So, even though I somewhat enjoyed this because I watched it as a bl drama in its own right and not as an Addicted/Heroin remake; it’s starting to get slightly ridiculous that no matter the adaptation we can’t seem to get past the same point in the story. Will we ever get an adaptation that gives us the second half of the story?
tbf I saw ‘December’ and knew it was Squid Games but thought they weren’t going to name the series, only to see the name in the first sentence. 😅 Which boggles the mind why they didn’t just put Squid Games in the title then, since they weren’t keeping it hush hush. 🤷🏽♀️🤔
I’d never seen the funeral arrangements part of a SK funeral before. This was an eye opening, heartbreaking scene. I wish they showed this more often in k-dramas.
The thing that makes this remake quite good for me is that so far the acting is really sincere despite being a bit green. You really feel like the leads have committed to their characters. It doesn’t feel awkward like the recent Thai bls have felt even with the acting being better overall. This reminds me of the days of Love By Chance and Until We Meet Again. Although it was clear that those actors were new to acting, they brought a believability and endearing-ness to those characters that went a long way to making those beloved classics. I get that we should be expecting great acting from our bl series and don’t blame any viewers for having that as a standard. For me though, I’d 100% take commitment to character with acting that is not so bad over slightly better acting but you can tell that they are not committed to the character. *cough cough* nearly every Thai bl of 2024. 😅
It's too much caricatural and on the surface to make me feel that. So I find those scenes quite boring. But I'm…
For me it's less about the joy of seeing people tortured and more about karma/justice. It'd feel just as cathartic watching someone receive full justice through the courts. One reason I think this specific route of 'punishment' feels satisfying is because in a very real sense we are used to perpetrators escaping adequate punishment through the Korean courts and so to see them receive their punishment in a 'divine' way feels like a wrong has been righted. Thus, it's more about punishment being received that feels healing rather than the specifics of the punishment itself but I must admit, the symmetry of them receiving exactly what they dished out feels like cherry on top.
I hope this series sparks a debate/lights a fire under the SK general population to start demanding adequate punishments from their judicial systems.
One of the things that keeps me tuned into this show, is that it's very cathartic. Watching the villains be punished in the same way they terrorised their victims and to have it be slow and detailed is almost healing when you think about all the violent crimes that perpetrators get away with in SK and in the world, without receiving adequate punishment. It's almost like it's vicariously righting the wrongs (even though it's fictional).
I feel the pain of tian while they where eating…he was really hurt knowing wang will be transferring to class…
He was hurt because he realised Sheng failed on purpose and he realised it’s to do with the distance and sudden line Sheng was drawing between them when he suddenly started to address him as ‘brother’. He realised that Sheng was purposefully pulling away and that he would be losing him. It’s more than just about him leaving the class. Sheng had purposely decided to leave him/abandon him and retract on their closeness. It’s unclear if Tian has figured out why Sheng is doing this but he realises this is what Sheng is doing and it hurts because it feels like Sheng is ending their relationship/closeness. Tian opened up to Sheng and became vulnerable by daring to ‘build a life’ with him and now it seems like he’s been abandoned again.
Even though this drama includes some of the cliche tropes in k-dramas, it’s done in a way that kinda works for these characters. I really like how grey and layered the four leads, the sisters, the sister’s boyfriend, the FL’s mother and the ex are. I didn’t think at the beginning I’d warm to any redemption of the ex ever but here we are. I’m a little sad that the ex’s wife turned out to be not as I expected. Those two characters are the opposite of where I thought they were going with them. I also hope that they give the ex’s wife a little more depth so she doesn’t come across as pantomime-ish.
Each episode still has me in stitches. Their comedic chops are just chef’s kiss.
Also hoping they don’t throw away certain storylines such as the orphanage and the project there, the girl that has a crush on ML and the ex’s wife’s ambition for him. I hope these don’t just go nowhere.
This is a dark bl or LGBTQ story done right (imo). It’s not polished by any means but it feels very human. It’s so raw and gritty. The leads are two deeply broken people learning to love each other and themselves. I am eternally grateful I stumbled upon it.
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I too wanted to know the outcome of the ex’s wife and also the orphanage girl that had a crush on ML.
I hope this series sparks a debate/lights a fire under the SK general population to start demanding adequate punishments from their judicial systems.
Each episode still has me in stitches. Their comedic chops are just chef’s kiss.
Also hoping they don’t throw away certain storylines such as the orphanage and the project there, the girl that has a crush on ML and the ex’s wife’s ambition for him. I hope these don’t just go nowhere.