My main interests are dramas from China, Korea, and Japan, and BLs (from any country). I prefer romances and happy endings, though sometimes I'm in the mood for an exception, and also enjoy psychologically nuanced characters or subject matters. My custom lists (with links) are listed further down.
Reviews are written from the perspective as someone with previous work acting in and directing theatre, as a member of the queer, BDSM, and neurodivergent communities, and with a long-standing interest in psychology. My own queer journey really started in 2007 when I came across Queer As Folk (USA series); it opened up my world, especially since I grew up in a judgmental and conservative family.
I joined MDL in August 2023 and have written reviews on many of the BLs (or M/M) and some F/M dramas that I've watched (especially those that didn't have any reviews yet). In addition to helping me remember what I thought, I hope that they are helpful to some others.
My public custom categories are as listed below. I manually place titles in list rank based on what I thought of them (how well written and executed), how they left me feeling (the more irritated/frustrated something leaves me, the harsher I tend to be), how often I'm likely to re-watch them (or have re-watched), and how that compares to other titles. That's why occasionally a 'guilty pleasure' will outrank works that are technically better crafted. Titles in a series are kept together even if I've given them different ratings. Long lists with many pages are a hassle to update, so I've divided things in a way that's more manageable.
- Korean F/M Romance & Drama
- Japanese F/M Romance & Drama
- Chinese (& TW) F/M Romance
- Chinese Mini Series F/M Romance
- Chinese Vertical F/M Romance [vertically filmed micro series]
- Cdramas Waiting For Release (already filmed) [both F/M and BL shows I want to keep an eye on; waiting due to censorship issues, tax scandals, or unknown reasons]
- Japanese BLs
- Korean BLs
- Taiwanese BLs
- Thai BLs
- Chinese BLs & Bromance [nothing in here yet but I have some on my to watch list]
- Realistically Resonating M/M With HE [happy ending]
- Short Format BLs or M/M [for works under an hour]
- BLs 9-10/10 (all regions)
- BLs 8-8.5/10 (all regions)
- BLs 6.5-7.5/10 (all regions)
- BLs 5-6/10 (all regions)
- BLs 1-4.5/10 (all regions)