Lorenzo

Eh it’s more of persistence than obsession. The teacher explained his reasons for not pursuing a relationship when they reunited. Honestly prefer the never give up types over the disgusting non con Stockholm syndrome trope that’s making a comeback now.

It’s decent. Cute storyline. Always a pleasure to watch Yoojin Seok and Lee Chang In’s acting is improving bit by bit. I would love to see him play a different character archetype but he plays cute well. Short and sweet I would say.

Well… that’s good to know. Definitely not gonna watch this and apparently the story is remarkably similar to another. I especially dread the infantilization of gay men so I tend to avoid any media with that depiction.

Wow… are we for real? I read the article and nothing they said was “homophobic” or “looking down” on gay relationships. I’m a gay man and I completely understand what they are saying in the context of that article. It’s obvious they are talking about how it feels more real because of how they filmed it like a literal documentary.

If you have more examples then please share so I can read them myself. Otherwise…

Are we really trying to play the victim card here? Are we really taking the meaning out of homophobia by crying wolf? Is reading comprehension not a thing? Are people nowadays obsessed with trying to “fight the good fight” because they got nothing else going on in their lives? Grow up.

Yeah I think it’s gonna be like that. Thankfully there are other dramas that tackle the subject respectfully and creatively. It’s why I loved Soul Mate because of its subtle inclusion of Christian theology and a character who keeps his faith throughout.

it’s cute. Story could have been done better because it felt a bit all over the place with the dating show and the “real” drama. I would have preferred flashbacks of their high school days to college exploring Jian’s one sided love over the X storyline. Acting from the leads was great even though it was stiff at times. The editing not so much. I have a feeling this was filmed traditional without vertical format in mind as many scenes were cropped awkwardly. I hope these two get more roles in the future!

Thank you! I recognize the song and was gonna look them up. I think I heard it on another Taiwanese BL but I can’t remember.

Cute! Reminds me of the feeling I had with The Promise of the Soul. Also, are they all in a boy group? MV as the end credits?

Religion is definitely a sensitive subject especially when there are other religions that are way more deserving of criticism than Christianity. As a follower of Christ and one of the few who actually read the Bible with linguistic and historical context it’s much better than other religious texts I have studied. My issue with any media that tackles Christianity is that there’s a fundamental misunderstanding of the Christian faith. The criticism I’ve seen portrayed many times over is rooted in an individual/group’s ignorance rather than the religion itself. I hope this series doesn’t go the way of cliche lazy “awareness” and actually has something interesting to show about Homosexuality and faith.

Yo same! I had to pause and take a long breather before pressing play.

Yeah I kept switching translations because for some reason the Close Caption one is different from the non CC. I noticed a few words I recognized from watching Korean and Japanese Dramas were subtitled differently. I was tempted to watch the English dubbed but I doubt it would be any better plus I like listening to the Korean and Japanese.

I was so upset at that part and how Johan confessed his feelings for Ryu but framed it as someone else so he could have an out. I’m just happy they found each other again and will spend the rest of their time together. Man… I’m getting sad just thinking about it again.

Yeah even more so as a gay man. I’m shocked that a series depicting a really toxic relationship (one that literally has 🍇) is getting more praise than this beautifully shot show. Man that cinematography is on another level!

It’s strange reading the comments denying the obvious romantic undertones. I finished watching the first two episodes and it’s clear there’s more to their relationship than “brothers”. I’m planning to watch a few more episodes tonight so idk if my early impression will change but I even found comments denying Ryu as a gay man… he literally says in the opening he’s afraid to be loved as an explanation for his response to his friend’s confession. Someone who is not gay would not even entertain the idea let alone feel deep regret. I guess media literacy is going down the drain and this will be another under rated JBL.

Also, to be frank with you, I personally think the BL genre (which contains many realistic depictions of the romance between characters who happen to be gay) is often and detrimentally lumped in with Yaoi. Yaoi with the stereotypical archetypes, often toxic depictions of gay relationships, and inherent fetishizing of homosexuality… All of which unsurprisingly fits the many criticisms I have with “BL” dramas as a whole. Thankfully there are many dramas that break the mold put on BL and beautifully depict gay romance as romantic. As stated before, I think it’s ridiculous for others to label these stories as “bromance” or even “gay bait” when they’re clearly romantic. It’s just my personal opinion and I’m glad BL is evolving but also hesitant with the resurgence of extremely problematic depictions of toxic relationships and how popular they are.

*cough*”He is so black flag”*cough*cough*

Yeah I wished more BLs have better written characters who act like men who happen to be gay. I think that’s why I like BLs that have a story first and romance second because it feels more… earned? I’ve started watching more Thai dramas since there was a gap of new JBLs and KBLs. Man I forgot how “bad” many of them are and I was fatigued by them. Sure these types of stories have their place and merits but I prefer a different approach to the depiction of gay romance.

I’m definitely not a fan of depressing one lol. I avoid them completely because I love happy endings. Hopefully this one will be happy but I’m enjoying the journey! Also, “realistic” doesn’t mean depressing. My use of realism is in the way the characters are written like real people instead of caricatures of gay men.

Hence why I said it’s obviously more than BL and there are plenty of “realistic” BLs. By realistic I mainly mean by how the characters are written. They behave how men realistically do and not the female stereotypical top/bottom (guy/girl guy). I like BL I just think it’s interesting how because it’s not following BL tropes many are claiming bromance/no romance at all. I think that’s why the romance from the trailer wasn’t recognized immediately because they weren’t eating each other’s faces or showing porn scenes.

I know it’s definitely gonna be a slow burn romance.

Two episodes in and it’s Really good so far. The editing in the beginning is amazing and emotionally powerful. I felt the regret and pain from Ryu’s conflict and it was beautifully depicted. Amazing directing. The characters feel like real people especially the side characters and I think this is much more than just your stereotypical BL show. The acting, pacing, story is so engaging and doesn’t feel… cheap? Cheezy? There are a few other series that I have felt the same way and that they weren’t just fetishizing homosexuality. Might be because the director is male that I’m enjoying this so much and can relate to it more since it’s not homosexuality through the female lens. Sometimes they can get it right but it’s refreshing as a gay man to have such a strong series written and directed by a male. The action is good too and I hope it only gets better!