asterope

i will try to explain to you why people cried over this in the most objective way possible, maybe it helps you understand:

d.p is rooted in reality. a lot of these cases are inspired by actual things that happen(ed) in the korean military on a daily basis (not so much anymore, but many years ago up until ~6 years ago). people didn't cry and felt emotional cuz they felt connected to the cases or characters (the characters were just a tool to tell stories, they were not meant to be "liked" or "hated" cuz they were design after real people so shoving them into boxes would've been extremely insensitive) but because it was like a punch to the gut for them. it not only made oblivious people face reality (that the military isn't all that great, like propaganda makes them believe) but it also made people once again aware how fucked up the world is. it was sadness, empathy, compassion, feelings of helplessness and a sense of justice that
people felt while watching it. also, a lot of fans of the drama are korean (diaspora) so it's even more personal to them.

i really love their dynamic/friendship it's so cute, like junhwan seems genuinely entertained around dongman but in a positive way 😔 tho there's something about him that makes me wonder if he too is struggling and can relate to dongman, because there are moments when it looks like he doesn't feel comfortable around the 8th club. also, yk how dongman gets described as arrogant and eunha as cold yet that's not who they are? junhwan also gets described (numerous times) as someone with a nice personality who "gets all the women" and if we continue the dramas concept of "putting up a facade" i wonder if it means anything for him as well. idk maybe i'm overanalyzing, wouldn't be the first time

everyone keeps talking about dongman, eunah, jinman and gyeongse which is understandable because they are basically the main focus but i wish we'd also talk about the supporting characters, specifically junhwan because there's something about him that makes him super interesting to me... especially after the scene at the bench when dongman talks about broken limbs. when he said something along the lines of "i felt like a ufc heavyweight campion had kicked me around" that look on junhwan's face was so sad. overall his reactions to the things dongman says are so special, and the camera always makes sure to capture it. i really wonder whats up with him

even tho people are already beating you up enough let me also remind you that the tutor literally stripped akira off his personality and replaced it with his own, he also told him its ok to lie and not tell kanata the whole truth (which is peak manipulation behavior) AND made him feel dirty. the talk at the soccer field literally exists solely because of the tutor- akira feels extremly dirty and like a strain. he thinks he'll do the same things to kanata the tutor did to him. he knows their relationship was inappropriate but he also thinks it's his fault (he openly blames himself and quite literally says "its not kanda's fault"). maybe you still want to argue that it's not grooming but it's a fact that what took place was abuse and exploitation

it's not tagged as romance so the chances there, there won't be any. if so tho, it'll likely be subtle/open for interpretation

some comments here make me feel insane cuz are y'all really doing all that over a fictional story?? calm down and close the app if you hate the character or show so much

its actually not so far fetched he's acting so clueless about "city activities". living at the country side can be extremely isolating especially if you dont have anyone to connect to that has "outside access" or shares your interests, meaning you'll definitely miss out. this is an even bigger thing in japan. even him acting clueless about queer people fits- it's a rarely discussed topic, even less in the country side. it's probably a culture thing because i have encountered clueless country side people like him irl