttons for everyone including her brother and tries her level best to ship Minh and Tan because she knows they will get along well. But the biggest problem is incoherent storytelling. It feels that many scenes are just stitched together and there were many places where I felt lack of continuity. Also, at least 2-3 times in every episode, a scene would be shown, then in flashback the context of the scene will be shown and then the original scene continues. I really don't understand what was the whole point of using that approach. It gets so annoying because it happens so many times. You give audience a scene without context, then give back story and then continue. This works maybe once or twice but not multiple times in every episode. Similarly, the goos natured assistant suddenly becoming jealous and almost villain was not needed. The best friend from school who thinks he loves Minh was slightly annoying but his track could have been more interesting if there was more comedy and light scenes with him and Tan. Talking about actors, besides the sister, acting wise they all do a good job and look good. Tan stands out with his innocent looking face. Sadly, a promising premise doesn't get the right execution, and the low production quality doesn't help either. Also, don't ask me, why the random title of this series! (4/10)

Comments

Sailor Maan said…
An ok one for me. I might actually be teh best vietnamese BL I've seen so far? Which is not saying much unfrotunately. The show does have nice things like funny and witty dialogues, and 2 good couples. But the horrible editing (probably very low budget) and those disjointed scenes and recycled images leaves a big negative impact.
I had recently seen "I want to see you" and it's obviously from the same production company, they have the same main actor, same music, same kind of intro, same low production value... and I'm pretty sometimes some of the same clothes. But in a worse version (doesn't have the comedy feeling and many horrible toxik characters)
Golu said…
I agree. Vietnam really needs to up their game in this genre. Their neighboring countries are so much ahead of their contemporaries.

Popular posts from this blog

The Tuxedo (Thai Series)

When I saw this series with 8 episodes of about 20-25 minutes each, I thought, good: Finally someone has come to senses and made a show which is not stretched out and they have tried to squeeze in a decent storyline in a good small episode format. But unfortunately, despite a decent premise on hand, the clunky writing, bad screenplay and an extreme tasteless portrayal of mental illness makes this show, not a fun watch. By the time it finishes, you just want to laugh off at the entire absurdity of it all. Aioun is talented tuxedo designer and very much in demand but he has handful of clients and he builds suits only for people who he feels a connection to. One night when his younger brother is about to get mugged, he is helped by a total stranger named Sichol. Since he tears his suit in the fight and has an interview the next day, Aioun gifts him a suit form his design as an expression of thanks. Sichol's interview is for. Personal assistant of a man named Nawee, a wealthy heir to h...

Heartstopper: Season 2 (Web Series) (UK)

Heartstopper Season 1 was a universal hit. You could not have read one bad review or heard from anyone who has seen the show not liking it. It was the kind of series that is easy to love, with sweetness exploding out of every scene without overwhelming you. So naturally, when Netflix greenly Season 2, expectations were naturally high and the same happened with me. I didn't know what to expect, but I had high expectations of this very very sweet teenage love story. And with eagerness and being a little late to the game by a few days, here I am, pouring my t thoughts down having just finished one of the most anticipated shows of the year. The second season also has 10 episodes and has all of our loved ones from the original season. The show continues from where it had left off in Season 1. Charlie and Nick are a couple and only their very close circle of friends know about it. This includes Charlie's best friend Tao and his trans best friend Elle. The center of the show is still ...

Gaya Sa Pelikula (Filipino Series) [Like In The Movies]

Pinoy BL series seem to be catching up to the popularity of the Thai shows. And I must say that they are doing a pretty good job at it. Where Thai series started to get repetitive with so many shows based in a college setting with seemingly similar storylines, Pinoy series are offering the viewers with new and interesting stories and some really good sets and surroundings. This series was 8 episodes of about 25-20 minutes each. Karl, a 19-year old introvert architecture student is in the middle of an identity crisis. Prior to the start of the second semester in college and forced by his parents, he moves into his uncle's condominium unit so that he can learn to be financially independent. Karl takes on odd jobs online to do so. But when one of his major clients suddenly goes MIA, he is left short on funds and without a means to pay for his utilities. An opportunity presents itself when his cocky neighbor Vlad has to hide from his family and proposes to share Karl's space for th...