Jero

Why does Japanese queer media with cross-cultural aspects have to be so tragic like this and Banana Fish?

I’m a sucker for angsty Japanese dramas but the plots are starting to feel exactly the same. I’ve seen tons of shows with this exact storyline and I only gave this one a pass bc it was executed beautifully

​I would have rated this higher if it didn’t follow the exact same Japanese trauma porn blueprint over and over again:

1) ​They get close and fall in love
2) ​One gets a terminal illness
​3) That one acts like a bitch and leaves so the other one won’t find out
4) ​They only get closure when it’s way too late

​Anyways, the cinematography is so gorgeous as expected from the director of More than Words and honestly I think this one is better (I mean MTW is not that realistic). It’s just kinda obvious they altered some scenes bc of homophobic fans, so I can’t even blame the people calling it just a bromance but it’s really not, I still consider this as a queer media

​I got invested bc I was craving a Japanese queer media with a cross-cultural romance trope where the leads aren’t both Japanese but at what cost

And the fact that a fubu relationship between a college student and a minor highschooler is being normalized here, ugh. That part is honestly hard to watch. I’m so sorry, Sora, lol

Tbf, I jumped to the chapters of the manga where they kissed, and it is really like that. I don’t know why Japanese dramas and media whether straight or BL are so conservative with kissing. Like you said, it’s not like we’re asking them to make out, which is what the defenders of that media seem to think. We just want to see a kiss that is actually believable where it doesnt look like they find each other gross

I know I’m in enemy’s territory (MDL), but idc what y’all say about Mina Sue. She made this season fun and not boring. If she hadn’t been cast, the whole show would’ve probably just revolved around Go-Eun and his 3 boys similar to what happened with Si-An last season. Live, laugh, love Mary Sue

Yeah, I defended her for a long time, but this week she just kinda drained me. And I get your point, I never hated her either, and the personal grudge people have over a reality show is wild. (No one even ended up dating in real life for long in the previous seasons)

That’s why I feel like she’d be better off figuring out her feelings outside the show. In a dating show setup, her confusion turns messy really fast

She’s just not built for this format. And viewers will drag her no matter what she does, so it’s basically a lose-lose for her atp

I’m not Mina hater, like tbh I literally defended her up until last week, but girl is stressing me this week? And before anyone agrees on me, the hate train against her is still overhated, okay? Other contestants have flaws and attitude problems too but ofc, y’all aren’t ready for THAT conversation

Honestly, Mina Sue is giving lithromantic vibes atp. I’d rather she not pick anyone in Paradise and just figure out her identity outside the show, bc it is clearly not the place. And people love riding the hate wave or milking it for content, so she’s basically feeding the machine

Anyways, based on the teaser, I think the endgame is looking like Sunghun and Heesun... IDK if it’s hyping up the final episode or what, but that’s the only most possible plot twist that actually makes sense right now. Meanwhile, Sungbeen and Mina Sue might both leave empty-handed

This season is finally starting to improve. Honestly, it could have reached the same level as Season 1 if Izaya and William weren’t part of the picture. One of the biggest casting missteps was that too many of them already knew each other. I could tolerate it if it were just one pair... maybe Huwei and Bomi because their dynamic actually feels more genuine

That said, this season had even the potential to surpass the first season. I appreciated how the cast engaged in deeper conversations about queerness like coming out and societal prejudice. There’s clearly no shortage of meaningful stories here. Unfortunately, the production chose to funnel like around 80% of the screen time into two main couples that were already know eo. If the season were tighter.. say, 10 episodes and trimmed some of those repetitive moments, the overall narrative would have been far more balanced and compelling ig

This season is so corny. And bringing Taeheon back isn’t the saving grace y’all think it is

I hate how William and Izaya keep stealing the spotlight. William really couldn’t just give the coffee truck chance to another cast member? He didn’t need to fight that hard for it when he could’ve just handed the letter normally. But no, he had to turn it into a whole moment. Okay, maybe he wanted it to be “romantic” but honestly… idk. It just felt unnecessary and lowkey selfish

The Japanese movie by Koreeda

Eternal Yesterday. Monster would be 2nd if we’re talking about queer media overall and not just BL

I guess I’m 50% on it lol. And Japan’s gay circle isn’t really that small las you said like 5 out of 10 people already knew eo

So I’d say it’s plotted. And you’re right, since they’re both in the same IT field, it’s suspicious that the show didn’t know the history between those two.

The show seems desperate to replicate what S1 achieved, but it ends up feeling unnatural

The first 6 episodes are kinda boring and this season feels so scripted, especially Izaya and William. I think I’ll just give it a chance because of Hiroya, Bomi, Ryuki, and maybe that 40yr old guy

And those two keep pushing the destiny thing when it’s clear the other two don’t have feelings for them

I feel that too. It’s not destiny, the show is either just using you, or you’re using the show.

I just finished ep 3, and I honestly think the cast from S1 was way more likable than this season’s. Two are just relying on destiny, another is a cheater, and the other one just seems horny idk

And the cafe truck thing already feels tired. Why don’t they at least have some in-between personal dates?

Like I shipped them from the moment Hiroya accompanied Bomi bc he didn’t want to go to the hot spring