It’s too expensive! If you’re alive, you’re good. Or at least that’s how it is in the US anyways… lol
LOL! I had to give up on that one. I rewound that scene like seven times & could not figure out how it happened. One minute he's getting wine thrown at his face & then he's on the floor seizing.
I made up headcanon that the bar seats are electrified as part of the security system. Makes as much sense as magic, I guess.
It’s too expensive! If you’re alive, you’re good. Or at least that’s how it is in the US anyways… lol
LOL. Oof.
I just could not process the not taking him to see a doctor. Dude owns a whole luxury hotel & has a personal assistant running his life. He is loaded. Surely they can afford one CT scan to make sure the boss isn't going to keel over dead at the next Board meeting or whatever. I'm so disappointed in his assistant; I mean, you have one job, & I think saying, "Hey, boss, we should see someone about your retrograde amnesia & that whole being electrocuted thing" is a pretty significant part of the job.
Especially since the guy who got electrocuted apparently died! Which allowed the other guy's spirit to take over…
That distracted me the whole episode. We the audience know what's happened but as far as any of the characters are aware, the man could have a brain bleed & be about to stroke out. Every time someone just casually mentioned his amnesia, I was shouting at the screen, "Take him to a fucking hospital! What is wrong with you people?!"
So, I sat down & rewatched all episodes to date, & I think I'm getting closer to understanding why this series isn't working for me.
"DSN" had issues but JaFirst thoroughly sold the devoted, passionate, supportive, obsessive love between LeoFiat. I absolutely believed they were a committed, lifelong couple, & that, working as a pair, they helped one another to become the best self they could be.
PunnAshi, not so much.
I cannot figure out what either of them sees in one another that would support an authentic romantic relationship between them. Punn's infatuation with his idol has yet to translate to actual "love" for me, & Ashi remains an enigma. I have no real idea of what Ashi wants, broadly speaking, or why he wants it. His character motivations are opaque but not in an intriguing, let's-unknot-this-tangled-psyche way. Oddly, Punn has the opposite impact on me. I give nothing but applause for Ja's presentation of Punn as a character (no matter how much I dislike the archetype Ja is playing), as Ja's actually managed to imbue layers to Punn's thoughts & actions. I don't like Punn as a character but I do understand him; I get why he is the way he is, I can contextualize his often infantile behaviour, & I see that he is on an actual path of growth. I fully expect that, by the end of the series, Punn will be a far more mature, focused, and self-aware person, & I will BELIEVE in that transformation because Ja is doing his utmost in selling it.
First, on the other hand, seems to have had all the personality & talent strangled out of his portrayal of Ashi. This really could be a compelling character but...well, David Bigander happened all over poor First. And, yes, I absolutely blame the director, because both Ja & First have the acting chops necessary to make these characters work, individually & together. Bigander, on the other hand, is a hack. I am convinced Bigander is sabotaging his writers, actors, & crew members with every project he takes on. It's the only way to explain how he manages to so thoroughly squander all the talent both in front of & behind the camera.
I feel if this series had a better director, the material would've worked. It's not that the series itself is fundamentally bad, it's just really poorly directed. To contrast this series with a newly airing show, "Love in Translation" managed to establish in the first episode precisely the dynamic that will underline the main couple's individual character development & ultimate romantic relationship: the idol-obsessed, free-spirited Phumjai will get the stern, buttoned-down Yang Yen Feng to loosen up, & Yang Yen Feng will get Phumjai to grow up. Every interaction between the two had both text & subtext, & made their puerile altercations engaging rather than monotonous. I'm not saying it was a great episode, just that it managed to do in its single first episode what "Be Mine SuperStar" hasn't managed in eight.
In terms of the sex present in this series—look, if you're giving us all that with MueangDoctor, you cannot dial back the intensity on PunnAshi. MueangDoctor are having grown-ass-men sex; PunnAshi are having fluffy fanfic encounters. I had the same issue with "Bed Friend"; sex-as-communication done all wrong. MueangDoctor are so much more interesting as the second couple because there is a lingua franca that exists when they are physically intimate that it's obvious they're working toward when they're not. THAT is keeping my interest. The two of them are in absolute sync when it comes to sex; how will they translate that into an emotional tie?
I will finish the series to the end because I like JaFirst but I am so disappointed that this is their last project as a CP.
Is someone else directing the sex scenes between the second couple? If so, I wish they were directing them for the main couple too. I have no idea how David Bigander has managed to so thoroughly strip JaFirst of the incredible sexual electricity they had in "DSN". In & out of bed, PunnAshi have about as much sexual tension & physical magnetism as an overripe discount avocado.
I think the director is trying to create contrast between the raw, lustful animalism of the second couple & the sweet, tender lovemaking of the mains, but all he's managed to do is make the PunnAshi story even MORE boring & insipid by comparison. I can practically hear the director off-screen shouting at JaFirst, "Less passionate! Don't get too enthusiastic! Pretend you're at the dentist!"
if you scroll down a bit in the comments you'll see that its got gay romance but is not romance focused. So it…
I read all the comments here. They are supposition, based on personal interpretations of pieces of various interviews in which cast/crew prevaricated. No confirmation one way or the other.
Has anyone in the BOC camp explicitly either confirmed or denied this is a BL? Or that there is an actual gay love story between any of the male leads? The vagueness & equivocation surrounding that element is a bit irritating. I enjoy a good intrigue & mystery plot but it'd be nice to know if we're getting "Manner of Death" or "The Devil Judge", or simply a Thai costume drama starring actors who are otherwise known for BL.
Just, not even going to suggest that the guy who was electrocuted & says he's lost two years of memories should maybe go see a Doctor? Anyone?? No? Ok then...
I think the father's 'concern' is that if Tan is out from under his control, he could do something to hurt his…
That was my original thought during the initial episodes but, as the series went on, it was clear he wasn't doing anything to actually keep Tan in line. The kid was constantly getting into trouble; in some instances, he outright provoked Tan into misbehaviour.
Now, I'm thinking he's just a sociopathic, controlling asshole who views Tan like any other possession, something that belongs to him & therefore must remain in his collection of objects, no matter how much he dislikes Tan. That, & I think he enjoys treating Tan as a punching bag.
I don't particularly care what happens to Tan but they would both be better off staying far, far, far away from one another.
Well, how nice for Vit that he was only lightly singed in that massive exploding inferno last week.
I do not get Tan's Father. If you want your son to stop being your headache, just let him leave home. It's obvious Tan is useless, & he doesn't want to be there anyway, so just let him go & he'll disappear into his own life far away from you. As a bonus, Thee will go with him, & that's one less deadweight on your payroll. Then you can focus all your energy on evilling evily to your shrunken little heart's content, you absolute monster.
This is a definitely a "binge after airing" series. Five minutes into ep 3 & I realized I have zero recall of eps 1 & 2, & can't remember who all these characters are, their relationships to each other, or their individual motivations.
I didn't find the first two episodes confusing but they were rather...well, forgettable. The only storyline I vaguely recall is the one w/ the guy on the rooftop but hell if I can remember which character it belongs to.
Gu Buxia, you precious peanut, you've become so brave in your affections. Bravo. As for you, Jiang Chi, you prickly prince, it's ok to let someone be concerned about you, to want to take care of you, to want you to achieve your dreams, to not want to feel like they're obligating you or causing you to miss opportunities. Gu Buxia is not your Father, he's your boyfriend, & his concerns are not coming from a place of either disregard for your feelings or control of your life—he wants you to prioritize yourself & your needs too, not just his. That's love.
As an aside: was there a reason given why Gu Butao can't create a new Seal for Gu Buxia? Maybe I missed it, or it wasn't well-translated, but perhaps it's a cultural aspect I don't understand? I had been assuming that she inherited the Temple because she's capable & comfortable with her own spiritual powers. Is she perhaps just not strong enough yet to create a working, reliable Seal?
The show was fine, I just have zero interest in marriage & find weddings tedious. I never watch wedding scenes in any show so the appearance of the LITA characters in this series did nothing for me.
Everyone telling Lom to fuck off was the only enjoyable thing in this whole series for me. I skipped the LITA cameos, I don't like or respect any of the main characters, & Lom is two months too late for me to care about him giving explanations & making amends now.
Good luck to these characters, I guess, but I'm closing the book on this one.
What are we even doing here? What is the actual story? This is just a collection of stuff happening, & not very interesting stuff. I legitimately do not care if Choi Jun is really engaged or not. If it's a misunderstanding, clear it up; if it's true, leave Lee Jun alone. The last thing this series needed is that type of manufactured conflict. Choi Jun's mouth can't stop flirting but trips all over itself not explaining the fiancée thing? Yeh, sure, ok, whatever.
Also, I know Lee Jun is an intern & his purpose is to learn but, holy shite, I'm agreeing with those gossipy bitches: surely he got that internship strictly through his connections & not his skills or potential because it's a wonder the boy can even turn on a computer. If the Team Leader wasn't his pining friend & the Director wasn't trying to shtup him there is no way he'd be getting to work on all these high-profile assignments when he's, what, only two or three days on the job & demonstrating exactly zero understanding of the work.
Well, maybe Hyun Jae & Simeon will get more screen time together. The tension between them in that last three minutes of the episode was intriguing.
I might have cared about Minato's minor, oh so very minor, progress in ep 7 if it had happened 4 or 5 episodes ago & wasn't completely undermined by his continued panic over even imagined intimacy. Watching Shin beg for (& be denied) scraps of affection week-after-week has left a bad taste in my mouth.
Seeing Shin so happy that Minato barely managed to tell one single person that they're together was pathetic. I just cannot cheer for this couple.
Honestly, I'm only still watching because of Asuka & Shu. It was obvious in S1 that Shu's issues are related to him being neurodivergent, & he's aware it's impeding his ability to maintain a relationship with Asuka, but he is TRYING. He's analyzing the problem, attemping to understand & express his emotions (even admitting he's terrible at it), & wanting to return his partner's affections to whatever extent he can.
I keep trying to afford Minato a parallel growth but...it's unclear what Minato's deal is, & he only ever seems to take a step forward when he's pushed (& then he scurries backward just as quickly as he can). Sure, he has affection for Shin, but that outing in ep 6 made it seem more like an adoring, brotherly affection. He seemed so much more comfortable & natural shepherding Shin & Asuka around, buying them food, taking them to play, watching them have fun. Like an older brother indulging a younger sibling—& that sibling's new boyfriend, because Shin & Asuka looked like more of a couple in that 12 minutes of frivolity than Shin & Minato have in two whole seasons.
I suppose that's why I like Shu more than Minato. Wheras Minato is reactionary, making no effort without an external force shoving him into it, Shu is taking action & attempting to be a better romantic partner. Shu is on an actual journey of self-discovery & change. Minato is...I don't know, allergic to the idea of Shin's penis? Whatever it is, he's just spinning his wheels.
Dr. Ning with Ming but yes, not enough from them As for the NC blame he Bite Me Director David . He ruins everything…
Oh good grief, I didn't even check who the director was. If I'd known, I probably wouldn't have bothered watching. He is a hack, just an all-around terrible director. "Rose in Da House" barely survived him, & that's only because the cast made it work DESPITE him.
I made up headcanon that the bar seats are electrified as part of the security system. Makes as much sense as magic, I guess.
I just could not process the not taking him to see a doctor. Dude owns a whole luxury hotel & has a personal assistant running his life. He is loaded. Surely they can afford one CT scan to make sure the boss isn't going to keel over dead at the next Board meeting or whatever. I'm so disappointed in his assistant; I mean, you have one job, & I think saying, "Hey, boss, we should see someone about your retrograde amnesia & that whole being electrocuted thing" is a pretty significant part of the job.
"DSN" had issues but JaFirst thoroughly sold the devoted, passionate, supportive, obsessive love between LeoFiat. I absolutely believed they were a committed, lifelong couple, & that, working as a pair, they helped one another to become the best self they could be.
PunnAshi, not so much.
I cannot figure out what either of them sees in one another that would support an authentic romantic relationship between them. Punn's infatuation with his idol has yet to translate to actual "love" for me, & Ashi remains an enigma. I have no real idea of what Ashi wants, broadly speaking, or why he wants it. His character motivations are opaque but not in an intriguing, let's-unknot-this-tangled-psyche way. Oddly, Punn has the opposite impact on me. I give nothing but applause for Ja's presentation of Punn as a character (no matter how much I dislike the archetype Ja is playing), as Ja's actually managed to imbue layers to Punn's thoughts & actions. I don't like Punn as a character but I do understand him; I get why he is the way he is, I can contextualize his often infantile behaviour, & I see that he is on an actual path of growth. I fully expect that, by the end of the series, Punn will be a far more mature, focused, and self-aware person, & I will BELIEVE in that transformation because Ja is doing his utmost in selling it.
First, on the other hand, seems to have had all the personality & talent strangled out of his portrayal of Ashi. This really could be a compelling character but...well, David Bigander happened all over poor First. And, yes, I absolutely blame the director, because both Ja & First have the acting chops necessary to make these characters work, individually & together. Bigander, on the other hand, is a hack. I am convinced Bigander is sabotaging his writers, actors, & crew members with every project he takes on. It's the only way to explain how he manages to so thoroughly squander all the talent both in front of & behind the camera.
I feel if this series had a better director, the material would've worked. It's not that the series itself is fundamentally bad, it's just really poorly directed. To contrast this series with a newly airing show, "Love in Translation" managed to establish in the first episode precisely the dynamic that will underline the main couple's individual character development & ultimate romantic relationship: the idol-obsessed, free-spirited Phumjai will get the stern, buttoned-down Yang Yen Feng to loosen up, & Yang Yen Feng will get Phumjai to grow up. Every interaction between the two had both text & subtext, & made their puerile altercations engaging rather than monotonous. I'm not saying it was a great episode, just that it managed to do in its single first episode what "Be Mine SuperStar" hasn't managed in eight.
In terms of the sex present in this series—look, if you're giving us all that with MueangDoctor, you cannot dial back the intensity on PunnAshi. MueangDoctor are having grown-ass-men sex; PunnAshi are having fluffy fanfic encounters. I had the same issue with "Bed Friend"; sex-as-communication done all wrong. MueangDoctor are so much more interesting as the second couple because there is a lingua franca that exists when they are physically intimate that it's obvious they're working toward when they're not. THAT is keeping my interest. The two of them are in absolute sync when it comes to sex; how will they translate that into an emotional tie?
I will finish the series to the end because I like JaFirst but I am so disappointed that this is their last project as a CP.
I think the director is trying to create contrast between the raw, lustful animalism of the second couple & the sweet, tender lovemaking of the mains, but all he's managed to do is make the PunnAshi story even MORE boring & insipid by comparison. I can practically hear the director off-screen shouting at JaFirst, "Less passionate! Don't get too enthusiastic! Pretend you're at the dentist!"
Now, I'm thinking he's just a sociopathic, controlling asshole who views Tan like any other possession, something that belongs to him & therefore must remain in his collection of objects, no matter how much he dislikes Tan. That, & I think he enjoys treating Tan as a punching bag.
I don't particularly care what happens to Tan but they would both be better off staying far, far, far away from one another.
I do not get Tan's Father. If you want your son to stop being your headache, just let him leave home. It's obvious Tan is useless, & he doesn't want to be there anyway, so just let him go & he'll disappear into his own life far away from you. As a bonus, Thee will go with him, & that's one less deadweight on your payroll. Then you can focus all your energy on evilling evily to your shrunken little heart's content, you absolute monster.
I didn't find the first two episodes confusing but they were rather...well, forgettable. The only storyline I vaguely recall is the one w/ the guy on the rooftop but hell if I can remember which character it belongs to.
As an aside: was there a reason given why Gu Butao can't create a new Seal for Gu Buxia? Maybe I missed it, or it wasn't well-translated, but perhaps it's a cultural aspect I don't understand? I had been assuming that she inherited the Temple because she's capable & comfortable with her own spiritual powers. Is she perhaps just not strong enough yet to create a working, reliable Seal?
Good luck to these characters, I guess, but I'm closing the book on this one.
Also, I know Lee Jun is an intern & his purpose is to learn but, holy shite, I'm agreeing with those gossipy bitches: surely he got that internship strictly through his connections & not his skills or potential because it's a wonder the boy can even turn on a computer. If the Team Leader wasn't his pining friend & the Director wasn't trying to shtup him there is no way he'd be getting to work on all these high-profile assignments when he's, what, only two or three days on the job & demonstrating exactly zero understanding of the work.
Well, maybe Hyun Jae & Simeon will get more screen time together. The tension between them in that last three minutes of the episode was intriguing.
Seeing Shin so happy that Minato barely managed to tell one single person that they're together was pathetic. I just cannot cheer for this couple.
Honestly, I'm only still watching because of Asuka & Shu. It was obvious in S1 that Shu's issues are related to him being neurodivergent, & he's aware it's impeding his ability to maintain a relationship with Asuka, but he is TRYING. He's analyzing the problem, attemping to understand & express his emotions (even admitting he's terrible at it), & wanting to return his partner's affections to whatever extent he can.
I keep trying to afford Minato a parallel growth but...it's unclear what Minato's deal is, & he only ever seems to take a step forward when he's pushed (& then he scurries backward just as quickly as he can). Sure, he has affection for Shin, but that outing in ep 6 made it seem more like an adoring, brotherly affection. He seemed so much more comfortable & natural shepherding Shin & Asuka around, buying them food, taking them to play, watching them have fun. Like an older brother indulging a younger sibling—& that sibling's new boyfriend, because Shin & Asuka looked like more of a couple in that 12 minutes of frivolity than Shin & Minato have in two whole seasons.
I suppose that's why I like Shu more than Minato. Wheras Minato is reactionary, making no effort without an external force shoving him into it, Shu is taking action & attempting to be a better romantic partner. Shu is on an actual journey of self-discovery & change. Minato is...I don't know, allergic to the idea of Shin's penis? Whatever it is, he's just spinning his wheels.
How does he keep getting work...