YYY – Series Review

Nott is a quirky mechanic who loves inventing bizarre gadgets and devices. When one of his inventions backfires, he causes a widespread power outage throughout his entire apartment complex. Porpla, the landlord, is furious with Nott and threatens to evict him out of the apartment.

Just then, Pun arrives at the apartment complex. Pun is a new apartment tenant looking for a new place to stay. Porpla immediately greets the new arrival, claiming that Pun can take over Nott’s apartment unit. Thinking quick on his feet, Nott pretends that he is Pun’s boyfriend, hoping to appeal to the BL fan in Porpla. Pun resists at first, but plays along with the lie after Nott pleads for his cooperation.

Porpla believes in the fake relationship, allowing Nott and Pun to live together in the same apartment unit. Pun quickly becomes annoyed with his new roommate, who snores, makes a loud ruckus, and wants to keep pretending they’re dating. At the same time, Pun also develops a bond with Nott, as their heartfelt chats at night bring them closer together. Nott discovers that Pun comes from a wealthy family, but has run away from them to gain independence.

As Pun settles into his new living arrangement, he is introduced to his numerous neighbours, all with colourful personalities. There’s Om, Nott’s old roommate, who can be a bit of a horndog. There’s Arm, Nott’s good friend, who has a secret crush on him. Pun also meets Yuri, a girl who is smitten with Nott, but her love goes unreciprocated.

While Nott and Pun develop a genuine connection, Arm and Yuri become more assertive in pursuing Nott as well. Yuri’s over-the-top antics are mainly played for laughs, so nobody takes her feelings seriously. Meanwhile, Arm is stepping up his game and inching closer to confessing his love for Nott. His advances are noticed by Pun, invoking a sense of jealousy in him as a love triangle forms in this apartment complex.

YYY is a nonsensical BL comedy that I didn’t enjoy at all. From the get-go, I had a feeling the erratic humour wouldn’t connect with me. Somehow, I endured all nine episodes of YYY and its sequel, hoping that I’d get into the groove of the eccentricity. Scene after scene, I hardly reacted to any of the jokes, even though the obnoxious laugh track keeps reminding me when a moment is supposed to be SO WACKYYY!!! I don’t have a high threshold for laughter, but this comedy is painfully unfunny to me.

At the beginning of each episode, YYY includes a disclaimer telling viewers to expect zero rationality from the series. They weren’t kidding about how absurd the scenarios can get. Characters would randomly appear to deliver punchlines and then magically vanish for comedic effect. They’d exaggerate their expressions, give over-the-top reactions, and behave in bizarre ways that don’t make any sense. I need some semblance of logic and realism in a plot, which you definitely won’t find in this zany sitcom. Their brand of comedy is too outlandish for my sensibilities.

To be fair, the jokes are often pop culture references, a few that I caught, but most probably flew past my head. Maybe other jokes got lost in translation, although I’m not sure I’d ever find urinating on your sleeping friend funny in any language. From what I saw online, plenty of BL fans seem to enjoy the humour in YYY, so reading all their positive reviews have been a mind trip. I feel like Alice in Wonderland, with a completely upside-down view from how other people perceive the comedy. Is this actually funny? Am I supposed to laugh? What am I missing here!?

On a more positive note, the two leads do look adorable together. In the rare moments where the characters are allowed to be serious, their romance shows a spark. During the YYY special, all three episodes were dedicated to Nott and Pun, allowing for some cute moments between them. Unfortunately, their relationship just doesn’t feel deep enough. There’s too much fluff, useless filler, and other dumb distractions when I wanted more substantial scenes with the couple. At times, I feel like I’m watching a sketch comedy more than an actual love story.

I don’t love to give failing scores to BL series in my reviews, but YYY was excruciating to watch. The hyperactive humour perplexed me, the shallowly written characters annoyed me, and the nonsensical plot bored me. Don’t even get me started on the laugh track, the sound effects, or the cheesy quotes about love. Sorry, I tried my best to enjoy this drama. I really, really tried. Perhaps the biggest joke in YYY is that I wrote this scathing review for a show that shouldn’t be taken so seriously. Nevertheless, my final recommendation is a hard pass.