Maggi64

lol, I wish YOU were writing this show, because those are both terrific scenarios that I want to see!

Korean BL's will make changes from a manhua (eg, Blueming), but the Japanese rarely make changes from a manga. And if they do, then they are very minor changes. They are fanatically faithful to source material. Even when they condensed "My Beautiful Man" from a 300 page novel, they were remarkably faithful to the main plot points.

And yea, I recall all the talk about Pete/Vegas, lol. But that was more a question of editing out the larger part of the Pete/Vegas sex scene from the novel. They did not really change the plot. Yes, I read that dreadful novel! lol.

OK, then I'll just speak based on the general MDL comments people made at the end of Season 1. If you'd read them, then you'd know that people were rather bland about this show. They may not have hated it, but few were expressing intense love for it either. After all, it was only rated a 7.6. Shows that people adore always get an 8+. I myself neither hated nor loved it. So I tuned in for Season 2 to see if it would be an improvement. So far, it has not been. But I'll give it until ep 3 to see if it turns around.

Spot on. And I frigging love your phrase for dull people, "Might as well have gotten jobs as beige office wallpaper." Can I steal it? lol.

But this commenter read the manga and knows what will transpire. So I fear that this truly IS the best explanation we're going to get. But I'll stay tuned and hope for something better anyway. At any rate, I'll give it to at least ep 2 or 3 to improve. Sometimes these shows take at least 3 eps to really get going. Look at how much Tokyo In April improved by ep 3.

I can only hope that the story arc is about Minato's fear of intimacy and, thus, that it's eventually explained and/or given context. That would be great and I'll keep watching if that's the case. But I was wondering why he had such a fear of intimacy in Season 1, and it was never explained beyond his discomfort with Shin's age.

Well, Shin is now 19, and yet Minato is still afraid to touch him. So I suspect the director simply thinks it's cute to have Minato freak out whenever touched. As such, the director doesn't think he owes the audience any more than that. In short, I am not as hopeful as you that this fear of intimacy will ever be a plot point or theme.

As for Asuka's Undertaker boyfriend, ugh. How could the casting director hook up that adorable boy with this freak? It's not merely that he's unappealing physically, he's also a terrible actor. I cannot look at him without thinking of that hilariously bad rap performance he gave as the lead in "Sing In Love."

Plus, this takes place one year after Season 1, Ep 1 began. So Shin is now 19. Remember, his sister threw him a party for his 19th bday in Season 1. So Minato is 29 and Shin is 19. That's a 10 year difference and no big deal if both are legally consenting adults.

Ugh, I have also seen this complaint about "ruining it for me" tons of times and, unfortunately, grown used to it. However, it shocked me the first time I'd seen it when I joined MDL 2 years ago. As an English Professor and student of literature, I regard analysis and criticism as PART of a viewing and/or reading experience.

Yet so many viewers here regard it as a personal affront if it's criticism about something they love unconditionally. I always wonder, "Haven't these kids ever written a college paper on a novel or film? Haven't they ever read a book or movie review?" Because even the most glowingly positive review will still have at least 1-2 criticisms.

Thank you so much for your support. It means something from a fellow sufferer. As for the movie, don't skip any of it! It's excellent, so please watch it. Yes, there's a very sad plot point in the middle, but the rest is about coping and healing and, as such, is very positive and inspiring.

I also suffer from clinical depression and take meds for it, and I thought your comment was just fine. You were clearly kidding, so it was not offensive. You cannot be responsible for people who go out of their way to be offended by everything and anything.

It was from the head injury he sustained at the beginning of the movie. Remember when he hit his head while picking up change at the store? And then it was swollen afterward and he kept saying how it hurt a lot? That plot point would not have been there unless it was supposed to be the reason for his death later on. He likely suffered a brain hematoma and did not know it until the blood vessels burst and he died.

Like you, I don't mind Minato's fear of intimacy issues if they are presented as just that -- ie, psychological issues. It's a problem now, however, because we merely see him react as a person with intimacy issues, but with no explanation for it. You said it was hinted that he suffered from depression. I need to watch again because I missed that. Can you tell me where that appeared?

And yes, his reactions are cartoonish. The reason is, as you astutely noted, that the Japanese are so faithful to source material. I'd go one further and say they are not just faithful, but fanatically faithful. I read the mangas for The Pornographer, Double Mints and Old Fashioned Cupcake and found that the shows followed the mangas panel for panel, word for word.

Things that were fine in a manga were not always advisable live action. For instance, in OFC, Togawa stuffed his cheeks while eating to look like a chipmunk. That's cute in a manga's cartoon visual, but absurd in live action. A human cannot even masticate food with cheeks that stuffed. But it was in the manga, so it went into the show.

The show's director seems to want Minato's fear of intimacy to appear cute. However, a fear of intimacy this extreme (eg, he freaks out over a cheek kiss from a guy he's known a year and been dating 3 months), is beginning to look like a serious psychological issue warranting therapy. Like you, I wonder if this is the whole point and, as such, will be explored as the show progresses. Or if it's just the character reacting this way because the director is giving him bad cues.

I agree with all of your comment, especially your final paragraph. Minato responded the same way to a simple kiss on the cheek as he did to the far more serious act of cohabitating after a mere 3 months of dating. THAT'S the thing that should've had him freaking out, not a kiss on the cheek. But at this point, the director has this character freaking out over any sign of intimacy at all, which begs an explanation as to why he fears intimacy.

I hope that Season 2 delves into this, and I'll hang around for ep 2 to see if that's where the story arc is going. Or to see if the story arc is going anywhere at all. But if it's the same old schtick of Shin making advances, and Minato rejecting them, then I'm dropping the show.

Perfectly put. Especially what you said about how someone else's criticism should in no way impact your own ability to enjoy a show. If you are enjoying it, well, that's great. And if another person is not enjoying it as much as you, that's fine too. After all, this forum is for all of us, whatever we feel about a show in question.

I loved how Ryuto was honest about being an escort early on. And I loved Kosuke's solution of "buying" Ryuto himself so that Ryuto would not have to sell himself to strangers anymore. As for those strangers, I could not help noticing how hot they all were. I doubt men that hot have to pay for sex. Wouldn't the reality be that the clients are older, dumpier guys?

On another note, I liked that they were vesus. I tire of the BL trope where one guy is a weaker bottom and the other is the stronger, masculine top (Thai BL's are especially guilty of portraying gay men according to this stereotype). The two men in this film were both masculine, physically fit men and that's nice to see.

I loved how it portrayed the ways that financial discrepancy between lovers can play out. It's difficult to make a relationship equal when one has a lot more money than the other. But I thought it was fine for Kosuke to give Ryuto money because he made more as a Fashion Editor and Ryuto, meanwhile, was working hard washing dishes and loading trucks. In short, they resolved their financial discrepancy in a positive, healthy way.

I freaking LOVED what Ryuto's mother said to Kosuke at Ryoto's funeral. Not simply that she'd always known they were lovers (a mother always knows her child), but how it made her sad that Ryuto and Kosuke were always apologizing (as if feeling guilty for being gay). And I'm really glad she told Kosuke that Ryuto thought of him as a savior. Of course, she did not know that this was because Kosuke got Ryuto out of prostitution, but Kosuke knew what it meant. So her words had to have been deeply meaningful to him.

Finally, I loved how Kosuke visited and cared for Ryuto's mother after his death. It was his way of coping, and it was successfully cathartic for him. She was also right to decline when he offered to have her live with him. He could never have another relationship if she were living with him, and she was a good woman who wanted him to move on with his life. The way she grew to love him after Ryuto was gone, and he to love her, was beautiful.

I was surprised by how engaged I was by this film, given how boring the plot synopsis is. It's so much more than the synopsis indicates. To begin, it differs from BL's where 2 men meet, get to know each other, fall in love and then become a couple. In this movie, the 2 men become a couple right at the start, so we see what happens as 2 people get to know each other while in the actual process of dating -- and how the secrets a person has are revealed after they enter a couple status. Most importantly, how they resolve the problem once the secret is revealed -- which this couple did in a healthy, positive way.

The relationship thereon was well developed. Each character was also well developed. The plot was well paced, moving forward at a satisfying clip such that I was never bored by any scenes. And the acting was top-notch. The actors, presumably hetero -- since that is, after all the majority of the population -- took real chances doing homosexual sex scenes. Finally, the theme about coping in the aftermath of unforeseen events was delivered wonderfully. The standout line of dialogue was: "It doesn't matter if you don't understand what love is. As long as we can feel that you love us, that's enough."

My only complaint echoes the viewer's below -- which is that the shaky camerawork was intrusive. Such camerawork makes the viewer more aware of the person holding the camera than the actor in front of it. This was unfortunate, but not so much as to ruin the viewing experience for me. In all, I found it to be an excellent film.

I have some specific comments which I put under spoiler tags below.

When it's Season 2 it is reasonable to expect character development that has advanced from Season 1. So we had no way of knowing unless we watched that Season 2 was going to start off by repeating all the exact same character behaviors with Akira still avoiding Shin's advances just as he did all through Season 1.

I mean, we saw them as a solid couple at the end of Season 1. Thus, it was reasonable to expect them to behave like a COUPLE in Ep 1 of Season 2. Which they are not doing. In short, nobody who's been in a couple for 3 months is still freaked out by a cheek kiss. As for me, specifically, I'll check out ep 2, but if they are still not behaving like a true couple, then I'll drop the show.

Wait, why the spoiler tag? You're simply asking how some people knew it was based on a true story. Movie posters always advertise if something is based on a true story. :)

How do they know to drop it unless they at least watch Ep 1? This is Ep 1 and people watched it like normal viewers. Then they gave their opinions of it -- which is the whole point of this forum. Then, as you said, they can subsequently drop it. But how would they even know how to respond without watching Ep1 first? You do know that this is Ep 1, don't you? I mean, it's not like people are hate-watching 12 eps.