solipsism5

In Prelude to an Afternoon with a Faun, A faun playing his pan-pipes, sees several passing nymphs and naiads, and becomes aroused by them, but pursues them unsuccessfully, then succumbs to an intoxicating sleep where he sees beautiful visions, and possesses the nymphs he couldn't get close to while awake.

I think several of these ideas are very reminiscent of what is going on here, like Fuyima possessing Ritsu, but in this surreal way, like in a sleep induced by amnesia.

A stunning new BL from Japan. I love how they have kept everything realistic in this series, and that this is not a science fiction time travel/ fantasy show. It is possible to have this kind of amnesia after a traumatic brain injury, and perhaps since he was breaking up with Fumiya, those are the events that he wanted to forget and could be explained by dissociative amnesia. The stress of his break up might have led to this, and the seeming absence of any stress in his current frame of mind, might relate to this being that form of amnesia. Whatever it is, the care which they take with this psychological portryal has to be one of the best and most subtle I've ever seen in a BL. I like how Fuyima is struggling with his emotions and the sudden "loss" of Ritsu has triggered a desperate need to get him back. What caused these two to break up is only hinted at like when Ritsu ignores Fumiya while he is engrossed in drawing, but what originally caused them to fall in love is in dozens of scenes. Fuyima has fallen in love again, but he's not taking advantage of Ritsu, and his sensitivity to this can be seen especially when he indicates he doesn't want to sleep with him. That Ritsu has fallen in love with Fuyima again seems obvious, and I think that he redrew Jack Frost while sitting in the same place he drew him before is symbolic of how he is falling in love with Fuyima all over again, visiting all the same places they fell in love before. The resort is especially a place that triggers a lot of memories of love. Fuyima, as much as he is not taking advantage of Ritsu, is still a little selfish and doesn't want to trigger any bad memories. He wants a fresh start, and to erase everything from the past that caused them to break up, or caused Ritsu to become the person he no longer wanted to be with. He is keeping the promise to Ritsu's brother, but he can't overcome his selfishness to have him to himself, and this will be challenged in the next episode by a possible new love interest.

I really love, love the music score in this. There is a lot of chamber music, and at one point the piano version of Prelude to an Afternoon with a Faun by Debussy is playing in the background which was just perfect for the nostalgic mood in the cafe, along with the impressionistic symbolism of this piece. It seems like that subtle music in the background plays off the complex emotions of every scene. So far this has been one of the very best Japanese BL's recently, and only a handful have ever been this good.

How does Pond get the money to start that business? You have to have some experience running a business as well. Then Neung is just going to go abroad to study music while Pond runs this business by himself. It’s just so ridiculous. I agree about FUTS . It was very enjoyable without a complex plot and the characters’ motivations were clear and well developed.

This is directed by New? How does this guy keep getting gigs after all those junky BL's he's been directing lately. Well, this is better than his cryfest series Between Us so far. I also wonder from the poster if Fluke is not going to be paired with Thor. That would be a little disappointing.

I liked this first episode. I was actually impressed that Book has some comedic talent, and shows a little range beyond his rather milquetoast character in Enchante. I really like that this is not a high school or college BL, and the cast is just amazing - I'm especially happy to see Fluke right after his stellar performance in the Warp Effect. Ok, Book is totally out of control as an office intern, and would have been fired immediately by any boss in his right mind for treating the workplace like a kindergarten playground, but the boss has an immediate attraction to him so he lets him get away with, I guess, anything. The boss is also breaking a lot of HR rules as well, like feeling up your employees, etc., but this is comedy, and it's ok. I think it's really fun so far, and this show will definitely provide some light comic entertainment for Friday nights, and that's one my favorite kind of BL's. Can I also say that Force is looking even more attractive than before, and that doesn't even seem humanly possible, and he can actually act unlike handsome Pond from the miserable NLMG.

MSP is rated 9.2 on IMDB, wow! That’s got to be the highest rated BL on that site as well

Still too few ratings. This series is actually popular and you would guess there would be a lot more. I’m guessing some ratings have been lost, lol. Check out the number of ratings for The Eclipse or many others that are over 10,000 - virtually all GMMTV shows. Most ratings come just after the show is done. It’s just strange. We also had a two week pause in ratings before the series ended as well.

It’s absurd. The plot holes are too huge to make this enjoyable. They constantly take you out of the story

That’s fine if it’s real. There are plenty of series I like that no one likes, but I know they’re not great. This rating is possible since it dropped a little since I posted, but it’s strange that there were no ratings for 2 weeks. I just look at these things out of curiosity about their rating system

How are you so generous? That's very nice of you. Much appreciated

You are too kind. I love reading your comments as well - they really are very generous and uplifting. You have a great night!

Amazing!! I was just looking at the credits at the beginning and reflecting that all the characters, even all the side characters were great actors, even looking at Beam's girlfriend, and Wen's father. There wasn't a weak link in this cast. It's the opposite of the recently finished Never Let Me Go where you were struggling to finding real acting going on.

This story had a wonderful nostalgic feel, and there was a quiet sadness throughout most of it in the beginning but the ending resolved into a quiet happiness. It slowly built up and the resolution was this blissful place where after a lot of trauma, everyone found a lasting and meaningful happiness. I found this Happily Ever After the most fulfilling of virtually any BL because it was just much more realistic. It just feels like what happens in real life where unexpected tragedies happen, or people are stuck in a rut for months and years, and they finally let go of all the things that make them miserable and finally find the strength and courage to be happy. I felt like Jim broke through the illusions of his past, and discovered a path though seemingly similar, was the one where he could find some inner peace, and where he could love the basic things that made him feel fulfilled. He loved cooking and didn't need the dilapidated restaurant that he thought he had to possess to make himself seem respectable. He lets go of a ghost lover, and his guilt over him, to find one who he can have and who cherishes him. I like how Wen just loves Jim, seeing an honest and kind person, and he saw how he was struggling to get out of his delusions. Jim can finally see Wen for who he is in the end because Wen has helped him get there, and that is what is wonderful in this love story.

I also love the story of Li Ming and Heart. I think Li Ming rescued Heart like the prince who saved Rapunzel. It was like Heart was entombed in the prison his parents created with their shame and misunderstanding and I loved how he broke Heart out of that. The mother who was obsessed with her class and prestige was brought over by Li Ming to finally learn sign language, and communicate with her son, who she was too embarrassed to even speak with or understand. How Li Ming, and Heart interact was always very sweet and Li Ming always treated him like a normal person. I think you could see it with the acting, the way he never looks down on Heart, while doing everything to help him grow, asking him to talk even knowing how rough it sounded. This is what a series dealing with disabilities should look like, and they did a spectacular job that should have moved even the most cold-hearted.

Really a brilliant series that will be one of my all time favorites. The particular nostalgic feel of this drama is also something I Iove, and it felt very wistful and dream-like. I think the ambience of this series was captured by a very tasteful music score, and the OST also matched the mood perfectly. This series is a must watch, and you won't ever forget it.

Huh, my comment disappeared [I wrote a reply earlier and it's gone now]. That's awesome!!! MSP is just a love of mine, and it's like seering hot in its specialness. I'm so happy that it got such recognition.

People like this show even with its 1 million plot holes and often substandard acting. Just imagine if they got all the details right how people would have been blown away. This would have been a classic. I think its sense of dramatic urgency was nearly unmatched till episode 6, and it was still paced well after that. If it only made sense, this show would have been one of the most exciting BL’s ever

The death rate for BL moms is out of control. It must be a right of passage for BL screenwriters to kill the moms off. I can’t imagine they think the BL audience is craving to see people devastated by these deaths, and I really didn’t want to see the death of Giapa’s mom at all. Its probably the only flaw so far for me in this series, but Khaotung’s acting was just incredible He brought out a suicidal-like level of despair, and several different grades of despair in between , while also trying to display a rigid fortitude at other times. This was the most intense and profound acting in this series and just shows how he’s really one of the finest actors in this business.

There are the same number of reviews as two weeks ago (3000) I don’t really complain about the ratings for the vast majority of shows. I think only great show deserves superlative ratings and this rating is at the same level as ITSAY which I find to be unlikely.

I liked it although my standards are low for BL's. They needed to go back and fire Tony and put him in jail. That part is ridiculous like you said. I like Linus Wang - he's got to be near the hottest BL actor ever. The plot at the end wasn't bad - like how they planned the whole thing with Hai Yi loafing around, and Vincent acting like a ruthless shark so they could get the Vice Chairman. No one even notices how well done that part of the plot was. Another problem, though, was Johnny would have gone back in time to when his Grandma was alive, and her early death was due to heartbreak that he was gone. So the plot's a mixed bag, but I'm glad it didn't end in a tragedy.

I really liked it. It was not spectacular, but it was really kind of pleasant with very little angst, and a lot of positive vibes, that finished with an an almost euphoric ending. I really like Vincent and Lin as a couple. They are like something out a Jane Austen novel, because they were such gentle and kind people, and you really like to see a love story with people like that - it feels so natural and sweet. I never really liked Johnny but he's good enough and I'm glad he didn't have to part from Hai Yi. This show really made the right choice by veering away from a tragic ending. It was a nice touch having the grandma and Hai Yi's father watching over them at the temple, and it seems everything ends here on a very uplifting note which is one of the main reasons I watch BL's. I like the cameo of the brothers from History 4, and it's always great having a gay engagement depicted in a BL. I think they both looked really hot, and their kiss was really better than anything from the other couples. I know, many hate that couple, but putting that aside, they added a nice bit to the ending with their engagement [stop complaining]. Really a nice series that didn't have too much fake drama, and avoided most of the worst tropes. I know many just didn't like it, and it's nothing incredible, but it's enjoyable if you just stop comparing it with the other Histories. Very few BL's are going to be as good as Trapped, and this series isn't ruining it for the History franchise. I'm looking forward to History 6. With a little tightening up of the plot, and a better main lead, even this one could have been one of the best, but it just wasn't really that inspired. I think we could get there easily with the next one.

I did notice there are still only 3000 ratings just like last week so what you’re saying makes sense

Come on, this 8.2 rating has got to drop. Stop it, whoever is doing this. No one believes this rating is real. You have to at least make it believable. I’m just trying to help you Mr. Rating Fixer. Now 7.5 would be almost reasonable and is definitely way above the scientifically accurate rating of 6.5, so I suggest you move it there. Please DM me for suggestions on other series since you obviously need help.