Lys

My hopes were so freaking high that it's difficult for me to put my feelings into words. I'm with you, though. I want to have faith that the plot holes will be explained later, that the pacing will end up evening out, that I'll be satisfied with how it unfolds. But since I want to love the show, I'm not sure how much I should just try to forgive in order to enjoy how it unfolds. I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than disappointed. But I'm afraid to talk about my frustration with the first episode for several reasons, the main one being that I'm worried people will reinforce my feelings to the point of me not enjoying the first episode at all.

However, the last quarter really did pick up, and while I was irked by a few things, the tone finally felt right. I'm hoping things will be smoother from now on. I want to love this show. But even if I don't, I just want it to be wildly successful so that the themes become more popular in BL shows, and the actors are celebrated and hired as much as they should be. I watched it once alone, then again with my best friend, and we both feel like the final quarter can at least give us hope. There's lots of potential here. I'm looking forward to next week.

Ugh, I can't sleep anyway, so why must I wait three more hours? I'm living in my car right now because my life sucks, and it's super early in the morning, so I don't have much to do other than sit here and complain in the MDL comments. Be time already!

I know, I feel like I'm about to short circuit.

Seriously, I need this show to soar so that we can have more like it. I've been waiting for ages for something likecthis, and I'm so excited.

Right??? I came here to be around my fellow fans while we anxiously wait, haha.

I'm so excited but sooooo nervous. Ugh, I hope going at this weekly won't destroy me, but if Bad Buddy taught me anything, it's that you can't freaking get away from massive spoilers anyhow, so I may as well watch it as it's released. I'm gonna lose my mind!

I saw something about a teaser being released, but I can't find it. I'm surprised I'm the only person in the comments here so far, but if someone else stumbles upon this and finds it, please let me know!

To be fair, they're wearing different outfits in each shot, so it isn't actually one thing happening after the other, but that was kind of an odd editing choice, haha.

I think they're all together still, but Shin is potentially open to having a second boyfriend. People are locking in on the fact that Miw and Neo stay to run a business and Shin travels with another potential love interest, but they even reinforce in the end that the love they have for each other isn't limited by gender or numbers. If they're open to non-monagamy to begin with, it wouldn't be so weird for Shin to date PP or sleep with him casually. I get that people are bitter about this stuff because we're used to gay relationships being erased or made to be secondary, but through the lens of the foundation of their relationship, they're all the same level of devoted to one another as they were before. The three of them have always had more of a friendship first, then romance, kind of relationship. Miw and Neo aren't about to get married and start a nuclear family.

This is what I said about the ending in another comment:

I was hesitant to watch this because of people saying the girl and guy end up together, but the other guy ends up with a different dude. I spoiled the ending for myself, though, and I don't get why people are so convinced that's the ending. It seemed to me that the implication was that they all still loved one another and would be together when possible. One of them has a busier life that requires him to move around, and he may have an additional love interest, but the three of them even say at the end that love doesn't have a gender or number. Other than them running a business together, there was nothing that suggested the guy and girl paired off in a monogamous sense. I think people are just so unused to poly representation that they take a more cynical and rigid approach. Why would the love between them just vanish after all they went through? Shin isn't into girls, so outside of sex, I would imagine they're both only dating Neo. It's not weird for Shin to also have another boyfriend, if that's where that's headed. None of them thought their relationship was one on one from the start.

I don't know, I just think Shin is young and finding his footing, and the other two are letting him do that while they, previously trying to find their own foundation, are finally settling. When he's ready, Shin can settle with them too, or he can come and go as needed without his importance in the relationship diminishing. I appreciate that the show didn't try to define what it is to be in love or in a relationship by such binary terms.

I was hesitant to watch this because of people saying the girl and guy end up together, but the other guy ends up with a different dude. I spoiled the ending for myself, though, and I don't get why people are so convinced that's the ending. It seemed to me that the implication was that they all still loved one another and would be together when possible. One of them has a busier life that requires him to move around, and he may have an additional love interest, but the three of them even say at the end that love doesn't have a gender or number. Other than them running a business together, there was nothing that suggested the guy and girl paired off in a monogamous sense. I think people are just so unused to poly representation that they take a more cynical and rigid approach. Why would the love between them just vanish after all they went through? Shin isn't into girls, so outside of sex, I would imagine they're both only dating Neo. It's not weird for Shin to also have another boyfriend, if that's where that's headed. None of them thought their relationship was one on one from the start.

I don't know, I just think Shin is young and finding his footing, and the other two are letting him do that while they, previously trying to find their own foundation, are finally settling. When he's ready, Shin can settle with them too, or he can come and go as needed without his importance in the relationship diminishing. I appreciate that the show didn't try to define what it is to be in love or in a relationship by such binary terms.

Oh god, when I graduated from high school, this guy's mom was still pregnant with him. The BL industry is making me feel decrepit.

This was five months ago, so maybe it's too late, but if someone else comes along, it might help. The person who answered before made it sound like it's something from the character's past. Both main couples start with rape, one due to how drunk one of the boys is, the other because the boy keeps yelling for him to stop and saying he wants to go home while he fights the boy on top of him. The sex in these shows isn't graphic, but the rape definitely starts onscreen, so if you're uncomfortable with that, you should probably avoid the series. Also, he makes him bleed from the assault, but they still have some sort of cutesy romance like none of that happened.

Is there another place to watch it other than iQiyi? I'm having trouble with it, since everything is locked behind their VIP service, but for whatever reason I can't seem to set it up.

It's more like a series of little snapshots than a cohesive story, though I think part of that is the translation. I always appreciate anyone taking the time to translate, so don't get me wrong, but a lot of moments require you to piece things together based on context, and that might be where it gets confusing. It sort of reminds me of a student film, just little clips of two guys being sweet with each other. Nothing too intense. It's short, and you can sort of gauge early on if you can tolerate the simplistic style. I think the rating is about right.

Right? I felt the same way, that he was the only non-offensive gay character in the show. And seriously, hearing Off say that really irked me. I'm glad that isn't a common thing in BL, but I do recall in My Dear Loser having the characters say nasty things about being gay. The standard has changed a lot in a short amount of time, though. Stuff that would fly in 2017 or so would never be made today (generally speaking), but it's definitely cringe when you run into it. And same! I didn't add you for that reason, but I thought it was cool we were from the same state. ^^

Oh dear lord, SOTUS is a perfect example of that toxic, "no homo" vibe, where the *actual* gay men are almost exclusively flamboyant and predatory, while the main pairing is not only two straight guys, but also includes a guy who spends the majority of both seasons acting like they're roommates, even when they're alone. I had started it several years ago, before I was aware of what Thai BL dramas even were, and I just recently finished it. I think the love it gets is heavily tied to nostalgia and the fact that, at the time, there weren't as many options for solid BL. No hate on those who love it, but it definitely didn't age well.

I'm with you, I like toxic when the show knows it's toxic and doesn't try to pretend it's romantic. And sometimes I can excuse things because I've been in the yaoi game for so long, haha. Like TharnType, since the creepy stuff doesn't last too long. And it's a crying shame how little eastern GL there is out there, but I do have to say that in every country I've seen it, it does seem to be healthier as a rule. They get way more happy endings in western culture, for example.

Hey, not to be creepy, but we both live in California. I hope you don't mind if I add you. You seem cool. ^^

I absolutely agree that he brought a stronger angle to the story. And yeah, talent and perspective certainly isn't limited to a specific gender or sexuality, but I've discussed this before with like-minded friends and totally feel the same way. I think, and I say this as a female (not straight, but still) author of m/m stuff, that there can be a bit of a disparity between the more tropey nature of some women's depiction of gay relationships and the healthier element that Aof, and others like him, bring to the table. The novel for Bad Buddy is absolutely toxic and full of cliches. Aof took something that isn't especially original and made it feel fresh and interesting. He removed all of the crap that so many of us, male and female alike, have been wanting to see eradicated for years. To be fair, I've seen awful depictions of gay relationships from gay male authors, but in BL specifically, it seems like more voices are coming forward to break a stale trend. This is just speculation, but part of the issue might be the narrative pushed by most media and society that being gay equals misery. It can also tie into my least favorite trope in the world, the "it's okay if it's you" theme. I hate a "no homo" love story, like how is it possible to be both pro-gay romance and homophobic at the same time?

Sorry, I'm rambling now, but my point is, I think it's a combination of his own experiences and the fact that he's just a better writer and director than a lot of the people out there. I would love to see more people like him taking over the industry. We've had the doom and despair, the tragic gays, far too long. We've had the mindless fluff and the constant misunderstandings. We've had the shallow stereotypes and formulaic conflict. Change the record already. Aof is proving that he can make a solid story without falling into tired traps. I'm so glad his career is growing this rapidly.

Yeah, he's pretty great, and you can tell his actors really respect him. I have faith in what he has his hands in.

I am! Totally ecstatic, the new line up looks really promising. I feel really spoiled as a fangirl right now, haha.