jarabaa

I entirely agree with you and have made more or less these same points on this page before - somewhere below. And I'm glad that you made your points without using the overworked word "toxic". The only terms more exhaustively overused are "hate" and "hater" as applied to anyone venturing a less than favourable, maybe even slightly critical opinion. Meanwhile, I see below that others say that there is another "BL" series running at the same time which appears to advance the same homophobic agenda but which has escaped criticism in a way that Tonhon Chonlatee has not. (I say: au contraire - people have in fact found fault with that other series.)

The problem here is the totally OTT extreme, almost frenzied nature of Tonhon's homophobia - and the fact that we see three entertaining, intelligent gay male characters literally tying themselves in knots in episode after episode as they try to conceal their sexuality and pretend to be straight. And we're now well over half way through the series and nothing has changed. Tonhon remains a ranting homophobic bigot, and the other 3 remain cowering in the closet dreaming up more seemingly hilarious but in reality sad acts of self-denial.

I appreciate that fans point out that there really are people in the world with extreme homophobic views - just like Tonhon. I agree. There are. But ... I am disappointed to realise that in effect this whole series is built around such a figure. At the end of the day, whether he is a truly fanatic self-hating gay man or .... who knows - but if you think for a moment about Tonhon's plight, it's tragic - not funny. And why on earth the other three are so desperate to appease him and engage in lies and subterfuge to kowtow to his violent homophobia, I really don't know. Their antics are funny, sometimes, but ultimately incomprehensible. Plus Pod is a really gorgeous man, and was so well deployed in his role as P'Sun in DBK - so it's sad to see him wasted on a rather weird, rebarbative character like Tonhon.

Hmmmm. Good point. I remember saying exactly the same thing. Right here on this comments page - somewhere below - a couple of weeks ago. Too much talk about the rating mechanism, the MDL algorithms, etc. Whereupon fans bombarded me with all sorts of way Over-The-Top invective. I was told: no, there wasn't too much talk here about the ratings; I was crazy, irrational; it's perfectly normal to focus on the ratings; etc. I also ... yes, wait for it, suggested that wall-to-wall 10/10 reviews proclaiming the series "perfect", "immaculate", "the best ever", "a masterpiece" didn't actually promote an interesting discussion of the series itself. And ... that also provoked a wild outpouring of frenzied denunciation. I was called "tasteless" and "bizarre", my request for more talk about the merits of the series was savaged as a "never ending series of insults" (? still don't know where that came from), and on and on it went.

Maybe you'll be luckier than I was. I hope so!

Anyhow, I agree with you on this one. It's cute, less problematic than series 1, not littered with silly annoying plotlines, and it's fun to watch. Plus I have no idea where the reference to Alzheimer's was supposed to take us, but I think there is in fact quite a bit of "story development" here - and they're decent enough stories. The main couple aren't two schoolboys falling in love, but two men in a long-established relationship - so the pace is going to be different; yes, maybe slower. But it's new and unfamiliar BL plot territory. I like it - simply for what it is. Just as I liked series 1 - for its own merits.

I agree!

Hmmm.... I wonder what prompts you to say this? True, there's absolutely no sex or fluffy romance here. Instead it's a bizarre concoction of cruelty, homophobia, brutal rejection, violent death (of a young person), ghosts, and a totally unbelievable supernatural "reconciliation". The message seems to be that if you have to have a gay son, he's better dead than alive. So .... yes, like many other viewers, I was enormously disappointed with the series. Disgusted, in fact. But how on earth did you arrive at the conclusion that people who don't like "My Extraordinary" are "negative and toxic" BL fans who only want "sex and/or fluffy romance"? I don't follow your reasoning, sorry. Are you suggesting that this series is somehow more ... realistic or somehow otherwise of a higher standard because it isn't "sex and/or fluffy romance"? My apologies, but I found this series ludicrously unrealistic, fantastical, downright sinister and bizarre. It clearly communicates the message that we human beings can get away with treating one another badly because we'll get a chance to reconcile with ghosts in some sort of afterlife. That's an appalling idea - and it should rightly be condemned. And yes, as you raise the matter, I guess "sex and/or fluffy romance" is a good deal more interesting and agreeable to watch - and much less morally offensive. Nevertheless, I still don't understand why you use this comments page to take a swipe at "new BL fans" that you so disapprove of .... I remain perplexed ...

Please, people, we must all arrive freely at our own definitions of "real life." We can enjoy Friend Zone 2, love every episode, savour each line, rate it highly, etc - but what's this need to define it as the absolute standard of Reality? Why make a point of pouring scorn on people who like "cute" stories or "fluff"? Who says "toxicity" and "cruel truth" are the only reality? Sorry, there are many kinds of reality. In fact, there are realities which are far more toxic, cruel and dramatic than even ... "Friend Zone". As for "fairy tales", like countless other genres they address equally human needs, and highlight other dimensions of ... yep, reality. Just because we may be mad keen on Friend Zone, there's no need to bash other types of story and production and their fans. No need at all. And by the way, ... there is plenty of toxicity and cruel truth in fairy tales.

Your analysis is spot-on. This is exactly what we're seeing. And I think, I hope, it's what the writer intends. This would point to a really high standard of creativity, and would mark something of a breakthrough in what has now gone well beyond "BL" and become the representation of ... gay love, same-sex love, love between men, however you want to put it. Finally we are seeing a somewhat "older" young m/m couple and encountering some of the everyday challenges which real-life adult male couples face.

At the beginning of series 2 I noticed Tharn repeatedly calling Type "wife" - and I wondered about it. Was it intended to be cute in a very lightweight way, or was it supposed to suggest a sub-stratum of tired role playing? I loved the sex scenes but also had questions in my mind - likewise wondering whether all the hot sex was a way of avoiding writing good dialogue and just giving us, the fans, acres of beautiful Thai men making love - or whether it was a subtle plot feature pointing up the real lack of meaningful dialogue between the partners. Then I noticed more and more the other problem areas which couples have to tackle in real life - parents and families, financial dependence and independence, career and work pressures, the simple fact of stagnation, plus the special issue of marriage (a routine status quo for straight couples, but a disorienting, radical new possibility for two men) ... and I began to move towards your analysis, i.e. we've graduated from the romance and lyricism of boys' love to the depth and complexity of men's love. I am now confident that this is what the writing seeks to show us, and as I've experienced most dimensions of this reality myself, I'm very keen to follow and support the series. I love fluff and romance, as that's also a reality I've known (I could do with some more, God) but it's really great to see the Thai BL genre addressing the lives of the former boys in love who are now grown-up men still in love.

Thanks for your eloquent and illuminating analysis.

Dear Kate: Thank you for your very reasoned reply to my comment. I am grateful to you for the research you did. It does sound as though you were able to identify some (most likely) "fake reviews" - 12 out of 27 seems a lot to me, plus 27 perfect 10/10 reviews likewise strikes me as at least equally extraordinary,

As you will see above, many others have written replies denouncing me for this and that - in not one case actually making any effort to quote my comment accurately. Only you dealt with my point about the reviews in a thoughtful, moderate way.

I was genuinely startled by the (literally) pages of OTT effusive reviews giving the series perfect 10 scores across the board and acclaiming it rather repetitiously in the same extreme terms (phenomenal, perfect, masterpiece, immaculate). I have read reviews on many, many pages on MDL, and I have watched many series which have pages on this site. I was totally taken aback by what I found here on the ITSAY pages. I have been roundly told off for feeling taken aback, and others have told me either that efforts to manipulate ratings are known to be routine across MDL - or that such manipulation is absolutely unknown and it's the most routine thing in the world for large numbers of fans to submit a series of perfect 10/10 scores, garlanded with the most extreme superlatives in the English language. You are the only person who responded to my observation in a thinking, polite and common sense way - and actually looked into the matter.

Many thanks!

So here we go again. My comment (above) was so "very odd", "very bizarre", my ignorance of perfectly "normal" and "standard things" is "shocking", I must be some dozy old character who just "woke up and decided to complain about some random thing".

In fact the points I raised were not at all "random" - they were very specific. And you yourself address them rather ... specifically.

Right. So first of all, we read, I am making very odd, very bizarre complaints about things that are perfectly routine on this website. Sorry, I do not agree. I have just looked at numerous other pages for other series on MDL and I have to tell you I have not found discussions of the ratings algorithms and so on to be absolutely "normal" across MDL. I know - you will simply tell me that I am wrong, someone who only just "woke up", etc. However, my point was that I was struck by the lengthy discussion of the ratings mechanism here on this ITSAY page. That was my impression, and ... it remains a legitimate and reasonable impression, based on the evidence here.

Next you again tell me what's "normal". Apparently all of the reviews of ITSAY that I came across - pages and pages of reviews using the same vocabulary and giving the series perfect 10/10 scores in all categories - are "standard". You even go so far as to say that my extremely mild opinion expressing surprise is "shocking". I'm sorry - SHOCKING? What planet are we on? Anyhow, I will not repeat my observations about the many pages of strikingly similar, wildly effusive perfect 10/10 reviews. You say: absolutely standard. I say: doesn't look perfectly standard to me.

And now we get to the crowning glory of your campaign - not just one of my routine everyday "bizarre" or "odd" opinions but ... "the oddest thing ever"! Namely my point about Nadao's action in limiting access to ITSAY to a costly temporary one-month online rental. I still find that a baffling decision. I still think it has successfully hampered access to what I think is a very good series which should be seen by the many - not the few. I do not want to look at illegal bootleg copies on YouTube. Additionally, Nadao have not uploaded the series for free onto YouTube. The only "official" way to watch it still is to hand over lots of money in 5 payments to Vimeo - for the privilege of one month's access. I said that I think this is an exceptional arrangement, something I have not encountered elsewhere, and I think it was and is a bad arrangement. And you know what? I have a right to that opinion, and it is a very measured and reasonable opinion, and that is exactly how I expressed it.

Well, I wonder what I will dream up the next time I simply wake up and decide to write some "random" complaint?

Thanks for your reply. I am grateful to you for making your point - and not flooding me with all the insults I've received from other people on this page replying to my comment. Anyhow, I was concerned about the three things I highlighted in what I wrote (still above, unedited, as I wrote it): the many "perfect" 10/10 reviews, the lengthy discussions of the MDL ratings process, and the way in which access to ITSAY has been limited to a costly temporary rental. In fact, I did not attempt to criticise the series at all - that wasn't my point. I think it was exceptionally good in many respects - I enjoyed it - I found ITSAY as a whole very impressive. My concerns focused on the three points I raised above - not on the quality of the series.

Right. What is gained by heaping abuse on a total stranger and not even addressing what I wrote in my comment?

I have left my comment above as I wrote it, unedited. Anyone can read it and check what I wrote. In summary, I said (above) that I found three things "bizarre" on these MDL pages devoted to "I Told Sunset About You": (1) the numerous almost identical reviews proclaiming the series to be a phenomenal, immaculate, perfect masterpiece; (2) the lengthy discussion of the MDL ratings mechanisms on this comments page; and (3) the decision by Nadao to limit access to the series to a very restrictive and costly one-month rental arrangement.

So now you tell me that I in fact wrote an "extremely insinuating comment". Insinuating? Insinuating what? I stated perfectly clearly what concerned me; I didn't "insinuate" anything. Next, you announce that I have "no idea how blatant" I sound "writing such distasteful long never ending insults". Blatant? Distasteful? Insults? And your ringing condemnations continue. I am guilty of "child's play" in my attempt to "quantify [my] views over everyone else's". Moreover, everyone here on this comments page had up till now been exchanging positive and intelligent opinions in the most courteous, respectful way - until I barged in and ruined it all in my "irrational" way, insulting everyone by calling them "first time reviewers with no taste". Then, with evident didain, you go on to "enlighten" me as to what real reviews by famous critics are like.

Whoa!

It's sort of boring, but it is nevertheless important to refute invective of this kind. I did not "insinuate" anything. I did not write anything that was "distasteful", for heaven's sake, and my comment did not include any "insults", whether "never ending" or brief. I did not in any way try to "quantify" my views "over everyone else's". What on earth does that even mean?? I did not dismiss any authors of reviews or comments as "mere first timers with no taste".

I'll leave it there. I need to go on to the next cascade of vituperation.

In fact, I didn't write anything above along the lines of: "It is very bizarre that there are people who feel differently from me". If I had wanted to say that, I would have written that. Instead, I explained as clearly as I could the three things which I said I found bizarre: the numerous almost identical reviews proclaiming the series to be a phenomenal, immaculate, perfect masterpiece; the lengthy discussion of the MDL ratings mechanisms on this comments page; and the decision by Nadao to limit access to the series to a very restrictive and costly one-month rental arrangement.

So ... I am not going to "go ahead and criticise" the series. I never said I didn't like ITSAY. In fact, I too liked it and was generally very impressed. Thanks for giving me the link. I followed it and ended up on a YouTube channel. I'm assuming that's what you meant for me to look at.

I didn't want to watch one of the illegal bootleg copies. I still cannot understand why Nadao chose to limit access to a rather costly and highly exceptional temporary one-month rental arrangement. My point was that this decision by Nadao actively impairs access to the series and damages their reputation and the reputations of everyone connected with it, plus quite simply makes it difficult and expensive to watch the series.

To be honest, I like to watch a series on the "official" site or YouTube channel if there is one. You're right, there are basically bootleg copies which appear on YouTube - and generally disappear quicky afterwards, one must assume because of intervention by Nadao. I don't watch those channels anyhow, but they tend to have really poor-quality copies which have been impaired by weird zooming techniques or an accelerated speed or other things which make watching downright unpleasant. Plus there are many messages from other viewers and fans and the production companies, not least here on MDL, urging us NOT to look at these pirated versions on YouTube.

Also, to be honest, I had no idea that "fans ... manipulate views to make their chosen show more popular than it is" - I really didn't. I most certainly didn't in any way "assume there are ppl conspiring around this show" - in fact, it's you who are now telling me that fans do actually "manipulate views". I simply commented on the fact that I had come across numerous reviews using the same language and giving this series the same perfect 10/10 scores. As you'll see in the other replies I've received, there are people who tell me that I am imagining things - the reviews are all genuine, they say, there is no manipulation, it's absolutely routine and not at all "bizarre" for a show to attract dozens of perfect 10/10 reviews using the same wording etc.

I stand by the points I made above. I'm glad you think the series was "perfect", without any fault in it, 10/10. But ... I did not say I didn't like the series. And where did I complain that people were "forcing" me to like something? And again - where did I myself (according to you) try to "force anyone to NOT love it"? Who said anything about "insulting" the opinions of others? Please ... I know the points I made. You have read things into what I wrote which simply are not there. I've left my comment above unedited.

I totally accept that I have no choice but to let everyone "be crazy in peace", as you put it. But I'm disappointed. There are many fine, good, impressive things about ITSAY. Many significant points regarding the setting, the acting, the role of the Chinese language, the music, the cinematography, the use of colour and filters, camera angles, etc - all of which could be the subjects of interesting discussions right here on MDL. Instead we have pages and pages of very, very similar (almost identical) 10/10 reviews screaming the same words (perfect, masterpiece, flawless, greatest in history, phenomenal, immaculate) - plus a comments page dominated by messages about the ratings mechanism - and finally, a very strange decision by the production company to limit access to the series to a costly one-month rental. My point is that all of these factors damage the reputation of the series and the production company, make ITSAY relatively inaccessible, and really impair informed appreciation and discussion of the series. And I see this proved again and again, indeed by all of those who have submitted replies which large ignore what I wrote and instead denounce me for imaginary offences.

Well, I'm gay too. And I've been gay for a LONG time - and witnessed plenty of homophobia and misogyny in all sorts of forms - and yes, they are very real. However, the whole problem is that many of us watching this series do not feel that things like homophobia and misogyny are being in any way confronted or illuminated, let alone made into the subject of any conversation - whether in a rough way or not a rough way. We see no such conversation in this series. We do not see any "struggle". We do not see a brave but "uncomfortable" attempt to deal with a "sensitive" topic.

Instead, we see the writers and production team actively promoting misogyny and homophobia. For heaven's sake, Tonhon is an extreme, Over-the-Top homophobic caveman, and his frenzied anti-gay bigotry, which is truly pathological, is depicted as funny and entertaining. I agree with you - misogyny and homophobia are real. But Tonhon is not real. He is an absurd caricature. Secondly, his homophobia and misogyny are absoutely not being challenged. Instead, three sane, intelligent, rather engaging young gay men are bending over backwards to pretend to be straight and to appease Tonhon's brutal troglodyte demands and attitudes. It's not "comic". It's not a "conversation". No "taboo" is being addressed in an enlightened way. Not at all. That is the problem which so many of us have with this series. We entirely agree with you about misogyny and homophobia. But we feel they're being exploited, even promoted, in this series - not challenged.

So - at least have a think about that - I suggest. You are not the only LGBT person watching this. It's not helpful to tell people who may have a different view (you think) to "stop watching the show".

Exactly. You said it. The whole thing is so ludicrous - Tonhon's crazy over-the-top homophobic Neanderthal act, Chonlatee's craven desperation to appease Tonhon at every twist and turn - that someone deserves a slap. But it's not Tonhon and Chonlatee. It's the writers. Just what ON EARTH do they think they're up to?

Dear Mary. That is a very sensitive and observant question. You obviously hear the hurt and bitterness and deep melancholy which characterise that assertion which you quote. And "Der Homo Deutsche" (interessanter Name!) has already given a full and persuasive answer.

My answer is sort of the same. However, I am sure I am quite a bit older than the unnamed person you're quoting - and probably everyone else here. I have decades of experience living as an adult gay man (and before that a closeted boy, who took a while to come out) - in different parts of the world. So I am glad to testify that what many people see here as fanciful romantic "fluff" which has no connection to the real lives of gay men - who are supposedly only interested in sex, unable to make a relationship last, etc - well, such "fluff" is absolutely not a baseless fantasy; it does correspond to reality, I have to tell you - and to claim that gay men are sex-mad creatures incapable of enduring love and devotion is total nonsense.

I am very sorry if the person you quote has experienced hurt, loss and betrayal. Heterosexual people, lesbians and bisexuals all experience just as much hurt, loss and betrayal. Ask any lawyer, social worker or counsellor. And gay men, well, we too can - believe it or not - actually experience Cloud 9 romantic bliss with another man, pretty much as we see in a variety of BL series. I admit - I'm quite sad when I read the endless comments from people who dismiss most or all of these love stories as "unrealistic" fantasy. I have more than once known a reality which was close to what I see in the better (positive or "happy ending") BL series. I have loved ... a few men in my day - and been loved by them in return - and I have plenty of beautiful memories of amazing experiences of passion, ardour, being (truly, madly, deeply) in love, feeling myself adrift in a see of ... yep, - fluff. Oh yes. It happens. Just like in the movies and in the (higher-quality, better-written!) BL series. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I hate the idea that any young gay man allows himself to be cheated out of pursuing his heart's desire because he's bought some nonsensical homophobic view which says he's unworthy and incapable of love.

I'm single at the moment, but I do not for a moment regret the relationships of the past that ended - or the heartbreak I encountered here and there. No, no, no. There was plenty of bliss and perfection and romantic ... fluff to make up for that.

You are so absolutely right about everything you say - and eloquent. Some of what we see here does indeed represent a real phenomenon - and it's definitely not hilarious.

Plus you highlight the central weakness in this series. It's a defect which you valiantly attempt to explain in terms of the plotting and writing - but ... I'm not buying it. The problem is: as you say, the character go to crazy lengths to "placate" (good word) Tonhon's crazy homophobic views. And the question is of course: why? Why on EARTH are these rather entertaining, bright, sweet young gay men "so concerned about protecting him from realizing how much damage he inflicts"? I give you all credit for identifying that as their supposed motivation - but honestly, there is quite simply no reason, logical or illogical, that these characters would be desperately engaging in silly stratagems, ostensibly comic deceptions and degrading acts of self-abasement in order to protect Tonhon. No reason. It makes no sense.

I honestly believe that 100 out of 100 queer people would either avoid Tonhon like the plague, making no effort at all to "placate" him, - or they would confront him and try to force him to face the self-damaging craziness of his own conduct. But they simply would not "bend over backwards" to pretend they're straight in a bid to protect Tonhon or placate him. So - that may be the writers' rationale for the behaviour of these gay characters, but it's a ludicrous, implausible, unfunny and offensive "rationale". As you say, queer people do not need to protect anyone from the consequences of their homophobia. If any of the writers or members of the production team or the actors are queer, or they know even one person in Thailand who is, they will be fully aware of the overwhelming common sense of what you say. So why on earth have they created these gay characters who conduct themselves in this seriously absurd way? It makes no sense, and this is the inescapable weakness at the heart of this series.

There is something bizarre going on here.

First of all, there are literally scores, maybe hundreds, of reviews of this series in the "reviews" section above which are largely (not entirely) identical. They almost all use the same words - "phenomenal", "perfect", "immaculate", "a masterpiece", etc. Likewise, they give the series straight 10 scores for everything - that is, every dimension of the series is judged to be uniformly flawless. These aren't what I think of as reviews. There is no attempt to be critical in any way - even in a positive way, spelling out the virtues of the production. Hardly any information about the content of the series is cited. It's just an endless series of outpourings of repetitious, breathless, and rather vague praise. Many of the reviews seem to be written by people who have never reviewed anything else - and make no reference to any other series or films (BL or otherwise), thus failing to offer anything which could at least point to a standard of comparison or provide a sense of perspective. Instead, we are literally adrift in a sea of 10s and cries of "perfection".

Secondly, on this "comments" page too we see that much of the discussion is not about the series itself but about "algorithms" and how to influence MDL to give this series the highest possible rating. I have never before seen such an open and very extended discussion about managing a concerted campaign to boost ratings of a series. Never. There seems to be more here about the mechanism of arriving at ratings than there is about the content of the series.

Both in the reviews and in the comments, there are also some rather disturbingly extreme, irrational messages floating about in this sea of wild adulation - we hear from people who say that "I Told Sunset About You" is more vivid and meaningful than real life (?!), the greatest series of any sort "of all time", entirely devoid of any weaknesses or shortcomings whatsoever, - and so infinitely superior to "BL" that it is not actually about same-sex love at all (but something altogether much purer and more elevated). There are also a few sinister conspiracy theories being ventilated about malign forces supposedly scheming to invalidate or delete positive ratings and reviews.

Finally, there is no reference anywhere I can see to the utterly extraordinary way this series has been made "available" to viewers - or rather, made unavailable: that is, solely as a temporary and costly one-month rental. I've only ever heard of such an arrangement in the case of "I Told Sunset About You". And it is an arrangement which strikes as perversely designed to damage the reputation of the series - and ensure its speedy disappearance. For a production that is is lauded in such effusive and extreme terms, this is very ... bewildering. The series is no longer live - it's complete, finished, in the past. It cannot be viewed anywhere in the way that other series are viewed - that is, in other cases, you can go to a website or a YouTube channel, often one authorised as "official" by the production company - and simply watch it. We are told it is as great as any film, on a par with "Call Me By Your Name", and so on. But those other productions are ... available. They can be purchased. From Netflicks. From Amazon. Or you can buy a subscription to some other service and watch them - any time. However, no one may have access to "ITSAY" for longer than one month. It's as though the production company, Nadao, wants to make the series inaccessible -turning it into a legendary, dimly-remembered rarity which a few people were able to glimpse in late 2020 and which then vanished from view. (Or something which keen viewers with money to spare may have access to for one month, and for a fee.) It's an arrangement which makes no sense at all and can only damage the longer-term interests of this "masterpiece", the production company, and above all the actors. They need to be visible to be appreciated - not hidden from view.

It's a good series, but this wall-to-wall craziness is ... something else.

Let's see, so far I've seen 3 episodes of 13. OK, that's not much. We're about a quarter of the way into our story. But I'm beginning to wonder more and more about this series. Is it a work of mordant satire, I sometimes wonder? It comes across as a rather light comedy, funny, full of somewhat zany characters and funny situations. But I've been disturbed by various qualities from the beginning which - when you step back and look at Tonhon Chonlatee from a distance - more and more look ... sad, bitter, dark, cynical.

Chon is our hero, so sweet and pure. He starts out open and honest - refreshingly out as a gay man. Now, though, he's plunging deeper and deeper into the closet, desperate to pretend to be straight, all in the cause of his unrequited love for a rather unfeeling, homophobic, possibly violent straight man. In the meantime we've met our beloved Mike and Toptap, known here as Ai and Ni, who turn out to be gay men likewise desperately pretending to be straight. And now they're actually being blackmailed - something they comply with, so afraid are they of being outed. Finally, we have the extreme caricature of "toxic masculinity" that is Tonhon - coarse, on the edge of brutal, he may be funny from time to time, but he radiates a bewildered, distant quality and an extreme obliviousness to everything around him which I am beginning to find ... tragic. Next, let's think about some of the female characters. We have just encountered two young women who have had to resort to being call-girls in order to survive in a brutal economy. They may be sweet and funny in different ways (though one is a blackmailer) - but the reality behind their stories is not sweet or funny. As for Chon's much-adored mother, her advice to her son is ultimately very, very sad: just go on devoting your life to loving a straight guy, whether he cares for you or not, as there's nothing better out there for you to hope for.

When I step back and look at the "overall picture" here, I do wonder what we're dealing with. A rather badly written comedy which rehashes tired plot devices of "old BL" (a seemingly malevolent ex-girlfriend lurking in the background, a closeted lovesick gay boy pining for the love of a super-straight macho-man, etc)? Maybe. Or is it actually a rather subtle social tragedy about innocent young people forced to do violence to their characters, their human dignity, in their desperate and lonely quests for love and economic survival?

Hmmmm. Only the next 10 episodes will tell!