Maggi64

Plus, Kiyoi is working full time as an actor and gets home too late to cook and clean. Hira, so far, does not have a job. Which is why it was so obnoxious for Koyama to call Kiyoi a "moocher." I see an equal arrangement where one works full time and the other is the househusband who cooks. That's pretty standard for couples.

BTW, if you want more discussion on My Beautiful Man, go to the Recent Discussion section above called Utsukushii Kare Novel, posted by a woman named Ximmich. It's got links for the CD's in English (completely translated), as well as the novel translations (partially translated so far). Then there are pages and pages of discussions! We just chat about the show all the time. So please join the group!

LOL, you crack me up because I am right there with you! I have been on both pages too. I have re-watched "My Beautiful Man" so many times it's not healthy. My second most watched is, "Old Fashioned Cupcake." I watch so many BL's so many times that I finally decided to try to write one myself.

I am an English Professor and colleagues probably would not understand the BL obsession, so I'm using a pen name on the BL I'm writing right now. But at least I know there is an enormous secret (and not so secret) community of we obsessive BL fans who'd read it, right?

That's a possibility . But it was still so odd for Koyama to call Kiyoi a "moocher" when he works full time as an actor on a tv drama (which earn big money). Meanwhile, Hira was not working at all. In fact, he was a househusband precisely cuz he did not work. Although we do have Koyama to thank for that adorable scene of Kiyoi trying to cook! LOL. I adored how Hira called the inedible food "Grapes from the Gods of Mount Olympus!" He's just so weird. And we all know that this is why Kiyoi loves him.

That was wonderful! Thank you soooo much for letting me read this.

I totally agree (see my reply above to Girlfan62). As for "Sweet Osmanthus" when you say that it is a side story, do you mean that it is part of the collection the novelist wrote that also included the shopping scene and the party scene where Kiyoi got jealous? If so, where can I find it? Is it translated in English?

Exactly, he lashes out when vulnerable. I was stunned at how vulnerable he turned out to be when we got his POV in Ep 5. After kissing Hira the poor baby was so shaken that he could not even make it around the building's corner without stopping to collect himself! But he hid all that from Hira, and the scene from Season 2, Ep 2, he didn't seem to be hiding his gentleness as much. Then again, maybe I simply see it more because I know to look for it.

When it comes to Hollywood, books are always better than movie adaptations. But for Japan, a movie adaptation is always equal to the book because the Japanese are so faithful to books. Their culture really respects an author's original text. In fact, most East Asians do. But the Koreans, Taiwanese and Chinese will make some tiny changes, whereas the Japanese never change essential plot points. I swear, this show is the 1st time I have ever seen a Japanese drama change this many of a book's plot points. And what makes it so disrespectful is that this novelist won literary awards.

Worse, all the changes are 100% to cram in the actor playing Koyama. Which sucks cuz, as you said, if they left it as the novelist intended you'd see Kiyoi being this angel who works hard to financially support his man and not care one bit. He just did not want Hira to go back living with his parents and, instead, to continue living with him. It was truly sweet. Alas, the director made Kiyoi look like a moocher in her version. Thank god Kiyoi is so damned sweet and gentle in every other regard because he still comes off as enormously lovable despite how the show changed his character.

Ok, I am done venting on this topic for the night. lol.

Another thing driving me bonkers is that in the book Hira had to move from his family's home because they returned, yet he had no money for his own place. So Kiyoi paid for an apartment 100% with his earnings as an actor. In other words, Kiyoi was supporting Hira until Hira got some little part time job at a factory. Yet in the show they make it the complete OPPOSITE with Hira supporting Kiyoi.

I'm convinced the director changed this simply so that Koyama could appear heroic for defending Hira against Kiyoi, whom Koyama even called a "moocher." He then told Kiyoi to cook dinner that night. Well, cooking was Hira's job in the book cuz he made such little money at his part time factory job while Kiyoi made tons at his full time acting job and was basically supporting Hira.

The director changed all this from the book to make Koyama look good while making Kiyoi look like a moocher. Hell, at this point I suppose we should just be grateful that the director did not make Hira dump Kiyoi and fall in love with Koyama instead. Though she made so many changes in favor of Koyama that I suspect she would've if she could've, lol

Oh, so it would've been during that time after Hira beat the shit out of Shirato and Kiyoi started to hang out at Hira's house. This did not occur to me because Kiyoi's demeanor is so gentle in this scene whereas he was so bratty in those scenes from Season 1. He even jumped on the bike and made Hira follow him, lol.

Did anyone else notice that Hira and Kiyoi are wearing their high school uniforms in Ep 2's opening scene? Hira said he was a college senior in Ep 1, which means the boys graduated high school 4 years ago. So why would the costume designer put them in their high school uniforms?

I totally agree with you and also hope the director won't take any more elements from Kiyoi's part. But I have a feeling that she will. You see, I had joked that the actor must be "her nephew" but I just checked their ages and she's only 5 years older than him, which means they could be dating. Of course, this is pure speculation on my part, but something must be going on between these 2. After all, a director does not reduce the screen time of a super famous idol like Yagi Yusei to give more time to some unknown actor instead. And as I said above, a director especially does not change source material in Japan, because the Japanese are fanatically faithful to source material. I'm just gossiping, lol, but I still think something is up between these 2.

The CD's have been translated into English and you can find transcripts of them for Seasons 1 and 2. The CDs include the complete plots, which is how I know that Koyama is barely in Season 1, and even less in Season 2 (and how he's a tad bitchy in his brief appearances, but just a tad, lol). As for the novel, a wonderful translator has completed about one third, but has not finished yet. If you want links to the CD's and novel go to the page for Season 1 and look for the topic about the novel under "Recent Discussions."

Exactly, I forgot to mention how he was also smiling in Season 1's final scene when he learned that Hira saved his change from the ginger ale. He said, "It makes me wonder why I fell in love with such a creepy guy." He was calling Hira "creepy" but he was also smiling ear-to-ear because he loved it! Such scenes portray how their relationship has its own unique inner logic that others would never get, and this is why the story is so fabulously original.

He's definitely cute with that snaggle tooth, but like I said, unrequited love brings out the worst in people. I, myself, was the worst bitch when I fell for a man who didn't love me back (eg, I was nasty to the girl he chose over me). Also, I read the book and while his role is very brief in the book, he's not as sweet in it. So I suppose I cannot help but to see that version of his character in the show.

Oh, that bitch KNEW poor Kiyoi wouldn't be able to make that recipe. He had totally sabotaged him. It reminded me of how he told people that Hira was his boyfriend in Season 1 when they were not at all dating. He was similarly sneaky when he leapt into Hira's arms to kiss him exactly when he heard Kiyoi opening the door. Sure, Koyama can be sweet; but unrequited love makes even the best of us bitches.

I also cringe at Hira's behavior. At the same time, I get that he's a weirdo and this is simply part of his personality, so it would not be believable if his personality suddenly became normal. Now, Hira might cease idolizing Kiyoi over time, but Hira will always be a weirdo. And I think that Kiyoi will always kind of like it. He likes the intensity of eccentrics like this.

Consider how in Season 1 he loved the insane anger in Hira's eyes as he was beating the shit out of Shirato. And how he laughed at the weird, yet oddly endearing things that Hira would say. For example, Kiyoi laughed when Hira said he "Wanted to exist behind a camera to be alone and crop out the rest of the world." He laughed again when Hira said he "Wanted to be a monk." In Season 2's Ep 1 he came home after learning colleagues called Hira "Suspicious-kun" and mouthed the name to himself while quietly chuckling over it. Sure, Kiyoi wishes Hira were a bit more normal, but not too normal. Because that would be boring, lol.

That's true; you make good points. But I still would've preferred if Kiyoi was the 1st one to encourage Hira to enter the contest, instead of only doing so after hearing about the contest from Koyama. I also would've preferred if it was Kiyoi who got Hira the job and who comforted him on his stutter after the failed interview. Because the way that "King" Kiyoi turned out to be so compassionate and supportive was the most beautiful thing about their relationship.

Remember how in Season 1 Hira said that Kiyoi "saved him" because he gave him the confidence to beat the hell out of Shirota? Hira said that before he'd always just "floated along dirty water like Captain Duck." What Hira could never know back then was that Kiyoi would proceed to save him in so many other ways! Such as giving him confidence and drawing him out of his shell socially. This is why it's so important to let Kiyoi do all these "boyfriend jobs," instead of the director handing them over to Koyama.

At any rate, I still LOVE this show. I mean, the pure length of my comments alone should prove how deeply I am into this show, lol. I am even a tad embarrassed by how long they are. Oy!

But at this point, it's not even about reducing screen time for the leads. It's also at the expense of the internal logic of the characters. As I said above, Kiyoi enriches Hira's life because he does all these things to build Hira's confidence. That's the internal logic of his character and what makes their relationship so beautiful. Yet the director has removed 3 of those things and given them, instead, to Koyama.

(1) She gave Koyama the role of being 1st to encourage Hira to enter the contest, with Kiyoi only doing so later on.
(2) She gave Koyama the role of comforting Hira about his stutter after the interview.
(3) She gave Koyama the role of helping Hira find a part time job.

In the book, it was Kiyio who did ALL 3 OF THOSE THINGS! The director might as well cut to the chase and just make Koyama Hira's boyfriend.

Incidentally, I want to know how the hell Yagi Yusei's agent let his role be reduced like this. I am not an actor, but I'm a writer and have an agent at a Talent Agency that also represents actors. So I know what an actor's agents is supposed to do. For starters, they are supposed to fight for script approval and make sure their clients get the maximum benefit from their role. Moreover, Yagi Yusei is an idol and, as such, has enormous leverage. Yet his agent let the director hand over 3 of his character's best functions to a much lesser known actor.

I know it is only 2 eps in, but the 3 functions that the director has given to Koyama have already made him the heroic confidence-booster in Hira's life. In the book, there's nothing else for Kiyoi to do. Those 3 things were it. Besides, even if there were more, the director would've just give those jobs to Koyama anyway. lol.

New students typically go to the principal's or guidance counselor's office to get their paperwork in order and to get important information about their new, unfamiliar school. Of course, that still would not explain him saying he "overslept," but maybe was just trying to act like he was so cool that he did not care about things like oversleeping and being late.

Remember, Kiyoi also said he had nothing to add when the teacher asked him about his hobbies and what he did that summer. Again, he was trying to act like he was too cool to care about things the other kids cared about. In fact, Kiyoi's entire character is about acting cool, lol. Then, in Ep 5, we discover that he's soft as pudding inside!