CoNeTrIC

When you say 'bad comments', is it just mean and personal, or is there some substantive criticism that most are giving?

Yep. More than a bit strange. Most BL fans don't share your concerns, unfortunately. They only want to escape reality. Maybe that will change, kinda like how Kpop fans got involved in politics this year.

There seems to be something very different and special about the recent Pinoy BL explosion. A variety of approaches as far as skinship goes. Most of the shows are grounded in the real world (even those with fantasy elements), and some are clearly intended for the gay community.

BTW, there is so much more to the BL genre than The Untamed and 2gether. Those dramas are super popular, but not defining. And neither of them has much to do with the LGBTQ+ experience or queer representation in TV or film, IMO.

Story and chemistry are paramount. No amount of skinship can make a show worthwhile if those things are missing or weak. Intimacy isn't just physical. I think this is what you meant.

You mentioned The Untamed, which is an interesting case. I enjoyed it overall, but it was frustrating as hell. Sometimes, watching it was like trying to solve a riddle. Modern Chinese society is homophobic and censorship there is onerous. It was just sad and ridiculous that the gay love story could be only subtextual.

Totally OK to have these feelings and to express them here. Representation and broader acceptance are important and necessary. You're frustrated by a real tension that exists in society. Many of us are impatient for change, and that's a good thing.

Based on the specials and earlier episodes, I'm guessing a season 2 storyline would mostly be about Kurosawa's jealousy and lots of misunderstandings. (Kinda like when Kurosawa first saw Adachi with Tsuge.) Could be hit or miss. I'd hate for everyone here to become disappointed. The despair resulting from episode 11 was already too much.

Perfect explanation. Thank you.

I haven't seen any subtitles yet, so I'm at a loss. Can someone explain to me what Fujisaki and Rokkaku were doing with the fireworks? Do they have a relationship outside of the office? Did they light the fireworks for the benefit of Adachi and Kurosawa? We know from the special Rokkaku episode that he didn't know Adachi and Kurosawa were dating. I'm just confused.

Stop reading my mind, Adachi! XD

Not unbelievable to me. It's probably akin to morality clauses, which are pretty standard and often extremely conservative. I feel sorry for those K-pop/J-pop kids especially.

Didn't we get something like that from Fujisaki? It was a counterpoint to the light shaming from Urabe earlier.

I'm guessing they will announce more product to sell. Gotta cash in on success!

I was most interested in watching Adachi's face to see him actively participating in a moment of passion. In the elevator, going in for the kiss, his facial expression said it all!!! Ithink that was the only time during the entire season.

(Strangely the bed scene was so chaste that it didn't register much with me. Though I imagined they weren't wearing anything below the waist. Haha!)

Good enough for me :-D

Even more important than whether a kiss happens is Adachi's mindset. Instead of just letting Kurosawa do something to him (a kiss or whatever), I would need to see him actually commit himself without reservation.

Yes! With the question about playing opposite a man versus a woman, sometimes interviewers show personal bias and immaturity, making it super awkward and weird. Usually, actors will say they were anxious at first, then they just focused on doing their job as a professional, which is always to understand and inhabit their character. Akaso has said something like that before, but here he gave an unexpected answer. With a woman he has to be careful, but with his male co-star he feels free to flirt. I guess that means, in his heart, he just wants to flirt with everybody. Cheeky! :-D

I would be annoyed if I had to answer such mundane questions. I suppose he's used to it and has a lot of patience. Good for him. :)

Fair enough. Generalizing is tricky and risky and I try not to do it. I was just trying to point out that media self-censorship is very common and meant to respect public sensibilities. "Standards and practices" regimes exist in most places to restrict broadcast television content, ostensibly for the protection of younger viewers. Even CM, a pretty tame show, is broadcast after midnight. Blame capitalism or blame centralized government control.

When describing audiences everywhere as generally preferring romance without sex depicted, it seemed important and necessary to point out that standards in Islamic countries are very different. So yes, I added that part.

It's hard for me to fault the careful and tame approach of shows like CM - even if they aren't representing and validating gay people the way we think they should. The show's impact on attitudes and norms remains to be seen. I hope it will be positive.

"portraying sex in media and art, in a healthy way is always a positive" -- I agree, and I believe censorship is wrong and its chilling effect is unhealthy for a society. Vice President Mike Pence and millions more around the world disagree with us unfortunately.