etoks21

Episode 6/Finale:

These two are headed for a lot of misery, culminating in a messy murder-suicide.

I felt a lot of headway was made each time MJ stated clearly, multiple times throughout the series, that they were simply INCOMPATIBLE, regardless of the whys and wherefores and who's to blame and who's not or whatever. Ultimately, none of that matters. They are not suited for each other.

But each time the story took us to that place, within the next 5 minutes, MJ went running around looking for JH or vice-versa, and the cycle of misunderstanding, passive-aggressive behaviors, and pain started all over again.

The ending gives us no reason to believe anything will be different/better the next time the cycle takes them around again, which no doubt began as soon as the camera left the two of them deluding themselves and each other on the bench at the airport. We can dismiss the white suits-and-wedding bit at the end as an absurd fever dream, experienced by one of them or the other as they lay dying in the pool of blood and misery following the murder-suicide I mentioned above; the mind's final delusion as they follow the light into oblivion.

I said it several times before; I'll say it again: This show attempted to tackle several potentially fascinating elements of memory/recall and how it differs for each person who experiences it as part of a shared experience. However, the writers/director here are unsuited to the task., and the show is a failure.

Still, for whatever reason, I kept watching as opposed to dropping it; and I'm not afraid of dropping shows, so that's something.

6.5/10

As I said, it's insane. That's primarily a Thai thing.

I am intensely hostile to people like SweetCat above, who "doubts" KSH's innocence, as though they are in any position to judge and have all the information by which to do so. THAT attitude is part of the Korean Celebrity Suicide Machine that has killed off dozens of entertainers and public figures over the last 25 years.

So, my hostility is not "for nothing." Also, please point out where I stated that SweetCat does not "have a right to their opinion." Thanks.

Totally agree. The history and background of how South Korea evolved to this weird hyper-conservative public attitude of prudishness and celebrity-torture, while at the same time being full of sexy-time movies, young women dancing in their undies while singing Kpop songs, and the Gangnam, Hongdae, and Itaewon districts of Seoul nightlife being rife with prostitution and people vomiting in the streets each night, is fascinating. It goes back to the first SK dictatorship's legacy of Puritanical laws forced on the people.

lol No, I doubt there was a mistake. A lot of MDLers jump out of their skin if you dare to mention the silliness and low quality of the majority of BLs; that majority coming primarily out of Thailand.

I had to laugh at the commenter's reference to "depravity." lol It's the kind of word used by self-righteous prudes and MDL Church Ladies who love to police morals and speech around here. Someone here calls them the "NeoVictorians." I call them the "NeoPuritans." Same thing. It's the rise of prudishness and scolding busybody-ness among the young generation these days. Sadly, it's as if the sexual revolution of the 1960s/1970s never happened. :(

Who are you? You are someone whose opinion I value highly. :D After hearing from both you and the Princess above, I will force myself through at least two episodes and get back to you. I don't take back what I wrote about the bloody spitting episode with the guards. lol

Hi Princess! I DO remember chatting with you before and enjoying the conversations. Also, I take your opinion into account. I confess, I really did feel ten minutes in what I wrote above, and I don't take it back.

That said, if you tell me it gets so much better later on, that I should give it a try through two episodes, I will do that. :) Let me know.

It's not that I have "very high standards" necessarily. I stick with Korean/Taiwanese/Japanese BLs now and then, that aren't the greatest, because the heart of the story, the BL romance, is well-done. I even dropped KinPorsche about 2/3 in because so much of the Yakuza stuff was silly.

lol

Are you kidding? This is a 3/10 at best.

lol
Yeah...no. I knew ten minutes in (actually, sooner) that this is not for me.
If I want to see a film/series about gangs and prisons and tough guys and brutal fights, etc. I will seek out a feature film with the budget to hire seasoned/talented actors, fight coordinators, writers, directors, and all the rest to do it right. What I won't do is watch what comes off as a high school production portraying the elements I listed above in a hilariously cheesy and amateur way.

Thailand has taken the BOYS (or young men) LOVE (romantic/physical/psychological attraction) out of BL and replaced it with sub-standard, embarrassing yakuza/corporate intrigue/spies/crime/gangs/etc. plots, it does not have the resources to handle convincingly.

OK, so...dropped. I'm out of here. Someone, please, message me if anyone makes a real BL in Thailand anytime soon. Thanks.

1/10

Some Knetz reported comments of mine to the mods in which I referred to Hoverlab as "sc*mb*gs." lol Which, to my mind, is far different than directing that insult at an actor or another commenter, as I am guilty of having done in the past, but don't do anymore. That said, I find it amusing that some Knetz was so infuriated at being reported and having comments removed, that they reported me for insulting Hoverlab, a third party.

But hey, technically, what I wrote IS a violation of the MDL commenting rules, so I'll take the hit. It's worth it to silence the hateful Knetz here. And in case you haven't noticed, they have been quite silent the last few days. :)

lol Keep trying, Knetz.

For me, an 8/10 is a favorable rating. I enjoyed the film, but I didn't love it. In my head, an 8/10 is a B on an ABCDF grading scale.

I did like a lot of the visual tricks the director used to enliven things, but it wasn't enough for me. Also, and I hate to say this, but Yoo is too mature/old for this part, especially when they first brought him in as the character and supposedly he was a teenager. Yoo was 35/36 at the time of this shooting, too old to be believable as a teen.

They do it for marketing purposes. The Little Girls scream and go crazy when two actors cosplay as lovers off-screen in fan meets, interviews, etc. They spend hours online speculating whether the two are a real-life couple. I know, it is insane. So, when a production puts the two of them together again in another show, the Little Girls flock to watch it.

It's called "shipping," as in relationSHIP." lol I know...that's insane also. :)

You might google it for a fuller explanation.

Good point. I agree with that.
The moment when they touched hands was moving in that it was so incredibly powerful for her. However, she looked completely joyful but also completely insane in that moment. Anyone who goes to that level of Nirvana when they touch the hand of their idol, needs help. Maybe he should have dropped charges on the condition that she go into psychological/mental treatment.

Could you point out where I said "straight media" does not have its own garbage? Thank you.

Appreciated. :)

Premise had promise, but too utterly stupid in execution for me.

The cops hire this guy and put him behind a desk and on the street to deal with violent criminals, with ZERO training...? ummm...no.

This movie is not for people with more than a couple functioning brain cells.

Dropped.

Like many thousands of other Yoo fans, I just finished watching The Match on Netflix, today being its first day streaming.

I am over the moon to see Yoo back on screen. He and Lee Buyn Hun are exceptional as always. However, I confess to being underwhelmed by the film as a whole.

First of all, I am American and know ZERO about the game of Go, except that it is amazingly intricate and complicated. I read the Wikipedia page explaining it several months ago in preparation for when this film came out, but gave up because it's just over my head. Thus, because I couldn't understand what was going on in the games, I couldn't find a way to latch onto any sense of momentum or excitement.

The game requires quiet concentration, which is hard to make exciting for someone like me who has no idea what the hell is happening. :D Additionally, there was no sense of momentum and excitement, building to one, big, huge ultimate match that would make or break everything. With the title The Match, that's what I was expecting and didn't get. I understand that's not really the way Go works, but there you have my cultural barrier again.

PERFECT casting in Kim Kang Hoon as the Young Yoo Ah In. I have seen KH in other films and recognized him immediately as a young talent. He was great here, but the remarkable physical, facial resemblance between him and Yoo cinches the deal. They could be father and son.

So, as thrilled as I am that Yoo is back and Netflix finally grew a spine in ignoring those who want to keep torturing him, I will be waiting for his next project to get excited about. For me, The Match is mid.

8/10

You bet!