Charbonnel

I just noticed something really nice about this show. I notice most people are here for one couple more than the other. They’ve done opposite stories perfectly.

Kant doesn’t actually start with any misleading intentions, and Bison does, really, catch his eye. Who does start with misleading intentions? Style. He’s in this for a literal car.

Meanwhile Kant who doesn’t actually want to be misleading is paired with Bison who really wants to believe Kant is genuine, all the while Style is after Fadel who quite clearly doesn’t do trusting people’s intentions.

I’m not calling the show perfect by any stretch, just that the way the two stories it portrays compliment each other is a strength. (Different vibes bring different viewers, but it also makes the show less strong overall for the many people only invested in half the story…)

It makes sense in the context though. He’s the kind of guy who’ll pursue someone because of a bet that, if he succeeds, he wins a car. However, I’d argue he grows. Still the same person, and still has that personality, but becomes less obnoxious in my opinion.

Sorry to randomly hop in, but I found this comment hilarious

I know nothing about 10 Things I Hate About You, but it feels funny to see the show loosely adapted by one thing and then inspired by another loose(?) adaptation of the same thing 😂

If you haven’t seen or heard of Before We Get Married, and can handle the themes, perhaps try that? Can’t guarantee he’s the right kind of calculated and enigmatic, but the ML there is certainly both.

If it doesn’t have to be romance, there is a male character very worthy of note for being calculated and enigmatic in The Glory. He’s not a romantic interest but he is a fascinating and satisfying character to watch.

If you particularly liked Yokohama Ryusei, playing said enigmatic and calculated man in this show, perhaps Watashitachi wa Douka Shiteiru?

Well, I was tempted by the original but when I discovered the Japanese adaptation has Yokohama Ryusei, I decided to go straight for this. So I’m going in blind with only a rough idea and nothing to compare it to. Adored the first episode.

Thank you for your reply, and I totally agree with your sentiments! I hadn’t heard of Namib, but I’ll take the recommendation and go check it out! ^^

A well written editorial here, thank you. Sadly, I find no surprises here. The performing arts is always a painful route to take - as it so often takes advantage of people’s passion. Love acting, music, dance? They know you do, and that’s how the large companies that can guarantee your success can be so cruel.

While there are those who only wish for the fame, most of them take less painful routes these days (influencer, etc) - the people who love their craft are the ones who suffer the most.

Without extensive research, it can be hard to know how ethical the companies behind a show are, so many will never think about it, and so the companies continue to thrive, ethical or otherwise. For the artist, if they become large enough, they may gain freedom - but at the cost of how relevant the connections of their company are, very connected companies can get them blacklisted for leaving. If they’re the main source of revenue, they may gain better treatment for fear of the company losing them - if not, tough luck.

I’m always keeping an eye out for more ethical companies in the entertainment industries. One example would be that I have heard of an idol group (Ateez) that, quite literally, had no food budget, even from the early days - in the sense there was no limit to their food resources. So, “big surprise!” They are among the most energetic of performers, and why? Likely because there are other ethical factors that mean their needs are largely met by their company. I wish that were the case more often.

In many ways (excuse the comparison) I feel this makes Squid Game seem tame (not criticising SG by saying this). I watched it off the back of Squid Game season 2, and honestly, I was quite content with things until episode 5 - not that I feel the writing was bad - but the extremes after that were largely too much for me, visually. So this show taught me that, in my case, gratuitous violence in dramas is not for me. I’m far more interested in the psychological side of things.

Personally I don’t quite understand the hate for this show being ‘boring’, but I guess it depends what you came for, amd if the answer is ‘fun’, this probably isn’t it. (Psychological thrillers can totally be fun but this wasn’t for me.) I can understand not liking it because it’s not your cup of tea, or the extremes of high and low are too much and too fast, or, like me, the graphic side is too much, but I still think it’s a well done two-sided commentary on humanity. Our characters aren’t the only ones being commented on here, the viewers of their show [in the drama, not us on mdl!] are just as relevant.

EP3 and I don’t think I can continue, I get that they’re going for golden retriever guy and …not quite sure how to describe… female lead, but that many texts in a row and I’m still meant to like the guy? Personally the text thing is literally one of my biggest pet peeves, and this drama just ain’t my style.

The intensity from the male lead is too much for me AND the paradoxical immaturity of the female lead is also too much for me. I wanted to like this but I think I’ll drop it.

I don’t mean any hate to the drama, I’m here because a friend spent MONTHS talking to me about it, but in the end it isn’t for me.

Pretty sure Love in the Air: Koi No Yokan finished and has only 8 episodes? I’ve seen all 8.

In some ways better than the first season, in others, not. The plot twists were blindingly obvious from very early on (the big one was literally way too obvious). Also something about forks in 2024 final quarter. Seen a few too many (from Netflix specifically, too) for this to be a coincidence. Can we please use our forks for food purposes only?

I liked the inclusion of characters that would struggle being themselves in society - as it was done in a tasteful - rather than forceful way. Also think that T.O.P’s character was a bit more than deliberate, thought it suited him.

Lastly, not a fan of drawing this plotline out for yet another season that I bet is at least 2 years down the pipeline.

Truly a beautiful story. I am endlessly glad a friend pointed me to this one before it started. It has been a solid watch every single week, with none of its runtime wasted. The writing was solid and consistent, and there was nothing lost in this show. Cinematography and sound were perfect. A work of art.

The finale was truly beautiful and masterfully performed by the leads. I can imagine being that worked up, needing a good cry and hug before levelling out again.

The story was never going to be everyone’s cup of tea. This was also my first drama, and contextually before queer stories and/or BL were common in any of mdl’s regions. You can enjoy a show without condoning the behaviour of characters, unless you wish to say all horror enthusiasts are psychopaths.

I enjoyed the show. With hindsight, yes, it missed the mark in places (I know what they wanted with the colour editing, and yes, they miscast the roles based on physical appearance rather than skills), but it is undeniably an engaging and emotional story if you’re able to look past the flaws and deal with the themes.

I’m a little confused by your comment; the actors are entirely different to their characters - Tom Wang especially so. Unless you’re referring to then being problematic outside the series (which I have seen no evidence of), it seems cruel to find joy in them not getting roles.

I totally thought this would have started airing already. Guess not. Since I’ve come back to Thai BL again lately I’ll almost certainly watch this one. A fan of both Gawin and Joss, but never in a million years would have expected this

Do you know if it can still be watched on the live premiere system? Or has GMMTV changed that too?

Thank you for the response! I’m not sure if any of them have aired yet, however I do remember back in the day when Not Me was airing, I had no difficulty finding the pilot trailer and the official trailer on the GMMTV channel.

I’ve just taken a look and most of the 2024 part 1 show pilots have gone private, so I think you’re right.

Even if the pilots are sometimes a bit far from the final product, they still often have some nice content for fans, so it’s a little sad they’re made private, at least in my thinking.

If you’re big on KinnPorsche and you haven’t checked out 4minutes yet, I’d recommend that! Looks like Be On Cloud have set themselves up as the big budget, darker, more mature theme-focused company, at least BL wise.

Happens on non-BL pages sometimes too. I also find it disheartening because it can be nice to see genuine perspectives or chat with others about the shows as they air, but many comment sections (BL especially) are like minefields. Some people literally respond to every comment they disagree with in disrespectful ways too.

Your last paragraph really resonates with me as I also used to do the same, whereas these days I tend to leave comment sections alone more often than not.

BL is in a weird spot because it is on MDL, but for (probably minimising nations censoring this site) reasons, you can’t write editorials on BL, and it’s generally seen as the thing in the corner people don’t like to come near. In the meantime, it’s grown to be one of the biggest active communities on the site but it’s completely the wild west out here. It really is bizarre.

I often look at the Top Airing Shows section, and Thailand is mostly BL, Japan is sometimes BL, Taiwan often has BL, and even in Korean dramas it’s popped up once or twice.

Does anyone know why GMMTV privated only the pilot trailer to this and none of the other 2024 part 2 shows? I got curious and went to look to find it’s now private, so found it elsewhere out of curiosity. Also looks like they were going to go a bit darker palette-wise originally too.