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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...

Open To It: Season 2 (Web Series)

I remember really liking the sassiness of the first season, so I was actually pretty excited to dive into season two. But honestly, I’ve gotta say this latest round was a bit of a letdown compared to the original. The jokes just didn't land for me, the humor felt like it was trying too hard, and the whole thing just felt a little off. There are seven episodes in total, starting with a special that aired a few months ago for Pride. In that one, Cam and his drag family try to do a story hour, but the crowd isn't exactly feeling the vibe.

To catch you up: Cam and Greg are this solid couple who previously tried a poly thing with a younger guy named Princeton, which totally crashed and burned. They’ve got lesbian neighbors, and one of them is tight with Princeton. Even though the poly thing failed, the couple is still determined to have threesomes, so each episode follows their search for a third. In one bit, Cam brings home a guy from the gym who looks exactly like Greg—they thought the whole "twin energy" thing would be hot, but it was a disaster. Meanwhile, Princeton is feeling totally left out until the couple realizes they’ve been jerks to him. They eventually show up at his naked sex party (which is the one episode that goes all out on the steam) to say sorry, only to run into a guy they’ve already hooked up with. We also get Christmas and New Year's episodes where Cam’s family and their wild friends show up, and the parents definitely get an eyeful. It all leads to Cam deciding to come out to his folks about being in an open relationship. The finale is this weird puppet show where the puppets look just like the cast and basically recap their entire lives.

This season pretty much picks up where we left off, though Cam is missing his signature mustache for the first few episodes. It tries to show how their relationship is evolving as they hunt for that perfect "third," which is an interesting topic since things like polyamory and ethical non-monogamy are still mostly talked about in hushed tones. But even with the cool concept, the execution felt flat to me this time around. The Christmas special and that final puppet episode were honestly just boring. They did try to throw in some twists, like Princeton exploring a bisexual side with a dominatrix, and they even introduced a deaf guy as a potential poly partner, which was a nice touch of representation. But was it enough to save the show? Not really. Even though the lead couple is still super cute and they don't have a ton of unnecessary drama, the constant, super obvious product placement in almost every scene really killed the mood for me.

The leads are still good-looking and have that saucy energy, but I definitely needed more substance than what we got here. I wouldn't go as far as to say I was heartbroken, but I was definitely underwhelmed by the whole experience. (4/10)

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