milusia

Why no English subs :(((

Damn it, my super long and mostly thought-out comment just got swallowed by the internet and there'sno way I can be this eloquent again *sob*

To summarise:
- I keep comparing this to Utsukushii Kare (you know, the whole outsider with low self-esteem falls for a popular unattainable classmate who becomes a celebrity?) and I'm glad this show did a better job of digging itself out of the toxic relationship hole (pls don't hate me, it's just a connection my brain made)

- I don't like the sense of entitlement to PDA being in every BL now, and from some of the comments it feels like no kissing means the show gets automatically trashed, regardless of its overall value. I want there to be a place for the Pornographers and the Cherry Magics of this world to peacefully co-exist and be judged on their own merit, not just based on some imaginary checklist of things that must be included, or else. I like a good on-screen kiss as much as the next person, but I try my best not to hold it against the shows that (for whatever reason) don't have those scenes. They are not the whole story, so why not having them feels like it suddenly becomes 100% about the kisses? Let's try and zoom out for a bigger picture, can we?

For me, this was a pleasant watch - not the greatest, but I've also seen worse. What I appreciated the most was the focus on Mamoru and his growth as a person, and I really liked how his emotions got acted out by Matsuoka Koudai - his despair hit me straight in the heart, his tears made my eyes sting, and his need for external validation - well, it felt too familar to be comfortable, but that's a separate issue. As for the rest - I might not be a super fan of the Japanese comedy genre, it's an acquired taste which I'm still learning. But I might be coming back to this at some point, it has it's moments that are worth revisiting.

I have, as soon as it ended :D It was so so lovely <3
(and I'm definitely more of a pessimist, so no wonder our opinion on this series is so different xd)

I guess this is where we differ, in many ways. First of all, in case of decisions like these, there's no way of knowing what is the right or "better" choice - sometimes you do your best and it's still not good enough. Second, I don't see why either of their feelings and regrets would be more significant than the other's? I fail to see why being an adult "responsible" (I'm not a fan of this word in this context) for a child's death would be more traumatising than being a kid "responsible" for an adult's death. They're equally tragic and devastating. For me this ending is mostly about your best intentions not being enough to change your fate, and your actions ultimately not amounting to anything other than what has been bound to happen anyway. And being forced to relive your traumas again and again.

It's another conversation as well, do we accept that this is how the story would always go, that they are predestined to make the same choices and act the same way each time, or do we allow for a deviation from the pattern at some point and for the cycle to be finally broken because of infinite possibilities for alternative paths being created due to one decision made differently. But the way they showed it it seems to point for the first option, unfortunately.

You're totally right, I just try to think about movies and series separately - the entire point of having an episode structure and length is to allow plot points developing at a slower pace, more naturally. The length is most likely not the only reason for its failure, but I would like to give the creators the benefit of doubt and say they wanted to say too much and there wasn't enough time for that.

I feel like the same reason that it had potential to be interesting made it tank. What I mean is that the story it tried to depict and the issues that made it stand out from the other school/uni BL dramas needed a lot more space to develop properly. Even with the longer episode format it wasn't enough and eveything got resolved too quickly and too surface-y. I can imagine this being at least 12 episodes, or 8 proper one-hour-long eps, which is still out of reach for K-BLs, I guess? I think it had potential that wasn't quite reached, which is too bad. But I've seen worse :)

Let me know once you finish, I wanna know your opinion 🙂

The ending is happy, quite soft and cuddly if you ask me, but that's like the last episode, episode and a half. The majority of the season is quite angsty and depressing, but I feel like once you know that in advance, you will not be blindsided (like I was) and will be able to appreciate the story more. I wouldn't say there are any unresolved cliffhangers, it could be a done deal and there's no sense of lose threads, in my opinion. I feel like the main problem for people is wether Ji Woo's actions in the series are out of character or not compared to S1, but I guess that's for everyone to decide on their own, and depending on the outcome of that decision you will be ok with the S2 story arch or you won't be. I hope that answers your question, if not, I can give you some more details (I'm not sure how much of a spoiler you actually wanted) 🙂

Sorry :D I can't promise you'll change your mind, but that's what I did :)

I have to say, after watching it for the second time, I understood it a lot better (as in, the decision to go in that dark and gloomy direction) and I was able to appreciate it more than the first time. But I also get people who didn't like it, it's understandable.

Well, this has been *emotional damage*.

Omg yes, exactly! I also hated it on the first try, I felt so betrayed with the story and how dark it got, I think I even said it ruined s1 for me and made Ji Woo into a completely different person. Fast forward to several months later, I decided to give it another try, knowing how the story pans out, and my reaction changed 180. Like you said, the signs were already there in s1 - the disappearing act seems to be Ji Woo's signature move. And as much as I hated it both times, it does make sense for his character. And like, hello character development of s2, him actually coming to Seo Joon this time, and voicing his needs like a pro. I was able to appreciate this season so much more second time round, I won't use the word "enjoy" here, as it was mostly heartbreakingly sad to see this dynamic unfold, but it was a beautiful kind of pain to go through that. Also, the final episode has some impeccable moments, if I do say so myself. The writing, the acting, the everything. It's just so intimate and delicate how Ji Woo and Seo Joon rebuild their relationship, I am in love with how this story has been concluded for us.

Well now you got me thinking with that tweet.

I wish it was longer and more developed, the red thread of destiny is one of my favourite tropes and it could've been great here, if only the story had more time to unfold.

Ok so I decided to re-watch it after seeing season 2 a while ago. I hated it and claimed that it ruined everything good about season 1. I think I just wasn't expecting it to turn this dark and I felt betrayed somehow, lol.
But anyway. Knowing what I know now from s2, watching s1 again was interesting. it's not the greatest script, let's be honest. The main driving point for the story is kind of lame to begin with, the secondary drama ignition is even lamer (like how that passionate fangirl was nonexistent for the most episodes and suddenly just appeared out of nowhere at his doorstep and at the restaurant? what's up with that?). I think the main problem was too many side characters, too little time.
But honestly, that's not the point. The point is, the main duo managed to take that and turn it into something decent and sweet. True, it's not the healthiest of relationships (you can ask season 2 about it), but honestly? At this point I see it as a baseline in k-dramas - there's always the reluctant one and the pushy one, someone has to be won over, or else it's not a proper drama. And compared to some other stuff out there, they were pretty vanilla on the whole "I don't want you but I actually want you" thing, which I always appreciate.
(now onto the s2 rewatch, let's see if I'll enjoy it more the second time round)

This is probably so random, but it's like a thing in Korean and Japanese dramas I've been wondering about for ages, how cold are their houses? They always, and I mean ALWAYS sleep in layers upon layers of clothes, with thick sweats on, or jumpers on top of the sweats even. It's not just this show, it's like a universal drama thing. What's up with that?

This is so random, I love it <3

Same! I mean, I kind of figured it must've been a dream sequence, but it was so not clearly defined, it really was confusing as hell. Even with a re-watch I was still confused. But it was lovely! Just having it marked a little bit more clearly as a dream/daydream would've helped a lot.

I understand your perspective, and I am really hoping it will be addressed in the movie, I was just counting on some sort of difference between the two series as well. I don't necessarily agree with your comparison of change and normalcy - for me there is no such thing as being normal, it's only what's accepted by the society at a specific point in time. But change is something different, it's about learning and growing as a person, discovering yourself and how you are in the world as a whole. I never see change as something negative, I always see it as a chance for something amazing. And I don't necessarily need Hira to change if he truly is happy with himself the way he is, but I somehow doubt that that's the case. He might be comfortable because this is what he knows and is familiar with, but relationships require work and compromise and finding common ground. And I think as much as Kiyoi can adapt and fit himself to allow Hira be who he is, I don't think he will ever be ok with this god-like status that is the current state. So while it's totally up to Hira to decide, the way I see it is either he makes their dynamic more equal (by treating himself as a human and not a pebble, and by treating Kiyoi as a human and not a god), or he's going to end up alone with his fascination. I don't see a third option there, not in the long run.