jpny01

I understand what you're saying, but that's surrendering to homophobia, and that's how LGBTQ+ people fail to make progress. The decision might be cold, but it's not based on logic or data, it's based on homophobia and igorance. All the concerns you listed were present everywhere else as well, and they all proved to be unfounded. People DID hire actors who appeared in gay roles for other roles, audieces DID accept gay characters, audiences did stay or even grow for shows with gay content, etc. In fact, it's rare on a Western show to NOT have an LGBTQ+ character, even shows aimed at younger audiences, whereas that was unthinkable not long ago. Most of the BL actors are active in other genres even now - even openly gay actors.

What you're saying is, and this sounds like an attack, but it isn't meant to be,, I'm just putting it in stark terms - "I get my BL, so I can live with LGBTQ+ people being stomped on." I don't accept misogyny, and BL audiences shouldn't tolerate homophobia. Watching homophobia puts money into the hands of homophobes and encourages their homophobia.

LGBTQ+ rights weren't achieved by shrugging and saying "that's just the way the world is." Asian countries are socially conservative, but Western countries largely are too, and in the West there is a strong and uniformly explicit religious prohibition that doesn't exist in Buddhism, Condfucianism, or Taosim (or Shinto, Hinduism, or anything else), so there'quite a bit less distance to travel to acceptance.

Oh, sorry - I didn't mean I hate the actor. I didn't write that well. I meant I hate Ait. First of all, he barely knows James, and he's acting like he has a right to control who his friends are, and instead of discussing it, he's using hardball tactics to control him. Next he'll be jealous of James' mother for having breast-fed him. Second, it's 100% not James' fault of Marco likes him, and it's also 100% clear James didn't even know it, or he wouldn't have asked Marco about it like that - he was thinking Marco would laugh and say "eww." or something.

Ait's behavior is either that of someone not mature enough to be in a relationship or someone with an antisocial personality disorder. In either case, James should run away fast. This is why you never get involved with someone you work with. In a normal dating situation, you can just disengage. In a work situation it's very complicated.

But this is a BL, so Ait's behavior will be normalized and result in happily ever after. This isn't really a normal BL, but since the director is making a series about himself, it seems unlikely he won't give himself the cute boy.

For the never-quite-here KinnPorsche, my attitude is "meh" except WHERE IS MY JEFF & GAMEPLAY.

Got it. I found it disturbing to hear, especially because I wanted to think the brother was on Bas' side - which he was, but conditionally.

I think it was put that way because it was showing that Bas has a lot of heteronormatve pressure on him to be a "man" from his family, which would not include being gay - and would also not include being molested by Tee. No doubt the brother would literally have beaten Tee to death if he'd seen him touching Bas, but I think he would negatively judge Bas for letting it happen. I'm assuming that since this is based on a true story and in that story nobody died, that Bas will survive, but the degree of hopelessness he's suffering on all sides often leads to suicide - it's really hard to watch, but really well done.

I try to be of service. :)

I'm sorry, is this a discussion forum? If it is, it's where people discuss things. If you don't want people to read and respond to each other, are you in the right place?

100% agree with you. I thought you meant it could be interpreted to possibly have a happy ending but I misunderstood.

I think Taiwan might be a smidgen ahead of Thailand in that statistic. Have you noticed that nobody ever gets out of the White SUV of Death after it strikes?

I've been skipping everything except Din & Than. I think I'll skip that too now - I've had enough BL disappointment for this week.

I don't see how it was open-ended. They're separated for four years, which means they'll both end up with different people. The only satisfaction I can take from this is Dew will still end up with a guy. I hope it's a Burmese guy who's in a band. I say that because I assume his mother is racist and classist, not because I have anything against Burmese guys in bands. That actually sounds kind of hot.

Are you a masochist or something? If I could go back in time and not watch any of this, I would.

The acting was very good, though.

I'm downrating it for the ending. I can turn your sentence around and say just because something is emotional doesn't mean it's good. It's like acting - everyone seems to like the actors that are good at crying, which is easy. It's subtle acting like Earth's in 1,000 Stars that's masterful. All the acting in this series was excellent, though - even Fern's.

Anyway, my problem isn't necessarily the sad ending, it's that it's a sad ending based on tired tropes - manipulative evil women (who suffer no consquences for their awfulness) and implausible failures of communication.

What difference does it make? In few hours he's leaving town forever. It would have been easier for Best if he hadn't said anything - now Best knows that he's lost real love instead of just an unavailable guy he liked. This was an awful ending.

It's not open ended. One of them is moving across the country for four years and they're both going to end up with different people.

Yes, this was relatable, but the last thing I needed was to be reminded of the emotional catastrophe that crippled my ability to love for my entire youth just as I'm getting to old for people to find attractive anymore.

BL is escapist fantasy. If I want to feel this way I'll just watch Holocaust footage.

I think I can answer this. The acting is superb, even Fern. The problem is the two main characters interact almost not at all, and if you didn't enjoy the first two episodes, DO NOT, oh, for the love of God, do not watch the last episode. You've been warned. Although I fear I'm too late.

You should have warned me not to watch this last. Now I have to go rewatch Brothers so I don't have to cry myself to sleep.

My grandmother died horribly of ovarian cancer at 63. I wasn't expecting that, but it was nice to see something different than the usual dying peacefully while sleeping in old age.

By which (in an obnoxiously snarky way) I mean I would rather have had a cliche ending than this disaster, which is actually just a collection of the same cliches as usual, except this time evil triumphs.

If you like to see boys never get a chance to tell each other how they feel and have their spirits totally crushed while evil women triumph in separating them forever, then yes, it's a happy ending. If you want to see boys in love get together, not so much a happy ending.

Why were they playing The First Noel during the lunch conversation? That's a Christmas carol! It was so out of place I had to rewatch the scene with the sound off because it was so distracting!

I hated this. The acting is great all around, however.

The first ep - now THAT is how to do BL. Marco & Bas were just fire, and they didn't even do anything. That they both have gorgeous bodies doesn't hurt, and Marco is just beautiful and has such a sexy voice - and then he spoke English and killed me. The conversation at dinner was so well-written.

The second episode was full of people behaving poorly. It was realistic and well-written, but not pleasant to watch. I loathe Ait. He's such an awful, selfish self-absorbed child. Why is anything James' fault? If someone treated me like he just treated James, I would not go after him - I would be done with him.

This is better than the first season. They still need to work on the car green screen, but it was at least better than the LOL one in the first season. All other aspects of this were better. Not sure about Time's acting - sometimes it's a little too mannered. But Michael & Daniel are first-rate. Everything they did was powerful - you can feel Bas' hopelessness & desperation - it's painful to watch.