Charbonnel

I’m fascinated by Suhyeon. He’s not as straightforward as he seems. I’m pretty sure he’s only been violent like that one time and that was because that person appeared to be attacking Daon. Ever since then he’s been using the fact Daon witnessed that as leverage to get what he wants from Daon, when in reality he doesn’t want that nor does he plan to act on it. That’s also exactly why he doesn’t mess with Seonghyun directly, and his bluff gets called.

With Suhyeon his only major issues are jealousy and the willingness to leverage his own worst qualities to get what he wants. But in getting Daon to address Jaemin, it feels like he may be able to accept Daon seeking his own happiness, which may leave Suhyeon feeling depressed and lost, and his world lacks other positive connections at this point. I can’t truly see him as evil.

What I’m seriously curious to know now, is where did Jaemin go astray? At what point did he decide to do underhanded things to get his way? He made the chapel ultimatum with Suhyeon NOT because of truly believing he had the upper hand, but to try and level out the playing field.

I’m also deeply happy that so far Seonghyeon hasn’t had to deal with anything majorly traumatic happening to him from anyone else. That was what I feared most in this show, but he’s called the bluff and somehow flown under Jaemin’s radar just enough to be relatively unscathed.

I think this is well written because although shocking, there are hints and it does make sense when we gain the fragments of the past at the end of each episode. Seonghyeon is the true answer to all this for a simple reason: he is not part of this complicated and problematic past, he is a breath of fresh air. Suhyeon, while I’d say he’s forgivable, is intertwined with all the problems of the past, and that is why I don’t think he’s the right answer for Daon.

Daon would do best coming out of this single to heal for a bit or with Seonghyeon, at their own pace (unless there’s a major twist coming out of left field.)

I just joined this exact club 🫠

Halfway through and loving it so far!

Kinda, depends what you’ve seen KBL wise (and what you’re including as BL). This is definitely the most shocking, but Korea’s older stuff does deal with darker themes (Method and Night Flight for example), but all of those that I can think of are from before they were really starting to produce that first generation of kbl dramas (Mr. Heart and the like), where it became a regular seasonal thing.

There’s also Eclipse (aka Cutter) which is very close to being BL but instead falls into the category that also contains The Untamed. The red flag in Eclipse was far worse than any of those here.

Ouuu thanks for the idea! If I have more long and composed thoughts to share I’ll do something like this in future for sure~

Fully agree. The shock value is real. Although I hate manipulators so I’d go for out-in-the-open issues Suhyeon, if I had to choose. Easier to battle something honest.

I typed my thoughts and the page crashed. Ain’t going to re-type them. Wildest roller-coaster ride I’ve got on for a long while, and every single person (except for Daon) scares me. A wonderful mess.

An entrancing but down to earth and real glimpse at humanity and the need for love, companionship, connection. Loved every second of it, and can only adore the genuine, mature conversations were had. The soundtrack and sound design were used perfectly, the artistic choices of colour scheme and palette in both the opening and the mains sets was just right for the tone, and a full cast of human characters with major flaws but no real evil intentions.

Heartbroken that this one is over, but I also wouldn’t ask for more. There is no filler, no dull or dragging moments, and I’d argue it doesn’t stray into having comic relief or fan-service (with one little exception) - and a show like that that leaves you wanting just a little bit more like this has done the perfect job. It doesn’t need more, the want for more is purely for enjoyment of the characters.

Also really enjoyed Asahi’s performance here, the first more serious and complex role I’ve seen him in and he nailed it. I also thought the little voiceovers from Sei and Kazuaki were wonderful, in that their voices complement and blend so nicely, but you can still tell them apart. The gentleness and emotion was lovely to hear too.

And thank you! I had heard about Moonlight Chicken but not yet watched, I’ll definitely be giving that a shot, always happy to appreciate more serious pieces of performance too~

If I recall correctly, the online version is uncut, so the only people actually watching the normal (or cut) version are people watching this on cable TV networks - which is not a majority of us here on MDL.

Sorry I’m not the Lilly comment you’re looking for, but I can say I agree with your points from the perspective of also enjoying more serious thrillers with romance - but the saving grace this show had for me was that I caught that it is a Shakespeare adaptation, albeit loosely. So while it felt forced at first, after reading up in the play and recalling Shakespearean comedies, I accepted it and grew to enjoy the ride.

Style is a perfect example of the kind of character that 9 times out of 10 makes me drop a show, but here I actually loved the over-the-top-ness of his character and besides a couple particularly janky emotional scenes, I thought he really nailed the Shakespeare comedy angle.

Totally respect that it wasn’t for you though, and I can understand why. For me usually other networks do the serious shows better, so I don’t expect it from GMMTV (3 Will Be Free and Not Me being notable exceptions).

One of my favourite final episodes ever. That’s gotta be the best finale I’ve seen from GMMTV. Not Me had seriousness and plot, as did 3 Will Be Free, but I love to a large extent how stress-free this one was. Perfect number of sweet moments for me. Yeah, we had some assassins and some conflict (up until ep11), but it was fun to have it in this kind of balance. I feel refreshed and happy and don’t feel the drama void that will probably show up in a week or so 🫠 the one other show I’m watching finishes Friday..wish me luck lol

On that note I should probably continue Jack&Joker. After that, nothing on the Thai horizons for me until some stuff that doesn’t have dates yet start to drop.

Yes please! It’s painfully rare to get a healthy and comfortable representation of asexual people in relationships. If I recall correctly, Japan has had a handful shows that focus on ace people in the past 3 years, but I haven’t watched them yet so can’t say confidently if there’s romance. If you’re curious, I’ll see if I can dig them up~

They can’t pretend none of this ever happened, and their “relationship” that was at best thinly a veiled need for control and abuse - can’t pretend to be anything else. Sei can never see Fujisawa in the same way again, and Fujisawa’s mask is gone.

Fujisawa’s manipulation means Sei is unlikely to act against him, and worse yet - after what Fujisawa did, Sei isn’t even likely to rebel or try to address issues in future because he’ll know what Fujisawa is capable of. So Sei will not attempt to address any dissatisfaction or unmet needs for fear of what Fujisawa might do. He also will feel a guilt (blaming himself) meaning he won’t ask for anything.

There’s been plenty of clues Sei has encountered recently - such as the senior that contacted him whose message never got past Fujisawa. So, Fujisawa has been like this the whole time but hidden it well enough that Sei didn’t know how bad it really was until now, where he’s already isolated and lacks the security of friends or family to try to help him.

The only light left in the picture for Sei is that Hagiwara is likely to try to find him. Hagiwara is the only person that got close enough to see what’s really behind Sei’s nonchalant front.

I can now say that I like Kaori. Her main flaw was simply refusing to have the conversation until reaching this point. However, she did, in the end, explain herself honestly and still feel empathy and love towards Hagiwara, in spite of what she knew. As far as I’m concerned, she is forgiven. Again I love how maturely that whole conversation was done, rare to see conversations like that represented in such a way.

I don’t quite know how to put this, but the reveal from Fujisawa was really well done because of how he shifted. That initial conversation in the kitchen really shone a light on those unsettling details along the way. It was done so well, like a mask being carefully lifted from the face. I could write an essay on how well written the way he affected Sei’s interactions with others and how Sei’s mask - that of being unaffected by everything - also finally came off. Well written if painful to see.

YES PLEASE! Can we also add Jdramas to the list? They rarely have back hugs but man I’d love to see more of them. A tender, loving back hug is honestly one of the sweetest things. Although, gotta say I’m a fan of hugs in general. Platonic, emotional, romantic… you name it, there’s a good hug to match.

That has got to be the first time that episode ELEVEN of a Thai BL has left me feeling…happy? Optimistic? Also I am so glad they took the one plausible route that could give us a happy ending, a HIStory Trapped situation was necessary. They also teased at something positive to come which is perfect.

Don’t get me wrong I can appreciate open endings (often prefer ‘em), or even tragic ones, however from this show I wouldn’t want or expect the, because of the tone it just wouldn’t fit. Looks like we’ll get to see what an epilogue of HIStory Trapped would be like, and that I do like the sound of.

Also, this is the last show I’ve seen lately I expected to tear up at in any capacity. Like, no tears were shed but they almost got me, twice.

Thank you! Fixing that! Just couldn’t recall her name in the moment for some reason

This is exactly why I love Japanese dramas in general. They often navigate humanity with its flaws and don’t shy away from tackling grey areas. If anything, people being split between which characters they do and don’t connect with, like, or dislike, is a sign it’s been done well. There’s no clear-cut “villain” here, some would say Fujisawa, others would say Sei, again others might say Hagiwara and some say Kaori. There are equally people who sympathise with all of these characters.

Also a big fan of most of those dramas you mentioned for the same reasons! Recently outside BL there has been Wakatte Ite Mo: The Shapes of Love which is of a similarly reflective style. If you’re a fan of art and symbolism I’d highly recommend it!

I also love Japan’s ability to portray these grey stories on the fringes with a grounding in plausible reality, and don’t rely on comedy to take away from the heaviness of some of these dramas. The subtlety and realism allows you to connect with and see the humanity for what it is, which is neither black nor white.

I don’t know if it’s a strange thing to say, but episode 5 was beautiful in every sense of the word. The music and other sound design choices worked perfectly, and rather than simply being pent up and fiery, there was such a delicate and tender affection, which I didn’t really see coming. The choices of shot I also very much appreciated. Then, the consequences, again caught me off guard, I had expected something less emotional and more charged, but somehow it wasn’t.

“Unexpected tenderness” is how I’d describe the episode in a nutshell. It’s the perfect word, as it can be soft but that softness can also be painful. I love that the show has taken this angle, which I’d argue most people wouldn’t expect from such a plot.