jpny01

OK, I get what you're saying now. (I wasn't trying to be condescening with my question, BTW, it's just such a big spoiler I didn't want to say it even with the box checked).

I think it's a bit indefinite. Q seemed to recognize Sunshine as Q, but then didn't seem all that interested in it, which was strange, so maybe it was a dream-like memory to him - Sunshine seemed to have a stronger recognition, but you'd think he'd do more than just sit there by himself and be happy, so maybe it's not a clear memory for him either.

In short, I don't know. It might have been better if that reunion hadn't happened - it didn't really make a lot of sense. If this is Q's universe, then Sunshine has to die to be his Q, right? That's not a happy thought. If it's a new universe, why? He erased Q, so he shouldn't exist there, although he would exist elsewhere.

Maybe that wasn't really "in short".

I don't disagree - but I think hitting us over the head with a sledgehammer is not as effective as something less cartoonish. That universe also had Rain be not selfless and caring, which suggests that aspect of him is conditional and not essential, which undermines the point.

I don't think we'll agree on this point, but what did killing off the singer teach us that we needed to see? That friends are important and can save us from despair? That's too broad a point and is a point of the series in a macro sense, and whatever message or lesson learned there was overshadowed by how evil and malicious this was on Sunshine's part. I think many people have been too focused on Sunshine's actions as a character and missed that this is a parable, but there's a point where a character can do things so awful and impossible to understand that his redemption runs hollow. I think Atom pulled it off, but an actor with a slightly less devastating smile might not have.

I'm not saying that the motivations you describe don't make sense, but to an extent you're filling in the blanks because we didn't really SEE that. We have to assume. Even though Tharn said it, that's not the same as feeling it from his acting. I'm not saying it's the actor's fault - I just think there would have been more impact with just a few extra moments - we see longing from Phaya, but we really haven't from Tharn and he's constantly pissed off at Phaya and giving him the "Don't toiuch me!" treatment.

I'm watching this all at once, so it probably comes off different - if you watched it weekly the very large number of scenes where Tharn storms off and Phaya grabs his arm and tells him they need to talk start to get a little repetitive. If you watch it weekly, you can probably hold onto the cute or hot moment better, because I think we tend to remember positive things more than we do negatives (minor netatives, not extreme negatives).

I thought he looked like he was OK with it in Ep 7, but it was so sudden that it didn't have the impact that it should have. He's been angry with Phaya and pushing him away the whole series, then suddenly he's letting him f@#$ him. And Phaya's "game" is to get his grandmother to fluff him? My grandmother never got ME laid.

I love that the music playing at the art gallery is the "mystery" theme that plays whenever anything dark is happening.

AND MY NAT IS IN EP 7!!! I love him above all others. Well, and Yai. I'd ship that.

I guess it depends on what Babe is trying to convey with his acting. If it's love for Phaya, I'm not really feeling it either. I suppose it's there by BL standads, but it's so unequal that it's mildly uncomfortable. Heng, on the other hand, I'm enjoying. He's the villain - he's supposed to be a little OTT.

I do have to commend the actors for their embracing the love scenes - usually BL love scenes are weird, with their bodies not touching even when they're having sex. I say do it right, or don't do it. Same with kisses.

I'm binging and on Ep 6. Binging might not be tne best idea because the slow parts stick out a bit that way. I keep thinking "get on with it!" to the interesting parts, which is the mythology.

So far I'm not really feeling Tharn - he doesn't really seem into Phaya, certainly not to the same degree. Some of his actions tell us, but I want his face and eyes to tell us.

I love Yai above all others - they better not kill him off.

Did you notice who was holding the candles in Q's story?

Despite all the references to Western mythology and literature, this is still at heart an Eastern story. Erased from the universe isn't the same as erased from existence, and the Q he met on the plane wasn't the same Q, or rather not the Q from his time.

I'm thinking of two in particular that this would have been better without. One is the politician, which seemed a bit self-indulgent and too sledgehammery - I'm getting tired of ESTABLISHMENT BAD statements. It would have been more meaningful and universal if he had erased the Conservative and ended up with a similar dystopia, as one side without balance can be catastrophic even if it's the one you're on.

The other was the erasure of the friend, which just make Sunshine malicious and evil. The lesson was heavy-handed and unncessary.

I understand your point that every single erasure made sense and taught a lesson, but just because something made sense doesn't mean that it was necessary, and I think the series bogged down tonally in the middle section. I scored it a "9", so I don't think it was a huge flaw, but it clearly chased away a good part of the audience, and even I was getting a bit frustrated.

Sunshine was Q's Q. That's why Q called him "Q" when they met on the plane.

I get what you're saying, but this isn't a story that can be understood solely through dialogue - it's also told through imagery and symbolism that is quite cinematic.

I think people gave up on it largely because they were expecting a BL and this isn't one, and/or because it was too long. If it had been 5 Days Before Valentine it would have worked better, because a couple of the erasures didn't add anything and just made Sunshine seem evil.

Personally, I didn't drop it specifically because it was so visually beautiful and impactful. Also, I think Atom is the hottest man I've seen in a long time, and I couldn't look away.

Judgment at Nuremberg is a spectacular masterpiece, and ironically, if it had a flaw, it was inserting a cinematic element with the unnecessary Marlene Dietrich character.

Yes, he does have an almost literal rebirth. If you're at EP 7 you might as well continue as you've gotten through the worst of it, and the last few eps are quite lovely.

Yes, Sunshine was the person Q saved, and Q was the person Sunshine saved - they were each other's Qs, which I think was foreshadowed heavily in Eps 10 & 11.

I'd have to say "it depends."

You should probably stick to cartoons.

Thank you.

Yeah, it seems like people feel like you're attacking their validity as a person if you have a different opinion than they do based on the visceral hostility you can face for expressing one.

I'm OK with manga-like aspects to JBL - I like the random craziness we sometimes get. I think where it specifically doesn't work is well is in the expression of romantic emotion. A stylized expression of surprise when kissed in manga is for the kissee to have super-wide eyes. When you try to copy that in live action is weird because kissing with unblinking eyes wide open is weird and mildly creepy. It would work better if the initial reaction is to kiss back and then have the shock kick in and do the eyes thing.

Or another example, sometimes a darker personality will have bangs that hang over his eyes - in a manga that's fine, but humans use their eyes to communicate emotion, so you're just staring at a mass of hair.

Like in Toki and Sahara, I don't think Nekoto (Sahara's ex-crush) worked as intended - he looked more like the ghost from The Ring than a romantic interest.

Are you a man? The body does not react that way. Arousal isn't just a physical thing, and if you're fighting someone off you will not be aroused, and even if you were, think about the logistics - how would you be able to do it? The only way to give a man an unwelcome handjob is to tie him up and feed him viagra.

Ukes are expected to express resistance - it might be convention that should be thrown out, but it's there - it's rooted in sexism and homophobia, but a man should not desire or seek a sexually passive role (in this way of thinking), nor should a woman seek or desire sexual pleasure, and so there has to be token resistance.

I have thought about, and been subjected to, sexual assault. It's very serious and violent - not giving someone a surprise handjob.

After the confrontation with Chang Ma, I'm over Ten and Prem - Ten should go to prison, not applauded. All Chang Ma did was express his interest - he deserved a telling off - by Prem and Prem alone, not being the target of rather serious violence.