Jessica Brown

Multiple "quick" thoughts (MAJOR SPOILERS) after finishing:

• The women's wardrobe for this show were so amazing. I was gawking over their outfits every episode.
• The actresses for Madam Li and Auntie Chan carried this show. Also, honorable mention to Mr. Ma.
• Without Pin's character, the storyline would have been doomed. I feel her character deserves more love.
• Jiu's actor got more handsome every episode, and his smile is a ray of sunshine.
• The phrase "Tian's secret" had me laughing almost the whole season.
• I kind of dislike how easy Tian and Yang forgave everyone, but at the same time, I wish Madam Li was still alive. Take the dad instead (or take both of them).
• I find it so funny that the plot was just "how many people can Madam Li justify killing."
• And.. that mushroom scene with all the mushroom dishes.. That's still my favorite scene of the entire show. How many angles of Madam Li being shocked and disgusted? YES.
• Chan got no real consequences for her actions. I feel she was spared too easily.
• Yang at the beginning was very lovable, but I feel the writers let his character fall to the wayside. He would have been dull and frustrating without Pin.
• The finale was lackluster.. they just kept repeating "being gay is okay" for an hour but the show overall was still very enjoyable.
• Mud made me lesbian.

Yes, I admit that most women have almost no perspective when it comes to gay stories, and they are all our fantasies. Minus the sexual assault and homophobia, I think I very much enjoy BL because I am the target audience after all. Things like this make me curious about the future of BL. I hope as time passes, everyone's stories can be told with less prejudice! I still want my unrealistic delulu stories though. Can't lie. Good day to you.

I am a woman and don't have such fantasies, but rape fantasies generally come from women's very real fear of being raped. Human brains are weird and often cope with fears or taboos by instead allowing us to feel sexually aroused by them somehow taking (psychological) power back. Women writing rape fantasies of women is very common in the West. I am assuming that when yaoi took over, women just took these already existing ideas in straight literature and turned it into a gay story.

I don't know where the homophobia part came in. I am very confused and interested by the ties of yaoi and homophobia. Because it seems that many female Y writers are homophobic themselves. It's so confusing for someone like me who does not consider herself homophobic at all but has always been drawn to gay media.

So it's the classic he's so homophobic that he circles around and becomes gay.. Huh. What a terrible story to tell. I guess that's some realism right there. Still feel bad for Ren though.

The thing is, even if that's true, why rape him? If he doesn't want to get caught, why would he do the thing that will get him caught? Is he so evil that he rapes Ren just to see him writhe in fear?

Even if this is the case, to have an impactful ending.. Kazuma could have come at the perfect time. No need for it to actually happen.

I am so disheartened to hear that Ren has to live with that trauma for the rest of his life.. as if he wasn't already traumatized enough. From watching the show alone, I feel like the only reason to add the Sanada storyline is for extra beef to the plot. Maybe even the author wants to teach a moral lesson or two, but let's be honest.. Rape is bad. People who rape go to jail.. Is this much of a lesson?

I feel like this show has the potential to almost glorify rape.. It's like.. "Oh. He got raped but he'll be okay. The other guy got caught." I don't think it's for realism. Why? As everyone else pointed out, Sanada has only assaulted women to our knowledge and showed no such intentions towards Ren. This really seems like a dramatization by the author for the ultimate "climax."

Are we supposed to swoon over Kazuma when he accepts Ren for all that he is? A man (cuz apparently he's straight) with a troubled past and now has even been raped.. Is that supposed to be some fairytale ending? The ending of the show could be just as impactful if it was caught on camera of Sanada attempting to assault. Or even just Kazuma's testimony that he walked in on it and saved him just before. That paired with other evidence and witnesses.. No way that would not corroborate his arrest and conviction. There is no reason for Ren to be raped! No reason!!! It makes no sense.

It really seems like the manga/show/whatever is using rape as a show pony....

I love this show. I get y'all's concerns, but I'm here for twisted Japan and green-screen treadmill running. No country can do it better. As long as everyone is okay in the end.. no one is sexually assaulted, I will call it a job well done and minimum 8 stars rating from me. Ren is still one of the most beautiful men I have seen to date. Immaculate.

I love this show, but this cracked me up. "Sanada looks like he weighs all of 100 lbs., and his arms look like they would have a hard time lifting a 5 lb dumbbell." 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I agree with you completely that the running scene was comical. I actually laughed at this too. The punching scene was bad. Who knows if its poor budget/lack of expertise or they are just lazy. Besides the over-dramatization, I think the two male leads are great actors, and their chemistry is off the wall. I am still loving this show. As long as we get the male lead comes to save his lover at the last second trope, I'm all good. Because Ren getting sexually assaulted will seriously break my heart.

It's definitely a treat to binge-watch! The mushroom dinner scene goes down in history for me as one of the best scenes in a BL ever. I know technically it's a lakorn but.. BL lakorn. Lol.

I'm on episode 11, and I love this show. Dang. BL is a gift from God and the universe.

This is so cute. It is confusing if they are together or not though watching ep 4. They are dating or no? Their chemistry is so strong. I hope the show stays cute with little to no angst because I'm loving this!

My favorite thing about her is how resolute and honest she is with others and herself. The way she spoke of her mother and the way she told Kawi that she doesn't want to speak to him at that moment. Even when her world is crashing down around her, she is strong and beautiful. It's sad that she held onto Kawi so long just to end up with Not because she wanted to be a married woman. That timeline was wack, but I think she's definitely a strong person.

She has been in another BL as well. She has even played a bisexual character in a relationship with another girl in Friendzone 2. Not to mention she's in a girl group called Sizzy with 3 other GMM actresses. People who think she's a bad actor clearly do not know who she is. I've never thought she was a bad actress.

Okay. Perfect. Now all I need is for Kawi and Pisaeng to be happy together forever and for SOMETHING good to happen to Pear. Anything! I used to think Pisaeng's life was the most pathetic.. But no, it's Pear's. I really think this timeline is the best one. Please let Pear make good life choices. Also, if GMM starts doing more GLs after this first one, you can easily put Aye in a lead role, and I will watch every episode the second its uploaded. Please Thank you. Team Pear. Let's go.

This guy is super cute. He deserves his own pairing for sure. Even with such a small role, he really shines.

Dang. I am so thankful for a second season of this show. Thank you Japan!!

This show is a dream for me. I hope that Ren says his thoughts outloud soon. We always get to hear them, but I wish Kazuma could hear them too since they're so beautiful! I only wish the best for them <3.

I like the addition of Sing and Jan as a couple. It should really liven this show up.

In love with this couple. And Ren is just a walking fairy-tale. Just everything about him is perfect. 😍😍😍 I love seeing him so vulnerable and soft when he's with Kazuma 😍😍😍😍😍😍

First two episodes are cute, but it's hard to judge whole show with just those two. It seems to be a light-hearted show with ghost/supernatural theme. Also, it's the only Taiwanese series airing right now! I think that's enough to check it out.