etoks21

This.
Oh, you asked "why."
For clicks, that's why.
I hate that I had to give Lily Alice, the MDL Trash Article Queen, one of mine.

Correct.
The historical past absolutely must be remembered for the lessons it teaches.
But choosing to live the present in one's anger and resentment is an unhealthy choice, especially after 80 years have passed.

You make a great point about Korea's willingness to interact with Japan in so many other ways that benefit it financially. Yes, somehow, when one JP actor is cast in a freaking drama, it's a bridge too far. There was nothing wrong with what he said about his grandfather. It was not the time or place for a history lecture.

I live in the US. My dad fought in WW2 and spent 18 months in a German POW camp. Given the traitorous attack on Pearl Harbor, the atrocities committed against American POWs held by Japan, and a hundred other realities of that brutal war, America had plenty cause to treat JP with vengeance and hatred after it surrendered. It is true vengeance was wreaked in the firebombings of 67 JP cities and the incineration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Which JP enabled by its refusal to surrender.

However, I am talking about AFTER the war, when the US occupied Japan and could have chosen to impose harsh, retaliatory conditions on JP and its people. Hell, the Allies could have broken up Japan into smaller political entitities to make it less dangerous, had they chosen to. Instead, the US generally treated JP ex-military and civilians with decency, investing billions of dollars to set JP up as the powerful, economic powerhouse and democracy it is today. Both sides benefit from that approach.

Korea would do well to never forget the past, but learn to pick and choose its battles in dealing with Japan. Boycotting some drama over a sentence not quite properly worded by the grandchild of a JP soldier, is absurd. Grow up.

Though the film tried my patience with unnecessarily long scenes and others that seemed pointless, I got more out of it and enjoyed it more on second watch.

8/10

Potentially good, but ultimately, boring.

6/10

Dreadful.
Terrible.
Boring.
The last third, where all the sex is located, was apparently meant as an anti-Japanese political/military statement, lol. Whatever the message, it came off as both ham-handed and lame.
It's difficult to take such lofty propaganda seriously when fake cum is spraying in the face of one of the MCs.

Likewise, the pouting and general disgust expressed by the MCs at that point struck me as silly, given what they had agreed to and were there to do. Also, the male lead certainly took to butt sex easily, given that his character had never had it before. :)

Finally, it's interesting that so many young, male Pinoy actors don't bother to get into decent physical shape before filming movies that require extensive nudity, as does this one. I often see Fillipino actors who are slim, but also jiggly and lacking tone. Strange to see cellulite and stretch marks on a young guy's butt.
I'm not talking about getting gym-built for every role, I find that look annoying and superficial. I'm talking about a basic, casually athletic look that I'd expect a young man like this one to have.

Really bad.
2/10

I think I gave that a try, but it wasn't for me. Thanks.

lol
Quite possibly, the worst BL ever made outside Thailand.

1/10

As an adult, you should know better.

Wait, you've never been a teen boy, or obviously, bothered to educate yourself about the sex drive and emotional/hormonal state of teen boys. Thus, you have no idea what you're talking about.

Fluff-Munching Little Girl BL fans come in all ages, sexes, and ethnicities. It's a state of mind.

Don't need a job.
Got lots of money.

I have one.
I like it.

Glad to know my comment hit a nerve.

You're fooling no one, Chatgpt.

Sixteen- and seventeen-year-old boys are the opposite of slow burn.
You must be a girl.

That you find me impossible to "suffer" is a compliment, Little Girl.

By its avoidance of portraying actual emotional or physical connection between two young men in favor of a sterile gay-boys-as-Teddy-Bears approach. You see, genuine affection and romantic physicality between boys is so gross that we're going to avoid it altogether in favor of a saccharine, sex-free vibe that exists nowhere outside of BL World.

Who said "all stories have to be HYPER sexual, blah blah blah?"
Not me.
Slice of WHAT life?
The life of two ace gay Teddy Bears?
Apparently so.
Who's mad?
I'm not mad.
Why, are YOU mad?

If so, I'm sorry you're mad.

There was constant miscommunication, as I already pointed out, sometimes multiple instances within one episode, especially toward the end.
You are the one who wrote "communication, wow!"
You are the one who wrote "wow, so mature."
The leads "circled the emotional block" multiple times, over and over again, throughout the series, right up to the end, at which time Hioki is STILL amazed they're holding hands.
As they walk away, he's STILL wondering how long it will last.
lol

You stirred drama by writing a passionately favorable mini-review, from which you immediately backtracked but are pretending you haven't backtracked.
What's that about?
Never mind, don't answer.

So...you just contradicted everything you wrote. Got it.

After reading comments, it's clear this series is another one in which the Western Little Girl faction of the BL audience saw and heard, not what was on the screen, but what they wanted to be on the screen.

A fascinating phenomenon.

ummm...there were multiple misunderstandings.
There was constant lack of communication and understanding, resulting in long periods of dialogue consisting, of "...eh? what...? ummm...? but...? Yeah...? did you..." wait...no...?"

"Adults" lol "Mature?" Good god, these two are the opposite of mature, communicative adults.
What show did you watch?

Aggressively homophobic.
Excellent example of BL for the Puritanical Homophobic Fluff-Munching Western Little Girl crowd.

But, also the first BL for the Neurotic-Ace community. Not that all ace people are neurotic, just that this show is for that subset of those who live in the ace-place. :)

Plot summary:

Be my friend! Be OUR friend!
Ok, now we're friends, but are well reeeeeeeally "friends?"
Apparently, we're friends, but he's only humoring me.
Well, he hugged me, but did he really, like, HUG me?
OK, yeah, he hugged me and got a boner, but was it a full or a semi?
Oh wait...we're ace, so the boner was purely organic and meant nothing.
But, do aces get boners?
OK, I admit, he kissed me on the cheek, but surely that was an accident...?
Well, now, it's true, he said he wants to be by my side, but what, really, does that mean, after all?
Oh, he meant for life, but...a human life, an elephant life, or a housefly life?
I'm not sure, and oh so conflicted...someone help me.
Oh my gosh, he fucking confessed, and I adore him, but maybe I'm not ready...should I hold off?
Yes, I'll hold off.
Holy shit, he made it clear that he loves me, but...does he TOTALLY love me, or just in the way that, you know, regular straight dudes love each other?
OK, f**k, he said he wants to actually f**k me...but f**k me hard like buddies or soft like lovers?
Wait...we're ace...?
I'm so unsurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre...!
Lord, now he said he likes me again, and I held his hands and said I like him too, but....do we really, actually, completely like each other?
Oh, I see, we need to confess...AGAIN.
OK, we both confessed, but...are we DATING? Or just going out, or neither?
I'm not sure...let's skip ahead three months, during which time nothing will have happened...that's the best choice.
And, of course, we like, love, and dig each other, but we're still not dating OR going out, whatever that means.
I'll ask him.
Oops, now he's mad that I asked him because he's the top and I'm the bottom, which means he should have asked, even though we're ace, so I'm out of line.
Will he beat me?
Oh! Looks like we're boyfriends now!
So...one mannequin kiss, then one semi-realistic kiss, and...we're off!
Hey, now we ARE dating, we ARE boyfriends, we DO like and love each other, but...how long will it last?
Will it last?!
Oh well, who cares?
Let's walk away from the camera holding hands while the Homophobic, Western Little Girl Fluff Munchers ooh and aah and touch themselves in ecstasy.

If you like series with one and a half episodes of promise and 8 1/2 episodes of wheels spinning in place, dig in.
If you're uncomfortable with gay romance and sex, this is yet another on the long list of JBLs just for you. Enjoy.

For actual BL lovers, please avoid at all costs.
I watched so you don't have to.

4/10
All four points given in appreciation of Hioki's lips.