We are performing scheduled database maintenance, which may cause temporary downtime. We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience.
 angeliviki2022:
hope you're doing well.

I am finally getting back on track!


 angeliviki2022:
It's been very active here

This level of activity is great to see. Having a super active community is far better than having no traffic at all. I haven't been keeping up with the forums recently, but I believe our group has a higher number of active members compared to most. Our members are fantastic and we truly feel like one big, positive family.

I understand it can be challenging to keep track of posts on the club page due to its fast pace. When the forum is active, I often save the link to my last reply and send it to myself. This way, I can easily pick up where I left off. There have been instances when I returned to find a backlog of 20 pages to go through. It can be quite confusing.


 angeliviki2022:
Monster Next Door

I'm dropped this series because it wwas a bit too slow for my taste. However, I did find the dynamic of a couple comprising an extrovert and an introvert quite interesting. I must admit, I really like the actor who plays Big. Diew's character tho was quite draining to watch. I don't blame the actor, as he's just following the director's instructions. I think it's more the personality trait. As an introvert, it feels draining to watch them do the same things I do daily. haha.

The supporting characters in the story are quite bothersome. There's that girl who seems to seek attention by using others, the band with constant internal issues, and their supposed friends who don't support them. Even the introverted friend of Diew serves no real purpose other than to highlight that an introvert has another introverted friend. They barely interact outside of school work, so I fail to see their significance to the plot.

I regret not staying to see at least one kissing scene based on the trailer. It looked really intense, but I couldn't wait for it to happen!

 angeliviki2022:
I Saw You in My Dream

I'm really drawn in by the mystery in this show. I need to catch up on some episodes. I'm loving the main couple and their adorable relationship and interactions. It seems like a very healthy relationship filled with lots of support and positive love language!

 p43425:
(re "Cherry Magic" Japanese original) Good point which I'd not really thought about before. I'm trying to think of another JBL with a side couple. Other than Aoki and Hashimoto in "Kieta Hatsukoi" (who I totally loved, but they're boy-girl so probably not really what we're talking about here), I can only think of one other: Shuu and the adorably cute Asuka in "Minato Season 2".

There might not have been kisses and the lot, but there was longing and pining, and if done right, it can be just as good.
(re "Sunspot") In general, I feel the same way - but even at that, I still felt that the final episode lacked the satisfying resolution that I wanted ...

Cherry Magic so far is the only one i've seen have a side bl couple. I'd love to see more of that; in most cases no matter the bl I love a good side couple. When I watched Takara-Kun and Amagi-kun, I wanted to see the two best friends get together...it would've been so cute since they're both funny. 

As for Sunspot I agree, while I enjoyed the series the ending did seem to be lacking something. I guess I wanted a time jump or something so we could see how they moved forward as a couple. Maybe that'll be in season 2 if they have one. *fingers-crossed*

 angeliviki2022:

I'm loving these currently airing shows:

Yes yes yes I've only seen the first 3 and the first ep of I Saw You in My Dream but I plan to watch addicted heroin as well.

Simi_Tutu -  Hey!! (waving emoji) We Missed you too!! ♡ :)

 American Fan:
J-dramas are on the bottom rung,

 American Fan:
25 Ji, Akasaka de

I came across an interesting article in a Japanese magazine this week. I think you would enjoy reading it. I'm planning to post it here soon along with an english translation!

 American Fan:
dropped Takara no Vidro

This does not surprise me at all LOL

oooo a new JBL has anyone watched this yet? I think it just started airing this week.

Love Is Like a Poison

Kidnap - episode 2

Handler: Kidnap and kill Q.

Min: falls in love with Q.

Q: living his best life as a house husband

LOL I cannot lmao

Even Q tells Min that he is the worst kidnapper; imagine your kidnapper feeding you, cuddling you and taking care of your bad dreams lol

It is just episode 2 and Min is already so whipped lol

The chemistry is amazing. I look forward to the next episode.

 FortPeatForever:
 Hey!!

Heyy! How's it going ! *hugs*

 Simi_Tutu:

Heyy! How's it going ! *hugs*

I've been doing fine and you? "Hugs back"

 FortPeatForever:
you?

It has been an incredibly hectic week and a half, with numerous doctor's appointments, family commitments, and various unexpected events. It feels like everything is happening at once, which can be overwhelming. On the bright side, I've always heard that things happen in threes, or in my case, five to six! Despite the chaos, I can't help but feel that these changes are much needed and long overdue. It's full train ahead or is it full steam ahead ?  😅

 Simi_Tutu:

It has been an incredibly hectic week and a half, with numerous doctor's appointments, family commitments, and various unexpected events. It feels like everything is happening at once, which can be overwhelming. On the bright side, I've always heard that things happen in threes, or in my case, five to six! Despite the chaos, I can't help but feel that these changes are much needed and long overdue. It's full train ahead or is it full steam ahead ?  ?

Awww :( I hope things start getting better for you soon. ♡

Hidamari ga Kikoeru  Final Thoughts 

Subtitled "The Barely There BL" or "The Blink and You'll Miss It BL"

The story has merit and valuable messages. (There were a few things I had trouble with but I won't bother mentioning.)

BUT,  if it was supposed to be a BL, it missed the mark for me. Included in the MDL description, "Now, they are more than friends and less than lovers." That could be a description for every bromance listed.

They didn't lie. I've seen more romantic tension and chemistry btw bromance couples. 

After 12 eps the viewers "Romance Reward" is an awkward hug and another day sitting together over lunch.  

An 8/10 for me. 8 for the story, and zip, nadda, nothing for the no burn romance and uneventful ending. Like, wth, did they even hold hands?


SCREEN+ Vol.90 Part 1
Komakine Akita ,Shinhara Taisuke 
"The biggest challenge is to differentiate between different roles." "I want to act carefully."
The super popular BL work "25:00 in Akasaka" by Hiroko Natsuno, which won first place in the double ranking (series category and drama CD category) at the "BL Awards 2023", has been made into a live-action drama. It is currently being broadcast on TV Tokyo every Thursday from 12:30 am. It makes the dream story of "What if the actors who play the boys' love (BL) couple were in a romantic relationship in real life..." come true.
This much-talked-about work has been met with many voices calling for it to be made into a film. Komakine Akita plays the role of Hayama Asui, a popular model and actor who combines beautiful looks with talent. Niihara Taisuke plays the role of Shirasaki Yuki, a new actor who plays his co-star. We spoke to the two co-stars about their enthusiasm for the work.
SCREEN+ Vol.90 Part 2

To X T Nisha 

--- Komakine-san's hair is high-tone and Niihara-san's is dark color, so they are closer to the original visuals.
 
Komakine: "I had blonde hair in the drama "Kyou Kara Hitman" that aired last October, so I wondered if the day would come soon again when I would have to dye my hair. What do you think of the color this time?
 Maybe (laughs)." Niihara: "It really suits you!"
 Komakine: "Really? I'm glad to hear you say that. It's hard to take care of my hair, but I'll do anything for the sake of my work."
 Niihara: "On the other hand, I dyed my hair black. It's been a while since I've appeared in a drama with black hair (laughs)."

In the original work, Hayama Masumi is a person with an elusive and mysterious sense of tempo, while Shirasaki Yuki is straightforward and has the impression of being passionate enough to do anything for the role.

Komakine: "Regarding Hayama, I talked with the director about making him a more human character than in the original work. In the second half of the drama, the inner side of Hayama comes out more. I worked with the director and the staff to create the character of Hayama so that people would empathize with him and root for him."
Niihara: When I play Shirasaki, the tone of my voice is important. I try to be as natural as possible. Shirasaki in the original work is not the type to be too cute, so I want to make that part of the story. I talked with the original author, Hiroko Natsuno, and it seemed like a manly uke would be an appealing point, so I hope I can pursue that.

--Hayama and Shirasaki, what do you both keep in mind when acting?

 Niihara: "The character I play, Shirasaki, is a young actor who had difficulty making it big. I myself have been in the ensemble and been an extra in TV dramas and commercials, so I can really understand Shirasaki's feelings. I've always wondered when I would make it big, when I would be able to stand out more, so I thought this was a role I could really project myself into. Shirasaki has a manly side, but also a There are some very sensitive aspects to it. It's a role with a lot of mixed emotions, so I want to play Shirasaki while keeping my antennae up in various places, while still having a firm core within myself."
Komakine: "I work as an actor, but I think there are only a handful of actors who can be called popular. I think those people have something that other people don't have, so I hope that I can play the role well while learning about what it is about Hayama that attracts so many people through the drama.

--What do you think is the appeal of the characters that each of you play? Do you think that is the case?

 Komakine: "We are now living in a society where it is difficult to speak our true feelings. But in that world, Shirasaki is someone who can speak coherently. There aren't many people like that these days, so I aspire to be that kind of person myself, and I find that very attractive about Shirasaki. Also, it's really cool that he has such a strong will to be an actor and to be successful. That's something that attracts me, too."
 Niihara: "Hayama has a lot of charisma, and I really admire Hayama as an actor. And he has an angelic quality. He has an air of calmness, like a person who is not shaken by anything. That is Hayama's charm, but this is just my image, but I think that kind of person has a lot of pent up worries inside them. I think that the person who can empathize with such a person is a truly honest person, so I thought that Shirasaki was the one who could empathize with Hayama.

--Hayama and Shirasaki "entered into a romantic relationship and engaged in a pseudo-romance" to prepare for their roles in the drama "Daytime Dream" within the play. What is it like to act in a play within a play within a drama?

 Niihara: First, we as actors play a role, and then we play another role in the play. It's like we're creating a new existence that keeps emanating from within ourselves. So I think it's important to switch roles, and so I think Komakine and I need to use our heads, discuss things together, and solidify our roles."
Komakine: "Even though it's a play within a play, I think that if I just acted carelessly, it would ruin the whole work, so I thought I had to do it carefully. Since it's a BL play within a BL drama, the big challenge was to play similar characters.
 Niihara: Yes, that's right. We are currently filming the drama, but for the characters we play, Shirasaki and Hayama, it is their job to play their roles in the drama "Daytime Dream." If we cut corners there, the meaning of the work will be lost, so we want to act carefully.

" How do you prepare for a role in a play within a play?

Komakine: First, at the script reading stage, we discussed whether we should go with completely different characters. However, if we did that, it would have meant that it would no longer fit into the play within the play, "Daytime Dream." There are many wonderful scenes in "Daytime Dream," and I thought that if we changed them completely, the characters of Shirasaki and Hayama might fall apart. So, although the roles are similar to Hayama and Shirasaki, it is necessary to play them differently so that the audience can feel that they are different. That is still a long way to go. I’m considering it.”
Niihara: Same for me. The costumes are different, and the scenes change, so maybe that's what the audience will understand, but if I don't act with some kind of filter, it won't be the Takumi played by Shirasaki. I don't play Takumi in the play within the play, so I agonized over it until the very last moment, listening to the director and Natsuno-sensei, and came up with the Takumi played by Shirasaki.

-- For Shirasaki, "Daytime Dream" is also a chance for him to see his own feelings. The play within the play is also very important in terms of stirring up Shirasaki's emotions.

 Niihara: That's right. I think that the fun of this production comes from me immersing myself in the play within the play as Shirasaki. As I'm acting, the gap between myself and the character disappears, and we become one in feeling... This may be something that happens to actors, but it seems really strange to the audience. It may be a special moment, so I hope I can act it out beautifully."

By the way, what do you two usually do during the holiday?
 
Komakine: I usually sleep. I go to bed around 10 or 8 p.m. But I have a radio show (Monday personality on "Recomen!"), so on the days I have a radio show I get home at exactly 5 p.m. After playing futsal, I often go to Akasaka to take a bath and come out at exactly 1:00am (laughs)."
 Niihara: "If I have to get up early the next day, I'll of course sleep in, but I'm quite a night owl, so I'm usually either in bed or doing something else at the last minute. But I was watching anime or playing games at home. I was in Akasaka at 5 o'clock. No (laughs)."
 DramaNomNom:
When I watched Takara-Kun and Amagi-kun, I wanted to see the two best friends get together...it would've been so cute since they're both funny. 

Yes!!! Tanaka and Katori were extraordinarily good supporting roles. It would have been great to see these fine actors together in a BL, but at least we saw them go on to star separately in their own BLs (Komiya Rio in the excellent "Eien no Kinou" and Suzuki Kosuke in "Jack O'Frost", also reasonably good).