lilili

Something I love about F4 Thailand is it's brought out my people, the ones who are addicted to the HYD franchise yet understand how deeply problematic and effed up it is and are willing to dive into desconstructing the narrative and examining it closely. I feel like the writers must also be fans because they so clearly understand the appeal of the original story and what they needed to change to make it relevant today. It's hella fun to see more and more people discovering the show and freaking out over how good it is.

Even though he shoved her (the asshole) the kiss still works for me because Gorya is the reason he's following Mira. She shoved him back and forced him out of his passivity to finally do something. And Gorya still cares for him and is happy he's going after what he wants. Also remember he did step in and keep her from being sexually assaulted and stopped her from shaving her own head so even tho that shove was terrible she still has reasons to crush on him.

"In the Japanese version, didn’t he even say something along the lines of “She deserves it” when someone brings up the almost-sexual assault?" << YES HE DID and it's unforgivable

Re: Dao Ming Si, it's interesting to think about the definition of toxicity because he was so jaw droppingly violent but not sadistic if that makes any sense. He had no self control and exploded way too often but he didn't seem to get off on it while Domyouji seemed to take pleasure in it.

Anyway, we're going to see Thyme's violent side again but I'm wondering when and how it will be handled. I hope we don't see him attempt to assault Gorya, that will kill the character for me and I really enjoy him right now.

There are people on Discord arguing for that scene to be included and I can't 😭

Maria's in great shape because her kick was solid and damn I know he felt that.

I found out yesterday that the banana shirt he wore on the bus is Prada and costs $1450 YIKES

And like BrightWin isn't a person? At least hate on the individual actors if you must, esp because they and their roles are so different.

"I think in Japanese ver, it's more about character development and Thai ver is more about unveiling the tough/bully facade and both work so well! " << This is so well put!

It also explains why I never warmed up the Domyoji because I was never convinced by his transformation. He's the only version of the character who was okay with the FL almost getting sexually assaulted and he never apologizes or expresses any remorse for his terrible behavior at the beginning. ANYWAY I needed to get that off my chest 😆

It's crazy that I'm so obsessed with every version of this story because in most of them I hate the ML to the end. The only one where I didn't was 2001 Meteor Garden because the ML does express remorse for his behavior and Jerry Yan is fantastic at bringing out the character's vulnerability. But I am absolutely loving what F4T is doing with Thyme, I am completely on board with watching this character change, grow and redeem himself.

There's a teaser that shows them stuck together with Gorya asleep on Thyme's lap, I assumed that was happening in the next episode

So people (including me) have been talking about episode 3 feeling rushed so I watched 2005 HYD episode 3 to compare and you know what? It feels rushed there too. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ There's no reason for Tsukushi to go running to Domyoji that soon. I guess it will have to be one of those handwaving moments in a drama that has a lot of them.

I love this! Yes, that would be an amazing way to develop that character.

The chemistry is excellent and Barbie Tsu as the female lead has a similar quality to Tu in that she's tough but real and vulnerable. I also really like Victor Chou as the Rui character

I'm tired of fan wars over Bright's acting so let's shoutout the women who are all killing it:

Tu is incredible. It's hard to believe it's her first role because she is absolutely nailing this character and is becoming my fave of all the adaptations. She can play it all: fear, doubt, introspection, anger, power, strength, love. Plus she's real world gorgeous. Doesn't look like a model but you can see why Thyme is smitten.

Cindy Bishop as Thyme's mother freezes the piss in you every time she shows up. She's ice cold and you can see why Thyme is scared of her and feels like he can never measure up to her expectations. The scene where she tells him if he can't rule the school he can't rule anything gave me chills.

Fah as Mira brings a depth to the character that's missing from other versions. She's not in the story for very long but she's done so well to make you understand why Gorya has a girl crush on her and Ren is helplessly in love with her.

Prim as Kaning has had a small role so far but her brief scene with Win/Kavin made me excited because even though she's tiny her strength comes through loud and clear. Looking forward to seeing their relationship develop.

June as Hana is fantastic. She's a subtle actress and you can see so many emotions play out in her face, especially now that she's resenting/envious of Gorya. Looking forward to her big moments later on.

Maria as Tia is so much better than I expected. She's beautiful of course but her scenes with Bright were emotionally resonant and the care and concern that Tia has for her brother comes through very clearly.

The bullying is so intense and well done that I'm still upset about it which is another reason the pacing is bothering me. The characters (and we) need more time to evolve past that.

Bright's strongest moments were in the second scene at the arena when he's reacting to Gorya putting the clippers near her head. I also like him with his mother and sister. He does have very expressive eyes and that works great for Thyme. But he needs to do better during the big emotional moments like the airport scene but even there I don't think it's terrible, just a bit overacted.

My favorite actor in the role is Jerry Yan in 2001 Meteor Garden because he brings out the character's vulnerability. But no one will watch that version because of the horrible production values. I can't even recommend it to anyone even though it's my favorite (tho F4T is a strong second so far).

I have problems with the pacing and I agree that the friendship with the F4 and the relationship with Thyme are too rushed but I disagree on the bullying not being evil enough (she was almost raped???) and on her not being strong enough. She kicked Thyme in ep 1, she ran back into the arena to defend Hana when she got the red card, she pushed back when Ren pushed her (and he's way bigger than her, they had to have the actress stand on a curb to get them both in the shot), she fought off Thyme on the bus. She may be the strongest version of the character.

Ah your breakdown is fantastic, love the analysis and insight into why it didn't quite work!

I hope they course correct because I was so hyped after the first two episodes but ep 3 was a bit of a letdown even though it had so much good stuff in it: the meta opening, the entire bus sequence starting with the comedy between Thyme and Gorya and then his sister showing up and them having a very serious conversation about the future. The way Ren continues to be very different from Rui/Lei/Ji Hoo (shoving Gorya wtf). The airport scene where Thyme isn't jealous of Ren but instead feels betrayed because his best friend thinks it's okay to leave with no notice. But the core relationship and Gorya's feelings for Thyme haven't been developed well enough.

Thank you! I was struggling with why it felt so rushed. It's disappointing because this version is so incredibly good in other ways but I am not convinced Gorya would bother showing up for the date even 3 hours late. It took away the impact of Thyme waiting in the rain which is a huge emotional moment in the other versions.

I know I'm out of step on this but I wasn't wowed by HYD 2005 or the actors except for Oguri Shun. And obviously the acting in the Korean version ranged from mediocre to straight up clownish and terrible.

You should watch up to the episode when they move in together (ep 10 I think?). There's still a lot of cute moments between them up to then. There's also a five episode mini sequel made to address the fan complaints and it's also very cute so maybe skip everything after ep 10 and then watch Still 2gether to finish up. They also made a movie but that's a bridge too far for me 😆