Froehlein

I agree that series often do not represent healthy relationships. Healthy relationships would appear rather “boring” to an audience and the dramaturgy would be missing. Therefore, one can be critical of many behaviors in series...

I'm very sure that CC would never do that to WSW. He is hypersexual and certainly has an impulse control disorder and tried to get physically closer to WSW through the episodes. But as the series went on, his pushing became less, he was able to read WSW better and he became more accepting of WSW's boundaries. Let's not forget WSW wanted to seduce him and CC initially said, “I'm just having sex, I'm not dating.” So, this is my guess, he doesn't know how to adequately move on with WSW to end up with him.

In the end, they both seduced each other. And WSW's hesitation and pushing him away also comes from the fact that he falls in love with him against his will and has to come to terms with that and his sexuality first. CC, on the other hand, in my opinion has little experience in courting someone, as it has probably always gone the other way around for him. So with WSWs best friend (of whom he is certainly also jealous) he falls back on old habits that worked before with others, threat/intimidation. As I said, he is a problematic character. But WSW is also problematic in the way he manipulates. You don't want to experience that in a relationship either.

Nonetheless, WSW and CC seem to get off on this mutual “seduction attempt” and it becomes their relationship dynamic and relationship language. And no matter what WSW does, CC lets him get away with it. If you add up the whole timeline, he also easily gave up sex for WSW for a year. He laid next to him in bed and didn't touch him, even when he saw him masturbating before. I can't remember the wording, but WSW said something in that episode like he would have given in to him even without his ultimatum (I'll have to watch it again). On the other hand, CC got quiet and thoughtful and apologized for his behavior towards him and XS when WSW “scolded” him and actually expected a different reaction. CC also said that everyone can be mad at him, but he can't stand it with WSW, nor when he's hurt. Forced sex would be the exact opposite...

In my opinion, WSW didn't avoid CC because of his pain/all the sex. It was because he wanted to talk to XS and tell him that he had nothing more to worry about. I mean, imagine you experienced your first time and had so many concerns about it and talked to your best friend about it beforehand. Surely he wanted to tell him that.

As far as the situation in the clinic is concerned, I see it as their relationship dynamic and this rougher approach turns them on. They are also into BDSM. If this dynamic is based on consensus, then that's ok. If it wasn't based on consent, WSW wouldn't have gotten involved in the relationship. And also since BDSM is based on trust and agreements, that's a sign to me that CC wouldn't do anything that WSW doesn't like.

Of course, this scene can cause rejection in you, and it would in me too if I put myself in the position you describe. You don't want it and your partner just carries on. Ultimately, this shows your value system and that's a good thing. I just think that there are other underlying dynamics that I'm reading from the series. I think you shouldn't necessarily interpret it through your value system or the assumption of how you would feel in the situation, but through their dynamics (BDSM, cat and mouse game, etc.). I think that's probably the crux of the matter. And I mean CC has killed the most precious thing in his life to date and has apologized several times afterwards for not acting sooner and that he is sorry WSW was hurt and it will never happen again. WSW is the most important to him. So important that he would even take medication for his libido. Rape would be the last thing he would do....

And as I said. I don't think WSW is the one who just backs down, in my eyes he is the one who is in charge of the relationship, who controls everything and sets the pace.

I apologize for the length, but I wanted to be as specific as possible. If you've read this far: thank you!

Yes, he was totally embarrassed. Because he said in the car in front of XS that he wasn't going to be the bottom and XS said he was for sure the bottom. That's why WSW said afterwards that he couldn't face him because he had lost his manly dignity. I find it sad that people don't seem to understand the story and the dynamics and can't hear the undertones. But now they are supposed to be shown everything in movies without them having to think about it.

Yes, I know. But before I do something like that, I think that explaining it to them might lead to more understanding. You don't want to do them any harm. But it's like telling them all the high and low points and the ending before they read the novel. And I think if you explain it to them, they might be able to understand the frustration.

Haha, an “unspoilered” page would be great.

Yeah, I don't really know what's going on here either 😅 Either panic is breaking out here and people are getting infected or there's endless spoilers.

Nobody is forbidding people from commenting and I think it's perfectly legitimate to comment on all the episodes that have been broadcast. Even then I was once asked to put a spoiler tag, perhaps because I interpreted scenes. And I then used the spoiler tag. It doesn't break anything for me and it might help others. I also want others to be able to enjoy the drama. But I find it so sad and selfish to give everything away beforehand. When my heart breaks in shock, I want to experience and feel it in the scene and not 3 weeks before in the comment section.

I have experienced such great comment sections where people laughed and cried together and it was a great exchange and there was a real connection (a ❤️ for my The On1y One comment section friends) or where theories were developed. And I can certainly understand that certain fears and anxieties are expressed here out of concern (thanks to everyone here who can provide solid info on China's possible dealings with the actors. I really appreciate that). But putting spoiler tags is the least effort and a great gift you can give to non-novel readers. And everyone wants to enjoy the series and if you want to know more and discuss it, you definitely do that behind spoiler tags too.

You are taking a scene and interpreting it without considering the dynamics of the relationship between CC and WSW. Without including the relationship, one could come to your conclusion. But knowing the relationship dynamic, you can't actually come to your conclusion. Because WSW clearly calls the shots in the relationship. What he wants, he gets. If he doesn't want something, CC stops immediately and respects his boundaries, even if he is a problematic character. He would never have forced WSW to have sex or performed it against his will. CC is completely devoted to WSW... WSW sets the pace and determines how far CC is allowed to go. It's also important to remember that their relationship is a cat-and-mouse game that they both seem to enjoy.

Hey guys, can you please use spoiler tags for things that haven't happened yet and will happen in the future? As a non-novel reader, it really ruins the show a bit when you don't have the free choice to be spoiled and I've read so many open spoilers today. Really not nice. Remember how you might have felt when you first read the story and give non-novel readers the gift of feeling all the emotions of watching the story for the first time. THX!

Yeah, I got the impression WSW was embarrassed that he's pretty clearly the bottom after all, even though he told XS he doesn't want to be. Hence the line about his manly dignity... They definitely have a unique and weird dynamic that they both like. But WSW clearly sets the tone in the relationship in my opinion. Or to put it another way, CC is the head of the relationship, but WSW is the neck and he turns his head to where he wants it.

Support says invalid accounts have been deleted and thus ratings. Honestly I'm no longer convinced by this theory, even if it seems logical at first. But if Love for Love's Sake (over 20000 ratings) has the same rating drop as Blue canvas of youthful days (4400+) or an older series with a consistently high rating IFYLITA (2023) is affected in the same way and drops in almost the same way as a very fresh one (RL) and these rating drops can only be found in BLs (at least I haven't discovered any in straight dramas), then the explanation is not enough for me. Since even the trends of the week no longer show RL, but rather old series, I have to say that this leaves me with a certain aftertaste. But there are also those who say it's certain Thai fans, but I'm not necessarily convinced of that either. But as far as I know, there are only two BLs that are above 8.6. Not counting The Untamed and Spirealarm.

Aside from CC being a problematic character, we've all seen throughout the series that CC quits when WSW doesn't want intimacy... Do you not pick up on such undertones of the character when watching scenes? Never would CC have moved on if WSW didn't want to sleep with him. So if you just watch the scene without including the characters, it can seem forced. But once you look at the scene with the knowledge of the dynamic between CC and WSW (from the boundary setting of WSW, who also ultimately always makes the decision about what happens between them, to the cat and mouse game that they both seem to enjoy), I don't think it can be called forcefully having sex. CC is totally devoted to WSW despite his problematic character traits.

In the last week (12.7.-13.7. and 15.7.-16.7.) there has been a rating drop of 0.3-0.4 rating points on numerous (very popular) BLs, including Revenged Love, Our Youth, IFYLITA, Abo Desire, Love for Love's sake, etc. (I know of around 30 that have had this happen to them).

Phew, I don't really know what to do with this series... I binged the first episodes, which was definitely a good thing to make the story, which is told in short episodes, more fluid. Releasing the episodes individually is more of a disadvantage than an advantage for the series. The same goes for the release of episode 13 or rather 12 2/2. A two-week break for the last one or an extra episode? That's not a good decision given the short running time and, to be honest, the storyline.
I think Yooha and Min U are quite cute together. But the arc with the boss and the brother was honestly totally unnecessary and didn't go anywhere, especially because it had no consequences for anyone. I think they should have invested more in the story between Yoo Ha and Min U and their developing feelings and a dichotomy over payment and the brother and barman story. I think that would have made the show more well-rounded and you wouldn't ask yourself: why am I actually watching this? For me, it's the two main characters. Also one of the things that distracts me about the series is the heavy filters/blurring...

I think it might have something to do with the translation, as it's all done on a voluntary basis as far as I know. And I've seen some series rated 1* there because when the episode was released there were only English subtitles, not Portuguese subtitles... As this seems to be a large viewer group, you can now always find English and Portuguese directly on the releases and the other languages follow suit. Perhaps the volunteer translators are not allowed to see the current episodes before the actual release and take the day after release to translate them, hence the day delay?

Is it true that the scene where WSW confesses his feelings to CC and cries so beautifully and bites him and says “You're mine” is the last recorded scene of the series? I just saw that in a reel. And that would make the scene even more meaningful to me. I'm fascinated by Zi Yu's beautiful, vulnerable sadness, and to think that it could include the sadness of the end of filming really touches me.

Oh, the episode was great! ❤️ It was worth the wait and the rework, a well-edited episode that stays in the narrative flow. Plus a raw, vulnerable, almost desperate and passionate kiss scene. 🫠 Wow, that was so good! Zi Yu shows so much beauty in WSWs hurt and desperation. I am thrilled. And then CC gets to sit back and enjoy WSW Initiative today? Yay 😁 Really, today was a feast of great emotions and micro-expressions from our 4 MLs. Only the ending killed me!🫠😂

I completely agree with your comment. The series is also a bright spot in the genre for me. For me personally, I realize that JBLs are my first choice in the genre. They are creative with the stories, clever with the execution (as you described the BJ scene, for example) and put emphasis on the setting. For me, the school roof overlooking the sea is one of the most beautiful settings I've seen in BLs, both visually and metaphorically. The only thing that distracts me about JBL's are the dead-fish kisses. They really need to work on that. Even KBLs are getting that right lately....

As for Konno, I would have thought he just happened to walk by at the beginning when he saw Hayakawa. As for Hayakawa, I'm sure he was pretty indifferent to teachers seeing him. To me it felt like indifference and numbness with no thought of consequences, the main thing is that he doesn't have to feel his insides... Konno is really a great character who faces himself and pursues his inner self. How should I describe it, I have the impression that he approaches life like he photographs... For example, I loved the scene in the club when he opened the door.

I'm also curious to see how they round off the series in episode 6. And honestly? I wish there were more episodes because I really enjoy the show.

I agree with you! Would also love to see them as Hua Cheng and Xie Lian. They fit better for me than the actual cast at first glance. Because the series has already been filmed... (Eternal Faith) and Xu Ning is in it. He's the earth master Ming Yi. Which is also very fitting for him. It's just a shame that Zi Yu isn't the wind master 😉

Haha, I have 9 in my calendar on Fri too and the rest of the week is empty except for RL😅

The rating has been at 8.6 for 2 days... and the rating drop also affected numerous other BLs.

That's not true, Thai BLs are also affected, including The Sign, 4 minutes (slutier), I feel you linger in the air. I don't think it was Thai fans who devalued the BLs overnight.

I've looked through a few KDramas new and old and haven't found any that show a drop 🤷‍♀️ I had the same thought that it must also affect dramas outside the BL genre. Otherwise it would only have to be accounts created for BLs...
What also makes me personally suspicious is that all BLs have lost 0.3-0.4 rating points. Regardless of whether they only had 2662 ratings (Secrets Happened on the Litchi Island) or over 21000 (Love for Love's Sake). With the latter in particular, a massive number of votes must have been deleted for it to achieve such a range of points. And I'm surprised that none of these votes seem to have rated Jack & Joker, because the series has 13400+ ratings. So nothing against Jack & Joker, I just find it strange that the highest rated BLs are affected and Jack & Joker not at all. So you know what I'm trying to say? It seems so arbitrary to me. And if it only affects the BL genre, then all BLs should be affected in some way and maybe lose 0.1, 0.2 points. Or am I thinking wrong?
I try to understand it, because I have noticed mass voting in both directions quite often, especially with well-known BLs. But it only makes sense to me in part, and in part I'm also wondering...