Liz

Thank you for your kind words!

Although I do see what you mean by wanting to use the adjective "platonic" to describe their love, I still think their love was romantic. Romantic love doesn't need sexual attraction to be complete. Nonetheless, there are moments in the show which makes it obvious that Wang (at least) feels a physical attraction to In (I'm thinking about the way he looked at In when he was in his dressing gown (or was it a cardigan? I can't quite remember) or when Wang tried to kiss him). Even without those scenes, their love is nothing like the kind of love friends share, however genuine.
The thing is, it also depends what you mean by "platonic". It has become such a tricky word >< Nowadays, it usually describes the kind of love friends share because a relationship between friends is affectionate and not sexual. However, such a definition implies that for a love to be romantic, it needs sex, yet it does not. Anyway, I'm kinda off-topic here, sorry. I'm pretty sure you used the word "platonic" because you didn't think their love was based on lust and in that sense, you are absolutely right ^^

I also completely agree with you when you say their love was more intimate than most relationships we usually see in movies/series. That hug was heart-wrenching to watch and yet it was so beautiful and intense. The way Wang quickly tore away from In so as to not let that hug sway his decision to leave... Truly heartbreaking but it also beautifully highlighted Wang's lucidity and strong will.

I wouldn’t say Wang is okay with it. I believe that Mol’s manipulation and gaslighting has led Wang to live in the shadow of his father — sometimes becoming it entirely. When he dreams of his father and realises he has the same face, it acts as a confirmation that he has internalised what happened to his father thus making him lose track of who he is. His innocence died the moment Siam passed away. He had to bear the guilt of his father’s death because of his mother's immaturity, without understanding why he felt that way. Him being sent away [to a boarding school] and Mol’s refusal to talk about Siam must have felt like an earthquake had shaken everything Wang took for real. Why would his mother reject him when he needed her the most? Why was he not allowed to express how much he missed his father? Why did her mother tell him he should never leave her although she was the one who left him all alone in a place he couldn’t call home? Why does he feel his father was a stranger to him in the end?

Inthawut — although he was, for the longest time, just a face in some pictures — soon became Wang’s only hope to remember his father as someone who deserved to be loved and not forgotten.

I do agree with you though regarding the fact that In was first struck by Wang because of his resemblance to Siam. However, this first impression later faded. In was humbled by Wang’s courage and grace – he was mesmerised by him. Although he couldn’t follow in Wang’s footsteps in the end, he still encouraged him to stay true to himself even when things felt too painful to even continue moving forward. His last words to Wang were a selfless act of love and something Wang desperately needed to hear.

As for In and Wang’s relationship, I felt like their feelings for each other were so intense that I couldn’t see their relationship as anything but genuine love.
In and Wang’s love is the kind of love that lasts for more than a lifetime. It would have never worked out but it was worth a try — the most desperate of tries. It would have never worked out because In has drowned himself with guilt. Because Wang speaks his mind whereas In shields himself with silence. In doesn’t feel worthy of such a genuine and warm love. He would have done anything to protect Wang from harm although he realised in the end that he was the one hurting him most and that’s why he decided to let him go.

In feels as though he has disappointed the world thus making him unworthy of any love nor happiness. He feels guilty about what happened to Siam and Mol and so he accepts whatever stabs she made at him with her harsh words. He offered his apologies relentlessly although he knew he couldn’t have changed the way things went.
Mol wants In to help her force her views on his son but In would never let that happen. Because Wang is the beacon of light he has aimlessly searched for all his life. The house he has built for himself is reminiscent of his inner self — a house so dark that it can only house shadows or broken reflections visible on the glass wall. In needs light but Wang's was so bright that it scared him, once again.

I apologise for such a long reply to your comment :( I wrote a detailed review about that series (hence my detailed comment ><) because I was fascinated by the characters’ complexity and In and Wang’s relationship if you’d care to read it (I quoted some parts in my comment) ^^

Your opinion of the series makes total sense! It's true there are many queer movies/series which tend to be gritty and tragic so it's always great when we see good representation with a hopeful ending. As heartbreaking as it was, the ending was so in keeping with the characters' personality, so real and raw that it was truly beautiful. Painful but beautiful. Although we won't see Wang navigates his way through life, I trust him. I know he'll be kind to himself and I have faith that he will keep on following his instincts.
In might be a frustrating character but I feel for him. His gentle soul has been aching for a while now and he is scared to be bruised all over again by how cruel and judgmental our world is. Wang's courage is something truly admirable but difficult to achieve for some. I just hope that his meeting with Wang soothed his heart a little.
It was lovely talking to you about the show. I really liked reading your take on it :)

I love how respectful your phrasing was: it feels refreshing ^^ However I don’t really understand why you'd say the three main characters haven’t changed at all although it seems they've all learnt so much. The hard truths they were confronted to acted as a violent wake-up call and eye-opener.
Wang is surely the one who’s changed the most. You can see his growth in the way he behaves with his mom: from indulging her to letting her voice fade in the background to focus on his inner self.
In’s development is more subtle although it’s made obvious by Wang’s presence by his side. As I’ve already said to someone in the comments, I see In as a tragic character whose meeting with Wang made him feel a little braver inside. The way he opened up to Wang was a huge step forward. He still has a long way to go but Wang changed him for the best although it might not be obvious.
As for Mol, her development is not clearly shown because it feels as though she got her way in the end. I don’t think she did however — not really anyway. Here’s my take on the ending:

"In’s resignation allowed Mol to have everything she wanted, as always. Although she did get her way in the end, Wang is the only one who’s triumphant. He realised that his mother never had his best interests at heart and that knowledge changed him. Knowing that, he has finally the means to break free from her grip and he has. Him not responding to her constant chatting in the car, holding on to the book that the one he loves has gifted him, aware that this book is nothing but proof that In’s love is persevering… Him looking at the window is him looking for a way to exist and be his own person.
Mol will forever live blinded by her strong convictions while In will live with an ever growing pain in his heart. A hole in his chest that the loneliness he has forced on himself will forever expand. As for Wang, he will fly on because he now knows things he didn’t before."

I'm glad you chose to watch the last two episodes in the end. Although I do see why you'd think the ending was pessimistic, I thought it was in keeping with Wang's character thus making it realistic.
If you don't mind, I'll leave you an extract from the review I've written below to give you my take of the ending. Feel free not to read it though ^^

"In’s resignation allowed Mol to have everything she wanted, as always. Although she did get her way in the end, Wang is the only one who’s triumphant. He realised that his mother never had his best interests at heart and that knowledge changed him. Knowing that, he has finally the means to break free from her grip and he has. Him not responding to her constant chatting in the car, holding on to the book that the one he loves has gifted him, aware that this book is nothing but proof that In’s love is persevering… Him looking at the window is him looking for a way to exist and be his own person.
Mol will forever live blinded by her strong convictions while In will live with an ever growing pain in his heart. A hole in his chest that the loneliness he has forced on himself will forever expand. As for Wang, he will fly on because he now knows things he didn’t before."

In is a tragic character but I believe that him meeting Wang made him feel a little braver inside. The way he opened up to Wang was a huge step forward.
He still has a long way to go but Wang changed him for the best although it might not be obvious.

I have a feeling you will like the ending. Perhaps you should give the last two episodes a try?

It seems I cannot move on from this series so here I am, posting the longest review I've ever written >< This series gave us a lot of food for thought so it was impossible for me to keep my review short.

You're welcome <3 I hope you'll enjoy the next drama you choose to watch ^^

I've personally chosen to drop this drama. I couldn't finish the second episode. You shouldn't be watching something that makes you feel horrible about yourself :( I agree with you on the fact that they haven't properly researched such topics. You deserve to watch things that make you feel seen and understood and that drama is not it. I hope you will get the help you need. Do listen to yourself: if you feel this drama is hurtful to you then drop it. Don't burden yourself.

I’m in the middle of episode 2 and I’m at a loss for words. How can a drama which aims at raising awareness of suicide and mental health issues can be so clueless of the complexity of it all? There is absolutely no nuances in the dialogues. Do they really think that people who are victims of bullying just didn’t try to overcome it? Do they think that one’s trauma can be forgotten by some hopeful words (which were uttered only /after/ the pink-haired lady has told the person they’re trying to protect the most cruel words one can say to someone ready to take their own life). No wonder the RM team is doing so poorly…
Sure, I’m being harsh and I should watch other episodes before stating my opinion but I saw someone saying that suicidal people should watch that drama and I so strongly disagree that I needed to write that comment.
Representation is great and so important but only when it’s done right and when things aren’t oversimplified for the sake of entertainment.

Hi! Does anyone know where I can watch this short film with English subs? I can't seem to find it anywhere :(

Thank you!

Does anyone know the title of the ending song?

I also liked the fact that every character in this movie was kind in their own ways :(

Kiryuu Shogo is such a precious and thoughtful friend :( His character was the one I liked best in this movie along with Yamagishi Saki who’s also a caring friend.
It’s a shame they tried to “force” a bit of romance between Hase Yuki and Fujimiya Kaori. I was slightly disappointed when Yuki half-jokingly asked Kaori if they could be more than friends. I would have liked this movie to be solemnly focused on showing how fulfilling a friendship can be, with no hints of romance whatsoever. Nevertheless, it’s still a great tale of friendship which makes it worth watching.
The ending was pretty cute and wholesome :(

The rawness of their emotions during the confession scene... What brilliant acting!

I completely understand your point of view. May I suggest you read @XGourmet's comment? (As of right now, it's the most recent comment.) They talked about the whole bullying situation which is shown in the earlier episodes and I think their comment is quite convincing.

Your comment is so sweet! Thank you so much!

No one asked but here is my take on Hira and Kiyoi’s relationship.

The first thing that needs to be clarified is the fact that both of them are not toxic nor is their blossoming relationship. According to the Oxford Languages dictionary, the adjective “toxic” is used to describe something “very harmful or unpleasant in a pervasive or insidious way”. They both do hurt each other; however, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re being toxic. The pain they are inflicting to each other is not something they mean to do. Indeed, they do so for the pure and simple reason that they are lost and distressed because of the things they are trying to figure out. They are experiencing feelings they have never felt before and the intensity of those feelings disconcert them profoundly.
That confusion takes different forms. On the one hand, Hira is someone who feels a lot but is unable to word what he is feeling. He is going through an emotional turmoil (someone in the comment used that term and I thought it was accurate as well as relevant) and the very obvious sign of that is his stutter. I’ve noticed that Hira starts speaking with a stutter when he is feeling stressed. You might want to point out the fact that he sometimes had a stutter when talking to Kiyoi which would mean that being around him is a cause of stress. However, he isn’t always anxious when he is around Kiyoi. He is when he notices that Kiyoi is on edge but doesn’t know the reason why. He is when he sees Kiyoi hiding behind the wall he has built around himself and suddenly becoming withdrawn and purposely hurtful.
Kiyoi, on the other hand, seems to hate not being able to control and understand his emotions which means that confusion, to him, is an unbearable feeling. Thus, he uses his anger and his spitefulness not only to hide his fears and insecurities but to also push away Hira who is the one making him feel all sorts of things.
When the tension between the two eases down, the two can communicate with each other in a genuine way. The time they spent at that playground in the last episode proved that the two could actually talk without being mean to each other. Them being slightly drunk tenderly brought out their inner and conflicting emotions (especially Kiyoi’s). Yes, Kiyoi did kick Hira in the leg afterwards and I do not condone his action but, at the same time, it’s such a Kiyoi reaction. The boy takes one step forward and two steps back. It’s just the way he is. Not everyone can be clear and reasonable about their feelings (not many can to be honest).

Someone in the comment said that when Kiyoi says “gross”, he doesn’t say it to Hira but rather, he says that to himself. That person has a good point; however, I do understand this whole thing a bit differently. The word Kiyoi uses is indeed strong and should be very insulting. Nevertheless, for some reasons, it doesn’t really feel like Kiyoi uses it to insult Hira. Paradoxically, he might say it because he cannot understand how Hira lets his confusion be so obvious. He cannot understand how he could have that effect on someone, how someone could look at him so earnestly. Nonetheless, if any of you take it as nothing but a blatant sign of homophobia, you have every right to do so and I hope this series didn’t hurt you in any way. Kiyoi and Hira are both navigating with difficulty through the emotional turmoil their feelings for each other has created in their hearts and that is why their behaviours can be thoughtless at times.

Finally, that same person said that Kiyoi calling Hira “stalker” is more like a nickname than anything else and I agree with that. Again, it’s not friendly but we’re talking about Kiyoi here. Do any of you genuinely expect him to call Hira by an affectionate pet name? I believe he forces himself to call him that way so as not to let his feelings show. If he was to pronounce Hira’s name, he might not be able to control his voice completely and so a hint of softness might make itself audible and we all know that Kiyoi would hate that.

Anyway, I feel like Hira and Kiyoi have many other layers to show us so let’s be patient with them.
I didn’t mean to invalidate anyone’s feelings with this comment. I just wanted to share my take on this series which gives me mixed feelings (Indeed, I’ll admit it, the first episodes made me a bit sceptical. However, episode 4 was rather touching and made me look forward to what’s coming next.).

Let’s not forget that having different opinions is what makes interpretation so beautiful: a same thing can be viewed differently.

Thanks for your sweet reply :)