Lyson

This show is determined to hit every emotion on the fucking spectrum per a 2 episode ratio. Damn.

Still hoping I'm right though, I had this feeling Qin Xiao and Qi Lu would go to bat for one another when shit got tough and Qi Lu already seemed to be willing to stand up to his dad. He was pushed around a bit, made to back down with his father threatening QX, but after he found those photos, I'm hoping I'm right and he's gonna' be pissed enough to just go all in and tell his dad to get fucked. His dad already screwed him over, went back on his (worthless twat) word, since Qin Xiao's gonna' struggle to focus on his exam anyway after what's happened, so Qi Lu doesn't have a reason to 'honor' what he promised his sperm donor. It's all lining up like he's gonna fight to be stay together with Qin Xiao! My opinion, my hope.

This ep really made me like Qi Lu more than I already did, that said, I'm hoping ep 11 will be a little more turn for turn with whatever's going on on Qin Xiao's side and in his head. I also want to see him get mad and stand up for himself and for what he wants.

Obviously I'm loving this, angst feeds me. This weekend, I have been well fed by Blue Canvas.

Another satisfying ep, certainly moving in a more serious direction, away from the fluffy stuff and into what comes after the 'falling in love' phase, for the main pair especially.

Qin Xiao and Qi Lu : I really liked the 'imaginings' of their future together, I also like how straightforwardly they expressed themselves and the practical non-over dramatic discussion about Qi Li studying abroad. It's more realistic than in BLs when the characters act like their lives are ending. But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised it's addressed practically, considered it's a Chinese show and culturally/lifestyle wise, it's extremely common in China for people/families/couples to study, live and work a part from each other early and even later in life for months at a time and sometimes longer. They prioritize studying/working hard in their youth in order to have good futures, which is basically what QX said they should do. The discussion was so clear and mature, and even their respective jealousies were addressed well and with no dramatic misunderstandings. Smooth. I also LOVE how both MLs are very certain about themselves, the confidence and affection in their interactions are great. Very Nice!

Liu and Tan Yin: I was waiting for it to catch up to Liu that if he actually did think TY resembled his brother as a 'dead ringer' like he described, developing an attraction to him would not have happened in the first place. The first time he saw Tan Yin he was drunk and he made the association of TY to his little brother based on the outstanding hair colour, but no doubt, once he was sober and seeing TY clearly and often, he definitely clocked enough differences to develop a non platonic interest. It was just a matter of time for him to realize it, but I am glad Xin Qiao decided to push him. Bro fell in love and decided he wasn't gonna let Liu and Tan Yin miss out on what he was feeling. hehe QX hit that high and he's floating! Love it!

Xiao Rui: Guuuuurl, kudos. Mentally healthy people don't act like psychos when they find out their crush is unrequited, well done.

Plot: What's happening with the drug dealers tracks with the bts I've seen so far, so I'll wait and see how it plays out.

I'd like to dedicate Lil Nas' new song need dat boy to both pairings in this BL, because they're all going through some shit but they found each other anyway and the lyrics are pretty fitting, also it's on repeat on my Spotify and it's the first song I played after I finished this ep and it's a vibe. https://open.spotify.com/track/0qpakVB2d3MDiqZd8RUaQy?si=4c3a962e31024eef

Rare for me to like BOTH pairs. Hasn't happened since Kiseki. Win.

BL became a claim to fame in Asia a while back already, 9/10 BL actors are probably doing it only because they know how quickly they can gain popularity and from there their careers can expand, and I suppose what you've watched is them getting to act outside the BL tunnel vision scope and doing better. I think GMMTV is one of the company's riding the 'claim to fame' wave the hardest, so they don't pay writers or directors who actually envision a good story, rather just those who are happy to do mid BL script after mid BL script, not even adjusted well for TV if it's from a novel, and then they get fans attached to their 'ships', many of which do not even act well together or have good chemistry, and then they're directed to act in the BL bubble, not a TV series, so the focus is ALL wrong. GMMTV is not the only one doing it, but they're definitely doing it the most.

Eh, I don't really care for GMMTV BLs much, I don't watch many GMMTV BLs, and I have dropped most of the ones I have tried because they are usually poorly executed, acted, directed and the stories often go nowhere and pander too much to fans just based on pairings or actors. And for me, as someone who doesn't like most of GMMTV's actors, these BLs don't often catch my interest even just on a visual level. But if there's an actor I DO like, I don't mind trying. In this case it's Joong, but if it goes in the usual direction, I'll drop it, regardless of the actor. Shit is shit imo.

As for whether a sex scene is artistic, emotional or just fucking, that depends on the context of a show, and how it's directed, acted and filmed and edited. If it's done well, if it makes sense, if it feels organic, then I have no complaints. If it's bad, I just skip it or laugh while I'm watching it.

No cap, from Thai BLs, I will take shows like Century of Love, Every You, Every Me and Long Beans over any GMMTV BL any day. And sex scenes, bad or good, don't affect me. I'm get more secondhand embarrassment about these grown men touching each others heads like petting a dog and acting exaggerated and unnaturally cutesy or hyper.

Imo, entire first ep should have been just intro about them as hitmen, showing us who they are, on and off the clock. I think Bison's whole one night stand thing could have been broken up into flashes of him hooking up with people, his different moods and behaviours and attitudes since he's not happy to be doing the job, and more about Fadal in the same way, and about him being guarded, cautious, the responsible one, and their familial disagreements, how they ended up moving and opening the diner.

They may do this later in the show, but that's part of the problem, it would have made the 'hitmen' thing feel more fleshed out if they'd started with that, giving people more to get attached to with regards to those central characters. Then next ep, the next two central characters entering their lives and so on. Ah well. I'm here for Joong only, if it gets bad, I'll just head out. (~‾⌣‾)~

This. They are being trolled so hard.

My op: Including sex is totes fine, but in GMMTV BLs it's often ill timed or predictably timed, which makes it feel like it's put in the series for the wrong reason so some people question the intent while others, like myself, have gotten used to it so we just say 'okay, whatever.'

There has been a picture posted with what seems to be his love interest in the show, an actor named Na Naphat.
https://x.com/BoysLoveBuzz/status/1812735356661358879

I am watching this 90% for Max, but I really the police and forensic work are portrayed better than it was in The Sign for the sake of my secondhand embarrassment. 🤣

I think anyone who gives hate on this topic in terms of what GMMTV (and some other Thai BLs) have trouble with, is just in denial. We watch theses show, sure, but we can all see the major flaws, just as we can see that they are trying to improve, albeit with varying success.

"And that water downs everything no matter how good the plot is. Characters don't act accordingly even in a dangerous situation because it's too focused on getting to the next kiss scene." ~ I agree with this as well, they don't behave logically, there were already instances of this in the first ep, where Fadel and Bison being hitmen, many things they did and said didn't track as being believable of two people in their sort of situation. Careless, the writing is careless, so the characters are flimsy.

But we keep watching, until either we manage to suspend our disbelief all the way to the end, or we can't make it so we dip and move on.

So basically, this:
China about Taiwan: https://i.postimg.cc/gcC7L49M/China.gif
Thailand: https://i.postimg.cc/3r46wVq4/Thailand.gif
China: https://i.postimg.cc/RCdR4RS6/China2.gif

I agree the focus gets misplaced, Thai BLs are definitely aiming for a bigger scope in BLs, but the truth is, they haven't figured out yet how to make their main characters interesting and likeable WITHOUT the BL element. I think once they get a hang of making ML's that people would love to watch as a character as solo or even just friends first, with the 'BL' element coming in later (and not always in a certain episode according to the ep count), they'll automatically be doing better story and character development. It often feels rushed, predictable or forced in Thai BLs, when MLs hook up. This is how I see it anyway. I do like that they're trying though, it's moving in a positive direction.

Hm, nope, they're probably from a BL I didn't watch. I skip and drop almost as many BLs as I watch tbh. By /ex/ you mean exception? If I had to choose an exception in Thai BLs, an onscreen couple I think wouldn't need to be separated is DaouOffroad. But even if they did change partners, I'd appreciate watching that too.

I do not know what/who that is? lol

"I think gmmtv really needs to stop with the fixed pairings..." ~~ I just want to very much agree with this specifically, I think about this often when I watch Thai BLs. And I don't think it should be just GMMTV, all Thai BLs need to stop doing fixed pairings imo. Some of them just don't work well.

This is a Chinese uncensored BL, it's not allowed to be aired in China, so it is not available on iQiyi due to Chinese censorship. You can find it on Gaga, Viki and YT.

I feel the J&J vibe too, a break away from the usual way of doing things in Thai BLs. This is more western though. I'm just here to be entertained, and so far, I was entertained, so I also plan to continue.

Okay, so I can definitely appreciate what they're trying to do here, and despite missing the mark a few times and some moments feeling a little off, I feel like over all it's working quite well. It's giving more 'western' than Thai though, which feels different in a Thai BL and the filming style and music chosen for this is interesting too, it could be a nice break from the usual. I am also glad, from my personal side, that I like Joong's character in this, since I'm watching this just because of him.
I don't like Khao or Dunk much, but I can keep going for Joong, First and the plot uncovered so far.

Funny though, Kant saying to Bison that he and Fidel don't look alike when he and his little brother dead-ass don't even look like their parents ever met each other.

Yep, the whole thing screamed jealous 'ex boyfriend'. I don't think they were trying to hide what they implication was, they just kept using the words 'friend, friend, friend' to keep it 'tidy'. lol In any censored BL, the MLs relationship doesn't make sense as friendship when broken down.

I lol'd at the 'boing' sound when the 'gangster' headed the bodyguard 🤣 also I can believe Yang Zixiang is good with languages, because when he says some words in English his accent is good too, also also this shit is very adorable and it's a fun watch. That is all.