jpny01

The problem with your rant is you don't mention what exactly your problem with the series is. You seem to have a problem with sex since you mentioned it twice - is that it? You prefer the BLs where nothing happens except a kiss in the last 10 seconds of the series? A moody tirade can be a contribution to the discussion, but you don't have anything to say other than it bothers you that other people like the series, which is sounds a little narcissistic. Why do you care? Tell us what you think, don't complain about what we think.

What is included in EVERYTHING? It's well-filmed, they actually have a full score, the acting isn't bad for beginners, and it tries something different.

I don't love it, but I'm finding it easier to watch than many other series airing.

Liu Li is the most awful character I've ever encountered in a BL, and there's some fierce competition. First of all, he's as emotionally developed as a 12-year old, which makes the otherwise spectacular Gu Jing essentially a pedophile, because no grown man would be interested in someone like Liu Li. Actually, no 12-year old would be interested in someone like Liu Li (presuming he were actually 12).

The story is repetitive beyond belief - Gu Jing says something saccharine, and Liu Li reacts with a blank shyness - the exact same blank shyness every single time. It's terrible writing. I'm on Ep 6 and absolutely nothing has happened.

There's a voiceover where Liu Li wishes their romance could move even slower and I involuntarily exclaimed in horror. Who writes this garbage? I know writing teachers tell you to write what you know, but writing a writer who doesn't know anything about romance is not likely to produce a good result.

First of all, most men, and probably most women, would start rolling their eyes at Gu Jing's nauseauting and infantilizing commentary, which comes off as icky and controlling (or it would if it were delivered by anyone who wasn't Stan Huang, who could break into my room at night, chain me up in his basement, dress me as a baby and use me for whatever he wanted to and I'd have no problem with that at all), not romantic, and I'd grow bored very fast (if it was delivered by anyone who wasn't Stan Huang, who could break into my room, etc.) - you want a relationship with a touch of edge - someone who's funny and with mutual teasing and playfulness, not this weird gravitas where every situation demands some patronizing "romantic" comment.

I believe the answer to your questions above is "yes". Where I disagree with you is that watching paint dry is actually more interesting than Liu Li. It's a little exciting because the color always looks patchy and off when the paint is wet, and you're not sure it will work out as you hoped. Obviously I'm using the word "interesting" loosely, but comparatively, Liu Li : Watching paint dry = dead snail you stepped on : puppy.

I agree with your critique of his character, but Gu Jing's is also shallow with no backstory, and yet we like him. Because he's hot as f#@$ and Stan Huang can act. I don't know how Xuan Chen got this role - I can only assume he has "skills" that aren't evident to the audience. That was really mean, but this is the worst lead character since Enchante, and at least Theo was memorably awful.

I think they might have made a mistake with the Liu Li character, like having him at all. If you have someone that ordinary-looking, he at least needs to have an engaging personality. The first time I ever encountered congee was on an airplane from San Francisco to Beijing, and I didn't know you're supposed to put things in it and so it was just a bland nearly tasteless porridge. That's Liu Li.

We're supposed to accept that Gu Jing, the ultimate smoke show, is interested in some boring guy in a grandmother sweater who shows up in his restaurant and gets drunk and vomits all night after being loud and obnoxious, and then sobers up and has the life experience and outlook of a 5-year old child?

Plus, Gu Jing is a bit too aggressive - in the car scene I would have been put off by his proclaiming he would handle my birthdays for the rest of my life. That was bad writing just to throw in the tired seatbelt cliche.

I'm having trouble getting through this, even with Stan Huang, who has to be one of the hottest guys I've ever seen.

That was surprisingly funny - the running t-shirt gag was my favorite.

I think most of us can probably identify with Achi - but the difference lies in that we can't hear our crushes' thoughts and he can. If I could be that certain someone was that into me I'd be far more confident with him than I could be otherwise.

And this is supposed to be a comedy but it really isn't - even the side couple is fading from comedy into drama. You can have both - but Thai writers just don't seem able to go there.

It's cute and pleasant, but it's supposed to be a comedy and for some reason, Thai productions of Japanese comedies always end up being more of a drama than a comedy. This one still works, but Love Stage didin't at all. But even here they keep shying away from comedy and pass up on so many opportunities for it. For example, the cat could be way more bitchy and sarcastic. It' so focused on being cute that it has no edge. For me the Pai story is more engaging than the main ones. It's the only one that has a theme, i.e. happiness has to come from yourself.

If you don't explore themes and you don't embrace comedy, all you have is forgettable fluff, I enjoy watching it, but I won't remember it in a couple of months. There's an articficiality to the story - since homophobia, external or internal, plays no part in the story, there's no reason for Achi to resist Karan, and so he just... does. for no apparent reason. Low self-esteem is the only angle that has any traction, but they downplay that too. As a result, the story just... happens rather than being driven by anything.

The acting in this is excellent - I still think Sing is one of the most undrerrated actors in BL.

That does make sense.

I think you're right about that. I've often said that some of these series border on homophobic, but really a lot of them don't border on it but dive right in.

In this series, if you were to take out all the BL elements, it would make no difference to the story whatsoever - the BL is so incidental and unimportant that it has to be a deliberate decision to structure the story that way.

Constrast that with Stay With Me which took out all the overt BL and yet it was still more of a BL than this series. I didn't like that series either, but I recognize it was good and the makers believed in BL.

In Don't Say Know they kept using the German National anthem, and when people are wearing those BOY of London shirts, it gets a bit uncomfortable.

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/war-articles/boy-london-clothing-logo-compared-nazi-eagle.html

Actually. come to think of it, in Love Stage, not only were they bloody, but one of them lost a tooth!

Each wish resets the "universe" - so when someone is erased, the previous erasee returns.

This is the best thing airing by an order of magnitude. Why are people so unforgiving? Whenever a character does something wrong, there is absolutely no mercy.

I can understand that in Sunshine's case - but he's a deeply flawed and damaged person on a redemption arc (and he may not achieve it - many or even most "deal with the devil" stories end in an express ride to Hell).

But Rain? His dumping Sunshine was crappy, but what would you do in his place? It seemed awful that he brought his new bf with him, but that's because he was afraid of Sunshine.

We're all flawed, and we all make mistakes, some huge ones, and many with severe consequences, intended or unintended. If we haven't made mistakes, or if other people shield us from the consequence of our mistakes, we're not living and gaining experience, wisdom, and resiliance.

This is not "trying to be artsy" - it's using the visual medium. Most BL dramas are completely literal, taken from static (novel or manga) art forms and not adapted to live action. There's nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't make series that aren't made that way pretentious. The photography in this is beautiful - the blocking, framing, everything. The story is well-written, and the acting is stellar. I didn't realize Atom is that good - I thought I just liked him in Bake Me Please for his extreme hotness, but the guy can act.

They've strongly hinted that none of this is real, or is a series of alternate realities. That doesn't excuse the fact that Sunshine is fine with erasing people, but I don't think he really is.

It wasn't soft, it was filmed in slow motion. He sliped and their faces mashed together - that was the first time there was a realistic depiction of what would happen in an accidental kiss.

So you would destroy someone's life because they slipped. Nice person you must be.

Would somoene - anyone - please explain to me why BLs constantly use Christmas carols for their soundtracks? "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful!" was bizarre for Snow White's entrance.

I like this, but it's a tad silly. They wouldn't grab a teacher for a student play - I was thinking it would be Takuya.

Maybe it's just a lack of energy - but also, Thai productions tend to fear comedy and can't help themselves but to drift into drama. We'll see.

For me he was TOO anime - it was more like going from 0 to 10,000. But you're absolutely right, things like that are all opinion - but I do think the actor was very good.

Um, did nobody see the scene with Tony's assistant in the bathroom? I knew he had a lot going on under there, but dayum.

I don't think Pooh is as bad as a lot of people are painting him. He's certainly not good, but I think part of it is that he suffers in comparison to Pavel, who I didn't realize until this series is one of the best actors in BL. He's never really had a role to shine in - he was badly miscast (or at least totally wasted) in Coffee Melody, but this role is perfect for him, and he has incredible range.

Overall this show is a little silly - they seem embarassed of the Omegaverse angle, in which case they should have picked a different story, because this half-assed approach just confuses things.

Keeping everybody's powers secret doesn't work. They should just embrace the madness.