jpny01

What does "sus" mean?

Wow, that is the opposite of how it struck me. I thought Aey was so much stronger in acting than everyone else's that if felt like nobody else was acting but just reading lines.

He suspects Sib doesn't like him back, he doesn't know. And crushes are like that. You don't give up hope until you know for sure. Gene is a jerk for not being honest, although Gene is such a mess of a person and so immature that I don't really blame him.

I feel like there's something wrong with me, because I really want to like this, but I don't. I even fell asleep twice during this.

Part of the problem is that the main relationship is so static and uninteresting, but I'm also confused as to what this is about. Maybe it's a casting problem? Bruce just obliterates everyone else in acting ability - it's not even close. It's to the point that he's in one series, and everyone else is in a different, lesser one. Nothing else matters but Aey - it's all just cartoonish other than him.

Also has Mork been in this until now? Good God. I thought my eyeballs would melt out of my head - has the camera actually setting on that face before? Can we have him in this a LOT more?

Also, I didn't understand why there was a very long scene of Aey trying snacks - was that supposed to be a commentary on product placement? And what was with the discussion of facial products that was also very long but didn't show any actual products?

It feels like this wants to be a clever critique of BL but also wants to be a very conventional BL, and there's no chemistry between the main pair, which I assume is intentional for some reason, because I've seen Kao be compelling before.

Count me confused. And bored (except for Aey).

It wouldn't have been easy for his sister or Mork to defend him - but his mother is a horrible person for not stopping it.

A transgressive storyline is perfectly fine, if it's treated as transgressive and not normalized. You don't get to rape someone and then have a happily ever after. If that's your thing, then you need to get it from something that's not children's programming - there's a time and place. It's much different for an adult to be reading a story including something transgressive (I've written some of these myself!) and including it in a visual medium that's marketed at 13-year olds.

Also, I'd like you to think about what you said about me looking for representation in the wrong place - what you're essentially saying is that BL is exclusionary. for (straight) women only, and inherently exploitative. Do you think mainstream programming should have all women engaged in lesbian sex for the enjoyment of straight men? Because what you wrote is no different. I'm not upset with you, but I think you might be taking a few things for granted and not distinguishing between a BL fanfic culture and mainstream broadcasting. I myself have written transgressive m/m fic for the reading pleasure of women - but I would absolutely not write a script for a broadcast BL in the same way.

Just to make sure it's understood, I want less trans characters, but I want the Trans characters that are included to be substantial and 3D. It does nothing for the trans community to have 5 cartoonish, ridiculous, predatory, loud, stereotyped trans characters - but to have one Miray or Jennie in 3WillBFree is a powerful statement. It doesn't even have to be fewer trans characters - it can be more. But it has to be characters, and not cartoons, and real people, not the exploitation of harmful stereotypes for pathetic and unfunny comic relief.

While I think serious trans characters need more representation, I would prefer no trans characters than to have any that are offensive, regressive, and harmful to the perception of the trans community. You can still have a trans character be funny - they just can't be pathetic predators who have nothing to do but screech and sexually assault pretty boys. Trans clowns are a staple of BL and it needs to stop. I won't even watch a show that contains a negative depiction. As if Trans people don't have enough problems with societal oppression, how can we tolerate it in a genre that's supposed to be affirming?

Same with effeminate gay characters. The straight-acting fetishism of BL is harmful and homophobic. At least we're slowly moving away from the main characters actually being straight.

Yes, I think I agree - I've defended the length of You Make me Dance, but I think just 20 minutes more run time could probably have greatly improved it by filling in the gaps and smoothing plot transitions.

I liked the first ep of Lovely Writer, then it moved away from the critique of the darker side of the BL industry and started to get irritating, except for that really layered voiceover scene, then ep 3 I hated, four liked better, and maybe 5 will be where I'm totally converted.

Brothers is conventional, but most BL is conventional - it has a quality to it that others don't. Prab is so relentlessly kind and caring while still being a vulnerable and clueless teen, and Chon is wonderfully socially awkward and geeky - the show is just so cute I can't deal with it. Plus, I'm not sure we've ever had one where every single boy in school (and the entire faculty) is gay.

And for History, I love the brothers storyline. People go nuts over the "incest", but it's not really, and who cares if it is? You can't say love is love is love if you are going to draw your own arbitrary lines. Sometimes a sibling relationship might be questionable or wrong, and sometimes a relationship between strangers might be questionable or wrong. Neither is inherently wrong, it's all about the individual situation. What's the difference between that and saying "all gay relationships are inherently wrong"? Sorry, it's a pet peeve. So many people that issue blanket condemnations of the step-brother trope don't seem to mind some other really morally questionable things that are staples of BL.

I'm kind of seeing Tae as a top, but one of the things I like about this show is that they haven't shoehorned the characters into top/bottom seme/uke roles and just let them be guys. In any case, whoever's in the middle is going to be a happy camper!

This was not very good in any regard, but it had a certain heart to it and it was charming that the sponsors were mini-marts - it give it a sense of community effort.

I got a sense that there's a story they want to tell although it wasn't clear what that is yet - I presume it has to do with class difference and poverty - there's not too much room in this space at the moment with both Padayon and Stranger's Kiss, both of which are more technically able productions. I would advise better editing and thought about content - for example it's not to interesting to watch people plan the logistics of picking someone up for a ride. which consumed nearly half this episode.

The actor playing Sam stood out for his fairly natural delivery, and his cubicle was charming.

There was a shower scene that was supposed to be sexy, but the shower stall itself was so gross I too worried about what fungal infections the actor was going to get to think about much else.

Anyway, I will continue to watch - I'm hoping some of the production issues improve, but I will say they did fairly well with the sound - there are higher-budget productions that are much inferior in this regard, so kudos for that.

I do know what you mean. Although we're dealing with a culture that prefers to have characters raped than show them seeking and enjoying bottoming, so I'm not sure the underlying values system is entirely compatible with progressive attitudes towards gender and sexuality.

Also, what does Star Trek have to do with any of this? (That's an attempt at humor based on the typo in your first sentence.)

Under 18 is fine, but the other actor also has to be over 18. Under 18 and over 18 are not legal. Plus, if you're until 18 your parents still have legal control - a lot of conservative parents are probably not on board with their sons having gay sex on TV.

I don't think it's easy to predict where you'll see a lot of good making out or sex. I really, really didn't expect Tae to have a one-nighter, and I didn't expect a serious make-out scene in You Make Me Dance given Korean homophobia-on-steroids. And I expected more than high-5 on 2Gether after all the "kiss you until you drop" talk. And Earth and Mix better get naked on 1,000 Stars or I'm going to start a letter-writing campaign. The Philippines is winning in this category, IMO, but the creative staffs and writers are more heavily male and LGBTQ+

Well, it's hard to disagree with very much of that. There are only two points that strike me - one is that I don't think it's important to flesh out the mother thing - to me it's clear she's dead. If I'm totally off about that, then there's a problem with the writing. But sometimes series go way too much into backstory and it detracts from what's important. Sometimes it's better left vague.

Second, Hong Seok muscled his way into living with Shi On because he was in love with him. You can criticize the character for abusing his leverage, but I don't think it made no sense - that worked fine for me.

The rest I have to concede - I understood why the boss required him to move to VN - she wanted to separate him from Shi On. That was also the reason why Hong Seok went cold and left Shi On - he was afraid CEO would have Shi On harmed. Fine. But what didn't make sense is why she suddenly changed her mind for no apparent reason. I did notice that was jarring when it happened, but I let it go. THANKS FOR RUINING EVERYTHING! Just kidding.

I think the acting is good, though. Not spectacular but better than the average Thai BL. I was painfully aware that Shi On isn't a dancer (I was a music major, incidentally, so to me Hong Seok playing the piano was even more fake. You can't play the piano when your fingers are cold, for one thing.)

I am not enjoying Lovely Writer, although the last ep was a big improvement for me - I just really don't like Gene at all - his explosion at the end of the episode previous to this week's was never resolved, which is lazy writing and hateful on Gene's part - a huge apology was needed. There's a lot of great ingredients, but it's not coming together for me. I get that the sound effects are parody, but that doesn't change that I have to mute the sound and just read the subtitles so I don't break something. Also, I know that people come to terms with their sexuality at different rates in individual ways, but a lot of that process has to do with exposure - I grew up in a small conservative town before the internet where there was no contact with any gay imagery or models, but my first week at college was all it took and there was no going back. Here we have a man living in an urban area WRITING GAY FICTION and he has no idea about his own sexuality? That's almost as unbelievable as two 20-something wedding planners (History4) being clueless, but at least they're cartoonish idiots - Gene isn't. I'm not dropping it because I still have high hopes for the show.

I don't think History 4 will work because of the dissonance between a cartoon plot and a serious and dark one, but I do like both stories individually. (Ex: beating up a helpless boy is not romantic, it's horrible, and appreciating it makes Mu Ren horrible too. If the brothers plot were as cartoonish as the other one, it wouldn't have been an issue.)

But I love Brothers. I don't understand why anyone would rip on it. Sure, it may not have the gravitas and quality of ITSAY, but it's so f$%ing cute and charming how can anyone dislike it? The acting isn't Oscar-worthy, but it's consistent and the two leads stay convincingly in character. And are so f#$%ing cute. I'm usually annoyed by people even liking shows that are about nothing other than cute boys being cute to each other, but here it just works. Especially with all the teen awkwardness.

I'd just be content to know whether or not Shou Yi feels that way so I can understand what's going on - it's not like he has any chance of ending up with Shi De, right?

Agreed. Maybe not a bad enough slap in the face to make him drop dead, though, lol.

Those are all really good points. My only addition is that I would not see it as someone caring for me if they beat up someone helpless, I would see it as sociopathic or egotistical and be very seriously turned off by it. I'm not holding it against any of the characters - I'm just concerned the attempt to combine a purely comical storyline with a dark and serious one isn't working and won't work.

We'll have to wait and see. My interpretation is that it already looks questionable that Tae slept with Nite II immediately (not that I wouldn't have in his place!) and his refusal to kiss is more about still having feelings for Nite I. There wasn't a real reason to announce it unless it's a plot point - it's not like any of us would assign any particular importance to a lack of kiss given we rarely get one in any BL. It's already fairly risqué by BL standards that Tae woke up shirtless in bed with someone he obviously had a one-night stand with - you don't see THAT every day, for sure! Or at least not a fully consensual one-nighter. Sigh.

Also, as FreshKicks mentions, the last time Tae kissed someone, he disappeared in a puff of pink smoke and never returned - he may be a bit skittish.

I'm not at all discounting your wishful-thinking theory - that's hard to avoid if you're a BL fan, right? Tee is 20 and Nite II actor is 24, so there aren't any under-18 issues at play, so we'll see next ep!

I am often surprised (well, not really, I'm getting used to it) at how violently people react when you don't like the same shows they like or have a different opinion. I'm delighted when people have a different opinion, because it can improve my understanding of the show. Sometimes I miss things or misunderstand them - and probably sometimes other people do and maybe I can help them enjoy something more. It should all be friendly.

On the other hand, I think we should all try to be against things that are objectively bad, like starting a romance with a rape with no consequences. That might be OK in an adult drama clearly labeled as an adult drama, but this occurs in series aimed at general audiences which I think is reprehensible, and it's usually misogynist or homophobic as well - somehow being raped is better than enjoying bottoming (because "you're not really gay unless you bottom", a horrendous surrender to homophobic sensibilities). Same with straight romances - it's somehow not OK for a woman to want and enjoy sex, so she has to be forced to legitimize her participation. Sorry, that was an off-topic rant, but it's way to prevalent in this genre.

I think spending the night in your employer's room is probably considered breaking the rules, regardless of what happened - and I would think his mother would be angry if for no other reason than its putting her job at risk.