FreshKicks

I'm on Team Kate. If a drama isn't appealing I move on, and this has included some celebrated series that others have loved.

Life is too short and there are so many dramas to explore. For every minute I spend feeling obligated to watch one I don't like I could be experiencing one that I do.

I think this was meant to show that he suddenly realized that something about Nubsib attracted him and the result was a moment of gay panic. In considering the choice between 'fight or flight', Gene chose to get out of there as quickly as possible, no matter what.

In a similar vein, Nubsib realized that he was also attracted to Gene and committed his own spontaneous act by stopping him.

Last Wednesday after the premier this place was bloodbath. Someone even wrote a review giving the series a "2". It makes me think that some people had made up their minds ahead of time. I'm not sure why. It's a fresh concept for a series as well as being thought-provoking.

(And the sound effects didn't stand out for me. Maybe I'm too accustomed to Thai series. :)

Yes! He's not 'fashion model' handsome and it doesn't look like he's buff either, but he's adorable in that rare way that lets a viewer believe that they could meet someone like him in real life.

I'm glad you like it. There's a sweetness to the series that few others can match.

It was fascinating to watch his group argue so much then finally come together.

I knew that wink would get him a boost, but not that big a boost ... very surprising.

He looked surprised too.

I hope the mentors will chart a corrective course in future episodes.

Yes - the extra rounds and battles put it at the next level, and I think the talent of the contestants is a bit higher. I also really like that they make a point of including international performers.

As I've watched more I have realized the special attraction that this show has. The extra rounds for the individual performers make it very special. They not only allow each boy to showcase his strengths, but they reveal how much the members of the group support one another.

The calibre of the performances is also exceptional.

Yes yes yes! And it’s all on YouTube from GMMTV with Eng subs. =)

I'm enjoying both shows. Each could improve but each is also entertaining. What I don't like about this one is they don't show complete performances for everyone. I also think having the contestants vote for each other will be a problem when the numbers dwindle. The guys will start to vote strategically to eliminate the people who do better than them.

Really horrible comment from Ning Jing (in her pastel raccoon makeup and ridiculous cowboy hat, mind you) as she said to one of the other mentors that one of the boys wasn't pretty enough.

(Hey girlfriend, I'm not even convinced you had a live mic during your performance...)

Why not just be grateful that you have both shows to watch?

This one seems to be walking right up to the line of BL ... what the heck is going on with Cdramas these days. (Not that I'm complaining.)

I love the music and visuals of the opening credits ... reminds me so much of 'He's Coming To Me.'

That scene outside Tian's house was a master class in acting! I'm so glad that they didn't go for the kiss (despite kinda wanting it while I was in the moment) because that's a more realistic depiction of how two men like that would approach each other.

I was so moved by today's episode. Earth did such a phenomenal job conveying Phupha's loneliness and yearning. Even the fact that Phu was wearing a casual shirt instead of his uniform when he went to pick up Tian in the city -- that was so touching to me. I kept thinking, 'I wonder when he would have ever worn that shirt in the past.' (Maybe it was never.) The fact that I would even speculate about such a thing tells me something about how fully realized the character is!

So, it's wonderful to see Earth seizing the opportunity to be a leading man in a BL and totally killing it. Legend status.

This series ... words fail me. I'm going to be honest, before it started I was a little skeptical that it could live up to everyone's expectations, but now I'm sure.

I have to say that I think the local boss man and his henchman are unfortunate add-ons. That element of danger really isn't necessary as a side story when the main story is so rich. It's like the author didn't trust that a reader or viewer could stay engaged without it. I wish the series had dispatched with it to make more room for the stuff we really love.

I uploaded a screen capture on the Huckleberry Friends page. It turns out the name is spelled as 'Jiang Chuan' so I think I got a little ahead of myself. :)

In the last episode of 'Huckleberry Friends', one of the current students at the high school approaches the FL, who is now an adult, to do a video interview that will be shown at a cultural festival.

The FL asks her who else she is interviewing and the names she gives include Luo Zhi and Huai Nan (as well as Jiang Chen, which is the name of the ML in the Cdrama version of 'A Love So Beautiful' ... which I don't think was set at the same high school.)

The student's list also includes the names of the leads from 'With You', which takes place in the same high school at about the same time. As a bonus, when you watch 'With You' you briefly get to meet its version of Luo Zhi and Huai Nan as actual characters.

What was funny about the guy waking up from the coma is that he asked Zhan Yan if she'd been at his bedside for all that time, but he didn't first ask what day it was or how long he'd been out. The writers were so eager to give Zhan Yan a redemption arc that they botched the details.

Ming Rui definitely deserved better. Since the woman in the series that he most connected with was Luo Zhi, it would have been nice if they'd had someone like her approach him. For me the fact that they went with a girl with a mad crush only shows they were selling the character short. He wasn't just a goofball -- he had a great outlook and treated people with respect.

The 2019 version is so superior that it makes me wonder if this version was kept on the shelf for a while in acknowledgement of that.