Misterious Entity

Jimmy was interested in Fah and angry that Teh and Fah have sex. Jimmy's idea was to pretend that he likes Toh to use Toh to blackmail Teh ("Break up with Fah or I'll break your brother's heart.". But it turns out that he deceived himself because he really liked Toh.

After ep. 6 I thought, I hoped, that Toh will finally break up with Jimmy. That he will tell him the whole truth, straight to his brazen, perpetually smiling face. I couldn't believe Jimmy had broken up with Toh. And even before that, he'd been turning the tables and blaming Toh for being too emotional and rude. It was pure gaslighting. And Toh didn't say anything, didn't expose Jimmy. At least he said that since Jim had broken up with him, they wouldn't even be friends. And then he blocked Jimmy (scenes from ep. 7). That was the first sign he'd found his self-respect.

Whaaat?! Sweet? No, stupid. He thought he could change Jimmy and make Jim love him (and that was all he cared about). Just like girls beaten by alcoholic boyfriends hope he'll change after marriage or after having a baby. Such hopes always fail, and that's exactly what Toh's actions would have ended up like that in real life. Caring? He only cared about his own interests. He knew about the blackmail from the start and didn't warn his own brother. "Brother, don't break up with your beloved boyfriend to protect me, because I know about Jimi's whole scheme." Intelligent Fah figured it out and tried to handle everything like an adult: talk openly. And Toh even at that moment started lying. As for beauty, it's a matter of taste, so we can't argue about it.

I'm very sorry, but I don't have it. I don't think there's even an English translation. But I read somewhere what people who've read it in the original wrote about this novel.

apparently, yes:-)

That's exactly what I wrote.

I'm not confusing anything. I've watched several films and series with the Eastern martyrdom of love motif, where scripts were well-written. Example: The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese. However, in this series, Toh's pathetic nature doesn't evoke positive reactions due to the poorly written script, not to the theme of Eastern sacrifice in relationship.I agree with You that westernization does not always mean improvement.

You've emerged from that pathetic state, recognized your worth, and regained your dignity. Congratulations! Toh should do the same.

This show makes absolutely no sense of why Jimmy would regret breaking up with Toh. Toh is boring, hopeless looser and ugly. And he still hasn't developed any guts or dignity. Jimmy was the one who broke up with him. Damn, I can't believe it.

The sex scene in episode 9 is one of the best scenes of its kind in BL series (main couple is very, very good-looking in costumes). Second couple is very nice, too. The whole series are a little bit long-winded and silly, but really ok.

I love this series. Script is good, main characters are good written, main actors are good looking and very tallented. Their love making scenes are full of passion and tenderness. The good acting makes it easy for the viewer to believe in the love between the main characters. My overall rating: 8.5/10.

Most of us can underestend it. However, in this series, the script is poor, and Toh's character is poorly written and therefore doesn't evoke sympathy. Furthermore, for several years now, BL series have been presenting a more Westernized mentality. Previously, the biggest problem was coming out as gay. How will parents react? The ethos of sacrifice bordering on stupidity is also rarely explored in series, because it is more difficult for Western viewers to understand. Every theme can be presented better or worse, more or less convincingly. In this case, viewers focus more on the unconvincingly presented motivations for the main character's behavior than on the story itself.

My Stand-In was very good - series and novel. Ming was complicated. He did many wrong things to Joe, but still he loved him and later he really suffered like hell. First - he used Joe as stand-in of Tong (during sex with Joe Ming was thinking of Tong), later he ruined Joe's career. He couldn't understand that it's not the same if Joe created his career himself or his career is a present from his rich lover (it was Ming's offer after he kidnaped Joe). After Joe's death Ming suffered for three years and he really suffered. Ming immediately felt something for Joe, even though Joe was in a different body. He quickly guessed the truth and tried to get Joe back. It really wasn't easy. Ming proved that he was willing to sacrifice for this love: his good relationship with parents, with brother-in-law, money, fame, and even his life (he wanted to cover Joe with his body, although in the end, it was Joe who covered Ming). He truly loved Joe with a deep love. That's the difference between him and Jimmy. Also, the acting and the script were better in that series.

Well, unfortunately, this series probably won't surprise us with anything. Jimmy will lose Toh for a while, he'll repent, and in the end, Toh will forgive him. It would be interesting if Toh fell in love with someone worthwhile and Jimmy was left alone. But I wouldn't wish a partner like Toh on anyone worthwhile. Toh, with his beaten-dog expression and complete lack of self-dignity, evokes not sympathy, but anger. He's a man without character. And he doesn't have a single redeeming quality to compensate. He's neither very good, nor very honest, nor noble. The fact that he kept his virginity for so long isn't something to be proud of. He matured late to start a relationship. It's an individual matter and decision. But that's neither a plus nor a minus. And there's nothing more interesting to say about him. He's utterly boring. I think it's simply the fault of the poor script. Jimmy is the most despicable of all the characters and deserves the worst punishment (loneliness, isolation), but this is so obvious that there is no point in saying much about it.

Exactly.

With pleasure.

I was thinking about Teh and Toh and now I think that You are right about Toh. He looks innocent, naive, he is not very handsome, so we can like him easier than dominant Teh. Toh makes us feel compassion more easily. Toh's appearance influences our assessment of his character. It's a paradox: You judge people sadly, and therefore perhaps You're more understanding of their flaws. Maybe I judge people more harshly. But, we are talking about characters from bl series, therefore, I do not judge them as real people, but as the product of filmmakers or writers. I've read a lot of excellent world literature in my life and watched a lot of great movies, hence my harsh assessment. And I constantly have to remind myself that I can't apply the same criteria to BL series, because many of them aren't top-tier yet. I don't know how it happened that I become a fan of bl for about 2 years. But it's an interesting experience. I've had to learn different facial expressions, different vocal intonations, and a different mentality. Although sometimes I still struggle to understand the rigid rules of responsibility, obedience, and hierarchy. But even among BL series, there are better and worse ones, better and worse scripts and characters. The motivations, actions, and decisions in this series are like something out of a soap opera. I know there have to be misunderstandings between lovers, because without them, there wouldn't be a show, but I want them to be misunderstandings I can easily believe in, not the kind in "The Bold and the Beautiful.";-) I'm glad I have someone to talk to about my hobby here, and It's a pity You didn't participate in the discussion about "Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo". There, I had a lot of trouble understanding the characters' problems and motivations. Probably partly because I watch those series with imperfect English translation.

Because he has no dignity.

Ok, I can understand Your's point of view. Mine is slightly different. I think that Teh should tell Toh (I hate their names, by the way:-) that Jimmy is using Toh to blackmail him., because he is interested in Fah. "Jimmy is a playboy, he often changing partners..." etc is not enough. I agree that Toh should tell Teh that he continuous relationship with Jimmy. Yes, he should. They are brothers and they don't talk to each other at all. I mean: real, sincere talk. So, in my opinion first place of nasty character belongs to Jimmy, second to Teh, third to Toh and last place belongs to Fah. You think that Toh is more at fault, and I think thatTeh is. But ultimately, they both deserve each other. Plot of this series is really bad. Motivations and actions of main characters are stupid, childich and not realistic. I need a character who I can sympathize with.

There's no English translation of the novel yet, so maybe someone will write how it develops. I know Jimmy will probably regret his actions and eventually get Toh back. And Teh and Fah will end up together. Although, in my opinion, Fah should stay away from Teh, since he sacrificed their relationship for his brother's sake when there were many better options for everyone.