solipsism5

For those complaining about the acting, I think both Net and James did fine, and James really did a great job in those scenes where he was being abused. I don't really look at BL's as if I was a member of the Academy Awards Committee, and I think by the standards of your normal BL, they performed really well, and might even be great given the chance with the right director. I think the directing was adequate in this series but was a little off. Cheewin is capable of doing a good job and I really loved what he did in War of Y, but the directing here felt almost amateurish at times. It was definitely not inspired - it almost felt like he was bored while directing this. He did well enough that the show was still ok, but he just didn't seem that excited about it.

This was better than your average BL. I like the extra fluffy ending which helped to counterbalance all the over the top trauma from earlier. The book actually had so much fluff at the end that I had to speed through it at warp factor 9 - fluff doesn't translate as well on to the written page.

I'm reading several reviews about this series somehow not having a plot. I respectfully, but strongly disagree. I don't know what series you watched but this had a very serious story which was unexpected given its title. They actually executed it rather well. I think the acting was really decent throughout, though I wish James' character could have been directed to be more emotional during the love scenes, but that is a minor complaint. It's not a great BL but I feel rewarded having watched it because it is the first BL where the villains get their just rewards, and a character that has experienced great trauma actually dealt with it in a believable and responsible way. For this to be truly one of the best BL's, though, it was just missing some more expressive directing, and should have had less of those long, awkward pauses. Here are some of the things I would like to have seen that would have made this better: More NC scenes [it's a series called Bed Friends, after all], that would be more unbridled like in KinnPorsche or Love in the Air; even more scenes with the mom being punished - that bitch needed to go to jail and become someone else's bitch [joking, sort of]; Tutor should have been there in the middle of the series like in the book; more therapy for Uea, because that therapy was just barely adequate.

Overall, though, I liked this and will be looking forward to more works with NetJames, as well as the next series Middleman's Love. I think this show was worth it, and might even be worth a rewatch one day.

That is what I believe is going on. MDL is small enough that they could do that easily enough. KinnPorsche must have had the highest budget of all time, and its comment board has over 170,000 posts which is by far the highest on this board but is only rated at 8.1. If it was a GMMTV production I guarantee it would at least have an 8.3. Look at the miserable series Vice-Versa from GMMTV that has an 8.3 for comparison.

I believe they have a massive marketing advantage. I don’t begrudge them their dominance - their economy is terrible and is stuck in the middle income trap. It doesn’t grow like it should because of all the corruption. BL’s are one of the only growing segments of their economy. Japan and S.Korea have First World economies, but are somehow not up to the marketing. S.Korea is also homophobic but so is Thailand. The people that rate shows on MDL are probably influenced by this Thai marketing machine, but I do see other factors. Sometimes it seems there is some fixing of the numbers by admins like I mentioned above. Within the Thai shows it’s GMMTV that always gets the best ratings, and where I’ve seen unusual things going on.

Now I’m just rambling, lol. I think your original point is valid and S. Korean and Japan just don’t have the clout in the BL market but it doesn’t explain how they do so well on IMDB versus this board. I’m not sure if that’s because MDL is dominated by Asian viewers.

I'm just going to point out why this show is really great. It's got some of the most intense emotional scenes I've ever seen in a series, and not those found in a melodrama. This is a character driven series, and I'm enthralled by the gripping emotions of the main characters: the severe depression of Jae Won, the visceral hatred of Tae Hyung, the extreme and sickening machinations of Eun Ji, and the effervescent love of Ji Hyun. The wonderful artistic cinematography captures the mood in a very effective way and enhances the beauty of many scenes - the cut scenes of Jae Won's nearly suicidal behavior were completely captured by the stark lighting, the idyllic beach scenes are enhanced by the surreal lighting and unusual filtering. The show has a lot of slice-of-life elements that make it feel very realistic, and lends it an almost documentary-like aesthetic, but there is no loss in the narrative story line which is still very present, and there is a plot that is engaging enough to make you really focused on wanting to know what is going to happen in the next episode. The acting is just at the highest level and is perfect for all the characters involved. The characters are all very alive and vibrant, more so than virtually any other BL I've ever watched including Ji Hyun's best friend, Ae Ri, and Ji Hyun's boss. It's just a show that is strong on every front, and has not been diminished in the last few episodes - on the contrary, the focus on Jae Won's severe depression has been very gripping and brings some much needed attention to the issue of mental health. I would say the last few episodes have been some of the most realistically dramatic scenes of any BL I've ever seen, and have elicited some of the most intense emotions from most viewers of any drama whether BL or any other genre. That's when a show is doing it's job, and no one should be thinking that this show is a let down because it didn't just pursue the easy road of a simple, fluffy romance in these last few episodes. This is still a show that is in its own league for a BL. It's really a big step forward, in my opinion, but it might not be for some people. Perhaps you like a show like Blueming, and so do I, but this is great in a totally different way than most of the typical BL fare, and that is why I really appreciate it.

It’s a continuous process and there is no cure for mental illness. Many people can only get to a point where they are the least depressed, or where the depression is the most contained, but traumatic events will make them relapse into a worse state, and some events that are not traumatic can trigger it as well. Just like looking at yourself in the mirror and thinking you’re getting old or unattractive could be enough. Even normal people have moments of depression but these things are magnified with people with major depressive disorder, and these minor fluctuations in normal people are much more dramatic with those who suffer from this mental health issue. In this series, Jae Won went into a horrible state with his friend’s near death experience. He’s also surrounded by horrible “friends”, and is being played with by his evil ex. Why would anyone be surprised to see him be anything else than in a zombie-like, and near suicidal state? I think this is very realistic, and this drama is really pulling no punches depicting Jae Won in this very debilitated and nearly catatonic state.

I don't know why I recognized it was you, but it was obvious for me. Perhaps it's the profile pics you use, but I just checked your profile and saw the quotes you normally use. Picklejuice, and Frothymix somehow seem to be similar creations as well.

I noted on Never Let Me Go, that the ratings never dropped and noticed that there were no new raters for over 2 weeks - the numbers were just frozen. Actually another user that is currently on this board pointed it out. That was just a terrible BL that everyone could see was awful and everyone was surprised that the ratings would never drop. Vice-Versa would never drop and was unspeakably horrible and must have been written by a monkey - I have no evidence for that one but hardly anyone can believe that it should have an 8.3 rating. That rating never even flucuated during the whole run which is difficult to believe.

I've given up with the ratings on here. I look on IMDB for ratings. It's not just the young fanbase on here, but some homophobia, and rabid Thai spammers that make it nearly worthless. There is some manipulation by people from the admin team I catch once in a while, as well. Good to see you back, whoever you are, lol. I don't know what these admins waste their time on here for with pointless censorship. I always enjoy your comments - I mostly agree with them even if it doesn't seem like it. I'm just very mild in my criticism, and too generous with praise for sloppy work. You'll have to forgive me :-)

Nice to see you back :-) It's perhaps low for some of us, but I'm just comparing it to the Thai ones which get high ratings for no reason at all. Every board has its own quirks in my opinion. 8.1 is a good enough rating but some of these straight dramas on here get to a 9 and no gay drama can ever get there, it seems.

That girl is a sociopath. There are many people that hang around people with mental health issues for a whole host of sick reasons. I've seen a lot of people taking advantage of them financially, but this kind of sick mental manipulation by some is sadly not uncommon. People with mental health issues are often a target because they are often easier to fool, or unable/unwilling to take notice of their environment. Great acting by the actress - she really captures the depravity of this kind of warped individual.

As someone who works in mental health, I don't understand these reactions towards someone that has what looks like clinical depression. I wish people would be more forgiving of Jae Won. He's been sympathetic and very kind when he is able but his trauma with the accident has just taken him over the edge. If you work in this field, you will see people take a nasty turn at times because of let's say a death in the family and they will become very difficult, and sometimes impossible to deal with, and might even have to be deescalated. Their reaction to trauma is magnified and that is what you are watching with Jae Won. He can come off of that with time, and Ji Hyun seems to understand that, perhaps instinctually. He knows that is not who Jae Won is.

There is no diminishment in the quality of the show because of the way Jae Won is currently behaving - I think many people feel let down by the whole series because of what they perceive as a contrived plot device and and that the show has veered into melodrama. No, this is realistic. This show has been so true to life, and that is almost its hallmark. Ji Hyun was given every support by Jae Won earlier on, and now it is his turn to help his friend - he just has to understand that Jae Won is just not receptive to his attention right now. It's hard for many young people to understand, but I feel like Ji Hyun is mature beyond his years in this regard and will have the patience to wait for his lover to come back to him.

The first part of the drama is all about Jae Won being Mr. Perfect - handsome, charming, and very sensitive. The second part is about Ji Hyun becoming the ideal lover, and taking over the role of the heroic figure while Jae Won becomes a flawed and vulnerable mess. This storyline is also like what happens in real life where appearances don't match reality, or when people reverse roles when tested by difficult situations.

I don't think Jae Won is being totally insensitive. He did stay by Ji Hyun's side during his whole recovery, and Ji Hyun knows he cares for him. It's just that Jae Won isn't ready and is like in a state of shock. He's suffers from depression and some low self-esteem. I believe he can't make himself tell the truth to Ji Hyun, and yet the horrible zombie-like looks he give Ji Hyun were very cruel. It's a little selfish of him to treat Ji Hyun that way, and immature. He's not a terrible person, because everything he's done with helping Ji Hyun belies that, but he's proven to be flawed and weak. He might also be suicidal which would make virtually all his actions understandable and forgivable. I like the feel of this drama which is so true to life, and it captures the reality of relationships in a very convincing way with all it's slice of life moments. It still has a powerful narrative and the flow of the story just sweeps you off your feet, with just quiet, placid moments followed by raw bursts of emotion. It's really a very well crafted, and artistic series, that is just in another world beyond most BL's. All the characters are just fully alive and well drawn, and I feel they are tangible. They are also drawn fully into the narrative of this story, and all play vital roles. Just an amazing show that is strong in virtually every area.

This is definitely a completely recovered show. We got some closure with the stepdad, and the mom is just in tears which is the fate she deserves. This is a fitting end, and the villains, for once in a Thai drama [including Lakorns], have some consequences for their actions. This is a small break- through and Bed Friends deserves credit - thanks to someone for finally getting this right. Uea is also taken into King's family, and things are moving in a better and better direction. I wish the editing was a little better, but I think that's just a small complaint. This show had an ML go through an enormous amount of trauma, but moved him forward in a responsible, and legitimate way, showing him taking medication, and explaining his trauma to his boyfriend. With the ML having suffered so much the happy ending at the end seems more earned and fulfilling than usual.

Uea moved cautiously in his new relationship, having learned from his past mistakes where he jumped into a partnership without testing anyone's motives. He has a strong network of friends and family at the end of the drama so his mental health has a good chance of improving. He probably still needs therapy considering that he has been traumatized since he was a young child, but it is possible for some people to recover with just those steps he's taken in this drama, and since I can't see into the mind of this fictional character, I can accept that he can do well with just the steps he's taken - in other words the screenwriters have done their job in creating a viable scenario.

Even Mongkol has turned a corner, and it is seen that there is some HR in place at Uea's workplace. Nepotism wasn't tolerated, and the nephew has been rebuked in a somewhat appropriate way, though he should probably have been fired. It's good to see a Thai drama just following the dictates of normal ethical principles for once, even if it's not all the way there. Overall I've enjoyed this drama, and I am surprised that I've actually gotten here. I've always enjoyed NetJames' chemistry, and I think they've both done well with their acting throughout, except in a few of those stilted scenes with very long pauses. It's just a surprise that the story is actually satisfying - with a little tweaking this could even have been a great BL.

This is super cute, - meaning the young kid who's the center of the show so far. I'm a fan of almost any Japanese BL. They don't even have to try to win me over. I'll agree with someone else below that they are wonderful at doing slice of life stories, and this story with the two brothers is so intrinsically Japanese. I like the set up so far, and the little kid just is the whole draw. I think the adults are all between awkward and weird, but Tane just lights up the whole room and brings the show to life. I like the two ML's, though, and I can see they will become more engaging in the future.

This series is just mind blowing. I really love how the almost slice of life drama builds into these powerful climaxes. The idyllic scenes are hyper-realistic, and feel like some of the most beautiful romantic scenes in any BL, and the wonderful patchwork of seemingly unrelated events, so characteristic of real life, evoke such a strong and bracing reaction from viewers, like myself, without any seeming reason for it. I love the acting and the cinematography but I'm almost unable to articulate why I like this so much. The plot seems like nothing, but I feel like I'm completely inside the heads of these characters. They're really drawn well, and everything about them is complete. That Jae Won suffers from depression, and feels the pain of the loss of his brother, and is angered by his friend who makes light of all his suffering, is so true to life, and Im Ji Sub captures that perfectly along with the Peter Pan-like playfulness that is both some form of escapism, as well as the duality of his character's nature. Ji Hyun's looks of love towards Im Ji are so subtle and beautiful, and are some of the most effortlessly romantic interactions because they are so pure and genteel, like the love of a person without any pretensions or conniving impulses of any kind. I think the connection of the brother with Ji Hyun that's drawn here is the tragedy of the deaths of innocent, and blameless people that is the most stark tragedy of them all. The ending is one of the most tense and unnerving ones I've ever seen in any drama, and has just knocked the wind out of me. I really hope that this is not the end of this love story because it was built up so powerfully and the sudden snatching away of this romance would be one of the worst kind tragedies I would have ever seen in a BL. I really love everything about this series, and I hope this is not what is going to happen because I think I would be left completely numb, but I can only say that I can't remember when I was so drawn in to a story that I would feel that way.

Yes, it is up to the screenwriter to make it clear. That’s the issue. Otherwise we wonder why won’t he molest his daughter. Not a savory topic I know, but it really is not explained well and for a touchy topic they should really try harder

I must be the odd one out but I don’t see why the father would make that distinction. If I was with child protective services I would not be like, oh she’s the biological daughter so no need to worry. It might be true what you’re saying but it’s not obvious or apparently true. I think that the screenplay writers should have worked on making this clearer.

A flaw in the plot I wanted to point out is that the stepdad would probably have gone after Uea's sister, especially if he goes after women like he seems to do in the next episode. I thought the only reason he didn't go after the sister was that he was only into boys. I don't understand how Uea's mom has sexual relations with that man, either. She must at least suspect that what Uea is telling her might be true. So he's kind of a pansexual predator that goes after anyone that he somehow finds attractive, and Uea's sister somehow didn't fit the bill. That's a weird plot and probably something no one really thought through.

Thank goodness they've turned the corner with this drama. On a positive note, this series has dealt with trauma better than virtually any other despite its flaws. Uea is able to have some closure with his sexual assaulter in the work place and is supported by the whole staff. He confesses his mental health issue to someone, and it's finally revealed that he takes medications for his depression/PTSD. This is a big advance over other series where love and one's boyfriend are supposed to solve all their problems. Now the story is much more unified, but it took too long to get here, and they've lost most of their audience. I think this series might be viewed more favorably by people who binge watch this as long as they know that after 7 hours of Uea being a punching bag for every evil character in the series, he will finally overcome their depredations.

Uea also gets to have an adult family member that finally accepts him and provides him some emotional support. This drama has completely turned around, and has become a BL again. It's not a bad idea introducing a lot of angst into a BL, and the happy ending will feel more fulfilling when that happens. I feel like most BL's don't resolve that angst very well, and this one actually does. You will see that this series actually even goes beyond the novel because Uea will get some resolution with his step dad that he didn't have in the original story.

I'm still not saying this is a great BL. It's a little too amateurish with the editing, and those extended long pauses all over the place, but it's not at all as bad as most people at first thought [including myself]. I still like the chemistry of NetJames, and the story actually makes sense, except that Uea needs a lot more therapy, probably. Everyone is different, though. Uea is taking meds and now has a supportive network of friends and family and that might be enough.