Ambitious but with an identity crisis

** Please be warned that this review contains lots of spoilers **

Watching this series from the vantage point of 2023 was an interesting experience. I can readily see how it must have excited the BL fans of 2016, and can imagine the anticipation for each new episode as the series progressed. Unfortunately, I can also imagine their disappointment over how it eventually ended.

Because, alas, the production ultimately lost its nerve, and it turns out that the conflicted feelings that Jatjang has for his neighbors Earth and Ice are simply overblown.

Well, strike that. The feelings that are overblown are the ones that Jatjang has for Earth in particular.

Because, while Jatjang declares several times over the course of the series that his heart “flutters” for Earth, in the final episode he reveals that he has never thought of Earth romantically or ever wanted to touch him sexually, and he even recoils when Earth unexpectedly kisses him on the lips to help him test how he feels. At the same time, we learn that the one Jatjang has wanted to be with romantically all along is Earth’s sister, Ice.

Jatjang, it seems, has just been a confused straight guy the whole time.

What, then, was all the fuss about? As a viewer I wouldn’t want to endure ten months of suspense only to be let down by such a whopper of a cop-out in the final episode.

Along the way, the series does tackle several contemporary issues faced by teens, and most of the time it handles them well. This includes a nod toward accepting people who are gay, which is laudable, but it must be said that the only two examples of same-sex attracted characters are Jatjang’s flamboyant ladyboy cousin and a closeted art teacher who has molested one of his male students.

Furthermore, once Jatjang’s father learns of his son’s possible bisexual tendencies he’s not happy about it at all. After he discovers that Jatjang has been keeping an online journal, he hacks into his son’s computer so he can read the entries from week to week, and soon pretends to be a concerned stranger in order to exchange messages with him. He repeatedly urges Jatjang not to give in to his feelings for other guys or even believe that they’re necessarily real. Then, once the dad finds out that the boy his son is attracted to is Earth (a friend he's around constantly) just the sight of the two boys alone together drives Jatjang’s dad into panic. This is usually played for laughs but after a while becomes offensive.

By the last episode, Earth and his sister have moved away and Jatjang is back to square one for his romantic pursuits. At the end of that episode (and of the series) someone comes to the house to pick up Jatjang to go to school, and after Jatjang’s sister announces that Jatjang’s “new lover” is outside, the family makes a fuss as though there’s a question of whether this new lover is male or female. We, the viewers, never find out for sure, but based on everything that happened earlier, wouldn’t it have to be a girl? By this point there has been repeated reminders that the only boy that Jatjang’s heart has ever fluttered for is Earth, and of course that was a false alarm—other boys have never appealed to him. The series can’t have it both ways. Once you establish that Jatjang is just a confused straight boy you can’t expect to get away with becoming coy on the subject again.

What cannot be faulted here are the performances of the main leads, Tongtong (Jatjang) and Nonkul (Earth). Tongtong has the most difficult role and completely owns it. His emotional range is amazing. Regarding Nonkul, by the time he was in this series he was already an experienced actor and had previously been in a pioneering BL film, 2014's “Love’s Coming”. (In that film, as here, his character is straight.) His performance perfectly balances the tough and tender aspects of Earth’s personality.

In the role of Jatjang’s dad, Jatjen, Saksit Tangthong is also very good, despite the flaws in his character’s approach to his son. As for the mom character, Pang, I must admit that she really annoyed me. In one satisfying scene she gets called out by the kids for always being a scold, and that’s exactly what she is. By the end of the series her voice grated on me and I couldn’t wait for her scenes to be over. I probably shouldn’t blame actress Aom Piyada for what I didn’t like about the mom. I’m sure it was the performance that they wanted from her.

The series is filmed like a traditional sitcom, mostly on a soundstage with occasional outdoor locations, but not with a live audience. Instead, canned laughter is inserted constantly. The fake laughs seem to become less intrusive as the series progresses, but I can’t say if that’s simply because I got used to them.

One last comment. For the files I used to watch this series, the subs were done by a team that called themselves EarthBangJang Subbers. That name was displayed at the upper right corner of the screen for each episode, serving as a constant reminder of how everyone back in 2016 must have been counting on the series becoming a bonafide BL. How disappointed they must have been when it ended without Earth banging Jang.

So, this is not a BL. I'd even say that there's not a "Bisexual Character" as the MDL tag suggests. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, unless you want to spend 55 episodes to get disappointed for yourself.

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An early BL that proves to be a pleasant surprise

After finally being able to watch this series with good subs I can say that it is very underrated. The storyline is silly and the production had a tight budget, to say the least, but it's cute as hell and would hold up just fine compared to some more recent productions.

It's fun to watch these BL actors so early in their careers, too. (And it's nice to see that Best already has the lean-muscled physique that remains his trademark.) For a 2017 production it features a couple of surprisingly bold kisses -- the kind where the guys sample each other's lips a first time then decide to go in for hungry seconds.

The series follows three main couples, although one of the pairings is a little messy (no spoilers). My only complaint is that not everyone's situation is resolved at the end. Maybe they were leaving things open for a sequel, however the sequel that we eventually got turned out to be unrelated as well as far less enjoyable.

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A fine series with an emotionally charged MDL rating

Let me start by saying that if the low rating for this series is putting you off from watching, be aware that the MDL score has been severely skewed by viewer distaste for the studio that produced it. This distaste has also affected the way many MDLers have responded to the storyline and performances by the actors. (If you're at all skeptical about this, just peruse the other reviews here.)

Given that the MDL community has seen to rate this series on a curve, for a more accurate score you should probably add 20% to whatever you see when you visit its MDL page. As I write this review that puts the number at 8.28, which rounds down to 8, and this seems to me to be a fairer appraisal of what you get here.

What I came to appreciate most about 2MTA is how the main couple's relationship is depicted. Once Tatch and Lom get together, their approach to one another becomes a model of how two people with mutual love and respect should communicate and work together to overcome any issues that arise. Misunderstandings between them are promptly cleared up and have the impact of only making their relationship stronger.

Another endearing aspect of their pairing is how Tatch's determined pursuit of Lom has the effect of transforming Lom from someone with a victim mentality into a man who is confident and trusting, and willing to smile. (At the outset Lom spends a lot of time frowning... lol) It seems to me that the moment when Lom finally becomes brave enough to take a chance on Tatch is in Episode 4, when Tatch sings a karaoke love song to him -- a song that actor Danny Disatharit sings live on-set as the scene is filmed rather than have the soundtrack patched in later, as many other series would do. This adds to the intimacy, as Danny's singing is sweet and charming. Within the context of the story its sincerity seems to finally allow Lom to see Tatch the way Tatch himself has been striving to be seen.

It is also refreshing to see that between the two guys the charismatic one, Tatch, is the pursuer. In casting Tatch the production found an actor who is, frankly, gorgeous -- tall and strikingly handsome, with an athletic build. To emphasize the differences between the Tatch and Lom characters it does seem that Mark Vachara Promma, who plays Lom, was given a "make-under" to heighten the contrast, resulting in him looking a little mousy and plain. When viewing promotional material for the series and Mark's Instagram I was surprised by how good-looking, even glamorous, he is in real life.

There are several NC scenes, which (granted) are not a must for every viewer, but what I like is how they're a welcome acknowledgement of real life, where when a couple first gets together they usually have a hard time keeping their hands off each other. This contrasts with the "one and done" approach that many other series take, as though the intimate content is something to check off the list and get over with. That's certainly not the case here, where the main leads get together several times, and in a variety of ways. ;) I should add that their excellent manner of communicating with each other is an aspect of those scenes as well. Again, a nice change of pace from the usual.

As for the six original "2 Moons" characters, who were recast for a second time for this series, I came away less impressed with their storylines, which give us so many of those things that the Tatch-Lom relationship avoids: mainly jealousy and long drawn-out misunderstandings. Ironically, these three couples are supposed to have more mature relationships than Tatch and Lom, having been together for a couple of years, but what we get from them becomes tiresome to watch.

One other nitpick is the introduction of a silly kidnapping storyline as the series nears its end.

And what about the writing, acting and production? Well, I could easily name four or five series from 2022 that have a poorer storyline, worse acting, and crappier production values than 2MTA, but have been given higher ratings despite it. While the performances here were at times awkward I generally found them to be quite good, especially for a bunch of newcomers. It certainly didn't detract from my own enjoyment.

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SAY HELLO TO THE REAL ME

Hey, everybody. Ji Woo here.

It's no secret that you loved me in "To My Star", because I've read the glowing reviews and comments here on MDL as well as every other social media platform. In that series I'm a grumpy chef with no patience for celebrities or celebrity culture, who ironically ends up having to live with a major movie star and falls in love. The series was one of the great romantic comedies of 2021, with amazing rewatchability.

I must confess, though, that I wasn't really cool with it. You see, while in that series I made deadpan wisecracks and rolled my eyes at the rascal behavior of my soon-to-be boyfriend, beneath the surface I was actually a seething cauldron of rage, further hobbled by a malignant case of low self-esteem.

I know, I know -- I did an amazing job hiding it. To watch me in "To My Star" you would never know how profoundly unhappy I was, or how much I resented the man you thought I loved.

But I have good news -- there's a Season Two now, and in that series I let it all hang out. For TMS2 I made it known I wanted my toxic antisocial side to be as front and center as possible, despite however much it might clash with the lovable grouch I was in Season One.

I asked the director if we could start out by brainstorming on how to debunk the me of TMS1. And she was up for it, let me tell you. By then she'd achieved tons of acclaim for the romantic comedies she'd directed. The notices about her were even better than mine or the ones for TMS1 itself -- they made out like she was the goddam Nora Ephron of Asian drama. But to her credit she wasn't satisfied with that and wanted to achieve a new level of creativity, kind of like Woody Allen did when he brought out "Interiors" after his own string of legendary romantic comedies. (Sorry -- I know it's probably not PC to mention the Woodster.)

So, she and I got to work, and since you've read this far I'll share some of what you can look forward to.

In TMS2, I:

1. Leave my boyfriend on his birthday after he doesn't show up on time for the birthday party I never told him about, and which I can't possibly postpone until the next day because, well, in Season One I'd also walked out on him on his birthday. The viewers who want an early start on talk of how deep this season is will love the parallels.

2. To signify that this series will be the cold winter that befalls the warm summer of Season One, leave my boyfriend a terse breakup note along with the box containing the uneaten birthday cake, placing the box where he'll be sure to find it when he returns to the darkened, silent house.

3. Disappear for a year while making no contact whatsoever. True -- it's risky to drag it out unrealistically, but it has to be a full year because a two or three month disappearance is for sissies. We're reaching for extremes here.

4. Start up an Italian restaurant in my bleak home town, opening for business every day for months without a single customer while still buying food and supplies that I prep in the kitchen each morning.

5. Bear the crushing weight of a dark scandal caused by a friend of my parents, that everyone in town takes out on me by not eating at my restaurant.

6. Have my obsessed ex-girlfriend show up all the way from the USA with one goal in mind: rekindling the relationship we had as teenagers. In a dramatic contrast to my horrible treatment of my boyfriend, make sure I treat her only with kindness and understanding.

7. Befriend a little moppet straight out of Central Casting: precocious and adorable, spouting lines of adult dialog like they were written by Neil Simon, but then hurt and vulnerable when we need to generate a crisis. Above all, make sure I always treat her with kindness and understanding as well. Heck, let's even have her start out by calling me "Dad".

7. Have my boyfriend show up after a year of desperate searching, begging to understand what has happened and with one goal in mind: bringing our relationship back from the brink. In contrast to my benevolent treatment of my ex and my friend's daughter, have me treat him like a piece of dogshit I thought I'd scraped off my shoe months ago.

8. Make sure this includes me telling my boyfriend repeatedly how I never actually loved him. I'll gaslight him by implying it must have been his imagination the whole time.

9. But, in a plot twist, have me give him a big sloppy kiss one night and then sleep with him ... only to revert back to the shit treatment the next morning.

10. After my boyfriend finally gives up and leaves, have me read about the relapse of his illness, which is almost certainly due to the stress I've put him through.

11. But then, before viewers can start to blame me, include a scene where I finally turn on the phone I've had switched off since the day I disappeared. Show me ugly-crying while I read the poignant messages from the man I abandoned.

12. Finally reveal the reason why I wanted my boyfriend to feel so much pain: I was lonely. He had a job that kept him busy, and while I certainly could have gone back to working in a restaurant or even opened one of my own, I stayed home and quietly seethed.

There's more, but I don't want to spoil it for you.

Tbh, there were moments when I worried we might go too far with all my terrible behavior. Fans of Season One would want to kick my ass over the 180 in my personality and the dark, angry tone of the whole enterprise. That's when the director reassured me that in the last two episodes we'd do another 180. My personality from Season One would miraculously reappear.

I worried that such a HEA ending might seem too fake and forced. After revealing my rotten core, how could even a wane smile from me ring true? But the director insisted. She felt that as much as she'd enjoyed the challenge of throwing Season One under the bus she had to reclaim her romantic creds. The final two episodes would be a return to the bright and easy comforts of Season One. After enduring so much sadness and frustration, viewers would be weeping for joy over the tsunamis of fluff suddenly crashing over them. Even better, the return of the Season One vibe would almost certainly silence the critics while making TMS2's defenders all the more adamant.

Still, I was skeptical, I'm telling you.

She reassured me, though. She said that this kind of crazy shit makes people go tribal. If anybody complains about the sudden happy ending, or about the whiplash plot points or the inexplicable disconnect between the grumpy but lovable me of Season One and the asshole I am in Season Two, it won't be a question of defending the show on its merits -- fans will just change the subject and say the complainers have no eye for genius. Season Two will be declared an absolute masterpiece no matter what. And if commenters dare to dissent they'll be told that all they want to watch is fluff, and they wouldn't know Great Art if a painting fell on them in The Louvre.

Finally, if you end up loving TMS2 as much as I do you'll be pleased to know that we're already thinking about a Season Three. It would feature even more crazy antics by yours truly, because, honestly, unless I get some serious therapy there's no telling when I'll relapse. The possibilities are endless!

Sincerely,
Han Ji Woo

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I found 'Always Have Always Will' to be very entertaining despite the presence of some well-worn tropes.

There's the roommates of the female lead who blame her for being more appealing to a boy they all like and who do everything they can to torment her.

And there's the snarky girl who pursues the male lead relentlessly despite being rebuffed over and over. In real life a person like that would be considered mentally ill. Alas, I don't think this trope is going anywhere soon.

One trope that this drama nicely subverts is the presence of a second male lead who is left heartbroken after losing out to the ML. In 'AHAW', this character has a level-headed approach to the FL that only makes it appear that he's courting her. (Later we learn that he has a girlfriend and isn't interested in the FL that way.)

But, to get to what impressed me the most: Le Gi Yang's performance as Luo Yan is nothing less than extraordinary. Watching this series I could scarcely believe that this is the same actor who played supporting roles in 'The Love Equations' and 'My Youth'. In the latter especially, by the end of the series his character has aged into his late 20's and looks like he's been through every year of it, yet in 'AHAW' (filmed two years later) he is convincing as both the high school and college versions of his character.

Dawn Chen as Fang Li continues the tradition of FLs in Cdramas who suffer from severe self-doubt and occasional stupidity. Fortunately, the character is intelligent enough to major in chemistry and seems very smart academically. (She's really cute, too.)

The side couple consisting of Fei Fei, the FL's best friend, and Shi Xu, a friend of the ML's, adds some comic relief. Their story leverages another familiar trope: the suitor who pretends to like the girl then finds himself developing real feelings for her.

At the heart of the series is a mystery involving the ML's loss of his memory during high school. How did it happen, and why? When we finally got the answers to these questions I have to admit that I was disappointed. I'd been hoping for something more impactful. The way the FL learns the truth is pretty ho-hum too -- her senior friend from high school just sits her down and tells her. He gives her a reason why he didn't do it sooner, but the way the premise of the series just seems to deflate feels like a let-down when compared to everything else it's had to offer.

We also never see the ML actually regain his memory. I was expecting that to eventually happen, but I can also see where it wasn't really necessary to move the main story forward.

In all, I enjoyed this series a lot and rank it in the upper tier of Cdramas set at a high school or college. Considering how many of those there are I guess that means I liked it a whole lot.

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The trailer had me so hopeful

This turned out to be a four-episode series stretched to twelve, with a second couple that was excruciating to watch and utterly unbelievable as a romantic pairing.

The director should be scolded for making Neo come off like a terrible, scene-chewing actor who shouts his lines. If I was Neo's manager I'd be immediately searching hard for another role that will allow him to truly showcase his talent. His performance here was a disaster.

Right around the midpoint my level of interest in the series dropped significantly and I started to forget that new episodes would be airing. It got to where YouTube would serve them up and I'd be like "Oh yeah ... that's still going." Then I'd put off watching until I'd consumed everything else that had come out that week.

The last few episodes took me multiple days to watch because they could only keep me engaged for 15 minutes at a time. FUTS had become a borderline hate-watch.

For me the high point was the episode where Pond was hiding out in Pi's house, trying to avoid detection by Duean. That was comedy gold. So many other shows try to pull off a sequence like that and fail, but this one nailed it.

I also appreciated the episode where the insecurity that Pi had built up over many years had realistic consequences, making it hard for him to accept that anyone could really care for him. While we all love Mix, Pi's relentless pursuit of Mueang Nan in the early episodes rang false. Somebody who felt as bad about himself as Pi did would never have had the courage to keep going after a guy like Mueang Nan time after time -- and even continue after being gently rebuffed.

Speaking of Mix, another high point was his OST song.

Pond is a discovery. His role made him into a borderline stalker, but wow, his visuals are way up there and he clearly has the acting chops. He's going to go on to to great things.

Phuwin also did well, but it was another case of the wardrobe department thinking that if you make a character wear glasses along with messy hair and braces, you can pass them off as homely. I realize that this is a constant tactic in Asian series but really, asking the audience to accept that kind of thing only drives home how much of a fictional universe you're creating. You can't disguise cuteness of that caliber.

For me FUTS goes into the same pile as "2gether" and "The Shipper" -- a series with a big budget that I couldn't wait to debut, that ended up being even more of a disappointment because of how bad it was.

6/10. And I think that's being generous. ^_^

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For me this movie was just okay. The biggest problem is that 'Luke' is not a very good actor. I don't think he delivered a single line of dialog convincingly. ('Dominic' is fantastic, though, and he has a beautiful singing voice.)

The second biggest problem is that the ending feels very forced. The movie's third act sets up a bunch of problems that it does nothing to resolve. Nothing! (Like, what about that date for prom? And Luke's homophobic friends?)

By the time we get to the final scene of the film we know that Luke is unreliable. He runs hot and cold and has no idea what he really wants. Maybe he loves Dominic, but on the other hand maybe he's just driven by guilt. So, the sentimental ending is unconvincing. It needed something that would assure us (and Dominic) that Luke really, truly knows what he wants now. As it is, I wouldn't be surprised if the next day he's back with the girlfriend. (Something tells me that will be the premise of the sequel. *Yawn* )

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Cute bromance with a hint of BL

'Youths In The Breeze' is an anthology of three bromantic tales from Mainland China. Each of the stories takes up eight short episodes and is unrelated to the others.

'The Boy and the Cat' is a fantasy about a boy who comes to stay with his older sister in her apartment and gets drawn into a rivalry with the cat who also lives there. It turns out that the cat has the ability to transform into a human whenever he wants to. He does this only when the sister isn't looking, so only the younger brother becomes aware of this secret power.

A bit of territorial combat ensues between the human version of the cat and the younger brother. This culminates in a final test where the boy and cat agree that whoever ends up the loser will leave the apartment forever -- either the boy will travel outside the country to study abroad or the cat will go with one of his cat friends to some sort of cat kingdom that is never fully explained.

Once the winner of this face-off has been decided and the loser is ready to leave, both the boy and the cat realize that they really don't want to separate, and that they really don't dislike one another either. They each decide to keep living together in the sister's apartment so that they can continue their cozy friendship while keeping her company at the same time.

'People from the Story' is another fantasy tale, this time about the author of an adventure novel where the main character suddenly emerges from the book into real life. Since the author has intended for this character to die at the end of the book the two men get into a disagreement over his ultimate fate. At one point the author goes back with the character into the world of his own novel, and while there he comes to realize the story's painful parallels with his own life and losses.

'Full-time Sworn Enemy' is the one story in the trilogy that doesn't have a fantasy element. Here, two athletes attending a special training camp for elite runners clash repeatedly with one another, but they gradually become closer as the roots of their rivalry become clearer and a past misunderstanding is resolved.

All three of these stories have happy endings, although the one for 'People from the Story' was a little confusing to me for other reasons.

There are familiar BL tropes sprinkled throughout these three tales, giving us occasions to wonder 'Are they or aren't they?' For instance, at one point two main characters both fall to the floor and accidentally end up with one on top of the other, gazing into each other's eyes -- which of course is a traditional sign that their relationship is headed toward romance. There's also a bit of side-by-side sleeping with a wayward leg draped over one's companion.

For me, the best confirmation that more than friendship is intended here is the sneaky appearance in the final episode of the movie poster for 'Brokeback Mountain'. This occurs about two minutes into the episode and could easily be missed, but I don't doubt for even a second that it is there with a specific purpose.

'Youth In The Breeze' doesn't stake out any major new ground but is cute and engaging, and the main cast is quite attractive. It's also nice to see a Mainland bromance that is gently testing the boundaries of the genre.

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A pleasant but ultimately unsatisfying adaptation

This Kdrama version of a well-known Cdrama is a retelling for tweens that softens the male lead's character while over-infantalizing the female lead. In this remake we have a series that could easily be rebroadcast on Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel. Whether or not you like it might depend on which male lead you prefer -- the Kdrama's or the Cdrama's -- or whether you can tolerate the Kdrama female lead's lack of maturity as she gets older and enters into adult life.

While from the beginning the Kdrama version of 'A Love So Beautiful' has a male lead, Heon, who is quite likeable, his counterpart in the Cdrama starts off as very hard to love, and who must face and acknowledge his own deepest flaws if he has any chance of prevailing in the end. The Cdrama scene where this acknowledgement finally happens is one of the most powerful in the entire series, and is all the more moving because we know how far the male lead, Jiang Chen, has had to come in order to get there.

Because the Kdrama's Heon starts off so nice, there is little distance for his character to travel as he faces his own shortcomings -- shortcomings which, of course, are minor in comparison. Unlike the Cdrama's Jiang Chen, Heon is not troubled by abandonment issues that have caused him to develop an almost impervious layer of emotional armor. Instead, Heon comes off more like a guy who's just a little too shy and needs to come out of his shell.

I know many viewers will prefer this non-threatening kind of male lead, and who am I to say they're wrong. However, in making Heon so comfortable from the start there is much less of a reason for him to strive to better himself. Nor does he help us to understand the reason for his unwavering dependence to Sol Yi. Heon is a character who, after all, we're meant to believe can't live without Sol Yi. Unfortunately, because Heon's eventual redemption in the Kdrama is less necessary than in the Cdrama, it's also less impactful, and deprives the Kdrama of an essential emotional turning point. We never really learn who Heon is or why Sol Yi's love has meant so much to him.

As for Sol Yi, there are two issues: (1) she is perky and over-animated to the point of constantly maxing-out my Cringe-o-Meter, and (2) from the get-go the actress who is cast in the role looks too mature to play a high-schooler. This impression is made even worse by the way the director has Sol Yi constantly exploding with child-like exuberance, squealing with delight at little provocation.

If this is the woman that Heon can't live without, I wish the series would make more of an effort to show us why. As it is, his approach to Sol Yi has a brotherly vibe that it never quite shakes off. In fact, toward the end when he kisses her on the lips it feels uncomfortably close to watching someone kiss his own sister.

Kim Yo Han, who plays Heon, is a K-Pop idol. He does a serviceable job in his acting debut and is cute enough to inspire the fantasies of viewers who wish they could have their own Heon in their lives. Enjoyment of fictional media -- be it books, movies, or drama series -- usually involves some degree of identification with the characters, so with such a handsome and cuddly leading male I can understand why in some corners the Kdrama version of 'A Love So Beautiful' would have a lot of appeal.

The other actors cast in the major roles fit the toned-down nature of the series very well, and are worthy counterparts to the characters in the Cdrama version.

The Korean remake of 'A Love So Beautiful' is worth a look if you want something fluffy to fill your time between other, better-scripted and better-directed dramas. While I have to admit that I was disappointed by it, I can see where it will provide some pleasant companionship for viewers who are more romantically inclined.

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This series has a madcap quality to it, so although there are some intense scenes there's an outrageousness to the whole enterprise that takes the edge off. You might even find yourself chuckling here and there.

All of the scene-chewing comes from the two adult leads and the student ringleader of the little gang of nasties in the classroom. This is a decidedly evil bunch of kids -- by the end of the series most of them have attempted murder -- but in accordance with the wacky rules of Asian drama and this series in particular, none of them has to account for their crimes, and in fact by the end we are meant to sympathize with them. (They are even forgiven by their chief victim, who sincerely tells them that he loves them.)

In addition there are jaw-dropping plot developments that I haven't even hinted at. You will have to watch the series to experience them -- and I do recommend that you do that, although I caution fans of hardcore thrillers that most of what you see is so over the top that it's hard to take seriously.

As entertainment, though, this series does the job and will keep you watching. I binged it in one afternoon. In my book that deserves an automatic 8/10.

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A reputation for greatness that is fully deserved

After recently having the opportunity to watch this series, I'm happy to say that it fully lives up to its reputation as one of the greatest BL series of all time. If there's ever to be such a thing as a BL classic, this is one for sure. I know that my review will be just one more in a towering stack of raves from others, but I need to express these feelings even if my opinion gets lost in the shuffle. :)

Singto and Ohm ... have they ever been better? Or paired with anyone where they had better chemistry?

Ohm's performance in particular strikes me as flawless from start to finish. Nobody, but nobody, could portray this level of sweetness and joy as well as he does -- to the point that it really feels like we're watching the real him. I swear he's so good in this that he can't be acting. I feel that Thun's personality is how Ohm must really be in his daily life, which is a brightly shining light for anyone who knows him.

(Ohm won a 'Best Dramatic Scene' acting award from Line TV for this series and I wonder which scene it would be. My guess is it's either the one that takes place out on the roof deck in the rain or the confrontation with Mes's uncle in Mes's old bedroom. Two very different moods but both delivered like a seasoned pro.)

The Singto we see here is a far cry from the actor who brings such a memorable presence to other series like 'SOTUS' or 'Friend Zone' (either season). Here he has a soft vulnerability which is befitting a person who was ill for much of the time he was alive, and who never had a chance to experience love before he died. As I watched him here I really forgot that he ever played in those other roles. Here he justifies his reputation as one of the all-time greats in Thai drama and BL.

Another big plus: this is a BL that features two leading men who identify as gay -- not simply 'gay for you' or some other dodge.

I like that the mystery aspect is not overdone or drawn out too long, although the guilty party probably should have faced a few legal consequences for what they did.

I'm also not sure about the idea of a ghost who needs to sleep at night or who can touch living people and even get intimate with them ... but this is no time to quibble! :) A fantasy series like this gets to make its own rules, and the ones established here are all for the benefit of driving the story and pleasing viewers. We would have all been very sad if the series had ended without the two leads being able to express their love physically. (And wow, those moments are magic as well.)

Finally, having not been spoiled on the ending before watching the last episode I was delighted beyond words over how everything ultimately turned out.

101 stars out of 10.

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This series is a bumpy and sometimes muddled ride. The production team apparently didn't trust the original novel enough to give it a direct dramatization, instead opting for a "life lesson" approach that is completely absent from the book, and this in itself is done too poorly to have much impact.

The book that this series is based on is a romantic comedy, pure and simple. It follows an outline that the series does keep intact to some degree: despite the bitter rivalry between a high school prince and the school's nerdy top student, the top student develops a one-sided love for the prince that ends up breaking his heart, only to have the situation reversed once both boys get to university. The top student has decided never to fall in love again while the prince (who has now become one of the most popular boys on campus) tries everything he can to win him over.

The book is very sweet and funny, with some touching moments along the way. (While the series was airing I posted a summary of the book's highlights in the discussion section on the MDL page.)

Rather than stick to the novel, though, the series forces two themes into the story that require some unfortunate disruption of the plot and the relationship dynamics:

- Always keep your promises
- Stand up for yourself

(You're forgiven if you happened to roll your eyes as you read that.)

For the "promise" theme, the promise in question is one that Pai makes to Itt under duress in high school, when Itt refuses to return a lost earring of Pai's that Itt has found. In exchange for the earring, Pai tells Itt that he'll do anything that Itt wants. Itt doesn't collect on this promise right away but waits until they're both at university, and what he requests is that Pai represent his faculty in the University Star and Moon contest, and win. (The series doesn't refer to it as the Star and Moon Contest, but that's what it is. The concept should be familiar to anyone who watches Thai BL.)

From there, whenever Pai seems about to fail in his attempt to win the competition, Itt shows up to berate him for not fulfilling his promise (i.e., the promise he was coerced into making to a thief for the return of a stolen item.) The fact that the series attempts to glorify this situation into something profound just shows how dim-witted the writers are. Pai would have been perfectly justified to punch Itt in the nose to get that earring back.

In addition to bullying Pai over the contest, Itt is also the agent for delivering on the "stand up for yourself" theme. Over the course of their freshman year in college he does this by showing up to publicly torture Pai in a number of circumstances. It's all for Pai's own good, you see. Itt's logic is that if Pai gets abused and embarrassed enough he'll finally learn to stand up for himself. (Ironically, when Pai finally *does* stand up for himself by confronting Itt over Itt's constant abuse, Itt gets furious!) (But then Pai immediately breaks down crying, so maybe Itt has a point there...)

Another problem I have with the "stand up for yourself" theme is that I never get the sense that Pai has a problem doing this. In high school, in fact, Pai is the leader of a club that is in direct competition with a club led by Itt, and this requires him to stand up to Itt a number of times.

Eventually Pai's own parents become complicit in this "stand up for yourself" scheme of Itt's, which only serves to make them look like bad parents. We never see how and why they come to do that, so it just becomes more of the series' lack of logic.

An element of the series that does follow the book more closely is the pairing of two other characters, Pure and Folk. Because their side story is not weighed down by any forced profundity, it contrasts refreshingly with the constipated interactions that are foisted upon Itt and Pai.

Pure is an equal-opportunity playboy, seducing women and men alike. After Folk becomes the latest in his string of one-night stands, Pure suddenly finds himself charmed and attracted by Folk's earnest sincerity. Their story becomes a well-done example of the "accidentally in love" trope and in some ways saves the series.

When it comes to the actors and their performances, Fiat is so assured and charismatic in the role of Pure that the other performances pale next to his, with the possible exception of JJ as Pai's best friend, Waan. As a viewer you are left with no doubt as to why Pure can attract others so easily. There's also a lot of good-natured, relaxed humor in Fiat's performance, including some cheerful asides about his own lack of height.

JJ's performance is equally relaxed. His prior experience in other series allows him to make Waan into a naturally chill kind of guy.

(The bromance between Waan and Pure is also a lot of fun. This is another original creation by the series and is something that the screenwriters actually get right, starting with the way in which the two first become friends. The only other thing I'll say about it is to be sure to watch for a scene where Waan takes Pure to see a doctor. These two guys definitely have chemistry, and as a result many viewers end up dearly shipping them as a couple.)

The other performances vary from very good (Marc as Itt, and Aun as Folk) to struggling (Win as Pai). In Win's case I like to think that he was hobbled by the script and direction. There are moments when his talent breaks through, but unfortunately this doesn't happen often, and as a result the chemistry between him and Marc isn't quite what it should be. (For me they don't reach the threshold of establishing themselves as a pairing to be shipped as 'MarcWin'. In fact I won't be surprised if they don't do another series together. 'FiatAun', or 'FAun', on the other hand....)

I hope we'll get to see Win in other roles where he can show his acting chops a little more. In the publicity videos I've watched he is upbeat and energetic in a way that Pai is never allowed to be.

For those interested in knowing how things go in the kissing department, have no fear. The kiss between Pure and Folk is suitably sexy and seductive, while the two that happen between Itt and Pai are plush and soft. For me the amount of lip action between those two was actually a little surprising. Given the tone of the series I expected something along the lines of what happened (or didn't happen) between Sarawat and Tine in '2gether'.

As a final comment, I need to say that it got to where I could no longer stand the endlessly meandering piano music on the soundtrack. I first realized how truly bad it is in a scene where one of the characters is sitting outside a hospital operating room, mourning the death of his mother. The major-key noodling just keeps going and going, as though he's merely waiting on a friend who's gone to use the rest room.

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I rarely binge-watch but this one made me do it.

I was excited to find this drama after enjoying Yokohama Ryusei in 'Hajimete Koi wo Shita Hi ni Yomu Hanashi'. With just eight episodes the plot here moves quickly and there's never a dull moment. Performances across the board are excellent. It was also interesting to me that it's set in modern times yet you rarely see anyone in modern dress -- it's kimonos practically 24x7.

I also like that the FL is resourceful and strong-willed. She knows what she wants and is willing to do what she needs to. She is clearly a good match for the ML, and it's nice that he himself realizes that very early on.

One thing for sure, I really want to try Japanese sweets now.

A few things did bother me though. ** WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW **

First, the fact that all the trouble starts with a 9yo making an accusation that nobody seems to question. There's never any followup from the police to make sure he wasn't mistaken, lying on behalf of someone else, or acting out of spite. (And a case could be made that all three of those were true.)

Another thing is that we get seven episodes of the evil matron doing her best to destroy both the FL and her own son but once again we have a final episode of a drama where the main villain is given a redemption arc from out of nowhere. (And why didn't the father-in-law take action after she nearly killed him?) I don't know why it seems that most of the Asian dramas I watch end up redeeming the villain in the end. For me there's something unsatisfying about that. I want people to be forced to account for their wrongdoing.

Speaking of which, we then have Jojima, who does the evil matron's bidding in the early episodes and even attempts to *kill* the FL, but who then turns into a good guy who never has to account for the terrible things he did. (Also, the matron seems unconcerned when he stops working for her and joins the opposition, so to speak. I'd think she would be the last person you'd want to double-cross like that.)

Still, it's a fun ride if you're willing to overlook some of these inconsistencies. An easy 8/10 for me.

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UPDATE: Not the worst ever - I should not have overreacted

NOTE: After many months of watching one horrible, low-budget BL after another, I now look back on my reaction to 'My Day' and realize I overreacted. In retrospect it doesn't deserve the rating I originally gave it, which was '1.0's across the board.

I've thought about rewriting the review but part of me thinks that would be a cop-out, like I'm trying to avoid my mistake. So I'll leave the writing intact but raise the score.

'My Day' is not a masterpiece by any means, but wow, I had no idea what the future had in store. Mea culpa!

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'My Day' is the BL series that asks: How badly do you want to watch two straight men pretend to be in a relationship?

Be careful how you answer, because watching this series might make your eyes bleed.

'My Day' is more than a disaster -- it's a sign of the BL Apocalypse. It's the result of BL fans blindly throwing their support behind anything that calls itself BL.

This series is so blissfully terrible that the only explanation I have for it is that it's a cash-grab exploitation ploy. No time or effort was put into anything related to the production except for product placements and the superficialities that might draw viewers to it for the first time -- things such as the attractiveness of the main leads and some of the costumes and set design. To me the rest is meant to just take the money and run.

In the world of commerce, anything that becomes popular will result in imitators who seek to profit by making fake versions of the original. As my MDL username implies, one of my hobbies is collecting sneakers, and in the sneaker world this is something that happens constantly. There's a whole underground industry of black-marketeers who quickly manufacture 'replicas' of popular shoes and cash in by selling them at a fraction of what the real thing would cost. At first glance these replicas seem authentic, but upon close inspection you realize that the materials are shoddy, the colors are off, and the construction is terrible.

'My Day' strikes me as the first replica of a BL series. Nothing about it feels authentic or sincere.

The acting is abysmal. It's as though every scene was filmed with one take. As I watched the initial episodes I wondered if the cast had done any kind of workshopping where they could delve into the personae of their characters, understanding their motivations, hopes, fears, and life history. Because in 'My Day', instead of characterizations what we get is people 'behaving' in order to create new 'situations' at the whim of the writers. Instead of a coherent plot we get a mad dash to throw as many BL tropes at the screen as possible. From one episode to the next -- or even from scene to scene -- characters are deployed indifferently, exhibiting behaviors that have no relation to what they were like in earlier scenes.

For example, when we're first introduced to Sky we learn that he's a top culinary student whose hard work has led to a much-coveted internship at a famous bakery. Sky stands proudly among his classmates as he's recognized for his accomplishments, exuding the kind of maturity that we'd expect from a top student. But then, just a few scenes later on his first day of the internship, when the president of the company -- Ace, a notoriously demanding and ill-tempered CEO -- is meeting the new hires for the first time, we see Sky sitting just a few feet away, indifferently checking his phone and paying zero attention to what Ace is saying.

This of course leads the two into a tense confrontation, but as a viewer you're left puzzled. Is this really how a top student would act? In that same scene just moments before, the employees had adamantly warned the new hires about how terrifying Ace can be when he's angry, but the screenwriters are so eager to engineer a confrontation between Ace and Sky that they resort to a completely unbelievable scenario for it to happen.

Later on, after Sky has done more than enough to get himself thrown out of the internship, he goes to Ace's office to beg for one more chance. What does the script have him do? Well, just that, of course, and nothing else: beg. "Please, Mr. Ace ... please, please!"

And that's it! (Someone give that writer an award!)

Never mind that Sky's appeal for mercy could have included something about himself or his family that might have an impact on Ace, making it the first time that an employee has stirred him in a way that makes him take notice and want to forgive. No, because that might have required some actual creativity.

Nevertheless, despite the lack of imagination in Sky's appeal, Ace does decide to give him another chance, because in the lamebrain world of 'My Day' a character will act completely contrary to their reputation without any explanation. Everything is at the service of the screenwriters as they hurry to shuffle us from one drama trope to the next.

I know there are plenty of series that people will say have had worse acting, worse writing, or worse production design than 'My Day', and, based on some of the comments here and on Twitter and YouTube I know there are people who actually think this steaming pile is a masterpiece.

What those other 'bad' series have that 'My Day' lacks is a sincere attempt to bring a consistent narrative to the screen. Despite the challenges (and a likely lack of budget) they strive to deliver an engaging story. The cast actually rehearses, and you can sense that they're really trying to create characters who have a motivation for everything they do.

It's a sad day for BL when hucksters can perpetrate a fraud like 'My Day' on a trusting fandom, and even sadder when the fans feed the monster by proudly celebrating it. We only get the kind of BL that we deserve, and if we insist on rewarding a dumpster fire like 'My Day' then I promise we'll only get more of the same, and we'll have only ourselves to blame.

As it happens, earlier this week, as I wondered 'What series could possibly be worse than this one?', I inadvertently found my answer on YouTube when I stumbled on an announcement that there will be a 'My Day: Season Two'.

Yes, the people behind this hot mess are going to give themselves a chance to outdo themselves....

May the BL gods have mercy on our souls.

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This review and rating are only for the BL side story of Won Seok and Ho Dol

'Love With Flaws' is a rarity: a full-length Korean drama featuring a bonafide BL side story. The m/m relationship between 20-something Won Seok and uni student Ho Dol develops as a slow burn over the course of the 32 episodes, and it is only during the final episode that we learn that the two are actually a couple, but it's during that final episode that we also hear Won Seok's older brother use the word 'love' to describe how Won Seok feels about Ho Dol. They even get their own little happy ending during the montage that ends the series.

Generally speaking, 'Love With Flaws' is a romantic comedy, with the comedic element pitched at a level that might remind you of the American TV series 'Shameless'. Like in 'Shameless' the characters in 'Love With Flaws' are larger than life. Their behavior is often outrageous, but also like in 'Shameless' there are moments of drama and tenderness that stand out in bold relief against the humorous backdrop.

This is part of what makes the character of Won Seok particularly interesting. Won Seok is the gay middle brother of the female lead, and as 'Love With Flaws' progresses it turns out that he's the one exception to the outrageousness of the other characters. Throughout the series he's never held up for ridicule or embarrassment. In fact I can't recall any instance where Won Seok is placed in the kind of madcap situation that requires him to make a fool of himself -- something that every other major character does at some point (including Ho Dol). Won Seok is always taken seriously.

In the first episode we see that Won Seok's job is tending bar at an upscale gay lounge in the city. He and Ho Dol first meet when university student Ho Dol ventures into the establishment for the first time -- a rite of passage that many gay men will recognize from their own coming-out. Ho Dol is almost overwhelmingly nervous, and after Won Seok realizes what he's there for he serves him a beer at no charge and tells him to drink up and get lost. (Ho Dol ends up leaving money to pay for the beer anyway, but leaves the beer untouched.)

A few weeks later, when Won Seok's youngest brother needs a tutor for school, the tutor that the family hires turns out to be none other than Ho Dol. The surprise meeting between Won Seok and Ho Dol in Won Seok's home is played for laughs, with Ho Dol assuming that Won Seok's siblings don't know that he's gay and that Won Seok will want to get him fired as a tutor in order to keep his secret safe. By this point we've seen that the family actually does, in fact, know that Won Seok is gay, and that they have absolutely no problem with it. Ho Dol's misreading of the entire situation is handled with broad humor, but there's no denying that Won Seok doesn't help matters when his reaction to seeing Ho Dol on home territory is to remain cold and unapproachable. This only manages to feed Ho Dol's fear that Won Seok will be out to get him.

Things between them begin to change when another closeted gay uni student (who we've earlier seen pursuing Won Seok only to be rebuffed) spots Won Seok and Ho Dol together on campus. He mistakenly thinks that Won Seok is romantically interested in Ho Dol, and for revenge on the two of them he subjects Ho Dol to a cruel prank that results in some humiliating video footage of Ho Dol. The video gets posted online, outing Ho Dol to his fellow students and anyone else who happens to see it -- a list that eventually includes Ho Dol's family back home.

When the humiliated Ho Dol suddenly stops showing up to tutor Won Seok's younger brother, Won Seok goes back to the campus to confront him over leaving the job needlessly. He then follows Ho Dol to his lecture hall, where he sits with him and puts on a public display of behaving like his boyfriend. The ensuing scenes are particularly gratifying as Won Seok takes Ho Dol's side (literally) and afterward harshly confronts the closeted student who'd pranked him.

I won't give any details about the turn of events that ends up bringing Won Seok and Ho Dol closer, but suffice to say that the scenes that follow the campus confrontation provide Jang Yoo Sang (who plays Ho Dol) with the opportunity to show us that his acting chops aren't by any means limited to comedy.

Eventually we also learn of the dark moments that occurred during Won Soek's own coming out, and once this revelation occurs it puts much of his earlier behavior in perspective, including the stand-offish treatment he gives to Ho Dol at the outset. Perhaps Ho Dol reminds him too much of himself at a younger age, when he struggled with his own sexuality and made some very bad choices. After enduring so much and seeking to put all of the unpleasantness behind him, the sudden appearance of the confused and timid Ho Dol must have shaken him -- especially since the kid was turning up at both his place of employment and his home.

While Won Seok and Ho Dol do eventually end up in a relationship, I have to admit that when I first watched the series I didn't expect that to happen. I thought instead that Won Seok would end up mentoring Ho Dol as he finally meets someone at the university. Initially, of course, there was no relationship between Won Seok and Ho Dol at all, not even a friendship, and while this can be a starting point for the 'opposites attract' trope, what did manage to develop between them at first felt a lot like it had a 'big brother' vibe to it. Fortunately, the series does end up showing us the ways in which Ho Dol also makes a (very) profound difference in Won Seok's life. The underlying theme of redemption through love flows in both directions.

I've come this far without mentioning the untimely death of Cha In Ha, who plays Won Seok. In some ways it has ended up casting a tragic shadow over 'Love With Flaws', and I've wondered if this could be one of the reasons the series is not often mentioned when BL-friendly dramas are discussed. Cha In Ha's death occurred while 'Love With Flaws' was first airing, and at the time there was some speculation that the broadcast might be halted out of respect. I'm glad it wasn't. He is truly wonderful in the role of Won Seok, and this along with the fact that the role was part of a groundbreaking BL side story in a Kdrama makes 'Love With Flaws' a fitting memorial to his art and his humanity.

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