Maggi64

Wow, how interesting. I think he'll do great; but, as you said, it depends on the writing/directing. How did you learn of this?

Thank you! I love when people agree with me, LOL. There really has not been a good BL since "Old Fashioned Cupcake" ended. But I am now loving "Kabe Sa Doujin Sakka no Neko Yashiki-kun" based on the 1st two episodes. I have high hopes for this one for the next 6 episodes. If you are watching it, then you know what I mean. If you are not watching it, then check it out!

Bingo! Just like you said, they should've introduced the 2 besties way earlier, and given them a larger role in the show overall. I mean, it was clear that the screenwriter and director did not have any ideas for how to make Takara's and Amagi's relationship progress, so if at a loss, why not toss the 2 besties more into the mix? After all, the actors playing those 2 besties each had a lot of charisma and certainly livened up every scene they were in.

I know Korean dramas are big on the actors being cute, and that's why they always hire idols for BL's. In fact, I think the kid playing Takara was only hired for his looks cuz, man, he was so stiff as an actor. But these 2 supporting actors were also cute enough to carry larger roles in the show. At least I thought they were both cute! LOL

What is with the same jingoistic background music playing for 20 of this show's 23 minute duration? Yes, I get how a lighthearted jingo sets the tone that this show should be received with lightheartedness by viewers. But, dang, do we need to have music cueing this mood for every minute of the show? The actors are putting in nice performances, so I hate to complain, but this sort of thing can make a show feel very amateur.

Yep. I basically said the same thing as you in my post above. Glad someone else agrees. Thx!

A LACKLUSTER SHOW WITH NO NARRATIVE PULSE

In ep 1 Amagi was upset that Takara told a girl he was not dating anyone. But Takara only said this cuz he didn't want others knowing about Amagi. In other words, the conflict was about T & A dating vis-a-vis how the larger social group treated their dating. Well, 8 episodes later and we were still rehashing this same exact plot point. In short, nothing happened in 8 eps except for these 2 boys endlessly reflecting on the nature of their relationship, and on how that relationship would be treated by their social peers.

The endless internal monologues examining their relationship would not have been bad if that relationship actually had depth and complexity. But it was, rather, a stale relationship that had not even progressed to the point where spazzed out, ditzy Amagi could accept a proper kiss from his boyfriend. He was continually running away like a 5 yr old kid with ADD in dire need of Ritalin. This became so repetitive that, eventually, I just groaned every time Takara leaned in for a kiss cuz I knew spaz boy would reject it. Ugh.

Ultimately, the only thing that kept me invested in this show were Amagi's BFF and Takara's BFF. The 2 BFF's gave a much needed jolt of energy whenever they were on screen. They were also MUCH better actors than either of the leads. All in all, this was an underwhelming show with no narrative pulse and 2 leads who could not act.

SAME ACTOR AS "MY BEAUTIFUL MAN"

Anyone else notice that the homophobic student calling Mamocchi gay was the same actor as Yoshida in "My Beautiful Man"? He played an ass in MBM as well. For instance, he was the one who demanded that Hira clean up the bucket of spilled water when Kioyi, splendidly, rose to Hira's rescue. Gotta say, it's a fun connection cuz Mamocchi, like Hira, is so mired in low self esteem that he's blind to the signs that his beloved loves him right back!

How can I access this scene? Can you send me a link? I loved this show so much that I'm desperate for any extras I can get!

Is it that ten second clip of Nozue feeding Togowa apple pie?

It says "room not found" when I try to access this.

Well said. And, yes, that's pretty much what I meant. But we'll see next week. BTW, thx for pointing out in your prior comment that it was JW from the future who gave the kidnapper from the past the knife he uses to kill JH, cuz I did not catch that. Man, it really is a time loop between future and past, eh? It makes my head hurt trying to get it all straight, lol.

Oh, I think the ending is going to be a weepie one, but that the show's creators will also find a way to make it emotionally satisfying somehow. I doubt they'd have us watch 8 eps only to leave us feeling miserable and angry. The Koreans just don't do that with any of their shows, lol. The only time I've seen a K-BL where a lead died and his lover was left alone was "Kissable Lips," but dang, that lead was a freaking vampire so, ok, I could let that go. In this one, the lead is already dead when the show begins, so I really think that what the show wants us to focus on is the time the 2 guys get to spend together in the past, not in the present. The preview made it seem like they'll share some nice relationship stuff in next week's ep, so I am all in for that!

Yep, it's my all time #1 BL, and I've seen them ALL. Every series, and every movie.

It's not really about the rating on MDL, cuz few get higher than an 8.0. It's about the number of viewers. Accordingly, this film actually did ok cuz 8,600 people watched it according to MDL alone. Consider that "My Beautiful Man" (my fave BL ever), only got a 7.8 on MDL, but that rating was out of 20,000 viewers. This means that "My Beautiful Man" actually did quite well. If a show on MDL has only gotten, say, 2,000 viewers, that's pretty bad regardless of the fact that its rating was higher than this show's.

You see, national ratings systems such as the Neilson Ratings don't care about the opinions of reviewers (not even professional critics' reviews). They only care about the number of viewers -- because that's the number who either see the advertisements or who subscribe to a streaming site (ie, it's about money, not reviewer's opinions). Accordingly, they'd say that "My Beautiful Man" did very well, regardless of reviewers' opinions, cuz it got tens of thousands of viewers based on this site alone (and likely millions more based on other tallies). This is why I always look at the number of viewers on sites like MDL and Viki Rakuten when I watch these Asian shows or films.

Incidentally, I just re-watched "Cornered Mouse" (that's why I'm here, lol), and it is just so damned good. I heard the manga has been translated into English so I gotta read that too. I am interested in how the endings are different in the manga and in the film.

Oh man, I HATED season 2 of "To My Star." I even wrote a scathing review of it on its MDL page and on Viki's review site. And that's saying something since this same director did 2 of my favorite BL's -- "Blueming" and "Where Your Eyes Linger." The 1st season of "To My Star" was never a favorite, but at least I enjoyed it. I did not enjoy season 2 at all. The director was given the longest airtime for a show than for any of her past BL's and instead of this bringing her best BL, it brought us her worst. Go figure.

Agreed.

QUESTION on EP 4

Why did Yiu have a key to Sheldon and Xavier's apartment? He just waltzed in there while they were doing the sex webcam like he owned the place. It made no sense.

I think "closure" is gonna be the whole theme of the show. Jae Woo may not be able to change the future by saving Ji Hoon, but at least the romance he'll have with him in the past will give him closure.

Light on Me truly is the exception for a K-BL's length. "To My Star" got 10 eps for its sequel, but that was only based on the popularity of season one. And the eps were shorter than Light on Me at that. I have no idea why Light on Me had such long airtime for a very first season. It's odd, isn't it?

I agree, I think it will follow the time travel rules and Ji Hoon will die again. But based on next week's previews, at least the two guys are gonna have a nice romance during the time they share in the past!