In Smells Like Green Spirit, the first episode sets up a deeply personal conflict through Mishimaās long hair,…
I think when Kirino stepped forward to finish the job of cutting Mishima's hair, he did it to make it pretty -- his henchman had hacked it up so badly. And based on the result it looks like Kirino has quite a gift for hairdressing... š
I just wish that for a series so concerned with long hair they had invested in better wigs. Especially at the beginning, it looks like Mishima is wearing something he bought at a Halloween store.
Well, the "love music" for Phun and Noh is indeed one of the music clips that a production can use for free, as long as they give it credit. I'm not surprised since it makes sense for them to spend the money on other aspects of the series. And just about every series takes advantage of these -- often using the same exact music as others.
I noticed that the second time we hear it, when Noh is remembering back to the almost-kiss with Phun, they use the lush part where the melody blooms beautifully. For me it seems like a fine way to depict the growing impact that that moment has had on Noh.
This feels like a more romantic take on the story. The production is taking the legacy of the original series seriously and delivering in every way.
The ever-present Thai sound effects are thankfully used with restraint, whereas the use of background music is just wonderful, on another level entirely. I get the sense that this is an original score. (I'll have to look into that since so many BL series use generic music that's readily available for free use.)
I love that Phun and Noh have their own "love theme", the kind of romantic, Old Hollywood music that makes their near-kiss all the more intense. For me that moment easily surpasses many of the real kisses we see in BLs. My heart was pounding! No sneaky camera angles here --they let us see everything. The two boys take it as far as you'd expect when they've never had these kinds of feelings before, their faces touching, with Noh (very) slowly brushing his nose along Phun's cheek, and I didn't feel cheated at all when they were interrupted.
Then there's Noh's longing -- wow. It's so beautifully conveyed. Those sad eyes! That kid can act.
Meanwhile, Phun is the shrewd pursuer who even in the previous episode seemed ready to push things as far as Noh would let him. His sudden withdrawal in this episode seems to stem from the moment that Am cuts their near-kiss short, when Noh tries to act cool and brush it off like no big deal. I think most people can understand that reaction but Phun seems to feel betrayed. When he later sees Noh drawing his face close to Ohm's to see if the two of them generate the same electricity, Phun misunderstands and his resentment and jealousy take over.
I like that we get to see that Aim is someone with her own challenges. She's not being set up as a purely villainous character.
Whereas Ohm and Mick are being set up as the comic relief side couple. Ohm has been well cast, so I'm looking forward to watching that unfold too.
I was ready to hate this but wow, it's off to a great start. And age-appropriate actors! It *can* be done. I hope the other production companies are watching.
The last part of Episode 8 is one of the most moving things I've ever seen, in BL or anywhere. Just thinking about it chokes me up.
It occurred to me that they could have ended the series right there and I'd still feel fulfilled, but of course there's more to come and I'm grateful for that.
Only-Tiger is finally coming along, and itās especially gratifying to see after the original series was cut off so abruptly and after the lack of any interest at all in a second couple in āStay With Meā. Their little scene at the closing credits is also really cute.
The main couple have their moments but Iām still on the fence about their chemistry. I donāt think the series did enough to explain how Hero became so smitten with Pop.
Overall, though, I find Iām enjoying this more than I expected. Mac is doing a good job in his acting debut and August doesnāt look too old for his role.
Next up is the return of Popās gf. She looks pretty cute. Letās hope itās not a devious kind of cute. š
Such a realistic courtship. The two stubborn boys are warming up to each other in a realistic way, and it's such a refreshing change. The cute moments don't feel forced -- they happen organically.
Just a delightful and immersive series.
Simply imagining a BL universe where every series was this committed to excellence in every aspect gives me butterflies.
Destined to be a classic. Watched my favorite parts of this again last night and boy, this is so on the money it's crazy. Extra points for a unique storyline.
I dropped this weeks ago, but I saw today that the series ended and Iām too curious not to ask: in the series do the two leads ever kiss? Like, really kiss? And if they do kiss, is it one of those camera angle cop-outs? Thanks, fam!
Notable differences between the cut and uncut versions:
- The series as a whole is a flashback to 2018. The uncut version starts in the year 2024, with the adult Hero walking poolside for some kind of corporate event where he is addressed as "boss". He learns that an urgent wedding is about to take place inside the event hall, and this has forced his corporate event to move from the hall to the poolside location outdoors. Hero then encounters someone whose face isn't shown but who is (almost certainly) Poppy. Hero starts off pissed that Poppy had disappeared for a while, "pretending to be dead", but then Hero tries to kiss him. In struggling to avoid the kiss, Poppy ends up pulling Hero into the swimming pool with him.
- After shifting the action to 2018, the scene where Hero goes to deface the poster for his dad's wedding includes someone who gets there before him. (We're later shown that this is Poppy, who of course had tried to obliterate his mom's face on the poster.) Hero gives chase but after a struggle Poppy gets away without Hero seeing his face.
Otherwise it looks like the uncut version had more dialog in some of the other scenes but there was nothing that seemed too important.
5 
6 
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I just wish that for a series so concerned with long hair they had invested in better wigs. Especially at the beginning, it looks like Mishima is wearing something he bought at a Halloween store.
Anyway, here it is on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKlLbZ8KcWo
I noticed that the second time we hear it, when Noh is remembering back to the almost-kiss with Phun, they use the lush part where the melody blooms beautifully. For me it seems like a fine way to depict the growing impact that that moment has had on Noh.
The ever-present Thai sound effects are thankfully used with restraint, whereas the use of background music is just wonderful, on another level entirely. I get the sense that this is an original score. (I'll have to look into that since so many BL series use generic music that's readily available for free use.)
I love that Phun and Noh have their own "love theme", the kind of romantic, Old Hollywood music that makes their near-kiss all the more intense. For me that moment easily surpasses many of the real kisses we see in BLs. My heart was pounding! No sneaky camera angles here --they let us see everything. The two boys take it as far as you'd expect when they've never had these kinds of feelings before, their faces touching, with Noh (very) slowly brushing his nose along Phun's cheek, and I didn't feel cheated at all when they were interrupted.
Then there's Noh's longing -- wow. It's so beautifully conveyed. Those sad eyes! That kid can act.
Meanwhile, Phun is the shrewd pursuer who even in the previous episode seemed ready to push things as far as Noh would let him. His sudden withdrawal in this episode seems to stem from the moment that Am cuts their near-kiss short, when Noh tries to act cool and brush it off like no big deal. I think most people can understand that reaction but Phun seems to feel betrayed. When he later sees Noh drawing his face close to Ohm's to see if the two of them generate the same electricity, Phun misunderstands and his resentment and jealousy take over.
I like that we get to see that Aim is someone with her own challenges. She's not being set up as a purely villainous character.
Whereas Ohm and Mick are being set up as the comic relief side couple. Ohm has been well cast, so I'm looking forward to watching that unfold too.
It occurred to me that they could have ended the series right there and I'd still feel fulfilled, but of course there's more to come and I'm grateful for that.
The main couple have their moments but Iām still on the fence about their chemistry. I donāt think the series did enough to explain how Hero became so smitten with Pop.
Overall, though, I find Iām enjoying this more than I expected. Mac is doing a good job in his acting debut and August doesnāt look too old for his role.
Next up is the return of Popās gf. She looks pretty cute. Letās hope itās not a devious kind of cute. š
Just a delightful and immersive series.
Simply imagining a BL universe where every series was this committed to excellence in every aspect gives me butterflies.
- After shifting the action to 2018, the scene where Hero goes to deface the poster for his dad's wedding includes someone who gets there before him. (We're later shown that this is Poppy, who of course had tried to obliterate his mom's face on the poster.) Hero gives chase but after a struggle Poppy gets away without Hero seeing his face.
Otherwise it looks like the uncut version had more dialog in some of the other scenes but there was nothing that seemed too important.
Minseong ā¦ what is the attraction there?