I think we’re all missing a point and a key flaw in the writing. If I found myself in love with a man who was…
That’s the main issue I have with the plot. But perhaps he will tell him next episode and this will become a minor plot flaw. It’s just that Lom seems cruel at this point for not telling Nuae. That’s contrary to the what we see his personality is really like - he seems very warm and compassionate.
Tell him the reason already. This is annoying. Until Lom does tell Pak that his wedding is a sham, no one can sympathize with his character even if he's very charming. I don't like this delayed gratification technique, especially when it is so transparent. Pak, on the other hand, is very believable and someone we can all empathize with - he's caught between loving Lom and knowing how he can't ever be with him. He's being cruelly tortured by someone who actually loves him, but who can't explain anything. It's the old miscommunication trope, and it's here in one of its worst forms. I'm enjoying everything else about this including the moms who capture the Thai dynastic family culture to the tee. Marine and Yiwa are a sensational couple and may be the best girl love pairing I've ever seen in a BL. Sunny's acting is just perfect for his role even if the script is very tedious at this point, and Namnuae is just superlative - he's shy and reserved when he has to be, and righteously indignant whenever Lom oversteps his marital obligations. Namnuae's acting just captures his charcter perfectly and the character is much better written than Sunny's Lom. He's stepped into the role like a total pro. Overall the direction and acting is at a very high level, and is the most enjoyable thing Mame has produced except for her dragging out this miscommunication nonsense to the point of absurdity.
"Except for the lack of wacky sound effects, this was at the level of a Thai drama -" " I think the acting was…
What an ironic comment. I'm actually someone that loves Thai culture, and history. I'm probably one of the only people on here that would even read a Thai history book, and was just reading about the origins of the Thai people in the Guangxi province (although Hunan is still a possiblity). I am actually familiar with most of the provinces of Thailand, even the far less traveled areas. It is amazing how many beautiful provinces there are, and how many wonderful temples in the most obscure and secluded areas of the country. Thai cuisine is about my favorite, especially since I love spicy food.
It is easily possible to criticize Thai BL's without being a xenophobe. That's just a ridiculous assertion. I actually like many Thai BL's as well, including Moonlight Chicken, which even more ironically, I just recommended to someone in a post above. I even said in that post that most of the Thai BL's have better acting than in this BL, so you are entirely mistaken in your thinking I'm a Thai hater of some kind.
For me... Thai BLs are the worst. High MDL scores... but with bad acting, bad plot or having no plot at all. More…
I know, but this acting is among the worst. I agree Thai BL’s are pretty bad but this series is in that league. I’ve watched dozens of Thai BL’s but I can think of only a tiny few where the acting/directing was this amateurish, especially coming from the big studios like GMMTV. I don’t like their plots but the acting is at least acceptable.
Mame is really helping to direct this thing. It's interesting to watch her: https://youtu.be/DyvYuJy9Exg . She's focusing on the details which is good, like the sunset for a scene had to be orange because that was Sailom's favorite color in the novel. I've never seen her in person before this series. She doesn't seem like that person that loves all that rape and trauma. She looks pretty pleasant and laid back.
I think you liked this better than I did. The danger of adapting a manga that closely is that while it can look…
Ok, sure. I think in the last scene, though, he was running after Ren who had just left their workplace. He caught up with him so it wasn’t necessary to get a cab.
I can see splurging for a cab in the previous scenes.
For me... Thai BLs are the worst. High MDL scores... but with bad acting, bad plot or having no plot at all. More…
This was worse than a lot of Thai BL’s. The acting was some of the worst of any BL I’ve ever seen. The actors could only handle non-emotional scenes and total fluff. They were totally unsuited for these complex characters.
I thought the acting and directing was terrible - very subpar. The plot holes are everywhere. I’m not sure how this can rise to the level of being good.
In the manga the father says that he had to possibly resign from his job as director of the hospital because of…
Yes, it was probably a mixed reaction. He was angry at Ren, but not completely so. For someone in a prestigious position in an Asian country, it’s hard to give it up becsuse of something their kid did. I’m just saying his reaction was not totally one of abuse. I agree it was terrible and parents should be willing to make hard decisions like giving up a lucrative job for the sake of their children but it is understandable that a normal Japanese parent reacted the way Ren’s father did and that there is room for a small redemption arc for him - though there was none in the manga (perhaps in a future installment).
I think you liked this better than I did. The danger of adapting a manga that closely is that while it can look…
I didn’t like this at all. It is the worst JBL I’ve ever seen. People don’t use cabs in Tokyo, though. They just are used to walking everywhere because of the multi-use zoning. Cabs are also exorbitant. It’s just how weird and comical their running was that threw me off. I think the acting was some of the worst for any BL - even worse than most Thai productions.
It would have been great to hear Ren tell Kazuma that he loves him. Just once. Also, I didnt buy the mom's story.…
She is just upset that Kozuma doesn't visit her more. I'm just going by the manga. She's a single mom, and she moved back to Japan from the US after divorcing her husband. She never liked that Kozuma hardly ever saw her because she's rather lonely living by herself in Japan. She was not really against their relationship. She's more jealous that Ren gets so much attention from Kozuma who she does, in fact, love like any normal mom.
In the manga the father says that he had to possibly resign from his job as director of the hospital because of what Ren did. The French school he sent him to was very prestigious, and the tuition was exorbitant. I think they were trying to convey the idea that the father felt he had no choice but to do that, and it wasn't because he hated Ren. In hindsight, he might still regret the decision, and it is not impossible for them to have a slight redemption arc - it seems like all they are talking about is some very limited contact.
That was truly awful. What a dismal ending. Even the actor who played Sanada totally fell apart. It was like I was watching the complete devolution of a great series into one that was completely amateurish. That running sequence with Ren and Kozuma has to be one of the most amateurish things I've ever seen in any BL - it was like a skit out of Saturday Night Live. This was truly embarrassing. The screeching Sanada was one of the least menacing villains in history, and Kozuma's wild overacting in that scene where he confronts him was just hysterically bad.
I don't know about the rest of the episode. I was watching it in a daze because nothing could make the stench of the opening scenes go away. I guess it was ok, and if you read the manga it was exactly what happened there. I liked the kissing scenes between Kozuma and Ren while they were sitting on the couch, so I guess it wasn't all horrible, but I can find scenes like that in any BL these days. Except for the lack of wacky sound effects, this was at the level of a Thai drama - it was sloppy and careless and shows little love for its content. I feel like I almost completely wasted my time with this drama.
BTW Kozuma did find Ren completely by accident. He searched the whole world, but he actually didn't find him because of that search. What a weird idea to have him search like that and still find Ren only by chance. Ren also runs into Kozuma's mom pretty much by accident while he's wearing the shirt that his lover gave him the night before. Ren runs into Sanada by accident while he's just trying to clear out his things. This is really a screenplay just full of impossible coincidences. Although the manga is much better, it's the source of this lazy writing. I don't mind coincidences in great works like Vanity Fair, where brilliant writing and wonderful characterization make you forget about these things, but for a movie full of terrible acting and poor directing, it takes you completely out of the story.
This is very civilized for Mame. I was waiting for some savage savageness of some kind, but I think something has happened to auntie Mame and she's going for a whole new direction in life. I think the series couldn't be more pleasant, and I'm hoping nothing disturbs this placid, and fluffy drama which even seems to have some hidden depth to it. Perhaps Mame has turned all the melodrama into something more subtle and gentle and far more persuasive - she's eliciting the same depth of sentiment without her usual heavy handedness which shows some considerable growth on her part. I find watching this, the strength of Mame was always her pacing, and her vividly drawn characters. They aren't held back here by the tawdry theatrics of her normal screenplay.
Actually, I finally laughed this episode. I never found any of the humor to be amusing before. Maybe they're hitting their stride. It's really so campy. No one should take this series that seriously and it's just lighthearted fun. No one can seriously believe that Ja could be a grown man the way he acts, but it's totally fine in this sort of comical scenario.
Does anyone know if the manga has progressed any further? It was stuck like somewhere at the end of Season 1 for the longest time, and I still can't find an update.
This has to be the most Victorian drama ever made. Even Queen Victoria would be exasperated. It's so asexual that it is in fact comical but perhaps not in the way the creators of this series intended. I tried to find some reason for Minato to act the way he does, and I'm lost. I can't understand why he's so embarrassed all the time. The Bento Box that his old crush Sakuma sees should not be that embarrassing - Minato kissed Sakuma so a cute Bento box with the words I Love You shouldn't mean anything.
This series carries this miscommunication trope to its ultimate extent - some visionary saw the limitless potential of this trope in this drama. I hate that trope but it's become comical with what I believe is its intentional overuse. Asuka's relationship with the human robot Sakuma is just so wrapped in this miscommunication trope that it envelops every interaction of theirs. When I see Sakuma watch Asuka going on a date, I was wondering can a robot feel jealousy? Can this robot articulate why he feels jealous to his partner? I doubt it, and we are in for some more ridiculous mangled miscommunication madness.
Apart from this drama being so uniquely weird, I actually like revisiting the old neighborhood of Minato's laundromat. I'm almost watching it just for all that because I missed the characters, and some of the characters, like Shin, are worth watching. I'm sure Minato and Sakuma will come around by the end, so I'm going to be patient and watch this to its conclusion.
It is easily possible to criticize Thai BL's without being a xenophobe. That's just a ridiculous assertion. I actually like many Thai BL's as well, including Moonlight Chicken, which even more ironically, I just recommended to someone in a post above. I even said in that post that most of the Thai BL's have better acting than in this BL, so you are entirely mistaken in your thinking I'm a Thai hater of some kind.
I can see splurging for a cab in the previous scenes.
I don't know about the rest of the episode. I was watching it in a daze because nothing could make the stench of the opening scenes go away. I guess it was ok, and if you read the manga it was exactly what happened there. I liked the kissing scenes between Kozuma and Ren while they were sitting on the couch, so I guess it wasn't all horrible, but I can find scenes like that in any BL these days. Except for the lack of wacky sound effects, this was at the level of a Thai drama - it was sloppy and careless and shows little love for its content. I feel like I almost completely wasted my time with this drama.
BTW Kozuma did find Ren completely by accident. He searched the whole world, but he actually didn't find him because of that search. What a weird idea to have him search like that and still find Ren only by chance. Ren also runs into Kozuma's mom pretty much by accident while he's wearing the shirt that his lover gave him the night before. Ren runs into Sanada by accident while he's just trying to clear out his things. This is really a screenplay just full of impossible coincidences. Although the manga is much better, it's the source of this lazy writing. I don't mind coincidences in great works like Vanity Fair, where brilliant writing and wonderful characterization make you forget about these things, but for a movie full of terrible acting and poor directing, it takes you completely out of the story.
This series carries this miscommunication trope to its ultimate extent - some visionary saw the limitless potential of this trope in this drama. I hate that trope but it's become comical with what I believe is its intentional overuse. Asuka's relationship with the human robot Sakuma is just so wrapped in this miscommunication trope that it envelops every interaction of theirs. When I see Sakuma watch Asuka going on a date, I was wondering can a robot feel jealousy? Can this robot articulate why he feels jealous to his partner? I doubt it, and we are in for some more ridiculous mangled miscommunication madness.
Apart from this drama being so uniquely weird, I actually like revisiting the old neighborhood of Minato's laundromat. I'm almost watching it just for all that because I missed the characters, and some of the characters, like Shin, are worth watching. I'm sure Minato and Sakuma will come around by the end, so I'm going to be patient and watch this to its conclusion.