The "technical disaster" lol! Please elaborate on this, if you please. My work heart stopped here for a second.
Oh yeah, I hate when that happens. I admire your will power to push through all these shows tho!! I'm not always this nitpicky and let things be, but I guess I easily notice these stuff because I do a lot of editing too 🤭 It is both a blessing and a curse, because on one hand, I can understand why certain creative choices were made.. but on the other hand, it is really hard to not notice the tiniest flaws 😭😭
And it's good you don't follow what goes on behind the scenes, because absolute madness. But yeah idk if this is the best place to talk about all that, haha. Anyways. Hope this show will be consistent in delivering good story, good acting, and overall a good quality production 🤞
The "technical disaster" lol! Please elaborate on this, if you please. My work heart stopped here for a second.
I don't think expecting the most basic stuff from a company like MMY is perfectionism, tho. Especially when Love Sea was said to have around three sponsors and the uncut version was aired on iQIYI? MMY also have had hit series and events to generate enough revenue and income, so I don't think it is fair to compare them to other indie production houses ((and indie productions have their own charm, and as far as the indie BLs I have watched goes – I've barely encountered a sound problem as bad as this — which begs the question why can't MMY fix something that even some of those really low budget BLs have no problem navigating)). Not to mention the controversies surrounding the Love Sea boxset and how a lot of fans were ripped off their money. There's no question about how unprofessional it all is. And my issue is with that, and with MMY. A lot of their shows did not get the efforts it deserved despite having a proper budget, and Love Sea might have been the biggest victim of it all is what I'm saying. My comment that Love Sea was a technical disaster is more of a dig at the MMY than at Love Sea itself. I'll always love Mut and Rak, but that doesn't mean I won't stop calling out MMY for being such a shitty production house. At least it worked this time, because this show is proof of how things are changing.
And I get what you are saying, I dropped ThamePo too, not really my style. But that doesn't erase the fact that it will always be hailed as a good production. It is an objectively good show. And I agree undiscovered gems deserve love and attention too, but some shows will stay undiscovered bc most people do not watch low quality and low budget productions — even if the story was really good or the acting was amazing. It is the sad truth. It is one of the reasons why indie house and art house productions never become mainstream :((
The "technical disaster" lol! Please elaborate on this, if you please. My work heart stopped here for a second.
Technical aspects do not exist in a vacuum, they affect the story and the actors' performances too. If I remember correctly, whenever fans complained about the lighting and the sound, MMY actors themselves have said that there is not much they can do about it, all they can do is act. Have that never made you feel sad? Have that never made you think about how much these actors have to compromise despite giving their best performances?
Now, I get not everyone is concerned about the technicalities, but that doesn't mean technicalities do not play a major role in the overall production and reception of a show. A vast majority of series that are successful are also applauded for the technicalities. I mean, if not for the technique, what would be the difference between a serie and a play? And why would there be categories of awards for Directors and Editors even in BL Award Shows? Hell, why do you think all the people below and above me are surprised that The Boy Next World seems like a good production? It's all in the technicalities, and even if you do not mind it, others do.
These are defining features of a serie, and if you're okay with subpar shows, good for you. But, for me, personally, I'd love to see the story and the actors' performances complimented and elevated with the help of technical aspects. I'd rather I can hear there voices clean and clear, and see their expressions without being randomly cut to another scene, or zoomed out. I wish the editing would suit the plot and the tone of the episode, fast paced where it needs to be so it won't feel like lagging or filler. But hey, that's just me! And I'll continue to be vocal because I'd like my favs to actually have good shows rather than be satisfied with low quality and rushed productions!!
The "technical disaster" lol! Please elaborate on this, if you please. My work heart stopped here for a second.
Sure, but do I really need to elaborate when there's already been enough discourse about the budget issues, the production being rushed, and the promotion being almost non-existent? Like, I'm more than glad to offer you my two cents on how the direction and cinematography was plain bad, how the editing was choppy and all over the place, how the colour grading (at places) felt like they slapped on a few cheap filters and called it a day, and how no amount of overpowering background music and sound effects are going to cover up the poor audio quality and sound mixing, and how FortPeat deserved so much better... but are you really here for that? I mean, if you already watched the show, it is pretty hard to miss how much they messed up with respect to the technicalities and production quality :/
I think this just might be the most visually stunning serie from Me Mind Y. After the technical disaster that was Love Sea, I really was not expecting the production quality to take a leap, so I was pleasantly surprised to see so much effort (especially with respect to direction, cinematography, colour grading, and editing) being put into this serie. It was refreshing to watch.
Yet my main issue with their productions still stands — the sound is horrible.
But I'm going to ignore it for this episode, just this episode, because it really was pretty to watch. LOVED THE COLOURS, LOVED THE FRAMES!!! ABSOLUTELY LOVE HOW THE VISUALS COMPLIMENT AND CARRY THE VIBE AND CONCEPT OF THE SHOW!! Also need to point out that each angle and frame is in such a way that it flaunts the actors' appearance. Really couldn't stop staring at Boss and Noeul, they looked so good!!!
As for the plot, for me, it feels slow. I felt like certain conversations were repetitive, going back and forth, but I guess it is an important part of exposition for the side characters, so I hope it all falls in place. All in all, it was a good pilot episode, it gave enough to keep me hooked and guessing. I'm excited for EP 2!!
omg this makes me so excited to read the novel, thanks for sharing these thoughts about what the drama adaptation…
they've made a lot of changes tbh BUT YES PLEASE PLEASE READ THE NOVEL!! i was staring blankly at my wall for three hours straight after i finished reading it. really quite the experience, 10/10 would recommend 🫶🫶
((Please don't read this if you are planning on reading the book OR if you do not want to hear anything about the book and prefer the drama over the book))
I am a bit disappointed that quite a few of my favourite scenes from the book did not make it onto the screen. I feel like those were scenes that were essential in helping us understand Go Young's character, especially his relationship with his mother, and the depth of the pain inflicted on him by Hyung (that is, Yeong Su, that guy was a real asshole and they toned it down so much in the drama, they didn't even mention his past, the reason for the tattoo, the reason why he behaves a certain way, his political background, his beliefs, how much of a fucking hypocrite he actually was, and the scenes that juxtaposes the differences between Go Young and Hyung. Heck, they don't even properly explore the age/generation gap between the two. I know the drama is short on time, and visual media adaptations have a limitation to stay true to novels but still.. they omitted a lot of important nuances that caused a lot of people to misinterpret, or worse, not understand the impact Hyung had on Go Young).
In the novel, Go Young's character is something we cannot put into boxes or tropes. And his sense of humour and cynicism is the best part of his character, the whole novel even, and I don't think that has translated well onto the screen. Like, he had a unique narrative voice, a mixture of sassy and cynical. The Go Young we got on screen was more... hmmm, watered down. And as much as I loved, loved, LOVED the friends gang dynamics, their presence overshadowed the aspects of loneliness and isolation that Go Young experienced throughout the book (there was no one, except his mother, waiting for him after he woke up in the hospital bed, no one to take care of him after his mother's funeral, and no one was there to check in on him because he quit his job. I do welcome those changes with open arms because it lighten up the mood of the whole story, but I do not appreciate how it took away the weight/emphasis from the true loneliness that Go Young experienced. I also have some stuff I wanna say about the first boyfriend guy but I'll refrain because it'll just be me repeating how different that was from the book, so.. but I do believe that introducing K3's character as Nam Kyu negatively impacted Go Young's character development and completely derailed how one might perceive Go Young.
Overall, it is a good adaptation, but I have to accept that I enjoyed the drama more because I've read the book. Because of that, I could understand many details that I might have otherwise ignored while watching. And I keep seeing people asking what certain things meant and my first response is - oh that was explained better in the book... So i guess that does explain how the adaptation has its limitations, but so do all adaptations. And I do believe that with the unique narrative voice and non-linear narrative structure, the novel must have been a real pain to be adapted for the screen so I applaud the crew for the transformations they've done to make it enjoyable for visual media audience.
So, despite the flaws, a really good drama, so glad that it is getting so much love and attention and appreciation. Totally deserved!!
May I ask if this is related with this one https://mydramalist.com/762529-reverse-with-me
Yup, it's in the same universe but has different characters.
Four and Wa are said to have two daughters. Reverse With Me follows the story of Karan, who is older daughter. Stuck With Me (it got licensed for adaptation yesterday), follows the story of Maitree, their second daughter.
I know this is a small detail so do not come for me, I just want to get this off my chest. The most underwhelming part of the finale, for me, was the revelation of the connection between Great and Lukwa. I've loved Lukwa since the moment she walked through those doors in the first episode, even when I was cent percent sure that she will end up being a plot device — for a narrative that heavily depended on incluing/indirect exposition, it was obvious from the get go that she'd be one of those characters whose just here to explain things. Along with Den, her sole purpose is to offer insight into the main concept (NDE) around which this show is built. And that's all that I expected from her character too.
Except for one thing.
I was really curious about the connection between Great and Lukwa. How is it that she appeared in his NDE.. and how is that he ended up in hers.. And that Art Exhibition scene is the most underwhelming, unoriginal, unserious explanation they could've come up with. Sigh, maybe I got way too much into fan theories, but yeah, it was just.. so underwhelming. But, also, understandable since there's only 8 episodes, so there's no need to expect elaborate connection between the two. Even the relationship between the leads aren't that fleshed out, so how can we expect smth substantial for a connection with a minor character. I guess the purpose of the connection was just more info dumping.
BUT STILL.
Maybe they could've just omitted that connection altogether, and introduced Lukwa as just another character who experienced the 4 Minutes Phenomenon. But no. They had to bring in a third person who was bestowing upon them the power to see into the future. Like are yall for real? Who even was that artist? Jinta from Triage making a guest appearance? I don't understand. I mean I do understand, I'm just.. not satisfied. Like. They've been hinting at the connection between Lukwa abd Great in previous episodes, and it being.. whatever this was.. really is underwhelming.
(And Great walking away from another person who was on the verge of death, like thank you for reminding me that he really was an asshole like that sjdjdjdj which further makes the ending less satisfying because yeah, Great is turning himself in for Dome.. but what about the hit and run your father covered up for you, my bro? So yeah, the ending is inconsistent with the first half of the show. I mean, yeah, I understand how Great came face to face with death and it changed him, and he wanna right his wrongs - and I'm all here for that. But that pseudo-redemption arc maybe would've felt satisfactory if it was spread out over two episodes instead of second half of a single episode. And the political aspects of this is a mess. Also idk if I wanna go back and figure out who Wanchai and his daughter is, and how Warit ended up where he ended up).
And it's good you don't follow what goes on behind the scenes, because absolute madness. But yeah idk if this is the best place to talk about all that, haha. Anyways. Hope this show will be consistent in delivering good story, good acting, and overall a good quality production 🤞
And I get what you are saying, I dropped ThamePo too, not really my style. But that doesn't erase the fact that it will always be hailed as a good production. It is an objectively good show. And I agree undiscovered gems deserve love and attention too, but some shows will stay undiscovered bc most people do not watch low quality and low budget productions — even if the story was really good or the acting was amazing. It is the sad truth. It is one of the reasons why indie house and art house productions never become mainstream :((
Now, I get not everyone is concerned about the technicalities, but that doesn't mean technicalities do not play a major role in the overall production and reception of a show. A vast majority of series that are successful are also applauded for the technicalities. I mean, if not for the technique, what would be the difference between a serie and a play? And why would there be categories of awards for Directors and Editors even in BL Award Shows? Hell, why do you think all the people below and above me are surprised that The Boy Next World seems like a good production? It's all in the technicalities, and even if you do not mind it, others do.
These are defining features of a serie, and if you're okay with subpar shows, good for you. But, for me, personally, I'd love to see the story and the actors' performances complimented and elevated with the help of technical aspects. I'd rather I can hear there voices clean and clear, and see their expressions without being randomly cut to another scene, or zoomed out. I wish the editing would suit the plot and the tone of the episode, fast paced where it needs to be so it won't feel like lagging or filler. But hey, that's just me! And I'll continue to be vocal because I'd like my favs to actually have good shows rather than be satisfied with low quality and rushed productions!!
Yet my main issue with their productions still stands — the sound is horrible.
But I'm going to ignore it for this episode, just this episode, because it really was pretty to watch. LOVED THE COLOURS, LOVED THE FRAMES!!! ABSOLUTELY LOVE HOW THE VISUALS COMPLIMENT AND CARRY THE VIBE AND CONCEPT OF THE SHOW!! Also need to point out that each angle and frame is in such a way that it flaunts the actors' appearance. Really couldn't stop staring at Boss and Noeul, they looked so good!!!
As for the plot, for me, it feels slow. I felt like certain conversations were repetitive, going back and forth, but I guess it is an important part of exposition for the side characters, so I hope it all falls in place. All in all, it was a good pilot episode, it gave enough to keep me hooked and guessing. I'm excited for EP 2!!
((Please don't read this if you are planning on reading the book OR if you do not want to hear anything about the book and prefer the drama over the book))
I am a bit disappointed that quite a few of my favourite scenes from the book did not make it onto the screen. I feel like those were scenes that were essential in helping us understand Go Young's character, especially his relationship with his mother, and the depth of the pain inflicted on him by Hyung (that is, Yeong Su, that guy was a real asshole and they toned it down so much in the drama, they didn't even mention his past, the reason for the tattoo, the reason why he behaves a certain way, his political background, his beliefs, how much of a fucking hypocrite he actually was, and the scenes that juxtaposes the differences between Go Young and Hyung. Heck, they don't even properly explore the age/generation gap between the two. I know the drama is short on time, and visual media adaptations have a limitation to stay true to novels but still.. they omitted a lot of important nuances that caused a lot of people to misinterpret, or worse, not understand the impact Hyung had on Go Young).
In the novel, Go Young's character is something we cannot put into boxes or tropes. And his sense of humour and cynicism is the best part of his character, the whole novel even, and I don't think that has translated well onto the screen. Like, he had a unique narrative voice, a mixture of sassy and cynical. The Go Young we got on screen was more... hmmm, watered down. And as much as I loved, loved, LOVED the friends gang dynamics, their presence overshadowed the aspects of loneliness and isolation that Go Young experienced throughout the book (there was no one, except his mother, waiting for him after he woke up in the hospital bed, no one to take care of him after his mother's funeral, and no one was there to check in on him because he quit his job. I do welcome those changes with open arms because it lighten up the mood of the whole story, but I do not appreciate how it took away the weight/emphasis from the true loneliness that Go Young experienced. I also have some stuff I wanna say about the first boyfriend guy but I'll refrain because it'll just be me repeating how different that was from the book, so.. but I do believe that introducing K3's character as Nam Kyu negatively impacted Go Young's character development and completely derailed how one might perceive Go Young.
Overall, it is a good adaptation, but I have to accept that I enjoyed the drama more because I've read the book. Because of that, I could understand many details that I might have otherwise ignored while watching. And I keep seeing people asking what certain things meant and my first response is - oh that was explained better in the book... So i guess that does explain how the adaptation has its limitations, but so do all adaptations. And I do believe that with the unique narrative voice and non-linear narrative structure, the novel must have been a real pain to be adapted for the screen so I applaud the crew for the transformations they've done to make it enjoyable for visual media audience.
So, despite the flaws, a really good drama, so glad that it is getting so much love and attention and appreciation. Totally deserved!!
https://x.com/DisneyPlusJP/status/1704616424290029798?t=7cHCzPnCoDTO3DsUoYL8hQ&s=19
Four and Wa are said to have two daughters. Reverse With Me follows the story of Karan, who is older daughter. Stuck With Me (it got licensed for adaptation yesterday), follows the story of Maitree, their second daughter.
Except for one thing.
I was really curious about the connection between Great and Lukwa. How is it that she appeared in his NDE.. and how is that he ended up in hers.. And that Art Exhibition scene is the most underwhelming, unoriginal, unserious explanation they could've come up with. Sigh, maybe I got way too much into fan theories, but yeah, it was just.. so underwhelming. But, also, understandable since there's only 8 episodes, so there's no need to expect elaborate connection between the two. Even the relationship between the leads aren't that fleshed out, so how can we expect smth substantial for a connection with a minor character. I guess the purpose of the connection was just more info dumping.
BUT STILL.
Maybe they could've just omitted that connection altogether, and introduced Lukwa as just another character who experienced the 4 Minutes Phenomenon. But no. They had to bring in a third person who was bestowing upon them the power to see into the future. Like are yall for real? Who even was that artist? Jinta from Triage making a guest appearance? I don't understand. I mean I do understand, I'm just.. not satisfied. Like. They've been hinting at the connection between Lukwa abd Great in previous episodes, and it being.. whatever this was.. really is underwhelming.
(And Great walking away from another person who was on the verge of death, like thank you for reminding me that he really was an asshole like that sjdjdjdj which further makes the ending less satisfying because yeah, Great is turning himself in for Dome.. but what about the hit and run your father covered up for you, my bro? So yeah, the ending is inconsistent with the first half of the show. I mean, yeah, I understand how Great came face to face with death and it changed him, and he wanna right his wrongs - and I'm all here for that. But that pseudo-redemption arc maybe would've felt satisfactory if it was spread out over two episodes instead of second half of a single episode. And the political aspects of this is a mess. Also idk if I wanna go back and figure out who Wanchai and his daughter is, and how Warit ended up where he ended up).
https://x.com/sabaichillbl/status/1834688425720471595?s=19