Movie Reviews -
Gay Themed

This series is basically the definition of a green flag watch. Two solid, likeable guys, barely any toxic drama, and just an all around warm vibe running through it, the whole thing feels sweet and puts a smile on your face pretty much the whole way through. It's twelve episodes, each clocking in around 25 minutes, and it flies by fast, but the chemistry between the leads, their smiles, and the overall feel of the show sticks with you well after it's done. Our main guy Jiakai has this strange gift where he can see invisible threads tying people to each other, and each color of thread means something different. That ability swings both ways for him, sometimes it helps him out, sometimes it lands him in a mess. The one sad part is he's never been able to see a thread linking himself to anyone else, so he's kind of resigned himself to being alone with no real connection of his own. Things kick off in a funny way when he gets arrested by a cop named Dawei while trying to he...

It's always nice when Asian production companies swing for something different and actually pull off a story that feels new. The opening episodes of this fantasy romance are genuinely delightful, with a concept that feels fresh and catches you off guard in a good way. But the deeper you get into it, the more the storytelling starts falling apart into confusion and misunderstanding piled on misunderstanding. And personally, the ending was a total letdown for me. The cinematography out on the island is gorgeous, and both couples give you that heart fluttering feeling, but it really needed more care put into how it all wrapped up, especially given how tangled the plot got by that point. The show runs 12 episodes, each around 35-40 minutes. He Xiang Yong ends up back on a small island near Taipei after losing his job. Things with his father are already tense, and he can't shake the feeling that everyone on the island is silently judging him. Together with his best friend Li Wan Zhe...

This Taiwanese series is a 10-episode run, with each part clocking in at about 25 minutes, and it tells the story of two childhood best friends finally figuring out they’re in love. I know the whole "friends-to-lovers" thing has been done a million times, but this one actually hit home for me. I think what made it work was how every single episode flashed back to them as little kids, showing exactly how their bond started and grew over the years. It made the whole relationship feel much more real and relatable. Junxi and Han Tuo have been inseparable since they were kids, usually hanging out in a trio with another girl. Back in the day, Tuo was this super shy, lonely kid who would just sit by himself on the playground while the other kids played, mostly because things at home were a total disaster. Junxi was the one who kept reaching out and making sure he wasn't alone. Fast forward to university, and Tuo has transformed into a total heartbreaker with girls constantly cha...

This Taiwaneses series is about Supernatural, reincarnation, soul swapping and all that jazz. This 12 episode, 30 minute each series looks at some interesting twist in the story, but it makes you wonder that when you fall in love, do you all for body or soul or somewhere in between. If the person you hate to the core suddenly starts changing, will you start falling in love with them? Haiyuan and Zefang go to same university and despise each other. Although Defang is a bit of playboy and wants to sleep with the usually reserved Haiyuan. Once at their home visit (they are neighbors), Defang and his grandfather swap their should when they fall off the stairs. The body of grandpa dies but Defang survives with the soul dog grandpa inside. After various attempts at explaining this to everyone, Haiyuan is finally convinced about the soul swapping since there is considerable change in Zefang's behavior. Thus begins their cohabitation tenure because grandpa is decades old and doesn’t know a...

This Taiwanese series is supposed to be an action-romantic-comedy, but it ends up largely being a silly, cutesy romance, with some elements of action and comedy sprinkled here and there. So, essentially, if you take away bits of spy-fights etc; it is once agin tier another series which is about two boys falling in love following the usual BL tropes. The series has 12 episodes of 24-28 minutes each, so thankfully easier time management. Story is that bold and the show could have easily been folded sooner. The show starts with Xiao Bai and Da Hei looking for an apartment as roommates together. They dont know each other well. Once they find an apartment, we find that Da Hen is actually an investigation officer, who has been sent to keep an eye on Xiao Bei, who works for a local gangster to raise some money for his sister's surgery who is in hospital and insurance doesn't cover. Da Hei has lied to his grandmother who runs a food stall near the gangster's office about the sister...

Taiwanese BL series used to be comfort watching , but the last one I saw wasn't very good and sadly the bad please continue with this one. I think the problem is that they have not evolved with time in their storytelling methods. They still keep mandatory 2 couples who journey of love story we go through. There is a bit of drama thrown in. Glossy apartments, good looking actors and some random storyline background but the actual love story following the same tropes of enemies turned lovers or 'I love you so much but can never confess' trope. C'mmon guys, please give us something more. With 12 episodes each of 25-30 minutes, this one is still a significant time commitment.  Wang Zhan is a wannabe musician who is content with his life. Until one day he is forcibly kidnapped by his older brother to train him to take over the family funeral business. Wang had never had an interest in the work and is quite shocked why his brother would do such a thing.The kidnapper guys an e...

While we expect shows from Taiwan to be quite nice, this one disappoints. The story is full of clichés, nothing new is told and it's the same old love story. No attempt has been done to detail out any of the characters and the story is just super simple. Honestly, I expect more from Taiwan. Having said that, its a cute little love story that gives you slight warm feelings but once it ends, you are left with nothing at all, and that's because this show doesn't offer anything new or different. The series is 9 episodes of about 30 minutes each. Since it is going to be hard to remember names, I will address them by their characters. A college art student is grappling with making something beautiful. His professor sends him to a coastal town for one month as a substitute art teacher, also hoping that he will get some inspiration to finish his art project. There he mets the homestay owner and his younger brother who studies art in the local school. This younger brother and the co...

Let's start with giving full marks to a very novel idea. A love story between a robot created using AI and a rich spoilt heir. Now on paper that does sound very interesting since this would be an interesting mix but sadly for me, after a promising first 3 episodes, my interest in the show kept dwindling after every episode. More on that later. With 12 episodes, each averaging to about 30 minutes, this does take sometime to watch and absorb. The more logic and brain you try to put in, the more you keep getting lost in the story, and not in a good way. I was watching a Taiwanese series after a while and my hopes were high. Maybe thats where things went wrong. The story is straight forward. We meet a rich spoilt heir to a rich father who cannot seem to control and keep his son in check. He hires and AI robot Ever 4, to be his son's personal butler. Ever 4 advocates for robot rights while revealing his quirky personality beneath a calm exterior. As Ever 4 bonds with his human compa...

Silent Sparks is a Taiwanese movie about two gay gangsters and their secret relationship. But more than a gay film, I feel this film was more focused on probably the cons of being just aging member na dhow there is no getting out of it. This slow-burn film moves too slowly and takes forever to come to a point. From uneventful scenes to mundane chats, I was mostly bored. The gay romance also takes too long to develop. By the time there's a spark, the movie ends. Whatever the film tries to show could have been better achieved by a short film, which essentially shows two gangsters trying to hide their feelings from one another and everyone around them. Pua is a warehouse worker struggling to make ends meet. In addition to his regular job and odd gigs, he takes on gangster work as an underling. His mother is always worried about him. He has just come out of prison and again doesn't hesitate to break the law to make ends meet. His boss pretends to care about him. We then meet Jimmy,...

When a series brings a smile on your face every time u see a protagonist smile or when you see a couple's romance blossoming with heartfelt exchanges, you know that something has been done right. This 13 episode Taiwanese series of 25 minutes each is one such show. The show balances love with practicality and some funny moments that keeps you wanting to watch the next episode almost immediately. Zi Xiang is from a wealthy family an dis in Taiwan from US to complete a real estate deal. He is there with his assistant Jonathan, but Zi Xiang doesnt want it. He is not interested in family business but it seems he has no choice. But to things in Taiwan are different. This deal comes with risks and Zi Xiang is attacked a couple of times because of high they both have to now live in a safe house. Jonathan is irritated by his employer's behaviour and refuses to help with non-business matters. We also meet Shao Peng, a deaf and mute person who wants to be a caretaker but no one gives him...

I have very mixed feelings about this show. I understand the art of being subtle and let things take time to grow, but I expected more from a Taiwanese show. Had this been a Chinese production. I would understand that there were limitations of the law, but we all know the Taiwan can and has done more direct BL shows. Here, pretty much everything is left for viewers to imagine. Yes, this is a teenage love story between two boys , who fate has brought together as step brothers, but they are trying to understand and deal with their feelings for one another; but this show is way too slow . I did enjoy the first 6-7 episodes but then not much was happening and it was more like witnessing some chapters. Also some other parallel stories were left unfinished. I think there might be a sequel but let's see. At 12 episodes roughly of about 50-55 minutes each, this will take a significant investment of your time.  The story is simple. Sheng Wang has moved to a new school where he clashes immed...

Oh my god!! What were the makers thinking? This series is so painfully dull and boring. After paying attention for 3-4 episodes, I Was so lost and really couldn't care less about our main protagonist. With 10 episodes each of 15-20 minutes duration, this series and its purpose made no sense to me. I expected better from Taiwan. Also, I am quite shocked to see some glowing reviews about this show. I am clearly missing out on the hidden trend here. Raccoon is a handsome and famous gay influencer. One night at a bar, he hooks up with a guy, they have a great chemistry and the next thing you know they are sharing intimate moments. Raccoon, who struggles with severe insomnia, admits he relates to Endymion. Every time Raccoon tries to sleep, he hallucinates, blurring the line between dreams and reality. He has had these issues for a while and when pills did not work he is seeing a sleep therapist. Instead of improving, Raccoon's condition worsens. Each night, he experiences bizarre d...

Do you have control over your own destiny, are you controlled by your fate, or are you a mere puppet in the hands of the gods? This is a question that this queer time-traveling film implicitly asks through its heartfelt melodrama. Whether it succeeds completely in passing on the emotions is a separate thing but with its gorgeous cinematography and some brilliant performances by the 4 leads, it does manage to keep you captivated an interested in the proceedings. Chen Yao Hua, a young man works in the Huan Nan Market at the butcher stall run by his family. His father Bao Ding, has seemingly gone mad with despair for mysterious reasons.  Accidentally traveling through time back to 1991, he joins the younger version of his father and his two friends, soon forming with them a happy gang of close, intimate friends. The gang mistakes him for a missing high schooler and he now finds himself being friends with younger version of his father, a close friend Anjian and the only female member. ...

This series started off really well, especially given the sizzling chemistry that the leads have and the situations that lead to their first meeting and eventual spending time together. Things go on fine till episode 8, but oh man!! what a nosedive after that. The show completes different route from there on and it feels like I was watching another show altogether. The focus suddenly shifted on many other things and it felt that the main couple was sidelined only to be brought back in the last episode. I am not sure what happened there.  Anyway, with 13 episodes of about 24 minutes each, at least it goes by fast. Bai Zong Yi, a 17 year old exemplary student has dreams of becoming a doctor and he works hard for it. One day he finds an injured stranger Rui, who literally forces himself on Bai to help him out and nurse him by getting bai's fingerprints in the knife. Bai's medical knowledge helps Rui's recovery and somehow he starts falling for Bai (or maybe just flirting, we d...

Let's start by saying that this is NOT a gay themed film. If anything, this falls more in the category of coming-of-age movie about students and friendship with a very significant focus on the LGBTQ+ aspect of people, life and things and hence it deserves to be reviewed here. It tries to deal with various spectrums, what is love etc and evokes a sense of nostalgia, capturing the whimsical adventures of youth. It may not be trying to say anything new per se, but I think the way the screenplay is set and the interactions between the friends is shown, I found myself quite enjoying the film. The setting is a cram school in 1994 where not so brilliant students are coached to pass the university entrance exams. We meet friends Cheng Heng and Cheng Hsiang, who are just treble makers and do not focus on studies. Cheng Heng wants to study film making but his family is opposed. The friends live together since Change Hsiang comes from a very poor background and Heng's family essentially t...

Taiwan has historically given some really memorable BL shows. Unfortunately this show is so predictable and boring and simple and basic, that it doesn't offer even one single thing that is new. In fact, it uses almost every cliche of this genre, doesn't even pretend to rehash it and give an interesting spin or anything like this. The only positive thing I can think of one of the leads is kinds good looking. But other than that, this 10 episode, 22 minute each series about a soothing romance between an author and a chef just doesn't click. Liu Li is an author who goes by the pseudonym Morris. He has two successful books published but is struggling to write the third one. Base don his experiences, the first book is about Liu Li secretly pining over a teaching assistant at the university. The second story is about him getting rejected and coping with the heartbreak. On a plus side he enjoys going to this new restaurant in his building that specialized in beef noodle soup. He b...

This 10 episode Taiwanese series was surprisingly good and novel and entertaining at the same time. At the onset it feels another one of those enemies turned lovers story, which it is, but the story's supernatural twist adds unique scenarios and nuanced relationship dynamics to keep the romance compelling. This visually dazzling series delivers many BL-friendly moments, which will delight fans of the genre. Sure, it's not without its flaws but I was willing to ignore them because of the extremely cute lead. Also like many shows from Taiwan the episodes are about 22-23 minutes long and the whole show is a very easy binge watch, if thats your thing. Bu Xia is a university student who lives alone in his dorm room which is rumored to be haunted. He and his sister were raised by their grandfather who was a spiritual medium and he has some history of ghosts trying to reach out to him. Like most youngsters, he is messy, love himself and is great at basketball. Enter Jiang Chi, a new t...

This low budget, just an hour series is about two friends who slowly discover their feelings for each other, and how their relationship changes from friends to lovers. Spanned across 6-7 episodes, each of about under 10 minutes, this does feel like either a hushed project or something that had to be changed midway because of covid. The show may feel low budget but thankfully the actors do a decent job and do their best to pp up the show. Xiaotian used to be a gang member but when one day they bully a young boy Xingkong, he stood up against them and has been away from the gang since. He became a better person with his new friend Xingkong and two other friends. While hiding after being chased by the gang, he realizes that he actually loves Xingkong. This feeling s new for him a din fact the feeling is seen reciprocated by the young boy but neither is willing to accept and confront. Going through some denial and confirmation, he finally begs that the gang leave Xingkong. He does get beate...

First of all, this film is not supposed to be taken seriously. The idea is to provide entertainment and this is exactly what the film tries to do. Sure, it may not always succeed, but with its charing leads, some funny dialogues and situations; it is a decent combination of emotions, goofy antics, humor at right places etc. Released on Netflix, this Taiwanese film may not ideally be classified as a queer film, but the lead character, as the title suggests , is gay and the story mostly revolved around him. Ming-Han is homophobic misogynist detective, and has a female work partner Tsu Ching. On use of excessive force and homophobic slurs while apprehending a perpetrator who ends up having strings connection, Ming-Han is demoted to a smaller police station. Things change when both the folks are chasing a drug dealer. After getting his car stuck in the chase, he’s forced to pick up the leftover evidence while Tzu-ching chases down the criminal on foot. He mistakes a red envelope as part of...

This film feels more like an educational pseudo documentary film rather than an actual feature film. I couldn't find too much information about the film, but it feels as if it was made for TV to educate and make people aware of hardships of queer people and the challenges of creating a family. It also brings to light the struggles the community has to face to be accepted by not just the society but in many cases, their own family members. Kim is a new lawyer who takes up the case of helping a lesbian couple to adopt a child without any support. He is heavily inspired form his father who was always about helping people. He knows that this going to be a long and tough process, but he is still willing to take it. During the process of getting his clients through the process, he decides to spend more time with them so that he can understand them closer and make a case. During this time he meets two other individuals who will have a significant impact on his life and understanding of th...