I_Love_Shizun

My dream for years now has been to win the lottery, buy the rights and release it to EVERYONE who has waited for its release or read Er-ha three, four times, like someone I know **cough cough* . As you can tell by my profile pic... unashamedly a Moran/Chu Wanning groupie lol So many stories we could all be enjoying...

Was supposed to be a pass time kinda show because for the life of me I cannot concentrate or finish ANYTHING right now. These two sweethearts came and swept me away for a few hours, with their h2o+CO2 or whatever the combustive combo is that makes for a great love story. Short, cute, sexy-ish, funny... small package, big delivery. I am satisfied. Good shit.

Yeahhh, you ain't kidding. I typed all that knowing it would/might fall on deaf ears BUT at least I feel unburdened. haha Contention is fine, we won't all like the same thing but damn, some civility sweetens the bitter pill a bit going down ;-)

Ahhhhh, Kill to Love was awesome. I wish I had paid more attention to the comment section of that drama. I read A LOT of danmei so I am dyyying for more shows like that. Something a bit different from our regular scheduled program of boy meets girl and vice versa. Like Immortality. WHEN? WHEN?!?! WHEEEEEEN?!?!?!?! We can dream... Sighhhhh

Remember when we used to watch dramas, not because of BTS videos everywhere, viewership info by apps, media giants, instagram, weibo, douban , blogs, streaming sites, fans, antifans, myriad articles positive and not, tik tok vids, overzealous keyboard warriors, numbers numbers numbers? When you hit play and just wanted entertainment and escapism or a hard dose of reality, picked a genre of your choosing and just sat back and had a bloody good time or just tuned it off if it wasn't your thing? This show and the ensuing drama has made me want to go back and take a huge hit off a nostalgia bong.

I CANNOT for the life of me remember anything so embroiled in hype, controversy, attention, hate, undue criticism, etc. ; but then again I DON'T spend a lot of time following every step of things going on online where Asian dramas are concerned. I am too busy trying to surf through the hundreds of shows out there, trying to find a good drama to get my mind off of the banality and drudgery of life; a show where the romance is above and beyond what I am currently experiencing all alone in my pjs, where the men are gorgeous perfection and the women the same. Where blood flows in copious amounts in battle scenes and in gilded palaces/chambers the elaborate political schemes lurk behind every jaded smile, every whisper of satin fabric and each moment finds our characters dancing between everlasting love and power and complete destruction and tragedy.

I remember when people talked about the story and its characters and not so much the person embodying the roles. When you gave a damn who was about to be led to slaughter for being the naive pawn in the game of palace chess and not if they wore eyeliner or not. I would love to see more brown-skinned, outdooorsy, brawny generals but I have no issue with pale, wiry strong men either. I long for more rounded, curvy heroines but I am not going to denigrate the small chested, juvenile sounding ones who grace my screen on a daily basis. It is what it is. Stories are being told, and as such we as an audience should embrace what is put before us as a buffet we are invited to. You either accept the invitation by the host, when you get there you politely eat what is served or you decline the invite and go where your appetites can be better satiated. This is not the Hunger Games, you are NOT a tribute and EVERYONE eats here.

It seems we have forgotten what it is to just ENJOY things. We have been given so much, fed to the brim, gullets bursting, our viewing choices are a bounty, that we now see dramas through such jaded eyes, we scorn and mock from the safety of our anonymous holes, gluttonous and graceless asking for more and better and MORE, insulting hard working actors/actresses who for the most part are doing the best they can. We sit as pompous, venomous judge and jury, choosing who to elevate and who to bring down and it breaks my heart. As someone who is a drama/movie addict and who very rarely is too critical of these media, it breaks my heart when I come to MDL and see the abject hate and misery in the comments regardless of who it is directed at.

You don't have to like the show, the actor, the plot, the content, the wardrobe etc. etc. etc. but you CAN try to be dignified in your critique of it. You CAN try to be decent in the verbalization of your dislike, try to be polite in your aversion. Otherwise you are nothing but a nefarious villain, a real anti hero bringing death and destruction to the empire, and unlike the actors/actresses you are shitting on, this is who you ARE in real life and not a character/role you are playing and can shake off when the job is done.

I wanted to say this after scrolling through several shows and articles and feeling disheartened and not knowing WHERE to do my word diarrhea. It's not about engagement so I might not even respond to replies and people might call me crazy for this long spiel. That's your perogative, as this was mine. I got it off my chest, typed with my energy and my time. Hope we all get back to just having a bloody good time with whatever we choose to watch and not care so much about what is making others happy. One man's meat and all that...

I have now devoured my entire year's quota of unused comments space LOL. Insomnia and deep, deep grief are a BITCH!!! 😊❤️

Episode 25: Silly, impulsive girl. I get you're upset with the "little villain" and want to make him pay for his despicable crimes, BUT this is NOT a pig in your pen you can just grab and butcher. Tsk tsk tsk. It pissed me off to no end what she did, but at the same time I can appreciate the fact that this shows how naive and uncouth she and her troop of merry men are in the ways of war. No real strategy, just winging it on high emotions, good fighting skills and dumb luck. Sure you got some grub, but you are NOT in the position to be making such serious moves. WTAF Chang Yu. Live and learn girl, live and learn. Sighhhh...

Edit: and then the next episode she compounds my irritation with her with that dumb ass move. How can she not realize how emasculating that would be for her hubby? Girl!! UGGHHHHHH

Honestly I HATE the extra paleness, sometimes they look ill or ghostlike and it puts me off a bit. But what to do? Absolutely agree with you on the fairy tale aspect. I would love more shows with more ethnic groups/skin tones, China has so many. But I understand that this is the aesthetic for idol dramas, so I put my personal thoughts on that whole issue aside and just enjoy the ride. They are good to look at onscreen, but not necessarily my ideal type. I prefer a little more brawn and brown haha

I consider myself too old to join "fandoms" per se but he holds a special place, that's for sure.

Random, lusty, horndog comment:

I'm not someone who particularly cares about looks/visuals of actors in dramas/movies. In fact some (most) of my favorite Asian actors are, well, "lacking" in that department. But the first time I saw ZLH for whatever reason I thought "Huhh, this man is so fucking damn good to look at" with an enthusiasm I don't usually feel and it's been that way ever since. No one else really does it for me, aesthetically, screenwise. (Allow me this shallow confession, it is what it is.) BUT, I must say, this show is really bringing out my superficial inner "wrawwr". The eye candy all over the place in this drama is giving me cavities, and these other blokes are giving HIM a run for that 1st place blue ribbon. Whoo lawd!! Alllllright, maybe second place but still.... what a feast for the eyes. Okay, I said my piece, that's all the fangirling for the year.

She's so effing adorable. She doesn't talk much, but when she does it always "counts". 😉😍 I replayed the scene multiple times.

LOLOLOL! Yooooo!!! Not them tag teaming him in the alley.?!?! I'm dyyying! 🤣👌🤣 Get 'im!

And then the little snatch and grab of my little pudding cake Changning. hahahahaha!

Be a lttle patient, is what I say. I am only on episode 14 myself, taking my time to savor the binge. Few first episodes are about laying groundwork on the relationship, it's not a "bang out of the stables, off to the races we go" type of show. It's a bucolic sort of drama at the beginning with little bits of action scenes but from what I have read in the comments, it definitely picks up steam. If you like action action action throughout, then this might not be up your alley.

Congratulations on the birth of your baby boy! 🎉 May he have a long, happy and healthy life.

HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT!!! I DID IT!! I held on y'all. Watched two episodes when this started then decided to put it on hold. It has been an extreme battle of patience and self control to wait for episodes to pile up. I literally did the math for how many episodes to watch a day, how many days the episodes racked up would take and how many would be left after the binge. Insanity. Sighh but today! Today i finally get to start my binge watch!!

AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH! So excited!!

Consequences? What would you rather happen, his head on a silver platter or public self flagellation? Other than an apology WHAT exactly would be enough for you, pray tell? His name is being dragged through the mud globally.

When in your personal life, you hurt someone, do you apologize and hope they forgive you or are you going around chopping off your fingers yakuza style, chasing them around town seeking redemption? Are your neighbors and the world berating you? Not being an ass, just a serious question. What would you have him do if a public apology is not enough?

I think so. If it is a one off, one can chalk it up to harmless jest, carelessness, stupidity and not understanding how it might hurt others. I consider myself a very decent human but i am SURE without a doubt I have said or done something that hurt someone's feelings. Thank God I am not a celebrity and no cameras are rolling every time i speak. If it is repetitive and his history shows this type of behaviour on multiple occasions, then there would be a need to worry and quit being a fan. We all make mistakes, and most wise people learn from them. Hopefully he has.

LONG AS FUCK RANT INCOMING CAUSE WTF IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?!

I hope to God all these people calling this man racist are also feverently on all the platforms calling out ALL the shows that portray "fair skin" as more beautiul or a sign of beauy. I hope y'all are using that SAME energy EVERYWHERE, ALL the time, otherwise this is just selective outrage and moral high-horsing and finding reasons to get out your pitchforks and villify a man who made an offhand comment about a drawing that clearly depicted his sharp features as more rounded and his straight ass hair a little bushier.

Brown skinned people who love Asian dramas have to watch shows (which I am sure these same detractors swallow up) where all the actors are powdered white to the point of deathly pallor, "fair skin is "the thing", the jokes about being sure to stay out of the sun to make sure they don't "get a tan" etc. And yet I don't see swathes of people whingeing about it online. Time for everyone to understand what this man said is something that unfortunately is a fact of life in that region and many others. Was it careless, maybe? There did not seem to be malice in the statement, just an acknowledgement that the feature did not resemble his but that of someone from a place with those specific features. At no point did he make derogatory statement ABOUT those features.

I am happy he apologized to appease those who are truly/might feel offended, but to carry on as if this man owes the world an apology every fucking day of his life, is extremely ludicrous and an example of what this world has become thanks to social media. We show others NO grace, we burn people at the proverbial stake and in anonymity behind our keyboards, we destroy careers and lives on knee jerk whims. We postulate that he is a racist based on ONE offhand comment. And yet I am sure, in the corners of their minds these people know they are not nearly as bothered as they declare. It's just another dance at the social media club of who can we crucify today. We feed on the drama of offense. There is no nuance, there is no context, just a sometimes irrational need to bring down another human being and the rush of adrenaline this brings. I personally think there are bigger lambs to sacrifice to the god of racism than the one some chosen folk have crowned this month.

If his comments bother you, then speak on, boycott, stand up to every TV station, studio, show, director, author and scriptwriter that has portrayed in ANY way, that brown skin, fuller lips etc. is lesser, that "paler is better". I bet you 80-90% of Asian shows would not be made. Fight the good fight agains ALL racist stereotypes. Otherwise this just all comes across as petulant anger, not fully grounded in truly hurt feelings. How many pounds of flesh do you Shylocks need? An apology is all he can truly give and a promise to be more sensitive to how his words might come across. That is it. You are not entitled to his head OR his blood.

Ughhhhh! Put this on hold on episode 2 cause I seriously hate watching currently airing shows (I have ZERO patience waiting for new episodes) and yet every day I am here reading excited comments. It is almost masochistic at this point. It's like being in detention while the rest of the class is outside enjoying recess. Sighhh

People are weird. Watching Asian dramas for the most part I can generally distinguish between the countries based on facial shapes and features. Recognizing the differences does NOT make one discriminatory.

So if a Korean said a drawing made them look Chinese based on general facial type, it's racist. Or a Kenyan said it made them look Nigerian, it's racist. Ya'll REALLLY don't understand racism or what it really entails. If the features in said drawing matched the region, HOW is this racist? He never made a derogatory statement ABOUT SE Asians, just that the drawing made him look like one. A nothing burger by the masses who have been trained to be perpetually offended. Context matters.

If this is the standard we are holding him to then I guess EVERY SINGLE SHOW THAT HAS MENTIONED FAIR SKIN AND IT'S RELATIVITY TO BEAUTY, OR A TAN AS IF IT'S A TERRIBLE THING SHOULD BE BOYCOTTED.

What a lovely read that was! THANK YOU for such a detailed response!

First of all I appreciate your opening up and trusting that I would be sensible about any disagreements etc. It can get cruel and dicey on MDL. I'm with you on the sweet and fluffy shows but the thing is there was such a proliferation of them that those of us who wanted darker, edgier shows were aching for more.

My picks depend on my mood a lot. Some days I want innocent, sweet, marshmallow, low key, slice of life and other days I want all All ALL the raunch, trauma and pain!! Sometimes i want to be swept away fromm reality, and other times i want to marinate in the human experience and the rough ride it can be. I suffer from depression and interestingly enough I find watching dark shows almost therapeutic. It can be difficult to watch others smile when a wall of pain and darkness is washing over you. In the same token sometimes a good comedy can knock the sad right out of you for a few hours. I just go with what my mental master declares!!

What I am happy about is that NOW there seems to be a balance in production. Genres like horror and action etc. are being explored at a deeper level in BLs and this is a blessing for all of us. I am so glad that there is variety, for a while there it was all schoolboys in shorts/uniforms and their teen angst. ha ha Nothing wrong with that but viewers deserved MORE. Like you said we all watch for varying reasons depending on mindset, our realities, escapism, immersion etc. and varity is the spice of life!

I am older than many BL viewers (I can rightly assume from certain conversations and "tells") so sometimes watching teen boys fall in love just feels off, I feel like I am too old to be fangirling over kids plus I am jaded and disillusioned lol And other times I am squealing like a teenage girl at how adorable it is to watch young people discover crushes and first love. Guess the romantic idealist in me isn't dead, just sometimes hibernating.

Despite our digruntled moanings at Japanese and kdramas we are at a great time now where most drama cravings can be satisfied. There is literally something for every taste. Some may not reach the levels of excellence we would like but hey, food is food when you're hungry. haha

It always bugs me when people complain about NC scenes. I had to point out in a comment recently that yes gay men love sex like any healthy human and the depiction of it is NOT PORN. Your female BL fantasy (which in it's own space is 100 percent fine) is NOT the entire reality. We can't complain and ask for proper representation of our allies then denigrate shows when said allies are portrayed as having a rollicking good time in bed. This is NOT ABOUT YOUUU! It is a medium for you too enjoy, not to usurp and force your ideals on, yes even as a consumer. Watch what suits you and leave others alone to enjoy what they want.

In regards to sharing your personal story THANK YOU! I get it. Love just by itself is a walk through thorns and fire. With the added stigma gay men have to face it must seem an unsurmountable battle. As for YOU my dear, Hang in there, indulge in ALL the sweet and fluff you need and maybe just maybe you will get your own fairytale ending. If not/till then let's giggle, squeal, clap our hands, groan, moan, roll our eyes, hate watch, scream at our screens, cheer on our eye candies, and live vicariously through our boys/men! In their shorts and uniforms. 😉 😘

HAHAHAHA! Your lack of effort is hilarious and understood.

I think what happened (just an educated guess mind you) is that they kept churning out so many unpopular, mediocre/terrible shows which ended up not so successful, they kind of "gave up" and reduced production. A lot of these are small Indie studios with minimal budgets, if something is not a financial hit, they can't afford to keep making shows. Shorts are probably wayyy less costly. Actually Korea makes some really good BL/LGBT short movies. I used to obssessively search for them online because they are kind of difficult to find for free/AT ALL.

With Thai BL actors/writers it's different 'cause they have a couple of rather large production companies behind them... It's quite a shame because when both countries get it right eg. Eighth Sense from Korea, Our Youth from Japan, they make stellar shows. And honestly the Japanese are the only ones who make gritty, darker BLs so it's a shame they don't produce more.

Maybe what we need is a collaboration between Thai studios and Japanese/Korean BL writers/directors etc. cause my Lord could Thai BL use some creativity in script and plots (getting better recently but plotwise their stories are as deep as puddles in comparison to their counterparts). There would be a big budget AND well written/directed/acted stories. What BL heaven that would be!!! Sigghhhh We can dream. I heard that sometimes they come true! 😊🤞

In eight minutes I feel more emotion from/because of these two than I do with MANY 30+ minute shows. When something works, it just does. Wish it was a full series.