HKN

Based on the trailer I'm afraid it will be a disappointment. I don't understand why they made A(da)chi such a cliché BL bottom without a personality (I don't blame New, it's a matter of direction - just like Yim in Middleman's Love). I only look forward to seeing Mark in a BL again and I'm curious about potential NC scenes.

I think the problem is rather the direction (plus the writing) than acting. I wish that Yim's character wasn't written and directed this way. If they made it normal (like Yim's character in Cutie Pie), the acting wouldn't look so cringe. Yim is not a top actor but not worse than most BL actors.

I think that a random bystander would do it better. You must put in a great effort to ruin it like this.

It is made in Thailand and the actors already did such scenes in the past, so I guess we will.

All the Liquors, Love Mate, Our Dating SIM, Blueming, Semantic Error, Jack O'Frost, Stay by My Side, Choco Milk Shake, My School President, About Youth, Love Class 1 and 2, Mr. Heart, Light on Me, Location, My Love Mix-Up, See You After Quarantine?, Hello Stranger. All of those are heart-warming and with a good ending.

Yeah, I would like to see him panicking more when be found out Karan liked him. He looked pleased but a natural reaction would be to be shocked at first as it was in the original version.

Yeah, it's sad. Of course, they can decide not to share their privacy (even if their motive is to have more followers) but shouldn't be forced to do that.

I didn't like that in this version, they seem to have made A(da)chi a typical Thai BL uke - a damsel in distress. In the Japanese version, he was cute but had a personality (being a chaotic overthinker), here, he seems to be very passive and bland.

Yeah, I think the actors don't have (full) control about what is or isn't posted on their social media accounts, as well. It was shown in I Promised You the Moon when one of the main characters had to delete pictures with his boyfriend from his Instagram account before signing a contract with an agent. Moreover, the accounts often look so professional that I really suspect the agents/managers of managing them. I wonder if the actors have secret private accounts to be conected with friends and family but there would be danger that it will be discovered and the photos and information from there will be leaked. So, it's really better not to take the image they have on social media seriously.
I have watched neither Tin Tem Jai nor Love Syndrome III, I only noticed it from clips on Instagram and didn't find the shows worth watching. However, I agree it's good when actors can switch partners to show their versatility (and to prevent fans from excessive shipping of the actors lol).
I also agree that private lives of actors shouldn't affect their career unless they do something criminal or similarly serious and it is PROVED, not only an allegation. I don't need to take actors as role models, I only care if they are good at their jobs (although it's nice to see them being kind to fans etc).

I agree. Wasn't that trope recently also in Naked Dining? I've watched only clips from that on Instagram though. That's how I "watch" most BL dramas nowadays lol. Otherwise I get too mad about the tropes repeating themselves again and again. You're right that when the actors work together, they can get close but IMO some of their interactions on fanmeetings etc look forced to me. And how they always comment each other's posts on social media or post videos with them acting cute together. It's obvious they (or rather their managers) want us to think that they are dating. On the other hand, they almost never say it directly, probably because they don't want people to get too mad and accuse them of misleading them when they later find out the actors have never been a couple or IDK. I find it hypocritical. It's interesting that some actors switch their acting partners often (e. g. Long from Love Syndrome III even played in two BL dramas aired at the same time with different partners) while some "couples" are quite constant.
I think that the main problem with Build is that people idealize their favourite actors and create assumptions about them and then when they later find out they were wrong, they either start to hate the actor or believe he is a victim of an evil conspiration. They aren't able to accept that what we think about them are only our assumptions and that nobody is an angel or a devil in real life. Most of the accusations he faced were not even anything criminal but some people still insisted on their idealized image of him, that's why they reacted in a dramatic way to those accusations (and his agents were aware of that, of course) and why the scandal endangered his career. Such a thing could not happen to European actors, it only happens in Asia or in the USA (where you can be cancelled only based on your private opinions or your behaviour towards your ex etc).

Yeah, that kind of scenario was in We Best Love: Fighting Mr. 2nd, too, and it was painful for me to imagine such a situation but the series was saved by the actors's chemistry and charisma. If it there were different actors, I think it would be unbearable for me to watch it. It's sad that creators often don't know how to create a dramatic situation without any of the characters acting like a crazy person.
I like several BL actors, too, but I try not to make any assumptions about their private lives and I don't follow them on social media. I hope both the quality of the dramas and the fan culture will get better in the future. I liked that e. g. the actors from KinnPorsche were not forced to do much fan service. Anyway, it still didn't prevent Build from having the scandal.

I fully agree with you (with the exception of the last sentence). Btw, now one of my least favourite tropes is "I will leave you without saying anything because I know it's better for you this way". And when they meet after not being in contact for a very long time (sometimes even for years), they get back together. I would have a problem to trust someone who suddenly left me without any explanation and then acted like I didn't exist for years. Ugh. Or in general, making assumptions about their partner (like "he smiled at this person, he doesn't like me anymore" etc) and lack of communication.
The fan service is also very problematic. Sometimes I'm worried about the actors' mental health. They cannot be themseves even outside BL dramas and have to play a certain role that fans want to see them in. For example, when it turns out they are not dating their acting partner or just don't act lovey-dovey enough, many "fans" get furious and start to hate them. They also judge every comment you've made on the Internet and everything you've posted in your entire life. In general, the actors simply have to maintain the image that was created for them all the time. Noone cares who they really are and what they really want. No wonder that Toey from Make It Right quit acting and that Jimmy (from Why R U etc) had to take a mental health break.

Yeah, now I have a feeling that the problem with many BL dramas is not that the main characters are written like straight men but rather like straight women lol (namely the ukes). I guess it's because the stories are usually written by straight women, so I guess they write them according to themselves. That's why BL dramas are rather a female phantasy about relationships between two men. It has the advantage that straight women who also create the majority of the audience can understand and relate to the characters better, that's most likely why it's so popular among them. But that's also why I cannot relate to the characters that much and why their behaviour often annoys me. How can I take it seriously when an adult man acts like a hysterical teenage girl? I would like to see a realistic representation of gay relationships but I'm not a representative of the majority of the audience, sadly. Anyway, as you said, I still apreciate that this kind of relationship is portrayed there and that it can help more people to accept same sex relationships (although they might have a distorted idea about how they work).

Good luck with your surgery!

It makes me a bit nervous. I hope there will be enough space for all of them and that all of them will be interesting.

Did you like the movie overall?

I am sad about the kisses, too, but I don't think it's the actors' fault. For example, Honda Kyoya in Jack O'Frost was a good kisser while in Me, My Husband and My Husband's Boyfriend, the kisses were terrible. Also, I watched Senpai, This Can't Be Love with Seto Toshiki and thought he was a horrible kisser but then, in The End of the World, With You, he surprised me that he could kiss and even do NC scenes with no shame. So, it is rather about the direction or maybe production, too.

I would rather Wait.

Yeah, for me, it was chalk and cheese.

Yeah, surprisingly. Just search there for the title and you will find it. It is divided into two parts. Just be sure not to watch the sequel instead by mistake - Ai no Kotodama 2. It's not that good (and it is about a different couple).