Maggi64

I have also expressed that I don't love this show. I think that as long as I do it respectfully and don't trash people's personal tastes then it is perfectly ok to dislike a show and to say so on MDL. Besides, it's good to get differing views on MDL. If everyone is saying the same thing then what's the point of even reading the comments?

I wish I could like this show as much as you do. In fact, I had started off really liking it but then it fizzled once the kids hooked up in ep 3 and the bit with student council plot was dropped. I was looking forward to seeing how two lovers would compete. Now that would've added a real jolt and tested the relationship -- especially with the kid's pushy parents wanting him to win. It's crazy that the show dropped this plot point when it was so rich with dramatic potential.

I was also disappointed that Ray's cross dressing was dropped. That is truly different for a BL. I have never seen it, have you? I even recommended the show to others based on the uniqueness of this character. Alas, this unique angle was dropped and, instead, the next episode gave us Ray and Jian doing the old Slip And Catch (aka SAC) in the photo booth. I want the Taiwanese and the Thais to retire the SAC forever. We saw the accidental kiss in the recent Taiwanese shows, Plus/Minus and the SAC in DNA Says I Love You. And we see it in too many Thai BL's to even list them all.

Absent the SAC, however, I will say that About Youth is not bursting with tropes like some Thai BL's are. In all, I don't hate it, but it's not really moving me either. I just feel, "meh." Indeed, it's the only show on which you and I disagree.

Well, you and I seem to have the same taste. Many called My Beautiful Man "toxic" but they simply did not get that the whole theme was about flawed perceptions and obsessions. It was actually a sophisticated theme. As for Blueming, that one also has a theme beyond the love story.

It's about a guy who's insecure about childhood obesity and his current preoccupation with being handsome and hip. He meets another guy at his film school who is so nurturing as to give him new found confidence. It's also different from other BL's in that we get to see the character in the context of his family and how his divorced mom's preoccupation with looks account for his insecurity.

It's the same director as the wonderful "Where Your Eyes Linger" which had a disappointing kiss. But this one has terrific, heartfelt kissing scenes. The Koreans really show how they advanced this year with fearless kissing scenes in Blueming and Semantic Error. I envy you that both shows shall still be new experiences for you! They are each among the top BL's ever.

So glad you agree about the Sensei. I would have dropped the show if it weren't the only BL on right now. "About Youth" is very disappointing as well. I dropped that, but kept with Minato because I did like how it started. Alas, you're right that Minato became an annoying coward, the Sensei was a drip and that brother was beyond awful. The show began to fail right about when they were introduced.

As for Semantic Error, yesssss! Go watch it now! lol. Semantic Error, Cupcake, Bleuming and My Beautiful Man are my top BL's of all time.

Yep, cuz it was not only repetitive in the middle, but that sensei bit was maddening. I mean, how many times did Minato start to tell the sensei he'd had a crush on him only to stop? It became like a hiccup in the show. Moreover, the sensei had none of the sex appeal of Shin and it made no sense for him to be Shin's rival. But at least he was nice. The brother was just a freak who was cold as ice to Asuka. That also made no sense. Besides, BL's are better when short and having no side couples. Old Fashioned Cupcake, for instance, was terrific. So was Semantic Error. These shows had focus.

I did not expect a kiss. After all, we did not get one in the other J-BL, Old Fashioned Cupcake, and that was a more serious show with older leads. Minato's Laundry had a cute tone all the way through and, as such, even could've gotten away with no kissing like Cherry Magic did, so it's even cooler that they did not chicken out on a proper kiss.

LOL, I said the same thing above. I suggested people skip eps 5 to 10 cuz it's a repetitive loop. Then come back at the end for a satisfying finale.

The way to watch this show is to see eps 1-5 with the rising sexual tension and flirting, then skip the next 5 eps and tune back in at episode 11 where Shin and Minato go to Tokyo and finally hold hands, which brings us to a nice closing at ep 12. One will miss nothing by skipping the 5 eps in the interlude, because it's only a repetitive loop of Shin chasing and Minato running. If you tune back in at the end, it's actually a very satisfying show.

When you asked me if I'd seen it I told you I'd dropped it. I mainly dropped it cuz I dislike sci-fi and was gonna give it another chance after you mentioned it, but now seeing your comment I decided, nah, my first impression must have been correct.

That's right, they forgot all about the side character Chris. I was actually looking forward to him to spice things up. I also had hoped for more of Ray's jerk boyfriend to add some zest. Otherwise it's just a bunch of nice kids being, well, nice. It's rather bland.

Thank you! I was beginning to think I was missing something because so many on MDL's comment thread were gushing over it. I was truly baffled, so thanks.

I think you're right about it being a seme/uke construct where the uke is the damsel in distress who does the falling. As I said, I don't watch K-dramas, but I can just imagine them having lots of these damsel in distress set ups. I have heard they are very melodramatic and rather like an American soap opera. I also know that K-dramas are wildly popular throughout Asia. In "Man Who Defied the World of BL" there's a scene where Mob's mother is watching a K-drama and crying her eyes out, lol.

I don't recognize the SAC from Korean hetero dramas since I don't watch them. I've only seen "My Mister" so far (and loved it). But the SAC bothers me in BL's because it makes it seem as if boys need some kind of excuse or accident to be attracted to each other. It presents the cause of homosexual attraction as some external mechanism instead of the boys' own inner attraction for each other. It's also usually done in such an obvious way as to feel cheap. I wouldn't mind it if it happened seamlessly and naturally, but it's usually very contrived.

Exactly. That had some plot potential. But then it fizzled out with nary a comment. And we're left with a show about, well, nothing.

WHERE'S THE PLOT?

It's sweet enough, but where is this plot many of you speak of? The 2 couples were already together by episode 3. There was no conflict or drama surrounding it either. Both sets of boys met, liked it each other and then began hanging out. There's not even any drama or conflict with the Student Council election cuz the rich kid already told his rival for the council that he doesn't care if he loses.

This leaves us with a show about 2 sets of boys who look adoringly at each other -- and usually far too long for it to look natural. And then there's the old Slip-And-Catch (aka, the SAC) where one boy falls into another boy's arm so they can stare at each other interminably. The SAC with the kid into Ray's lap in the photo booth was beyond cringey. Really, can the Taiwanese and Thai BL's put the SAC to rest? I've noticed that the Japanese and the Korean BL's don't do it. It's always the Taiwanese, and especially the Thais.

To be clear, I am not hating this show, but nor do I get the love it's receiving on this site. I'm open to reconsidering my views, but we're on ep 6 and nothing of any dramatic import has happened since Ep 1 when Ray cross dressed and was ready to slit his boyfriend's tires. That bit had promise. Alas, it fizzled out once he met his new, utterly bland crush in Ep 2. All that's happened with this couple is one kid telling the other "I need some time" after kissing. Not exactly a grand dramatic plot twist, so much as cliched dialogue. So again, I ask, where is the plot?

Ep 5 was 45 minutes of 2 people in a bedroom just talking. No action, no other sets, no other characters. It's was a straight up chamber piece. Hell, the whole show is essentially a chamber piece. And it's working.

I was very disappointed by that final scene. I know the manga did not have them kiss, but why should they have to stick to a manga 100? It made the ending fizzle out for me. I'd have given it a 10 except for that. They were afraid of getting caught in a gay kiss, but a minute later Togawa's saying, "Oh, it's fine to be gay, no bigger a deal than rooting for a different baseball team." Well, if that's true, then why be afraid of getting caught kissing by strangers? It made no sense.

I don't think the actors had a problem with kissing (in Cherry Magic that was clearly the case, as the side couple kissed). The Cupcake actors are stage actors and, hence, very serious. Besides, they did the closed mouth kiss that was under duress during Togawa's confession. It's just that an audience wants to see a tender, loving kiss at the finale. They really lost an opportunity with that. Otherwise, it was perfect.

True. I heard that the Japanese do not promote their shows internationally . They just don't care what we think, lol. Like I said, however, if this did well in Japan like My Beautiful Man did, then we'll get a sequel.

It's my #1 and I've seen every BL there is. It struck me because it's well executed in a way that would appeal to even non BL fans, with themes on obsession and flawed perceptions. And the technique of the unreliable narrator gave us a terrific plot twist at the start of Ep 5 when it switched points of view.

I had been assuming that this show would follow Hira on a one sided love. I simply could not imagine how the show would resolve the bratty, insulting "King Kyoi" to his stuttering stalker and create a romance. And then we hear Kiyoi's voice in Ep 5 and it becomes clear: Kiyoi was vulnerable all along! It's so much fun to re-watch it and see all the clues that Kiyoi liked Hira all along too. They all there -- some subtle, and some obvious. Kiyoi defends him from the bullying classmates all the time, gets the kids to all go to Hira's house, seeks Hira out in his bedroom, follows him on the bike, shows interest in his photography hobby, invites him to after parties at the play not once, but twice and, well I could go on.

But my favorite sign that Kiyoi liked Hira was when Kiyoi asked Hira why he changed his number. I loved how it never occurred to Hira that this meant Kiyoi had tried to call him. Talk about being so blinded by love that you can't see when your object of love is in love with you too!

Oh, how I love that you see taints of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" in that drunken, attention seeking mother. I couldn't stand her. And yes, it does feel like that a bit. Indeed, it feels like a play in general because there are only 3 characters and they are in a closed off setting.

And yes, mom knows that her husband and his pal were getting it on in high school. It's likely why she divorced him. She may not have guessed the gay gene got passed onto her son, but I suspect she'll find out before the show's over. I foresee an unhappy ending. But dang, at least we know those two guys will finally kiss because the Thais don't shy away from male-on-male kissing. Oddly enough, it's been the otherwise daring Japanese who have omitted kisses. To wit:
Old Fashioned Cupcake, Cherry Magic, and Mr. Lucky Has No Choice But to Kiss (and then does not kiss). And we already know that Shin and Minato won't be kissing. Hell, we don't even care at this point as all the sexual tension between those two was drained 6 episodes ago. But the sexual tension between the two guys in 180 Longitude! I mean, they are eye-fucking each other in every scene, lol.