AthenaTheStorierX

Vee is a sophomore and Dome i believe is a senior. So presumably they were on the team last year but never talked.

Yea, I was actually gonna comment about how the Aii situation didnt feel right for his character. I mean first kiss to first time immediately - in a character that's super reserved and doesn't appear to have ever put any thought into relationships before this?

Hmm. Noted. Thanks for the tip :)

It's up on Viki now

I haven't gotten around to watching either of them yet. Why do you recommend time between them?

The script is quite disjointed. And its contradicted itself a few times. You're not alone there. The redeeming feature here is the overarching plot and the acting - with a dash of memorable scenes.

My problem is with the script. I love the overarching story and message. And some of the scenes are pretty memorable. And the acting is superb. But there are things with the script that frustrate me to no end, either because they are dragged on far far too long, contradict something from previous episodes, or have no real depth to them. And with this last episode, things that were left unsaid, that should not have been left unsaid considering how often they get brought up in other conversations.

I feel you. There was so much there that just frustrated me and left me unsatisfied.

1.) Phap knew since they visited Neung's house that they were siblings. Why he acting surprised? Like did something get lost in translation somewhere or did they add the scene last minute or forgot about it in scriptwriting?
2.) Why on earth did Ne orchestrate that whole get Maze riled up plot? In the end, it did absolutely nothing but ruin a gorgeous painting.
3.) Why does Neung get so much pleasure from riling up Phap? Like seriously? And then go and make a comment about Maze not being clear. Well, kinda hard to make things clear when you go and spur a fight between the two!
4.) I think another really important thing that should have been said was that Maze fired him so that he could go live his dreams - office work isnt for him and Maze knew that.
5.) I think we also should have gotten a scene where Maze talks about understanding Phap's art. That was a reoccurring topic of contention - especially in this episode. Even a "I don't understand abstract art, but I understand yours." SOMETHING that says that he understands Phap, because it's clear to us viewers that he does.
6.) Seriously, we didnt get a single comment about how the manager lawsuit situation turned out. Or anybody apologizing. And that whole plot last episode bugged me too, for a list of reasons. It was a conversation that needed to be had about the industry, and they just escalated it into an SA case and then one-and-done it.

Ultimately, it's still a lot better than many other BL series out there, and the acting was superb. But the pacing of the plot and explanations wound up with a less than satisfactory conclusion.

Yes; they even make it public to the press.

I’m confused. I just watched the first episode, and it seems like the show, trailer, and description are all telling different stories. Can someone please explain?

I don't think they were boyfriends. But definitely close friends, or maybe even a relative - b/c Yeong Woo wouldn't have cried on him if they weren't close, but some of their interactions would've looked very different if they were exes.

His mom's death did a major number on him, and it's suggested that he stopped dreaming when that happened. I believe the ring is also his mother's, because he fidgets with it alot, especially when talking about his mother or not having a dream.

I can't remember which one of them said that line, but it did throw me for a loop as well.
If it was Yeong Woo who said it (which I think it was, but i could be wrong), seeing someone so close to you fall into that state, but being unable to do anything to help would hurt, and many people would not be able to handle it - resulting in them running away so they can be happy again. The emotional commitment and constant sadness takes its toll. And Yi Bin seems to be someone who dislikes being vulnerable (although it could be established better).

A cliffhanger would be he's going to propose, and she's gotta travel abroad. A cliffhanger would be some long lost first love shows up. A cliffhanger would be her parents showing up and appearing to be really protective or disapproving. A cliffhanger might even be he just proposed, but we get cut off before she answers. A cliffhanger leaves you on a cliff, when stakes are high, wondering what will happen next and how will they get through it, if they get through it at all.

Instead, we simply have a scene indicating the he planned to propose, but will have to put it off until she's ready (aka. when she's done with this project). We know he's going to propose. We know she's going to say yes. The stakes are not high, and we are not left wondering what's going to happen. Instead we are left to imagine HOW the scene will happen. It is a happy, OPEN ending.

Also, it was not anywhere close to being a cliffhanger ending. Not even an open-to-interpretation ending. It was an open ending. As in allowing for viewers to keep the story going, or to allow for an easy continuation as a special episode or season 2 if they ever decided to do so.

Honestly, it saddens me to see this series get so much hate. Please, please don't watch if you aren't into fluff - because this series is VERY fluffy. There is so much to like about this show - assuming you can enjoy fluff.

Pros:
- Our main protagonist may be innocent and naive, but not in an overly done, obnoxious way in my opinion. She doesn't say things she doesn't mean to say out loud or that would cause trouble, and she isn't slow to catch on to things happening around her. She doesn't create a fuss. And she does seem to grow in confidence thanks to Riichi's reasurances. And despite her reoccurring insecurities, she was never indecisive. And I LOVE that.

- While in real-life some people may not be able to handle how our leads' relationship works, you have to consider that this is what works for them, in this moment. Riichi understands Hanai very very well - because he's been in those shoes before. And even though Hanai has been working on manga for years, her career is just starting to boom - so of course she is going to be extremely busy right now, and riding the wave of her dreams coming true. And besides, they both seem legitimately entranced and inspired by each other working hard at their dreams - and that's something that I hope we all want (even if the show might take it too far at times).

- I love how her real life inspired her art, and in turn her changing art propelled her towards her dreams - while at the same time allowing for her to really connect with her real-life. Even her assistants commented about how eventually she wouldn't binge eat sweets and then go to bed after her deadline, instead she'd rush out to see Riichi. I don't think she was in the relationship just to inspire her work, indeed - she didn't seem aware of all the ways that her work has changed. Nor do I think the scenes where inspiration strikes were unrealistic or to callously placed (this coming from a writer myself).

- The (instantly predictable) plot conflict was handled in a very mature, decisive, and quick fashion from all parties. And the aftermath never lingered. As should ALWAYS be the case with a fluff story.

- The story was told in a really effective dual-perspective view. We got both sides of the story for all of the major scenes. And since the series was short, this didn't wind up feeling repetitive. Plus, it allowed us to really just enjoy the story/fluffiness, without wondering what the other side is thinking.

Cons:
- Riichi, baby, you need better/more compliments. You cycled through 3 (cute, cool, and beautiful) the entire series. It did start to feel tiring, and based on dialogue alone, shallow. Hanai isn't much better with her compliments either. So the dialogue could've use a bit of work to bring more depth.

- I would've liked to have seen another time jump where we see Hanai having an even better grasp of work-life balance. But as it stands, I think we got a really solid hint that that's the direction we're going in at the end.

Exactly :D Definitely agree.

And the sketch seems to be a nod to a real-life painting:
https://arthistoryproject.com/artists/alexandre-cabanel/fallen-angel/

Be careful not to confuse the "save me" near the end for him saying "white" though. I saw some people on tiktok getting super excited and it's just the Thai word that corresponds to "save me."

OOOH. Good catch!

This whole episode was Sean confirming that it's not Black:

Sean has been suspicious of White (as Black) this entire time, thinking that this is a game to Black. Black broke his trust long before the events of this series (the getting suspended flashback) and Sean doesn't forgive. But he knows something's different here - White doesn't act like Black at all.

So Sean dug around in Black's apartment. And what did he find? Glasses. And contacts. Black has never needed these things. Plus these items are very expensive. Perhaps he may have even found White's ID as well off screen (he's certainly doing a thorough search, and why wouldn't he search his wallet; or even his ID from when he took the government test that would in theory be in the same bag). Combined with all the other behaviors that don't line up (and the ridiculous questions White would ask that Black would know). Sean has to know that White is not Black.

Then there's the conversation with Gumpa that gets cut off for us viewers. What other purpose would that conversation have? Especially since it's right after he leaves White.

Then there's the whole abandoned building bit, where he seems to be testing White and paying extra attention to him.
-The "good at spying" line was clue number 1. No where in the series have we gotten any clues that White or Black are good at spying. In fact, it seems like Black is a very head-on person, so he'd be actually BAD at spying. So, this was an indirect jab/hint to White that he knows.
- The way he pulled the bench up to window and helped White get through was also pretty telling. He has never showed this courtesy to him before, especially because Black would have been able to do it no problem.
-White being winded from running up a flight of steps (something that is suggested to be very out of character for Black both in this scene and in the rooftop training scene a few episodes back)
-watching how White reacts to being forced so close to Sean
-tickling White (another thing that keeps getting suggested as being a new thing, but not so easy to suddenly appear)
-the trust fall (Sean was just talking about how ridiculous the exercise was when White did it, besides he wouldn't trust Black to do that, Black has already let him "fall" before with that suspension flashback).
-And then the kiss. I do believe there might be some history between Black and Sean. Something that made it where this test confirmed that White isn't Black. Either because Black would never have let him do that, or because they kiss different.

Next episode appears to be where he is trying to figure out who exactly White is (as opposed to who he's not), and why he's there.

Or helped frame him for the drug running

But yea, I personally don't see where the confusion is with the White and Sean situation. I thought it was really obvious, and it keeps getting repeated throughout the series. But different people watch with different levels of engagement, and different focal points.

Same! It's the reason why I watch so much stuff as they air - so that I have stuff to look forward to every week. It's going to be so so sad when Not Me isn't going to be a part of it anymore.

But on the bright side, there's a lot of exciting stuff on the horizon. And I've got a custom list to keep track of the upcoming releases to keep an eye out for. Like I am already super pumped for Cutie Pie.