Jakksen

The OG has plenty of issues also, I'm not saying I'm unbiased - I'm already nostalgic about it, my rating for it will prolly increase over time now - so kno that, but I do actually recommend watching the original as is. Where the show ended can just be considered the end if you simply disregard the less than 10 second final scene. Back then it was supposed to be a cliffhanger but today, were you to watch it, you'd kno exactly what was going to go down .

The show was about to go into wildly overplayed trope territory - then problematic novel material... before that scene tho there was a conclusion/resolution to a substantial story arc and it was good. For me that is where their story ends. You won't believe it was made in mainland China - it is very much a BL, not a censored adaptation or a bromance.

My biased rant aside - I completely agree with you about Stay With Me. It was cute and warm and sweet and like a 6th grade relationship maybe... I just never got the right vibes and I kno they tried and we all kno but - I also need it to be BL.

I'm actually not hating this adaptation but I do really dislike that they made it the low hanging fruit for haters the world over - that was really stupid. I don't mean to be so American but, in America this is a very relevant current issue due to the framing of the discussion regarding trans right. Its all total bullshit but that doesn't change the fact that there are tens of thousands of very dedicated fundamentalists scouring American media and the English internet, right now - looking for stuff exactly like this, that they can exploit into a huge shit storm of controversy. Far less than this has qualified for headline news.

This may be the only exception to the rule "no publicity is bad publicity" - there is no worse thing that could happen to this production company and this cast if Addicted were to trend global or make the actual news rn bc it would likely be for the controversy or it would just expose the controversy.

My apologies for more ranting but it really was very stupid all around. Makes me sus on liking the show even if it is good - maybe someday it will be banned. Bad place to put fans. So stupid - someone ought to be fired tbh and steps taken to prevent this happening again.

The real life age gap that makes no sense to the story - not even to this specific adaptation and its made significantly more prominent by the obvious ages of almost all other cast members.

Plus, its a Thai production - they have an abundance of young talent. Its also very common in Thai productions for the age of the Actors to closely match the age of the character, even in a HS themed production. The very reason I have a hard time now with Hollywood HS/University setting productions and their frequent casting of late 20 somethings as 17-18 yr olds is bc I've now seen many teenagers play teenagers and they are way better at it.

Addicted is very much an adult drama - substantial controversy surrounds several aspects of the original novel "intimacy" so any depiction of content true to the novel would be problematic for a young cast. Also the novel only begins in HS and extends well into their adult lives. Were this show successful it could have multiple seasons worth of content depending on how its adapted - Gu Hai and Gai Lin are almost the same age...

So... since apparently you've been with Patrick under his rock, this all begs the questions that almost everyone is asking - "Why cast a 17 year old opposite a 27 year? Why a 27 year old in a HS production? Why a decade difference between actors of characters that are classmates? Why cast a minor in an adult and potentially very sexually explicit role?

That controversy.

I've seen a 4k version of the original and it looks fantastic. Much of the continuity issues with the production involved cuts due to censorship - the original show literally wrote the book on that also. When the show blew up the Chinese government took notice and began actively censoring the show as it aired. I'm not sure I don't think that had happened before to the extent they became involved with Addicted. The banning of the leads from ever again working or appearing together in public had not happened before, or since.

Addicted 2016 might not be replicable - it was way more than what it seems now at the time. In 2016 Addicted was easily the most gay BL story/drama accessible globally. Much of BL in the 2010s was more fantasy than reality - OG BL. Compared to other shows in the same genre, a traditional BL set in HS, Addicted felt real, original and unpolished (raw might work better but I dislike that word). This was the era of peak seme/uke - Gu Hai and Bai Lin provide a start contrast to that trope. They are both clearly young men and their relationship reflectively is more physical, aggressive and masculine.

Addicted also showcased a side of China not often seen by the West in 2016 - another reason I think the show was cancelled tbh. The depictions of Bai Lin's family life in a traditional Chinese style home and the significance of Gu Hai's military connections and the blatant corruption it allowed - I hadn't seen anything like that before.

The remakes are fun and are good in their own right but none so far have captured the feeling of the original. I wish this one had not opted for such a controversial casting.

This show is epic and masterfully done. Tho historical fiction it may be my favorite historical drama. I don't have a ranked and numbered list of general favorite media but this drama is very high on it.

I believe this is one of the finest pieces of cinema I have ever watched of any type, genre or made in any country. There is so much packed into every scene and interaction. Exciting story with well told plot executed by an excellent cast of actors young and old and an authentically depicted Tang Dynasty Chang'an - the set is amazing and huge.

I think the endings of the episodes might be the best iteration of a cliffhanger I have ever seen - they are superior to cliffhangers bc they don't leave you hanging but rather make you curious.

The fight scenes are superb - the exact right blend of realism and Hollywood level of amazing, almost over the top, choreographed action scenes that could easily fit into an A-list action movie on the big screen. Set in 744 AD, some scenes gave me Michael Bay vibes - it totally works I have no idea why even. There is a car chase - which is super epic bc this is like 1200 years before cars.

42 episodes to tell the story of a single 24 hour day. I'm on episode 33 and I'm still waiting for it to skip a beat. I'll watch every "Longest Day in" whatever city in whichever time period this director and team decide to do - best would be like American Horror Story where cast members filter in and out of the seasons. Seriously. So well done.

I recommend this show very highly.

This exactly.

Yes... why did he do something stupid?

I think everyone involved with this one should be quite happy with themselves. This was light, a little fluffy, at times cliche - I highly recommend it. I think this show presents some of the best relationships and characters in all of BL, like ever.

Yak is super green flag but so is Wandee. Oye and Cher have an excellent relationship. Oye and Yak's Dad and both of his wives. Even Ter, who kinda plays a bad guy - his biggest fault is knowing what he wants too late and stringing along his female co-worker, but that sets her up to shut him down and move on (so happy for the actress, she has to stop with these roles). Taem and Plakao are both strong independent characters. I love Sasaki and his GF - the whole boxing club really.

The conflict resolution in this show is exemplary. I like all the messages we see thru out the show - its just inherently positive all around. The plot is little all over, the hospital stuff is mostly nonsense and I will be rewatching this show 💯

edit// I forgot the Grandma - I feel guilty bc I loved the Grandma.

Haha - I think he's great, he is getting cuter as he gets older, that not easy 😉

I think is very underrated. Stand alone this a great slow burn. When taken with UWMA the broader story cover the University experience of a group of a friends and their relationships - romantic and friendships. Its rather endearing actually. These are kinda heavier stories - you go thru lots with these characters. I watched this as it aired and so I had the break between UWMA and this airing and I was very happy to see Dean and Pharm again. Some of the side characters are some of my favorites in general - I think this my favorite Sammy story for example. I really liked Boun and Prem in this - their relationship felt natural, like it would happen.

Lots of BL are set in University and there will be more - it will likely be a sub genre of sub genre. UWMA and BU are going to be Classic University BL someday. New set a lot of standards with these two - tbh I think these did a lot to move BL away from the trope focused fluffy stories that were the norm for a long time. I'm not saying there are no tropes in this.

I like a good slow burn full of nuance - so I'm biased but I think this is one New's finest works.

I love San's family dynamics - especially Chang, I think he is one my favorite elder types of any drama. Several times I've thought Chang appears exactly like he would - it isn't typical that a grandparent can also still be a grandkid and War plays the part perfectly. Rat and Wat, tho I wish her name wasn't Rat - both do a great job with their unique roles. Seriously, is one of my favorite BL families yet! Daou is fantastic as San - he really comes off as an old man at times, especially when interacting with his family - I love it!

My only complaint - I do feel that Daou and Offroad phone in the actual intimacy a bit. They have great chemistry and are acting well, its actually why its so noticeable. With Daou especially, his acting has improved immensely and I can tell he has really put a lot into this role - its unfortunate that he didn't realize how much it would undermine his performance if he didn't fully commit to the character. I haven't seen past episode 6.

The way San looks at Vee doesn't match how he kisses him - it doesn't match how people, or his character would kiss. Considering BL is setup so that a kiss can be a paramount scene - this is kind of a big deal to get right. Its not that I want porn. That ep6 bedroom scene could have been a fully clothed real, passionate and lustful kiss followed by a fade to black and I would have been happier.

Perhaps I have too high of expectations for Daou - I think he is very talented and incredibly attractive. He can truly act without words he is so emotionally expressive. I think he is fully capable of making me believe his kisses are legit - tbh thats exactly why I'm a bit disappointed.

Despite the intimacy issues - I really enjoy this show and I do recommend it!

I'll never stop growing intellectually - that is a choice. Some people stop growing intellectually the second they are no longer being tested. From my personal experience most people seem to think they have things all figured out by about 30-35 - then they just go on autopilot for the next 30 years.

It isn't that people reach "full maturity" or anything like that - they just literally tread water for 30 years. In fact the more recent science on the brain proves its far more plastic than originally believed and continues to develop as we age, which only makes sense considering how adaptable people are.

You might have been saying the same thing - I just want to clarify.

I don't disagree with your comments regarding dating a teenager - I've noticed as I age that my dating range has a minimum age and that it increases with time.

The CCP is scary bc it still has the support of the general population in China. I don't kno that will be the case if they continue doing shit like this.

A good government is one that you forget exists. I feel like the CCP is impacting my daily life and I'm not Chinese nor do I live in China. All people have a breaking point - there was already a revolution in China. What has happened before will happen again.

This is a terrible way to stay in power - it has a time limit 🤣

You kinda got me too with this - I went to iQIYI and its not available in my location 😅

Now this is the only thing I want to watch - thanks for that 😉😂

This will date me a bit but every time I see you on here Outkast starts playing in my head - its not a bad thing, I just find it funny how consistent it is 😅

I've thought this many times also - I really like your pfp!

Did you read the novel? Before I even read the novel I knew they had a long separation bc for the longest time everyone was lobbying for the show to get picked back up when they would have reconnected 6 or 8 years later, I want to say it was 6 bc there was a bit of like a slogan people would say, something like "6 Years" and that summed it all up.

I did read the novel tho and Gu Hai starts a successful business hiring exclusively women and Bai signs up with Gu Hai's Father in the military and becomes a pilot for the Air Force. All that takes way more than 2 months. They split bc of what happened.

You would remember the event I'm talking about - the author made a big deal about how well endowed Gu Hai is - he violently, with the intent to hurt him, rapes Bai. Its a very graphic scene not depicted in the show. Kinda clouded the rest of the novel for me tbh. Bai should never have gone back to Gu Hai.

Its funny you say that bc I too thought I heard Thai a couple times but I wasn't paying the closest attention. Maybe it really is there and it something to do with the joint production teams but that doesn't make much sense to me either 😅

I know that. The truth of all this is that we are all kinda messed up - its a generational thing at play here. The women who write works like these have a readership base of people - it isn't just the author(s) that are problematic.

I'm not going to speculate too much bc this is something that many a thesis could written about but I'm assuming that there is something to the power dynamics between women and men at play - a lot of this stuff was written before the "Me Too" movement for example. Once an author finds a successful niche they are not going to stop writing - I don't know why they would. We have to stop reading it first. I've noticed that younger people do not tolerate SA - I don't believe MAME would be as successful had she released her works for Gen Z and not Millennials.

Additionally, there is a lot of change to the world that has happened bc of BL - it fundamentally has changed the landscape so that original BL doesn't even really work these days. I mean the idea that a relationship between men is the "purest form of love" bc society is against it and has the most obstacles to overcome - thats why they were always "only gay for you" bc them being straight was just another obstacle love overcame.

Heartstopper exists. BL exists. There are countless examples of positive gay relationships now. It not possible for a member of Gen Z to arrive at an understanding of the world like MAME - it isn't the same world.

No, in the novel Gu Hai violently rapes Bai and then they go their separate ways for 6 or 8 years, I can't remember. The show hadn't got to that point yet. It was pretty bad actually. There is a reason that Stay With Me was so tamed down - I don't think the author herself wants Addicted as it was written to be made into a show.

Like I said, its just not a great example - I understand what you are saying and as far as a story goes, I do understand how an author could use this as an effective plot device and as fiction we shouldn't write off an entire work bc of a single scene.

As much as I love Addicted (bc of Johnny and Timmy) I must admit it is a problematic novel for sure.

I'm curious - do you think there will be a Gen Z equivalent to MAME? I'm talking specifically about subject matter and story content - not success or fame.

Do you believe someone, a women even, born after 2005 will sit down at a computer in 2030 something and write male/male SA stories that they will expect to be widely read and distributed?

BL is akin to Gay Romance - they are essentially the same thing. The target audience/demographic is all the queers in the world + women that enjoy a good romance, as many women do.

In 2024 that is what BL is - of course forced sex isn't acceptable.

This story is from an earlier time - when the target audience was different.