kadie890

very cute with some very incredible actors

I liked the dynamic between the two leads. I like it when the power dynamic is "reversed" i,e, not based on gender roles, and I like the devotion the characters show each other. They are very observant of each other and I have never seen a show/person better at recognizing someone's strengths and portraying them in a cool, upfront, and selfless way.
Of course, while this stems from a good (if standard) story line, it is the acting of the Male Lead that puts this show at the top. He brings out the best in the plot and in the characterization. I can go on, but one thing that really stuck out to me was that in so many East Asian dramas, the male lead catches the female lead when she trips or something, but in this one, it's the female lead that does!!! I LOVE IT. The gender police's sirens aren't going off. She's not a bulked up warrior, she doesn't have to be! You don't have to be as strong as a man to catch someone in your arms! Or trap them up against the wall with your hands bracketing either side of your face. There doesn't have to be a reversal of gender roles because it's cute and hot and it makes the audience's (and hopefully the male lead's heart go doki doki even more! It rejuvenates an overused plot point, it puts characters on a more equal footing, it adds depth to the possibilities that this genre can offer and the twists and the cute scenes this drama can take! It's so fun and beautiful.

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I'm just going to have to reimagine the ending, but not for the reasons you think. Any ideas?

1. Yang Hua. Enough said.
But actually, he's like so progressive, but like in a, well duh, kind of way, better yet, he's progressive in such a way that he makes progressive the new standard and anything else antiquated and regressive. And it results in the (obvious) tolerance, love, devotion, forward-thing, accepting, respecting, and intelligent person he is. I mean, he defends and defines the entire concept of feminism while just discussing the topic for one of her cases. (I am going to save his words until the end of time). I mean, he's simply using his unassailable intelligence and logical reasoning to lay out succinctly why the patriarchy exists and why it is created out of man's fear of losing power and control of human capital, i.e. that the patriarchy is stupid, and that women are biologically and societally more valuable than men, and that men are the lucky ones to be allowed around women, and unconsciously adds that he is especially lucky because he's with her. And the female audience is like, wait wut? and plays the scene another twenty times.
2. progressive relationships
2.a. that the woman is the breadwinner and the man is the homemaker.
I find this especially progressive for China, and yes, at the end, they imply that he's become a HUGE name in his field, but what's important is he clearly expressed throughout the show that he didn't need that. That her being the breadwinner was something that he loved about her and respected in her and promoted for her. Uh, I'm fangirling so much right now. That scene where she totally schools the top lawyers at that party where all the men are around the table smoking and drinking whiskey and they try to make her agree with their sexist comments about women belonging in the house and being best kept in the house rather than working... ok so after that, they try to turn it back on her and ask how her husband would feel/feels and he comes up behind her and puts his arms behind her and defends her, saying he's happiest when she is doing this, and happy keeping home so she can do this. We were all like SNAAAAAAP. Gah his character was the best. I have seen that actor in other shows and I thought he was extremely talented in those and I will admit, I came here to see good acting from him again, and while I wasn't blown away, it wasn't by bad acting, it was simply the character he was playing had subtler emotions, but when they came out ooooo, it was nice to see. like when SPOILER=======he asks her for the divorce and his eyes... I could feel his pain so close to my heart. And his reasoning for the divorce, I know some viewers didn't like it, but I thought it was beautiful and it showed such a close understanding of her thoughts and fears and her character. He knew what she was using the marriage to hide from, he understood, from her families context, and how she cared for her family her views on marriage and where her feelings and fears and insecurities stemmed from, and he gave her just what she needed.... and then the plot fell apart. I think I understand why he didn't "choose" between her and Yao Yao, or at least the second time, it felt like he was sad that she didn't understand the depths of his feelings for her and that she could even think that of him. But then, the showing up at the restaurant to pick up Yao Yao. and then at the airport when he saw Yao Yao and her son (omg what a great actor/character) off what he said around, "I've got it, I've got a plan, I'll take it from here" after pretty much tricking her into thinking he went to Australia with him? As other reviews pointed out, it shows a manipulative side that was very not in character. I'd like to think that his plan was just to give her time to reach the decision that allowed her to balance her morals and her career (i.e. not going back to that toxic law firm and staying independent), before she could move on to deal with other things like figuring out her feelings on marriage and if and how she wanted him in her life. So wft, what was with him just moving in across the hall. Him thinking, "Psych, I've decided it's been enough becuase now I'm acting like a stuck-up know-it-all (he was just a plain, carefree know-it-all before) now that he a CEO of one of the biggest organizations in China?" Like did anyone else feel like he was almost conceited?
2.b open/non-standard relationship
When he was talking with the parents he said he was fine with however she wanted him in her life, and given her experience with the marriages around her, family members as well as a divorce lawyer, he explicitly said they didn't need to be married. It's just a label afterall, and if their relationship wasn't pressured into a particular mold or expectation if the word marriage was attached to it, then that was what he wanted for them.
I couldn't tell from the ending what kind of relationship they were going to form, but knowing Chinese censorship, I'm almost positive it didn't end up as an open relationship (though it looks like they wouldn't be living in the same house, which is already one step of the normative relationship ladder).

So back to creating our own ending. How can we make one where he doesn't appear to be manipulative, scheming, or pretentious? How can we make it where she reaches an equilibrium with her ideas around marriage and what she wants in a relationship, and then *she goes out and FINDS HIM?* I don't like that he just moved in across from her. Consent?? Hello? Also, what about waiting for The Character growth you were working on so hard for her to complete? I mean I guess we can as omniscient readers make him omniscient and say, tada! he knows she finally took that step in her career that put her values and justice at the front, but that still showed nothing about her coming to terms with her feelings for him (THIS IS A G-DAMN ROMANCE SHOW) She never said I love you.

Ok, so circling back. Ideal ending: an ending where
1 he stays true to his nature,
2 they have a relationship that is different enough from the norm such that how they define it, whether as marriage or not, allows her to feel comfort and safety, but most importantly one free/unconstricted/unconstrained by the trappings that the word marriage brings to a relationship,
3 it allows for the non-standard gender roles to be played out in whatever way the characters needed, and
4 She reconciles where she wants to stand with her career (the only thing that actually happened) and with him, and then goes out and does something about it herself. Not him, like wtf.

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Good story

Good story. I bet the manga was better because they could fit more in. This understandably seemed squished given the short time frame it has to be portrayed in. Though the kissing and sometimes the acting was really awkward. Especially on the part of Yagii-san. I don't think the actors kissed at all. That's ok with me. I can understand how that must be uncomfortable, and we aren't progressive enough to be at a point where people of the same gender kissing is as normal and comfortable as people of different genders kissing. It just felt... homophobic. Not that the actors or the show itself was homophobic. Ok, since the literal meaning of Homophobic is scared of homosexual people, then yes, both are homophobic. But it feels invalidating to queer people. If you can't fully betray it, then get different actors? Do I feel that this representation is better than nothing? Yes, but does that have to be my standard in 2021? I don't think so.

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okay...?

Could have been better, but based on the reviews I read, it was better than expected, but the acting was so bad at times, and always bad when it came to some characters. I guess I've grown to expect more with the dramas that are coming out "now" but "now" is literally 1-2 years after this was released.
SPOILER: I loved the Mek/Boss story, right up until Boss was like "me too" to Mek's confession and we're all were like HUH? So what was going through your little brain when you were torturing Mek this whole time by "pretending" to be girl crazy?! NO this is just a huge stupid plot gap!!!! This is probably what I'm most mad about, because there was almost any other way that they could have written Boss and Mek's story, and it would have been better or at least made more sense. GODDAMMIT.
So Mek and Boss is the only reason I can give the show an above average score. And Duen's smile.
However, I will give Bon/Bohn credit only in that his actor was probably the best actor besides TING TING. LETS HEAR IT FOR TING TING. I'll put Boss and King right behind them. Like I'd like to see Boss in something else.... with Mek... getting the storyline that actually does them credit. EVERY OTHER ACTOR (even mek half the time. Like why was his voice dubbed?) DESERVES A 1.
No toxic relationships. Bon just has some jealousy issues that hurts everyone, but is just something he should probably go to therapy about. It's so sad when "no toxic relationships or behaviours" is something you have to laud in a show wholly about relationships. C'mon BL. @#$%^&*

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Messed up even though I really didn't want it to be

I was interested beam and fourth's story, but it started with ... rape. Even though Beam is the one who initiates, he was so drunk he can't give knowing concent, and then his no is not respected in a certain regard a couple sentences later. And then Fourth makes him agree to be with him by riding with him really fast on the motorcycle until he agrees. In the real world, that is a prime method that abusers use to get their partners to agree to things. I know we're writing these stories with everyone the good guys and we want them to end up happy in the end, and how they get there is the interesting, or really, titillating part, but to go this far? I can't stand bye and not point this out. It makes me angry because I liked the acting, especially fourths, but I had a friend in an abusive relationship where her partner would drive really fast down the highway in order to make her to agree with him, and she almost died in that relationship. Seeing this happen in an internationally recognized tv show - and them labeling "making someone so scared they can't refuse you" as love? As sexy? - it makes me want to cry. Television is telling us this is not only ok, but this is to be desired. "This" being common traits from an abuser in an abusive relationship.

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It's rape, sexual assault, and incest my friends, not love.

Why does a story where men love men have to have so much sh*t in it. It couldn't be any sh*ttier honestly. Someone was RAPED and they make it a LOVE STORY. F*CK NO. Queer stories already have so much going against them, so WHY? And every relationship is toxic here. In addition to one relationship based on a rape, one relationship is incest, and the main relationship is abusive. In the main relationship, guy A often kisses guy B without his consent and after he's been told not to. That is sexual assault my friends, and if you're going to say "well, he wouldn't have gotten to kiss B any other way," then YES, GOOD. If the only way some one can kiss you is by doing it against your will, you should probably slap them, and if it continues, press assault charges. And the rest of their relationship is abusive in that guy A gets everything he wants out of guy B through manipulation and threats. It is not ok to break someone's phone to get their number, or any of the many manipulative things he does.
Finally, guy A's actor is Homophobic. I don't know if they knew that when they cast him, but they certainly could figure it out as they put him in ...kissing scenes with another man. And you can tell. His acting at times seems fine, but other times, you feel kind of sick watching him. Almost if you can feel the feelings he's trying to suppress coming out when he's acting...gay.
I'm so disappointed. I want to say something like it could have been better, but not this. The very premise is based on sexual, assault, rape, and incest, do just write a new story please.

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I knew it was supposed to be toxic, but whew. Good music and decent acting, though

good music, toxic storyline/character, but you know that going in. Still, this is a unique depiction of toxic that seems like they found the handbook on how to create a textbook abuser in a highly abusive relationship in the real world, filched it right off a case worker's desk, and decided to try and check ALL the boxes (except physical b/c that would be too obvious). and the behavior continues even after we'd expect to see a redemption arc and the relationship turn healthy.

I will give them credit for getting verbal go-ahead from the male lead, though. That happens depressingly less often than it should in BL, so I'll give you a point for that.

Oh and the plot holes? There are more holes than plot at this rate, yet that, too, you should come in knowing to expect. I was a little too naive on that one.

Did I say exceptionally good music? Like I haven't paid this much attention to music in a drama, maybe ever, and the fact that it's for a drama I don't like, is all the more impressive.

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I was really lookingforward to this because Chimon is one of the actors I appreciate most from Thailand. I think his acting was just fine in this, I just feel bad for him. I feel like he had to force himself. I always wonder how much of a choice actors have, or moreso, how much pressure actors face to be in BLsespecially being an actor for GMMTV and being in a counrty where their BLs are world reknowned meaning they're being pushed by the literal government.
Has he been limited to BLs because of he has been side characters in them before? I always worry. I just can't imagine trying to act a sexuality that's not your own. Ok, actually I can all to well given that's what I do every day of my life. It fricked me up. And to have to do that for the world at large? It isn't the same because you can go back to your straight life, but the shadow will always be there. I'm sure stranges on the street will stop them and ask, and they'll always be wondering if that's something the person across from them is judging them for.
Summary: I have never seen a couple with less chemistry in my entire life. but not in a bad acting kind of way (there are all too many of those). It was just two straight guys that couldn't reach that far into their psychy nor escape the world we live in that tells us that gayness is weird and wrong. I 100% can't do it.
Anways, the chemistry was so lacking, awkward, and embarrassing that I can't even watch them attempt anything more intimate. Hence stopping at ep 7. Reading theough peopel's comments and seeing that they had to do the most intimate types of scenes makes me shudder to think of it. And it seems like I wasn't the only one,
And still, Chimon's smirk. CHimon's half smile. We love to see it.

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Perfect depiction of sexual abuse... by the main characters.

Sadly, Rain and Prayu's relationship is based on full-on sexual assault. Rain says no, and Prayu keeps going. Rain says no over and over again. Prayu approaches him over and over again. When someone holds something over your head to make you do something, that is force. When Prayu is in the bathroom and he makes Rain say sweet things to him by threatening him with the others finding out, that’s forcing Rain to do something without his consent. Him running his hands up and down Rain’s body until Rain stops fighting? That is 110% assault. If someone says no, it’s no, if someone holds something over your head until you say yes, that’s still not consent = that’s still a no. If someone runs their hands up and down your body until you stop pushing them away, that is still not consent. Imagine this was your brother. If you’re watching your brother get pinned up against the wall by someone to who he owes money, and they run their hands (and pretty much their mouth) up and down his body while your brother pushes them away, saying no over and over again, would you cheer when your brother gives up? And would you like to see the person manipulating your brother start dating him? Your heart would break for him. I’ve seen friends experience this, and one of them currently has an ex-husband in jail for sexual assault and possession of illegal firearms. And she met him at a drag race (Coincidentally)

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SO much potential and so much lost out on by not fulfilling it - did they even try?

I love BL romances, and I love a story where the main character has been in love with the love interest for many years, but I think in this particular context – idol and his fan, that Na Ae Joon was in romantic love with his idol initially meant we missed out on some of the nuances that are unique to idol-fan dramas. In this type of drama, we expect Na Ae Joon to love Si Yeol as a fan loves his idol. I think kpop fans (and I am one) usually view being fans more as a … (ugh, I’m going to butcher this, but I can’t think of better wording right now, so please forgive me) a purer, more selfless love. At the very least, it’s in a different category than romantic love and fills a different need than romantic love. Then it would almost make his betrayal that much deeper. Because when you’re a fan of an idol – or the level of fan Na Ae Joon is supposed to be, your idol is the light in your world – not in the way that a romantic partner is, but how your greatest passion is. How do I put this. In a fan’s life, you have your romantic partner, your friends and family, and your idol/group/bias, and they each fill a different need, or they fill the same needs in different ways… hold a different place in your heart? Anyways, watching them perform lifts you up when you’re at your lowest; them smiling and laughing on a show makes you smile and laugh; you look forward to going home so you can watch more of their videos and fanboy over them with other fans. Falling in love with a person and finding out they used you is a huge blow, but losing your bias on top of that – the person who got you (and specifically Na Ae Joon) out of one of the darkest points in your life, who you cheered on for years behind the scenes – they’re someone who holds a different part of your heart. It’s like taking away the person you love and your greatest passion all at once. Two things you can’t live without, rather than just one. Ugh, am I even making sense?

Also, they did the second couple dirty. It was like they forgot they needed to resolve the second couple's plot until they were making the final episode, and they rushed the conversation – so much that we never get a clear answer as to what Kyu-sung was doing (no specifics to not spoil things), and we blink and everything is better. Wuuuuuuuuuuuut? Even if they’re expecting us to make inferences from context, this revelation is the key plot point! Not just in their specific case, but every love story! It’s the moment when everything becomes clear about the misunderstanding – and the actor’s response to and the character’s growth from this is the climax of the show/arc/character’s development! Instead, it was like we were being told a story and the narrator nods off at the climax and snorts awake when you start complaining, only to yawn and tell you, "they had a happy ending, now will you go to bed."

I didn't notice the music, but that's not a great sign if it's a drama about idols.
I put a 6 for the rewatch value and not lower because I want to go back and rewatch it to better remember the parts where they went wrong and to reimagine them in my head. As I said, so much potential, none of it taken advantage of. If they had changed these two parts, it would have been a pretty good drama. B+ BL and not a C- like it is now. a 70% barely.

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Almost perfect

Thoughts:
Fantastic story of friendship, redemption, and forgiveness against all odds. This part of the story is 1000/10. I loved how friendship was THE core of the story, and it was more important than romantic relationships (which is unusual. I don't know if that's why the one romantic pairing had no chemistry, but I - for once - liked that because it meant the friendships could be center stage.) Some small things that held it back:
Dragged after the first arc ended and the plot got confusing and had some unnecessary parts - people kept coming back to life and they had to just kill them over and over again.
I loved all the man tears, yet there was still a lack of emotional depth in some characters (ok, one and a half), and there was also a need for fake tears.

Back to some positives:
I liked Tian Jia Rui's character growth. I was shocked when I started to see him smile. I don't know what triggered it, though. I would have liked a specific moment or event. Maybe I missed it? But it was out of the blue in a way where I honestly thought we were in a dream when I first saw him smile. I was like, "that can't happen, they must be stuck in a dream again."
I loved Bai Jiu. I repeat, I love him! I loved his little shrieks and his joyfulness, devotion, and funniness. However, this is clouded by [Spoiler 1 in the middle of the drama after the first arc that had to do with his character, you all know what I mean] and [Spoiler 2 in the last episode]. It tarnished what I liked about him initially.
Cheng Xiao's brother (and I don't know why. Sibling devotion trumps all?)
THE MUSIC. I WOULD GIVE THE MUSIC 1,000,000/10, especially the one for the fight scenes, the one that's famous for.

I would have put the rewatch value lower, but in the extra episode, I saw that character 2 was wearing character 3's bell in his hair, and I almost cried again. Especially after the present that character 3 gave to character 2. I think there are details like that that would make it interesting to rewatch, but I won't because of the negatives listed above.

Last complaint. Why did half the main characters need to SPOILER? Question for the audience: is this a plot point in most Xianxia?

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Queer story. From 2015. WITH A HAPPY ENDING

Let me start out by letting you know, I only watched Takuya and Joon Jae's storyline. But this makes it one of the most groundbreaking dramas of its time, and by extension, history. Takuya and Joon Jae's story is beautiful and realistic. It shows what someone in their situation would be feeling without getting too grim, but not reaching the surreality of BL (homophobia doesn't exist). I loved it. The acting was fantastic, and the actors didn't have the holdups that actors seem to today acting in BL. I'm not sure I'd even qualify this as BL. Maybe the forebearer of Korean BL simply by virtue of having a story where two men fall in love, but BL has the purpose of making the audience feel happy and to enjoy a relationship that is outside the standard rigidity of modern-day society. This was just a story among other stories where people explore their sexualities and preferences. And I love it. Oh, and also let me repeat THEY HAVE A HAPPY ENDING!!! Like what? This makes me almost proud of Korea (if I didn't know what the current homophobia people in Korea face today. Actually, that makes this show even more incredible. How did they get this past the Christian hardliners!? And everyone else? Why isn't this lauded on every site and list devoted to BL and queer media?! UGH, the travesty! But it exists! And people have watched it! ANd I have watched it, so all is good now in the world)

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fantastic acting. Just one plot gaaaaap. and that god damn ring. Homophobia? You tell me.

incredible acting. 20 out of ten. makes up for everything else. Mostly. two things significantly bring this down. First, the story progression... Like, they saw each other then poof they're in love. Like other than them saying they were in love, there's nothing that lead to that. Especially for vampire what's his name. I would have liked for there to be any indication of something that might have attracted him to farm boy. but nope, all of a sudden, I can suck his blood and oh surprise, I'm in love with him. Grrr.
The second? THAT RING! He even kicked it! They had two opportunities to get it on his finger! Really, is Korea that homophobic? I mean they just made a BL! They could at least not drop that ring. In more ways than one. Like they didn't even need to have it because it's worse this way. It feels like a concerted slap at gay marriage. Anyway. good job actors. Fighting at boys planet. May being in BLs only propel you forward as well as propel acceptance of queerness in Korean and international society.

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Crazy acting

I liked episode 2 a lot more! Better acting and better executed. Didn't feel rushed like the first episode.
I didn't know they were going to be an anthology. I was so shocked at how fast the first one moved, I was thinking, "there's nowhere to go with this series now," but I'm really enjoying it now and I don't usually like anthologies. (though I have a feeling that the story in episode three will carry out for more than one episode. Maybe for the rest of the series which is an interesting directing choice.)
HOLY SHIA, I HAD NO IDEA IT WAS THE SAME ACTORS!!!! THEY WERE INCREDIBLE. COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CHARACTERS. I AM BLOWN AWAY. INDESCRIBABLY BLOWN AWAY. Mick seemed much older than Top in the first episode (he was literally playing an older character), but I was completely sure Mick was younger in the second episode (as should be the case because the character he was playing was the fresh-faced newbie to the older boss that was Top). (and here I was earlier complaining at the lack of diversity in acting with BL main leads that get used over and over with little variance to their characters. I have been corrected). Coming back 5 minutes later to give accolades to their makeup artists and hairstylists who have also really helped make the actors' transformations.
I liked episode 3, too. I feel like Mick doesn't have a large enough range of expressions to play X very well, but Top!? He has done another huge shift in character and is playing the sultry Namping like they didn't just play a brooding, overbearing, gruff, masculine CEO in the previous episode. It shows such versatility in acting that I want to send him to the grammys. He had also done a complete transformation from Ep 1 to Ep 2 as the free-loving, slightly immature and forthright Sun. I knew I had recognized Mick from somewhere, but I had no clue. NO CLUE, that Sun and Prin were the same actor. Fantastic job.
Aro REP! Surprise Kollawach Banjongleelahong's character in ep 1 says, "I don't want to be with anyone. I'm not interested in love. I can be happy without love. I hope there's a place for someone like me in this world. Sahdu!"
This is 100% Aromanticism

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