Zack

Makes sense. Makes a lot of sense.

There's so, so, so much one can analyze in this beautifully done Queer drama. That's a testament to the writing, acting, and production.

Ah. I get you.

Given your write-ups, it reminds me how much I appreciate the writing (for the most part). There's so much that can be analyzed, especially because it makes sense (for the most part). Haoren is not magically healed because of Chihiro, but he can get support. While I might be tempted to say the same of Chihiro, some of his actions throughout reflect his previous actions earlier in his life and how he too sees himself, which led to some of my frustrations in EP 7.

Can I nominate this drama for an international film/media festival somewhere? How does one go about doing that?

I loved the fact they the characters were complex. More than that, they were consistent and most of their actions made sense, both rational and irrational. It helped maintain the realistic tone that they were going for. They didn't soften the realities of the Haoren's early life too much. It was necessary to understand who he is as a character now.

Really appreciate your review.

Your statement, "his awareness of having no future" really got me thinking. Throughout the drama, we've seen that effects of Haoren being abandoned at an early age. Chihiro got an education, Haoren didn't. We've been shown this difference with Chihiro playing Saigo, and with the trip to the beach. After Haoren came out of prison, he's doing manual labor to sustain himself, whereas Chihiro is on the road to achieving his dreams of being a photographer.

I'd argue though that the chances of Chihiro getting to the point where he is now would have been significantly lower had he not have gotten the support he did from Haoren, financial, emotional (sometimes problematic, sure), and otherwise.

I think now, given that Chihiro has more stability in life, he can help Haoren achieve some degree of stability himself. Although, the man need psychological help, which I doubt he'd ever get. Which makes me think, it'd be an awesome idea for a Season 2. Exploring their relationship as a couple and Haoren's mental health.

For me, it was in-keeping with his character and made sense in that way. Having said that, I can get why it may not have been satisfying for you. I was more frustrated with the ending. It made sense, sure. But I wanted more interaction between the two. But, at least we understand that they love each other a lot.

EP 1. Seems like money well spent. Surprised by the quality of most of the costumes, sets, and CGI. Could actually be a good live action.

Their dynamic is dysfunctional and toxic and we're given clear explanations why. One can argue that the toxicity comes disproportionately from Chihiro. He's been on his own since he was a kid and started working in the sex industry at a young age with no support and had a brutal handler. It's frankly a miracle that he didn't become a total monster.

You could seriously write essays on the drama. It's that well written and executed imo. Not perfect, but damn close.

The dark and mature themes aren't there for shock value. The sex scenes aren't there just for the high. Most everything serves a purpose. To have a drama with dark themes carry intended weight but not feel oppressive is a triumph.

Yes, this series does address homophobia and the difficulty of being Queer in Japan. But they have support in a found family of sorts like with Kaji. Kaji is one of the most important support characters in that, he's not perfect, but, he's that person who helps Hoaren and Chihiro feel normal. He's the contrast to Hoaren and Chihiro's families.

It should also be noted that this drama does an AMAZING job of portraying Queer characters IN society and they do not exist in a bubble. Hoaren and Chihiro are not ashamed of their sexuality and being a couple. They've shown this a few times before with PDA in public or when they're about to enter into public spaces. For a show with the realistic and dark tone it has, it's hopeful. This means so, so, so much, especially in a conservative society like Japan.

Michael Chang, the actor playing Sea did a real good job portraying a super hormonal young adult last episode. And the writing made sense too.

Well done ep this week. They made some smart decisions in the writing to not frustrate the viewer, or me at the very least. And I appreciate how they portrayed Sea's young adult hormones. And how they balanced that with Neil projecting calmness. Looking forward to the next ep.

Ohhhhhh. This makes so much sense.

To add to this, many streaming services tags are limited and sometimes misleading. So if someone uses just what's there to watch a show, what then?

I will say though, I do understand that some users use MDL and it's tags etc to get an idea of a drama before they watch. And this drama is missing tags to help inform that decision, but, again, that's partially on MDL. Then again, how does the tagging system work on here? It is community based, or are there MDL employees who do that? (not that I want to open up attacks to MDL employees. Please don't do that).

When/where did I say that?

That’s partially in MDL. not the drama. and the fact is, just like ppl use tags to evaluate whether it’s a drama they want to watch or not, so to do people use ratings. and to downvote a drama because you were blindsided by the themes is more than a bit unfair to other viewers and the drama itself

100,050%! thank you.

I really hope people don’t downvote this because of the themes. It’s really well written. The acting, especially from Beppu Yurai is selling it. The cinematography, sets, and production remind you of the world they’re living in.

This drama is dark. It does talk about topics like child prostitution, other types of prostitution, abandonment, neglect, abuse, sexual assault, and emotional abuse. But this is the reality for these two. Not that it should be condoned. But if they can find happiness in it, however fleeting, it makes for an engaging story. And you can tell that the team behind that put a lot of work into this, and I appreciate them for that.

This works as well as it does because they both have sad lives and can find solace in each other. ep 3 and 4 are a very good depiction of that.

don’t get me wrong. I understand why it may be hard for you to watch. but that helps to remind you of the world in which they live. and if they can find happiness in that, then that’s a win