BL Drama Lovers Club

 DramaNomNom:

ANGELLLL!!!! : ) hi

Hi, it's been a while. Good to see you here.

So I just came across this trailer for Caged Again that's starting on Friday (TL:DR it looks like just a simple cute, cozy, mostly fluffy,  fun to watch so long as you don't mind something that's more of the same and not very original, although it's trying to attempt to be a little more creative).

Warning Incoming Rant( if you want to read):
That said, however, I need to preface my criticisms on this series with this first: I have made criticisms of the BL industry that they need to expand and get more creative with their stories, and even explore more into making fantasy-based storylines. They REALLY need to break free from this suffocating treadmill of just more of the same with high school/uni productions. I enjoy a good one occasionally, but for god fu@#ing sake expand beyond that. The industry is in its golden years. There has never been more popularity for BLs and it's growing every year. There is more money sloshing around being thrown to make more productions than ever. There is no excuse to keep churning out copy paste monotony. That said, I appreciate the attempt at making a fantasy production that they tried to do here, but this is observably all but a plagiarism of The Miracle of Teddy Bear but on a smaller budget. While I am desperate for the industry to be more creative with their storylines, just copy pasting what's already been done isn't creative, it's not unique, it's not original, it's just lazy and insulting.

I don't want to harshly critique this particular production too much(see the TL:DR above), but it's more a critique of the industry. I'm quite sure all the production companies executives are just running on analytics and KPI autopilot which is why we're on a treadmill now. The industry has grown to the size where it's acting like Hollywood with blockbuster movies that are all just rehashing existing franchises to death rather new stories. I mean ffs we just got ANOTHER Wizard of Oz based film. How many variations and versions of the story are we going to have to endure? Don't get me started on Marvel Cinematic and Disney.

 Jadeheart:

hat said, I appreciate the attempt at making a fantasy production that they tried to do here, but this is observably all but a plagiarism of The Miracle of Teddy Bear but on a smaller budget.

Hmmm-- I think this might be a stretch. We haven't seen the show but just from the summary I can tell that the settings and characters are different. Plus this is a trope that is prevalent in literature, and not something unique to attribute to TMOTB. Off the top of my head : Pinocchio (marionette wants to be a human) and Chopper (deer eats fruit and becomes "human-like", joins a pirate crew because his dream is to be a doctor) from OP, and I'm sure there are a hundred more renditions that are all enjoyable and unique.  Tropes aren't inherently bad-- if you strip everything to its core, there is actually a limited amount of stories that exists-- it's up to the teller to give it its own spin. 

 axdxex:

Hmmm-- I think this might be a stretch. We haven't seen the show but just from the summary I can tell that the settings and characters are different. Plus this is a trope that is prevalent in literature, and not something unique to attribute to TMOTB. Off the top of my head : Pinocchio (marionette wants to be a human) and Chopper (deer eats fruit and becomes "human-like", joins a pirate crew because his dream is to be a doctor) from OP, and I'm sure there are a hundred more renditions that are all enjoyable and unique.  Tropes aren't inherently bad-- if you strip everything to its core, there is actually a limited amount of stories that exists-- it's up to the teller to give it its own spin. 

I didn't say that it was fully plagiarized as you are implying that you think I'm saying thais, "all but" means "very nearly" so let's get that out of the way. I don't think it's an exact copy, obviously it's not. If you want to scoff me for being too exaggerated there, then fine, have at it. BUT, the setting appears to be set in school again for a fair amount of the story, so not really different there, that's observable. As far as the trope, I don't take issue with the trope itself, I never stated that I did nor did I imply it, but to your comment, it can be done in all kinds of unique ways though.

I see distinct similarities in how they implemented it that's very similar to TMOTB which is shown in the trailer. Not an exact rip clearly, but very nearly the same on an underlying fundamental level that you can see as to how it was implemented in the series from what they show. That's enough to see the similarites without seeing the entire series yet. I can make that assment from the trailer. I have said it before on here. I will alwas give a series a chance and watch it at least into the first 3 episodes, even when I observe something I am criticising in a trailer beforehand.

Like I said, it looks cute and like it will be a simple fun watch, I made that clear that I acknowledged many positives, but that I also observed some issues with it for me. Nearly every work of art is a derivative to some degree in some way or another. People will borrow elements and then build something very different and unique on its own from that. Your'e more so focused on the core trope concept(which I'm not), where I'm focused on the issue of the lack of originality of the use of the trope in the series. I just see a lot that's borrowed from the other series in the implementation of that one aspect in this one. If you don't seeit, thats fine. I'm not, nor haveI ever implied, or asked for anything to be stripped down it's core. In fact I'm asking for the exact opposite which I stated many times. I'm asking for the industry to branch out and make new series with genuine unique original creativity and expanding beyond what's already been done or a very near approximation of an existing series. Do things we have not seen before. I try so much to be so specific and state the positives that I observe as well as the negatives from my pov. I welcome other's not agreeing or seeing what I'm seeing as that leads to discussion and different pov, but I don't appreciate is when people hyper-focus on one thing I said, and ignore the rest as though that's the only thing I said, as well as imply things that I didn't imply or state.

 DramaNomNom:

Has anyone seen Kiseki in Tokyo Chapter2? The plot is lacking for me but the VISUALS are giving!

"Plot? What plot?"
Yeah, I saw it: 20% soft porn, 20% travelog of Tokyo, 60% vapid filler.

Aggressive is a bit of a stretch. I was annoyed because you made implications that i didn't make. So, I'm sure that did likely show though in a couple of sentences on that aspect, but I was respectful of your input in my reply, but wanted to push back on things that were implications on your part that I wasn't making. That's it, nothing more than that. Its not personal, nor should it be taken so. It's just discussion over a series. Do what makes you feel comfortable. I don't want there to be any had feelings or discomfort here. We all are here because we share a love of this genre and the space. I want to continue to respect and honor that.

Hey loves- sorry I have not been on much this week and last week I have been working alot of overtime since my boss had to have surgery.