SpikedBoba

Thank you! That makes more sense.

The acting in this last episode was superb, truly outstanding. The subtleties left me riveted. I am both mystified and fascinated by the obsessive, infatuated, idolizing love Hira AND Kiyoi seem to have for each other. Is it a healthy love? Obviously not, but I can appreciate that the writing is not trying to sugarcoat or pass it off as one, or worse as a fluff, romantic piece in any way. This isn't supposed to be a typical romance, it's dark and gritty and yeah, a little disturbing. Something I hate the most is when people try to argue and pass off clearly problematic and abusive behavior as the lead up to a functional loving relationship. Completely OT but Mame's work is the perfect example of that, it's just a bunch of bullshit. Pause to say if you like her work and are arguing that this is problematic I'm giving you serious side-eye right now. I mean, If you're going to go for "realistic" then go for realism and truly dive into the complex grey areas. It's completely irresponsible to mess around with abusive tropes because you think they're cute and a good lead-up to your love interests getting together without there being any careful thought or substance. Anyway, rant over. All of this to say that I can appreciate a grey to dark drama/love story if the writing, direction, production, acting, etc. are up to par, and this ticks all those boxes and then some.

Both Kiyoi and Hira are clearly disturbed and have gravitated toward each other with a magnetic intensity that's amplified by their stark polarity. They shouldn't be together and yet should they really be with anyone else? What's that one saying, there's a Jack for every Jill? This is very much that type of scenario hah. I really appreciated getting to dive into Kiyoi's perspective. His very clear abandonment and detachment issues have been well thought out/written and portrayed in a way that makes sense. Honestly, for those rooting for Koyama, I'd feel bad for him in a half-assed relationship with Hira. He would always be second best, with the way Hira views Kiyoi, it would be like trading the sun for a sparkler. I haven't read the novel yet but I'm hoping I can find a translation somewhere soon because I'm really interested in seeing the original intent from the author. (which granted could change my perspective of things, but the series itself is really well done).

EDIT: I also have to edit this to add something that's really been bothering me. Was this just a mistranslation, or was Koyama really going around telling people Hira was his boyfriend when they were only friends? Were they even dating? Because uh...not cool, also manipulative much? Not to say that I think he's the villain, I don't think any of them are, but I certainly wouldn't cast him as the "innocent" in all this. I think they're all equally imperfect and flawed in really distinct ways.

I wasn't expecting much from this for some reason, but I've been pleasantly surprised! I've really enjoyed the episodes so far.

This series is so sweet and lighthearted. Are the characters naive, silly, and adorable? Absolutely, and I love it lol it makes me happy and lightens my mood every week to watch it. Personally, I'm happy to see just an innocent, happy-go-lucky teen BL. Often the themes are much darker so it's hard to find the opposite but also have the series be well-made with some care and thought put into it. Or it's just a mess of problematic issues without proper resolution or follow-through. I appreciate a darker, more complex storyline as much as anyone, but I think it's a good thing to show that gay romance doesn't always have to be rife with angst, tears, pain, and overly complex emotions. Considering the age range we're working with too I appreciate that they're showing that not everyone wants to jump into sex and physical love right away. And not everyone is ready for it at that age, sometimes it's nice just to take things slowly without any pressure on either side for more. This whole series just warms my usually cold, cynical heart lmao I'm taking things at face value and enjoying this fluffy ride.

I said this in an earlier comment but I think a good comparison is The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese. Particularly when it comes to the infatuated, initially one-sided, love interest. It also has very grey areas, and doesn't go to the extreme that Sei no gekiyaku goes to. IMO I think that's a bit too strong of a comparison, but that's just me.

So far the vibes of this series is giving me teenage The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese. I'm not saying the storyline is remotely similar, but I have a feeling that the characters are going to be similarly not as cut and dry/black and white as most people are comfortable with. Honestly, what's throwing me off the most is the OST lol. I'm really hoping we get the level of acting that series had though, I thought it was really good, I mean TCMDC was fucked up but it was meant to be. The writing made no qualms about that fact and didn't try to pass the reality of who the characters were as a typical rainbows and butterflies romance. I think there's meant to be an element of discomfort in this, and so far I'm enjoying the subtle complexities displayed. I definitely see that this is touching on a Submissive/Dominant relationship and I hope - since it very clearly is going in that direction - that they do it justice and portray one accurately. Some people really aren't comfortable with that dynamic but I should point out that a proper Dom/Sub relationship does NOT mean abuse of the Sub. Proper relationships of that nature are built on trust, consent, rules, and outlined boundaries between partners. So far I think they're at least making the attempt. Personally, I'll tap out if we veer into the non-consent = appropriate romantic behavior and is therefore rewarded with a relationship. I really think if people are expecting the sweet fluffy type of series we got with Cherry Magic (and similar) you should probably prepare yourself for this being of a darker, more discomfiting tone. So far we've started off really strong and I'm curious to see where this goes. Also, I have to say it, Yagi Yusei is f'ing stunning I can see how Hira got steamrolled.

EDIT: I also have to add that I really, REALLY hope we don't start getting people shitting on submissive personalities in the comments. It happens every time a character is submissive and it really is so upsetting. Someone can be submissive and still be a complex individual, it doesn't automatically qualify them as being a doormat, unintelligent, unconfident, unable to love themselves, or someone to disparage. It's automatically seen as this negative, undesirable quality when there is literally nothing wrong with being a submissive person unless the person in question is being hurt.

Both Nanon and Ohm are such excellent actors. Pran killed me in his scenes this episode. The subtlety and concealment of his pain were just... heartrending. He was also so relatable. Sometimes actors can make these scenes so dramatic and unbelievable with the way they react, but everything about Nanon's portrayal was on point. Pat is so unbelievably clueless lol but not in a frustrating way (at least not yet). He just really and truly doesn't understand quite yet what his feelings for Pran are. He knows he enjoys being around him, enjoys teasing him, enjoys getting a reaction out of him but he hasn't quite put 2 and 2 together. He's so convinced of his feelings for Ink that I almost can't wait for her to give him a reality check next episode. It will be interesting to see him start to make that connection and I hope they do it justice. I think Ohm is up to the challenge for sure.

I read a comment where someone said "Pran is an open book but Pat doesn't know how to f'ing read!" It had me in stitches (honestly the comments have been hilarious and on point from the beginning) but it also was so accurate. He doesn't have the tools yet to accurately read what's happening so he's just missing it entirely.

I don't think Pat realizes what his feelings for Pran are yet. He's about to though lol he thinks he likes Ink.

Pat was hoping to be alone with Ink but then she invited Pran to stay and sit with them. His sister left saying "I'm making way for you" to tease him about letting him have alone time with Ink, because it was obvious to her that he was hoping they'd get some. You can tell he was kind of treating it like a date by the way he even dressed up nice. He was awkward because Pran kind of unintentionally crashed his "date" haha I don't think he was upset that Pran got invited but he was disappointed and trying to play it off. And obviously Ink doesn't have feelings for Pat so she didn't see anything wrong with inviting Pran to sit and hang out with them.

? I literally can't make sense of half of what you said. I don't think it's too much to ask for people to be culturally aware if you're going to consume media from different cultures but ok, apparently it is.

I don't know if you just didn't read through my comments at all - what I wrote was apparently quite triggering for you, must be past experience - or if there's just a severe lack of reading comprehension, but what you wrote makes zero contextual sense. I never denied there being kisses in Thai BL or that there is the existence of full-on sex scenes either. Neither of those things has any relevance to my asking OP to be understanding of the fact that there is cultural relevance to the "sniff kiss" that makes it offensive (in my opinion) for someone to simply demand it stop being used because they happen not to like it? It's literally a part of their culture. But I guess be outraged over that if it makes you feel better, you do you.

Well, that's what makes it complicated. This is a person with Dissociative Identity Disorder, people with this disorder can still lead normal lives and do still retain their true adult selves through one of their identities, even when others can be small children or take on child-like characteristics. It's a complex situation. What's interesting to me is that Noah is described as the personality he "developed" when he seems to spend the most time as Noah and seems to revert to become YS.

I guess I'm just not sure what you're saying, should people who have DID not be in relationships? Should they not find partners to love and care for them? This disorder doesn't have a cure and can last a person's entire life...it just seems if someone is willing to love and take care of a person with DID, even understanding the difficulties they will face, that's not a negative thing? Especially not when it comes to media portraying DID as similar to psychosis. You're right that therapy will help and is a journey to some semblance of a normal life even if it's not a solution. A person with DID might not ever absorb all or any of their alters. I appreciate that there was what I think was an attempt to portray that by WZ taking YS/Noal to a professional for help. I think he is trying to help him because he cares, not just ignoring the issues he has.

He also isn't hiding his relationship with him even knowing what he's like. I definitely think this show isn't anywhere close to realistic hah, but I do appreciate them trying to show that someone with DID is just a person at the end of the day, who has the same needs and wants as any other. YS is going to be childish because he is immature, but Noah isn't. Though they've given us clues that YS is much more cognizant than he lets on. For example in the shower scene, it shows him deliberating and then he deliberately appears naked in front of WZ in the kitchen. That wasn't on accident by any means. He also understood what it meant when WZ shook him off on the street. They haven't indicated what exactly his mental age is when he's YS though I would imagine that YS developed other coping mechanisms, like his immaturity, as a protective measure just as much as Noah is due to his traumatic past, I think the real YS/Noal might likely even be someone else or a mixture of the two that we haven't seen yet. Just my thoughts on things anyway, it's definitely a complex storyline with a lot of grey areas.

I'm not so sure, in my opinion, his acting is a little too one-note for me. He just really doesn't portray emotion well, he overacts which is a typical problem when acting doesn't come naturally to someone. I'm not saying he couldn't improve, I just don't think he'll ever be the right sort of actor for complex characters. I could very well be wrong though. When I say there's no nuance I meant that he can't balance the highs and lows in scenes. And technically this is his second major acting role, and he's been in quite a few other projects as well (I also watched him in Close Friend) and I haven't seen much if any improvement. I personally just don't think he suits a main character role, but that's just me.

That's actually surprising to me about Saint hah I actually knew instantly he was an actor to watch because of his portrayal of Pete in LBC. Particularly after I realized that nothing about the way he portrayed the character was him in real life. I'd read the book so was very aware of how much he internalized who Pete was as a person. He's improved greatly from then, but you could already tell from that role he had so much potential.

Well, Mame strikes again, are we shocked? No. Literally, the only reason I'm watching this is because a friend grabbed me with Leon and Pob's scenes early on and I was hooked on their couple. I can safely say they're the couple to watch this series. Goes to show you that when she's not intent on throwing every problematic plot and ploy into a script Mame can actually pull together a healthy, loving dynamic in a really heartwarming way. She should just steer clear from her "damaged" characters and relationships in general, that's where it always goes so unbelievably wrong.

Fiat was literally the worst character in TT2, he was a spoiled, petulant brat we've learned his back story at least, so there is that, but tbf not much has changed. Though I may have enjoyed the character more then and in this series if there was more nuance. Perhaps if the actor was better at carrying emotion. I think he's trying his best, but he doesn't have the range to portray emotions well. His crying scenes are painful to watch and not in an "I feel empathy for this character" way.

They're in a boy group together (along with Bas) haha they've been friends for years.

Episode 9 was so intense emotionally, they did such a good job. I was devastated the whole time.

I love these two so much, KimCop all the way. They've been friends for so long they have the best dynamic.

As much as people have issues with this series and as imperfect as it was, I'm ready to take it for what it is and enjoy it. It honestly had some really good moments, I loved MarkKit's story and relationship. I'm all for more KimCop coming back as MarkKit and I honestly did become invested in seeing the endings to a lot of these couples and characters lol. Wayu/Thanu were endgame for me from the beginning so I'm ready to see how that plays out. Also, I'm really hoping we get more Sab, and that something ends up sparking between him and Padbok. Also, Jack and Phai finding their own happy endings would be nice too!

Mainly because people went in already attached to that pair haha DunBas were/are extremely popular in Thailand and they were being marketed together WAY before the series started. They constantly hang out together, did lives together, were all over each other's social media, and participated in all the marketing for the show as a couple so of course, everyone fell in love with the idea of them being a pairing no matter what. It was pretty strategic, StarHunter wanted this pairing to be endgame. That's why I was so surprised to see people thinking Wayu and Phai ever had a chance of being together. A huge clue to that was in the marketing for the show, they were never even in the same room together haha and actually, I don't think Pon even participated in any of the marketing for it (like the usual fan meets and things).

I think it they purposefully tried to make it vague, as an artistic choice, but yeah I get it can be hard to catch things sometimes. There's a lot of subtle nuances in this, which I actually prefer as a viewer, but some people might not really like hah.