plum0670

"Change won't come from tiptoeing around homophobes" Yes, to a degree it will. A common argument against LGBTQ media is that "they're shoving it in our face". Showing real and relatable queer stories alongside straight ones will help ease that stance. Again, this is especially true for Korea. If you knew more about the culture you'd understand this argument better.

"One might wonder why some viewers relating to the straight story is considered a sufficient reason to include it" Because they are the majority, and we need the majority to accept the minority for the minority to thrive.

When did I say I could not relate to a series unless there's a character in every point similar to me..? I can appreciate BL, GL, straight and queer dramas just the same, story qualities is what makes or breaks it for me. And regardless of the source material, this drama is engaging and well-made.

Is it fair to assume you're not a Korean teen? Correct me if I'm wrong, but there are so many nuances within Korean society that make the acceptance of LGBTQ people take longer than what happened in the west. Wishing to skip directly to one extreme will just bring in more prejudice and do disservice to the community.

A mix of experiences, straight and gay, can help reaching out to a wider audience who wouldn't take a look if it was strictly BL. Gay people in Korea, just like everywhere, are mainly surrounded by straight people, unless they found a community (but it is safe to assume that tends to happen after high school, not during), so a drama like this mirrors real life, making this story more authentic and relatable to the wider audience. I've also seen a hypothesis that the straight arc was added as a tactic to get cable distribution, which sadly failed in this case, but it is a respectable effort as it would've brought even more visibility where it matters.

And I'd suggest you rewatch the whole thing once all episodes have aired, because as someone who mostly binge watched all 8 episodes in one go, Heesu was certainly the star of the show!

Most dramas have a side couple in the background whose relationship's stepping stones pass faster as there's less focus on them, it's nothing revolutionary... It a plot device that help create balance and novelty in a visual story in order to maintain good pacing and avoid boredom. In my opinion, it works pretty well for this show, I haven't skipped any scene (except the tennis shots because I couldn't care less about that). I'd argue that there's only so much of Heesu we could've seen before getting bored of him if he had all the screen time, but I guess we'll agree to disagree on that point.

Bro if this was 2016 I'd say you got a point but recently we've been bombarded left and right by those fantasy BL worlds where everyone and their dad is gay...

Every piece of media needs to have their target demographic in mind, and this particular show is aimed at the broader Korean youth, and maybe even their parents. Putting myself in their place, I'd say they're doing a pretty good job at showing acceptance and inclusivity on all sides. Not contrasting Heesu with a straight couple would encourage people's negative opinion of homosexuality as being only this fantasy world you're talking about where no 'normal' person exists. But here we're watching two couples of different orientations supporting each other, on equal footing, which is inclusive by itself. If you're looking for a gay superheroes that fight with magic kinda story, it is plainly true that Korean society is not there yet, at least not for a big budget type of production.

They're not going to show all the intricacy of Chanyoung's relationship as he's not the focus of the show. Anyhow just based on personal characteristics, and considering the helping factors I've detailed above, Chanyoung and Jiyu are both more easygoing than Seungwon and Heesu, so their relationship taking no time is more in character for them.

The straight story had nothing in the way to slow it down: being straight is regarded as the default in our society, and both characters were already no strings attached, so they could move along pretty smoothly. Now Heesu is gay, which makes it harder to confess (especially in Korea), but most importantly he was in love with someone else before diverting his feelings towards Seungwon, which takes some time. Regardless of sexual orientation, the progression of Heesu's relationship was going to take longer than Chanyoung's.

About 90% of the world's population is straight, so that makes media close to being representative. Instead of making straight-only shows, and gay-only shows, which in both cases would be gross caricatures, why not simply put everyone in the mix? Accepting everyone for who they are, isn't that the basis of the LGBTQ mentality? More inclusiveness makes for a better society, and honestly some posts in this comment section do smell a bit of heterophobia...

Oh so the story is actually following the manhwa! From the comments here people had me thinking they would get together and do couply things way before that...

And a secondary couple seems standard in all romantic dramas, I wouldn't think it's too far-fetched from the screenwriters to add that but oh well

How is the answer so clear? A good payoff to me is a well fleshed out story... In the 8 episodes we've had so far, having Heesu go from completely enamored with Chanyoung, then losing these feelings, then falling for Seungwon, then confessing to Seungwon, then going out with him with lots of sweet moments already... Don't you think that would make for a very rushed story? We've already been through plenty of shows like that, and everyone complained of rushed storylines and plot holes, because this amount of screen time is just not enough to convey realistic emotional development if we want all those things.

I am very satisfied not seeing Heesu and Seungwon together, because I can imagine them in that state very well. The point of this story is the shifting of the main character's feelings, and always wondering what will happen next for him to get together with Seungwon is what brings the excitement, that is the story... Once they get together, it's the beginning of a new story! Hence why I don't think we ~deserve~ to see them so much as a couple, at this point it would just be fan service and a disregard to the way this story has been shaped. And according to the other reply to my post, this is actually the way the story was intended in chapter 1 of the manhwa...

Genuine question, why is everyone here so hell bent on getting a confession early on? I haven't read the manhwa, so I had no expectations coming in, and so far imo this is a basic but very well made slow burn, what did you guys expect..?

Also why all the complains about the second couple? Heesu still gets the spotlight, and this is all about him switching his feelings from Ju Chanyoung to Kim Seungwon, so it's not like Chanyoung is a useless character? And now dropping the Jiyu/Chanyoung couple when they played an important place in the first half of the story would just make this drama devoid of consistency... If the second couple was also BL, I'm pretty sure no one would complain about their screen time?

I'd understand the 'straightwashing' comments if they changed a queer character's sexuality to straight, or if the straight couple was made the leads, but this is very much mostly about Heesu. This drama shows that all kind of love are legit, which is ultimately what we want for a more open society, especially in Korea...

Kinnporsche suffered from the common plot holes and lack of realism (which you seem to enjoy so I don't get why you're bashing this story and not Top Form lol), but I enjoyed the pacing and acting, and human relationships felt much more natural (without calling the nature of these relationships normal lol). Calling Triage not a BL on the other hand... The whole plot is about the main leads' connection! I think it's actually one of the best Thai BLs we've had so far mainly because it doesn't rely on all the clichés and could deliver an engaging story throughout.

Then your point about KBL... Maybe Thai dramas should cut their running time in half if they have nothing better to deliver, then we could get Semantic Error/LFLS's type of quality? I swear not everything has to be 12-1 hour episodes (or even more, looking at you Perfect 10 Liners). Look at Gelboys, you agree with me that it was top-tier, as it made the most out of its short runtime!

Also about ThamePo... Most comments I've seen are calling it boring, I don't think it's as genuinely revolutionary as you think (and MDL rankings are the last thing you want to base your opinion of a show on, they're overinflated by actors stans or deflated by antis most of the time)

My fingers are sore from skipping scenes

This is not a slow burn, it's just boring... the MARS drama is the most unrealistic thing I've seen (The Heavenly Idol was more believable than this lmao, here you make a company lose millions and they're just like: ok you can leave no problem, just pay us eventually?? smh)

Po was plainly unprofessional and soooo passive. His only expression was cluelessness and it got annoying after a while.

Overall it was just a regular GMMTV drama with bad writing, but they slapped on good cinematography and that got people raving about it. If you're going to make a boring show at least make it pretty, ig?

Ok but counter argument: it's possible to make fantasy fun, and technically good? Take Triage, Gelboys, Kinnporsche, Semantic Error, Love for Love's Sake... all these qualify as BL, not arthouse, yet they could deliver tight editing, good acting, engaging storytelling! I too like to get lost in a world where anything goes and the harsh reality is avoided, that's why I watch BL ffs! But when the production feels evidently rushed, with lack of care for its viewer, it screams money grab and I will complain about it. If we keep accepting mediocrity, that's all we're going to get.

Also what's that mention about "lots of realistic shows with sad/unhappy endings"? As if writing a realistic story meant that it would inevitably end up tragic? Gay people, even in conservative asian countries, don't all end up suicidal. It takes a bit of research, and creativity, but filmmakers are not bound to write sad stories if they want to keep things realistic smh

OMG i'm finally done!! That last episode was so exhausting,, what normal person brags about their romantic relationship and kisses all over their partner in front of their friends?? I know this is bl fantasy land but can we make something a bit more realistic? ATP this is solely fan service and not in any way a 'conclusion' to a story lol

Anyways overall this sucked aside from Junior give this man a proper series please

Ok if we're comparing ~experience~ I have been watching bls for as long as you have, and I could count on my hands the number of genuinely good ones (on all levels: writing, acting, cinematography, plot). This one suffers from the following common flaws that are weak directing, weak editing, and weak acting. I shouldn't have to question why the actors (that are supposed to play actors, mind you) look uncomfortable and stiff in front of the camera. I shouldn't have to experience a shift in tone so drastic it makes me think I'm watching a different series at times (the honey scene felt gross and out of place, anyone raving about it is just horny), and generally the editing should be tighter, there's too many lengthy bits... The plot was interesting to begin with so this to me is a let down, it feels rushed and made to capitalize on fans of the original material; a cash grab basically. I might sound harsh, but it is BECAUSE of the countless bls I've seen that can make this judgement. I'm used to all the cliches and can pinpoint all the industry's shortcomings.

The thai bl industry lmao but I have hope one day we'll get good writing

Yes Last Twilight had a good premise, and I genuinely enjoyed how it started, but it suffered from GMMTV's consistent lack of direction and ended up a mess, no one in their right mind would agree that the last episodes with the dad and the way the story concluded was great. And ThamePo was just boring imo... All the praise its getting feels like if you slap good cinematography on top of a series, people are going to fawn over it and forget all its shortcomings. It's just cliché after cliché, lack of tension between characters, way too easily solved conflicts, etc. Not a hit in my books.

the best series so far? Have you seen anything but thai bls to have such low standards..?

Xiao Zhan, he's an objectively good actor idkn why the first commenter is so bitter lmao

You're right I should edit my bio by adding 'anymore', nothing genuinely good or interesting came out of GMMTV since 2022 aside maybe for OnlyFriend...