Looks like this is going to be another LBC 2 with a reboot of their story. Ugh! Why? Why Are You ... doing this?…
I don't think this is going to be an entire full-length series, just a special. I think it is because some of their scenes never got filmed because of covid, so their story was a bit rushed and incomplete in Why R U. ETA: I've watched the trailer now, and yeah, it's probably not just a special.
Agreed. I find it somewhat off-putting how some of these shows marketed themselves as BL when they're not really?…
Like @reefpicker , I tend to define BL as romance, and that's why I have an issue with dramas that are too painful or tragic, and above all don't have a happily-ever-after (or at least a happy-for-now). I know that BL is a young genre and it's still evolving, and different countries/cultures have different traditions, but I am drawn to the romance aspect of it. It can be lighthearted and silly, or deep, artistic, firmly grounded in LGBTQ+ realities -- as long as the focus is on the romance. If I could choose, which I can't, of course, but if, I'd wish that a HEA or a HFN would be a qualifier for the label BL, just as it is for the romance genre in general. Nobody watches a Hallmark movie or reads a romance novel with the expectation that the romantic couple will die tragically. I will argue that while there is definitely a need and a place for LGBTQ+-centric stories, that may or may not have romantic elements, and may or may not end on a happy note, I think it's also important (especially after the American Hays Code was in effect for so many years) that we can get a "safe" space where we're guaranteed a narrative with LGBTQ+ content AND a happy ending, and BL could (and IMO should) be that space.
I also think it's unfortunate that anyone making content that encompasses love between two young men can label it BL and still have this old, outdated tragic narrative. It feels as if the showrunners are trying to capitalise on the BL trend by slapping the label on their own work, even if it is in fact trying to do the opposite of what most of the BL genre is about.
Again, I'm not trying to gatekeep the genre or claim the right to define it -- just trying to discuss it in terms of what purpose it serves and why that is important, from my own point of view.
Sandee is horrible. But the mother is to blame. She could have stood by her son and not acted like his gayness…
I agree. When Sandee came to her with her veiled accusations, outing Ken, the mother could have said, "I understand that you are disappointed, and you know I love you, but I love my son and want him to be happy, so let's try to step back and be gracious about this, okay?" But she didn't. I can understand that she was initially in shock and overreacted, but she's not even remorseful six weeks later.
And really, if she wanted him to get off the phone while he was driving, she could have just reassured him and hung up.
I guess they're waiting to be sure that the Xiao Zhan antifans have subsided and won't rise up to kill the drama…
Yes -- he personally had done nothing, he just got caught in the crossfire. Here's a pretty thorough, in-depth run-through of the events: https://www.npr.org/transcripts/913689551
Even though this is not a BL, I’m still happy to see OffGun and KristSing bromance moments together. Unfortunately,…
Yes, I'm wondering if this is the intention, perhaps they are both tired of playing BL roles and this is a way to help them transition to other types of roles.
I know what the color red means. The screenwriter want to say they are marrying, but what does the cinnabar message's…
Oh, I'm talking about the drama too. You are right that nobody dies *on screen*, but it's heavily implied that they probably will (although since it's not shown, we can all have our own headcanon that their gambit of inviting everybody of importance actually worked, and they got to live happily ever after).
I deffo do get where Type is coming from with his reasons for not wanting to get married but after 7 yrs. Im sorry…
I think it's obvious that it's an old argument between them. Tharn has brought it up before, Type has put him down before. That's why they both looked so uncomfortable at the dinnertable when Tanya brought it up. It actually looked better in the actual episode than in the trailer, I think -- at least here it wasn't just "but we're both guys!", but actually an explanation of how Type feels. He still has a lot of fear around being official and public about this, and getting married is as public and official as it gets .
I guess they're waiting to be sure that the Xiao Zhan antifans have subsided and won't rise up to kill the drama…
I don't know how it works in China, but giving it very bad ratings, starting boycott campaigns, spreading rumours, digging up dirt on people, that sort of thing. Not sure they could actually "kill" it, but they could probably make sure they'd end up losing money on it , just so that nobody would want to work with Xiao Zhan ever again. But hopefully it's not that bad anymore. I'm not Chinese so I don't know for sure what the situation is with his haters now, but they managed to screw up his life and career pretty badly when they made an effort to last time.
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ETA: I've watched the trailer now, and yeah, it's probably not just a special.
I also think it's unfortunate that anyone making content that encompasses love between two young men can label it BL and still have this old, outdated tragic narrative. It feels as if the showrunners are trying to capitalise on the BL trend by slapping the label on their own work, even if it is in fact trying to do the opposite of what most of the BL genre is about.
Again, I'm not trying to gatekeep the genre or claim the right to define it -- just trying to discuss it in terms of what purpose it serves and why that is important, from my own point of view.
And really, if she wanted him to get off the phone while he was driving, she could have just reassured him and hung up.
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...Karleen and Alex end up together, and Pearl has ended up being the Ever Single Relationship Facilitatator once again! XD