solipsism5

You can see the mother yelling at her if you look at when she's introduced at the birthday party. The way the mom does it I would definitely feel like it happens often. It's almost impossible the mom is going to be nice to the daughter when she is so brutal to the son. She should get the hell out of there. Maybe the reason she calls Uea is she needs some help herself, but she didn't think how bad it was for him to come back, and she probably never knew about the father's assaulting Uea.

I agree. People are looking too hard for why this is bad. I don't think James is a bad actor, like many have said on here. Actually, he's doing a great job portraying a victim of trauma. I also think he shows a lot of natural looking affection towards Net, and I think their chemistry is really good. I only wish that the screenplay was a little less harsh with Uea - his character is just getting beaten up to an extent that is just too much for a BL, but I'm hoping he gets some healing before the end.

You will find in the later episodes that there is a story but this might not help, because it's a story of Uea being beaten to a pulp by everyone. I've never seen one BL character have so much trauma inflicted on him. It's more like there is too much of a story than the opposite.

I really don't think its Frank's acting that's bad. It's the direction and screenplay. I don't know how else you would play the lines he's been given. I hope they tone his character down in future episodes.

It's the highest for any BL. It's also 9.2 on IMDB which is also the highest.

I think they do have chemistry. It seems like most people don’t see it, but it’s definitely apparent when they are in bed before Uea takes his shower.

Oh yes, that is him! He’s got a good agent😀

Someone said he was in Not Me but he doesn’t look like any of the kids listed in the credits.

Well said. Thank you!!! Very clearly stated, and well argued :-) I'm in agreement with all of this, including how BL's deal with conflicts. There is no satisfactory resolution to most of them as you say. Uea's mom is probably just going to disappear and we'll never see any resolution for that part of his past. It's just too complex and messy and would require another 8 episodes to deal with so they'll probably brush it under the rug. He also has to deal with his ex, and the step-father, and they will probably be adding this exec at his job to that list. How do they have time for all that? It's just my concern for this drama, not about the presentation of the trauma itself. BL's can have some of this, but my problem is that they just don't deal with trauma very well. I think a lot of people have been saying that on this board about this problem in BL's, and I am echoing their sentiment here.

Totally separate from this issue is the fact I don't like watching too much trauma in BL's because I like the positive depiction of gay life presented in them. Does that entail fetishizing gay people? Some could argue that the dark gay dramas have their own issues that are similar, namely creating stereotypes, and one of them is the depiction of depressed, and sociopathic gay people. Do gay dramas or BL's depict real gay people? I think neither of them do, in general. I have no problem with people watching either genre, and if it's of high quality everyone should watch a show regardless of what genre it comes from.

You are making a lot of assumptions here. I just recently watched Firebird, a gay drama that was just fantastic. Perhaps I shouldn't have used the dramatic words "running away", but I prefer BL's for their upbeat depiction of gay lives, and I've seen enough of gay trauma. I, personally, have never watched these kind of shows before my partner passed away from HIV. I'm not just part of the bubble-gum crowd you are talking about. There is nothing wrong with presenting trauma, and I hope they deal with it. I praised other series like Love in the Air at the end because there was some resolution to the trauma. I think you're jumping the gun on my review of this drama. They can deal with this trauma in a positive way by the end, and I think there is nothing wrong with dealing with trauma, per se, in a BL. I usually don't watch them for that. I would also prefer if Uea saw a therapist, not resolve his issues with his boyfriend. I think he has been a victim of continual abuse, and I think James is doing a good job of portraying that. It's just this level of abuse should be dealt with by a professional.

I agree, we don't need to see him going back to that house, but that was a powerful scene with the sister. I loved that picture she gave him- that was so touching. I wish they just had met somewhere else, but that way she ran after him when he left was really very moving. I guess I liked how powerful those scenes were but agree that we don't need them in a BL. This is a "horror show" right now, and not what I watch BL's for. I'm watching it for Net who's one of the most steaming hot BL actors out there, like you said. I think James is not given enough credit for his great acting playing the victim of trauma.

There is just endless trauma with Uea. It's not even the sexual assaults, it's the memories of his mother's continuous abuse. It seems like she did nothing for his birthday and that's why he looks so adoringly at King for giving him that birthday cake. I like how they captured his sadness there. I really wish he would at least talk about it a little bit, at least with King. After he comes back from his home it's like he just wants to fuck the sad away with his boyfriend, but it would have been nice if he just talked about it when King asked him why he looked so anxious. It seems like this series wants King to be his therapist, and the solution to all his past abuse. I just don't like that idea, and think he needs to see a counselor, and he is in need of this more than virtually any other character in a BL I've ever seen. He won't even treat King well until he does this, and he still seems to be a magnet for other abusers. It seems like he's attracting another one next episode, and he probably projects something that these stalkers can sense that makes them want to go after him. This series is capturing the mental issues of someone who's gone through a lot of physical and mental abuse, but not giving us any valid solutions for that person. I find this just frustrating to watch, and find it rather unusual for a BL. It feels more like the dark gay dramas from the West which I ran away from so I could watch the upbeat, bubbly BL's from the East. I'm still watching this, and I'm entertained by the really good acting by James and King, but they really need to move towards something lighter in the next few episodes and provide some healing for Uea. He feels like the punching bag for this series, like whenever they need to provide us some entertainment they think they have to drag Uea out of the closet to get assaulted.

No, the salary for Uea wouldn't cover it. Salaries in offices are not very high and Uea has no connections. I posted this video in another place but you might want to look at it to get some idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EsI2N7oLiE&ab_channel=ThaiTalkwithPaddy. I think King's family is rich so that's how he he can afford his.

yes, its given a lot of time

In Thailand they will name their kids for car brands - like Porsche, but in Japan these are actually common names from the far past. Suzuki is derived from a type of grass Susuki, and Honda means original rice paddy. I’m just trying to distinguish this naming convention from the one in Thailand which is more whimsical, but your point is still humorous.

Ok, will do. BTW I noticed there are two To Sir, With Love shows. The one I was talking about is more recent and has an 8.3 rating

This is cute - it's a little play on the ASMR thing they were talking about in the show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgscrjs4ZC8&ab_channel=GMMTVOFFICIAL%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B

I will. The Pornographer is probably the one I'm going to watch next. I'll let you know what I think. I'll check them all out. I trust your judgement, and I don't even trust mine :-). I haven't seen Mood Indigo, Like Love and Sequels, HIS (both of them), and Given. Hey, it's not a BL but have you seen Firebird? It's a Russian gay film - I highly recommend that one. It's really stark, and magnificent with a beautiful score including works by Stravinsky, and Mussorgsky.

This is really just so intense. It feels like every scene has a quiet sense of turmoil, and something is going to come bubbling up to the surface. Its not only memories, but emotions like Ritsu's love for Fumiya, and Fumiya's jealousy or guilt. The music has stopped in several scenes and there is this stillness where it feels like something is about to explode. It's a narrative that has a trail of memories depicting a landscape of the relationship of these two characters, and how it see-saws between affection, apathy, jealousy, and remorse. Finally the veil is lifted at the end and Ritsu sees through the haze of this dream-like world and sees the pictures that reveals the real Fumiya whose been hiding in the mist. This is really more explosive than some scene from a melodrama, and I love how this is the story, the discovery of the box full of drawings and photographs which is the trigger for his sudden awareness and transformation back into his old self. This series is really lovely, and is one of the most inspired I've seen in quite some time. It's just so well executed on every level, with its restrained chamber music score, subtle, multi-layered acting, sombre cinematography, and explorative and innovative screenplay.

This is very good for a GMMTV BL. It's very spontaneous feeling, and exuberant. The pacing isn't rushed for me, and feels quite appropriate to the context of a business that's always in turmoil like a gaming business, which is similar to other businesses in the entertainment world. Force is one of the most handsome men I've ever seen, and Book compliments him very well with his effervescent, upbeat personality. I think they're hitting the right tone with their talk about gay equality here, and that openly gay couple. I've never liked the endless chase in these BL's and like that we've moved so quickly to the relationship part. BL's should be more like this, and it helps that this isn't a university or high school BL, where juvenile, and Victorian prissiness is the norm. Even if Cher is child-like he's more mature than these characters in the high school and university BL's. I'm really enjoying this so far, and this series seems perfect for a Friday night -really light and harmless with just the right bit of wit and humor.