solipsism5

The second part of this series is definitely way better. The story is like 100 times more intense, and this has become one of my favorite BL's [at least part 2 has]. I can't get over Peat's acting - he's just captured this character so well. He can be super-tragic, full of near psychotic despair, or he can be very nonchalant and peevish. He just does both "personalities" perfectly. I think the story has the potential for being one of the most moving BL's ever. I just hope they execute it right, because Sky's story has to handled very delicately.

The chemistry in this series is electric. It's been slowly built up and in a very believable, natural way. I think we know these characters, like how Akk is suffering from Chadok's rebukes, and how Ayan suffers because of the loss of Dika. How they comfort each other, and support each other is just done beautifully, and climaxes with Ayan hugging Akk at the end, as well as when he gives him the necklace. I come to watch BL's for the relationships, and not the suspense or drama, so, for me, this really is one of the best. The acting of the ML's is just perfect, and the story captures the essence of of their beautiful relationship. Really a fantastic series that has been built with a real eye for detail in the area I'm most interested in as far as BL's are concerned.

As much as I'm a critic of Mame's writing she does come up with these really intense scenarios that are kind of deep and psychologically gripping. There's some really good writing she did for Tar's character in Tharntype and Love by Chance, as well as Tul in Love by Chance 2, whose backstory is really much more interesting than in the series. Tar was also gang-raped, and it left him emotionally scarred for years. I think that's the actual way to approach it as a writer- I think Sky's recovery is going to be rushed, unfortunately. Mame is just not consistent, but she does have a lot of decent ideas.

I love the tenderness of Prapai this episode, and he's really become a very sympathetic character, instead of the rakish playboy from last episode. I just don't think Sky could deal with him right now. I think the scenes where he is really upset that Prapai is constantly calling him and texting him preceded his illness, meaning that Prapai is the last person he should be seeing while he is sick. He's just not even ready for verbal intimacy, let alone physical intimacy and Prapai seems to be getting close to doing that while he is taking care of him. I think this would be better not just as a slow burn romance, but a glacially slow romance involving years of recovery for Sky. I'm not sure Prapai's character is ready for nothing but hand shakes for several years, but I'm going to assume we're going to go much faster than that. If this was done right it would probably need a time lapse of several years to really capture the part where they are getting intimate like normal boyfriends.

I'm still very sad for Sky's character, and this kind of severe trauma is not something I am used to seeing in BL's, but it's really worthy to be brought up because these things do happen and are often swept under the rug. What a wonderful character that Sky is to bring focus to this issue, and I love Peat's incredible portrayal of Sky which brings out all the intense pain that Sky is suffering from.

Yes, in Tharntype, there was that character that had the same thing happen to him and he had a lot of therapy. I guess Mame forgot about it this time around.

Well, I've read about the backstory and I've completely changed my mind. Yikes, Sky can be as defensive as he wants to be. I'm giving him a free pass. I'm sure that some of that will be brought out in this series. It's just too big to leave out

I've read enough about what happened to Sky before he meets Prapai. I guess Sky should be on some meds, and be seeking intensive therapy, so I won't mind if he acts a little bitchy while Prapai is trying to court him. Sky looks like such a nice kid - did it have to be gang-rape Mame? I guess it had to be because the more innocent they are the more you lust after the kinkiest, and most depraved story-line you could imagine for them. Watch for the sequel with gang-rape, bestialty and incest. Sky, who is even purer than before, will be really tested in that one. This first part is just a trial run.

I hope people watch this again as it airs and comment about it. It's one of those series that is totally worthy of being discussed a second time. I think it's unique not just for a BL but for any series, period. It just had so many elements like philosophy, politics, LGBTQ activism, etc. It was a gritty, action-drama with elements of fantasy that just had immense suspense and drama every episode. Truly a unique and classic show worthy of everyone's attention.

Yikes, so no wonder he’s so touchy. I think I would have become a monk. And I just thought he was just being a shy little uke.

Thank you for the recommendation! I’ll give it a shot.

Yes, my initial reaction was that he shouldn't have left Jeong Hyun, but he did maintain his friendship with him. I was fine with it after I found that out. I guess we all still wonder if it was all just acting in the show or whether they were really going to make an attempt at a relationship. These guys are not exactly actors, but they are not exactly private citizens either, so it makes it tricky when they say they want to be left alone without anyone knowing about or judging anything they do. In general, though, I think no one should intrude on their lives, like you say. I express my opinions on this forum and leave it at that.

Yes, of course. I already said that - the point is that a series has to stand on its own. They need to explain a little of what that backstory is in the series itself so we don’t keep wondering what it is. Just a few seconds of flashback to a painful memory would be enough. Sometimes they don’t use the backstory at all, and that would clarify whether the backstory is going to be utilized in the series or not.

I loved the first episode with Prapai and Sky. This is one of the only BL's with a more mature depiction of sex with some of the best NC scenes out there. Mame knows how to draw an audience, even if she's not that great with anything else. The only thing I don't like is Sky's unwillingness to give Prapai a chance, but I guess there is some backstory to this in the novel which unfortunately most of us have not read (and probably will never read). Prapai is really making an intense effort to win Sky over, but Sky is just unnaturally bitchy, and I think that is the only irritating thing about this episode. It would probably be less annoying if they would have explained what Sky's hangup is, because Prapai is doing most everything right to win him over. I know we have to stretch this out over 5 more episodes, but I still get tired of these weird delaying tactics in BL's. I want Sky to have already agreed to his first date this episode, not because I'm impatient, but because there is no reason given yet as to why this shouldn't have happened.

I just want to keep reiterating that The World Remembers group is a very big positive for this series. They are all femmy gay guys and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. We don't need to have all 100 percent straight acting guys depicted in BL's. This is actually very positive. Also consider that the femmy gay characters in BL's just have this obnoxious role where they basically sexually harass any man they come across. Here, they are acting in a heroic role and we get to see femmy men act in the role that we only see straight, butch men act in. They are the most courageous people in this series, even beyond Ayan, willing to be expelled, and to be physically attacked for their beliefs. Hurray for someone allowing them to take on this role. This might be the best thing in this series, and I have no idea why anyone has a problem with that.

I've said this below, but I will reiterate my point. I love First, and he is one my favorite actors in BL, but this scene with him swimming was just clumsy. I'm a swimmer and that just looked awkward. As the director you didn't have to have him swim at all. You could just have him sit in the water. I'm just asking everyone that keeps saying this, just understand that the rest of this production has been pretty professional, but this looks amateurish. It makes the whole production look like a B level show when it really was at a top level. It doesn't have to be this way, and it is not First's fault. First of all, you could instruct him on how to swim better because he had most of the technique right. He seems to be afraid of even letting his head into the water as he's doing a freestyle. This just looks like very awkward form. If he's in school on something like the swim team this is just not even close to being correct. It's not a criticism of First who is a great actor. I would not expect him to jump out of a plane and be a great skydiving expert either. As a director you either get a stuntman to do this or just cut it out.

No one is criticizing First who is a great actor willing to do anything to make things great for this series, but he is limited in some ways. The director just made a mistake here, and it is not a major one. We can't keep saying everything is great in this BL when it isn't. Overall it's a fantastic series, but every production has it's problems.

I think your comment was very perceptive, and the "execution of the plot" is a question that is not certain. I think the execution is very good in the way you describe it. We don't need to move so fast. There is plenty of development and even progression in the main story. Some people might have different opinions regarding this, but it's just a matter of perspective.

There's nothing wrong with First not knowing how to swim. It just looks funny. You could have him just sit in the water instead of doing that - he didn't have to swim at all. I'm a big defender of this series but not everything is done well, and there is no point in saying everything was done beautifully. I love First's acting, especially in Not Me and this series and he's one of my favorite actors in BL's.

I like how they handled Ayan's mental depression this episode. Ayan, first of all, lets Akk see what medication he's taking without any hesitation, revealing that he trusts Akk almost completely, and is willing to share virtually anything about himself with him. This is a new level of trust in their relationship and is another progression just like the kiss underwater was an important progression. Also, the mother reveals the same to Akk showing how much she trusts him. She seems like a very perceptive woman and she trusts Akk like her son, revealing again that Akk is really not that bad when he is not playing his role as school prefect.

Since we know Ayan struggles with mental depression like Dika this adds a whole new dimension to his struggle against the school. Now we know why his mom was worried, and this would be hard enough on a person with no mental health issues. Just remember the episode where all the teachers were attacking Ayan on the orders of Chadok - that would be very hard to take even being a person without a mental health disorder. I just want to say how much more heroic Ayan is than we even thought previously and I already thought he was at the top level. He's taking on the whole school by himself while struggling with Major Depressive Disorder - very impressive. He still also has enough energy to help Thua, and, in this episode, to help Khan with their relationship. He's not your impervious action hero, but a sensitive one that cries a lot and is still willing to shoulder the burden like a real warrior.

You didn't repeat everything I said, really. You added a lot here, and I agree with you completely about Ayan's depression. I think that adds a whole new layer, or new level to his struggle against the school authorities. His mother is obviously very concerned and you see now what she meant when she said she didn't want to lose him in the previous episodes. Ayan's mom also sees Akk as a good guy and she seems very perceptive - I love that she asks him for help with her son. This is really well done.

Yeah, that was the worst freestyle ever. That was really like a new kind of doggy paddle.