Kai

Over here, our money's on:
- Youngjoon x Hanmin
- Jaesung x Seongmin

Personally, I think Myeongkyun is far from being over Youngjoon. That whole thing with Minseon? Bruh... He's just playing along so he doesn't look like the awkward guy at a party who can't get anyone to dance with him. Why? Cuz our boy's still holding onto hope like it's the last slice of pizza at 3 AM. He's betting on rekindling that flame with YJ once the cameras stop rolling, cuz hope springs eternal, or whatever.
Real talk: He makes me think that he’ll still pick YJ in the last ep.


Now, about all that waterworks in ep 12 - we get it, emotions are running higher than gas prices. But jeez, editors, you didn't have to turn it into a whole Netflix series. Respect the hustle, but maybe don't serve the whole onion farm. We get it, they're upset. No need to drag it out forever. How long am I supposed to watch them cry? It's fine to show emotion, but the editing went overboard. Even if they're on tv they still deserve respect & some privacy.

He's just selfishly persistent. It's annoying af.

Hahaha that last sentence. My thoughts exactly.

Word.
Actually a lot of words, but it's an issue well explained.

On a side note, the comment section for this show reveals an interesting trend: people have wildly different ideas about what high schoolers are like and how they should act. Some folks, like yourself, say Meen's too mature for his role, while others think Ping's acting too childish. Funnily enough, this actually mirrors real life pretty well.

We all grew up in different environments, and those can seriously shape how we see the teenage experience. Just to give you an example: one of my best buddies went to a high school where a classmate overdosed, another guy was convicted of SA, and wild parties with booze were the norm. On the flip side, another close friend went to a high school where drinking and dr*gs were non-existent, and she wasn't even allowed to venture beyond her neighborhood alone until she turned 16. Their high school experiences are like night and day, and you can bet they'd have very different ideas about how a typical teenager should behave. Now, imagine these two trying to agree on 'typical' teen behavior. It’d be like asking a DJ and a pastor to plan the perfect Friday night - you're gonna get some wildly different playlists.

I think, whether intentional or not, MeenPing's characters actually reflect this diversity. Ryu's had it rough, growing up fast on the streets. Ping, on the other hand, was raised by his grandma in a safe, loving bubble, which allowed him to keep that wide-eyed innocence. This clash of backgrounds really shines through in how they act. Interestingly, the real age difference between the actors seems to amplify this contrast, adding an extra layer of authenticity to their performances. 
 So, next time we watch, let's remember that our personal high school experience isn't one-size-fits-all😁

I think they compliment each other quite nicely, but I wish they could both be cast in a show with a stronger plotline & more mature characters. I think with Meen's support Ping could pull it off, and it would be a nice change of pace for the both of them. Having said that, The Rebound already is a huge step-up from their first two shows, so who knows what comes next? Generally tho, BL shows are on the naive to extremely childish side lol. I can literally count the shows with somewhat complex characters & storylines on fingers of my two hands (most of them aren't majorly deep tho). Keep in mind the core audience isn't gay guys, but teenage girls 🙄 And whereas I don't have anything against teenage girls, it is somewhat ironic if you think about it, and definitely steers these shows into a completely different direction.

Exactly. I timed the deed. And it was sad, lol

That's exactly my problem - if an ellipse had been used, it would've been better for the storytelling of this particular scene to flag that by using appropriate editing. It's not rocket science. Meanwhile, this scene reads as a 38sec sprint to the finish line lol

And I agree about the product placement. If I see one more toothpaste or skincare product used for 5 minutes straight imma flip out.

Too much? Length and explicitness are two separate things. It was so quick, I think I've seen longer handshakes. And the only thing I’ve seen exposed was that Korn isn't very skilled in that area... 😉

0:38. I timed it.
Korn my man....THAT. WAS. FAST💀

Apart from that, it's nice to see something more realistic. But maybe use cinematography to at least give us an illusion it takes more than half a minute lol

yep. 16yo to be exact. I think that misunderstanding brought on a lot of dissatisfaction with Ping's acting, but he's really portraying his character rather accurately for his age group.

We're used to college shows, and as good looking of a guy as Meen is, he is 25, so there is an almost 10yr gap between his real age and the age of the character he's playing, which is almost 2/3 of the character's life worth of a difference, just to put things into perspective lol. Of course lots of people would be confused.

idk. probably? i only know of DMs, but that's between two people only, so not exactly what you are hoping to find

Ok, I'm good lol. But it was super offtopic to The Rebound, and more of a subject for a private convo.

don't worry, I'm not hitting on you, you don't have to be selling urself so hard 😏 still, gotta appreciate ur skill.

dude, I gotta give it to you, u are really crafty with words. lol

Yep, I'd agree with it being a matter of taste.

On the contrary, I think awkwardness and nervous laughter in this case IS realistic. And I'd argue you can see desire a few secs later😉 Key word: virgin 😏
But if what you wanted were more provocative, lustful glances & other expressions of undying love, I think that's more on the theatrical side (how we are shown how true love looks like in the movies, but really doesn't most of the time lol), or just a different character, and potentially even a different age group.

lol, I sort of imagined it 💀

Exactly. I think his acting was very believable.

Just a post of appreciation for how the MLs' characters are written out (especially Ryu). Not often do we see in BLs MLs who COMMUNICATE instead of clamming up. Both in ep 9 & 10, we can see how Ryu openly says what upsets him, and is able to support his bf when he's down & insecure. In response, Zen is able to accept Ryu's jealousy & reassure him, as well as accept his support. It's so natural, yet 95% of these BL shows never do it. The screenwriters did this show dirty in a lot of places, but this is underrated low-key gold.