solipsism5

That was a beautiful ending, and the last frame was shot like a wonderful piece of artwork. I like the relationship is still very thorny which captures the realism of their current frames of mind regarding each other. In some superficial reads of these main characters people assume one is a sociopathic stalker, and the other is a total narcissist, but I think both characters are actually quite loveable and are really good people under the facade of a certain personality they have created when they interact with others. I think they have the fundmental qualities that will lead to a long-term , nurturing relationship. If this relationship is toxic then so is virtually every relationship.

People looking from the outside can not understand what makes any relationship work, or why it might fall apart. What you think won't work in a relationship will often not be the case. I've seen many strange functional relationships, as well as seeing break-ups of seemingly perfect couples. What I enjoyed so much about this drama is the questioning of what will work and what is impossible in a relationship. This relationship could have ended multiple times as can be seen in the last episode, and each of those times could have been the last goodbye - every one of those scenes was very tense for me, because I wanted these two to get together so badly, but it was apparent that this could only happen if they both got over their psychological barriers. Hira had to stop worshipping Kiyoi, and Kiyoi had to admit that he liked Hira, and I think the build up to their breaking through those barriers was done incredibly well. There will be other hurdles for these two in the future, but it is their fundamentally good characters and love for each other that will always guide them through it, and that is true for any sustainable relationship, no matter how strange it looks to us from the outside.

This has been one of the best BL's I've ever seen. It was shot beautifully, the acting was superb, and the storyline was nearly flawless. I know some people have their reservations because of the unorthodox nature of this relationship but I think that is just a very superficial read of this drama. It's definitely one of the best constructed BL's. The Japanese do so well with any drama with their obsessive attention to detail. You can always appreciate this series for how every element was handled with such conscientiousness and finesse.

I've seen enough of these moral purists that they usually don't bother me, but that they try to block other people from watching this show got me really mad - it's one of my favorite dramas of all time. I got into BL by first reading yaoi works so I know what you mean. This is just weird how so much of the discussion in BL is dominated by these moral purists - I'll point you to a number of discussion boards as examples of this. I love the sweet, fluffy stories as well, but people should be able to decide what they want to watch, and I agree with you that most of those stories leave no impression on you, but act the same way as comfort food.

Oh good, I'm glad you were not dissuaded by the person above. I love that show and it's one of my favorite BL's of all time.

I love Japanese cinema going back to Uzo and Kurosawa. I started in this genre by first exploring anime and yaoi manga, and I love the level of detail some of those things went into. I like the subtle portrayal of characters and level of detail in Japanese dramas and how they delve into the darkest human impulses. I find that what we have in BL's is mostly very restrained and artificial, but I still enjoy the possibility of where the genre could be heading. It will never get there if these puritans dominate the discussion.

That's it exactly - let people make up their own minds. Why can't you let people enjoy a diversity of dramas? And having a drama with growth and flawed characters really teaches you so much more than these child-like shows with perfect people.

That is what I care about as well. The characters need to have some growth - to learn from their mistakes and improve. That is a better model for kids to see rather than depicting perfect people that don't exist. I still like Bad Buddy, but those characters are just one note to me. I'm not comparing the two dramas either. I just don't want people criticizing my choices or preventing other people from making up their own minds about various shows.

I was just recommending Utsukushii Kare on the Bad Buddy board when someone asked for something to watch in between episodes of that drama, and someone suddenly commented below my recommendation, “Oh you might not want to recommend that one – it’s kind of toxic.” OMG I was so triggered by that. Who cares if it’s a little “toxic”? Then virtually every show is toxic if this is the standard. I’m convinced that the crowd that follow BL’s is the most puritanical in history. They are worse than anyone from the Victorian age who could readily accept problematical relationships in their fictional works. For many in the Bl World, there is hardly anything that isn’t bland and milquetoast enough to suite their severe moral standards. BTW I’m not implying that Utsukushii Kare is bland but it is not really that daring, and it’s a little bit more racy than an after-school special. If this show was considered a gay drama [which it very well could be] rather than a BL, it would be considered to be very, very tame. I think of BL’s as tending to be ultra-conformist and going for a rated G rating whereas gay dramas are more anarchists and tend towards a rated NC-17 to X rating. Although BL’s are helping expose some people to gay culture they do it through this strangled format which renders every gay man into a monk [or nun, if you prefer that image]. Can I say that that is what is actually toxic? I don’t even think it’s what these viewers of BL’s want. Sometimes I feel like shaking some of them and asking them “WHAT DO YOU WANT! ANSWER ME! ANSWER ME!” After being completely unable to articulate any coherent response, I would tell them, “YOU NEVER KNEW WHAT YOU WANTED, DID YOU!!” It’s like they want racy sexual scenes but they want it passionless, they want drama but nothing that will help create it. Yet they pontificate about these dramas like they are omniscient and have divine authority to tell us what we should like. I think art works should never have to pass a moral test and I keep saying that, but these guys say stuff like this art work/drama did not pass my purity test so it wasn’t enjoyable and you shouldn’t enjoy it either because my purity test should be your purity test [We all agreed to these tests a long time ago. Don’t you remember? What’s wrong with you?]. The siren song of these sad people make me want to just love these dramas like My Beautiful Man all the more – I want my dramas to have a lot of moral dilemnas and I want my characters to have a lot of personal issues because I want to see real human beings that exemplify the wild, chaotic, organic and natural world that is far more profound and majestic than the empty one that these puritans like to stuff us into.

Ranked 73 on MDL. That's very impressive. I'm still not sure how they arrive at that ranking. Maybe I'll message MDL to find out how they arrive at these numbers. It's also #525 as far as popularity - again, who knows what that means. If you also look at demographic breakdown you would also end up with a much higher rating for every show. Bad Buddy would be beyond 9 if you looked at that. It's just weird how they just throw random numbers up there or make an algorithm that no one understands. They don't even try to explain it. Frustrating 😒

I am just in love with this drama. I didn't even need episode 5 to forgive Kiyoi for his behavior because I believe he acted within the parameters of most high-school teenagers. I think he went out of his way to include Hira when he didn't have to and gave Hira an abundance of clues that he was interested in him. I think Hira is also to blame for not meeting Kiyoi half-way and expressing his feelings for him. I'm not even blaming Hira for this because he suffers from a rather strong form of social anxiety (pretty close to being a disorder). It's a complex dynamic of mutual suppression of sentiments and communication that is to blame for them not getting together. Hira is also in total disbelief that he could land someone as spectacular, in his eyes, as Kiyoi, while Kiyoi has to get over his distaste for falling for someone at the bottom of the social spectrum. Over time, certain things tested their resolve to see each other, including their separation and the potential rival Koyama that made them see how strong they felt for one another and how they really should seek to be in a relationship.

I love the incredible way this drama has explored this relationship through small hints, facial expressions, and almost a little shadow play. It's a very realistic look at a lot of relationships and how almost every partner in a relationship has tiny flaws that prevent them from getting together with the one they love . I think the acting in this series also follows the extent of the flaws. Hira has become noticeably more sociable in episode 4 and the flat effect of his facial expressions has somewhat mellowed. He seems a little bit more relatable, and much less of the frankenstein he seemed while he was in high school. I sense in Kiyoi a more vulnerable aspect than in high school as well, especially in the acting scene where he has to get the expression right for how much he is in love with someone [nice symbolism there as well]. Because of all this realism and subtle story-telling, I'm totally engrossed in this drama like hardly any other. These feel like such real people to me and they are such sympathetic characters. You can't fail to be drawn into their world.

You might want to watch My Beautiful Man if you have GagaOolala, and Not Me starring OFFGUN is off to a very promising start.

Well I meant that metaphorically and I did say expelled, afterwards. Most ethical crimes are not things you can go to jail for. I hope he does get expelled though, because there should be a consequence to his bad behavior. He was almost expelled for the previous incident with the engineering students. He really could have been expelled if he beat up Pat with his gang in episode 6, so he is not far away from that happening to him. Sorry, if I made that unclear. It sounds a little more comical saying it that way, and I was linking him with other villains in other BL's that literally needed to go to jail.

I love this series. It is much more complex than your average BL, and only Manner of Death has this level of intrigue. As others have said below, the University finally feels like a real university, and rather than Engineers talking about basic math from elementary school, the law students are actually talking about real jurisprudence. Not only that but the law class is mixed seemlessly into a discussion of philosophy and the main themes of this drama - my head was spinning to see such a higher level of intellect at work in a BL. The art class is actually functioning like a real art class and you see these guys employing art to send political messages, unifying two totally different themes in this drama. I imagine art is the link between the two lovers that are the secondary side couple as well. The writers are really at work here and are acting like real professionals - I rarely see this except in a rare handful of dramas.

Even though the fire scene is a little unrealistic, I was amazed that they even pulled it off. I've seen some BL's rent out fancy houses, but I've never seen them spend the money to burn one down. I thought it was pretty extravagant and impressive. They could have just talked about the house being burnt down off-stage, but this is visually far more spectacular - thank you to whoever for ok-ing the budget on this.

The mystery element of this story is working great and I think the suspense at this point couldn't be higher. I also like that White is growing into his role both gradually and very quickly at the same
time. He's able to integrate himself into the gang without dissolving his personality to do it. He brings up all his ethical qualms with what the gang is doing while still working on the main plan of learning who might have been behind the attack on Black. He was at first jarred by the seemingly evil work being done by Black's gang, but he is slowly learning the purpose behind their actions and that they are more vigilantes than gangsters. I think by the end of the current episode he is a lot more sympathetic to what they're doing, but I think as an audience it was great to see through his eyes the quandary he was in. On reflection, you can see that Black was the person who inspired these guys to do something about political corruption and how difficult that must have been with kids that are just regular university students.

This drama is off to a fantastic start. I think that it will probably land as being one of the best BL's ever [hope I didn't jinx this], but even if it doesn't, it's really venturing into a lot of new ground and is certainly very innovative.

The Japanese BL's are the most advanced but there are a few good Thai BL's that explore pyschological issues like The Effect. I would say ITSAY [I Told Sunset About You}, and IPYTM [I Promised You the Moon], are also excellent for this. I would agree, though, that most Thai BL's are full of fluff and are very redundant. I've been saying on all sorts of boards on MDL that the standards for BL's are just so strange, and I believe there is so such a Victorian attitude towards gay relationships. Strangely enough, even the Victorian dramas have more troubled characters than the BL's. In addition to the novels you described, if you take the placid novels of Jane Austen, there are an abundance of strange and toxic relationships that are described, but we are reduced in BL's to an almost infantile level of depictions of immorality in various relationships. There is such a strong desire to censor things, and to tell others to not watch perfectly good dramas because one of the character's has had an affair, or has gotten drunk before having sex. I am amazed at this regressive impulse, but you see its strong prevalence throughout MDL, twitter, and other social media [and sadly, GagaOOlala as you described].

With your analysis of Kiyoi, I agree with most of that but I think he did get those people attached to him in high school because he wanted the attention. This is like a precursor to being in a boyband where he would get all that adulation that he dreamed about as a young boy [that would help compensate for the lack of attention he was receiving from his parents]. But I agree he is uncomfortable with it as he realizes that is not what he really wants - he would rather have real affection from someone like Hira.

This is just such a spectacular show. It just never fails to deliver. It seems like there is one peak after another, and the amount of romantic interaction is off the scales compared to other BL's. I love the plot development at the end, and I agree with others that it is aesthetically pleasing, symbolically, as the curtains got pulled off to reveal the relationship of Pran and Pat. People should also appreciate that this has the secondary couple, Pa and Ink, instead of your typical male couple. I really appreciate that this show has been inclusive of GL - Pa and Ink are also a beautiful couple and far more interesting than most any other couple in a BL series, regardless of sex.

I know a lot of people are not looking forward to the difficult situations that are coming up for Pat and Pran but it's always more fulfilling when a couple has to "earn" their relationship. This is going to be super hard and the villains are going to beat down Pat and Pran down to the last inch of their souls, but the fulfillment of their love will be that much more intense and memorable when they get through it. And these villains are really bad - I think Wai is probably a sociopath bordering on being a psychopath. I believe in forgiveness, but Wai needs to go to jail first [looking at you Lhong, the ever so lucky villain from Tharntype], or get expelled. I hate when Thai series just let all the villains go with just a slap on the wrist. That was some pretty egregious display of sexuality with Ohm, this episode. I'm surprised he didn't take his pants off as well [maybe this is being saved for the last episode], but I really appreciate the aesthetics, and symbolism of these 20 minutes of naked chest scenes [Thank you P'Aof for these artistic choices]. It was also funny how they were caught with Pran's head being tucked under Pat's shirt - could this scene have been any more embarrassing?

Overall a wonderful episode, and the set up couldn't be any better to entice you to watch the next one.

That was one of the best zombie movies I have ever watched. It managed to capture the utter stillness and lifelessness in the zombie world even though no one had any make-up on [budget constraints]. Due to a lack of funding you didn't get to see episode 6 where the zombies got to eat the humans. It's a pity because you could have seen some real acting there - Gameplay was only supposed to be passionate about eating humans. The production team are some old friends of mine, and they want to convey their apologies - this was not the show they intended to produce, but they did throw in a hot kiss scene at the end to make up for it.

Your "rant" was incredible and much needed. It was also my inspiration to write this post. Sadly, I even see members of the LGBTQ+ community trying to whitewash these dramas. I call it internalized homophobia. Honestly, they don't know what they want, lol. Were you referring to Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down? That was a classic! I really loved that movie, and it did not inspire me to kidnap anyone [promise =)].

I keep seeing this critique of characters like Kiyoi and it really makes no sense. Everyone understands he’s a flawed person, but he’s hardly more flawed than any normal person. If you look at any of the other characters in Kiyoi’s high school, they are much more flawed than he is and no one is talking about them being toxic. I find the criticism of Kiyoi to be virtually homophobic because of this.

I like the concept of modelling in some aspects of a drama, and it’s being done very well for parents of gay characters in BL’s like 2nd Chance, or Don’t Say No, but if we have perfect characters for the two male leads in a BL we would all stop watching because it would be incredibly boring. Who wants to see two Ken dolls falling in love over 12 episodes, where they consummate their love with a light peck on the cheek? This seems like what these shrill critics of Kiyoi want. And again, I say he is no more flawed than any typical high school kid. As I’ve said on many other boards, straight dramas have far more messed up individuals that are in very toxic relationships, but no one is shouting to stop these shows from being broadcast. It’s really homophobic to insist that BL’s not be aired because of the depiction of what I consider to be very mildly flawed individuals. I’d hate to see the reaction of these same critics when there is a real sociopath/psychopath depicted as one of the leads in a series. I would say that a show where we have an incredibly flawed character is totally fine if the story calls for it. But BL’s are not allowed to have them because of what I consider to be “different” standards.

I feel Hira is such a beautiful and underappreciated person. I think he's grown up with no supports and has been constantly bullied from a young age. That he latches onto Kiyoi is totally understandable and that that person is his main focus in life is understandable. Kiyoi has given Hira every possible incentive to keep loving him and that is all Hira ever needed - Kiyoi has protected him from the bullies in high school, and he's invited him in into his community of friends so that he has some semblance of a social life. I understand completely how Kiyoi can not get over his social reputation, and yet he tries so hard to include Hira. He sees, like no one else, what a wonderful person Hira is on a gut level and pursues him despite his natural inclinations.

This is such a wonderful story of two mismatched lovers that have found each other despite all the odds. They have both been outcasts in one way or another, and are the only supports that each has ever had. I have hardly ever felt the intensity of love between two individuals in a drama, and it is conveyed with such simplicity and understated expressions of passion. I feel sorry for Koyama but the smoldering intensity of the love between Kiyoi and Hira makes his story a sidenote, despite his very wonderful intentions. I see nothing wrong with Koyama going after Hira, and it is a great validation of the really magnificent personality of Hira who is a very pure and innocent person. Had this been a drama about Koyama and his love for Hira it would still be a great story, but it is about another story which I feel is more special, on a personal level, of two misfits that found each other when there was no other possibilities. I have rarely felt the magnificent love of two indivduals in a drama. I fully expect that Kiyoi will reciprocate Hira's affections, getting over his social pretensions, and fully love the person who is totally devoted to him.

Thank you for your kind words. I'm sorry I was not able to respond right away. I feel so much sympathy for Hira because I believe he is someone with a mental health issue, and he is also someone that is a victim of intense bullying. I am certain the author understands this and she is portraying a love story for someone that has few possibilities in the real world. In a way, this is almost a fantasy story because many people in Hira's circumstances, would never have the possibility of having a lover. That is what I love about this, because Hira is a very good person and his only flaw is that he is too obsessive for his love for Kiyoi, but his obsession is caused by his lack of social connections. Who is to blame for that? It is equally his fault and that of the cruel kids he grew up with, his parents and the other adults who paid no attention to his situation. Since he has no guidance from anyone, and has no friends, he has to make his own way into developing a relationship - and he has no natural abilities that help him do this. I feel very sympathetic toward his character since I work in the mental health field and see how hard his struggle is. I absolutely love this story because it is such an optimistic take on life without seeming like it. I always hope the best for people struggling with such difficult life circumstances.

I also love Kiyoi for his amazing love for someone who is so beyond the pale. He loves him despite everything because he feels what a beautiful person he is, and I feel, myself that Hira is a wonderful person that is vastly underappreciated. He gives into the herd mentality of his friends but he fights so valiantly to get to Hira despite the immense pressure to treat him like dirt from his peers. I never have felt that he is that bad or has pressured Hira into a compromising position because he is a young man that likes to maintain his reputation, and despite the pressure, still goes after Hira despite any consequences to his standing with his peers.

I think this is a deeply philosophical and psychological drama that is very uplifting and almost spiritual [for me]. I think the author and the screenwriter have captured a really magnificent love story that captures the quintessential aspects of love for those who have few prospects of ever being loved.

What a sensational show! I am completely mesmerized by it. I think it has to be in my top 5 of all time - this is somewhat due to personal preferences. The storyline is a little darker but I like that it is and it makes the struggle to achieve the final consummation of the love story so much more satisfying. I like the focus on the incredibly shy and almost "socially disabled" Hira who struggles impossibly to get close to his true love. It feels like every word Hira has to say to Kiyoi is a monumental struggle and making a move on him is something way beyond that. He is drawn by a desperate love for Kiyoi or he wouldn't even try to approach him. This story could have been much darker and Hira could have been totally humiliated and he could have been emotionally shattered by Kiyoi, but I am pretty sure that is not where this is going. Instead it is a story about an intense struggle to achieve a touching, almost poignant relationship. Kiyoi, himself, has to struggle to accept a rather strange love for someone who is very unpopular. He is struggling with his ego to accept such a person who would normally just be repulsive to him, but he is touched by Hira's pure heart and is struggling as hard as Hira to make this relationship work. I love how much of this story is conveyed through just facial expressions, because the main actors can never express their true sentiments being paralyzed by their internal struggles. This series is beautifully acted and captures the intensity of this strange and painful love story.