FreshKicks

All four of the main characters (Shihyun, Taehee, Sooji, and Sejoo) part company and I think 5 years pass. Shihyun goes to the US, Taehee becomes a successful architect, Sooji is playing the cello (maybe she's at music school) and Sejoo is working as a bartender in Japan.

Taehee's story picks up where she has a client for a new house that is very particular about what features he wants there. They exchange lots of emails. (One of the requirements is that there be a space big enough to host a small music concert ... hmm.) The client's requirements match up so well with things that Shihyun and Taehee did together, like being able to view the stars, that she would have to be pretty dense not to realize who the client is. But the audience is expected to play along, so we do.

Anyway, out of nowhere both Sooji and Taehee receive flowers from an anonymous sender. The ones for Sooji include a card that has an address in Japan.

The final scene with Sooji and Sejoo is one where she goes to Japan and shows up at the bar where he's working. It's after closing and he's drowning his sorrows with cognac . They hug and she tells him that the note from Shihyun told her where to find him. It's not clear if Sooji and Sejoo's reunion is about being just friends again or if it's the possible start of more-than-friends. Sejoo was always in love with Sooji so maybe this is hinting that they finally get together as a couple.

Meanwhile, Taehee heads over to the client's new house to finally meet the client that she's been emailing with. The big reveal, of course, is that it's Shihyun. They hug and exchange some words that refer back to something they'd said years before, about what would need to happen before they could truly stay together -- and it looks like that has indeed come to pass. So they definitely end up as a couple.

Before the time jump the conspiring little trio has a big falling out so I think Shihyun's request to have a space in his new house big enough to host a concert -- plus the fact that he sent flowers to Sooji and told her where to find Sejoo -- means that eventually they'll all be friends again. Which is interesting because by then Shihyun might be married to Taehee and I'm not sure how excited she'll be to see those other two.

That's more detail than you asked for but once I got started I couldn't stop. :)

Since the two series debuted only four weeks apart it would have been a miraculous achievement for a fledgling production company to put together a script and cast, then workshop and rehearse and actually start filming within such a short time.

Hello Stranger is definitely a retread of a familar trope: tutor and student falling in love. But in the trope department Gameboys doesn't have any claim to originality either.

Cairo is indeed a bit of a pill. His go-to expression is a frown. Hopefully Gav's reaction to him was the kick in the pants he needed.

I'm all about a slow burn too.

I'm doing my best to avoid comparing this series to 'Gameboys' because that often seems to turn into a religious war (and I truly think we're lucky to have both), but I feel that 'Hello, Stranger' better suits my own preference for a story that isn't peppered with plot devices designed to keep viewers coming back. I'm also starting to get a little annoyed by the personality of one of the main characters. If he keeps frowning like that, his face might get stuck in that position lol.

I really *like* JC and Xavier, though, and during this episode I especially appreciated that we got to know more about Xavier. The boys' conversation about Xavier's relationship allowed both characters to grow: Xavier by realizing that the time spent with JC is affecting him in a way that nobody else has, and JC by realizing that it's okay to be empathetic instead of constantly skeptical of new people.

Today I got the sense that the ex won't be scheming -- she'll just break up with Xavier and be the catalyst for him and JC to take things to the next level.

Some internalized homophobia just *might* be in the cards, though. Remember that Episode 1 started out with JC being unhappy about something relationship-related, and then the story proper kicked off with a flashback. The big question is: what happened, and why?

My same complaints about the Korean version. Including that the bullies in both of them are pathologically cruel, and not only does nobody care but out of nowhere they each get a 'redemption' arc at the end. They should have both been put in juvie for aggravated assault and forced to see a shrink.

I think Krist's version of the ML is a whopper of a dead fish compared to Nam Joo Hyuk's version, but neither character deserved to prevail. I guess it's nice that in the Thai version they manage to include a consolation prize of sorts for the SML -- something more than having a peaceful dinner with his dad. In both versions those guys deserve to be loved.

I have a feeling people will complain about the pace of Episode 2 but I think it was great to see how these two very different people can gradually connect. After all, they *are* very different, so having them hit it off too soon would have felt unrealistic. I also thought the writing was on point -- the tentative conversations felt real, and took into account JC's inexperience dealing with a person so unlike himself.

Tony's acting faltered a little here and there. Hopefully that will go away in the upcoming episodes.

That Seph guy .. whoa, what a looker. He's so cute that it startled me when he appeared on-screen haha.

I'm really liking this series! The BL riches of 2020 continue, which is miraculous given the omnipresence of Corona. We can only imagine what these times would have been like without it.

Yes, this is excellent. Please try to change it. The one they have is from viki so the original author wouldn't get worked up about it.

LOL I'd forgotten about the sister. 'Oh, that sister!' is right. xD

Gong's brattiness will test a viewer's tolerance for sure. The scene I remember most is when Xia Yao (Gong) jumps on Yuan Zong while they're on the couch and gets all flirty with him, then we're immediately taken to the bedroom where Xia Yao is on the bed in shorts and t-shirt, his hair all tousled after who-knows-what (wink wink).

I thought the side couples were interesting, especially Gong's wealthy best friend and the homeless gypsy guy.

The version I watched was on YouTube and had lots of cuts that hurt the continuity, but I'm not sure how coherent the story would have been even with everything restored. Still enjoyable though so I think you've graded it fairly.

Chu Yin Yin is a horrible person. She actually finds Xia Er, who has amnesia, and doesn't alert everyone to the fact that she's been found, or tell Xia Er what her true identity is -- and for what, the 20,000 that Chu Yin Yin owes to some gangster-wannabe? I'm sure Xia Er's mom would be happy to pay that off in exchange for having her real daughter back.

I'm going to keep watching and hope things improve ....

It was a student film done as a thesis submission. I'm glad it was shared with the world, and I'm glad the people here weren't on the faculty who gave out the grades. :)

It was a thesis for film school. Sorry it wasn't Fellini.

That smile of his could light up a whole city.

True. It traumatized an entire fandom.

I think it's possible that Kim has always "liked" Way. His relationship (as it were) with the teacher has not gotten far since they've never even kissed, and he doesn't have a gf.

What a sad ending if Way confesses and Kim refuses him!

Gosh, I hope not. If Way knows the truth before Kim wakes up then that will blow the BL potential to smithereens. :(

I would think you're onto something except that they haven't given any hint of Kim still being inside his own body. All of the behavioral clues have been about Pan, and I think the formula for a series like this is to keep things simple.

To me it seems pretty clear that the next big plot development will be Khet realizing that Pan is occupying his brother's body. That will give the screenwriters more comedic gold to play around with.

Either that, or maybe there will be a scene where Way confesses his love to "Kim"/Pan.

For them to kill off Kim would go against the whole tone of the series, and fans (like me) would be outraged over this comic masterpiece suddenly becoming dark and sad .... it would be another "MODC" fiasco.

I honestly don't think it will turn out that way.

Yeah when you put it that way it’s kind of gross to think about lol.

Based on the reaction here it seems like a big hit. I think the thing to do is watch Ryan Ding's profile page and see if Season 2 eventually turns up as a future project for him.

I'm wondering how far they'll push that pseudo-incest angle. Now that Khet has overheard Kim/Pan and Soda, he will figure that Pan is occupying his brother's body.

Which means that by the end of the series First might end up kissing both Ohm and Fluke. Out of the three of them I can't decide who's the luckiest.