Before they got together, Ten seemed shy and unsure of himself. Turns out he had a lot more going on. The film he edited won an award, and he was still so humble about it.
Then there’s Pun. Keyboard warriors came for him, and he just hit delete. No spiraling. He trusts the boyfriend he chose.
I know way too many people who let others lead them around by the nose. Pun didn’t even blink. That felt so good to watch.
I watched episode 4, and I get why people are bringing up non-con and dub-con. Calling it a power struggle doesn’t make those concerns go away.
But the power struggle is what interests me. Ing is used to making the first move and getting what he wants. He’s never hidden that he wants Yok. Yok likes someone else, and he won’t let Ing decide how this goes. For Ing, wanting him gets tangled up with refusing to lose.
I’m drawn to that mess. Some of it still bothers me. I read the book years ago, so I’m curious how the show will handle the fallout. Can either of them admit he was hurt without needing to hurt the other one back?
I don’t want to nitpick, but the bone marrow scene pulled me out of the story a bit.
Lin lying face down is fine, since marrow is taken from the back of the pelvic bone. But no anesthesia at all? Hard to buy. A real bone marrow harvest is a surgical procedure, usually done under general anesthesia in an operating room.
The room bothered me too. A few bottles and jars, and that’s where the antidote gets made. If the point was desperation, I wanted to see what it cost. The pain, the risk of infection, somebody who clearly knows what they’re doing. If that wasn’t the point, a biotech lab would have made more sense.
Or they could’ve skipped the procedure altogether. I think most viewers would’ve been fine with that.
Episode two. Someone mentions Awakuma City, and I pause. I thought I knew Japan well enough to have heard of it. I check FOD's synopsis: あわくま町. I search. Nothing. As far as I can tell, it doesn't exist.
So yes, I'm hooked. One place name gets dropped in passing, and I'm already checking the map like I'm planning a day trip.
Episode 10. Suzuki and his teacher, standing in the hallway. The teacher tells him to look past 陽キャ and 陰キャ. Like he’s noticed Suzuki splits everyone into two camps.
(陽キャ is the bright, outgoing type; 陰キャ is the quiet, keep-to-yourself type. A bit like extrovert and introvert, but more often used as labels for which group you’re in.)
I went back to the title after that.
The Japanese title is 陽キャ集団にいる芹沢は、俺の前だと様子がおかしい. Roughly, “Serizawa, who’s in the 陽キャ crowd, acts weird in front of me.”
On MDL it’s “Popular Serizawa Acts Weird around Me.” Which is fine. It’s short. But the crowd is gone.
In the Japanese, Serizawa isn’t just popular. He’s somewhere. He’s inside a group, and “me” is standing outside it. It’s a little map of the classroom, and Suzuki drew it.
He never says 陰キャ. He doesn’t have to.
So the habit the teacher is pointing out is already there in the first few words. The title puts Serizawa in a camp before it even gives us his name.
“Popular” doesn’t quite do that. You can be kind of popular, or very popular. It’s a scale. 陽キャ and 陰キャ feel more like two sides of a divide, and you’re on one of them.
Then there’s 様子がおかしい. And he does act weird. He keeps coming over to Suzuki, and he gets clingy. But weird compared to what? Compared to how a 陽キャ is supposed to act, I guess. Maybe the weird part is just that he won’t stay where Suzuki put him.
Yes on the mutual crush. Did you see how Ruth was eying Ji during the morning line-up? I thought Ruth's time travel…
Yes, that line-up moment! I didn't clock that it was pre-time travel until you said it. So the feelings were always there. The do-over just gives him a second chance to do something about them.
And that lap pillow scene at the end? Easily the peak of the episode. They even worked the Oishi packaging into it. Sugar daddy sponsor got his money's worth. 10/10 product placement, no notes!!!!
Also, why does Moth want to be a cat? Because Oishi's mascot is a cat. Obviously.
Third has deleted evidence that could expose Nine twice now.
The first time was in high school. Nine stole the exam, planted it on Third, and got him disqualified from the scholarship test his mom had signed him up for. Third checked the CCTV, found the footage, and deleted it.
The second time, Renji gives him footage that clears Wan and points straight at Nine. Third doesn’t post it. He takes it to North and asks him to keep Nine in line. Then Nine shows up with an apology that isn’t one and calls Third a coward. Third deletes the footage anyway and says it’s Nine’s last chance.
A lot of people are frustrated with Third, and I get it. I just don’t think “he’s weak” covers it.
To be fair to Third, he isn’t burying the truth. Renji got that footage from Time, so a copy still exists. Third likely knows that. Going to North puts the problem in front of the one person with real power over Nine, without turning it into a public pile-on. Leaking it would be the easy win. It would also be Nine’s method: using someone’s exposure to get ahead. Third won’t fight that way, and that takes something.
But Nine has already shown what he does with mercy. When Third stayed quiet the first time, it didn’t change Nine. It taught him Third wouldn’t follow through. “Coward” isn’t just an insult. Nine is telling Third he’s counting on it. And if Nine crosses the line again, Third won’t be the one who acts. Renji or Time will have to, and neither of them signed up to be Nine’s last chance.
I don’t think the deletion is really about the evidence. If Third knows copies exist, he’s only getting rid of his own. Keeping it would mean the choice to expose Nine was always his, and every day he didn’t would be a decision too. Deleting it hands that choice to someone else. And the Nine who used to be his friend gets to stay a little longer.
That’s what makes him sympathetic, and it’s also what worries me. Nine pushes the cost of his choices onto other people on purpose. Third doesn’t mean to, but someone else still ends up holding it.
I’m not sure the show thinks Third is wrong. I’m not sure Third knows yet either.
I want to see Nine face a consequence he can’t redirect onto someone else. Redirecting is what he’s best at.
Nine gets a couple of answers wrong on purpose. He’s already seen the exam, but a perfect score might draw suspicion. He wants his success to look earned. Then he plants the paper in Third’s backpack and lets the teacher disqualify him.
That makes “You’re better than me. I have to survive” a revealing line. Nine sees how capable Third is. He knows Third was close to him, too. Neither fact stops him. He turns the possibility of losing into an emergency. Once he calls it survival, he can justify almost anything.
The same thinking returns when Wan starts getting attention. Nine is comfortable with admiration as long as it leaves him above the person admiring him. When Wan becomes visible in his own right, Nine treats it as an attack. Punishing a fan for becoming someone he might have to compete with is especially ugly.
Nine wants the advantages of betrayal without being seen as a betrayer. He cheats, then plays the honest student reporting misconduct. Later, when he thanks Third for keeping quiet, he still seems focused on what that silence saved for him. I’m not sure he can see what it cost Third.
That’s where a redemption arc would have to start for me. Nine already has an explanation for his fear. What I’d need is to see him take responsibility for what he does with it. Another scene explaining the fear would add less than one where he stops using it to make his choices sound inevitable.
The scholarship flashback makes his behavior feel like a pattern he’s carried for years. That’s why he works so well. I don’t know yet if the show will keep examining that pattern or just make him crueler.
Mr. Fanboy keeps delivering sharp industry satire. Rival agencies clash and MUAs fight on set. Even the director and acting coach can’t agree. It’s the kind of messy behind-the-scenes reality most BL shows gloss over.
Nine is charming in public, but his apologies are all performance. There’s no real remorse behind them. James Su is killing it as a Machiavellian villain.
The contrast with Third is brutal. Nine manipulates people. Third deletes evidence to protect others and makes Nine promise not to hurt Wan. Then Wan asks if Nine ever hurt him, and Third just breaks.
That was Sam’s first question to Moth. Moth said character art, sometimes graphic design. Sam lost interest and walked away.
I always had a vague sense that art comes with a price and a ranking. That scene made it less vague. Painting sits up top. The work that pays the bills sits somewhere below.
We don’t know why Moth stopped painting. Maybe he’s been busy making a living. Maybe the inspiration ran out. Probably a bit of both.
After the party, he looked ashamed of himself, like Sam had just confirmed something he already suspected. Sam was such a snob, honestly. Then Mes told him he’d buy his paintings no matter the price. Moth has always been moved by what Mes says to him. He cried.
Now the preview shows a new painting.
I don’t think it’s only about Mes. Mes has believed in him for a long time, and that never got him painting again.
Dean is new. He brought fun and company into Moth’s world. Something to look at. Something to want.
The hospital scene at the end of EP5 reminded me of that old viral video of a woman waking up from surgery. Still loopy from the anesthesia, she looks at her husband and tells him he’s cute, that she likes him. Then he kisses her, and she’s completely shocked. I think the clip stuck with people because it felt so unfiltered. Her feelings slipped out while her brain was still offline.
Mangkorn waking up after being shot, with the anesthesia still working on him, had the same energy. Thiar taking care of him was sweet, and their little exchange was cute. I was low-key disappointed they didn’t kiss. On second thought, though, it makes sense. He’d just been shot. Not the best time, even if the setup was right there.
K-Drama 
38 
40 
3 
1 
11 
4 
1 
11 
1 
1 
1 
4 
4 
2 
4 
26 
Before they got together, Ten seemed shy and unsure of himself. Turns out he had a lot more going on. The film he edited won an award, and he was still so humble about it.
Then there’s Pun. Keyboard warriors came for him, and he just hit delete. No spiraling. He trusts the boyfriend he chose.
I know way too many people who let others lead them around by the nose. Pun didn’t even blink. That felt so good to watch.
I watched episode 4, and I get why people are bringing up non-con and dub-con. Calling it a power struggle doesn’t make those concerns go away.
But the power struggle is what interests me. Ing is used to making the first move and getting what he wants. He’s never hidden that he wants Yok. Yok likes someone else, and he won’t let Ing decide how this goes. For Ing, wanting him gets tangled up with refusing to lose.
I’m drawn to that mess. Some of it still bothers me. I read the book years ago, so I’m curious how the show will handle the fallout. Can either of them admit he was hurt without needing to hurt the other one back?
Lin lying face down is fine, since marrow is taken from the back of the pelvic bone. But no anesthesia at all? Hard to buy. A real bone marrow harvest is a surgical procedure, usually done under general anesthesia in an operating room.
The room bothered me too. A few bottles and jars, and that’s where the antidote gets made. If the point was desperation, I wanted to see what it cost. The pain, the risk of infection, somebody who clearly knows what they’re doing. If that wasn’t the point, a biotech lab would have made more sense.
Or they could’ve skipped the procedure altogether. I think most viewers would’ve been fine with that.
So yes, I'm hooked. One place name gets dropped in passing, and I'm already checking the map like I'm planning a day trip.
(陽キャ is the bright, outgoing type; 陰キャ is the quiet, keep-to-yourself type. A bit like extrovert and introvert, but more often used as labels for which group you’re in.)
I went back to the title after that.
The Japanese title is 陽キャ集団にいる芹沢は、俺の前だと様子がおかしい. Roughly, “Serizawa, who’s in the 陽キャ crowd, acts weird in front of me.”
On MDL it’s “Popular Serizawa Acts Weird around Me.” Which is fine. It’s short. But the crowd is gone.
In the Japanese, Serizawa isn’t just popular. He’s somewhere. He’s inside a group, and “me” is standing outside it. It’s a little map of the classroom, and Suzuki drew it.
He never says 陰キャ. He doesn’t have to.
So the habit the teacher is pointing out is already there in the first few words. The title puts Serizawa in a camp before it even gives us his name.
“Popular” doesn’t quite do that. You can be kind of popular, or very popular. It’s a scale. 陽キャ and 陰キャ feel more like two sides of a divide, and you’re on one of them.
Then there’s 様子がおかしい. And he does act weird. He keeps coming over to Suzuki, and he gets clingy. But weird compared to what? Compared to how a 陽キャ is supposed to act, I guess. Maybe the weird part is just that he won’t stay where Suzuki put him.
Also, why does Moth want to be a cat? Because Oishi's mascot is a cat. Obviously.
(Can someone explain the “Men Eating Bush” joke? Pretty sure I missed something.)
Ruth, Ji, and Tyler stuck with me right away. I like that both leads get to go back to 17, not just one. Usually only one person gets a do-over.
Already getting mutual-crush vibes?
The first time was in high school. Nine stole the exam, planted it on Third, and got him disqualified from the scholarship test his mom had signed him up for. Third checked the CCTV, found the footage, and deleted it.
The second time, Renji gives him footage that clears Wan and points straight at Nine. Third doesn’t post it. He takes it to North and asks him to keep Nine in line. Then Nine shows up with an apology that isn’t one and calls Third a coward. Third deletes the footage anyway and says it’s Nine’s last chance.
A lot of people are frustrated with Third, and I get it. I just don’t think “he’s weak” covers it.
To be fair to Third, he isn’t burying the truth. Renji got that footage from Time, so a copy still exists. Third likely knows that. Going to North puts the problem in front of the one person with real power over Nine, without turning it into a public pile-on. Leaking it would be the easy win. It would also be Nine’s method: using someone’s exposure to get ahead. Third won’t fight that way, and that takes something.
But Nine has already shown what he does with mercy. When Third stayed quiet the first time, it didn’t change Nine. It taught him Third wouldn’t follow through. “Coward” isn’t just an insult. Nine is telling Third he’s counting on it. And if Nine crosses the line again, Third won’t be the one who acts. Renji or Time will have to, and neither of them signed up to be Nine’s last chance.
I don’t think the deletion is really about the evidence. If Third knows copies exist, he’s only getting rid of his own. Keeping it would mean the choice to expose Nine was always his, and every day he didn’t would be a decision too. Deleting it hands that choice to someone else. And the Nine who used to be his friend gets to stay a little longer.
That’s what makes him sympathetic, and it’s also what worries me. Nine pushes the cost of his choices onto other people on purpose. Third doesn’t mean to, but someone else still ends up holding it.
I’m not sure the show thinks Third is wrong. I’m not sure Third knows yet either.
Nine gets a couple of answers wrong on purpose. He’s already seen the exam, but a perfect score might draw suspicion. He wants his success to look earned. Then he plants the paper in Third’s backpack and lets the teacher disqualify him.
That makes “You’re better than me. I have to survive” a revealing line. Nine sees how capable Third is. He knows Third was close to him, too. Neither fact stops him. He turns the possibility of losing into an emergency. Once he calls it survival, he can justify almost anything.
The same thinking returns when Wan starts getting attention. Nine is comfortable with admiration as long as it leaves him above the person admiring him. When Wan becomes visible in his own right, Nine treats it as an attack. Punishing a fan for becoming someone he might have to compete with is especially ugly.
Nine wants the advantages of betrayal without being seen as a betrayer. He cheats, then plays the honest student reporting misconduct. Later, when he thanks Third for keeping quiet, he still seems focused on what that silence saved for him. I’m not sure he can see what it cost Third.
That’s where a redemption arc would have to start for me. Nine already has an explanation for his fear. What I’d need is to see him take responsibility for what he does with it. Another scene explaining the fear would add less than one where he stops using it to make his choices sound inevitable.
The scholarship flashback makes his behavior feel like a pattern he’s carried for years. That’s why he works so well. I don’t know yet if the show will keep examining that pattern or just make him crueler.
Nine is charming in public, but his apologies are all performance. There’s no real remorse behind them. James Su is killing it as a Machiavellian villain.
The contrast with Third is brutal. Nine manipulates people. Third deletes evidence to protect others and makes Nine promise not to hurt Wan. Then Wan asks if Nine ever hurt him, and Third just breaks.
DMD did it again.
That was Sam’s first question to Moth. Moth said character art, sometimes graphic design. Sam lost interest and walked away.
I always had a vague sense that art comes with a price and a ranking. That scene made it less vague. Painting sits up top. The work that pays the bills sits somewhere below.
We don’t know why Moth stopped painting. Maybe he’s been busy making a living. Maybe the inspiration ran out. Probably a bit of both.
After the party, he looked ashamed of himself, like Sam had just confirmed something he already suspected. Sam was such a snob, honestly. Then Mes told him he’d buy his paintings no matter the price. Moth has always been moved by what Mes says to him. He cried.
Now the preview shows a new painting.
I don’t think it’s only about Mes. Mes has believed in him for a long time, and that never got him painting again.
Dean is new. He brought fun and company into Moth’s world. Something to look at. Something to want.
Or maybe I just want it to be Dean lol.
Mangkorn waking up after being shot, with the anesthesia still working on him, had the same energy. Thiar taking care of him was sweet, and their little exchange was cute. I was low-key disappointed they didn’t kiss. On second thought, though, it makes sense. He’d just been shot. Not the best time, even if the setup was right there.