Yes normal life offers many things. but this is something that can be shaped/controlled/changed. Drama series…
"... normal life will offer many disappointments and problems that are more significant and overwhelming"
There are bigger problems in life than a bad adaptation. But if we don’t call out bad representation, we’re complicit in perpetuating those bigger problems. The homophobia that silences gay stories in favor of "straight" ones is a symptom of the homophobia that silences gay people in real life
You’re free to enjoy the drama, and we’re free to not enjoy it
Based on the comments below they miserably failed at adapting an already existing story.Now my personal experience…
Gay people are sidelined in real life, why would we want fiction to sideline us, too?
Fiction has the power to inspire change and hope by exploring alternative, fairer worlds. The kind that only recreates trauma or societal issues misses the opportunity to inspire change or hope. They're telling us, "you'll get scraps, even in your own story." They might as well film a documentary
The manhwa is so different that they might as well write a new story instead of using the same title and character…
"U refuse to acknowledge many of the facts presented by other commentors, including the fact that the straight couple contributed NOTHING to a gay storyline. The manhwa did fine wihout it too."
This. Hee Su would’ve had a more meaningful character arc with a therapist and a journal. The "straight" story did nothing
The manhwa is so different that they might as well write a new story instead of using the same title and character…
"He moved on because his crush was taken" is no different from congratulating a person for quitting sugar because the store ran out of candy. He didn't move on or heal, he was blocked by external circumstances
Hee Su spent nine episodes realizing what he knew in the first episode, that Chan Yeong won't be his. Stretching a two-sentence realization into a full season doesn’t make your story deep or meaningful, it makes it exhausting
I’ve carefully read every comment most of the are negative and the positive one is making my mad, fine you can…
Beautifully explained. The "straight" couple got to experience the full spectrum of emotional development, while the gay couple was limited to glimpses of what could’ve been
Truth be told, I'd raise a toast to the daring individuals behind dramas or movies featuring gay intimacy. They acknowledge that gay people exist and are endowed with desires of the carnal sort. We're not sexless creatures blushing at the mention of ankles
The key to successful gay cinema is in finding the sweet spot between plot and sex. Too little plot, and we’re watching a series of disconnected, unfulfilling sexual escapades. For the love of all that's good and gay, the entertainment industry should give us something more than sweaty bodies to hold onto
"Writer 1: Ah, so this is another form of “conversion therapy”. The Producer: You’re fired"
No shade to those fantasizing about turning a "straight" identifying person gay, the opposite has been done plenty. But if that person's open to questioning their sexual identity and experimenting with the same sex, they weren't "turned." They discovered a different side of themselves
The producers used the characters of "Heesu in Class 2" to piggyback on the success of the source material. If they wanted a mix of "straight" and gay storylines, they should've come up with something original and innovative themselves
The manhwa is so different that they might as well write a new story instead of using the same title and character…
The producers used the characters of "Heesu in Class 2" to piggyback on the success of the source material. If they wanted a mix of "straight" and gay storylines, they should've come up with something original and innovative themselves
The manhwa is so different that they might as well write a new story instead of using the same title and character…
The manhwa version of Hee Su and Seung Won is a romantic 5-course meal. They confess, date, kiss, grow together. The adaptation, on the other hand, is a moldy breadcrumb that pats itself on the back for being "progressive"
"The ages of the characters (and actors) seemed to dictate the level of romance they were actually going to show"
Teenage "straight" couples in media date, kiss, and hook up behind the bleachers by episode 4. Gay teens and teenage gay couples exchange meaningful glances for 9 episodes and whisper "I like you" in the finale as if they confessed to a crime. How is that not homophobic? Young gay people aren't a species of sexless creatures, and denying them the opportunity to explore love and intimacy until they're 18-25 doesn't protect the sanctity of teenagehood. It exposes society's harmful biases against gay relationships
"Heesu had more screentime than any other two characters combined. We were in his head the whole show"
You were in Hee Su’s head the whole time, what did you learn? That his growth relied heavily on external factors and the person he had feelings for being in a "straight" relationship. That's not a healthy depiction of processing feelings and moving on. It robs Hee Su of his agency to define his own path to emotional maturity and growth
"Everything that happened - including the straight couple getting together - happened to facilitate Heesu’s arc"
Everything that happened, Ji Ho being a minor, Chan Yeong and Ji Yu ending up together, happened to take away screen time from Hee Su's relationship
Why aren't you suspicious of the lack of care taken in the casting decision? They had a minor work with an adult to limit the potential for a romantic storyline between them and their characters. Smells homophobic
I’ve carefully read every comment most of the are negative and the positive one is making my mad, fine you can…
Pop culture drools over "straight" porn and on-screen kisses between big-name celebrities of the opposite sex. Women are put under immense pressure to undress and pretend to enjoy "sex" as a result to secure a spot in the public eye
Why were Chan Yeong and Ji Yu shoved together? To fulfill those heteronormative expectations and fetishes. When we long for same-sex affection, hand-holding, picnic dates, hearts fluttering, we're met with accusations of fetishization from the people who fetishize the "straight" lifestyle. They're projecting onto us
seriously you read the manhwa are you talking about the side couple chae won or something their story wasn't in…
Throughout 79 chapters and additional side stories, Chan Yeong and Ji Yu's interactions remain within the boundaries of friendship. They're not a thing, and side stories focus on two gay couples
There are bigger problems in life than a bad adaptation. But if we don’t call out bad representation, we’re complicit in perpetuating those bigger problems. The homophobia that silences gay stories in favor of "straight" ones is a symptom of the homophobia that silences gay people in real life
You’re free to enjoy the drama, and we’re free to not enjoy it
Fiction has the power to inspire change and hope by exploring alternative, fairer worlds. The kind that only recreates trauma or societal issues misses the opportunity to inspire change or hope. They're telling us, "you'll get scraps, even in your own story." They might as well film a documentary
This. Hee Su would’ve had a more meaningful character arc with a therapist and a journal. The "straight" story did nothing
Hee Su spent nine episodes realizing what he knew in the first episode, that Chan Yeong won't be his. Stretching a two-sentence realization into a full season doesn’t make your story deep or meaningful, it makes it exhausting
Truth be told, I'd raise a toast to the daring individuals behind dramas or movies featuring gay intimacy. They acknowledge that gay people exist and are endowed with desires of the carnal sort. We're not sexless creatures blushing at the mention of ankles
The key to successful gay cinema is in finding the sweet spot between plot and sex. Too little plot, and we’re watching a series of disconnected, unfulfilling sexual escapades. For the love of all that's good and gay, the entertainment industry should give us something more than sweaty bodies to hold onto
"Writer 1: Ah, so this is another form of “conversion therapy”.
The Producer: You’re fired"
No shade to those fantasizing about turning a "straight" identifying person gay, the opposite has been done plenty. But if that person's open to questioning their sexual identity and experimenting with the same sex, they weren't "turned." They discovered a different side of themselves
"The ages of the characters (and actors) seemed to dictate the level of romance they were actually going to show"
Teenage "straight" couples in media date, kiss, and hook up behind the bleachers by episode 4. Gay teens and teenage gay couples exchange meaningful glances for 9 episodes and whisper "I like you" in the finale as if they confessed to a crime. How is that not homophobic? Young gay people aren't a species of sexless creatures, and denying them the opportunity to explore love and intimacy until they're 18-25 doesn't protect the sanctity of teenagehood. It exposes society's harmful biases against gay relationships
"Heesu had more screentime than any other two characters combined. We were in his head the whole show"
You were in Hee Su’s head the whole time, what did you learn? That his growth relied heavily on external factors and the person he had feelings for being in a "straight" relationship. That's not a healthy depiction of processing feelings and moving on. It robs Hee Su of his agency to define his own path to emotional maturity and growth
"Everything that happened - including the straight couple getting together - happened to facilitate Heesu’s arc"
Everything that happened, Ji Ho being a minor, Chan Yeong and Ji Yu ending up together, happened to take away screen time from Hee Su's relationship
Why aren't you suspicious of the lack of care taken in the casting decision? They had a minor work with an adult to limit the potential for a romantic storyline between them and their characters. Smells homophobic
Why were Chan Yeong and Ji Yu shoved together? To fulfill those heteronormative expectations and fetishes. When we long for same-sex affection, hand-holding, picnic dates, hearts fluttering, we're met with accusations of fetishization from the people who fetishize the "straight" lifestyle. They're projecting onto us
We'll get to sob together in advance at least