My Personal Weatherman

struggled with Segaski

Overall: I loved everything about this except Segaski. 8 episodes about 20 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala & Viki. 

Content Warnings: intimate partner abuse (see my explanation at the end), stalking, manhandling, non con bondage

What I Liked
- acting/chemistry
- NSFW well done
- production value

Room For Improvement
- Segaski is an abuser and a jerk (get your own soy sauce), this went beyond miscommunication
- lack of growth from Segaski, he actually got worse as the series went on, in episode 7 he apologized for believing Yoh can be an independent adult/trusting him which was definitely not the apology I was looking for, towards the end there was a hint of growth but then he backslid again
- why was Segaski so stupid, Yoh told him that he wanted someone who was nice/caring and smiled at him, but Segaski was forbidding him from seeing his friends, pulled him around and threatened to confine him to their apartment?!?
- the NSFW fizzled out, though there was a little in ep 8
- cliche getting sick after being in the rain but at least it was before and not after they had sex

I really hope people realize this is fiction and not a model for a healthy relationship because Segaski is an abuser
1. financial abuse - it is apparent that Yoh is very aware he is financially dependent on Segaski, they don't show us that he has anywhere else to go, I think it was either ep 3 or 4 Segaski reminds Yoh that he provides everything for him
2. Segaski forbids Yoh from seeing his friend in episode 4, Yoh is a grown adult and should be to go or see his friends when he wants to, Segaski in episode 7 again is angry hoping Yoh doesn't visit his friend
3. stalking - Segaski stalked Yoh, he never apologized for this but Yoh apologized for seeing his friend/coworker, those who are abused will say the problem is their fault when it was actually the abuser's action/fault (i.e. Segaski shouldn't have stalked Yoh or forbade him from seeing his friend)
4. physical abuse - pulling someone by the wrist is abusive unless there is an emergency and a person is yanking another person out of danger, in episode 7 Yoh was uncomfortable when Segaski tied his hands together and said he couldn't be trusted to be on his own although we know Yoh can be an unreliable narrator and then later it seemed like he might like it but it didn't start out as consensual bondage

Read More

It's AMAZING

This Drama is UNDERATED.
When i watched the first two episodes, I wanted to drop it, but im happy i didn't!
The acting is just AMAZING and the chemistry i fricking INTENSE!
The romantic scenes were amazing and the actors looked like an real couple! Someone could say that mizuki was kinda toxic, but I liked his role a really much and i think he and his serious face were really suitable!
The story was interesting and i wasnt bored even once!
I was actualy really scared that there will be too much nsfw or drama (i hate love triangles), but it was more likely relaxing and all u could se were male leads!

I personaly REALLY liked it, I think i will rewatch it soon!! :)

Read More

This series was very enjoyable. I liked the character dynamic and the the chemistry was great. It took you on a ride of emotions and a mind trip of some people's thinking process. It may not be everyones cup of tea as there is a lot of social and mental dynamic but it fits the story very well, and it's very well put together, unlike some other Bl's that make it look horrible. I enjoyed the storyline and the cast was great. There is love, jealousy, hurt, fear, and self-development. I love that you see the growth of the characters, and how they want from high school to adulthood, and how their feelings and self-worth happen. Caring for one another in a home setting and growing and treasuring each other. This series was great, and would recommend it. Love the support that is shown from friends and how the relationship grows throughout the series and the flashback helps tell a great story. This series was touching and beautiful to watch.

Read More

Unreliable narrator done right

Clever storytelling. The show starts in Yoh's perspective, and only gives us his very biased interpretation of what is going on, based on his limited information. As the character learns, so do we, and each episode reveals more of what is truly happening between the two leads. This is how stories are meant to be told. And it is super exciting to see an unreliable narrator used in BL, especially since it doesn't happen often. But because it doesn't happen often, it's somewhat risky; people can drop these stories too soon, before the whole truth can be revealed. Or they get so sold on the lie, they can't let it go even after the truth is revealed. Personally, I'm glad this show took the risk. I love stories told this way. It's clever. And I definitely recommend watching all the way through so you can judge the entire story as a whole before deciding what you think of it.

Read More

Fired the Weatherman

It's been a minute since I've seen a drama so completely lackluster and pointless. My expectations weren't high, frankly I wasn't sure what to expect, but I certainly thought it was going to be better than it was. I truly don't understand the relatively high rating this drama has. The relationship is toxic, which is fine, not every relationship is sunshine and daisies and it can be interesting when those kinds of toxic relationships are explored. But there is no exploration here, no sense of why these people are together, and no character development to bring clarity. It's just eight episodes of nothingness that left me wondering what the heck I'd just watched.

Plots are apparently boring as there is barely one present. I kept waiting for something to happen, for some kind of progress, but nothing ever happened. It's basically two men going around in circles and nothing ever gets accomplished. It was incredibly frustrating to watch and I kept wondering, how on earth are they going to give this a satisfying ending? The answer quite simply is that they didn't. The pacing is mediocre, just good enough to keep me watching to the end. That's the best I can say for it.

The characters are frustrating and weak. They're supposed to be in love, but neither one is good at expressing that love or even admitting to it. They can't even communicate to any real degree. Their conversations are by and large short and stilted. There are several instances of miscommunication because they are both incapable of opening their mouths. Segasaki is a meteorologist who's charming on tv, but at home is less than agreeable. He treats Yoh as more of a servant than someone he cares about and that never really goes away. Rather than developing positively as the series progresses, he grows ever more possessive of Yoh to the point that he literally ties him up to prevent him from leaving. Yoh, for his part, is a very passive person who fails to speak up for himself or really do anything for himself period. He takes Segasaki's treatment and while he contemplates leaving him, never actually does anything to facilitate that idea. He's just such an ineffectual character. The ending is very similar to the beginning, except they're supposedly happy. Yoh has apparently come to the conclusion that he likes Segasaki's abuse and Segasaki is ever so slightly more attentive, though still very possessive. They both just lack any kind of real depth of character and there's nothing present to make me care about either of them. It's a huge disconnect between them and the audience. And despite the fact that their initial history with how they met and connected is shown, the in between of that time period and the present is left a mystery. The character development is basically nil which is disappointing because there could have been a lot more to it.

Both actors are fairly generically cute and that was the biggest thing they had going for them since their acting skills left something to be desired. Even if characters lack in vocal communication, a lot can be conveyed in other ways. Unfortunately that didn't happen here. Their overall performance was as lackluster as the story. Funnily enough, their chemistry during the intimate scenes was actually quite good. It's just a pity that didn't translate to the more mundane scenes.

The production value was good as is to be expected with a Japanese production. The opening and ending credits were very aesthetically pleasing with music that meshed well.

Ultimately I found this drama to be disappointing and incredibly mediocre. It's aesthetics are about all it has going for it and that's simply not enough. With a stronger story and characters, it could have been compelling and unique but unfortunately, it is neither of those. If you want a drama that leaves you feeling unsatisfied, this is the one for you.

Read More

I am confused

I have this urge to say something because I only read positive reviews but there are things that just don´t sit right with me. First of all I acknowledge that the series is adapted from the manga "Taikan Yohou". So I can´t say anything about the manga itself but only about the episodes I watched so far. In my point of view it is not just about little miscommunication and misunderstanding. I mean what is with the stalking in episode 6 for example? I can´t explain it well but it is just a feeling. A lot of things just feel so wrong to me.
Yeah they are hot. And yeah it seems to be consensual and they actually have feelings for eachother. But I have a weird feeling while watching this series. Can anybody relate?

Read More

This series is a 10

I like plots like this, realistic ones. When I watch Yoh I understand when sometimes he can’t speak up and say the things he wants to say. I relate much to Yoh so I love him. I just have to say how hot they are! They look so handsome and cute at the same time. I saw the behind the scenes and they’re so cute together! Mizuki getting jealous is the cutest! I love this series and I hope you will too. It’s a shame it’ll only get a few episodes and we’re nearing the end but I pray for season 2!! I don’t know why the rating is messed up but this series is a 10 for me <3

Read More

a unique living room drama with a lot of heart

I went into this show confused, as in I had gotten the false impression that this was a show about a man struggling with depression. And while it's not Not that... it turns out this is not the show that the tumblr gifsets showed me. I was really happy with what this show was though! Circular, slow, and domestic, what I truly loved about this show was how unique and unchanging the characters were. Very little changes about their situation throughout the show, but their understanding and point of view is completely different. Each episode is compelling and complete, despite it's bite-sized run time. It's simple, but it works really well.

-The Full Review-

STORY:
I love this story. The characters are so unique and their problems are unique to them. Several times throughout the course of the series there's the set up for an event that 99% of the world would fine completely mundane (like working with a friend a coffee shop), that the audience knows is going to be a disaster because of these two people's personalities. It's not just very fun, it's great character work. Everything feels hand-tailored to this story and this story alone.
I also truly love how understated the story, and particularly the ending of the story, is. The story fits the characters created by it and the amount of growth they've gone through in the series. It never takes the Romantic, quick fix when it's clear the characters are not ready to admit their true feelings. It's frustrating, but in a satisfying way that gives the conflict depth and truth. And it allows the ending scene to shine so brightly despite it's simplicity.

ACTING:
For the most part, I was really impressed by the acting in this series! It's pretty hard to successfully pull off characters who are so closed off and keep things so close to their chest. Both actors did a wonderful job of letting that armor crack occasionally, and showing what was brewing underneath. They built a very natural, despite the unusual circumstances, chemistry with each other that drove the entire story.
I also really appreciated the humor and energy that Manju added to the story. No part of the story really drags, but her energy and light really carries the show through the sadder and more emotional moments without becoming mired in the sadness. She played well with both leads, revealing sides of their personality that the other had never seen before.

PRODUCTION:
This was a really simple show, but all the elements of production worked together quite nicely. I think the real star of the show here is the lighting, which effortless transforms a basic apartment from something simple, to some stifling and cold, to some warm and homey over and over again as the leads clash and come to understandings. The costume design was also excellent, playing a huge role in softening Segasaki, especially in his younger years.

INTIMACY:
While the NC scenes were well done and used purposefully, I loved how what really shined in this show was the casual intimacy they clearly lacked in the beginning of the show. The most vulnerable and intimate scenes--the bath scene, Yoh getting drunk and clingy, early morning cuddling before they were both really awake--were both rare and startling in their softness.
I also really loved how many different types of intimacy were portrayed in such a short run time, with very little judgement on any of them. Particularly, the note about sex and misery (despair? can't remember the exact wording?) going hand-in-hand was a breath of fresh air. Each scene of intimacy felt specific, purposeful, and tailored to these specific characters. Very well done.

In all, I had a great time with this series and highly recommend it! They did so much justice to this premise and this script, and clearly put a huge amount of care into the series.

Read More

Classic Toxic Yaoi

It’s definitely very reminiscent of like early 2000s toxic yaoi lol.

Pros
-The leads have insanely good chemistry
-Solid acting
-Utilizes one of my favorite filming techniques of just letting more intimate or emotional scenes breathe. No music, no sound effects, just a quiet and raw moment. *chefs kiss*

Cons
-The ML is domineering, manipulative and controlling.
-Textbook example of an abusive relationship. The ML is extremely controlling over the MCs life. He doesn’t want him having friends and consistently tries to isolate him from the outside world. When he’s not being controlling, he’s being physically aggressive by constantly being rough with MC (grabbing his face, manhandling him, literally pushing him around). Like yikes
-Seriously, he is like every red flag
-And then they pull the “oh well MC secretly kinda likes it”. Bro, I will throw up right here and right now.
-My least favorite trope is also used constantly: Complete lack of communication. Just SPEAK to each other, it would literally solve like 50% of your problems (the other 50% is MLs terrible personality…)

Do I regret watching it? No lol it was fairly entertaining. If you have a partner like ML should you run for the hills? Yes. Luckily this is fiction

Read More

I Can’t Believe This Has Such a High Rating on Here

Sooo...the acting was fine, and the girl friend character was funny and somewhat relatable at times, but that is where my praises end.

This show is built around an abusive power dynamic between Segasaki—a conventionally attractive and well-liked weatherman—and Yoh, an unsuccessful, down on his luck ero-manga artist.

We learn early on that they met in college and that Segasaki told Yoh he could live with him on the condition that he would have to "do everything he says", and in return he could live there for free and work on his manga. It is made clear from the very first episode that they have a dynamic reminiscent of an abusive breadwinner husband and an old-timey trad wife, with Yoh being essentially a personal slave to Segasaki—cooking and cleaning for him everyday and following his every command no matter what.

The inciting conflict of the story is based around this dynamic, and especially the sexual aspect of their relationship. Over the course of the show, we see Segasaki getting more and more posessive and paranoid about where Yoh is when he goes out and what he's doing, etc. It gets to a point where he is constantly forcing him to cancel plans that relate to his personal friendships and career, even going so far as to put a tracking device in his bag and follow him in a later episode.

There are moments throughout the middle of the show that make you think Segasaki might be starting to change his ways, but that is all completely thrown out at the end of ep 7 / beginning of ep 8 when he suddenly ties Yoh's hands together and tells him to never go out or talk to anyone else ever again. When I say this part really shocked me, I mean it. It was disturbing to watch, and Yoh's character looked extremely uncomfortable, despite this shows efforts to make you believe that he secretly likes being obsessed over.

There are moments where this show attempts to be sweet (like in the backstory of how they met for example), but it just feels sour when you remember the situation they are in. Towards the end, I really felt like Yoh was developing stockholm syndrome, which sounds extreme, but I really do think is an accurate description for him.

I saw a lot of the negative reviews on this show saying that they could "look past the toxic relationship", and that they cared more about the fact that the story didn't really go anywhere, and that essentially this shows' worst crime was being boring. Now, while it's true this show kind of ends the same way it begins and no one really develops as a character, I certainly think that this shows' romanticized portrayal of abuse is its biggest issue. Shows like this perpetuate the normalization of abusive dynamics in gay media, and also the fetishization of gay relationships as a tool for straight women to project their fantasies onto.

This probably all sounds dramatic, but I think this show is an important example of what NOT to do when it comes to writing BL. This does not feel like a BL made for men who like other men. There was no romance, and the sex scenes did not feel sexy. It was just gross and uncomfortable overall (which sucks because obviously abusive relationships can be written well and this kind of subject matter can be interesting when it is treated properly).

Definitely one of the worst "BLs" I've watched (if you can even call it that). There are moments with the girl friend and her husband that make the show a little more bearable at times, but other than that, ehhhhh, not good.

I'll give it a 1.5, on par with Utsukushii Kare (my previously most-hated BL ever).

Read More