Eliot_Rulez

much better than the manga...

I did read the original source and I think it was a medicore manga.
But this show fixed most flaws in the manga, reduced the story to the essential but did miss out on Hiros development so the ending feels rushed.

The jerk-off scene stired some controversy but I think it should show Hiros docile character, running like a machine without an option to decide what he wants.

I wished they had at least one episode more to go deeper into Hiros character. I don't think the office scenes were too long, they are essential to understand his struggle but how he did come to the conclusion to change his workplace was too fast, when Hiro has lived in a "treadmill" for five years. Also some flashbacks to Kais family live with his father would have helped the show.

It's always a problem with such short shows to go deeper when all you have are six episodes. I don't quite understand why they have to limit themselves. Two episodes more shouldn't do that much for the budget but could make the show better.

Some are impressed by the opening sequence which I don't like. Why? Because most japanese series show the happy end and they waste 1:19 of only 24mins runtime.

Regardless of the flaws it was a good show with high production value with some fluffy scenes and an adorable couple. MDL is missing a voting for cinematography and design which are also integral for a good series, so my endscore is higher than "calculated" :)0

Update: My perfect BL of 2024 :) (not the best BL/queer drama of 2024, but from the viewpoint of a BL it was perfect)

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Too short imho, but still cute.

That was refreshing and funny without being forced to be funny.

I think a fourth episode would have helped, because it felt sometimes a bit rushed or at least 5 minutes more would have been a godsend. Also when they always talk about the "kissing scene", they should have played out exactly this scene as finale and not only hint it at the end of the credits.

Otherwise the two managers were hilarious and I felt in the first episode they have a more intimate connection, so really well done. Also the supporting cast did a very good job.

The story is more original compared to most, executed so brilliantly. I had laughs and some tears, so I can only recommand to binch watch this short series.

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hard to judge because it has it's lengths

The best thing the show did, was not starting with a sex scene as the manga did.
What was frustrating was the lack of communication overall, but especially on Asamis part. He was in love for years and still can't communicate properly when he has the chance. Of course, if both are in love they don't really need words to convey their feelings, but if the partner is inexperienced, shy and never experieced love in his life, it would help tremendously. They should have shown Asamis reason to love Yuki in Episode 2 also much earlier to give the viewers more to work with and to better understand him, I think to do that in episode 7 was a bit late.

Besides that, the series was beautifully crafted, cinematography was great and they tried to be sensual all over. The mellow pace was not a negative for me per se, but the series draged on a bit. Even with this flaws the MLs did act a wonderful job and only failed with the kissing scenes which was a bit disappointing.

So in summary a good show with some flaws but enjoyable to watch.

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WTF? Did we need that?

If this is the episode 11 (why does MDL state it's 2 episodes?) ?

I think we could have lived without it for sure.

Even when society is fucked up in Japan, a BL should give an positive outlook and not keep Jin in the closet because of pressure... So I hate the story for 100%. All the rest was good as usual, but the story destroyed it for me.
For context: They changed the manga, so his dad made a movie about two boys (in the manga he had a girl & boy), Jins friends were present to watch Hirukawas movie at university (they were absent in the manga). So I do hate it, that they changed the manga for the better but did not finish it with consequence.
Of course I can understand it, when you don't want to out yourself in the company or to strangers who you have no connections with, but at least his dad would have understood and he was not in it. So it's sad, they did not have the guts to do something better and so, if you like the excellent series, you should not watch this!

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What a bad ending...

While I can understand that it can be hard to accept a gay relationsship, I don't understand why the finale needed a female antagonist with the most cliché story imagable. Instead of fighting for the relationsship and a more in depth talk, the antagonist took all the screentime so there was only a "bad" ending left.
The story was quite good thus far, regardless of some hick-ups and unnecessary scenes. The chemestry and acting was very good for new actors in such a genre. So the ending did disappoint even more. Overall better than expected, there is much room for improvement for the writing, but the MLs were the highlight of this short show.

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This is a mixed bag...

First the bad things: The problems of prostitutuion is only superficial mentioned, the acrobatics are only shown prominently in the first and last episode, even when some actors had to do a lot of work to make it believable. The ending is strange as well, especially with the love-triangle... while I don't see it problematic when three people love each other, it was not really explored through the story, it was there in the final episode and I didn't really expect it.

The good things about this series is that the production quality overall was high, and there was a lot of fan-service, which was overdone in my opinion. The chemistry between the leads was also good and they did a good job.

So overall not a bad show, but not a very good one either due to the lack of a more indepth story about hosts in general and not exploring the love-triangle from the beginning. At least you will have lot's of eye-candy.

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Thais can't adapt a foreign story....

After we had Cherry Magic and My Love Mix-Up, I had not much hope that any thai production company can adapt a non thai story. And they did not disappoint.

Why do they think, they have to make anything into a comedy with material that does not match. "Addicted Heroin" is neither funny nor a comedy. It does not make sense to have a serious story made with lot's of comedy elements (and it's stupid sounds). I can't fail the actors who all did a very good job in most scenes. Even Mac as newcomer performed much better than I would have expected. Regardless the writing was as usual lazy especially with the finale.

The final episode was confusing. The bad dad should have a relevation, so it does not make sense that both of them run away... And they are 17 or so... where can they run? Also the second couple was confusing as well and we do not know if they got together after they have chased each other for 8 episodes, than a strange reveal that "Only" was into "Pop" which did not make much sense for me.

What they also did not incorporated was the passion for each other. No time in the series I had the feeling they burn for each other. It was mostly childish or awkward. And due to the underage of Mac there is no kissing. The only highlight of the whole show was the family of Pop's dad. So in summary, this was a bad adaption as well. The series without the knowledge of the novels was not even medicore, especially because the finale does have too many loose ends and unlogical "conclusions".

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Not a BL but worth every penny the taxpayer spent....

Of course this is not a BL, it's a drama about a gay man. We see a real depiction of gay life in Korea with all the harsh realities Korean society (and many other) offers. There is no pink-washing of reality, there is just reality in an unapologetic way. Of course we wished for Ko Young to have a happy life. But life is tough, espeically as woman or gay man. I am glad the Korean culture ministry spend tax money on this show, because it's an important piece of education too. And because it's not a BL, we don't get the happy end Ko so much deserves.

One of the best gay shows ever produced even when some parts of the story were not perfect or not expanded and explained in a way I wished for (mother/son for example). On the plus side is the great acting, especially for the MLs who never played a gay character (and went into it giving 110%), and the stunning visuals.

So overall I can only recommand everyone to watch this series, 400 minutes worth spending!

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utterly awful...

It's again time to drop a title... because while I have a hard skin, I can't watch this. The story is extremely weak but the acting is atrocious. This should have been an over the top comedy I guess... but even with skipping scenes I can't let go through the 2nd episode. While the first few minutes let you imagine it's a cheap imitation of Gelboys, it is nothing of the sort. Just the intro resembles it with a cute face in it, but every other actor does not stand out a bit.

While I hoped the Thai BL slump ended with June, this is a new low. A complete waste of time and money.

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An interesting start falling to a medicore end with lazy writing

While I always thought lazy writing is a thing for Thai BLs, it also happened here. Also to be a musician is about passion and I missed some of it. Even if you are down a lot and having a depression I would assume a musician will find help with his music. I understand stage fright but should he not have somehow mellowed it down because he has the experience after a while? It seemed like he's still a rookie.

There is no fault in the actors who did the best with a weak script they were given. Production quality was very good except the hair. Neither the wig nor the blonde extensions on Orca were a good idea. I also don't understand Reese why he has the problem to be with his love for such a long time and why both of them did not learn each others languages a bit. Did they not, because they were apart for a long time? At least they sould learn to speak english well which "Orca" did not and talk in english. I also felt there was not enough tension, longing, passion between the side couple, it felt bland. Also the actors did not convince me to be musicians, their performances with the instruments felt a bit stiff and unnatural, especially Sea on his keyboard even when the OST itself was nice. To be a music centric show needs more realism and more training for the actors.

So after a good start the show reduced intensitiy and they seperated the MLs because Sea needs to concentrate on music? Does that make sense? I don't think so. When you are in love seperating makes things harder imho. Even with some fluffy moments, this show can't be saved to be more than medicore. For a taiwanese BL that was disappointing.

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A show needed for every country....

A consevative and close minded Dad opens up to a world where humans are not like society wants them. Humans have many nuances of sexuality, identity, looks and expression. He learns to accept that humans come in many "shapes" and that he did neglect his family. We see how he opens up and how he "upgrades" himself, returns to good terms with all members of his family and how he influences other to change as well.

Thanks to a friend for recommanding this show. 🙇‍♂️
This is an important piece of drama which should exist everywhere. There are only some nitpicks which make the show not perfect but I won't bore you with them. Overall the team did a good job raising not only LBGTQI+ issues but what should be human rights. Don't judge people regardless of their sexual identiy, sexuality or how they look in general. Acting was also very strong and sensible done. I can only recommand this show to everyone!

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Too short with shortcomings

This is a nice romance, but they missed an opertunity to get into more details due to the short run of this series. The struggle for Ryuji was not explored in detail which is a shame because in contrast to many other series he has absolute no idea about his feelings, his wants and how to express himself. Also the "kissing" scene in the finale was more lame than romantic. I don't need hot and spicy scenes mostly seen in Thai BLs but kissing should be real not just touching lips.

What this series sets it apart from others japanes BLs is the communicaton between the main characters. They always talk it out which is really refreshing. I personally can also enjoy "My Personal Weatherman" which is 100% opposite to this series.

Overall an enjoyable series with much more realistic characters compared to many other shows. Also the production value was high with some sweet moments and good dialogues.

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Wholesome...

While Minato-san is often annoying to watch and scared of his feelings, the story is a wholesome one with some scenes which are bringing tears to your eyes or very fluffy feelings. For western cultures this seems a bit silly, but I guess in Japan this is more reality for denying yourself for whatever reasons and even just being gay is still hard. Also the "side couple" brings lot of enjoyments with an adult who is social akward by any standards which brings its own dynamic with his young would be lover.

I won't spoil anything, so I'm just saying, they did a great job bringing this series to life. I hope after Season 2 there will be another one :)

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selfish guy vs weak guy?

It's hard to rate this series, because:
The "bad" guy left the "good" gay to have a "normal" life, but when the "bad" guy is getting married three years later, he comes back to the "good" guy...
Is that realistic? If I were the "good" guy I would have moved on long ago.

In this story the "good" guy did not move on and is still yearning for the "bad" guy and as it happens they end up together. But not with some drama in the end where the ex-fiancé is threatening the "good" guy as in outing them and legal action and telling him seeing two man together makes her puke.

So this is not a happy story and the homophob ex and the selfish "bad"guy are a big minus for the story. The execution and acting was very good and a big plus. And after you have watched it, you will have a bitter taste left. So I guess, this short series was well above average, even when I don't like such stories.

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