any_anka

I think it covered some 1/3 of the novel (according to the people who read it).
Yes, s2 is supposed to happen (allegedly this year, but don't trust me on that... or the main actors who said it ;) we didn't get the official confirmation/announcement yet).

Oh, wow, seems like you disliked way more than originally stating 😅
Well, it could be just me making excuses for the drama I adore, but let me address some of these.

We don't really know what is acting "in character" for Liuyi when it comes to liking someone or being jealous over someone. We never saw him even try to flirt with anyone, needless to say deal with actual serious feelings for someone. He does have history of hooking people he cares about up with someone w/o really considering if the attraction is really there (just based on the drama alone, there's more to in the book apparently, but let's treat them as separate works). So there is some precedence...

Escaping the crime scene and staying under the radar - ok, I see your point there, but let us remember that this is the 80s, there aren't cameras on every corner of the street, even if (very few) people have mobile phones, they aren't as trackable as nowadays. The 80s are considered the golden age of serial killers for a reason. It was way easier to commit a crime and just disappear. You also need to remember that the whole setting of Kowloon City is a place run by the mob. It's generally considered a lawless place, with plenty of crime never actually punished (plus I've listened to enough true crime podcasts to know that incompetence does happen in police force just like in every other field 😋)
Staying under radar? That part is even less unbelievable to me. Chusan, with his squeaky clean record and perfect image is not the first person police would check looking for Liuyi. And what would they do? Just barge in Chusan's place? Arrest him? Based on what premise? Plus Liuyi didn't even stay under the radar for that long. A day? A day and a half? Two days? Liuyi never left Chusan's place until Chusan was kidnapped, so the risk of him being seen was limited.

Now, Liuyi fighting with blades instead of guns - yeah, that's stupid. Just about as stupid as every other action movie where you have people with swords or knives or one regular gun going against an entire army of enemies. That's almost part of a genre. You do have the point there, but at the same time, that's a super common inconsistency.

Chusan was supposed to outsmart the bad guys with his brilliance. There's additional scene just right after the beginning of the credits that sheds a bit more light onto it. I don't think it was shown perfectly, so I will not spend much time defending this part 😋

Clothes, cars and everything else not being 80s-like - well, but that's not really a complaint about the last few episodes, isn't it? It had to bother you from the beginning...
I honestly don't know about the clothing or hair, I don't know how was Hong Kong's fashion at that time at all. But there are certain things that are definitely not faithful to the era (from infrared sinks at the hotel to LCD screens in the hospital😅). Once again, didn't ruin my experience, but if they filmed s2, I would appreciate it if they paid a bit more attention to such details myself.

About the girl's age - you need to remember how much time has passed in between episodes. Chusan has already graduated and is becoming successful at his job. While I am not sure what is the "official" book setting for the girl, but I don't remember the drama ever stating she was underage. What I do remember is Dong Dong not knowing where she came from, doubting her age and specifically saying that she won't have someone underage working for her.
I assumed if the girl is working there already, most likely with the time passing she is not underage anymore (or maybe wasn't at all to start with).

I wish this was longer... at least an hour long, with some more focus on their interactions when being together.
Still, beautiful.

I don't think the plot is really that messy. Minus the last episode, in which they clearly were setting things up for the second season and a cliffhanger, nothing else was particularly messy?

Plus you kinda admit it yourself that the reason why you don't get what the deal is with the second couple is your lack of attention to them. And if that's the case, then the perceived messiness can't be blamed (solely) on the drama anymore... it's kinda on you? ;)

The leads are phenomenal, we agree on that :)

Thanks a lot! But there are sooo many different shows... I don't think I have it in me to commit to the story on this level 😋
I guess I'll just opt for being a bit confused similar to you ;)

No problem. Hope you liked it as much as I did (which would would mean you loved it ;))

Possibly. No official announcement as of now, but the actors themselves said it will happen this year.

I might've downplayed it a bit when I said it's "kinda sad". I think soul-crushingly sad would be more appropriate ;) (Though honestly I actually always thought the ending was bitter-sweet and even hopeful... but I think I am in the minority 😅)
I'm happy you enjoyed the pain ;)

btw, if you are considering the other drama I mentioned - Had I Not Seen The Sun - the actor who played Birdy in Your Name Engraved Herein plays the main character there. And may I say, his acting improved since the movie, he's crushing it in the show.
Maybe that would be an incentive to give it a try (but I will warn you, there is more pain awaiting there...)

Now I'm thinking that maybe History 3: Trapped could be something you'd enjoy... It's nothing like SCD in terms of cinematography or the overall vibe, but it does have: a gangster (and a pretty decent story around that tbh), a good guy who's falling for that gangster, and a really really healthy non-toxic relationship dynamics.

It's a bit older series (2019), but that's exactly why I'm thinking there's a chance some folks might not know of its existence. Enjoy ;)

Actually... both Matthew and Yanzhao can speak Cantonese. But since it's not the case for all the actors (and I guess the crew?), it makes sense they'd end up filming in Mandarin, who everyone could speak and unerstand. Otherwise it'd be difficult to convey all the right emotions during interactions between characters etc.
Still, Matthew actually speaks Cantonese in his scenes and Yanzhao spoke it in the final ep too.

So... no toxicity, Chinese, similar dynamics... Girl, saying you don't care it's gay or straight might sound like broadening the scope, but it really doesn't when these two other requirements are in place :P
I tried thinking hard what I could possibly recommend to you and in the end concluded that SCD is really special (not that I didn't know that already, but...), because I had genuine problems coming up with anything remotely similar.

Hear me out though. These... might not meet the requirements, but they kinda do in some ways ;)
"Your Name Engraved Herein" (a Taiwanese gay movie; accidentally also set in the 80s)
and (a straight) Taiwanese drama "Had I Not Seen The Sun" (my absolute favourite drama from last year, there are two seasons, complete story, both are out)

But... They are kinda sad... However, I think they have a potential to take your mind off SCD and start thinking of them instead ;)

One of the most toxic dynamics I've seen in a BL. Yet at the same time a rare case when it's not romanticised and made into an aesthetic.
This is a really intriguing, smart and dare I say, ambitious show. It's just not a grand romantic tale that people might expect it to be when they start watching.

My advice? Approach it not as a BL, but as a psychological drama.
Oh, and the best part? It dives into the psychology of the party who is a victim, not focusing on making excuses for the abuser.

(written by an enthusiast of wholesome dynamics btw)

nah, feel bad about what? ;) I was just teasing you ;)

Well... I mean... if there is a scratch or two, a bruise or a manly scar there...

But Liuyi is literally bathed in the blood of his enemies lol 😂

(btw I'm not necessarily or particularly strongly countering your POV 😋)

I mean... I can probably say like 5 basic sentences in Mandarin and that's my limit😋so I don't know if I'm competent at all to give an answer 🙃
But in Mandarin I'm pretty sure that yeah, when ppl say Liuyi (六一) it is understood as June 1st. Cantonese just pronounces characters differently in this case, I think? I assume the meaning stays the same since that's how his name was described in the drama...

But I also am not sure if there isnt some cultural shift there when it comes to HK and how people refer to certain fixed dates (?), like Children's Day etc.
I wouldn't really know though, but @kae_xoxo is from Hong Kong and speaks Cantonese, so you have someone way more reliable to ask than me 😋

I am "celebrating" like this ever since the drama ended 😋 I keep on rewatching my favourite moments, gashing over my favourite scenes etc.

I mean... are you sure it's not simply due to the Liuyi-part of the whole arrangement though? ;)

Girl, what is up with you, Liuyi and *blood*? 😂 Should we be concerned?😋

Same as you, I got used to the dubbing eventually. Plus I am totally in love with everything else about this drama.

Yeah, sound processing overall was pretty decent, better than some other popular dramas tbh.

Cantonese always felt delicate/soft and melodic to me, the literal opposite of aggressive 😋

I can only speak for myself, but as someone initially really bothered by the dubbing I wanna clarify: I wasn't bugged by Cantonese dubbing. I was bugged by words being spoken in Cantonese while mouth was moving in Mandarin 😋

When I heard Cantonese spoken in a trailer I actually even got kinda excited, I thought it'd be a refreshing experience; while I've watched HK movies before, I've never watched an actual modern drama, a BL at that, that was in Cantonese...

However, when I realised it's dubbed and the actors filmed in Mandarin... yeah... that excited of mine kinda deflated 😋

Maybe they used the Mandarin names because the novel was written in Mandarin and that's their names in the book? (Not sure, but I think that's the case)