hanezu

Hi hello. Thank you for taking the time to write this, and I apologise for dragging you back here again. Since I want to engage with some of your reviews, I thought it would be rude of me not to get to this reply first. I'm really bad at communicating my thoughts both online and offline. Pardon me.

No worries. I can see how my tone could easily be misunderstood, but I was genuinely curious if there was something unique to BL that keeps you coming back for more given that "BL" isn't the only source of male-male romance out there, even within Asian media. I mean, you don't even seem to think it's male-male most of the time.

I wouldn't have asked if I didn't see you constantly make these kinds of statements, sardonic or not, about the genre and its audience. Curiosity got the best of me, I suppose. I normally wouldn't engage with people online for the exact reasons you stated. But I get it now. I get why you keep watching and writing these reviews.

As for my second comment, I only suggested that because of the lists on your profile. I thought it would be interesting to see you attempt a funny review for things you actually like and are critically acclaimed. But I know they wouldn't get much attention on MDL. Sorry if I was overstepping.

BTW, I do find your reviews funny and entertaining, and I agree with most of what you have to say. It's just that our view on the genre might differ slightly given our background and the medium we choose to engage with. I'm assuming you don't read or keep up with BL manga?

Yeah, this comment section was an absolute mess when this show was released, so I understand where you were coming from. As I said, I'm really bad at this haha, but I might PM you or comment on some of your reviews at some point, if you don't mind. Thanks and sorry again.

It's based on a novel of the same name by Ichiho Michi. No English translation.
https://www.shinshokan.co.jp/book/b567667.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomoi_(manga)

No, I wasn't suggesting that. I'm sorry if it came across this way.

You said you were suffering through BL shows just to write amusing reviews that make people laugh. Why should funny reviews be restricted to BL, though? MDL isn't a BL-only website, so I don't understand why you quitting the genre would result in your moving away from here. That was my point. I have absolutely nothing against negative reviews or low ratings. I would be a hypocrite if I did.

I haven't even seen half of the BLs you reviewed, so I'm not some crazy BL fan. I promise. I actually refuse to be one, I'm more of a casual BL viewer/reader. I understand why hate-watching might appeal to some, but I would much rather be selective with what I watch and read.

There are other things I wanted to address, but I'm not as articulate as you. I think I'll stop here. My apologies again.

Don't restrict yourself. You can always write amusing/funny reviews of non-BL titles.

What's holding you back from quitting the genre entirely?

Every single person I've seen praising this drama on here is a BL viewer. I have yet to see a single one who trashed it for not being a lovey-dovey BL, but people keep saying that for some reason. BTW, I don't think 8.1 is the actual rating. MDL ratings for new shows glitch sometimes.

A lot of "I'm not like the other BL watchers" comments going on here, lol.

Monster became a big hit because it was directed by one of the biggest Japanese directors working today. It was a festival darling, like most of his films. Writing/direction/storyline/acting performances are what made it a big hit. Nothing to do with labeling. A lot of people didn't actually think it was an LGBT film at all. Funnily enough, a lot of big hit films have lower ratings on MDL, such as Burning.

HOTE is the third highest rated JBL that came out this year. The fluffy ones got an 8 and lower. I fail to understand why MDL ratings even matter. The quality of HOTE is debatable. I've seen criticisms about the lazy writing towards the end and how fake/cartoonish the violent scenes felt at times.

It's actually BL fans who have been defending, promoting and hyping LINTBC since it was announced. The author/screenwriter interacted and retweeted many of said BL fans on his twitter account.

Showing dark realities on screen should 'trigger' anyone, otherwise what's the point? Maybe read the reviews of people who gave it lower than 8 and see what they didn't like about it instead of jumping into conclusions.

That's not how it works. 8.2 is still a high rating. A lot of "LGBT" films on here that have never been labeled or promoted as BL have much lower ratings.

Yup, I thought so. Thank you!

IDK if you are aware, but Kaze to Ki no Uta, the manga that was credited by critics for popularizing/pioneering the BL genre, tackled themes of prostitution, sadomasochism, racism, etc.
https://myanimelist.net/manga/1365/Kaze_to_Ki_no_Uta

It's not set in Japan, but there's an anime adaptation that came out in 1987. You can watch it here, if you are interested: https://youtu.be/mi79a_stf3s?si=Cx0bMqrwwbMmFBRK

LOL. I googled and I couldn't find anything that's why I asked you. Sounds like you don't have a source. Okay, then.

"The mangaka is a gay man" Can you provide me with a reliable source, please? Goodreads states that the mangaka is actually a woman that presents as male in her profile pic.

The manga this series is adapted from IS classified and marketed as BL, serialized in a BL magazine and won multiple BL-specific awards. Look it up. I'm not saying this is a BL just because it's adapted from a manga, lol. There's nothing disrespectful about calling this adaptation a BL given this fact, but whatever. Call it what you want.

Firstly, you can call it what you want, I'm not this pedantic about categories and labels. Secondly, nothing you said in your initial comment is new to what is labeled as the BL genre. This is what I'm trying to say here. Heterosexual women in Japan, both readers and creators of this genre, have always sought out these darker stories, not just saccharine fantasies. Lastly, BL most certainly falls under the "LGBT" category, and to think otherwise is ignorant.

BTW, did you say the same thing about the Taiwanese drama Unknown?

I don't understand this desperate attempt from specifically western audiences to separate BL from LGBT media when mangas serialized in Boys' Love magazines, just like the one this series is adapted from, have ALWAYS explored darker and more serious themes.

This is not a shade. OP implied that this is not a BL, but a realistic "queer" series that couldn't have possibly been directed by a woman. While this live-action adaptation is directed by a man, the source material is a BL manga written by a woman. As in, women don't only create silly and fluffy BLs like many believe. Hope it's clear now.

A woman wrote this "queer” story, though.