Maggi64

Especially a show like Usukushii Kare, because we learned so much more about Kiyoi after ep 5 from his point of view. But few had been patient enough to wait for that twist.

Or maybe he was just a more educated, urban dweller. In most countries, there is more sexual diversity in the big cities. Otherwise, you are correct that the average pedestrian would not be pro-gay rights, and this is why the characters were shown as panicking and pulling away from each other.

I hear you. I sometimes feel compelled to defend America when people go overboard. Just last week people on another thread accused America of colonizing Asia. I had to explain that, no, America never colonized anywhere in Asia. We were at war with Japan, but we did not colonize there. It was actually East Asians who were colonizing each other. So I'll defend my country when it fits. But man, not when it comes to politically correct hysteria or guns. I am actually ashamed of my country when it comes to guns. So I could not let it go when Americans judged "My Beautiful Man" negatively for that gun fantasy. Guns are OUR problem, not Japan's.

Yes, and the Japanese in general don't care that much about international audiences because they don't promote their shows internationally. Thai BL's, conversely, are promoted heavily in the West. I saw articles about KinnPorshe in Vogue, Elle and Rolling Stone. Their production teams also translate subs for viewers whereas the Japanese shows rely on fansubbers.

Wait, you said SH asks his boss for a promotion that the boss "promised him years ago" but SH only just started at that company months ago. He only just graduated.

Yes, if it were me I would also be upset to know my current lover dated my former unrequited crush. But I would not have acted on my feelings the way he did. Especially disappearing after our first time having sex. Ouch, that had to hurt! As you pointed out, Jong Chan can't change the past. I also agree with your statement that SH is younger and inexperienced so one could cut him some slack. In fact, that's what Jong Chan concludes in that scene where he's alone with his cat.

A show where a character owns exactly one white Tshirt and no other clothes. Now, I get that she quit her job, but she had 60 million yen saved up, which she gave her mother. Couldn't she afford just one more shirt?

Can somebody who's read the manwha spoil it for me because I can't imagine what the drama will be for the final 3 eps. The couple has already resolved their personal issues. That leaves workplace issues. So, do people at work find out they're dating? That was a big issue in Old Fashioned Cupcake which also had a romance between a boss and a subordinate. In the manga, Nozue was angsting about it when a friend said to simply tell Human Resources about it and HR will switch their departments or reassign one to a different location. OFC ended with Nozue in a different location. What happens in The New Employee? Anyone know?

Well said. He is younger and it's his first so he's still feeling it all out. I like how KJC guides him through the rough patches. After all, it was KJC who initiated their convo where they finally made up.

SH wasn't wrong to feel that way, but he was wrong to respond that way. Therapists always say it's not our feelings that get us in trouble, but how we act on them. And his action was to flee after their first time having sex! Then he ignored KJC's texts. KJC had no idea what was going on. Ultimately, it was KJC who initiated the final convo where they made up. So he was being the mature one all the way. Although as the person above pointed out, SH is younger and it's his first relationship so one could cut him some slack. I suppose his innocence and lack of experience is also what makes him so endearing to KJC, so that would balance things out.

HIS CAT

Gotta love that Kim Jong Chan is a cat lover. It reminded me of "His Cat" and that show's great line: "Boys who love cats have an angel in their heart."

I am also from a Western country (America), so I know it was not all Western viewers. But terms such as "toxic" and "problematic" that were being tossed around for this show are particular to the West. I also had to defend the scene where Hira fantasizes about shooting a machine gun because Americans were freaked out by it. I explained that Japan has NO gun massacres because guns are illegal there, so they don't have to worry about such scenes triggering a school shooting. It's only we Americans who shoot up schools. In all, this is what I meant by Western viewers applying their own lens to the show.

Who else thinks Seung Hyun was wrong to be upset that Kim Jong Chan dated his old crush? As Kim Jong Chan said, it's not uncommon for gay guys to know each other when they went to the same college because their circle is smaller than the hetero population. Kim Jong Chan was utterly reasonable about this, while the writers of this show are in danger of depicting Seung as a baby. Worse, he was flat out mean when he bolted after their first night together. I'd be so hurt if a man bolted after our first night together.

Meanwhile, Kim Jong Chan is portrayed as the perfect boyfriend who is protective of Seung Hyun, doesn't let others exploit him at work, and rescues him when others get him drunk. He also makes great dates by reserving a whole restaurant and a movie for two. And let's add that he's hot-as-hell and super successful. Given all this, the writers need to portray more positives for Seung Hyun, because I've begun to wonder what Kim Jong Chan sees in him.

It started off well by showing a gay Christian finally summoning the courage to kiss another man. Alas, it took a dive after that and gave the message that being gay sucks. SPOILER: The one guy disappears after the kiss and the other guy is left alone wallowing in guilt while praying to Jesus to "cleanse him." When a show concludes with a scene of a gay guy praying-his-gay-away, there's no other way to interpret it other than that being gay sucks.

Thank God the Japanese didn't care that Western viewers found Hira's and Kiyoi's relationship to be "toxic," because now we have a sequel! Frankly, it was obnoxious to apply a politically correct interpretation (ie, a Western interpretation) to this relationship. The Western audience wanted it to be all clean, clear and fluffy. Well, where is the drama in that?

The Japanese get that it's the bumps in the road that make a relationship interesting to viewers. There's nothing to engage one in shows where the boys start off perfect, proceed perfectly, and end up perfect. That's static and dull. And Hira's and Kiyoi's relationship was anything but dull!

I liked the male lead's face and overall calm demeanor so I looked him up. And what should I find? Holy shit, that was the private detective from "Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese"!!! Talk about doing a 180 for your character! This actor certainly has range.

I stuck with this movie for an hour and a half, which is exactly as long as it should've been. Alas, the self-indulgent director made a two and a half hour movie, which was in dire need of editing. At least 60 minutes could've been cut without losing any of the story at all. It became so self indulgent after an hour and a half that I had to drop it. But I will say that it had a wildly creative vision and some cool bits on guerrilla film-making.

Well, I'm happy to say you're gonna get more -- cuz a movie version based on the 2nd novel in the trilogy is coming out in Japan on April 7th. That means we in the rest of the world should be getting it sometime this summer.

This was made 23 years ago and, man, it still holds up! Heck, it even feels quite contemporary. For instance, there is a transgender character who is played as a perfectly normal person whom the main characters had known as a female child at school, but now accept as a male adult without missing a beat. They simply accept that the girl had surgery and is now a man, and move on to other issues as the story progresses in this episode (the trans person appears as a supporting character in ep 5).

But it isn't just this character who feels contemporary, it's the sensibility of the entire show in general. This is achieved with a lot of fun, tricky camera work that keeps the narrative pulsing with a vibrant, visual appeal, as well as with the use of constant, witty dialogue. Indeed, the entire vibe of the show is fun in a quirky, original sort of way.

And the main characters are all highly charismatic and enormously likable. Yet it isn't just the main characters; because in this show, even the side characters draw you into the screen. It must be said that while each episode plays as a crime procedural with the main character setting out to solve a different crime, the real pleasure is not found in watching him solve the crimes, but in watching him and the rest of the cast be charming as hell.

Moreover, the actors playing these charming characters all do a wonderful job. In fact, a lot of the fun in this show is watching these actors 23 years ago before they became super famous in Japan. To wit: Ken Watanabe, Tomoya Nagasa, Yasuke Kubozuka and Issei Takahashi. There's a reason such fine actors all chose to be in this show, and that is because it has a terrific script, talented directors and exceptional cinematographers. In short, the show is a winner.

Oh, I agree that dating a boss brings some issues of power imbalance. And a sleazy boss would exploit that if the person he/she was dating did something to displease them. But I guess like everything else, it comes down to whether the boss was a decent human being to begin with. At any rate, if it is a good, healthy relationship between coworkers, then the solution is for one of the lovers to to transfer to another department or to another branch in a different location. Human Resources Departments are usually prepared to help employees transfer under such conditions because they know it is unwise for lovers to be working together.