This isnt the first time asian dramas go back and forth in time. You get used to it and it will eventually make…
I'm well aware that fact since I've been watching Asian dramas over 15 years now! Still, too many time jumps are quite jarring and they're disrupting the flow of the story! Also, the timing between these jumps in this series are both too short and not distributed very well! A strategic time jump is fine here and there, but over using it indicates choppy writing! For example, 'Interminable' just wrapped up and it had plenty of time jumps, but the distribution of those scenes where flawlessly timed and it never fragmented the flow of the story! Hopefully, it will be better handled in the upcoming episodes, because otherwise, this drama is a prime candidate for becoming another benchmark for high quality Thai BLs! Just IMHO of course!
I have to agree with those who are lamenting the time jumping, but other than that, it's very, very god! Superb acting, good plot and quality writing! At times, Kelvin gave me the kind of chills that I felt while I was watching Hua Yong and that's both thrilling and scary in the best possible way and I'm already on the verge of another obsession! The next episode will be crucial for setting the tone for the rest of the series, and if they cut down the time jumping to no more than one brief scene per episode or less, this BL has the potential to be an epic one!
They shouldn't have done that and I'm glad that I've skipped the suck-fest! I wonder how much the writers got paid for this "masterpiece", but judging by the end result anything above $100/writer was a splurge by the producers!
SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!
Some of you might have seen my comment last week where I've attempted to write a possible scenario regarding Don's return from the grave in the final episode. Alas, I've truly overestimated the capabilities of the aforementioned overpaid "writers" and you've had to bawl your eyes out using up too many hankies for receiving more, absolutely unnecessary emotional damage! When I've got the info about what happened at the wedding, I felt both sad and angry for all of you who returned to watch the final episode, because of a very cruel fan bait in the preview! I know, that without seeing that preview many of you would've never tuned in for the last episode in hope of that maybe, just maybe there will some justice for the second couple, only to get slapped in the face, one last time just for good measure! It was dirty, shameful and just pure, calculated disrespect for the fans! I took note of the names of both the director and the "writers" to make sure that in the future I'll steer clear from anything that they've touched! I can easily forgive stupid plots, because being honest, the industry cranked out some real doozies over the last one and a half decade since I've been watching BL, so that's nothing new! However, this blatant, cruel manipulation is not something that I would ever tolerate! It's clear to me, that during production by near the end everyone already knew that their project had the value of a used baby wipe, so they had to do something to increase viewership to make the algorithm numbers look good and the money that they've on this big pile of biohazard justifiable! Hence the "Lets put a teaser glimpse of Don into the preview" slimeball move was created and in the end, the biggest losers weren't the company, but the fans! Welcome to one of the dark corners of the BL industry! Just IMHO of course!
I know, that many netizens are not happy with the ending, but let me try to make a few points, that might puts things in perspective. For those who haven't seen the last episode yet, please skip my comment and maybe come back to it another time!
SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!
To me, the ending made perfect sense for many reasons. For starters, Jira is admittedly attracted to bad boys and a**holes, which means that making bad decisions about men is his signature mistake that he'll keep making probably for the rest of his life. On top of that, he is an artist who thrives on raw, intense emotion, especially negative/suffering and/or sexual ones. This is a highly addictive mental state, that throughout history inspired the greatest masterpieces of arts from music through writing, cinema, poetry, sculpting to painting! The most epic pieces were born from pain, suffering and heart ache from the crucifixion of Christ through Romeo and Juliet to the Saving Private Ryan! Jira watched Ko sleeping in his car for 277 nights, never letting go of the love that he still kept in his heart regardless of all the pain that Ko's betrayal caused him! That self imposed wound fueled his inspiration and kept his desire alive. There was no choice, no escape, no other outcome for Jira, but to return to him! It doesn't matter if they're make it or not! People, especially artists who are always self-abusive by default would rarely be able to escape from the endless cycle of self harm and healing. To be fair, Ko's the same, but on a different level and his nearly emotionless, self-abusive behavior is rooted in a psychological trauma! Their toxic relationship is still filled with love, but none of them knows how to handle it nor how to fix it! Real life is full of Greek tragedies that plays out just like this fictional story, but the majority of us only can see it, if it happens to our loved ones, coworkers or neighbors! For Jira and Ko, pain and pleasure goes hand in hand and at the end, either they will heal each other or kill each other emotionally and/or physically! In conclusion, I think this was the more realistic and logical ending for this series. Just IMHO of course!
MEOW! 🐈This series is purr-fect for me!🐈 FirstKhaotung are effortless and flawless as always! It's cute, warm, funny and touching at the same time! It feels like a comfy blanket that you snuggle into after a long, dreary day!
Man, I'm just feeling peachy (pun alert!) today! I'm really curious about something. The people who watched THREE episodes and came here just to drag it to the ground are all masochists with a side order of guilty conscience/shame, or they're just a few cards short of a full deck? Otherwise why would they keep watching it?😕 Listen, well reasoned, constructive criticisms or the simple statement of "Thanks, but a peach cobbler is not my kind of dessert" (I'm not that pun-y I know!) are always the smart and respectful comments that intelligent netizens wouldn't take the wrong way! On the other hand, if you're already THREE episodes deep into this peach nectar( Sorry, I'm just a pun-kette today!), maybe, just maybe it's a psychological glitch that needs to be examined by experts! Just IMHO of course! I'll keep watching and enjoying it, and I'll see you next week!
I'm going to say something unpopular, but NOT a negative observation, it's just my wishful thinking! This series looks like a fun ride from the get go, but and this is a big booty, it feels way too rushed to me! We just skipped over a year's worth of fake courtship by our delectable slime-ball... ahem, I mean scammer, which I would've loved to see! Also, North is a bit too much of a ditzy, and I'm worried that he'll be there only just as a comic relief throughout the series! Again, NOT a negative issue by itself, but for me it's just takes away some necessary depth from the character and it makes the second couple feel like a filler supporting cast instead of being the second main couple! Of course, there's nothing wrong with treating this series as a lighthearted BL ROMCOM, I just wished for a little bit more weight in it without ruining the fluff parts! Once more, this is NOT a criticism, just me being picky for no good reason! That's being said, I've enjoyed the first episode and I'll be back for more!
I'm sorry, I've tried, but BossNoeul owned these roles hands down! I will admit, that they're my ultimate bias and I could never be completely objective about them (a.k.a. I would defend them with my life, because who needs rational thinking!🤣), but so far they haven't disappointed me yet! Even with a very mediocre script their insane chemistry and great acting skills the original TBNW was still enjoyable! Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT putting down Shoma and Takuto, I just don't feel it! Alas, take my comment with a grain of salt! However, as long as anyone does a remake of my babies' series, they will be compared to the BossNoeul standard where the bar is set so high, that not many BL couples in the industry could come close, never mind reaching it! The funny thing is, if I were the Japanese director who's tasked with the remake, I would've chosen Higuchi Kouhei and Mashiko Atsuki from 'My Personal Weatherman' for this! I think those two could've carried the series just like BossNoeul did! Just IMHO (biased edition!) of course!😄
Reading the spoilers, I see that Don seemingly pulled a Lazarus move, so I gave the writers the benefit of the doubt and assumed, that they've got enough marbles combined to write something that kind of makes sense! Lets see if they can measure up to a complete amateur like me and wrote a plot similar to mine! So, here's my solution for how Don could be still alive (if that wasn't a dream or hallucination!) without supernatural intervention! Lets pretend, that during the accident he hit someone and he managed to get out of the car! He is disoriented, badly injured and wandered off the road where he collapsed. When the ambulance and the police arrives, they only see an empty car and a deceased person outside the vehicle which is registered to Don and his ID was found at the seen as well. In a really bad accident it's quite common that the body is so severely damaged that it cannot be identified. If there are no family members to claim the body, there's no legal reason to do a DNA test, so, if the blood type is a match, the coroner will issue a death certificate. Meanwhile, someone stumbles upon the unconscious, badly injured Don. They get him to a hospital, where without an ID he is registered as John Doe. When he regains consciousness, finally we've got ourselves a plausible plot for the "back from the dead" scenario! Well, I'm no Agatha Christie, but I think this could be it, or Pond went mental and I did my outstanding Miss Marple knock off for nothing! On a side note, why am I wasting my braincells on an episode that I'm not even going to watch? Maybe I'm the one who's off her rocker!🤣
Not unpopular in my books. I genuinely think he came back on the show to come out. He's been consistent in that…
I'm right with you on that! I think Jae Ha really cares for Hyeong Jun! Also, people seem to forget what's really at stake here for Jae Ha! Besides loosing the man he clearly still loves, if after watching this show his family cannot accept him, he might loose his family as well! I can't even imagine the stress and the agony that's he's been going through!😟💔
My sweet Yun Jae needs a new roomie! If Hyeon Jun is always sits outside and won't initiate even the basic conversation, Yun Jae's amoeba-sized confidence will shrink into a Nanoarchaeum and he'll end up lonely and waiting in vain! On the other hand, when Yun Jae have other people around him, who encourages and includes him in a conversation, his shyness takes a back seat and his personality shines through! My sweet man needs a confident, adventurous boyfriend who would drive their love-mobile and take him bungee jumping, and that's definitely NOT Hyeon Jun! On a different note, Min Seong's arrival had the same effect as a bull charging through a china-shop and I'm all for it, because it will force people to make some choices one way or another, instead of wasting precious time for "lets see what happens"! Finally, the drama between Jae Ha and Hyeong Jun will be even more painful if Hyeong Jun starts to like Min Seong! Yes, Jae Ha made a HUGE mistake and unintentionally hurt Hyeong Jun, but I don't want to see him suffer, because besides loosing someone he loves is already a heavy punishment, and on top of it, he must face his family after all this and if they cannot accept him, he might even loose his family too!
I'm sorry to say, but for me, season 2 is nowhere near to the level of the first season and that makes me sad. Somehow the spark between Toma and Natsume is dimmed, the dialogues are a bit strained and even the few intimate moment that they've shared so far feels lukewarm. Also, the actors seem a little disconnected too and that's troubling, because there's nothing left to elevate the mediocre writing. The only interesting thing about this season so far is Toma's rival who seems to be both jealous and attracted to him at the same time. Hopefully things will improve in the upcoming episodes, otherwise I'm not sure that I could stay with the series to the end. Just IMHO of course!
Oh, so after 3 episodes in, I was wondering why am I watching this? It's an all around 4 out of 10, low/no budget, sub par acting, amateur writing and the NC scenes are cringy. So, again, why am I watching it? Somehow, Min U's character crawled under my skin and thanks to the actor, even though he's acting is a bit awkward at times, he still makes you feel all kinds of emotions! Actually, the awkward acting fits perfectly the role, and Cho Myeong Gyun's eyes are doing all the work for him! The fear, longing, hope, desire, the hurt and the betrayal are all in there and I'm hurting with him! Since the episodes are only 10 minutes long, I can endure this slow-mo trainwreck (you know the one that you can't look away from), just for those expressive eyes of him! Maybe I need a new hobby or a therapy? Both? 🤣
hey can you please suggest me some good xianxia with demon male lead? i have watched the most common/famous ones…
As I've said before, it's not easy to find older xianxia dramas, especially the ones that are not as well and still available on streaming platforms, not to mention having adequate ENGSUB. So far I found 2 on my list that are still available on main platforms now, but I'll keep checking and if I find more I'll post it for you! I don't know if you have seen these ones yet, but if not, give them a try!
In 'Love's Better Than Immortality' Li Hong Yi absolutely nailed his role and of course, Zhao Lu Si never disappoints! In 'The Legends' the demon is the gentle kind, but the story is great and Xu Kai and Bai Lu needs no selling points!
Love's Better Than Immortality (2019) Zhao Lu Si, Li Hong Yi available on YOUKU
The Legends (2019) Bai Lu, Xu Kai available on iQlYl
I'll be honest, until ep. 10 I wasn't really invested in season 2, because I didn't feel like I was watching a dating show. Even though Izaya and William left the show as a couple, I'm still worried about Izaya getting hurt, and I'm hoping that I was wrong about William and if his parents disapprove of whom he wants to be with, he won't abandon Izaya! The last 3 episodes packed a lot of punches from Kazuyuki leaving to reconcile with his ex to Huwei falling for Bomi and coming out to his mom and the impact that it had on him and Bomi and they're crying together, through Jobu's mom showing up all loving and caring and bringing food for all the boys to an unexpected conflict between Hiroya and Tomoaki which thankfully got resolved! Then, Huwei's grandma died and he had to leave for the funeral! Last, but not least Taeheon got his dance-card double signed by Jobu and Hiroya and he'll have to decide who's getting the next tango with him! (Yeah, since '10 Dance' aired I can't resist making related metaphors 😄) Last season he was like a big brother to everyone and now he's got a love triangle on his hands! Of course, now I'm all in and very excited to see it through to the finish line!
Why is it that it's the shows that people dump on and gripe about that I have the most fun watching? I don't know…
I completely get what you're saying! I'm an older person too and process things similarly to you. Indeed, life is very short and wasting time on hating things like a BL series is really not a smart thing to do!
Still, too many time jumps are quite jarring and they're disrupting the flow of the story! Also, the timing between these jumps in this series are both too short and not distributed very well!
A strategic time jump is fine here and there, but over using it indicates choppy writing!
For example, 'Interminable' just wrapped up and it had plenty of time jumps, but the distribution of those scenes where flawlessly timed and it never fragmented the flow of the story!
Hopefully, it will be better handled in the upcoming episodes, because otherwise, this drama is a prime candidate for becoming another benchmark for high quality Thai BLs!
Just IMHO of course!
Superb acting, good plot and quality writing!
At times, Kelvin gave me the kind of chills that I felt while I was watching Hua Yong and that's both thrilling and scary in the best possible way and I'm already on the verge of another obsession!
The next episode will be crucial for setting the tone for the rest of the series, and if they cut down the time jumping to no more than one brief scene per episode or less, this BL has the potential to be an epic one!
I wonder how much the writers got paid for this "masterpiece", but judging by the end result anything above $100/writer was a splurge by the producers!
SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!
Some of you might have seen my comment last week where I've attempted to write a possible scenario regarding Don's return from the grave in the final episode.
Alas, I've truly overestimated the capabilities of the aforementioned overpaid "writers" and you've had to bawl your eyes out using up too many hankies for receiving more, absolutely unnecessary emotional damage!
When I've got the info about what happened at the wedding, I felt both sad and angry for all of you who returned to watch the final episode, because of a very cruel fan bait in the preview!
I know, that without seeing that preview many of you would've never tuned in for the last episode in hope of that maybe, just maybe there will some justice for the second couple, only to get slapped in the face, one last time just for good measure!
It was dirty, shameful and just pure, calculated disrespect for the fans!
I took note of the names of both the director and the "writers" to make sure that in the future I'll steer clear from anything that they've touched!
I can easily forgive stupid plots, because being honest, the industry cranked out some real doozies over the last one and a half decade since I've been watching BL, so that's nothing new!
However, this blatant, cruel manipulation is not something that I would ever tolerate!
It's clear to me, that during production by near the end everyone already knew that their project had the value of a used baby wipe, so they had to do something to increase viewership to make the algorithm numbers look good and the money that they've on this big pile of biohazard justifiable!
Hence the "Lets put a teaser glimpse of Don into the preview" slimeball move was created and in the end, the biggest losers weren't the company, but the fans!
Welcome to one of the dark corners of the BL industry!
Just IMHO of course!
For those who haven't seen the last episode yet, please skip my comment and maybe come back to it another time!
SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT! SPOILER ALERT!
To me, the ending made perfect sense for many reasons.
For starters, Jira is admittedly attracted to bad boys and a**holes, which means that making bad decisions about men is his signature mistake that he'll keep making probably for the rest of his life.
On top of that, he is an artist who thrives on raw, intense emotion, especially negative/suffering and/or sexual ones.
This is a highly addictive mental state, that throughout history inspired the greatest masterpieces of arts from music through writing, cinema, poetry, sculpting to painting!
The most epic pieces were born from pain, suffering and heart ache from the crucifixion of Christ through Romeo and Juliet to the Saving Private Ryan!
Jira watched Ko sleeping in his car for 277 nights, never letting go of the love that he still kept in his heart regardless of all the pain that Ko's betrayal caused him!
That self imposed wound fueled his inspiration and kept his desire alive.
There was no choice, no escape, no other outcome for Jira, but to return to him!
It doesn't matter if they're make it or not!
People, especially artists who are always self-abusive by default would rarely be able to escape from the endless cycle of self harm and healing.
To be fair, Ko's the same, but on a different level and his nearly emotionless, self-abusive behavior is rooted in a psychological trauma!
Their toxic relationship is still filled with love, but none of them knows how to handle it nor how to fix it!
Real life is full of Greek tragedies that plays out just like this fictional story, but the majority of us only can see it, if it happens to our loved ones, coworkers or neighbors!
For Jira and Ko, pain and pleasure goes hand in hand and at the end, either they will heal each other or kill each other emotionally and/or physically!
In conclusion, I think this was the more realistic and logical ending for this series.
Just IMHO of course!
FirstKhaotung are effortless and flawless as always!
It's cute, warm, funny and touching at the same time!
It feels like a comfy blanket that you snuggle into after a long, dreary day!
I'm really curious about something.
The people who watched THREE episodes and came here just to drag it to the ground are all masochists with a side order of guilty conscience/shame, or they're just a few cards short of a full deck?
Otherwise why would they keep watching it?😕
Listen, well reasoned, constructive criticisms or the simple statement of "Thanks, but a peach cobbler is not my kind of dessert" (I'm not that pun-y I know!) are always the smart and respectful comments that intelligent netizens wouldn't take the wrong way!
On the other hand, if you're already THREE episodes deep into this peach nectar( Sorry, I'm just a pun-kette today!), maybe, just maybe it's a psychological glitch that needs to be examined by experts!
Just IMHO of course! I'll keep watching and enjoying it, and I'll see you next week!
This series looks like a fun ride from the get go, but and this is a big booty, it feels way too rushed to me!
We just skipped over a year's worth of fake courtship by our delectable slime-ball... ahem, I mean scammer, which I would've loved to see!
Also, North is a bit too much of a ditzy, and I'm worried that he'll be there only just as a comic relief throughout the series!
Again, NOT a negative issue by itself, but for me it's just takes away some necessary depth from the character and it makes the second couple feel like a filler supporting cast instead of being the second main couple!
Of course, there's nothing wrong with treating this series as a lighthearted BL ROMCOM, I just wished for a little bit more weight in it without ruining the fluff parts!
Once more, this is NOT a criticism, just me being picky for no good reason!
That's being said, I've enjoyed the first episode and I'll be back for more!
I will admit, that they're my ultimate bias and I could never be completely objective about them (a.k.a. I would defend them with my life, because who needs rational thinking!🤣), but so far they haven't disappointed me yet!
Even with a very mediocre script their insane chemistry and great acting skills the original TBNW was still enjoyable!
Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT putting down Shoma and Takuto, I just don't feel it!
Alas, take my comment with a grain of salt!
However, as long as anyone does a remake of my babies' series, they will be compared to the BossNoeul standard where the bar is set so high, that not many BL couples in the industry could come close, never mind reaching it!
The funny thing is, if I were the Japanese director who's tasked with the remake, I would've chosen Higuchi Kouhei and Mashiko Atsuki from 'My Personal Weatherman' for this!
I think those two could've carried the series just like BossNoeul did!
Just IMHO (biased edition!) of course!😄
Lets see if they can measure up to a complete amateur like me and wrote a plot similar to mine!
So, here's my solution for how Don could be still alive (if that wasn't a dream or hallucination!) without supernatural intervention!
Lets pretend, that during the accident he hit someone and he managed to get out of the car!
He is disoriented, badly injured and wandered off the road where he collapsed.
When the ambulance and the police arrives, they only see an empty car and a deceased person outside the vehicle which is registered to Don and his ID was found at the seen as well.
In a really bad accident it's quite common that the body is so severely damaged that it cannot be identified.
If there are no family members to claim the body, there's no legal reason to do a DNA test, so, if the blood type is a match, the coroner will issue a death certificate.
Meanwhile, someone stumbles upon the unconscious, badly injured Don. They get him to a hospital, where without an ID he is registered as John Doe.
When he regains consciousness, finally we've got ourselves a plausible plot for the "back from the dead" scenario!
Well, I'm no Agatha Christie, but I think this could be it, or Pond went mental and I did my outstanding Miss Marple knock off for nothing!
On a side note, why am I wasting my braincells on an episode that I'm not even going to watch?
Maybe I'm the one who's off her rocker!🤣
Besides loosing the man he clearly still loves, if after watching this show his family cannot accept him, he might loose his family as well! I can't even imagine the stress and the agony that's he's been going through!😟💔
On the other hand, when Yun Jae have other people around him, who encourages and includes him in a conversation, his shyness takes a back seat and his personality shines through!
My sweet man needs a confident, adventurous boyfriend who would drive their love-mobile and take him bungee jumping, and that's definitely NOT Hyeon Jun!
On a different note, Min Seong's arrival had the same effect as a bull charging through a china-shop and I'm all for it, because it will force people to make some choices one way or another, instead of wasting precious time for "lets see what happens"!
Finally, the drama between Jae Ha and Hyeong Jun will be even more painful if Hyeong Jun starts to like Min Seong!
Yes, Jae Ha made a HUGE mistake and unintentionally hurt Hyeong Jun, but I don't want to see him suffer, because besides loosing someone he loves is already a heavy punishment, and on top of it, he must face his family after all this and if they cannot accept him, he might even loose his family too!
Somehow the spark between Toma and Natsume is dimmed, the dialogues are a bit strained and even the few intimate moment that they've shared so far feels lukewarm.
Also, the actors seem a little disconnected too and that's troubling, because there's nothing left to elevate the mediocre writing.
The only interesting thing about this season so far is Toma's rival who seems to be both jealous and attracted to him at the same time.
Hopefully things will improve in the upcoming episodes, otherwise I'm not sure that I could stay with the series to the end.
Just IMHO of course!
It's an all around 4 out of 10, low/no budget, sub par acting, amateur writing and the NC scenes are cringy.
So, again, why am I watching it?
Somehow, Min U's character crawled under my skin and thanks to the actor, even though he's acting is a bit awkward at times, he still makes you feel all kinds of emotions!
Actually, the awkward acting fits perfectly the role, and Cho Myeong Gyun's eyes are doing all the work for him!
The fear, longing, hope, desire, the hurt and the betrayal are all in there and I'm hurting with him!
Since the episodes are only 10 minutes long, I can endure this slow-mo trainwreck (you know the one that you can't look away from), just for those expressive eyes of him!
Maybe I need a new hobby or a therapy? Both? 🤣
So far I found 2 on my list that are still available on main platforms now, but I'll keep checking and if I find more I'll post it for you!
I don't know if you have seen these ones yet, but if not, give them a try!
In 'Love's Better Than Immortality' Li Hong Yi absolutely nailed his role and of course, Zhao Lu Si never disappoints!
In 'The Legends' the demon is the gentle kind, but the story is great and Xu Kai and Bai Lu needs no selling points!
Love's Better Than Immortality (2019)
Zhao Lu Si, Li Hong Yi available on YOUKU
The Legends (2019)
Bai Lu, Xu Kai available on iQlYl
Even though Izaya and William left the show as a couple, I'm still worried about Izaya getting hurt, and I'm hoping that I was wrong about William and if his parents disapprove of whom he wants to be with, he won't abandon Izaya!
The last 3 episodes packed a lot of punches from Kazuyuki leaving to reconcile with his ex to Huwei falling for Bomi and coming out to his mom and the impact that it had on him and Bomi and they're crying together, through Jobu's mom showing up all loving and caring and bringing food for all the boys to an unexpected conflict between Hiroya and Tomoaki which thankfully got resolved!
Then, Huwei's grandma died and he had to leave for the funeral!
Last, but not least Taeheon got his dance-card double signed by Jobu and Hiroya and he'll have to decide who's getting the next tango with him! (Yeah, since '10 Dance' aired I can't resist making related metaphors 😄)
Last season he was like a big brother to everyone and now he's got a love triangle on his hands!
Of course, now I'm all in and very excited to see it through to the finish line!
Indeed, life is very short and wasting time on hating things like a BL series is really not a smart thing to do!