Meari21

I love Word of Honor!!! That drama is practically scandalous by C-drama standards. I still don’t know how they passed censorship. 😆 I totally agree with you. To me, the scene when Zhou Zishu thought Wen Kexing had died and you can see the shock and grief in his eyes and when he told him he was going to stand by him no matter what when Wen Kexing was being hunted down by his enemies. There was no touching, no “I love yous” but those clearly meant he loved him. I think I found similar moments in Fangs of Fortune between Zhuo Yichen and Zhao Yuanzhou. To this day, I still believe that was supposed to be a BL drama that was censored. 😂

Exactly! I am also familiar with the works of the screenwriters and director and a lot of the dialogues they write have underlying meanings. One of the screenwriters is the same one who wrote My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday, which was, to me, a beautifully poignant story about a doomed romance. They barely have any interactions either as their romance span across decades with just them spending a few days or hours with each other. She has a penchant for poetic writing. But that kind of writing is not for everyone especially for those who want clear indications of budding romances and displays of affection. But this style is totally right up my alley. The fact that they actually have kissing scenes in this is more than enough. I’m used to Chinese BL (bromance) after all and I rather like trying to pick things apart and find their hidden meanings. Besides, their growing affection for each other was clear as day to me. I would even think it corny if they had gone the usual lovey dovey route often seen in Thai BL’s. From my personal experience with Japanese men, the characterization is definitely on point. 😆

Like I said, it comes down to personal preference. You simply didn’t like it. I did. And that’s okay, we’re here to exchange our opinions about it. Personally, I didn’t think it needed more dialogue, interactions yes, and perhaps a sequel, but more dialogues up until their first kiss? Not really. It’s not a stretch when you think of it as an artistic approach to romance. Some people may feel that it needed more “literal” show of romance because that’s what they want to see, but it doesn’t mean the storytelling needs it when it’s meant to be figurative. And realistically speaking, people have fallen in love with fewer conversations and at an even shorter period of time. Whirlwind romances do exist. For Sugiki and Suzuki who have never fallen deeply in love before and are not exactly expressive of their own emotions, do you really think they would talk openly about their feelings? This is also a classic “gay for you” trope between two men who must’ve felt confused about their growing attraction for each other. While women generally scream and argue when they’re angry, most men show rage with their fists. It’s the same when they love. They simply acted on what they felt. That’s it. I saw that kiss as raw unadulterated desire that accumulated over years of rivalry and finally made sense when they danced together. That’s how I see it.

The dancing in this movie is the romance. Them dancing together represents the stages of romance from the courtship phase to the consummation of their love. It’s a kind of metaphor so to speak. Actions do speak louder than words and the actors have palpable chemistry so they used that to its full effect. I think the scene when Sugiki tells Suzuki to give in to his lead while they dance the waltz is where they both start to feel something for each other. I believe that is the goal of the writers here since they had to cut out many scenes from the manga and had to cram a lot into a 2-hour run time.

Machida Keita has no qualms about acting in a BL. He has already acted in one prior to this and would most likely do so again if the right project comes. He's a serious actor. Ryoma is the same. He wants to be taken seriously as an actor and roles like this can either showcase your versatility or lack thereof. He successfully demonstrated that he's not a one-note actor. I don't think it's just for hype because they both went into serious training just to perform the dances properly. They wouldn't have tried so hard to portray their respective roles if they were only after the hype.

This movie believes in showing not telling and it's very typical of what would normally happen in a relationship between two Japanese adults imho. Japanese men, especially, don't really communicate that much and most of the time, there are underlying meanings to what they're saying. There is a saying in Japan, "空気を読む", which basically means, "read the room or read the air". It expects people to understand people's moods and intentions or basically reading between the lines. They don't have to spell things out for the other to get it. The writing of the romance part and their reactions are actually realistic. It just comes down to personal taste. Some people may appreciate it, some may not.

My understanding is that Sugiki is a control freak and when he talks about what happened with Fusako and asks Suzuki to keep it between them, it means that he will continue to be that person who doesn't let things go and be honest with himself, much to Suzuki's disappointment. He wants him to show vulnerability. That's why Suzuki's inner monologue says, "I think I wanted him to confess", or something to that effect. They already know they have something between them, they can practically taste the sexual tension in the air whenever they are together and I thought the movie made that pretty clear. That's when Sugiki realizes that he has to take that chance and goes after Suzuki or else he'll regret it. But in the end, Suzuki tells him he can continue to be the Grim Reaper and he will be his Angel, meaning he accepts him as he is. They are polar opposites and they’re the perfect foil for one another.

Oh wow it’s on Netflix! I’m glad I don’t need to renew my Youku. Thank you for small mercies. 😁

Yes! The donghua is great. I didn't know they made a live action version of this. I'm looking forward to this.

He will probably pitch it to Disney or Prime Video. But Netflix will renew it. It can potentially become their new cash cow now that SG and AIB have ended.

I was talking about their local network productions not LSS. LSS had the budget, hired a bonafide movie director, and cinematographer unlike their TV productions in Japan. That’s why I agreed with the previous comment that if Netflix cancels this show, they won’t be able to reproduce the same quality with strictly local productions and network TV, and I doubt Okada would want that. They simply don’t make shows like that over there, they can’t because of budget constraints and difference in frame rates and camera equipment used.

I’m talking about their network TV productions that are relatively low budget in comparison to K-dramas and C-dramas. Most of them don’t look cinematic because they use a different frame rate, color grading, and cameras. If you compare a typical drama from TBS to a Netflix produced drama like Makanai, you can see a huge difference in the camera movements, cinematography, and overall look of the dramas. It’s not that they’re not capable of producing higher quality content it’s just that they don’t have the budget and are inclined to stick to what’s already the norm for Japanese network TV. But if you want global appeal, that has to change because people are visual creatures. The way a movie or show looks matter to the general audience. Netflix produced J-dramas look as if they’re filmed using equipment and techniques for filmmaking and that adds to their appeal. Japan takes inspiration from other cultures as well. They’ve taken hamburger and made a version of their own. Many Japanese street foods are foreign-inspired. They can learn from Hollywood as well as Hollywood can learn from them. Okada pitched this project to Netflix because he wants the international attention. Kaku Kento said the same thing and even worked with an American showrunner to create House of Ninjas. They worked with Korean productions to make Romantics Anonymous.

Battle Royale was also one of the reasons why we have Kill Bill. Quentin Tarantino was heavily inspired by Japanese cinema (as well as Hong Kong cinema) that he patterned a lot of his movies from them including Battle Royale. We have Gogo Yubari (Chiaki Kuriyama) because of that movie. This little known movie inspired filmmakers and writers worldwide. It’s just that most younger generations or those who don’t really watch Japanese films are oblivious to its existence and only know Squid Game because of its massive popularity. I, for one, don’t belittle SG’s achievements. It did help introduce this genre to those who were not familiar with it and it’s good on its own. What irks me is when other people dismiss other death game works as just another copycat when it is the copycat. They even conveniently forgot about The Hunger Games that came before it, which was clearly inspired by Battle Royale and Ender’s Game. It’s alright to compare and see similarities between these works. But it’s also alright to inform or give suggestions to others who enjoy such works as they might enjoy these recommendations too. It’s not fine to accuse other works of plagiarism and make assumptions before doing some research, though. Google is free. Information is easily accessible these days.

I agree. If this gets cancelled by Netflix, it's done for. This project was pitched specifically to Netflix with the intent of releasing it globally. Okada Junichi didn't want this to stay in the Japanese market. His end goal is to revive the chanbara trend and make it mainstream in Hollywood again. Samurai films became huge in Hollywood when the likes of George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, and Martin Scorsese and their corresponding productions bought the distribution rights for Kurosawa Akira's films and released them in the States. Their local network productions simply don't want to invest this much money on a TV project. They even use the same filming styles they used a decade ago - to my frustration - because that's what they're used to and are reluctant to really change. Sanada Hiroyuki mentioned that about working with the local crew for Shogun. He said that he's glad that the crew was able to adapt to the western style of filming and have learned a lot from it. Movies are a different matter, though. They seem to invest more in their films and their films are much better in quality production-wise. So I don't wonder why stars like Okada are now looking to Netflix/Disney to help them produce their shows. I don't think this series will be cancelled though. 1899 was cancelled because it didn't do well commercially and critically. It didn't live up to expectations. It just wasn't on the same level as Dark.

Oh yes, Kaiji too! The recruitment process and prize money angle in Squid Game is the same as in Kaiji. They target people in debt too. And Kaiji is one of the first death game manga released in the 90’s. The children’s games they play in SG are similar to the ones in the ATGW, the player numbers and setting are from Deadman Wonderland, and the all out violence from Battle Royale.

I actually remembered Deadman Wonderland when I watched the first episode of Squid Game. The only difference is DW has sci-fi/fantasy elements to it. The players were experimented on and they developed the ability to control their blood, allowing them to use their blood as weapons. It's also in a dystopian setting, after a great earthquake that sank the whole of Tokyo so Japan became a kind of warzone. Squid Game is more grounded and has zero fantasy elements unlike DW, AIB or the ATGW. It's more like Liar Game but with children's games and people get killed if they lose. Like I said, SG is a combination of many death game tropes. The creator may refuse to admit it but I know he was heavily influenced by Japanese manga when he wrote SG. Heck, he was probably influenced by the Hunger Games too. The similarities are too glaring.

It’s typical. The betting part is typical too. Deadman Wonderland also had VIPs who betted on enhanced individuals they forced to fight to the death in an arena like gladiators. They were assigned numbers according to the order in which they were recruited to join the game. They were also "kidnapped" and brought to this secure and isolated area they couldn't leave, nobody knows where this facility is either. They were turned into prisoners and given this neck collar that tracked them and killed them if they tried to escape or broke the rules. And the big baddie isn't as simple as just someone who wants to see people die and make money. Sounds familiar? That manga was released in 2007. If they make a live action version of that, it would be awesome. The anime didn’t do it justice. Squid Game, to me, is a combination of many death games manga/novels I've read in the last 25 years. It doesn't have a single original idea to it. So if anything, it’s the Japanese that should file lawsuits. But they don’t because at the end of the day, it's just a good reimagining of this genre imho. Still enjoyable.

Some people were also up in arms accusing Alice in Borderland of ripping off Squid Game not realizing that the first season of AIB was released a year earlier and the manga was written years before that. I got exhausted trying to explain to people that it was Squid Game that may have copied elements from As the Gods Will as the characters have to play traditional Japanese children’s games and are killed off if they lose. That movie was released in 2014 and the manga was serialized in 2011. Death games has been a common trope in Japanese manga since the 1990’s. Japanese manga are popular in Korea so it’s possible the creator of Squid Game was influenced by that. Last Samurai Standing is also based on a manga. And the number of players in LSS is 292 not 456. I enjoyed the first season of Squid Game though. But as a manga reader, the plot was not unique to me.

If I'm not mistaken, Squid Game won an Emmy, so it's possible.

He has the potential. I also thought he was one of those actors that can only do stoic characters but he has this one scene in the drama where he cries and I was surprised at how raw his emotions were. He's definitely not good yet. But he could be. I only finished the show because I speed-watched through it. lol