Year In Review 2024

In Part 2 of our Untamed discussion, Ben, NiNi, Shan and Bookworm talk our love for Jiang Cheng, our hatred for Meng Yao/Jin Guangyao, and why we will always hold out hope for more Chinese BL.Episode transcript available here.00:00 Welcome00:55 Intro: More Notes From The Future01:45 The Second Life09:23 The Second Life: The Fallout of Wei Wuxian's Choices16:52 The Second Life: Meng Yao's Dastardly Deeds26:52 The Second Life: The Tragedy of Wen Ning32:35 The Second Life: Two 'Fools'37:41 The Second Life: Various Random Musings48:18 Page to Screen (and Audio, and Anime, and Stage, and...)56:59 Afterlife: The Impact of The Untamed on BL and Fandom

It's 'the biggest goddamn BL in the world', and we're finally going to talk about it. Ben, NiNi, Shan and Bookworm talk The Untamed. In Part 1 of our two-part episode, we talk censorship, the journey from MDZS to The Untamed, and the first half of the story.Episode transcript available here.00:00 Welcome00:55 Introduction03:55 Censorship in Media: A Global View12:37 The MoDaoZuShi Phenomenon24:33 The Big Picture33:36 The First Life40:07 The First Life: Thoughts and Impressions46:21 The First Life: WangXian and Other Fucked Up Love Stories01:01:17 The First Life: Various Random Musings01:11:02 Outro: Notes From the Future

It’s our 3rd Annual Very Important Internet BL Awards and we’ve changed up our whole shit! Ben and NiNi talk the best things we watched all year. Episode transcript available here. 00:00 Welcome 00:55 Introduction: It's Awards Season Once More 02:09 Acting! 08:00 Ships Ahoy! 16:31 Immortal Technique 29:05 Top Tings 41:43 Special Class Awards 43:11 Special Class: Honourable Mentions 47:36 Special Class: Mark Pakin 6th Man Awards 51:13 Special Class: Standout Queer Narratives 01:06:00 Outro

It’s our holiday special (because it's a holiday somewhere in the world)! Ben, NiNi and assorted friends of the pod look back on 10 years of BL as a genre and talk 10 shows that define the genre for us. Episode transcript available here. 00:00 Welcome 00:55 Celebrating the BL Canon: A Retrospective 02:08 Blueming (2022) | KR | dir. Hwang Da Seul (Megan) 07:35 Dark Blue Kiss (2019) | TH | dir. Aof Noppharnach Chaiwimol (Shan) 13:59 He's Coming To Me (2019) | TH | dir. Aof Noppharnach Chaiwimol (Captain Hands) 17:00 His (2020) | JP | dir. Imaizumi Rikiya (Twig) 21:12 Light On Me (2021) | KR | dir. Lee Yoo Yeon (Kyra) 25:40 Make It Right (2017) | TH | dirs. New Siwaj Sawatmaneekul and Cheewin Thanamin Wongskulphat (Turtles) 33:29 The Miracle of Teddy Bear (2022) | TH | dir. Paajaew Yuthana Lorphanpaibul (Pluem) 39:52 Theory of Love (2019) | TH | dir. X Nuttapong Mongkolsawas (Bookworm) 46:15 The Untamed (2019) | CH | dirs. Steve Cheng and Chang Ka Lam (Shan) 51:42 We Best Love (2021) | TW | dir. Ray Jiang (Twig) 57:59 Ben and Nini's Drive-by Faves

Ben, NiNi and Shan discuss a weird year for QL and look ahead to 2025. Episode transcript available here. 00:00 Welcome 00:55 2024 Headlines: Industry Consolidation 06:49 2024 Headline: Self-Censorship 13:52 2024 Headlines: Vertical Format Micro-BLs and Other Shit We're Anti 20:14 Festivus Airing Of The Grievances 36:51 2024 Fan Awards 55:49 QL Resolutions 01:04:45 Affirmations and Hopes for the Future

Korea swung big at the end of the year and hit it out of the park on both the queer romance and queer life drama fronts. Ben, NiNi and Shan talk Let Free The Curse of Taekwondo and Love In The Big City. Episode transcript available here. 00:00 Welcome 01:15 Introduction: Let's Talk Hallyu 06:01 Let Free The Curse of Taekwondo 12:36 Taekwondo: Themes and Patterns In Hwang Da Seul's Work 21:54 Taekwondo: The Separation 33:28 Taekwondo: The Reunion 38:22 Taekwondo: On Hyeon Ho 44:57 Taekwondo: Final Thoughts and Ratings 52:33 Love In The Big City 58:46 Love In The Big City Part 1: Mi Ae and the Film Adaptation 01:06:50 Love In The Big City Part 2: Umma and Young Soo 01:17:05 Love In The Big City Part 3: Gyu Ho and Kylie 01:28:31 Love In The Big City Part 4: Habibi and the T-aras 01:40:28 Love In The Big City: Final Thoughts and Ratings 01:48:25 Outro

More takes on the office romance, now with bonus miscommunication! Ben, NiNi and Ginny talk Ayaka Is In Love With Hiroko and At 25:00 In Akasaka. Episode transcript available here. 00:00 Welcome01:16 Intro02:52 Ayaka Is In Love With Hiroko10:45 Ayaka: A Split Narrative17:20 Ayaka: The Negatives24:25 Ayaka: Final Thoughts and Ratings29:08 At 25:00 in Akasaka35:34 At 25:00 in Akasaka: It's the Characters for Us43:18 At 25:00 in Akasaka: Hayama and Shirasaki49:05 At 25:00 in Akasaka: Filmmaking and Production53:25 At 25:00 in Akasaka: Final Thoughts and Ratings58:45 The State of J-BL

The pulps are evolving in what seems like two distinct directions, and we have some thoughts on that. Ben, NiNi and friend of the pod Twig talk We Are and Knock Knock, Boys! Episode transcript available here. 00:00 Welcome01:15 Introduction05:56 We Are: Branded Pair Background14:37 We Are: A Rorschach Test of a Show30:47 We Are: Final Thoughts and Ratings38:21 Knock Knock, Boys!48:39 Knock Knock, Boys!: Sex Positivity55:51 Knock Knock, Boys!: Our Fab Four (and Jane)01:09:58 Knock Knock, Boys!: Final Thoughts and Ratings01:14:54 Importance of Pulps as Labs

It's a mailbag episode! Episode transcript available here. 00:00:00 Welcome 00:01:15 Introduction 00:02:10 Inbox: Surprises of the Season 00:07:07 Inbox: Does Categorization Matter? 00:11:42 Inbox: BL Fatigue? 00:15:51 Inbox: The BL Bubble 00:30:26 Inbox: Sex On Screen 00:41:07 Inbox: Fave Sex Scenes 00:51:24 Inbox: Worst Sex Scenes 01:04:24 Bonus Round: Best Sex in a Bad Show 01:06:54 Inbox: Critical Philosophy 01:18:31 Outro

Queer truth is on back on the menu, just as we were starting to get FAMISHED. Ben, NiNi and Shan talk Marahuyo Project and No One Cares For An Old Man's Underwear. Episode transcript available here. 00:00 Welcome 01:15 Introduction 08:40 Marahuyo Project: A Queer Activist's Story 20:24 Marahuyo Project: On Queerness 30:16 Marahuyo Project: Our Characters 42:09 Marahuyo Project: The Christina Story 48:52 Marahuyo Project: Parents and Children 54:54 Marahuyo Project: Final Thoughts and Ratings 59:48 Ossan no Pants 01:05:18 Ossan no Pants: Our Characters 01:26:30 Ossan no Pants: Key Character Arcs 01:36:49 Ossan no Pants: Furuike and That Fucking Guy 01:45:25 Ossan no Pants: Final Thoughts and Ratings 01:51:18 Importance of Variety in Media Consumption