Not perfect, there was a timeline issue I can't figure out. HOW someone seemed to be in two places at the same time. A few niggles: How people are ordering food in a restaurant where a violent crime just occured - shouldn't that be cordoned off as a crime scene? Other such issues I am too lazy to type out...
Anyhoo, lots of hand to hand combat, which I love in my action movies as opposed to explosions galore.
Loved the wolf pups but it seems they just kind of faded away into the background which was a shame because that hotel chase scene was a banger and I wanted to see more of them in action.
Very believable villain, could have done with better charaterization of the survellance team but still a highly enjoyable action flick.
Really entertaining show. The FL is one of the most endearing, cute, spunky characters I have ever seen in a cdrama. The role was perfect. Loved the leads' chemistry (His disdain for her at the beginning was hilarious), the story wasn't boring though there were some "too much dialogue and slow music" scenes. Those make me sleepy lol. But all in all a fun ride. Enjoyable cast of characters.
8.5 for the drama. Would have rated higher had there been more tension, more time with leads together, a better plot and cohesive storytelling in the later episodes. It felt so lazily written and sloppy during the Hulan/rescue arc. Speaking of, how anticlimatic THAT was and a choppy, hasty resolution.
10.0 for ML. This for me, would have been excellent had they shown more of him. Charismatic, dominant war general (his presence in his armor, oof!) yet gentle and compassionate leader, "master and husband. Every scene with him was impactful.
10.0 for the costumes. The "gowns" the women wore were exquisite.
100.0 for ME, sitting through this. Some episodes were a slog but never did I skip a second. Commendable!! haha
Very weird. I don't mind dark content, morally grey or even pitch black characters. But something is missing here for me. I can't seem to "connect" with the story or care about what's happening, which is a shame because I was looking forward to a good psychological drama. So few availabe these days. Hmmm... on hold, maybe another time it will be more enjoyable.
Gave it an 8. Entertaining and the fight scenes were amazing. Would have been a 9 or more from me, had they shown more than just the leads in the action scenes. At the end of the episodes, the competitor numbers dropped but it was all happening off stage which made it kinda meh.
A lot of wasted potential not showing other contestants duking it out. And Shota Sometani was severely underused; he was one of the more fascinating contenders. Badass with that bow and arrow!! I loved his scenes. All in all, it was enjoyable though a tad undercooked.
Favorite character, hands down, for me, Tsuge Kyojin. Humorous, cavalier, intellighent, sly, with Verrrrry questionable intentions....
An all time favorite of mine. Koreeda, punches me in the gut again and again. This guy. Ugh. Need to send him a doctor's bill with how he hurts my heart. What an absolute, avalanche sized shit show of a predicament to be in. I would make the SAME decision. "Blood is thicker than water"....is it, really?
This isn't even the best of its kind/genre and yet I constantly found myself rewatching it whenever I needed a quick action/sword/historical and couldn't decide on what was available. Go figure. For whatever reason, I find it highly entertaining I guess. I have long ago stopped questioning my viewing decisions and go with the mood of the day, and some days, this was what the doctor ordered. I gave it a 9 for sating my indecisive thirst, always.
I'll give my opinons on some of this. The sex in the car thing, they're just driving around aimlessly, having…
:) Fair. That's the beauty of art, different interpretations, subjectivity. We're allowed to disagree. Funnily enough, I usually lurk on MDl but not comment a lot and have read some of your analyses, comments on different dramas and mostly always agree with you. I guess this drama will be a "one off". haha
Finale:A lot of clunky writing and direction kept this from being an exceptional BL.Why do two Yakuza dudes, presumably…
I'll give my opinons on some of this. The sex in the car thing, they're just driving around aimlessly, having left town and everything they know (their crew, way of life etc.) Make a pit stop somewhere in between hotels, we know this because they eventually DO rent a room..ML is somewhat willfull, immature and irresponsible, spontaneous, playful, has two effs to give, so for him sex in the car was no biggie. In fact he was completely cheeky about it, and you can sense that in the scene that follows.
The BJ part, is probable censoring and maybe to depict his lack of enthusiasm with the act. He is an unwilling participant so there is no joy or animation in the act. Maybe director figured, less motion reflects his disconnect and lack of desire.
The wife/y thing, I know some people who watch BLs hate this but i think it stems from a more dominant (top) partner wanting an affectionate, long term name for his "bottom"/partner and no such word exists except the heteronormative one of "wife" to denote a partner you devote yourself to and want to "take care of" etc. Not all couples do this, but if they do and that's their dynaminc then...
But yeah, it wasn't perfect but I highly enjoyed it. It just needed more polish and tighter writing/more fleshing out. I gave it a 9.
A pretty good show. It compiles alot in 6 episodes and 25 minute slots. Kataoka is a well-written but oh so flawed…
Yep! That's what i got from that scene as well. Which explains his comment in the last car scene about "shouldn't have been born" (paraphrasing). He is a product of a VERY illicit, violent relationship.
Anyone know other high quality Japan BL dramas? I love the way they act.
Cherry magic, School Trip: Joined a Group I’m Not Close To , My Personal Weatherman, Life: Love on the Line , My Beautiful Man. For darker, more "heavy subject " dramas check out Happy of the End, Our Youth: After Story
Mlovies: The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese, Dangerous Drugs of Sex ( a lot of TWs), to name a few...
Of courese there are many more good ones, and everyone has different tastes, but I think these are great!
Japanese BLs always seem to have a depth that others lack (except maybe Taiwan). NOT bad mouthing BLs from other countries, I enjoy them all, but the deft and subtlety with which heavy subjects are handled and dealt with? They are, so far unbeatable. Short, violent, dark, emotional, packed full of human drama and yet one smile and flirtatious comment from the ML and you almost forget the tragedy and somberness of their reality. Great stuff.
Years later and I am back to say this had one of the hottest, steamiest, most sensual, loving, intimate kiss/makeout scenes I have EVER seen in a BL. Sex/NC scenes aren't everything in a show (I love the innocent, squeaky clean fluff just as much), but when it's done like THIS, you understand the importance and significance of it in a relationship. It's not just hormones raging, and horny people trying to get off. It's the manifestation of everything emotional being made physical. I need a rewatch soon.
I understand people commenting on their disappointment at the ending, but I think that is a disservice to the show. It's making people miss out on what is a really great drama... sighhhh Watch this and then find fluff to shake it all off!
I LOVED this show!! I watch tons of BL for romance but very little hetero except for cdramas; they have all been so dull recently i keep dropping them. Can anyone recommend me dramas like this that have a blend of both (BL and hetero love), with bold, mature characters, realistic drama etc..
Different culture, different values, different sense of morality... Don't watch if you don't like it. That's why…
I hate moral policing in general. My belief is, life is full of nuances and context. Each case should be looked at and judged according to the facts, but people always jump to conclusions, denigrate others with differenig moral values etc, especially now with socail media and comment sections. Everyone is a pastor on a pulpit.
As for the double standards, the hypocrisy of a lot that goes on, in celebrity circles especially, drives me nuts. If there is an age gap with equal power balance, not my problem. If the older man is abusing his position and status, he deserves ALL the criticism.
That turning the blind eye comes from extreme fans not being able to be objective. I love Yoo Ah-in. But he commited a crime, so I believed he had to do *some* time. I hope he can make a comeback but I don't deny he had issues. Common sense dictates one use their heads and many are running on pure emotion and blind devotion.
Different culture, different values, different sense of morality... Don't watch if you don't like it. That's why…
This comment would hold more weight IF so much of their output wasn't rom coms and love stories. So it's alright for the general public to consume tons of media portraying made up people fall in love, but not for REAL people to do the same? Mmmm.. it's not like they are out there having PDA in public or posting graphic "couple in bed" pics like people in the West etc. do...
I don't mind the conservatism, I actually enojy their shows because of the lack of gratuitous sex etc. but to call dating a scandal is hyperbolic in my opinion. Now if one of them is dating someone else or married then...
1 
Anyhoo, lots of hand to hand combat, which I love in my action movies as opposed to explosions galore.
Loved the wolf pups but it seems they just kind of faded away into the background which was a shame because that hotel chase scene was a banger and I wanted to see more of them in action.
Very believable villain, could have done with better charaterization of the survellance team but still a highly enjoyable action flick.
8.5 for the drama. Would have rated higher had there been more tension, more time with leads together, a better plot and cohesive storytelling in the later episodes. It felt so lazily written and sloppy during the Hulan/rescue arc. Speaking of, how anticlimatic THAT was and a choppy, hasty resolution.
10.0 for ML. This for me, would have been excellent had they shown more of him. Charismatic, dominant war general (his presence in his armor, oof!) yet gentle and compassionate leader, "master and husband. Every scene with him was impactful.
10.0 for the costumes. The "gowns" the women wore were exquisite.
100.0 for ME, sitting through this. Some episodes were a slog but never did I skip a second. Commendable!! haha
A lot of wasted potential not showing other contestants duking it out. And Shota Sometani was severely underused; he was one of the more fascinating contenders. Badass with that bow and arrow!! I loved his scenes. All in all, it was enjoyable though a tad undercooked.
Favorite character, hands down, for me, Tsuge Kyojin. Humorous, cavalier, intellighent, sly, with Verrrrry questionable intentions....
Be well!
The sex in the car thing, they're just driving around aimlessly, having left town and everything they know (their crew, way of life etc.) Make a pit stop somewhere in between hotels, we know this because they eventually DO rent a room..ML is somewhat willfull, immature and irresponsible, spontaneous, playful, has two effs to give, so for him sex in the car was no biggie. In fact he was completely cheeky about it, and you can sense that in the scene that follows.
The BJ part, is probable censoring and maybe to depict his lack of enthusiasm with the act. He is an unwilling participant so there is no joy or animation in the act. Maybe director figured, less motion reflects his disconnect and lack of desire.
The wife/y thing, I know some people who watch BLs hate this but i think it stems from a more dominant (top) partner wanting an affectionate, long term name for his "bottom"/partner and no such word exists except the heteronormative one of "wife" to denote a partner you devote yourself to and want to "take care of" etc. Not all couples do this, but if they do and that's their dynaminc then...
But yeah, it wasn't perfect but I highly enjoyed it. It just needed more polish and tighter writing/more fleshing out. I gave it a 9.
Mlovies: The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese, Dangerous Drugs of Sex ( a lot of TWs), to name a few...
Of courese there are many more good ones, and everyone has different tastes, but I think these are great!
I understand people commenting on their disappointment at the ending, but I think that is a disservice to the show. It's making people miss out on what is a really great drama... sighhhh Watch this and then find fluff to shake it all off!
As for the double standards, the hypocrisy of a lot that goes on, in celebrity circles especially, drives me nuts. If there is an age gap with equal power balance, not my problem. If the older man is abusing his position and status, he deserves ALL the criticism.
That turning the blind eye comes from extreme fans not being able to be objective. I love Yoo Ah-in. But he commited a crime, so I believed he had to do *some* time. I hope he can make a comeback but I don't deny he had issues. Common sense dictates one use their heads and many are running on pure emotion and blind devotion.
I don't mind the conservatism, I actually enojy their shows because of the lack of gratuitous sex etc. but to call dating a scandal is hyperbolic in my opinion. Now if one of them is dating someone else or married then...