Megan

Half-way impressions:

I'm only on ep 7 so far, so I'm waiting for things to go horribly wrong for the ML, since that is in the summary. Kind of wish that wasn't going to happen, because I feel like there is enough going on with interpersonal relationships that it doesn't need 'sabotaged by evil chaebol' to add drama. I'd like more time spent with the people at the beauty shop-- some I really like and some we barely know.

I like that I can see where there is potential for romance between the two leads without it being a forgone conclusion. I could see them embracing a romantic relationship on top of their feelings of growing respect (I love that he already respects her! It has nothing to do with makeup, he just respects her as a person. That is super rare in a drama.) or just becoming friends that support each other and connect in a very special way. The age gap doesn't bother me because they aren't pretending it isn't there and she is 25. She's not a baby.

I actually find the FL relaxing to watch in this. I've seen complaints that she is bland, but I get tired of manic-pixie-dream girls, the 'fierce' loud girls, and the so-kind-she's-dumb girls/clumsy-but-hard-working girls (AKA candys). She is pretty average. Her looks aren't downplayed, she's not dumb, overly sweet, etc. She's just a nice, pretty, hard worker.

I liked that he had an anger issue that was shown to be a problem in the shop and it wasn't just him. It was shown as an industry problem and specifically in his shop both him and Mr. Kim had problematic outbursts. It was great that the company made policies to change it...and the ML embraced the change. At least so far. I guess I am only half way so far. Too often the ML changes into a nice guy...but only towards the FL and only because of the FL. I liked that it was completely unrelated.

I'd also watch the heck out of Son Hong Seok. Such a cute character. He was adorable.

My 2nd hand embarrassment was intense for the FL a few times at the beginning of the film... just sweetie, no! Overall a good movie, but I wish the main couple learned the importance of communicating with one another. A few moments were laugh out loud funny (the robot scene, getting out of the bathtub).

Thanks!

What is the name of the novel this is based on? The show seems to be leaving out a lot, lol.

I have watched it and it was quite fun! Thank you!

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the show, but yeah. It was kinda predictable and the acting was so-so. I felt like watching a toddler walking. Proud, but knowing they still need to practice more before trying to run.

Maybe mark as spoiler for people who didn't guess Rung right away. (Doesn't that actress always play a villainess? Lol.)

I would love to see more BL in this genre as well. It felt like they weren't quite sure how to juggle all the elements, but it was a good effort and very enjoyable. I enjoy romances set in a larger story arc.

This conversation has spiraled out in fine internet fashion. We just disagree. Not a big deal.

I never said Shi De should be alone because he is better at so many things. The problem is the show has him Best at Everything that Shu Yi competes in. It's a golden halo cliche.

I also never said that Shu Yi shouldn't make peace with never being able to beat Shi De. I'm saying it is OK and normal for Shu Yi to be frustrated by it and that it is a little depressing to watch someone be so easily surpassed in everything, especially when he is our protagonist.

I also think it is OK that I would prefer the show to have the race to number 1 be something they both had to work at, rather than a one sided competition with one person losing every time.

Yes, Shu Yi plays the piano and Shi De does not, but with how this show is setup, if Shi De DID play the piano, he would be the superior player. It's the show's hook.

It's a short show, with a gimmicky start. I get that. It just wouldn't have been that hard to add a little more depth to it. I mean, the whole idea was dropped very quickly after Shu Yi began to be an errand boy and the romance started. Surefire proof that it was just a plot device and not something that meaningfully contributed to character development. Yes, they study for exams in the last episode, but the outcome is never given and we never see Shu Yi have to deal with being #2 to his BF. He just suddenly no longer cares. The competition thing is only there to give the Shu Yi a reason to dislike Shi De at the beginning and no longer matters once they have a reason to be around each other. People like enemies-to-lovers stories. The competitiveness could have been used not just to move the plot along, but to tell us much more about the characters.

So yeah, I find the golden halo effect used in this way functionally sloppy and emotionally depressing.

I'm sure a lot of people really enjoyed that part of the show and found it funny or what not. It is played for laughs. It just didn't resonate that way with me. Nothing wrong with experiencing it either way (or even a third way!).

Never ever winning in anything at all for almost 10 years, against the same person, would be disappointing for anyone, let alone someone hyper competitive, who is also prone to feeling things very deeply. Being 3rd or 4th would be easier than permanent 2nd in EVERYTHING.

I just would have liked it better if Shi De only won MOST of the time. Personally, I wouldn't be comfortable being partners with someone who was smarter in every subject, better at every sport, wins every game played, etc.

Yes, Shu Yi lives a pretty great life: handsome, exceptionally smart, athletic and having some level of wealth. But that's not what he feels. He feels unrecognized for what he can do. That sucks. That's all I meant.

I mostly like the show so far, but it IS depressing to think about losing to someone in literally everything. It is hard to watch Shu Yi try so hard while Shi De shows him up every time. Especially because Shu Yi seems so emotionally sensitive.

It makes me think of the song "Better to be You" by Drew Ryan Scott from the Meow the Secret Boy OST:

"How do you tell someone you love that everything about them makes you feel like you're not good enough? They're better in every single way --Or at least in the things of this world that seem to matter anyway... It's not your fault you're the source of my insecurities...It's a cold and a strange reality when you can't escape the truth: In this life it's better to be you."

I loved the novel, liked the show, didn't like the manhwa, now I wanna try the anime!

I can't believe they didn't make a defensive plan as soon as the Wens had burned Cloud Recesses and kept the kids as hostages. As soon as the kids returned, the whole place should have been ready to evacuate and defend at a moments notice. That bothered me a ton. The place was burned because the Wens wanted to destroy all clans of any significant status, they were looking for a reason. WY was even willing to lose his hand, so blame foster mom for getting mad about the Wen mistress wanting to move in. JC could have prevented the lady from signaling if he hadn't darted back to intervene in his mom's fight. WY could have fought if he hadn't been whipped....
Yeah, I was always annoyed at the mental hoops that JC jumped through to blame WY. WY can blame himself because people tend to do that, but then he needs people like Senior Sister to step in and say, no honey, bad guys are the bad guys. You did nothing wrong.

Yes

I liked Cha Hyun's romance a lot, but TBH it really seemed like she was into Ga Gayeon. Girl was still fluttering and giddy around her over a decade later. It felt like watching a censored Chinese BL show.

If only she'd been bisexual with mostly resolved feelings for her good friend/first love. I'd have loved that. As it was, it didn't feel like just two girls who just hit it off as teens and stayed close. Everything about the way it was shot etc screamed attraction and that was distracting. It was so prominent, I have to assume writer/director was trying to DO something, I'm just not sure what.

I've never wanted a couple I liked so much to break up as much as I did Ta Mi and Morgan. It might sound mean, but I really wish they'd stayed broken up. Ta Mi has been in at least one relationship that ended because of the marriage issue (although she never mentions that to Morgan), and with Morgan it's both age and marriage and mommy-issues. The show worked so hard to draw the parallels between Morgan/Bio-Mom and Morgan/Ta Mi that it made their whole dynamic weird for me. IDK, I would have liked it better if they had just continued to work on letting go.

IDK about the Thai version, but the Kdrama was very horror-light. It was more about his relationship with the girl ghost (who is badass, not scary), figuring out who had tried to kill him as a kid, and taking care of the ghost-of-the-week (which was often setting them to peace by resolving an issue or a fighting sequence that involved actual punching and kicking, because that is how he exorcises ghosts).

Yay! I'm so excited to see the Thai version of this show.

2gether had some cringy sex jokes, though. I got really tired of Wat asking to touch Tine's boobs. It was made worse by the fact Tine would look horrified at the thought of his crush-and-the-later-BF wanting to touch him. It felt like they threw it in there to show us that Wat was attracted to Tine, but all it really did was highlight how unattracted Tine was to Wat.

I actually really liked the romance in Why R U?. Especially Fighter and Tutor who put time into figuring out what they really felt for each other, if it was lust or love, and if they were willing to pursue a same-sex relationship. It seems weird to say, but BL needs more gay main characters, and one of the things these two seemed to be doing was trying to confirm their attraction to men. It wasn't a perfect show by any means, but I really liked their romance. After they got over their initial rom-com antagonism, they were SO sweet together and really thoughtful. In the context of what the show was trying to do with them as a couple, I didn't feel the skinship was excessive, it seemed like a healthy part of their exploration.

Their relationship played off the other couple who took a more chaste route to forming a relationship and who were maybe the more conventional BL "it's not that I desire men, I just happen to love someone who is a man, and so I desire him", which totally works for me in some cases (Seven Days made me think both of those dudes were probably Pan, rather than gay or bi). It was alright here.

But yeah, your point stands, if someone is a skinship hound Why R U? is a great pick and if you dislike skinship, then you should probably skip it. LOL.

IDK I wrote so much, especially when I need to get ready for work. Nooooooooooo...