jpny01

Did I misunderstand something? I thought the basketball scene was how they met.

If Tony is that depressed he should just go somewhere with lots of mirrors.

That was some complicated symbolism at the end there - it's difficult to unravel, especially in a Catholic country. So much if it is ambiguous with lots of meanings. The sea usually represents the subconscious and fish aspects of the personality, so dead fish is ominous. Crossing the sea symbolizes the journey of life, so the dead fish are doubly troubling. Mermaids mean many things -independence and life, but also destruction and temptation. It feels like Ian is a positive force, but maybe he's not...

Is BL really queer media? It's really more about straight boys in love in a totally not-gay way, which is why everyone freaks out whenever people have sex. One rubber kiss in the last 10 seconds is grudgingly acceptable, but otherwise it should be cute boys being cute to each other, and moral imperfection is unforgivable.

I was afraid you'd disappeared!

I think that Wayu is probably the author inserting herself into the story - because of that, she didn't really bother to give him a character or purpose, just an endless series of hot guys pursuing him for no apparent reason. He's sort of cute, but if I were Thanu, I'd be going after Pha, not some high-maintenance little princess who doesn't offer anything back. Or Phai, who at least knows how to make coffee - that's a nice skill to have in a boyfriend.

Ep 3 was frustrating - the whole thing was taken up by just one thing, and there was no dramatic tension because Yeong Woo told Yi Bin what he was going to do at the beginning.

You're right - I didn't think of it that way. I think they mean to have him show his love for Wayu, but instead he's burdening Kit and Thanu - plus they way they made him a drama queen makes him unappealing, like why did he show up at the beginning? Who did that do anything for?

Also, even though Wayu is basically a useless infant, if Pha loves him he should have told him the truth. That's selfish - Intead he's infantilizing Wayu, as if he can't handle it. And does Pha think Wayu won't find out when he dies? That's going to make him feel worse than anything else could, but then Pha won't have to worry about that.

The actor playing him is hot, though.

That was excruciating. I had to take breaks to get through it even on 2X speed. We got an accidental kiss, a trip/catch/stare, and then the LOL archery scene to lead to another accidental faces-too-close stare.

I was trying to think of a single thing Wayu has contributed to anything in the story and came up blank. He doesn't help his friends or ask them how they are, he doesn't ever have any ideas - he just mopes around waiting for things to happen to him. He has zero agency. He had to be tricked by someone else to even get him to talk to Thanu. He is the most boring an useless character I've ever encountered. Sandee, Thanu, and Pha might as well compete over a table lamp, which at least has a purpose.

I'm going to have to demote this series to quick scan for shirtless scenes. If Pha is going to spend the whole series in a hospital bed, someone will need to give him a sponge bath at some point, right?

I don't get how Pha was manipualtive.

Are the lyrics that awful on purpose? They have to be, right?

Sitting by the hill
And riding a bike around the village
Drinking as a job
And selling charcoal for a living

Put powder on my face
And walk around the village with a shovel on my back

Or:

I came to her store
But she thought I was there to rob her

And those are the most intelligible lyrics.

Nevertheless, this is a really enjoyable series to watch, even if it's an endless cycle of pointless jealousy. The main couple's interaction is really cute and loving, and I was surprised at how committed they were to the love scene. And I like that the ukes were more aggressive than usual and not so helpless.

I just watched this again - I loved it the first time, and I was wondering how well it would hold up. I liked it even more the second time. The plot is so non-BL-standard formula - no engineers, no school, and an equal relationship, which is really rare. Even the Jack-Lian stary, which is more traditional seme-uke is not the same old thing. This is definitely in my top 3.

Tha'ts a good point - sometimes chemistry improves. On the other hand, sometimes it declines... we'll see, I guess.

LOL, true. I think that's how the casting calls work.

I know, but I'm referring to the release strategy as a whole. Whatever marketing there is aims at the initial release, and many people won't be aware subsequent releases as a movie or won't be intrested in it because they were turned off by the short ep format.

I think you've pretty much named the issue - fanservice. Most people want cute boys being cute to each other, and that's all. Comments sections go nuts whenever anything else happens and the word "toxic" gets thrown around, as if that word means anything anymore.

8.1 is too low, but 8.3 isn't a terrible rating - ITSAY is only 8.4. I'm curious to see if Not Me rises any further.

OK - there are two opposing camps here and I think I see both POVs. The eps are indeed too short. The story itself is paced fine, but it was a mistake to chop it into such short portions. It would have been better to divide it into four 20-minute episodes, or better yet, just release it as a movie.

I know they do it this way to get more views, but I think it's counterproductive if they lose a lot of viewers by atomizing it like this. Think about what you've seen so far - wouldn't you have enjoyed t much more if you watched it all at once? The problem is that 10 minutes isn't long enough to really engage you, and then your memory of the previous episodes fades a bit from week to week - for example, I have no idea who that assassin guy was - the main character seems to know him but I have no recollection of him being in the story before.

So I think this is actually really good - the acting is good - I feel the prince's sadness and loneliness, the main character is adorable, the warrior is a sexy strong silent type, and the interaction is really cute - that scene where they're all in bed together... if you don't think that's cute then you must hate puppies and be a communist or something.

But they're not doing this story any favors by chopping it up so much. I think I might drop this until it's done and watch it all at once so I can really enjoy it.

Agree! BTW, you accidentally said "exaperation date" instead of "expiration date", but DO NOT change it - that should be a required term in describing a BL - it's amazing how so many pairings have an exasperation date. In Bite Me I got there around Ep 4, Ep 1 for Leo & Fiat, and for these guys, their first scene.

It's not nearly as well-done as BB - but Tae elevates if for me. I think Yoon is supposed to be creepy, so he's doing a good job, right? I try not to say it to avoid being lynched, but Singto is one of the least capable actor in BL. He's better in this role than in Baker Boys where he thought being a gay conqueror meant acting like a small child pretending to be a cat. He has a great body and perfect butt - all he needs to do is wear tight pants and take his shirt off and not talk and it would work perfectly.

You can't really hav a 27-year old actor play a 12-year old - it just makes the character annoying.

The next time a grown man is eating and gets food stuck at the cornr of his mouth that he somehow doesn't notice and then doesn't punch in the face anyone who's not his mother that reaches over and wipes his lip with their hand, I'm going to burn something down.

I think you have to be a virgin cat lady who's never experienced normal day-today life in order to write a BL.That's the only explanation I can think of for the presence of athletic adult men who can't sucessfully walk without tripping, be in the same room as a sharp object withou cutting themselves, or eating without smearing food all over their face.

Also, I think we need a hashatag - #JusticeForRonAngeles

Aha. I looked on the cast list but didn't see the name before I responded but I forgot they were actors playing characters. I think you're right, it's probably supposed to be Titus.

I think there's a cultural element to perceptions of step-siblings that I'm just missing. Here the general attitude is that sibling aversion is considered to be a thing caused by being raised together (and there's strong evidence that's the case), and both the social and evolutionary pressure against sibling relations is based on maintaining genetic diversity and avoiding birth defects - since neither is a problem with steps (and especially same-sex steps), I guess no social aversion ever really emerged here, but then it was fairly ordinary for cousins to marry until recently.

A large percentage of BL couples are creepy to me beacuse they're forced into an artificial seme-uke model which isn't really 100% consensual in many cases, especially in the older BLs. And ukes are often so useless. helpless, and without agency that it doesn't really feel like they are capable of consent any more than a child is. That;s why the step thing seems minor to me, comparatively.

In any case, I would agree that the relationship between Maze and Neung seems to have plenty of room to be creepy.