I just found out about this today, and ran to watch both episodes (thank you Manner of Death for making me get…
The premise and the plot seem very manga-esque to me, but in a good way -- think Cherry Magic, not in content or style but the way it echoes the manga without looking or feeling like a live action anime. I have no idea if this is based on anything or is an original script, but anyway, it works really well.
There are some standard BL tropes here, not least a classic obsessed seme/tsundere uke dynamic. Gao Shi De is a typical, somewhat stalkery, obsessed seme type, but the series manages to stay (so far) firmly on the "romantic" side of the creepy-line. Gao Shi De has been obsessed with Zhou Shu Yi for years, but has never approached him directly -- just kept winning over him in absolutely everything , in what may be an effective but rather backward strategy to make sure Zhou Shu Yi will never fail to notice him. Because yes, ZSY does indeed become totally hung up on GSD, but mostly because he hates his guts, LOL.
ZSY on his part is the totally oblivious guy who has a secret crush on his childhood female best friend, and it's when ZSY is heartbroken over the girl choosing the other childhood best friend over him that GSD steps in and starts his campaign. He does this by blackmailing ZSY into being his "pageboy", which ZSY agrees to rather easily, considering how much he "hates" GSD. The resulting relationship could have looked toxic in other hands, but the creators manage to make it look like a rather sweet D/s dynamic -- apart from the blackmail element, which is not all that nice, but as far as blackmail goes, it is rather low-key, and I'm pretty sure GSD would never have gone through with it if ZSY had refused -- but of course we can't know for sure, and more importantly, neither can ZSY. This is somewhat balanced by the way GSD keeps his attention very firmly on ZSY, giving him things he knows he likes and stepping in to save him from awkward or painful situations.
This should NOT be my cup of tea, really, but I can't help laughing at GSD's smug little secret smiles when he gets ZSY exactly where he wants him. And I will definitely keep watching to see where this goes.
I just found out about this today, and ran to watch both episodes (thank you Manner of Death for making me get a VIP subscription on WeTV)! The premise may not be terribly original -- it's a rather classic BL trope -- but I really liked how it was executed. The acting was really good, the pacing too, audio and visuals are great, and the chemistry between the leads in on point. Consider me officially hooked. More spoilery comments will be posted in hidden reply below.
Maybe? I'm not sure if that's a very good strategy, though. I think it's equivalent to giving out free drug samples…
Yeah, those kinds of dynamics are squicky. I get that some fans have that kink, but it's far too prevalent in BL (at least written BL) and I wish it weren't.
"nothing to do with 2Moons" -- well, it's a 2Moons fanfic, so saying that it has nothing to do with it isn't really…
It's obviously very much a poke in the eye against Motive Village, yes :) But MV has been digging their own grave too with how they are treating their actors and their productions.
What if what we see as manipulative behavior from Yoo-han is just his way of creating a balance in this relationship?…
Maybe? I'm not sure if that's a very good strategy, though. I think it's equivalent to giving out free drug samples (or even forcing them on people), and then insisting on payment when they're addicted. The fact that the aunt has gone away and left Yeon Woo alone for a month means that he's also without a grounding influence.
Okay here's what I suspect is going to happen. They are building up to a cliffhanger ending like 2Moons 2. Which…
"nothing to do with 2Moons" -- well, it's a 2Moons fanfic, so saying that it has nothing to do with it isn't really true. And it's not a coincidence that they cast the actors they did... But it's true that it's unrelated to the production of the 2Moons series proper.
so effing random. One moment they're breaking into some policeman's car as if it was nothing, all set up to find…
Yep, and it's not just a drama trope, it happens in real life too, it's a well-known effect. So this particular scene didn't strike me as random at all -- not like the first drunken kiss at the club, for instance. This time, they've been dancing around each other and flirting for days.
Okay so I just finished this and I loved it sooo muchh. Does anyone maybe have any similar thai bl recommendations?…
To be honest, there's nothing that comes even close. There are good ones, but this is still lightyears above anything else. The ones Markleeinthehouse mentioned are among the better ones. I'd like to add SOTUS. Again, not similar, but top of the crop. He's Coming To Me is also good. You could also try Gaya Sa Pelikula (Like In theThe Movies) from the Philippines.
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There are some standard BL tropes here, not least a classic obsessed seme/tsundere uke dynamic. Gao Shi De is a typical, somewhat stalkery, obsessed seme type, but the series manages to stay (so far) firmly on the "romantic" side of the creepy-line. Gao Shi De has been obsessed with Zhou Shu Yi for years, but has never approached him directly -- just kept winning over him in absolutely everything , in what may be an effective but rather backward strategy to make sure Zhou Shu Yi will never fail to notice him. Because yes, ZSY does indeed become totally hung up on GSD, but mostly because he hates his guts, LOL.
ZSY on his part is the totally oblivious guy who has a secret crush on his childhood female best friend, and it's when ZSY is heartbroken over the girl choosing the other childhood best friend over him that GSD steps in and starts his campaign. He does this by blackmailing ZSY into being his "pageboy", which ZSY agrees to rather easily, considering how much he "hates" GSD. The resulting relationship could have looked toxic in other hands, but the creators manage to make it look like a rather sweet D/s dynamic -- apart from the blackmail element, which is not all that nice, but as far as blackmail goes, it is rather low-key, and I'm pretty sure GSD would never have gone through with it if ZSY had refused -- but of course we can't know for sure, and more importantly, neither can ZSY. This is somewhat balanced by the way GSD keeps his attention very firmly on ZSY, giving him things he knows he likes and stepping in to save him from awkward or painful situations.
This should NOT be my cup of tea, really, but I can't help laughing at GSD's smug little secret smiles when he gets ZSY exactly where he wants him. And I will definitely keep watching to see where this goes.
The premise may not be terribly original -- it's a rather classic BL trope -- but I really liked how it was executed. The acting was really good, the pacing too, audio and visuals are great, and the chemistry between the leads in on point. Consider me officially hooked.
More spoilery comments will be posted in hidden reply below.
I think it's because they have actually worked together before, but none of the others have? Or they may have, but not that I've seen.
The ones Markleeinthehouse mentioned are among the better ones. I'd like to add SOTUS. Again, not similar, but top of the crop. He's Coming To Me is also good.
You could also try Gaya Sa Pelikula (Like In theThe Movies) from the Philippines.