TinyMoose

What really makes me sad is that this had to have happened to him multiple times for it to create PTSD symptoms like that. Bullies suck.

Oh good point! On the most simplistic level it could just be a reflection of Amber's insecurities of KNOWING he is different.....and it just bleeds off into his reaction. UGH. This gives me pain.

I'm gonna guess it is a translation thing. "Chromosomal abnormality" is at least doable for me anyway. It also bothered me to call it an 'illness'. It would be better described as a "genetic disorder" maybe. "Inherited disease" makes it sound like one of his parents had a chromosomal abnormality that got transferred to him. Maybe that implies XXY or he is mosaic for XX and XY (learned about mosaicism in genetics courses in college) or something...... idk. The translations or choice of phrasing here might be a cultural/society thing where they are trying to get a larger audience to look at intersex.....or explain it in such a way to emphasize that it is a medical thing. Idk. I try to not overthink translations. :)

Guys guys.... so after finishing ep 9, I went back and rewatched all the previous episodes, and WOW did I slam into some possible parallels for the future of our cute (yet sad) Amber. Let me know what you think!

So in ep 7 when they all found Xiao Li by the sea, Ah Guan says the following to his lover Xiao Li:
"I thought it might be a pleasant surprise but meanwhile, I was also afraid that you'd be mad. Because I hadn't told you earlier. So I kept delaying it. I really didn't mean to keep you in the dark. I just didn't know how to tell you."

OMG. I...... just....... can't........ It so speaks of Amber's head space also.

And then Xiao Li tells Ah Guan: "I'm so scared. I'm scared you may leave me."
Then look closely at the next shot of Amber in the ep..... that actor is so good!

Anyway..... just contemplating and wasting time until ep 10. Can't wait.

Get out of my head! I totally agree with you. This series is a complete WOW surprise to me. So enjoyable so far!

Same. The emotion from both the actors in question was so raw and felt so real. I am in awe.

Come to the dark side! Binge and catch up with us so you can spend the time chatting next couple of weeks!

Intersex can have a long range of phenotypes....and he could very well have had all the ducts and other breast tissue there.....so removing it might have been an option so look masculine. I am going to assume this show won't go into Amber's personal details so we can only guess.... Even in trans men, just taking hormones doesn't get rid of the underlying hardware, so surgery is an option to help with that. There are more to breasts than just fat ;)

I am pleasantly surprised also that the series went this way. I am really loving this series so far! The mystery was really engaging and I really enjoyed all the comments from everyone trying to solve it before the reveal; it made it even more fun!

If you read carefully in the rules for descriptors, it clearly says that they CANNOT be spoilers. Putting 'intersex' is clearly a spoiler since the whole mystery of the story is for the viewer to try to figure out how the little girl Wenwen is connected to the adult male Amber. Also, Gay is totally accurate for this series.

Cruel people are everywhere in every country. And teenagers can be especially cruel if they want to be. Likewise, there are caring and nice people in every country also, so lets focus on that :)

Makes sense. I had to rewatch it and yep....he does say he is male, so we have to go with what he says.

This whole thread regarding the sticky notes really put a smile on my face. Thanks fam :) I love the fun places your minds all go!

Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome seems logical if what Amber said was true. It occurs in what.... 1 out of 20,000 people and can have a wide range of phenotypes. The thing that is sad about AIS is that there is a large range where the parents have to decide/chose on whether their child travels down the male or female pathway....and I often wonder how often the parents (though well meaning) might make the wrong choice. For example, it seems really traumatizing/cruel for Amber to switch genders like that....but I guess it depends on where along that phenotypic continuum he was..... does Amber identify as male or female? Did his parents make the right choice? Episode 9 really just smacked us in the gut with PAIN. Geez.

SAME. It blind sided me.

lol. It comes out once a week like most series. Also, this is why I often wait until the series is complete before starting..... I love to binge also!

SAME. I can just get lost in many of the long beautiful shots with no dialogue.

It is a series that has that "slice of life" vibe, so I think that is its purpose. The story is more about the journey and they little moments and interactions of the characters.

I agree with you. I don't think the temple story was meant to cover the whole series; it was a reason for a connection/adventure outing together of our main characters, and definitely serves as a conversation starter about love and acceptance of those around them and within themselves. Definitely parallels/concepts the writers want us to hold onto as we watch the rest of the series.

Just finished ep 8 (please note at this point I am under the assumption that Amber is indeed Wenwen). And WOW. Amber had seen them a whole year ago. He looked surprised to see them at the park, so I have the feeling he was not intending on looking for them initially.....only revisiting childhood locations for nostalgia reasons. Things that are clear during this flashback: Amber 1) recognized them and realized who they were on first sight, 2) instinctively wanting to interact with them, which is clear by how far he had walked over from the swing..... , 3) lost the little bit of courage he had in approaching them (the thought of saying something to them dying as quickly as it came initially when he first spotted them) when they completely did not look at him as they walked past, and 4) Amber did NOT even attempt to contact them again for an entire year, implying he was willing to just hold onto the happy memories and move on, too afraid to reconnect with them. Amber's look after they had walked past him with no acknowledgement SAYS IT ALL. There is no anger, no blame there, but simply melancholy sadness filled with resignation of almost like 'of course they won't recognize me' and 'of course they won't remember me'. This parallels nicely with the scene before when Ah Le told Amber, after Amber asked him if he'd want to see Wenwen again, "It's been so long, I doubt she even remembers me." It EXACLTY mirrors the feelings of Amber toward his childhood friends also. Amber had the same doubts! That lack of confidence and probably fear of rejection (and fear of them not even remembering him) was so STRONG that it took Amber an entire year (a whole YEAR!) to gain the courage to attempt to approach them again for whatever reasons (whether it was just curiosity or a sincere desire to try to reconnect, only time will tell....if even the series will let us know Amber motivation). But for these reasons, rewatching the end of ep 1 and the beginning of ep 2 is even more heartbreaking when you see Amber's reactions/mannerisms when bravely deciding to walk into that cafe. I imagine he may have been standing outside across the street for hours before being able to do so, maybe after seeing Ah Le run in..... I really love the slice of life vibes of this series and many of the beautiful camera shots (gives me such a french cinema vibe).