solipsism5

They might have intended that but I haven't seen ANY series make it past 2 seasons. I think it's just hard to keep the ratings up and most Second seasons are usually a disaster.

I like the name of the protest group, The World Remembers. It's like another reference to 1984. In a world where propaganda has taken over, and the leaders have distorted the truth so much that people have forgotten what their rights are, it is important that someone rekindles the collective memory of what freedom of thought used to look like. This series is really very much more than your normal BL because of its profound message. Although we've had similar series like The Gifted and Blacklist, they didn't explore the school as a symbolic of society as a whole.

I didn't think it was too artsy, and I appreciated that he brought some aspects of the theater to a tv drama. I'm not used to such a profound use of language in a series, where everything has a double meaning. I really thought it was good plot construction and that the drama was built up beautifully. I don't think his use of language was as nice as Tennessee Williams, or Shakespeare, but who cares? This is a step in the right direction as far as dialogue in a BL is concerned. I still say it's a masterpiece for this genre.

That's right! He's worried about Akk and he knows it's a long term struggle. He's willing to wait as long as it takes to help him, and that is what is so wonderful about his character. And Ayan is very smart and perceptive. He wouldn't fall in love with someone that was just an a*hole. He sees something in Akk that is definitely worth saving. He also knows Akk's struggling super hard against Chadok and is willing to forgive his denials of their love. Akk must seriously be exhausted, like you say, and Ayan understands how much he is going through.

That's how I view Akk. If you just watch his interactions with his friends, and parents, he's a totally different person. I think he's stuck in a situation that he hadn't anticipated, and is always pulled in two different directions.

Although how their relationship progesses is fine for me, I think many would have preferred some deeper interactions between Akk and Ayan by this point, like that kiss that never happened while Ayan was dreaming. I think the vacillating could still be conveyed while he shows a little bit more affection to Ayan. But I'm fine with how this is going as it is. I'm just guessing that would have made this series more palatable for some people on here.

Rating went up to 8.7! The eclipse is the #1 ongoing show on MDL right now, and if it finishes in this spot, will be the #1 highest rated BL of all time. It's really a show I didn't think would get there, to be honest. If you're interested the top BL before this was Triage, followed by 1000 Stars.

If you want to look this up just go to Explore and look at Top Shows. You have to use some filters to choose Ongoing Show to see it. When this is over you will choose Completed Shows to see its ranking. Just to make things more confusing there are two similar categories, Top Ranked, and Top Rated. I guess Top Ranked includes other factors other than the rating system, like popularity and number of watchers.

I've never understood how these ratings work and if anyone has any insights please help me out in understanding the rating system.

Now 8.7! That's really well deserved. This has been so consistently good, imo.

Well said! That is really a very likely theory. I think the heavy allusion to 1984 is apparent in this series and the writers are referring to 1984 as a metaphor for this school. The theme of this series is about the individual struggling against "Big Brother" for their rights. Chadok and others are using propaganda like the leaders in Orwell's book, and the Suppalo curse is one of their main tools. Their cause is to create order and discipline but they really sacrifice people's humanity in order to achieve it.

I had been referring to Akk's fight with Chadok, but you are certainly right. He's fighting the whole tradition of the school and everyone that has been propping it up, including his idol Mes whom Chadok mentions in his little pep talk with Akk in this episode.

Akk keeps vacillating with his love for Ayan and his devotion to the principal. I believe he is in love with Ayan, and under normal circumstances, he wouldn't hesistate becoming his lover. It's just he is committed to Chadok and can't break away from his brain-washing. Unfortunately, Ayan is the main antagonist to Chadok and his plans so there is no way for Akk to get around that easily. I think Akk has to make a break with Chadok before he can "embrace" Ayan. I really don't think it's about the scholarship. He could make his way in a university even if he had to work. Akk isn't a bad guy. Ayan knows it's a tough struggle for Akk and that is why he says he will wait for him for a very long time. Some relationships can move quickly, but this one has to be paced out over months and years. I think there is a chemistry between the two but it certainly breaks off as Akk reverts to being a pawn of Chadok. This might be annoying to watch but it is really consistent with the characters and their motivations. I still think every episode has been very good, and the suspense and drama are always captivating.

It's really surprising that Bew is so dark. I was really surprised - Bew, underground Sith Lord. Now I guess Gus will have to be the naive simpleton (someone needs to be or this show is going to be too much to handle). I hope Bew has just done this for revenge, but he does show a level of mastery of the dark arts that I think he might be a different person than everyone first thought. Now we are getting to the level of a soap opera, especially when the managers that everyone despised are looking like sympathetic characters. But it's still very entertaining, and most of this is very plausible, even if we are verging on melodrama here. Bew's hyperventilating is obviously an act, and he has been using his seeming naivete to get what he wants. Now I guess I'm just hoping he isn't using Gus and that their relationship is at least sincere, but I'm not sure. I guess the takeaway is that in the movie biz virtually everyone is a piranha, and the seemingly innocent ones are the most dangerous of all.

Although this isn't a fairy tale and the ending might be dark, I love this story-telling with all its messiness. It's just something I've never seen before in BL land. I think the writing is definitely among the best and shows a sophistication well beyond most any other show I've seen in this genre.

I agree with everyone about the great acting making this a really good series, but can I say that the story is actually quite touching, and very moving? I'm one of the first people to attack a series for illogical plots, but let's forget about the plot construction that involves getting your dates right, your historical facts, your money issues, timelines, etc. There is a plot that just gets the emotions right, and the way they have constructed the love of the young boy for his savior is just wonderful and so fitting with the personalities of the characters. The actors did breathe life into these characters, but the characters' emotions fit the narrative so well, and the tale is really so poignant and sweet. I think the murder of Ji Hoon who is such a wonderful human being, and the complete devotion of Jae Woo, who in some ways represents all of us [inasmuch as Ji Hoon's death is a loss for everyone], makes this a really powerful story. This story is uncharacteristically strong and elevated. I'm just really surprised by it and very appreciative of it, as well.

That's what I'm doing and I'm usually very fussy about the details. I feel like a hypocrite, but somehow this works for me. The world construction in this one has to a 1 or 2 out of 10. I would put it in the same category as Vice Versa, because there isn't even a pretense of attempting to make things work here.

Here's another video with Eun Chan. I think it's his personal channel on youtube. You can find the link here to his other videos https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2hTrkhcewIfgrZKXzQJErA

I agree with most everyone else that Wimol is stuck in the past, but I would find it difficult to imagine any Asian mom accepting this relationship. No matter what the past history that existed between In and Mol, there is still so many barriers to get over which I mentioned above. In addition to all that, Mol has her narcissism and her fantasy world, so this becomes even more difficult. Just one thing I would like to disagree with considering all the comments I've seen here, Wimol does love her son and is trying to do what's best for him. She does try to include him in everything and she would even let him study philosophy, letting him choose something that she would never personally choose for him. She's not completely selfish. I think she doesn't agree with his decisions because hardly any conservative Asian mom would, not because she wants to completely control him.

Thanks for the info. Nonetheless, even if budget isn't a consideration, I think they need a few more episodes to finish this right at this point. We need some better closure for Wang and In and that can't be achieved in one episode. I think, for them to become a couple, they need to resolve a lot more things than can be handled in 1 episode, because this is just the beginning of what I would call a long therapy session and In can't be rushed because he has to overcome a couple of decades of bad decisions.

I really loved the first two episodes but this time travel in episodes 3 and 4 becomes increasingly illogical to the point that every second you're thinking about it. These weird disconnected conversations between Ji Hoon and Jae Woo are just too unreal - maybe surreal is the right word. I feel like I'm in a dream that only has a few points of logic connecting various impressionistic visual elements. Lets forget about the fact Jae Woo has no money and he says weird things like an insane stalker, so you can feel the visceral pain of his loss for Ji Hoon and his growing love for him. If you are willing to do that I think this is actually very enjoyable. This is really asking more than a suspension of disbelief which you have to do for any fantasy / sci-fi drama. It's more like a total disregard for any concrete elements in this universe. I would never normally do that, but somehow I think I can with this show because I really believe in the sincerity of the emotions of Jae Woo and Ji Hoon. I'm not sure if that makes any sense, but its the way I enjoy this show. I think the pure devotion of Jae Woo for Ji Hoon is very sweet, and the kindness and tenderness of Ji Hoon are what make the show so rewarding.

This might not be the best direction to take BL's but it is an improvement. I think I like the dialogue only inasmuch as the normal BL is just manglish, written by semi-literate staff members that are paid a pittance. I have no interest in series becoming plays, that would be as insipid as you say, especially as most writers have no command of the poetry of language [and this writer does not either]. I can agree that some of what he wrote here is just pretentious, and do I really need to know the longitude down to the tenth decimal point? I really enjoy some plays that were recreated on tv like the adaptation of Suddenly Last Summer with Montgomery Clift, but that is a complete adaptation of a play whereas this is something of a hodgepodge. It is not entirely successful, and the pacing is not the best, but I still think in the context of this genre this is immensely better than your average BL with all its drawbacks.

I did mean Thailand, and I’m very aware of plays being made into tv dramas - watched all those you’ve mentioned in various adaptations. Shakespeare would be one of my favorites, lol

Very insightful. I thought this dialogue felt like something from a play, and he says he wants to bring the world of theater to tv which is a brilliant idea. I think this is a masterful work and would be perfect if it had about 2-4 more episodes. I assume he did what he could with the budget he received, but he's brilliant. I wish him great success in his career, and hope he gets a ton of work in the future.

Wow, this is a masterpiece. I've never said that about any BL, but I feel it so strongly here. This is so mature, and beautifully written. I, for once, feel like I'm reading a play written by someone with some grasp of dialogue, and language unlike any BL I've ever seen. The psychological exploration, philosophical undertones, and excellent work in every area is just transcendent for this genre. I could write pages on this if I had the time, and it really is a work that deserves pages of praise. I just wanted to talk about just one area because it seems everything else has already been discussed. As an Asian that grew up in a very conservative environment I think I felt In's pain very keenly. It's really super hard to come out like that to Wang's mom, and to fight for a lover that is the son of his best friend. God, I can't even imagine. My extended, very conservative Asian family just treated me like a pariah for having a boyfriend, but this is next level beyond that for In. I think he gave up Siam because the struggle was so difficult, and because he didn't want to hurt his friend's family. He has to possibly endure giving up the love of his life a second time, or face-off with Mol in a struggle which I, personally , would find nearly impossible to overcome if I were in his shoes. What a ridiculously difficult situation and what amazing plot construction that got this series to this point. The choices every character has to make are just mind-bendingly hard.

Wang has to be one of the bravest individuals on the planet for just being able to speak so honestly - there are warriors on the battlefield, but he's a real warrior of another kind. I can't imagine how difficult it is for him that even if he's seeing everything as it really is, he is powerless to convince his uncle and mother who are totally rigid in their conservative mindset, and who are totally defeated by their personal sorrow. He's the only one that can move things forward, but he has to be patient and persistent. I hope that's how this plays out because I'm not ready for a tragedy - please don't take us there.

I sympathize with the the mom as well because I know it would be a hard stretch for any of my aunts to have to go through this situation. None would come out of this without some severe trauma, and most would yank their kid out of there in a split second. Like most Asian moms that are devoted completely to their kids, they expect their children to listen to their demands. The mom is actually quite liberal because she lets her son choose his major and would, for the most part, let him do whatever he wanted with his life. Now, in addition to switching his major to something that would make no money [which most Asian moms are very conscious of], he also wants to go to a non-prestigious university, and to be lovers with her former best friend. This is just really OTT and would just cause a seizure for most aunt's I have known. I know there are some liberal Asian moms out there, but Mol is supposed to be conservative [which is really the norm].

Just one last thing - the sets are just beautiful. Someone had a great grasp of detail, and In's house was built by an architect for an architect. Again, I have nothing but the highest praise for this series. Congratulations to everyone involved in this masterpiece!