Shiagi

That's how it works in real life but BL is not written like that and it's typically written by women for women so it's its own genre. I don't even class it as LGBTQ+ genre because its so steeped in fantasy and inaccuracies it is actually damaging to the LGBTQ+ community though these days directors and writers are trying to be more realistic and cover real LGBTQ+ issues. It is just a lot of these series are based off BL novels which make up ideas about how homosexuality and even relationships work. Watching these shows, you have to take it with a pinch of salt and understand it doesn't work that way in real life.

This is what I thought crlb was trying to say and I agree this is what it is like unfortunately.

I think the leads are pretty good actors however the storyline and screenplay is a bit jagged and disjointed. I would have preferred more time with the main characters slowly developing their feelings than lots of unrelated nonsense scenes that have nothing to do with the story line. There were big jumps from disliking each other to being best friends seemingly out of no where. I think the leads could have handled the progression had the directing allowed for it. It seems a little too rushed without filling in those middle scenes. This is my second Filipino series coming off the back of Gameboys that was complete perfection sooo.... higher standards I guess. I cannot fault the acting of the leads though at all, they really gave it their best.

Well it was cute and fluffy, just what I wanted, but what an abrupt end!

Thats how Filipinos talk. It is part of the vernacular, particularly amongst the young. The directors may also add more English to kowtow to the international market as well. If you want to know why English though, its to do with the occupying forces at the time such as the Spanish and Americans etc.

It's only polite and common decency to mark posts that reveal plot using the spoiler option. Thank you.

I always thought it was the teacher's way of getting rid of Pang somehow. Pang made him uncomfortable and exposed him and the school. In the end that test wasn't important in the grand scheme of things. It was just a tool to get to the point and set people up for the story to roll on especially a way to create the mirror of Pang starting with badge 8 and ending with badge 8 which he chose for himself, to remember his roots and where it all started. It was never going to be something to remember as the school can always change the rules because of the exceptional circumstances and cancel the outcome of the exams since they make all the rules anyway and no one else knows about it.

He wasn't going to fight as hard as Pang. He had to make a quick decision on how best to proceed and live to see another day. None of the gifted were ever really punished for anything even murder. They are highly ambitious too apart from Pang whose ambitions and motivations are more altruistic than self-interested. The director was never going to be able to make Pang submit like the others especially as he could use his powers against him. It's a case of loose the battle but win the war.

One thing I feel was never answered or explained was the whole Duke thing.... I really don't know what was going on there. He was thrown in as a red herring but then ended up being beaten to a pulp? What was his story?

OMG! Who knew GMMTV could produce such a master piece?!! I was hooked and even the ended was strong... strong throughout! I am so surprised. I saw SS2 was out so checked out S1 because my Gun is in it but man I enjoyed everyone and everything about it!

Somehow I managed to finish. I think the later ones were complete.

This review is amazing. I was laughing all through it. I definitely wanna watch it just to feel like I've watched it with you! LOL

Where are people watching this?

Only complaint is that bad people didn't really get punished and it was rushed so we didn't explore their character development, but because of the "wholesomeness" aspect there was a 'morality' element to decisions - "Look at the bigger picture and let your anger towards these bad people go, they have been punished enough/ done so much useful things in the past" etc. Nah, crime is crime! Do community service or something! Being embarrassed in society is not enough!
I thought the character development of the male lead was nice and gentle and made sense also with his sister towards the end but they didn't spend much time with her so you don't see her mature as much.
It's fluffy fun. Nothing too serious. All the tropes in the book are present but its a safe drama. You know nothing really bad is gonna happen.

This was wholesome.
But yes, SML syndrome is real. It just doesn't make sense but this is an older drama where that kind of thing was rife.

excellent story development, excellent acting, excellent execution!

Right! I wasn't even sure I was gonna like the whole online thing and how that was going to work but it did!! I am amazed I didn't find it annoying at all and it was really well done!

hehe I am still busy rewatching it (at 44 currently) but I am just really watching the Main Leads romance parts and a bit here and there and the battle so I'm flicking through. The water scenes though. Bwahahahaa wow. So little effort. They did an okay job doing shortcuts though. Still love disappearing and reappearing injuries, riding a horse without actually riding a horse. Those close up of eye stares you know they aren't even looking at each other, it's just an insert. But man is the story fun. :D

LOL! I am also watching it again after several months but I noticed it the first time so I don't mind it for these low budget especially when the story and acting is good and fun.

That's another thing. The whole BL / Yaoi genre and culture is indeed an issue, and an interesting one to study. I actually don't even see BL as an LGBTQ+ genre because BL never liked to proclaim characters as gay or deal with LGBTQ issues seriously as it didn't see itself as LGBTQ. It was always straight men liking other straight men just because they fell in love and usually they won't be attracted to other men nor ever break up with the man they fell in love with thus falling for another man. As we know, this isn't how homosexuality works in real life. These days shows seem to be getting closer and closer to LGBTQ issues though so there is hope that they become more sensitive to real issues. But really this genre came from the fantasy world of girls who like the idea of love for the sake of love regardless of gender (which is a lovely idea in itself) rather than real LGBTQ situations .
When you read these BL novels, especially the older ones, man, the fantastical assertions they make up about homosexuality is insane. It's probably why so many, including myself, enjoy it. However, it is also good for people to be aware of the differences and what is reality and what is not.
Another issues that crops up is that it looks like a lot of fans, particularly younger ones, often like to assert that the actors themselves are attracted to each other or are in a real relationship when it is all just PR dressed up as fan service. They would have planned everything they were gonna say and do when out in public together in order to sell their new project or sell merchandise. It's called marketing. It fascinates me how fans, particularly in Asia where I see it the most, get quite overly zealous about these characters and actors and it being the be all and end all of their lives. They really like to feel like they own these people. It's quite frightening and I can see why the actors and their agencies are very careful as much as possible in what they say and do. They really play on peoples emotions to sell an idea.