It's clear in the interview that Alex was raised in North America. We hear it in his English accent, but also in his Mandarin. His Mandarin runs out in some moments and he inserts English words, just like his character. Speaking Chinglish is very natural in this context.
So we've got 12 episodes about a guy who hates going to the dentist, when 99.9% of the human population hates…
It's entirely original to explore a common phobia in BL, especially when it's never been done before. I understand if it's not to your taste, but it's certainly an original concept.
It sounds unnecessarily harsh to dismiss the cast of this BL and past Taiwanese BLs as having actors "with no charisma." Charisma is an ambiguous metric, but I find the cast here very skilled in conveying their characters. I also find the chemistry between the main leads believable.
did the kiss between BL and JXA a couple eps ago not happen? was it a dream? why're they behaving as if it didn't…
That was just a fantasy in his head. JXA told him to imagine something else while he was getting treatment at the dentist, and he suddenly thought of them kissing each other.
This is my favourite BL to watch right now. The story + acting is mostly on point. I'm not one to complain about…
I thought the same thing about the ratings. How is it in the 7s when the first 3 eps are so good and feedback here is overwhelmingly positive? Very mysterious!
Thanks for the explanation about the 'brother' and 'sister' thing. I've frequently seen friend relationships translated…
Now that you mention it, there is a term you'll hear said between best guy friends. They may refer to each other as "xiōngdì" which is like "sworn brother." But friends will still call each other by their given names and not brother/sister.
Great review! Just wanted to respond to question 2. The students are brother and sister.
In Taiwan, it is appropriate for a child to refer to a teenager as big sister or big brother, but teens of a similar age do not really do this unless they are actual siblings. "Ge Ge" and "Mei Mei" aren't blended with romantic terms like "Oppa" in Korean. The only way they could not be siblings is if they are childhood family friends who have maintained brother/sister terms, but it would honestly be really weird for them to keep calling each other by those terms in high school. Maybe we'll be surprised and this is the case, but it isn't the logical assumption given the context.
Lol! I was also wondering where that water came from!
Thank you so much for the additional information. I deleted the content warning and included your info in my review…
Thank you for updating! I'm a fan of your reviews and compilations! I'm sure others of your followers will find that info helpful in your review here.
You're right that the scene is confusing to audiences not familiar with Taiwanese indigenous peoples. There is an assumption that Taiwan is populated by Han Chinese people (many dissidents did in fact flee to TW during the cultural revolution) and China's controversial claim of Taiwan exacerbates that assumption, but Taiwan was long inhabited by indigenous groups.
I think this confusion could be exacerbated also by a bit of Jerry's conversation with the guest when they mention another country (Australia?), but many of the tribes in TW are related to groups of peoples across parts of Asia and Australia.
I saw a comment (not in this thread) speculating about the headdress worn by the guest on Jerry's show. I wanted to clarify that this is NOT cultural appropriation. The guest is a member of an indigenous Taiwanese group and is wearing traditional headdress of his community. The point of his visit on Jerry's show is to share some of the cuisine of his tribe.
Hi there! Can you delete the content warning about cultural appropriation? --Because it is not and it would be a pity to make other potential viewers think that.
The character in that scene is a member of an indigenous Taiwanese group and is wearing traditional headdress of his tribe. If you notice during his conversation with Jerry, he's taking part in the video in order to cook some dishes important to his community.
I'll be honest, I'm conflicted. I think from the start it was very clear that Amber wss Wen Wen, and I was very…
What you mention is the fault of the translation. The word Amber uses can generally refer to a "condition" of any kind. I agree that the translation casts Amber's identity unnecessarily in a negative light. It's not the fault of the script but the translator.
It sounds unnecessarily harsh to dismiss the cast of this BL and past Taiwanese BLs as having actors "with no charisma." Charisma is an ambiguous metric, but I find the cast here very skilled in conveying their characters. I also find the chemistry between the main leads believable.
There are many types of intersex conditions. Take the Güevedoce people as a well known example that may be similar to Amber's condition.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%BCevedoce
In Taiwan, it is appropriate for a child to refer to a teenager as big sister or big brother, but teens of a similar age do not really do this unless they are actual siblings. "Ge Ge" and "Mei Mei" aren't blended with romantic terms like "Oppa" in Korean. The only way they could not be siblings is if they are childhood family friends who have maintained brother/sister terms, but it would honestly be really weird for them to keep calling each other by those terms in high school. Maybe we'll be surprised and this is the case, but it isn't the logical assumption given the context.
Lol! I was also wondering where that water came from!
You're right that the scene is confusing to audiences not familiar with Taiwanese indigenous peoples. There is an assumption that Taiwan is populated by Han Chinese people (many dissidents did in fact flee to TW during the cultural revolution) and China's controversial claim of Taiwan exacerbates that assumption, but Taiwan was long inhabited by indigenous groups.
I think this confusion could be exacerbated also by a bit of Jerry's conversation with the guest when they mention another country (Australia?), but many of the tribes in TW are related to groups of peoples across parts of Asia and Australia.
For more, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwanese_indigenous_peoples
The character in that scene is a member of an indigenous Taiwanese group and is wearing traditional headdress of his tribe. If you notice during his conversation with Jerry, he's taking part in the video in order to cook some dishes important to his community.
For more, see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwanese_indigenous_peoples