solipsism5

I love Wuthering Heights! It's absolutely stunning, and so much more gripping than most any other Victorian novel. It's so much more gothic than any other novel from back then. I love Jane Eyre as well. Middlemarch is also one of my all time favorites. I seem to like the female Victorians quite a bit. But I really love the adaptation of Trollope's The Way We Live Now on BBC if you've ever seen it. I also love the adaptation of Bleak House from them as well. I wish someone would do a passable version of Vanity Fair, because it would be just spectacular if it was done right. Kubrick's version of Barry Lyndon is just the most exceptional adaptation of any Victorian novel for me personally.

I know Tim very well - I knew him under several other monikers other than Snowregret on MDL, and he's just a wonderful writer, and probably a great actor as well. I will definitely have to check out Double Mints and Dangerous Drugs of Sex. Have you ever seen Aphetamine from the Hong Kong director Scud? That has a pretty dark sensibility. I'll send you others by message. If you could return the favor I would appreciate it.

I am a Japanophile as well. I hope to get a place there someday. They are wonderfully weird, as you say, and usually obsessive with details which I really love. I just am very fond of Sushi and ramen as well, and the number of Michelin star restaurants in Tokyo is really vast. Well I hope this wasn't too long. Are you currently writing a novel, or short story? Just curious. I really do like your writing style :)

I would kill to have someone as beautiful inside and out as Jeong Hyun. To just let him go like yesterday’s trash is beyond me. Chang Min has no idea how lucky he was, and he’s really unworthy of such luck.

Huh, I wouldn’t tend to agree. Although, occasionally MDL commenters dogpile bad reviews on a good drama, they usually get it right. Even I’ve been criticizing this drama though I really love it. I think the comments on this show are pretty split because it is actually one of the rare dramas that has good and bad moments. Most BL’s are really good or bad all the way through.

Sorry, was at work. Thank you for the long reply. I’m actually a man from an Asian background. I was once an English major, lol, and have always loved Victorian novels, especially Jane Austen. I love a lot of the Russians as well. I actually write science fiction - I’m finishing a novel in the next couple of months. Strangely, I’ve been writing BL screenplays, hoping to get one done some day. ‘I’m obsessed with Japanese culture so these BL’s are always my favorites. Eating at a sushi restaurant right now writing this. The Japanese don’t have much physical affection even in their straight dramas so I’m thinking you’re right concerning the ending.

I find the attraction of the graphic novels is the beautifully stylized drawings of men, but it’s also due to the marketing to the massive manga/anime crowd. I like anime myself so they do appeal to me. I keep thinking of the great anime Akira when I see Minato , lol.

I actually run a mental health business and a pharmaceutical business as well. If you are ever looking for a travel companion to Japan or Korea, let me know, lol. I’m going next year with a friend of mine.

Again, I love reading your comments whenever I see you on here. You seem very witty and natural. I must admit I’m very stiff on here. I’m just not good at writing in a more personal way. Hope to see you around and feel free to message me anytime.

Yes, if you love someone you wouldn’t be so casual about it

I wonder what the writers of the manga did. I looked up how well the manga was doing and it's ranked in the 500's this week, which is up from being in the thousands from before, so it doesn't seem that popular. It's a typical practice to give screenwriters your notes on how your book will end so they have some idea where this should go, and given that the Japanese want to keep to the script, as you say, they might request it. I'm guessing the manga writers also sold their rights to the production company because they really aren't making that much money on the manga, and need to make some side income.

BTW I loved your review of To My Star, my favorite along with one by Freshkicks. I still have PTSD from that awful series. I hope your writing is going well, and really enjoy reading your comments. Sorry, it took me a while to get to your comment - I think it appeared at like 2 AM in EST [I'm from Ohio].

If you're interested in someone you make time for them. I think this excuse of Chang Min is just that. Ok, you might be busy with your career, but life is always about the balance between work, family and friends. Some people over do the work part and they end up lonely, unhappy people. Chang Min is maybe still too young to realize that people are actually more important than work, and, in fact, they are the reason you work. Sometimes you delude yourself into thinking I'll do this down the road, but you really have to make it a top priority. I know you have to spend at least 8-10 hrs. a day at work, but let's put the rest of the time to good use. Take some time out, make less money, and make some special time with your friends and loved ones. I know this sounds like obvious stuff but so many people never really learn this.

I loved this episode. It redeems a lot of the past, and I finally exhaled after waiting breathlessly for 100 episodes for Minato to get those freaking words out to Sakuma. It reminds me of a technique in music where you never resolve a chord to keep the listener constantly tantalized, and it did work here. I was thinking that what was so refreshing in this episode was that Minato fell in love with someone who was the only person that was kind to him when he was growing up, and his passion for Sakuma was completely unrelated to how cool or sexy he was. I think the way they did this in this screenplay was actually done well because it brings home the fact that we constantly judged Sakuma based on his looks, and sex-appeal (mostly the lack thereof), but it seems that the important point was that Sakuma, who did not have any attraction to Minato, did not judge or condemn him for a kiss that was really inappropriate. He really is a great teacher who loves his students like his children, and is like the parent that shows nothing but love to his kids. Just that look on his face while he lets Shin vent was just so generous and compassionate - I really fell in love with this character at that point. Minato fell in love with Sakuma because all he saw was an understanding, sympathetic, and totally open person who gave him the only love he ever had, even if he misunderstood what kind of love that was.

The turmoil Minato felt growing up alone was just so strongly brought out by Kusakawa's acting, and I felt the pain acutely because I grew up in a similar way, and thinking how he would just go on to work in a horrible sweatshop to compound his torture, made me feel the last scenes in this show very strongly. As always, Shin shows up to comfort him, and I think I finally feel Minato has opened up enough to accept his consolation. Earlier in the episode Minato reveals how he has accepted Shin as being inseparable from him no matter where he is, in another beautiful scene where every expression of his points to how poignant it is for him to be away from Shin as he studies in Tokyo. This was an episode where the beautiful acting of the leads was supported by the dialogue and direction, and was one of the most glowing segments of any BL I've ever seen.

Thank you! As a lover of science fiction, this has to be the worst science fiction adaptation I've ever seen in my life. As a BL it's not even up there with Star in My Mind, probably because the science fiction part distracts the screenwriters too much. I fell into the trap door of Vice Versa because it seemed to have so much promise. I might just FF through the rest to see if anything is done with the portkey, but it's more idle curiosity than any real interest in this series.

Dear Producers, Directors, Screenwriters et al. at GMMTV,

As one of your typical BL viewers I must say I feel a little insulted. I was expecting a science fiction drama, but the science fiction just feels like window dressing. It’s sad that Jittirain spent so much time researching the fifth dimension, the multi-verse, port holes, etc. with a team of physicists from MIT and Cambridge, just to have it thrown out the window. I feel like there was some meeting with the screenwriters after episode 2 and the general consensus was this port key thing was just too annoying to keep going on about, and someone reached for the random trope bag to finish the rest of the screenplay.

Also, I want to know what magical superpowers this universe conveyed on Tuen to become the lead screenwriter in his group. Wasn’t he an actor, or something? I know you guys think anyone can write a screenplay judging by how 90% of GMMTV screenplays turn out, but it really does require something other than just a knowledge of words. Getting back to acting, I have to savor the irony that Jimmy is playing an actor. I’m afraid that even though I am super impressed by his biceps, abs, etc., his acting makes him feel rather reptilian. If I was doing this, and considering that this is a science fiction drama, I would have cast him as a robot struggling to muster a single emotion after months of ceaseless work. I think everyone would have been sympathetic to his character if that was the case, but as a human, he is sadly disappointing.

Considering world construction in a science fiction work, can we at least try to not just make up random rules for how this universe works? I mean snowfall in a place where there is obviously lush tropical greenery in the background makes little sense. I don’t know why all the other stupid variations in this universe occur either. Obviously no one really thought about them, and they were generated by some random algorithm - just like the plot.

Why do these guys wait a year doing virtually nothing? They don’t even fret about their family or friends. It’s like someone forgot to pass around the post-it note that told everyone this BL was not set in a university, but in another universe. No, you can’t just get straight to the fluff. You have to explain this. There has to be at least a few milliseconds of angst here, for the painful loss of all things familiar to them. Can we agree on that? One other thing we can agree on, no sentient organisms in any universe would tolerate that many commercials in their dramas. Please make it stop GMMTV!

While waiting patiently for this drama to move forward, I just wanted to comment on the manga vs. the series, because someone said that they were very similar. I don't think they're that similar at all. The manga is very light and hardly has any angst in it. The relationship is all fluff with just a few hints of underlying turmoil. There is no girlfriend from Minato's old job, and that job is hardly mentioned at all. Akusa is straight and is usually surrounded by a bevy of adoring girls that treat him like he's a member of a JPOP band. I don't think the character of Shu-shen even exists. The manga took me a little over an hour to read so it's very brief which explains why this drama feels so stretched. It's also not finished and ends at a visit to an amusement park, but I don't know if it will even be related to the ending here. Now there are some similar plots, like the Sakuma story, and Minato's first rejection of Shin at the pool, but the mood is always so light that you don't feel anything - a perpetual cuteness pervades everything. I think the characters have much more complexity and depth in the series, but the lack of any extensive plot in the manga should have led the screenwriters to work on some new plot lines, but they just ended up using a lot of filler instead of creating anything substantial that could have extended the story in a way that would have gone beyond the manga.

I like history in general and most anything about SE Asia either relates to the Khmer empire in the medieval era or the Vietnam war in the present. Since watching a lot of BL's I have to admit I started reading a lot more about Thai history, and it's always rather interesting. I find the history of the modern era totally confusing with all the different coup attempts. It's nearly impossible to say who is in power because there are all these business dynasties, and military leaders constantly seeking to dominate the political landscape, and the royal family is always involved to some degree. If someone could untangle all that they would have to be one of the best historical writers of the century.

Thank you so much!! That was quite a big list to get started. Hope you are enjoying vice versa- I think it needs a little work, but it might become better in the next few episodes.

If anyone was interested Field Marshall Plaek described in the history class was the dictator of Thailand from the late 30's who brought Thailand out of absolute monarchy into a constitutional monarchy. He is also the one that changed the name of the country from Siam to its present form Thailand. In the history class, when the students say that he brought about some equality, they are referring to his overthrow of the monarchy, and for the fact that he brought about some democracy. At first he was a fascist in the style of Benito Mussolini, but then set up a limited democracy after WW2 [really a facade of democracy]. The wearing of hats was part of the Thai Cultural Revolution which was initiated by Plaek. It consisted of 12 mandates for behavior which are still followed to this day, including the oft seen singing of the national anthem at various parts of the day. This was all a campaign to promote his ultra-national and progressive agenda, and has some bearing on modern Thai politics. The current dictator has modernised these principals in 2014 and students are required to recite them by rote to this day. They have even been made into a song to help promote them, lol. I found it interesting that Wat is actually taking the dictator's side in this discussion, promoting the idea that he was going against the norm, when in actuality he and the current dictator are for strict adherence to their laws. The history teacher was probably closer to the truth when she laughed at the silly idea of the hats, because it was just a phony attempt at promoting equality. But Ayan was right in saying that if the teacher was mocking the hats, then why should school uniforms that represent the same idea as the hats, be promoted?

I really love this series so far. I'm not much into superstition but let's take the premise of the show for granted and see how it is utilized in the story. If we can love shows with dragons and wizards, we can easily stomach a few supernatural elements in this show. I find the characterizations very complex and fascinating for the mains. The acting is just really the best which is no surprise because First and Khaotung are among the best in GMMTV, or any other studio, for that matter. This show is helped enormously by their nearly perfect execution of every scene. And these characters are hard to get right. First's character has multiple motivations - he's slowly falling in love with Ayan, almost against his will, while fighting him as his main antagonist. He's loyal to the school and is the principal's main enforcer of the schoold's strict etiquette guidelines, but he is also sympathetic to the rights of the students and basic principles of ethics (which also ties him to Ayan). Ayan is motivated by revenge, but also hopes to fulfill the principles of his former mentor, so even as he wants to destroy the school he's in, he wants to make it a much better place. Beyond these motivations he is also falling in love with First, while working against him and the principal (as well as the school board).

So far, the drama revolves around the school and their strict regulations. School uniforms are strictly regulated in Thailand and it is not a silly fight these kids are involved in. It's really a story of revolution, like a metaphor for a coup d'etat in Thai politics, which is being brought up a lot, especially in the history class. There have been 30 coup attempts in Thai politics since after WW 2 [the most of any country in the world], and about a dozen successful ones, so it's like a feature of life here. Even in the present, the current dictator has recently been suspended by the courts, and we'll see how that plays out, but it's similar to what's going on in this school. A coup takes place by questioning the center of power and leading a revolution where people assume that the revolutionaries are already firmly in charge. This is probably Ayan's motivation and he's using the kids to drum up media support for his coup by emphasizing the brutality of the current regime. I think this is played out wonderfully with the protest of the students after they have been attacked by the school. The school regime could be toppled by the bad press involving their handling of the students. What's amazing is Ayan has a will of steel to take on everyone by himself while just using a handful of helpers who are not really sympathetic to his ultimate goals. He is even cocky about it, telling Akk, what's he got to worry about from a small, weak kid like him? Ayan is actually like a lion in sheep's clothing, and he knows it. Khaotung really captures this aspect of Ayan strikingly well, and you can almost feel that this little kid is really up to the task of taking on the whole school by himself as an equal. It's with the power of his ideas and convictions that he will take over, and that is what is done so well, like a parallel of so many revolutionary leaders.

This is what is so interesting so far in this drama, and I'm waiting to see how the supernatural element plays into it. I think the roles of Neo's character and Louis' are also done well. Neo and Louis are also in a parallel situation with Akk and Ayan as they struggle with their school loyalties and their belief in basic ethics and the rights of the students. Their involvement with Akk and Ayan as both their sympathizers and, in the case of Akk, being loyal supporters, is also interesting to watch. The power of Ayan to draw these two out who are Akk's closest friends, to join his cause, is really done well. The acting is, again, really first rate by Neo and Louis.

So far an amazing beginning to what I think will be one of the best series of the year. It's also very serious with very few of the most pernicious tropes. It has a wonderful sense of drama and suspense with a lot of elements of mystery. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this plays out.

The ideas are rather difficult. He's explained this in as simple a manner as possible, but there is hardly any way of simplifying this any more than this. What part don't you understand? Or start with a few simple questions - I can help a little bit.

I'm just starting this, but it certainly doesn't seem to hold up to the promise of the trailer. Many of us had assumed that this looked like GMMTV's most promising work for the year, and the concept was wonderfully original for a BL, but, alas, the execution of this is very sadly underwhelming. I'm only on episode 2, but the pile on of plot-holes is already huge, as well as the pile-on of advertisements. The only thing I like is Sea's character's kind of nerdy love of film coloring, and the description of the port-key (though sadly under-utilized in the screenplay).

That's a wonderful analysis of quantum physics as it applies to this screenplay. Is there any book you could recommend on the description of the 5th trhough 10th dimensions? I write science fiction and have always found it difficult to find descriptions of these, though I have read quite a bit about string theory. I like your description of the port holes, especially, since I almost always see the description of wormhole theories to explain space travel. Have you seen port holes used in any other science fiction work?

I am currently writing a science fiction novel involving the multi-verse and would find this kind of information useful. I thought your clear explanations here very helpful.

Overall, I thought it was very enjoyable. The positive about this show is that it was less formulaic than other dating shows, and the participants felt more real and sympathetic. I think it does need more time for it to really work and perhaps a few more participants. This will take time, but they should have more romantic interactions and a hint of sexuality in there as well. That would also enhance the organic nature of the show. Perhaps it is done better than a lot of dating shows even with its limited time and budget because the interactions between the participants did feel a bit more natural. If this show would have had a week 2, we really could have had a lot more interesting scenarios and would have understood the participants a lot better. I hope they will do more of these and take gradual steps in improving this. I think the show is surprisingly popular despite its drawbacks, and does serve as a model for an even more successful show in the future.

Well, I don't think you understand my point. You don't even have to focus on sexuality. I should also add that there is very little romantic interaction in this series, as well, which I would also have liked to see more of. As someone who likes Japanese BL's where there is nothing but a tiny kiss at the end of a series, I found this show to be very sanitized, but you are entitled to your opinion. You also take the phrase everyone that I used literally - that is just an expression used here to say that people were heavily focused on Chiang Min, and it would have been nice to see more of a balance in this show.