In the preview it said that Can punch Tin's dad or brother. Would somebody please tell me what episode that occurs? I really don't think I can handle watching season 2 after reading all the comments below. Thanks.
Another great article Shiro, thanks. I enjoy reading your thoughts. They often, as in this case, reflect my own.
I am always up for a rewatch. What I re-watch depends on my mood and the story, what I feel like watching again. I have 290 on my PTW list (though putting a title there seems like I am friend zoning it) and 41 on my CW list (sometimes I hit a point and I'm like, I can't do this right now eg Under The Skin - a certain point later in the season and I'm like, I have seen this happen in how many western dramas and how it was dealt with, I don't think I can cope with this right now).
I have re-watched over half of my watched list. Sometimes I'll skip to 'the good bits', other times I'll re-watch to remember/share a detail and end up watching the whole thing (minus the bits I ffwd).
It would be great if MDL could put a counter column in so we could keep track of rewatch numbers :)
I can't vote b/c my rewatch depends on my mood or what I am procrastinating (like now study vs lakorn). I can say that I have re-watched Healer many times and am holding off watching it again until I finish my studies so it is a reward instead of an avoidance strategy; which will make it all the sweeter.
Gun does an excellent job of playing 3 people. Black (darker makeup and, expression and clothes), White (lighter makeup, expression and lighter clothes) and White pretending to be Black (same as white, esp when Black wakes up, White wears the lighter colours of Black's clothes).
where are you watching it? im not getting any sites which have subs that dont lag in the first ep
I just finished it. You need to get past the first or second ep. and the subs are fine. It is just the second but even if you do watch it the whole way through, the subs are about 5-10 sec ahead of the scene so you still sorta get what is happening.
Ok here's smt... I've been super busy with my classes that I finally watched ep 1 today after hyping myself up…
I read you. I liked the original trailer more than the new one. That said I have to admit I am halfway through the ep2 and I am yelling about how I can't watch it anymore, hiding, hitting the fast forward button... Oh the second hand embarrassment, I have never dealt well with it. It took me years to fully watch Pretty Woman, I don't think I have watched Mrs Doubtfire the whole way through; so embarrassing, and I am slowly making my way through JCWs latest two dramas but I get soooo embarrassed for his character that I have to watch each episode in little bits or fwd parts or just suck it up and keep watching. I hope once he (Porsche) settles in a bit it won't be so bad. One of the comments below was right, this is not based in reality so just sit back, strap in and enjoy/cringe...
So is this coming out one or two episodes a fortnight?
Okay, we are at the function. Hope you can't hear me screaming in embarrassment from where you are.
I love your explanations 🙂. From what I understand for his family situation the only person who doesn't know…
Thanks for the spoiler, such as it was. I figured there had to be something along those lines in it. This will be a rather cliche drama. That said, I do actually like this one, just not excited, eagerly anticipating the next episode like I have other dramas.
I actually started watching this firstly b/c youtube kept bringing it up instead of the next NotMe ep. and b/c of a comment I read below on the toxicity or not of the mains relationship.s Got me curious so I just binged 1-6 and here is what I think so far. Feel free to politely and thoughtfully disagree as much as you like.
1. My first thought was Lian doesn't like Kuea's initial way of being, the face he (Kuea) is presenting. It is too agreeable, no honest animation, no genuine opinions. I didn't know what an Annabelle doll was so I looked it up and it kinda works (freaky though, shudder). The limbs and lips are moving but that is about it. Kuea's behaviour around him is totally milquetoast (such a cool word, lol). Who would want to marry someone like that? How do you love that? How do you crack that facade?
2. Second thought was this is a Thai BL version of a typical Mills and Boon 'The Tycoon and the Heiress' (I made that up though there probably is one with that title) story. A domineering, overly assertive, etc head of a huge business that he somehow built in such a short space of time, and an heiress who hasn't had to lift a domestic finger, hiding her 'real' (?) life from a guy who is forcibly interjecting his way into her life. She falls/is in love with him; he loves her but 'his damaged past means he cannot express it properly' blah blah blah. She sticks with him and somehow, magically. although he doesn't really change, he says he loves her and cannot live without her and now all is forgiven and happily ever after.
3. At this point I kinda got swept up in the story, got annoyed at the both the older dudes for trying to be too controlling and not really listening to the younger guys anything, the introduction of a rival (of course that had to added), loving the interaction b/w the younger besties, telling Kuea to take White's (NotMe) example and learn some parkour, feeling sorry for both the MLs b/c they are on different pages, getting frustrated at the Thai culture of (too much?) elder obedience (respect is good, obedience to a point is good but there comes a point when enough is enough, grow a backbone, while still honouring and respecting the elders).
4. Ioan Grufford's series Forever has an episode where a man dies and he is found with whip marks and low voltage burns on his body. I won't go into all the details but one of the things was that he was seeing a domination therapist (whipes, roll play, low voltage taser, etc) b/c he was having trouble dropping his cool, calm and collected work mask outside of work. The business world is cut throat, shark infested waters and at the first sign of blood (weakness)... He needed the physical pain to help release his mental pain... Anyways, the connection I made was Lian is in the business world, he has been kowtowing to the Keerati family all his life, putting on a good face, manipulating/arranging the situation to get ahead, ordering his staff around and he has forgotten/doesn't know that his role as fiance needs to be different.
5. Is Kuea's family secretly in debt or is Lian buying the whosit's family mansion for another reason?
6. While at first Lian didn't know about Kuea's 'extracurricular' activities and current curriculum, when he found out he was/is supportive (the music so far, the rest we will find out). Probably not going about it in the right way but he is supportive. They may have been childhood friends but Kuea has been studying in London for years (I love Thai study destination choices, London, France, Russia, Milan - wonder where they'll go next) so they don't know each other as they are now and are working off old knowledge and assumed expectations (family, the other's and their own).
7. They are both changing and growing. Slowly but surely things are progressing. It looks like they'll learn to communicate and trust each other while giving each other time and space, meeting each other where they are at, encouraging growth while being accepting. At least I hope that is where the ep. 7 preview statement is heading.
8. This not the most toxic drama relationship I've seen in fact I wouldn't really call it properly toxic just somewhat discomforting and I hope both couples' relationships get healthier. BTW I am in no way promoting such behaviour nor am I trying to whitewash it, I just think I need to wait and see what happens. People are allowed and encouraged to change for the better and we need to see the big picture/overall direction of things before judging.
9. Okay, the ep. 6 kiss. Lian has the weight of the Keerati and his own family's expectations. 'I trust you to take good care of my son', 'please report to me how he is doing'... I am guessing Kuea is very early 20s while Lian has to be mid to late so he has that I'm older, need to hold myself back and be mature thing happening. They've been apart for quite some time so previous encounters of the like were probably both impossible and inappropriate. My Fated Boy (nnona romance) probably explains this a lot better than I do. The conversations b/w the FL and the 2ML, the 2ML and the ML, the FL and the ML's parents, I think, shows well the different perspectives of the ML and FL.
Anyways, I am guessing Lian has been holding himself in check for a while. He still isn't that sure of Kuea (see point 1) and for all of the above reasons. I am also guessing he too probably hasn't been in a relationship before so he is still finding his way (the web search about successful dates) and is vulnerable and uncertain himself. He probably had no idea that was Kuea's thinking nor was it his intention to hurt him. I am guessing he took direct physical action b/c it made the point directly and was quicker than an endless round of possibly misunderstood reassurances; and at that point he probably just wanted and was tempted enough to go for it. It was the comment below about pausing in the kiss a few times to check on Kuea's reaction and his wellbeing that got me curious.
On a side note: Yi feels guilty for his past actions, probably feels guilty for his current feelings, is unsure of which way to go and isn't doing things well but he isn't manipulative or nasty about it and I think this is where he and Tian are different. Their motives for their actions aren't evil (yes the road to hell is paved with good intentions but that is a whole other discussion and this post is already way too long) and while Tian is smirking and is humoured by certain actions and reactions I don't think they are nasty, jealous, possessive, wrong enough to be truly classified toxic relationships.
I don't think I am going to eagerly await each episode. I might watch it if it comes up on my YouTube suggestions and I get curious or I might rewatch it again after it finishes airing, dunno. For me it is well paced, interesting and I am curious to see what, if any, personal growth the four undergo.
Okay, stopping now. Let the polite, thoughtful replies begin.
The guy who plays Little Hedgehog (the detective's kid who is difficult to please and likes rice cakes). I have seen him (or someone very much like him - hairstyle and expression?) again in a more recent kdrama (I cannot remember which) but b/c he isn't in the Panda & Hedgehog credits I cannot find out who he is. Any suggestions?
They are the Korean names of butterflies and other insects. It is explained in the 2nd or 3rd last episode. In an earlier episode we see Pan Da Yang sing it when she is a girl, Won Il while sitting in his car (I think) and then in Ep. 11 they sing it together.
OH MY GOD I FEEL YOU...like she was the worst.One thing can be said for sure...I did not like the sister till…
Wow. I am not alone. I have made it to part way into ep. 16 and I am done. Why do they have to drag this stuff out? Yeah, ok. A bit of conflict but come on, Xiao Mu really needs to sit and think a little, compare her actions to Chen Mo's and move on. She also needs to grow a spine. I appreciate not resolving things too fast but this is not the way. I would like to skip to a point further in the story as I do mostly want to finish it (I don't really want to drop it completely) but avoid all the unnecessary hassle. Any tips on where I should skip to?
Great article. I always learn from or simply enjoy each article I have read in MDL and this is no different.
It is great to see you highlighting that everyone is different and that it is okay to not like something someone else does (and vice versa). Having differences makes for engaging conversation, lively debate, interesting MDL articles and presents excellent learning opportunities.
So I have been getting a lot of spam international calls from a whole range of countries. I was in class a few weeks ago when i saw a missed call from Thailand. I was so excited and told my classmates that I was totally bummed because it could have been Nanon or Ohm calling. LOL
In reality I never answer a call from a number I don't recognize and I never call back if they haven't left a message or sent a text.
I am always up for a rewatch. What I re-watch depends on my mood and the story, what I feel like watching again. I have 290 on my PTW list (though putting a title there seems like I am friend zoning it) and 41 on my CW list (sometimes I hit a point and I'm like, I can't do this right now eg Under The Skin - a certain point later in the season and I'm like, I have seen this happen in how many western dramas and how it was dealt with, I don't think I can cope with this right now).
I have re-watched over half of my watched list. Sometimes I'll skip to 'the good bits', other times I'll re-watch to remember/share a detail and end up watching the whole thing (minus the bits I ffwd).
It would be great if MDL could put a counter column in so we could keep track of rewatch numbers :)
I can't vote b/c my rewatch depends on my mood or what I am procrastinating (like now study vs lakorn). I can say that I have re-watched Healer many times and am holding off watching it again until I finish my studies so it is a reward instead of an avoidance strategy; which will make it all the sweeter.
So is this coming out one or two episodes a fortnight?
Okay, we are at the function. Hope you can't hear me screaming in embarrassment from where you are.
1. My first thought was Lian doesn't like Kuea's initial way of being, the face he (Kuea) is presenting. It is too agreeable, no honest animation, no genuine opinions. I didn't know what an Annabelle doll was so I looked it up and it kinda works (freaky though, shudder). The limbs and lips are moving but that is about it. Kuea's behaviour around him is totally milquetoast (such a cool word, lol). Who would want to marry someone like that? How do you love that? How do you crack that facade?
2. Second thought was this is a Thai BL version of a typical Mills and Boon 'The Tycoon and the Heiress' (I made that up though there probably is one with that title) story. A domineering, overly assertive, etc head of a huge business that he somehow built in such a short space of time, and an heiress who hasn't had to lift a domestic finger, hiding her 'real' (?) life from a guy who is forcibly interjecting his way into her life. She falls/is in love with him; he loves her but 'his damaged past means he cannot express it properly' blah blah blah. She sticks with him and somehow, magically. although he doesn't really change, he says he loves her and cannot live without her and now all is forgiven and happily ever after.
3. At this point I kinda got swept up in the story, got annoyed at the both the older dudes for trying to be too controlling and not really listening to the younger guys anything, the introduction of a rival (of course that had to added), loving the interaction b/w the younger besties, telling Kuea to take White's (NotMe) example and learn some parkour, feeling sorry for both the MLs b/c they are on different pages, getting frustrated at the Thai culture of (too much?) elder obedience (respect is good, obedience to a point is good but there comes a point when enough is enough, grow a backbone, while still honouring and respecting the elders).
4. Ioan Grufford's series Forever has an episode where a man dies and he is found with whip marks and low voltage burns on his body. I won't go into all the details but one of the things was that he was seeing a domination therapist (whipes, roll play, low voltage taser, etc) b/c he was having trouble dropping his cool, calm and collected work mask outside of work. The business world is cut throat, shark infested waters and at the first sign of blood (weakness)... He needed the physical pain to help release his mental pain... Anyways, the connection I made was Lian is in the business world, he has been kowtowing to the Keerati family all his life, putting on a good face, manipulating/arranging the situation to get ahead, ordering his staff around and he has forgotten/doesn't know that his role as fiance needs to be different.
5. Is Kuea's family secretly in debt or is Lian buying the whosit's family mansion for another reason?
6. While at first Lian didn't know about Kuea's 'extracurricular' activities and current curriculum, when he found out he was/is supportive (the music so far, the rest we will find out). Probably not going about it in the right way but he is supportive. They may have been childhood friends but Kuea has been studying in London for years (I love Thai study destination choices, London, France, Russia, Milan - wonder where they'll go next) so they don't know each other as they are now and are working off old knowledge and assumed expectations (family, the other's and their own).
7. They are both changing and growing. Slowly but surely things are progressing. It looks like they'll learn to communicate and trust each other while giving each other time and space, meeting each other where they are at, encouraging growth while being accepting. At least I hope that is where the ep. 7 preview statement is heading.
8. This not the most toxic drama relationship I've seen in fact I wouldn't really call it properly toxic just somewhat discomforting and I hope both couples' relationships get healthier. BTW I am in no way promoting such behaviour nor am I trying to whitewash it, I just think I need to wait and see what happens. People are allowed and encouraged to change for the better and we need to see the big picture/overall direction of things before judging.
9. Okay, the ep. 6 kiss. Lian has the weight of the Keerati and his own family's expectations. 'I trust you to take good care of my son', 'please report to me how he is doing'... I am guessing Kuea is very early 20s while Lian has to be mid to late so he has that I'm older, need to hold myself back and be mature thing happening. They've been apart for quite some time so previous encounters of the like were probably both impossible and inappropriate. My Fated Boy (nnona romance) probably explains this a lot better than I do. The conversations b/w the FL and the 2ML, the 2ML and the ML, the FL and the ML's parents, I think, shows well the different perspectives of the ML and FL.
Anyways, I am guessing Lian has been holding himself in check for a while. He still isn't that sure of Kuea (see point 1) and for all of the above reasons. I am also guessing he too probably hasn't been in a relationship before so he is still finding his way (the web search about successful dates) and is vulnerable and uncertain himself. He probably had no idea that was Kuea's thinking nor was it his intention to hurt him. I am guessing he took direct physical action b/c it made the point directly and was quicker than an endless round of possibly misunderstood reassurances; and at that point he probably just wanted and was tempted enough to go for it. It was the comment below about pausing in the kiss a few times to check on Kuea's reaction and his wellbeing that got me curious.
On a side note: Yi feels guilty for his past actions, probably feels guilty for his current feelings, is unsure of which way to go and isn't doing things well but he isn't manipulative or nasty about it and I think this is where he and Tian are different. Their motives for their actions aren't evil (yes the road to hell is paved with good intentions but that is a whole other discussion and this post is already way too long) and while Tian is smirking and is humoured by certain actions and reactions I don't think they are nasty, jealous, possessive, wrong enough to be truly classified toxic relationships.
I don't think I am going to eagerly await each episode. I might watch it if it comes up on my YouTube suggestions and I get curious or I might rewatch it again after it finishes airing, dunno. For me it is well paced, interesting and I am curious to see what, if any, personal growth the four undergo.
Okay, stopping now. Let the polite, thoughtful replies begin.
1. Mystic Pop-Up Bar
2. Goblin (also known as Guardian: the lonely and great god)
3. Hotel Del Luna
4. A Korean Odessy
If you search any of these and click on the recommendations link you may find more to your liking.
It is great to see you highlighting that everyone is different and that it is okay to not like something someone else does (and vice versa). Having differences makes for engaging conversation, lively debate, interesting MDL articles and presents excellent learning opportunities.
Looking forward to Part 2 (if you choose).
In reality I never answer a call from a number I don't recognize and I never call back if they haven't left a message or sent a text.