CoNeTrIC

You are using extremely loaded language to exaggerate and mischaracterize. First of all, Won Kyeong (the friend) was the one who described what happened in the infirmary. Technically he didn't lie; he was just selective with the facts and didn't tell the whole truth. Second, there's a difference between bullying and teasing. Teasing to annoy and gain someone's attention is very common behavior.

It's just a shame he didn't put his 💋 to better use. The romantic scenes were lovely but lacked passion.

I agree with you about Jung Ji Yeon. She has an amazing screen presence.

Did Yuma cause the meteor situation in the first place? Maybe it was a manifestation of his sadness about his idol's death.

He didn't really cheat. He just used that word in his answer as a kind of shortcut. Why, in that situation, should he go into a long explanation about his personal free spirit ideology (as he'd done with Masumi)? He didn't have anything to prove to her.

And, if these comments are anything to go by, few people can appreciate or relate to personal ethics that isn't conventional or black & white.

The Yuma character is defined by obsessive fandom psychology. Written and performed as if he were an anime character. They probably didn't intend for him to be credible. (He's supernatural)

No, not really. There are no big twists or reveals. You shouldn't expect it will suddenly become intriguing.

What's been preventing them from getting together earlier? Oh, just Lee Wan's tendency to run away and hide due to anxiety, insecurity, and complacency with failure/disappointment. These internal issues are common and relatable.

Jealousy and romantic rivalry plots are boring and overdone.

I like how Ki Tae is forcing Lee Wan out of his comfort zone. Ki Tae has been doing all the work to make this relationship happen (in the show's set up). Hopefully, Lee Wan will take this opportunity to grow and become stronger over the remaining episodes.

I agree with you about Nakata (Ritsu). His acting is natural and nuanced. The waterfall scene in ep 7 is a good example.

Ki Tae pretending he didn't know Wan was weird, and that would be unnerving for anyone probably. That's what took me out of the story.

The interview questions were not inappropriate, even though they also served Ki Tae's personal concerns. It's normal to ask an interviewee whether he can take direction or is likely to quit before finishing the assignment. I couldn't completely make out what Ki Tae was getting at when he asked about the outcome of Wan's gameplay, but it seemed to be getting at Wan's tendency to run away from awkward situations. This is what Ki Tae was testing for.

Yes, the CEO was uncomfortable. He reminded me of someone I once knew. That person was so conflict avoidant that he relied on others to do his job. Worst boss ever, lol!

Both lead characters are introverts. (I like that too.)

Unlike Ki Tae, Wan has a lot of anxiety and seems to lack self esteem as well. Ki Tae seems to need Wan to prove that he won't run away before he'll expose his feelings. Who wants to deal with avoidance behaviors? The interview was a test (not bullying). Then Ki Tae raised his concern in a softer way later on using his Gameboy persona.

OK, I guess. Not sure though what you meant when you said "Kyoichi is on an iterative dream loop ... he will never get the taste of real cheese." The movie ends with Koichi having a major realization (big character development). He didn't really understand the parting conversation he had with Waturu at the beach before (which was so frustrating for Waturu), but now he gets it. Finally, he's ready and waiting for "the real cheese." Wataru left (after Koichi said "live with me") because he wasn't sure Koichi had really changed. But, when Wataru returns (as we know he will), he will see that Koichi is indeed ready for the real thing.

So the movie is open-ended, but it's not really ambiguous to me. It's a happy ending!

Interesting review, but I think you misunderstood the end, at least in part. You said, "Even the last scene at the beach when Wataru comes back ... again ..." There was only one beach scene and it happened right after the breakup, before Koichi became romantic with his subordinate/colleague (Tamaki?).

The editing might have been confusing. The beach scene was cut in half with about 30 minutes of runtime between the first and second halves.

Yes, overall. However the Yuma character is a problem. Nothing credible about it. And the overacting makes it even worse. His presence almost laughable.

What is this show about anyway? Still not sure exactly. More and more, it seems to be about Ritsu abandoning his free spirit ethos and embracing normality before he dies. It's like the deathbed conversion fantasy that Christians use to validate their faith. Well, whatever it takes to get this couple back together, I guess. 😉

Yeah, I wasn't expecting humanity's future to depend on a Japanese high schooler's hormone-driven crushes 🤣 (What is this show really about? I still don't know TBH)

People and relationships are messy, aren't they? Also, it's normal for us to have personal biases, and I try to pay attention to mine. It's all a part of learning and self-reflection. I think you are very caring and thoughtful, and I'm glad we found some common ground. This show is surprisingly provocative, and I love that.

^"But Ritsu didn't help the situation by telling Masumi that he was special and that he REALLY loved him. All that did was give Masumi hope. make him feel like he meant more to Ritsu than he actually did and fed his delusions."

^"Ritsu was driven by hormones I guess?"

My big problem with your take is that you are doubting Ritsu's sincerity without good reason. He said he loved Masumi and he meant it. It's clear that Ritsu wanted more than just sex -- emotional intimacy was essential to him as well. You are discounting Ritsu's feelings only because he wasn't into monogamy, and that is just your bias talking.

Masumi wanted to change Ritsu from the start, even knowing Ritsu wasn't interested in monogamy.

"Ethical non-monogamy" is a super high bar and demanding in practice. I'm in awe of anyone who practices those rules consistently TBH. Not saying you're wrong for applying that standard to Ritsu. He might just have been unfamiliar with that code of behavior in his youth. Who knows? He's a lot more considerate and disciplined than the typical ho.

Ritsu isn't a ho. He's not sleeping around for sex. He seems to enjoy emotional intimacy in his non-monogamous relationships. I guess most people can't understand that part. The only problem/disagreement was Masumi's sudden demand for exclusivity. As soon as that happened, Ritsu ended it.

Seems you're pathologizing anyone who enjoys sexual and emotional intimacy in a non-monogamous relationship.