The scenes of Wu Suowei's mother's final moments made me cry for real. The thing I like about Asian series in comparison to Western ones is that they emphasize staying in touch with your parents and taking care of them (even if they won't understand you or approve of you like they should) while also staying true to yourself and the person you love and not compromising on that. To be clear, I'm not talking about toxic, self-centred parents but parents who truly love you who have your best interests at heart, even if they don't always do the right things. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. In contrast, a Western series might have given the message that you should cut off your parents from your life because they don't understand immediately, and not care to gain their approval.
I loved that Wu Suowei's mother ultimately understood the true nature of Chi Cheng's relationship with her son when she talked with Chi Cheng for the last time at the hospital. She did not tell him to end the relationship, she was just concerned that they may have a tougher life than other couples.
When she went home from the hospital with Wu Suowei, she still asked him when he was going to get her a daughter-in-law. That was confusing. I'm not sure whether she said that to encourage Wu Suowei to finally tell her about his relationship with Chi Cheng, or if she (unfortunately, like many elderly people) preferred a straight future for her son rather than a gay one. I'd like to believe it was the former reason. I liked that immediately after that question, she praised Chi Cheng, signalling that she's okay if Wu Suowei stays with Chi Cheng. Still, I wish she had been more direct in telling Wu Suowei about her approval for his relationship with Chi Cheng.
I liked that Wu Suowei encouraged Chi Cheng to stay in contact with his family (though I must say, Chi Cheng's dad was very problematic; kidnapping was too extreme). Wu Suowei mainly said so because he believed it was Chi Cheng's filial duty but it may also have the added benefit of maybe convincing his parents to eventually approve of their relationship. Chi Cheng's mother truly loved Chi Cheng (as evidenced by her worry for him when he got arrested) and even though her trying to set him up with Yue Yue in earlier episodes was bad, she can be forgiven because she mistook his interest in men as a phase and was doing what she (erroneously) thought was in her son's best interest. I'm glad Chi Cheng's sister finally told her that Chi Cheng's interest in men and Wu Suowei in particular is not a phase and encouraged her to accept them. And she did, as evidenced by her going to meet Wu Suowei at his sugar figurines stall later.
Some days ago, I was thinking about how I'll eventually have to come out to my parents, how they will not understand and how I might have to leave home if emotions run too high (I don't think they'll kick me out themselves but I might have to do that to avoid any rash decisions on their part). I was thinking of whether I should also break contact with them if I leave home but then I saw the episodes of Wu Suowei's mother's final moments and it was quite timely. Because it made me realize how much I love my parents, how I'll miss them once they're gone, how I'll regret not talking to them and how, even if my parents don't accept me, I must still try to stay in touch with them and take care of them (especially when they're too old) because I can never fully pay them back for all the love and care they've given me over the years. No one can love you like your parents, friends. Hopefully, they will eventually understand and accept me. Sorry about the wall of text and if this is too sappy and cringe.
He is my favourite Thai actor. He seems nice, humble and upbeat. I wish he continues to succeed in his acting career, has a happy life, finds a good life partner and remains safe from harm, bad habits and toxicity. I was sorry to hear about his father's passing a few months ago. I hope he and his family find solace soon.
He is banned from acting in China ..so heartbreaking ..
Sorry friend but how did you learn of that information? I saw a video yesterday which showed how he was edited out of an episode of a variety show (for unspecified reasons) that he recorded in July but which aired in August. That same variety show has edited out other guests too for different, seemingly strange, reasons in the past just to avoid controversy. Here is an article about it: https://dramapanda.com/2025/08/tian-xuning-first-variety-appearance-hello-saturday-gets-cut.html Is this incident what led you to believe he is banned or do you have some other reason?
I really hope his career is not negatively impacted just for acting in a BL. His popularity has greatly increased among people due to his BL. I hope fans support him.
Mark acted very well in this series, be it comedic, serious or intimate scenes. But Ohm seemed hesitant to kiss properly or show intimacy. I don't know if that was required by the script, or if Ohm is uncomfortable with intimate scenes (in which case, he shouldn't be in BL/romantic series), or if it's just me. I liked Ohm in 'A Boss and a Babe' so I was expecting him to be as comfortable here but he disappointed ngl. That being said, I liked this series overall. The comments and reviews are way too negative. As always, watch the series yourself and decide if you like it or not.
You were so brave to come out in a place like Korea which doesn't have anti-discrimination laws and does have obsessive homophobic groups so you really risked your career. I hope you will be a good role model and an inspiration for gay kids. And I hope you don't experience any negative consequences.
totally agree with all of this. I remember tuning out of the first episode back when it was airing just because…
The last sentence gave me a good laugh 😆 I would like more BLs like this which have romance but also a side plot where they investigate or solve cases. I know of two other BLs which have these elements ('Manner of Death' and 'Love Is a Poison') and I'm saving them to watch for a better time. I did not like the breakup thing they did in the penultimate episode. It didn't seem to make sense but then Kaburagi explained his reasoning and then it did make sense. I liked how they resolved it with Onoe explaining his whole rationale for taking that case, including how he was sacrificing his comfort for Kaburagi's so that he understood how Onoe's intentions were good.
I read online that in an old interview, Krist shared that his father was one of the people who instilled acceptance…
I also read that both his parents attended his fan meetings so what's more likely is that his dad was fine with his career choice. True, we can't know what went through his dad's mind and this applies your original comment too that implies he had a negative reaction. Things shared about Krist's father online actually suggest he is supportive.
"Krist, who likes swimming, almost auditioned for the national swimming team but could not due to his father's…
I read online that in an old interview, Krist shared that his father was one of the people who instilled acceptance of LGBT people in him, so I doubt his father was disappointed in his son acting in a BL drama. And Krist has become very successful through BL, much more than he would have as a swimmer.
I beg to differ from the folks who are saying it's boring. I found it very enjoyable and gripping. Perhaps the bored folks wanted to see grand gestures of love whereas this series depicts love between two shy people who show love in little ways. I liked the sexual tension, jealousy and Onoe's cute sulking. The actors did have chemistry; that's exactly how "two people who like each other but won't admit it in words but will express it via actions" would behave. I liked the stories of the missions too; glad they were brief and moved the plot forward. Wish there was a season 2.
I think the producers, screen writers, and director were probably really interested in telling a queer story honoring…
"it comes out of your statements that it's only about the fact that a straight couple was to be seen at all. That, too, is your right to think that way. But what is not acceptable is that you and others insult the creators of the series for it, or even demand that something like this should not happen." No, it is wholly acceptable to demand that people who made the drama adaptation stay true to the source material. The manhwa is a story of a gay couple and it does not have that straight couple. The makers of the drama invented the straight couple and sidelined the gay couple. Why they did so seems to be to cater to Korean audience's homophobia.
I don't mind straight couples in BLs but the gay couple should be the main focus of the story and straight couples that weren't in the source material shouldn't be concocted and given more screen time than the namesake gay couple.
I did not know that he lost his mother in 2017. How tragic. Maybe that's why he did not do a drama series in 2017 but did so in 2018. Hope he's doing okay now.
It seems that you've dropped the show but yeah, for this one, all the comments saying it gets better with time…
I'm giggling but I also feel bad that you're not having a good time. I can't say when exactly but I recall that the awkward moments decreased gradually so sometime in the latter half of the series, I felt that they were giving more air time to other topics. Personally, I really liked when they all went to renovate the rural school (middle part of ep. 6 through ep. 8) so I hope you like that part too. But also, I know this series is not everyone's cup of tea so I won't blame you if you drop it again. In any case, thanks for giving the show another try because of my comment.
It seems that you've dropped the show but yeah, for this one, all the comments saying it gets better with time…
I understand. When Toh took a whole crab as a memento, that was a major "what the heck???" moment. For me, the other characters were more likeable than him and kept me engaged with the series. My personal favourite couple wasn't explored much but gosh their street food date was so cute! I hope you come to enjoy the show whenever you watch it again.
ep 2 in and idk if i can take all the cringe....does the show get better tho
It seems that you've dropped the show but yeah, for this one, all the comments saying it gets better with time were right. The series touched upon a lot of important issues while also having hilarious and fluffy moments. My tip is to watch the prolonged silences and the awkward moments at 2x speed and then switch back to normal speed during conversations. The prolonged silences and awkward moments also decrease as the episodes go on. One thing that helped me watch is the realization that the cringe moments are supposed to be funny, not serious. Problematic habits are addressed by the friend group eventually.
I suspect that due to the Songkran holiday (April 13-15), shows scheduled during that time (Break Up Service, Leap Day) will air next week instead. Shows scheduled for April 16 (My Golden Blood) will air this week as planned.
8.0/10This was honestly a visual serve. The genz vibe, the cinematography, the production - all of it looked amazing.…
Wow, you captured my exact thoughts on this series. To a tee. That being said, the series was still engaging enough for me that I finished it within 24 hours. Looking forward to season 2. Hopefully they won't repeat the mistakes.
Would rewatch just for Duean and Meen. Really wish they had their own series. Louis Thanawin did such a good job of portraying Meen as innocent and guileless without acting like a creepy adult baby (*cough* Saint Suppapong in "Love By Chance" *cough*).
That scene at the end where Chihiro looks up and sees Haoran smiling serenely at him is one of the most beautiful scenes ever. Chihiro smiles with joy. He snaps a photo of Haoran again at the spot where he took his first photo. Haoran is wearing the scarf Chihiro gifted him. Both souls are reunited and at peace now. They don't exchange words but you can tell that all is right now. Just beautiful.
I still haven't forgiven Akira. Yuuki deserved better. I hate that they ended up together again. Akira should have been rejected/ghosted by Yuuki and thus suffered regret all his life for what he did.
The thing I appreciated about The Novelist series was that even though the character Kido Shiro regretted his decision to dump his male lover (Kijima Rio) and marry a woman to "fit in" with society, Rio did not give him a second chance and instead found happiness with a guy (Haruhiko) who was not afraid to go against societal expectations in order to be with him.
I loved that Wu Suowei's mother ultimately understood the true nature of Chi Cheng's relationship with her son when she talked with Chi Cheng for the last time at the hospital. She did not tell him to end the relationship, she was just concerned that they may have a tougher life than other couples.
When she went home from the hospital with Wu Suowei, she still asked him when he was going to get her a daughter-in-law. That was confusing. I'm not sure whether she said that to encourage Wu Suowei to finally tell her about his relationship with Chi Cheng, or if she (unfortunately, like many elderly people) preferred a straight future for her son rather than a gay one. I'd like to believe it was the former reason. I liked that immediately after that question, she praised Chi Cheng, signalling that she's okay if Wu Suowei stays with Chi Cheng. Still, I wish she had been more direct in telling Wu Suowei about her approval for his relationship with Chi Cheng.
I liked that Wu Suowei encouraged Chi Cheng to stay in contact with his family (though I must say, Chi Cheng's dad was very problematic; kidnapping was too extreme). Wu Suowei mainly said so because he believed it was Chi Cheng's filial duty but it may also have the added benefit of maybe convincing his parents to eventually approve of their relationship. Chi Cheng's mother truly loved Chi Cheng (as evidenced by her worry for him when he got arrested) and even though her trying to set him up with Yue Yue in earlier episodes was bad, she can be forgiven because she mistook his interest in men as a phase and was doing what she (erroneously) thought was in her son's best interest. I'm glad Chi Cheng's sister finally told her that Chi Cheng's interest in men and Wu Suowei in particular is not a phase and encouraged her to accept them. And she did, as evidenced by her going to meet Wu Suowei at his sugar figurines stall later.
Some days ago, I was thinking about how I'll eventually have to come out to my parents, how they will not understand and how I might have to leave home if emotions run too high (I don't think they'll kick me out themselves but I might have to do that to avoid any rash decisions on their part). I was thinking of whether I should also break contact with them if I leave home but then I saw the episodes of Wu Suowei's mother's final moments and it was quite timely. Because it made me realize how much I love my parents, how I'll miss them once they're gone, how I'll regret not talking to them and how, even if my parents don't accept me, I must still try to stay in touch with them and take care of them (especially when they're too old) because I can never fully pay them back for all the love and care they've given me over the years. No one can love you like your parents, friends. Hopefully, they will eventually understand and accept me. Sorry about the wall of text and if this is too sappy and cringe.
I saw a video yesterday which showed how he was edited out of an episode of a variety show (for unspecified reasons) that he recorded in July but which aired in August. That same variety show has edited out other guests too for different, seemingly strange, reasons in the past just to avoid controversy. Here is an article about it:
https://dramapanda.com/2025/08/tian-xuning-first-variety-appearance-hello-saturday-gets-cut.html
Is this incident what led you to believe he is banned or do you have some other reason?
I really hope his career is not negatively impacted just for acting in a BL. His popularity has greatly increased among people due to his BL. I hope fans support him.
That being said, I liked this series overall. The comments and reviews are way too negative. As always, watch the series yourself and decide if you like it or not.
I did not like the breakup thing they did in the penultimate episode. It didn't seem to make sense but then Kaburagi explained his reasoning and then it did make sense. I liked how they resolved it with Onoe explaining his whole rationale for taking that case, including how he was sacrificing his comfort for Kaburagi's so that he understood how Onoe's intentions were good.
True, we can't know what went through his dad's mind and this applies your original comment too that implies he had a negative reaction. Things shared about Krist's father online actually suggest he is supportive.
The actors did have chemistry; that's exactly how "two people who like each other but won't admit it in words but will express it via actions" would behave. I liked the stories of the missions too; glad they were brief and moved the plot forward. Wish there was a season 2.
That, too, is your right to think that way. But what is not acceptable is that you and others insult the creators of the series for it, or even demand that something like this should not happen."
No, it is wholly acceptable to demand that people who made the drama adaptation stay true to the source material. The manhwa is a story of a gay couple and it does not have that straight couple. The makers of the drama invented the straight couple and sidelined the gay couple. Why they did so seems to be to cater to Korean audience's homophobia.
I don't mind straight couples in BLs but the gay couple should be the main focus of the story and straight couples that weren't in the source material shouldn't be concocted and given more screen time than the namesake gay couple.
My tip is to watch the prolonged silences and the awkward moments at 2x speed and then switch back to normal speed during conversations. The prolonged silences and awkward moments also decrease as the episodes go on.
One thing that helped me watch is the realization that the cringe moments are supposed to be funny, not serious. Problematic habits are addressed by the friend group eventually.
Louis Thanawin did such a good job of portraying Meen as innocent and guileless without acting like a creepy adult baby (*cough* Saint Suppapong in "Love By Chance" *cough*).
The thing I appreciated about The Novelist series was that even though the character Kido Shiro regretted his decision to dump his male lover (Kijima Rio) and marry a woman to "fit in" with society, Rio did not give him a second chance and instead found happiness with a guy (Haruhiko) who was not afraid to go against societal expectations in order to be with him.