After a couple of years off, the creators finally dropped a third season of this show, oddly titled with 2024 in it for some reason I genuinely can't figure out. The story basically picks up right where things left off, following our lead Mobu as he keeps trying to survive inside this whole BL universe, just another character desperately trying not to fall for another guy. Season two left us with his relationship with Kikuchi, and this season kicks off right as Kikuchi heads off to university, which means Mobu's single again and honestly couldn't be happier about it. With six episodes, each running about 23 minutes, this is a quick, easy watch. Now that Mobu's back to being single, he's got to stay alert for every signal or trope that could end up pulling him into another relationship with a guy if he's not careful. So across these episodes, we watch him run into two of these signals per episode through the people around him and how they end up falling for each ...
Jeffrey's Hollywood Screen Trick: A very funny and witty look at the gay 'dance party' and the associated interaction between gay men at this type of event. Using clever animation involving Billy love dolls, you may actually laugh while watching this one. Though the ending might comes as a shock.
Shame No More: An extremely clever send up of the 50's propaganda films denouncing homosexuality and the ability to 'cure', though here it is the heterosexuals with the problem! Beautifully filmed to realistically look like a 1950's film.
Soda Pop: A lovely tale of unrequited teenage first love. It's amazing how the filmmaker made it look like it was shot in the 70's.
The Trey Billings Show: The longest of the short films, this deals with a very low budget cable TV show hosted by an interesting character called Trey Billings. The film delves into why a lot of gay men worship female icons of yesteryear (though in a total side-splitting way!)
Dirty Baby Does Fire Island: Involving an animated baby doll with live footage - you wouldn't believe the situations Baby comes across like the secret joy and torment of poppers, cocaine, bulging muscles and sweaty sex.
Pyongyang Robogirl: Probably my least favourite of the films, it's basically a film depicting a female traffic controller in an Asian country. What was the point of this film?
These shorts are breathless reminders of what queer cinema was like before films like Parting Glances paved the way for lifeless gaysploitation like Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss and Trick. This collection did not do it for me. (3/10)
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