Feardorcha

A series centered on Pao, Khana, & Pai would've been engaging. These three characters have depth, layers, stakes, motivations, flaws, regrets, hopes, dreams. The choices they make, however big or small, have serious impact on their life trajectories & how they view themselves.

So why, again why, have we wasted all this time on Park & Tin? Good grief. The "Ward in love w/ Guardian/Guardian in love w/ Ward" trope can work as a romance plot but it just doesn't here, & it completely collapses when up against the far more compelling issues/storylines involving Pao, Khana, & Pai.

Run needs more freedom for writing/production of his scripts. Lee Long Shi deserves better BL material. And is the fish ok?

Right? The Din whom Ken loved was a man who believed in fairness, justice, & the rule of law. The Din who returned stole a dead man's identity, plotted extrajudicial punishment, outright murdered a few people, & kept insisting to Ken that his Din was no more. Ken, meanwhile, was a broken soul still desperately in love with a memory.

Watching all that unfold would've been compelling storytelling.

Ken dragged himself into it when he left that cabin & forced Din to go looking for him, resulting in them both getting knocked off that cliff. & Ken kept putting himself at risk in every episode, largely because he had close to zero information about what was actually going on.

I realize that "lying to my beloved to protect them" is a popular trope but it's a lousy one, & watching two lovers battling their enemies together as a united force is always more compelling.

Ken is not a child. He's a grown man with stakes in the story, & it was irritating watching all his friends & his lover infantilize him. Granted, the idiot got himself choked out nearly every episode but maybe if he wasn't working with asymmetrical information, he would've done fewer stupid things.

Bromance. I mean, the two male leads *could* be headed toward a romantic relationship, if you squint a bit.

Thinking about it, you're right. Indeed, Ken seemed like more of a hindrance to Din's plans, having to constantly be rescued & nearly getting them both killed every other minute. The aspects of the actual plot I liked were all about Din & his quest for vengeance; half the time I forgot this was supposed to be a love story & the other half of the time, I simply didn't care.

Maybe the show would've worked better if Lue's identity wasn't a loudly telegraphed "big reveal", happened much earlier in the show, & the rest of the story was dedicated to Din & Ken seeking revenge together while re-falling in love with the men they've become after their violent separation & the ensuing years of painful longing & lonely despair. They are both so different from the men they were in the flashbacks (especially Din, nevermind the identity-swap), it would've been compelling watching them grapple with all of that PLUS their bloodthirsty journey toward justice.

They are reuniting at the sister's wedding on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, like in the fable of the cowherd & weaver girl. Alluding to it rather than showing it might've worked in a better told story but, alas.

I interpreted it less as PYY being annoyed by double-standards & more that he'd contributed to something good. Seems he's spent most of his life being scolded, blamed, & disregarded, receiving a roundabout compliment was shocking for him.

I mean, their sons' bromance is adorable (their weird high school rivalry was even cute); I'd ship them too.

I also found the short conversation where PYY's Mother noted to PYY that CGY's Father was happy/relieved for CGY to behave badly so telling about the dynamics of & between these characters. PYY looked genuinely taken aback that his contribution to CGY ditching school was seen as a plus, that he was, for that moment, a genuinely good influence.

I am thoroughly enjoying this series but I feel like some important nuances are being lost in translation. Aside from that, it's an intriguing, funny, touching series. The three leads are great together & apart, & the supporting cast is fantastic (I adore the parents; I'd like more scenes of just the two of them interacting, sharing their struggles & triumphs as single parents of opposite personalities raising two boys of opposite personalities).

This would be perfectly serviceable as a slice-of-life series if the slice being offered wasn't so lifeless. Most of these characters are beige-wallpaper boring, just dishwater dull. And where are the parents of all these children? Are they neighbourhood ferals or what?

Khana's life is a mess, & I'm fairly certain that Tin's stepsister(?) is some kind of bad seed, since people keep abandoning her with other people (I like to imagine she spends her time at home doing creepy "Children of the Corn" stuff & scaring the pants off her Mother). Unfortunately, neither are the main characters, so instead we're stuck watching the physical embodiment of paint drying with Tin & Park.

Well, at least there's Romeo. I always look forward to getting updates on that cute fish. I hope he gets a bigger tank, maybe some toys or other enrichment devices. Maybe a companion fish? I bet their relationship development would be quicker & more interesting.

I swear, it sometimes seems like Japanese productions have two speeds: "My Love Mix-up" & "Dangerous Drugs of Sex". Obviously they have a wide-range but when they commit to a format they really deliver, whatever the genre.

Maybe it's a cultural thing but I don't see the big deal about eating while naked in your own home. It's your home; eat naked while swinging from the foyer chandelier & singing "Pink Elephants on Parade", if you want. But I found it hilarious how Ichijo's concern Miki thought he was a deviant had him donning the shadiest possible disguise to lurk in the distance, spying on Miki. Looked like a flasher waiting for the right moment.

Gun & Cher have been developing/in an inappropriate relationship from basically day one of Cher's internship. No, the company owner should not be schtupping an intern; it's a breach of ethics. However, we are now 8 episodes in & Cher's internship ends in a couple weeks; why, exactly, is their relationship suddenly an issue & why should we care?

Perhaps Gun & Cher could dial it back a bit (maybe don't physically drag your intern out of the building in front of a crowd of employees & then disappear for a whole day?) but Jack & Cher acting like the only solution is a dire, heartrending breakup is just silly. & Cher skulking & sulking instead of just talking to Gun makes it even more ridiculous. I suppose it's meant to show Cher's character growth & his affection for Gun but it all feels so contrived this late in the game. Especially as we haven't seen any negative consequences from this office romance.

In fact, Gun has become a better boss, according to the employees; Cher is getting his internship work done (whatever it is he does aside from fetching coffee); & it doesn't appear Gun's expectations of his company's people are weighted in accordance to his love for Cher. So what's the issue?

I'd prefer we spent time on what's wrong with Gun's security protocols. Why does a fired employee still have email access to company files? How is said ex-employee able to just waltz up to the office suite & assault the company owner? Where is HR? What are your offboarding procedures?

Much applause to the cinematographer. I would've FFW through 90% of the series if I wasn't constantly distracted by the often artful, simply eyecatching camera work. Major props also to the colourist; the series palette was lush, a visual feast. This series was a pleasure to look at.

A Japanese production company should redo this show. They'd likely do the plot justice while making the sex scenes actually worthwhile in a series based on it.

"Chains of Heart" had a happy ending. They are going to reunite at the sister's wedding, on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, as in the cowherd & weaver girl story.

A truly wonderful end would be JH deciding to have enough self-respect to just move on. JW's issues are his own, it's not JH's job to fix them, & JH shouldn't waste his love on JW, who is obviously in no state to accept it. Trauma response or just general douchebaggery, JH doesn't deserve the treatment he's receiving from JW, & a healthy ending would be JH finding a better relationship & JW making progress in treatment.

The music acted its ass off this episode.

Simply delightful. The fluff was adorably sweet, the angst perfectly delicious. A cozy blanket comfort series.

...the hell was that?