Amastris Dratwka

You know. All I did was state FACTS about CCP censorship that the whole world knows. I was explaining why you don't get C-Dramas released immediately nor will you have a drama air that isn't 100% completed and vented by the Chinese Censorship Board. This is all I said. But somehow you and everyone else are out her making it a USA vs China deal, defending censorship of Gay material, by saying something childish like "...you do it too..." You are the one that called me a "propagandist" for it. You are the one to **insult** me first. Then you say "We can remain courteous and exchange." while you continue to insult me and the country I reside in.

REALLY?

French will be French, I see.

You know, first off you don't know me. I'm not Korean. I'm simply American and white.

Take YOUR French PROPAGANDA and go somewhere else.

Why is someone from FRANCE questioning ME, as an AMERICAN, on the laws and rules made by the CCP in China? WTF are you suggesting??? THAT I'M LYING???

BWHAHAHAHAHA!

Don't believe me. That's fine.

HERE. Read a Malaysian publication on the matter:
https://www.unreservedmedia.com/less-rainbows-and-social-media-for-chinas-lgbt-community/

Censorship is censorship. Calling the depiction of a gay relationship immoral or abnormal, is another thing. Trying to sugar-coat it by saying, at least the worker-bees try to sneak you in a snack or two while the leadership tries to starve you of content doesn't cut it with me.

The entire country has to live by the standards, because we've already seen what happens if they take to the streets and protest in mass about any of it. We all understand this, and understand that Chinese are fine with it. The only thing I pray for is that Taiwan stays independent, because I surely don't want to see that fight on Same Sex Marriage nor their BL content either. Let China do China, we understand. We'll wait for the content and won't expect any hugging or kissing. But just contain that idea to the CCP.

The Chinese CCP believes it's subversive so you're not allowed to display gay behavior in media. Also, every C-Drama takes a while to finish editing and be released. The Chinese General Administration of Press and Publication and State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television takes its marching orders from the Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department. The CCP govt officials refer to BL movies/dramas as “vulgar, immoral and unhealthy content”.

The govt officials go on to say, “No television drama shall show abnormal sexual relationships and behaviors, such as incest, same-sex relationships, sexual perversion, sexual assault, sexual abuse, sexual violence, and so on.”

The ban also extends to smoking, drinking, adultery, sexually suggestive clothing, even reincarnation. China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television told television producers it would constantly monitor TV channels to ensure the new rules were strictly adhered to..."

What this means is that the Chinese censor board officials will go through each drama & movie with a fine-toothed comb and anything they deem subversive to the Chinese general public, they will demand be edited out of the drama. Additionally, anything they consider subversive dialogue will be cut, which means it could affect the flow of the drama. This majority after the entire thing has been filmed and the actors have moved on to other projects. This means that the director/producers/editors cannot re-film it to correct it. They have to figure a way to edit it to make sense, or the drama gets permanently shelved.

Bottom Line: You're never getting a quick and easy release of any entertainment unless it's been done by a family member of the Top CCP officials who institute nepotism to get it aired.

Whelp, right or wrong; Korean bias or not, I'll just add that I was already in a K-drama slump as it is, because nothing they've been producing in the last year and a half, except 2 or 3 dramas, has been any freaking good, tbh. This just adds to the distaste. Why waste my time anymore?

South Koreans can do w/e they want with their national television channels and petition to pressure the Blue House or advertisers pulled to get the content that's already been spent off the air. They can waste people's time and money. They can bankrupt MBC, SBS, etc. Fine by me. It's their country.

But in their stance to slam Chinese and their take on Korean culture, they removing K-dramas I might have been interested in watching, thus, tbf, kinda forcing me to partake in watching more C-Dramas than I already do. I'm not sure this is the direction the nation wants to go. But okay. If they're fine diminishing the interest and value people had in watching their dramas cuz no one wants to waste time on a drama that's written poorly, executed badly, and then canceled by K-Netizens, that's their prerogative as well. I'll just say that in the last 2 years, the uptick in my C-Drama watching has grown by 58% where I'd watch ~30 C-dramas to the ~45 K-dramas per year. 2020, I past the 50 dramas watched mark with C-Dramas, while my K-dramas watching is on a downward trajectory. What's been going on there lately is just gonna increase the divide. But I guess it doesn't really matter because only Viki & NetFlix will be impacted by the changes for international fans.

In the meantime iQiyi & Tencent will reap the rewards of more international fans. Heck, even Mango TV could get a boost. But, you do you Korea.

Well, when Yu & Sam or the others bring it up, the translators indicate they say “countrified”. Sometimes when 1 or the other gets excited/emotional in their speech, it slips out.

I’m American, my native language is English & my 2nd language is Japanese, & I just recently started learning Korean. My limited understanding of the “sound” of Chinese comes from first having college friends from Hong Kong, Singapore, & the Philippines + my 1st Asian dramas being TW-dramas, Cantonese/Hokkien, then lastly C-dramas for “std” Mandarin. I have my own ‘listening’ preference myself, but I only know a few words here and there & don’t speak the language so what I’m saying is entirely from what others have told me.

The thing about Taiwanese Mandarin that I often hear is that zh, sh, & ch retroflexes are much more softer sounding. Mainlanders will think it’s ‘cute’ when spoken by a female, but consider it effeminate & unmanly for men to speak this way. Much like the difference between British/American/Australian accents, and even the regional accents within those countries, mainland Northern accent is considered the most sophisticated and precise, like how Brits think their London accent is the most proper English.

Especially with Yu’s accent, these aspects of the difference are discussed off-camera between the WBL actors. more than I’ve ever heard before. In an interview, when Sam’s “accent” came through, he even professed to have a “manly” voice. It’s come up because mainlanders have been bringing it up on forum boards regarding the drama as well. I think this is why, for this show, this topic is discussed much more than you’ve ever heard regarding these differences.

I know many Chinese believe that Taiwan is a part of China, pushing this idea through the UN & WHO but Taiwan, to this date, remains its own nation with its own laws.

Taiwan is the first Asian nation to have Same Sex Marriage as a law. When it passed, although Taiwan has laws against surrogacy, they require LGBT partners to have at least 1 of the partners biologically related in order to adopt. Without surrogacy, they’re unable to have kids. Thus, many went outside of Taiwan in order to get around the ban. [https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3843318]

By the May, 2020, advocacy groups and the fact that Same Sex Marriage had been the law of the land for a few years, caused a political push to introduce NEW law in support of surrogacy despite opposition from religious organizations who are anti-gay:
[https://www.ucanews.com/news/church-concerned-as-taiwan-moves-to-legalize-surrogacy/87931]

As it stand now, in Taiwan, the law is still being discussed in committees. The whole purpose is to protect the rights of all parties involved and not make this into a cottage industry:
[https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2021/02/25/2003752820]

WTF? 70% of Taiwanese speak Taiwanese Hokkien aka Taigi and it is one of the official languages of Taiwan. Mandarin is spoken in this drama because they’re selling it to China, via Tencent Video. Sam & Yu even discuss Taiwanese *accents* in their interviews, where Chinese fans call it sounding like “hicks” along with the fact that Yu intersperses Japanese in his dialogue.

If you’ve ever watched the TW-Drama ISWAK or ‘Drunken to Love You’ you’d have known this.
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwanese_Hokkien].

=/ I haven't liked anything Jung Hyun Jung has written as much since 2015. I don't think she's ever written an historical either, but I could be wrong. I hope she picks up her writing and makes this as good as her earlier stuff. I hate for him to comeback to a poor plot.

You forgot Taiwan. I understand that. I've made over 17K edits to the database myself. It was more a rhetorical statement.

The point I'm making is that the movie she is nominated for was written by a Korean-American professor for U of Utah campus in Incheon, South Korea. The film itself was produced by Christina Oh, along with Dede Gardner, & Jeremy Kleiner from Plan B who produced, along with NetFlix, Bong Joon Ho's 'Okja' released in 2017, 2 years before he made 'Parasite'.

Again, this goes along with the idea that 'Okja', which is Korean/American produced through NetFlix, has less Korean actors, as well as on-set crew working on it than 'Minari' did, but isn't listed because it's 100% American produced. This means that actors like Youn Yuh Jung's filmographies aren't complete is the main theme here. I'm just putting out the thought is all.

On a side note, Plan B Entertainment's Pitt, Gardner, & Kleiner's foray into Asian content is such a blessing for Koreans. They've helped open doors that should remain open in the future, and for good reason. ;)

Is the only reason this movie isn't listed on MDL because it's American produced?

The artwork and everything about it makes you feel like you're a part of the drama somehow. If you are a huge fan of the drama, it still a nice collectors item. As for me, I was already attending Korean language classes at the Korean American Cultural Center in Irvine, CA before these came out. It was a great way to study.

Oh, TYVM for sharing the link. It just goes to show how little we really know about the process, and making a lot of snap judgements based on the very *little* bit we've known. This here clearly shows that Shi De wasn't the *only* one aggressive in this scene. These 2 were literally creating raw art, and you may not like the content or topic, but it's still freaking great acting.

Ah, well if you prefer to get them from Amazon, here's the link:
[https://www.amazon.com/KDrama-Okay-Youngs-Fairytale-Finding/dp/B08GPJDL2F/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=Finding%2BThe%2BReal%2BFace%2B(1x%2BChildren%27s%2BBook)&qid=1616099858&sr=8-5&th=1]

Do you live in a country that blocks imports from South Korea?
They are available through Amazon.
I bought them from this South Korean online distributor. They sent it to me via DHL and I got the books in less than 2 weeks time. [https://www.harum.io/products/it-is-okay-to-not-be-okay-novels?_pos=1&_sid=cbe56fc06&_ss=r]

I actually have the physical copies of the 5 children's books she wrote 1) 악몽을 먹고자란 소년 - The Boy Who Grew Up Eating Nightmares; 2) 봄날의 개 - Springtime [Cheerful] Dog; 3) 좀비 아이 - Zombie Child; 4) 손, 아귀 - The Hand, The Monkfish; & 5) 진짜 진짜 알굴을 찾아서 - In Search of the Real Face. Inside, each book includes Ko Moon Young's autograph. They are so beautifully crafted. There are people who have posted their unboxing of these books on YouTube, if you want to see what they're like.

My collection also came with 2 books of 'It's Okay Not to be Okay' full script written in 2 Parts. I've been studying Korean and I thought it would help me with learning to read and write. ;)

I'm talking MDL only since I'm referring to the drama, about this drama, within the context of the MDL comments. You can see it at the top to the side of the drama's listed rating. It tells you how many MDL users indicate they were/are at one point watching this drama, how many users gave it a rating, what their overall rating is, and how many people have posted an official review. It's not anything surprising or new. Just scroll to the top of the page and look for yourself.

Oh wow thanks for this.

His statement, "[GSD]is not just a normal seme in a seme/uke-type relationship...isn't that type of idol-drama, or super sweet shipper-producing-type that everyone wants to see...GSD is a living and breathing person--he has his flaws..strengths..stupid side..smart side..the way I see WBL..never considered it male/male drama..the drama is the most important thing..how everyone sees the love story that is in this drama..." --I'm utterly gobsmacked by this.

THIS IS IT!
I think this is the reason so many are having a visceral [i.e. sudden emotion rather than from thought or deliberation] to this drama. This is what I've been saying & thinking. These actors are making these characters as real as can be, and so invested in them that their flaws can really make someone feel uneasy by it. It's like if you came up on someone's private interactions and eavesdropping on them. It's a feeling of voyeurisms that can give you a sense of uncomfortability if you have triggers to the content. ;)

Hmm.. Interesting.

I get that you're not watching any makjang anytime soon, but for me, I enjoy a good makjang when I'm in the mood. When the actors & acting is good, it can be so satisfying to feel the emotions it generates within me, good or bad. I appreciate the sensationalism of the genre, and that's why it exists and still a popular style in Asian drama-land. To each his own.

With regards to the totality of season 1 & 2 of this, I wouldn't even call it makjang. Hell, it's not nearly as bad as the concepts conveyed in both seasons of TharnType. Anyone who can get through TharnType and rate it over 6 shouldn't have any issues with this drama. Anyone who can get through TharnType 2: 7 Years after watching all the other ThanType material and give it over a 6 should being **loving** THIS drama. Even I dropped that drama at episode 1. Talking about flawed characters. No one has actually been raped, badly beating, kidnapped, gaslighted, or terrorized here.

I'm wonder what's so much more flawed here, than the other, when so many people watched TharnType. Put it this way: So far, on MDL WBL S1 has only 12K viewers & a 8.5 rating, while TharnType has 26K viewers & a 8.2 rating. You don't hear all the drama about TT like you are here. Now we're in S2 and only 2 episodes in and the hate for WBL S2 is real, if you read down the comments. So far, for WBL S2, there's only a little under 8K viewers with a 8.6 rating, while TT S2: 7 Years of Love has 14K viewers and a 7.7 rating. Speaks volumes. The demand for perfection from Taiwanese producers of BL material is real. No one puts that kind of pressure on Thais!! Why?!?! Because you expect slap/kiss & rape sequences! When the Taiwanese PDs show you the audition tapes and the aggressiveness of the characters that was portrayed from the start, to expect it to be different is asking too much. If you do NOT ask the same from Thais because of the expectations, it's silly to do it here.

I'm just saying that the **few** viewers that are watching should give the drama the time to unfold before passing judgment. We don't know what kind of **healing** we'll be conveyed. We haven't gotten the previews to make that determination. At a minimum, if you bothered watching TT at all, you should give this drama the same level of respect.

Wow. The more I hear the more I appreciate him as an actor. He really thought through everything to do with this character and has strived to make it his own it seems.