apathy

a few ppl in earlier comments have gone more in-depth than i have or am able to, so you can check that out. the problem is that message (“gay for you”/love can overcome sexuality thing) can be and is flipped on lgbtq ppl, particularly lesbians. there’s even debates on whether the idea that “sexuality is fluid” in a general sense is problematic, which you can find on google, along with discussions on “g4y/gay for you” being harmful.

also, this is a pg series. it’s not going to go in-depth on their sex life, but that’s besides my point.

tbh fantastical element aside (the souls thing), the “your sexuality can be overcome by true love” message is seen as problematic bcs it can perpetuate the idea that gay ppl don’t need to be gay they just haven’t found the right woman/man yet, and yea media influences real life.

unfortunately, this show already has an element of that trope, but it’s not explicit. for now imo, it’s also possible that yeonseok is bisexual and a late bloomer, only discovering or willing to acknowledge that element of his sexuality bcs of hayeon.

i do think it would be interesting to delve deeper into yeonseok coming to terms with his sexuality tho.

novel and webtoon

lol i remember saying last week that i have a threshold for how many problematic elements in a fictional show i’m willing to ignore before dropping the series completely. well, update, i’m almost at my limit with this show. i’m also bored. i don’t even like the third couple so far. i think the “university students enemies to lovers” thing is incredibly overdone and the approach doesn’t feel particularly unique in this.

sidenote: how is the rating so high (SE only has an 8.4) when 90% of the comments are negative lol

i’m not going to defend the plot too hard bcs it’s obviously not winning any oscars, but i think like the primary reason yeon seok turned the photo down in the first place even before meeting the sister is bcs he knew it could trigger memories. that’s also why he wrote the books in the first place, so i don’t think it’s that weird. i do agree if the series was longer having a slower approach to the memories coming back would be way better.

also given how shitty yeonseok treated hayeon in the beginning and the primary motivator for him chasing after an upset hayeon in episode 4 being the bookmarks that reminded him of « past hayeon », i think it’s a fair assumption to make. even magical cat lady assumed that was the base of yeonseok’s feelings in the episode. honestly, i’m still not entirely convinced it’s not the case (which is my problem with the show but i digress). it’s a fair assumption for hayeon given all the above and how new the relationship is and how quickly it developed. going abroad is extra tho, but i don’t know enough to really talk about that. idk we will see

he didn’t put two and two together and come up with reincarnation lol (that would be lunacy i agree 😭). the photo triggered hayeon’s memories of his past lives. from my understanding, hayeon is upset bcs he is not sure whether yeonseok loves a past version of him/hayeon that he/hayeon barely remembers and doesn’t feel that connected to or if yeonseok loves him for who he is now, which is fair tbh.

he is a horrible crier though.

i’m rewatching theory of love to tide me over until the next episode of not me and can i just say off’s acting has gotten so much better— the difference is like night and day. gun’s improved as well, and i don’t think it’s just bcs not me’s more serious tone allows for more range acting wise. you can really see the improvement in technique idk?

sidenote i think they grew into their features more too lol. gun and off were always handsome but idk they’re even more handsome in not me if that’s possible lol

LMAO stop 😭

jeon changha and ji gun definitely have the new relationship awkwardness down. i was giggling like a fool thru most of the episode.

i don’t think this bl will win any awards any time soon, but i still find it entertaining. i also like looking at changha’s face 💀 i think he’s cute and i like his little pouts so that certainly helps keep me watching lol, but yes in comparison to semantic error, the story, acting, cinematography in this is mid, but in comparison to the average like « tinted with you » kbl, first love again is good enough imo

i was thinking the same thing. i’m also wondering if i’ll enjoy this show more now that semantic error is finished

why is the rating so low. this deserves a 9 at minimum

i burst out in tears mid donut bcs of how good this drama is. i seriously don’t know how i will move on, especially with seoham starting military service today (?)

yes, but i think more ppl tuned in than otherwise would bcs it’s a popular webtoon and book too. like from day 1 it was subbed lightening quick on viki bcs it had more of an existing fanbase i think lol

i agree. 100% deserved

i feel like this series would do better if it weren’t airing the same time as semantic error lol. it’s honestly not bad so far, but it just can’t compete with semantic error’s popularity

exactly exactly!

i’m so sad that it’s ending 😩 best bl of 2021/2022

no, i agree to an extent. i definitely acknowledge the role media plays in socialisation, especially given my educational background
, but i don’t think lian calling kuea an annabelle doll is a good example of dehumanization. that’s why i felt like it was overanalysing. i’m hesistant bcs i don’t want to water down concepts bcs then they lose their meaning and significance (?) if that makes sense, which has real world consequences too

netflix is what?!

tbh i am hesitating to call his albeit mean comment an example of dehumanizing a partner. i feel like that would cross into overanalysing territory. it was flippant remark or insult for sure tho. i just think with any body of work if you try hard enough you can make it problematic and start using complex and serious concepts like dehumanization, gaslighting etc. to describe it, not to say this series isn’t problematic in its own right.

i just mean for example, i could say that kuea used his position of power to threaten his housekeeper/nanny’s job so he could keep his secret. i could talk about wealth disparity etc., but when you start going too deep into work that’s not meant to be that deep it’s kinda hard to enjoy anything lol