reefpicker

You are jumping the gun. Watch the whole thing first and then judge if it is "another one off [the assembly line]".

I have high hopes because this comes from the guy behind Triage, Love of Siam and Slam Dance, among others. I think he is a pretty respectable storyteller. He is also pretty respected in Thailand. I mean, his movie was Thailand's submission to the 81st Academy Awards.

Not saying it could be crap. Just because he puts his name behind something doesn't make it great. He may just be helping a friend or someone he likes. Or wants a quick buck. So, who knows.

I wonder if the episode count here is wrong

That's a good point. I think it depends. For me, if a series is either so bad, I can't stand it, OR it is not "my cup of tea", I will drop it. However, if a series is "mediocre", sort of middle of the road, I may continue watching to see if towards the end they redeem themselves. Does it ever happen that my opinion changes with the very last episode? I don't think so, but I have found myself liking something after 3 or 4 episodes (e.g. My Secret Love) and also loving the series only after I watched the ending (e.g. My Friendship). There are also ones that I hated because of the ending (e.g. Ben x Jim) and ones that the ending made me mad and it took me a while to appreciate the series (The Shipper).

I think that you never know why someone will stick to watching something even if they don't like it, but it happens. For example, I watched Cutie Pie, all the way to the end, and Vice Versa, all the way to the end, even against my better judgement. I think the reason was because a) My friends were watching and I wanted to know what they were talking about (FOMO), and b) Because I run a podcast together with a friend and we will probably do an episode on Vice Versa, just like we did with Cutie Pie.

Which series were so bad (or not my cup of tea) that I dropped? Not me, Rainbow Prince and My Boy are the only ones I have officially dropped. I also put on hold 2Moons and Dont Say No. I am not sure if I will retake them. It is very rare that I drop a series. I will stick to them even if inside I am fuming over the directorial choices or screenplay ;)

Why is it that if someone disagrees with your taste in BLs, you feel the need to go on the defensive and say they are "wannabe" writers? Also, your faith in screenplay writers is quiet something. Do you really think that writers do everything intentionally? You don't think the director, producers and studio often get a say in what is filmed? Or that writers sometimes have no idea what to do with their characters and/or plot and often write themselves into a corner?

You know, you can like something and still find ways it could be improved. In my case for example, I didn't like this series overall, but I enjoyed some parts of it. I also didn't like Sea and Jimmy's chemistry, but I though Sea wasn't terrible and I would like to see more of him.

I have seen people explain the issue of Vice Versa in so many ways. I am not sure who is right, but I will tell you my simplified view of it: uninspired writing. I think the writing could have been better. The world-building suffered because of it. The romance was sucked out of air because of it. Character development lagged because of it.

Ironically, this series had one of the most original premises I have ever seen in a Thai BL.

Uke reticence.

At The BL Clinic podcast, we did an entire episode about what is Uke reticence, why it happens and what its roots are in Thai BL. Link below.


https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/duUSbhZzNtb

I was wondering what you thought about it. Didnt see you share your thoughts in USA BL.

Yeah, uke reticence is strong on this one. ;)

I think we have seen a little bit of character development, with Eiw starting to feel like he can be on his own now. In the bridge he walks away from Cake and tells him, he wants to be alone (OK, he did ended up sleeping with his mom, but oh well).

I think JPNY01 point about Eiw being one dimensional is concerning. However, I am not sure any character here has been more than one dimensional for now. I am hopping we see other sides of Eiw as he grows and develops away from Cake.

I think that a lot of ukes in BL do have this defect of being a bit too much like damsels in distress, and because of that, they have little to them in terms of their personality. We see it all the time. There happiness hinges on the seme. The seme is everything, and the uke is two notches below. I can probably write a long list of ukes that are either completely one-dimensional or nearly one-dimensional: Gui in Oxygen, Khondiao in Cutie Pie, both secondary couple's ukes in 2gether, pretty much all the ukes in Oh My Sunshine Night, etc.

Not sure if you would agree, but that's how I see it. To me, Eiw is just another uke in that sense. I do hope to see some growth, but this BL is structured like a very classic BL, so this is something at least I am prepared to tolerate.

I am like you. I use to cry more often and now I rarely cry. That scene had me in tears and it was for real. When Cake says to Eiw, "Will you wake me up tomorrow morning?", I yelled out loud "Oh no! OMG". And then I started crying. I am still not sure why I yelled out loud, but I did. It was very emotional. I have never yelled out loud like that before. LOL

I am loving it. Yes, the pacing is a bit slow, though it just pick up in Ep 7, but it is delicious. That bridge scene had me in tears which is not something that is easily accomplished with me. Santa and Earth are a delicious acting combination.

Also Eiw is not the only one being childish. Cake is very irresponsible, has no self control, and can't even wake up on his own. Eiw is very maternal towards Cake. This is part of the dynamics they have set up, which is why, at least for me, it broke my heart when Cake says to Eiw, "will you wake me up tomorrow morning?". He doesn't need it, really, but he has come to rely on him. It is like he is letting himself be babied by Eiw because he loves him. I think that Eiw also lets Cake baby him.

You and I are watching two different series it seems. The story is not just about Eiw being sad. He has grown as a character and by the time we see him in the bridge scene, he walks out on Cake. Cake fears this new found independence, which is why he earlier wanted to regress to the old times and asked Eiw to jump on his back. Cake "babies" Eiw as much as Eiw behaves like a baby.

I think the issues you see with Eiw being like a child is pretty much an issue one could have with ANY BL. The Ukes are usually portrayed as childish and immature. Wayo in 2Moons, both ukes in Cutie Pie, most of the ukes in Love by Chance, etc. One of the few childish semes, gosh he was almost uke-like in his demeanor, was Solo in oxygen.

I think Earth gets a lot of hate because he is openly gay and behaves very effeminate. He is just not childish and annoying here, but also effeminate. While I don't necessarily find the behavior endearing, I can see how Cake likes Eiw because he is innocent, and I think that's what Earth is trying to portray. This was very evident in the scene by the water, when they were playing. Earth played Eiw as an innocent kid discovering how to play with rocks. Cake looks at him lovingly. I think the idea is that Cake loves this aspect of Eiw. IDK This is how I interpret what the actor and director are doing here.

I am enjoying this series very much. I love how it feels like a call back to the earlier BLs, not just because of the blue shorts, but because it is more about cute moments and intense feelings, than kisses and sex. For me, the bridge scene was brilliantly done. New is a master of this genre.

I agree with you. You are right on the money.

This has all kinds of plot holes and inconsistencies. Characters do and say things no one in real life would. It is all kinds of messed up.

Skip. Skip. Skip. Skip. Skip. Skip. Skip. Skip. Skip. Skip. Skip. Skip.

then, no. This is not very well written.

Cool! I think I saw your request. I added you. I am the admin! :) You will know because I post a lot. There is at least one more person from here, who is also a well known blogger (use to be back in the Love Sick days), in that FB group. I also have a blog and a podcast. It is a very active community.

It is a pretty chill environment. Feel free to jump in! I think folks will like your analysis. You are very good at picking things apart!!!

Oh I see. I think you are right about what the OP meant!!!!!

I agree with you. They took away the drama and made this part more confusing by choosing to have Jimmy and Sea play these characters all this time.

Good point. I think this would have worked better if they had more screentime, but the idea was definitely good.

Hi. I love your analysis. We are both on the same page here. I will add the editing here was a bit choppy. I found myself so many times wondering if I missed something. I think Jittirain has a bad habit of using tropes to develop her characters. Mame on the other hand is great at character development.

There were SOOO many things I didn't like about this episode.

Are you in the US or an American living abroad? If so, I invite you to join our facebook group, which is pretty analytical too ;) Only for US members: https://www.facebook.com/groups/333441421474451/

no, WE are able to see it. They are supposed to have seen that the whole time