XGourmet

I Told Sunset About You is probably the best I’ve seen so far with that theme. It’s about childhood friends whose friendship disintegrates because of rivalry, and their subsequent reunion in high school felt very intense and realistic.

Yeah that’s exactly why I like Hira and Kiyoi’s dynamic so much! I also wish there was more romance that encourage this kind of independence TT
I feel like a codependent relationship would be especially bad for someone with obsessive tendencies like Hira and I’m glad that Kiyoi didn’t take advantage of that.

Yes, I really liked that moment too! Especially since I was fully expecting Hira to offer. It says a lot that he didn’t.

I’m not clear on the target demographic, but I initially thought this show was for teens because it was a highschool romance, or at least that’s what the synopsis told me. After watching though I feel like it’s for an older crowd? This kind of subtlity isn’t the norm in high school romances imo so people who were expecting something similar to Kieta Hatsukoi for example might have been expecting it to be more straightforward than it is. Meanwhile the closest show I can think of that has this kind of subtle approach (The Bad Kids) is for a completely different genre and demographic lol

That makes sense.
I like Koyama so far and even feel a bit bad for him, but I guess I’ll have to see what happens next episode XD

Yes, there is definitely a huge disparity between inner Kiyoi and how he projects himself XD

@Ximmich and @Suckmytoes123
I’m even more clueless about the twist since I’ve only seen up to ep 4 of the drama and know nothing about the novel or cd lol. I just saw a few non spoiler comments below that mentioned a big revelation when we finally see things from Kiyoi’s perspective so I assumed his personality was about to do a 180 turn XD Based on what @Ximmich said though, it’s most probably only a twist if Kiyoi’s true character isn’t apparent to the viewer yet.
I love Kiyoi’s character complexity a lot too and I’m excited to see the stuff you mentioned playing out!

LOL thank you.
I’m blaming the negative perception of Kiyoi on the director choosing to rely more on indirect rather than direct storytelling.
Like, it’s only a brief shot but by the time Kiyoi visits Hira’s room, Hira’s spare change collection seems to have grown to a preposterous amount, which hints at their arrangement being not all it seems. Normally the guy buying the bullies’ lunch is supposed to be losing their pocket money, but here Kiyoi is paying Hira so much that he’s actually making money out of being the group’s flunkie? XD

Thanks for reading!

Thanks for sharing, I was touched by your story because I’ve also excluded myself without even realizing it; it’s still an ongoing struggle lol. You’re right that it isn’t anyone’s responsibility to take care of others and I feel that a bystander’s intention matters a lot too, whether they choose not to get involved out of self-preservation or dislike or apathy or something else. From my perspective I think Kiyoi doesn’t intervene mostly because he doesn’t see Hira as helpless or incapable. Kiyoi himself is very sensitive to people looking down in him so I feel like he understands this delicate balance. He sticks up for Hira when the others go too far but mostly respects his autonomy, giving him room to withdraw or participate as he liked. This I think is more empowering than constantly shielding someone and creating an unhealthy dependency.

I have a few more thoughts about their dynamic, but I want to see the whole picture first. I was surprised when you said it’s mostly in line with the cd and novel because I heard there’s a big twist coming up; I guess whatever it is has already been adequately foreshadowed lol.

As a certified weirdo who got bullied hard during high school I related to Hira a lot. Honestly I thought I would hate Kiyoi but 4 episodes in and I found myself doing the opposite lol. So I just wanna give my 2 cents on why I don’t think Kiyoi is a bully.

First thing is that, more than physical or verbal abuse, the feeling of being excluded is the most hurtful aspect of getting bullied imo. From the get-go the class singles out Hira because of his awkwardness; Kiyoi ignores him too, but the difference is that he ignores everyone equally. He’s curt and rude to him, but again he’s the same way to everyone else. Asking him to get lunch for them from my perspective was his way of trying to include Hira, because a bully wouldn’t pay for the food and ask you to get something for yourself too. Him instigating everyone to go to Hira’s place in particular struck me because it happened after he found out that Hira lived alone and was possibly lonely. What I liked about is was, whenever Kiyoi interacted with Hira it wasn’t in a pitying way. Honestly, having someone be nice to you just because they feel bad for you kinda sucks so I appreciated Kiyoi’s approach more. It’s rare for a show to handle a bullied person this way.

Second is that Kiyoi never actively belittled or embarrassed Hira like the rest of the group. When Kiyoi was calling him stalker or gross Hira’s behavior was legit out of bounds, and after they got closer, it felt like it had turned into terms of endearment—kinda like an in-joke that no one else was privy to (like the way my friends call each other bitches lol)

In short, contrary to being a bully, I believe Kiyoi was the only one in their high school who treated Hira like an equal. And more importantly, he is the first person to actually see Hira, a guy who admits to feeling invisible, which is something we only find out because Kiyoi cared enough to ask about his photography. Likewise, Hira is the only one who sees the true Kiyoi, who is surrounded by people who don’t actually like him for him, which is why he is the only one Kiyoi trusts with a childhood dream he’s ashamed of admitting. Their intimate conversations seem to revolve around the feeling of being invisible, being seen, and being accepted, and Kiyoi hiding his true intentions seems to be in line with this.
I know other people might have a different interpretation, but that’s my take on it so far lol. I can’t wait to see the final 2 episodes!

That makes sense, thank you! The way he scraped off the paint to get rid of the picture frame marks just baffled me coz it was so unnecessarily extreme lol, like I legit thought there was something he had buried behind the walls 😅

Thanks for mentioning Jun Jiu Ling, it definitely looks interesting!

Do you guys know if CROTON’s behind the scenes has been subbed anywhere? I’m in love with The show’s set design and cinematography but the video isn’t subbed on youtube ToT I would love to know what they were talking about

The Long Ballad isn’t as heavy on politics but it also has capable main leads, crossdressing, and revenge. Also has amazing fight choreography and soundtrack

Scarlet Heart has A+ political intrigue with princes vying for the throne but this one is based on real historical figures. It has a time-traveller/transmigrator heroine

Does anyone know why ZDS was plastering up the spot above the bed (after his wife’s murder)? Also why he didnt allow Pupu and Yan Liang into any of the rooms at his in-laws place?