Better than expected

There are so many things that can go wrong with this series, but thankfully it ends up being quite nicely put together despite having some flaws.

The first time the protagonist, Q, meets X (in a toilet), it's obvious that X has a crush on him. But the flaws with the series also start here. Given that X is quite obviously interested in Q, why does he purposely do things to antagonize Q (including making fun of his penis size)? And then Q's behavior is also potentially toxic: because X challenges him to try to get Mook, a female schoolmate, to invite him (Q) to an event, Q has to pretend to be a fan of Mook's and feign interest in her online. He even delegates this pretense of interest to his friends since no one can tell that someone is posting stuff on his behalf. In a way, Q and his friends are lying to Mook and trying to manipulate her feelings. (It is thus rather ironic that later, in a misunderstanding, Q thinks that X and Mook are in cahoots to lie to him/toy with his feelings.)

Yet, X and Q manage to be fairly likable. Q doesn't really mean any harm, and he also doesn't really care that much about winning the bet with X. I like how the X and Q romance doesn't follow an enemies-to-lovers plot. Q just naturally falls in love as he spends more time with X.

Oddly enough, Q's mother and uncle (who are side characters) are the ones who are portrayed with some level of complexity. Q's mother, who gives the impression of being fine with gay people since she has no issues with her gay brother, turns out to have concerns that her son is gay. Yet, she isn't entirely homophobic either, and her brother is able to persuade her to be more accepting. Q's uncle, who initially seems to be a bad joke (he's "Uncle Man" but he isn't exactly manly, haha), doesn't end up being a flat character created simply for the sake of humor. He can be serious too, and in many ways, he's the most sensible person in the whole series, giving sound advice to others despite his personal problems (like his father's inability to accept him for being gay).

The interactions between X and Q are cute and sweet without being cloying. Although the misunderstanding in the final episode seems a little forced (like the predictable break-up scene that happens in the penultimate episodes of many series), the way the misunderstanding is cleared up is quite nicely done. In the end, we can forgive a lot of flaws because X and Q are characters who are easy to like, and the two actors look good together.

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Not a very ambitious BL, but it offers a lot of sweetness

If you are going to make a BL and you aren't too ambitious about breaking new ground but just want to make something cute and sweet, you make something like this.

The Kim/Mek story isn't all that impressive. In fact, I thought the series would end in Episode 6 as I was watching it. The turns in the story after that seem a little forced, but I'm not really here for a great story to begin with. Although a lot of people don't seem to like the way the series starts, I find the first six episodes more energetic and coherent. This fujoshi university chancellor (or whatever her position is) practically abuses her power to make Kim/Mek create BL content. There is some parody of BL scenarios, but the series itself is full of such scenarios anyway (like the couple falling down and kissing each other as a result). After Episode 6, the story remains lighthearted but seems to take a different turn. Nevertheless, the second half of the series isn't really bad either, especially if the main characters have grown on you.

Although I do like Kim/Mek, my favorite of the four couples is Park/Lee. Apart from one or two parts of the story when they have a silly misunderstanding, they are sweet and supportive of each other. There is a back story of how they met and why they keep their relationship a secret. For a large part of the story, they are the most mature of the couples.

It seems like a lot to have four couples in the story, but I think this is handled pretty well. Each pair is quite distinct and their lives are not so separate that you feel the jump when the story moves from one couple to another. This makes the series better than most series that feature so many couples. There is nothing truly exceptional about this series, but there is always a place for such a lighthearted, generally stress-free BL series.

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Average BL despite the cute leads

The one thing that got my attention throughout the series: Why does Kaownah look so different from the time he was in Tharntype? Is it the filter, the fact that he buffed up somewhat or is it that he has gone under the knife? He looks great here, but I practically can't recognize him (and I actually prefer the way he looked back then).

That said, the Kaownah/Turbo (Ryou/Anda in the story) pairing in this series is rather nice, but the story isn't very strong. The story is fairly predictable, and while I think the actress playing Ryou's ex-manager is quite good, she is over-the-top evil with a comic effect. I think she's told to act this way, but somehow it doesn't gel with the rest of the series.

I don't know how faithful the portrayal of Anda's parents is to the original source. But it looks as though the writers can't decide whether they are terrible parents or understanding parents, and has simply to make them both, but at different points. On the one hand, they try to force Anda to join the entertainment industry when he obviously doesn't want to. The father even goes to the extent of tearing out a kissing scene from the script of an ad so that Anda would go along with the filming without knowing it. On the other hand, they seem to accept their children's relationship choices (not just the fact that they are in same-sex relationships). So I don't know....

Relatively minor problems like this mar the quality of the production, as does the rather weak story. In the end, although the leads are likeable, there is a certain ceiling preventing the series from going beyond the two cute leads. I like how there is a side couple that contrasts with the main couple. I like how the main couple decide to make their relationship public, the side couple does not--the message is that, ultimately, the choice should be made by them and nobody can decide what the right choice is.

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Cookie Cutter BL

While this isn't exactly a series that leaves you wanting to smash your screens in frustration, it isn't much good. Standard Thai BL fare that is somewhat passable compared to the most poorly made BLs, but there is much better stuff nowadays.

The enemies-to-lovers plot is definitely nothing new, but delivery is everything. Sometimes it turns out funny and cute, but not this time. This is partly because the characters are not very well written or developed. They merely change when the time comes for them to change. Arthip, for instance, seems truly obnoxious at the start. He's not just an awful, uncompassionate boss to work for but also quite unpleasant in general, such as when he almost knocks down someone. And yet, when the time comes for enemies to start becoming lovers, he seems very much a different person. Arthip's love interest, Poon, is also somewhat inconsistent, vacillating between being headstrong and vulnerable. The changes in him are more explainable, but a lot of it is done hurriedly.

The side couple, Teng Nueng and Mayom, is a little better. There is also the same enemies-to-lovers plot for them, but the transitions seem better. The strange part about this couple, however, is in the fact that Teng Nueng is attached when he first meets Mayom, and we are as surprised as Mayom when he reveals it. The thing is, Teng Nueng has no intention at all to cheat on his boyfriend, and yet the way he behaves with Mayom before telling Mayom that he has a boyfriend easily gives one the wrong idea. If you ask me, it's really because there is a preoccupation with showing BL-ish moments at the expense of sensible characterization.

The woman, Amy, who is in love with Arthip is another character that is a tell-tale sign of a poorly written script. When she's supposed to be the main character's rival in love, she's a nasty, almost universally hated person. And it's not just the way she behaves towards her rival. Her affected behavior, her elitism, her superficiality were all evident. And then when it's time in the story for her to stop being the love rival, she becomes quite a different person, though no less comical.

I'm actually not too averse to cookie-cutter BLs. There are some that end up being pretty decent, but this one can afford to do better. Use the cookie cutter by all means, but the cookie needs a better mix of ingredients.

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Much more focused than Season 1

Season 2 is much more focused than Season 1. A couple of the urban teens from Season 1 do not appear in Season 2. Whether this is a deliberate move or due to the unavailability of the actors or even a lack of budget, it has an unintended positive effect of helping the series become more focused.

In Country Boy 2, the story is much more focused on the romance between Keptawan and Nubdao. There are fewer distractions although they only actually confess their feelings quite late. The acting of the two main actors isn't perfect but it is decent, and they are certainly putting in effort to immerse themselves in their roles. Their awkwardness, shyness and their worries are adequately conveyed, making the story more engaging.

As with Season 1, however, the plight of the country boy (Keptawan) gets a touch-and-go sort of treatment. Keptawan works at his uncle's cafe in Chiang Mai for a month. From the start, he isn't particularly welcome and because he is prone to making mistakes, he is often scolded and insulted. The discrimination towards the person from the countryside is obvious, and the series shows this. Unfortunately, there is a lack of thematic development. Just like how the country boy's financial woes are a tad too easily overcome in Season 1, his plight does not get the attention it deserves. In fact, he simply becomes better at his job and gains the recognition of both customers at his uncle's cafe and his uncle himself. If there isn't going to be development on the theme of discrimination against the country boy, I would rather do away with it altogether and use the space freed up to make Country Boy 2 a better BL.

There is room for improvement, but Country Boy 2 is an improvement from Country Boy 1.

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Urban Boy Meets Country Boy

The portrayal of teenagers from rural and urban areas meeting can be rather charming, if in some ways clichéd. One of the weaknesses that can be seen almost immediately is the relative lack of focus. The script could have been improved--at times it feels as though one were sitting near a group of teens, in a cafe or some others setting, and listening to them. The themes can, in fact, be rather serious, but it seems that there is a reluctance to explore them fully. The latent power imbalance between the more well heeled urban consumers of the homestay and the impoverished service providers is hinted at but soon forgotten.

If there is anything interesting in the story that lacks focus, it is that, to the urban dwellers who are wealthier, the countryside may just be more a novel commodity to be consumed or romanticized. To the urban dwellers, the countryside can simply be a getaway; but to the actual poor people of the countryside, their impoverishment is something that they need to get away from. It is not that the urban boys are malicious or exploitative, but they simply don't know better. Little is down to develop the theme, however, and the thin story eventually gives way to a display of youthful innocence and friendship that bring the urban and the rural together.

There are hints of romance/BL that, commendably, are not excessively emphasized to pander to fans. The signs of romantic affection between Nubdao and Keptawan are definitely there, but, in line with the innocence and youth of the characters, they do not really flirt or confess their feelings to each others (in Season 1 at least).

In the end, the country boy's crisis is all too easily resolved, partly with the help of his wealthier friends. This made me wonder why the writers bothered to add in the crisis (financial debt) in the first place. We could simply have a group of friends who visit the homestay facility in the countryside and end up helping the impoverished country boy improve it.
The production quality is generally decent even if the budget is low. With a more focused script and a bolder exploration of themes, the series would have been better.

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And the BAD Award goes to .......

The story revolves around friends/colleagues in a company, Nut, Mick and Sa. The orientation isn't very effective in showing the situation and relations within the company, but Nut is made to work on a freelancer whom he does not like from the start. They have to enter a competition for an award known as the BAD Award (I can't tell if this is intended to be a joke).

The first thing that strikes me about this series is that the script needs to undergo at least a few rounds of brutal revisions even if the trajectory of the story remains the same. Several aspects of the production fall on the amateurish side. The music sometimes drowns out the voices. In some scenes, the lighting seems insufficient and in other scenes, the color scheme seems a little to "naturalistic" when the colors could have been brighter and more vibrant--they can be quite different from what the poster leads us to expect. Post-production work could have been improved.

The acting isn't terrible for actors with barely any experience, but it isn't very good either. The actress who plays Sa is probably the best even though her role isn't the most important. The quality of the series isn't very consistent, especially at the start, which is perhaps one reason viewers have not taken very well to it.

Ep 1: Ambitious
- Nut is made to work with Guy, whom he doesn't like. (The reason isn't compelling even though the episode drags on for very long.) Nut's friend, Mick, is in love with him. 5 minutes of solid footage with a good script and skillful editing will probably do better than an entire episode here.

Ep 2: Inspiration
- Not exactly an inspired episode. Nut becomes friendlier to Guy (quite abruptly). A more pleasant side of Guy, but the character lacks overall coherence. He seems like different people in the same body.
- Mick's character needs a reboot: he could have been the character that the audience sympathizes most with, but ends up coming across as being unreasonable,

Ep 3: Trust
- Mick is accused of some wrongdoing. Once again, the episode drags out for too long. I like how Nut trusts Mick even though they have kind of fallen out. Nut, Mick and Sa's closeness as a team is nice to see.

Ep 4: Weekends
- Things go quite ok at first. Mick seems to have come to terms with the reality that his feelings for Nut are unrequited, and even creates a chance for Nut and Guy to be together. Then Guy's bizarre behavior immediately after confessing his love to Nut spoils everything. I'm sure there can be some explanation for it, but it is not a good way to end Season 1. It looks written in just so that there will be a cliffhanger for Season 2. An intern is brought in right at the end of the episode. I'm guessing that with the addition of this intern, there can be two BL couples and a happy ending for everyone in Season 2--if it is made and if it does decide to create a bigger mess.

Given that the production is most likely a rather low-budget production with people who are not very experienced, it is passable in many ways. However, it is really in need of better scripting. When entire chunks of the script can be deleted, what can the rest of the production team do to salvage the series? The writing does have the potential to be economical, e.g. when Nut jokes that he and Mick (separately) need to get married before Sa, Mick says that he's just waiting for Nut to say yes. Mick's one-sided love for Nut can be conveyed clearly without needing more words as long as the director directs the actors to act in a certain way. The initial tension between Nut and Guy can also be more economically conveyed with a clearer clash between them in the office.

Hopefully Season 2 will see a marked improvement.

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Average rom com with some mystery

Apart from the romance plot involving 3 couples, part of the story is about their investigations into some clandestine activities involving using people to experiment on drugs without their consent.

The series starts of pretty well, but the romance parts of the story and the investigations are not very nicely integrated. The main characters, Bai Yu and Wu Xia, are investigating separate cases (the death of Bai Yu's father and the apparent death of Wu Xia's brother) that have them pursuing the same targets. That's fine, but when we see a focus on the romance, the investigations disappear into the background, only to appear again whenever the writers feel like it. Additionally too little is shown of how Bai Yu's father died or what caused Wu Xia to think that her brother has been killed. I'm left with the impression that this is a clumsily executed attempt at heightening the suspense before the revelation. The limited revelation seems so deliberate that it's yelling "We can't give the story away yet!"

As for the characterization, most of the main characters are likable, the sort one is likely to find in a rom com but with some degree of complexity. Still, I'm left wondering how Bai Yu's teacher became his teacher, what she's doing as a dancer (is it a cover for her actual activities), and why she is on his side in going after the one who has killed his father. At times, she seems to have a personal vendetta against the bad guys, but there is a lack of elaboration and sometimes she seems to be simply around to help Bai Yu. (Also, what has she taught him? I have the impression that she is his martial arts teacher, but we don't really get to see her showcasing her skills.)

Then comes the plot twist of sorts when the mastermind behind the clandestine drug experimentation is revealed. It is a twist that one is all too likely to see coming, so much so that there isn't even any effort at making the moment of revelation seem shocking. It's a pity that the writers have not channeled their energy into the investigations plotline. It makes for a fairly interesting story, and the "twist" regarding the mastermind can be avoided altogether. After all, despite serving to weave together different events, the twist makes the tone and characterization rather uneven.

Love Like White Jade is an ok rom com if it happens to be your genre, but don't expect anything exceptional from it. It is best enjoyed when you want something light and sweet without a focus on heavy, dark themes.

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Starts off promising but ends up being average

Yet another Medical Examiner Dr Qin series? This one isn't the best, but at least it feels better than another one that I gave up on because it felt a tad too pretentious.

Dr. Qin is in Longfan City to help out with a (serial) murder case that bears a striking resemblance to a murder he witnessed as a kid. Along the way, he helps solve several other cases. The series starts off fairly well, with the discovery of a decapitated body; the dynamics between the main characters seem rather promising. Although the cases involve murder, there seems to be something lighter in the way the relationships between the main characters are portrayed. This is almost reminiscent of the 2016 Dr Qin drama starring Zhang Ruo Yun, but there is barely any development except for a romance between Dr Qin and a police officer. The actor playing Da Bao is really cute but not given a significant part (though Da Bao was more important in the 2016 Dr Qin drama).

The series get a little boring after a while: the main serial killer case is suspended when another case happens, then the serial killer kills another person, then attention falls to yet another case. There is an attempt to connect some of the cases, but the result is not very impressive. The main serial killer case is probably supposed to be the most interesting, but it seems carelessly written. Major spoiler:

The serial killer is adopted at the age of 10, some time after his father. The father was killed fifteen years before the serial murders. This means that he is at most 25 years old when he commits the murders. However, 6 years before committing the murders, he is already a successful doctor who is almost married to a reporter--what? at the grand old age of 18-19?

In the end, the attempt to establish connections between main serial killer plot with the other cases and what has happened 15 years ago is ambitious but a failure. It would have been better to simply let the cases be unconnected and have stronger story for the serial killer. For much of the series, the scenes featuring the serial killer (even just in dreams) are done in horror-movie style. It works at the start in terms of showing how Dr Qin remains traumatized by the murder he has witnessed as a kid. However, it becomes stale after a while.

As with other Dr Qin dramas, a part of the story is about Dr Qin's father. I was expecting something interesting about why Dr Qin's father left the family years ago, but there isn't anything really interesting about it. This is a pity for the actor playing the father is rather good and could have handled a more interesting role.

Despite the flaws, the series is average fare that is worth a watch if your expectations of a drama in the genre is not too high? But there are certainly better ones to watch.

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Absorbing tale of political intrigue with interesting characters and elements of wuxia

Political intrigue is not everyone's cup of tea, but this series does it in a way that will be appealing to a lot of people. There are plenty of conniving characters in the story, but it's not the kind of story that will leave one with a dreadful sense of cynicism or the idea that people are all merely making use of one another to achieve their own aims. Instead, there are characters we can appreciate, even those who are not on the side of the protagonist.

For a story that involves so much scheming, it surprisingly has a subtle central message about kindness. Xu Feng Nian is a reluctant potential heir to his father's important position, one which the ruler is both dependent on and heavily guarded against. His father is a master of covert plots and can be merciless with his enemies, but is essentially not a bad person. Xu Feng Nian is actually very similar, but he is reluctant to sacrifice the people he cares about for "greater" ends like peace in the country: basically he wants to have his cake and eat it. Nevertheless, it seems that his attempts to do something different from his father end up being whatever his father has planned for him to do in the first place.

If the story is not handled properly, we might just end up with a bland story with a lot of scheming characters we don't care about. But in Sword Snow Stride, the protagonist is bent on tempering his actions with kindness. So while the political intrigue is an unfortunate aspect of his life (and the lives of all the other characters), the solution, it seems, is not to run away from it but to be great at it without losing one's kindness and sense of justice. Quite importantly, though it is not overly emphasized, Xu Feng Nian is saved by his/his late mother's kindness at a critical juncture towards the end.

One thing that strikes me as being particularly well done is the sentimental aspects of the story, particularly the protagonist's relationships with the other characters. Surprisingly romance is not given a whole lot of attention although it is there. Instead, Xu Feng Nian's relationships with his father, his siblings and even his deep friendship with a servant who dies early on in the story are finely blended into the story of what he has to/wants to do before he succeeds his father. Almost every character who plays a relatively significant role has a distinctive personality (and mind you, there are many, many characters). This is a sign of a really well written script.

There are more treats for the audience. The wuxia elements of the story practically ventures into xianxia territory, and the fight/swordplay sequences are beautifully choreographed (even if perhaps not altogether innovative). Some might find the sequences of the greatest martial arts masters a little over-the-top, especially when they can affect nature or open some celestial gate, but I don't think it mars the story in any way. Perhaps it is related to the theme: the most powerful masters of martial arts are mostly not the ones who wield power or connive whereas the masters of political schemes do not always have physical prowess; eventually a balance of both may be necessary even for noble political aims.

There is likely a second season given the viewership ratings that the series has garnered. On its own, however, this season ends satisfactorily. It is certainly possible for further developments: who is the woman who helps Xu Feng Nian several times while purportedly wanting to kill him, what is happening with the Wudang Sect guy at the end of the story, will the two baby tiger "monsters" that Xu Feng Nian has adopted have an important role to play, etc? Despite all the loose threads that can lead to a Season 2, Season 1 ends in a surprisingly satisfactory way. It does not give the sense that it ends in the middle of nowhere or resort to some sort of bizarre cliffhanger that makes us doubt our understanding of the entire season. It is not an easy feat to strike the perfect balance between having proper closure for Season 1 while keeping things just open enough for a Season 2 (so that Season 2 will seem like a natural extension), but this series has managed it.

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BL with a concept that has potential but ultimately falls flat

Cute actors, a nice song and relatively high production value do little to salvage a weak story that is conceptually quite fun.

There is some tension between two actors, Play and First, who are supposed to act as lovers in a series. They don't seem to get along very well but at the same time, they seem to be attracted to each other. This could have been a story about how Play and First develop feelings for each other while acting as lovers, with some sensitively depicted feelings of confusion on their part. However, it turns out to be a mess with scenes of squabbling without strong indications of their romantic feelings or other emotions.

There are also clichés and stereotypes. To make matters worse, the side characters' dialogues are often pointless or at least lost in translation. Although there are only 5 episodes in the whole series, a lot of time is used for unnecessary scenes.

The main characters are not properly developed and they appear temperamental and inconsistent. One minute First is laying his head on Play's lap and the next minute they are squabbling. The story pretty much begin in the middle of nowhere, and it is not clear how the two male leads meet, why they don't seem to get along and how they starting having feelings for each other.

Then a love triangle is thrown into the story as another guy, Pluto, is in love with Play. The love triangle isn't altogether pointless. Ironically, the Pluto/Play part of the story is told in a much better way than the Play/First part of the story. At least we know how they meet each other and Pluto's affections are unambiguous.

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Funnier than the main series

This special episode, which features only Adachi and Kurosawa, does not advance the story any further, but it is a nice addition to the series. If you like the series, this episode is a good addition to it, especially if you watch it immediately after watching the series. There's actually more humor in this episode than in the main series as we see Adachi and Kurosawa's colleague trying to find out why they are so close and draws and unexpected conclusion. I also like it that there's an indirect reference to Adachi's mind-reading power (which he has lost) as he now can't read Kurosawa's mind and find out what he likes but he is still slowly learning to understand Kurosawa better.

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A lot of recycled scenes as flashbacks, but used reasonably well

There are really too many "recap" scenes in this special episode as a journalist and Wakamiya go around talking to people related to past cases. But while the many recycled scenes are indeed excessive, I do think that they have been used strategically at times to show, for instance, Wakamiya's attachment to Shishio ("Sherlock"). It is just that there is really no need for so many of them or for them to be so long. The revelations of the other characters who are thinking back about the past will require some flashbacks, but they could often have been shorter.

The criminals' reactions to the journalists can be interesting, and the presence of the journalist trying to write something about Shishio is intriguing. But ultimately, we get more questions. Is the journalist up to no one or is she really someone who is grateful to Shishio for his help in the past? We don't have conclusive answers. Where is Moriya (the villain) and is the man claiming to be Moriya in the last episode of the series really Moriya? One thing we do know eventually is whether Shishio survives the fall into the sea in the last episode. This is revealed at the end, but again: what has happened to him? We don't know. More questions. So please give us a Season 2?

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Can there be more cuteness and sweetness in a BL?

Rarely do I find a BL that makes me feel equally for both the male leads. The character settings may sound familiar: we have a guy who has a crush on another but tries his best to keep it a secret, we have a guy who has little confidence in himself and sees himself as just a person who cannot be more ordinary and nondescript. But instead of putting both of these into one character and having the diffident guy as the one in love with someone handsome and popular, we have the handsome guy secretly in love with the one with a low self-esteem. And simply with this move, we don't have the usual trope of a practically toxic handsome guy finally falling in love with the long-suffering ordinary person. Instead, there is plenty of sweetness throughout.

I can empathize with the handsome man who assumes the other person isn't interested in him but finds it harder and harder to just remain colleagues with him, and I can identify with the feelings of the diffident man who assumes that no one would ever be interested in him. This story of two really nice people falling in love with each other and getting together is touching without making one feel miserable (well except perhaps for the fact that the fiction will not be one's reality). It is light-hearted without resorted to senseless humor.

The side couple is similarly cute though their personalities are different. And there's a cat. Two cute and sweet BL couples and a cat and a pretty good story: it is hard to ask for more when watching BL. Even the friendship between Adachi (the one who lacks confidence) and his best friend, Tsuge (one half of the side couple) is so adorable. And while one of the female characters is interested in Adachi, she is not used as some sort of evil woman who goes between the main couple. Instead, she is genuinely supportive of their relationship.

This is how you make a heartwarming BL series. You don't need passionate kissing scenes or tons of bare flesh or a story full of twists and climax full of tension. Just use this as a textbook example. I'm not even asking for a second season. I'm asking for more BL series like this. They are not going to be the only BLs I love or the only things I watch, but I do want such series around to watch when I'm feeling down and need something to give me some warmth.

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Thought-provoking but not a film with mass appeal

The Chinese title of this short film is "The Distance that Isn't Heard" (which can either refer to the distance between people who don't hear each other out or literally "inaudible distance"). We have the story of a gay couple in a society which has achieved (more or less) equal rights for gay people and in which people have become more accepting of homosexuality. But even without the hurdle of a lack of acceptance, can two men who are attracted to and love one another overcome differences in political outlook?

The good thing about this short film is that it does not have an in-your-face message or preach anything in particular. It shows the relationship between the two men, but there may not be a clear point to discern from the scenes which are nonetheless beautifully shot. The film is open to interpretation. Its strength may also be its weakness, however. It may come across as being a tad pointless or somewhat pretentious in adopting a needlessly disjointed narrative structure.

If we consider the film to be about love, it is easy to think that when one is in love with another person, one won't care about the other person's occupation. But is it love if one does not even know the other person's occupation or has not made an effort to find out? When one of the main character yells "I can't hear," is it literally that he can't hear what the other is saying because of the noisy environment or is it an indication of a refusal to hear another person out when the latter is on a different side politically? (There is perhaps an answer suggested in the scene where one shouts "I can't hear (you)" and the other shouts "I *also* can't hear (you)".

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