Amastris Dratwka

I live in one of the most conservative & religious areas in California. At the corner of my block is a JW Kingdom Hall. 2 blocks to the East of me is a Pentecostal church, & 2 blocks to the West of me is a Mormon church. Our downtown has a Korean Presbyterian church that has been there since before my city was incorporated. There are Baptist, Episcopalian, Catholic, Lutheran, & Methodist churches along with non-denominational. It's said that we have a church on almost every corner. We even have a Christian Bible college in the city as well as K-12 Christian schools. In addition, we also have other religions. We have a Buddhist temple downtown, a synagogue next to the Christian college, & a mosque next to a Baptist school & Presbyterian church.

My city is the 4th largest in our county at little over 100K residents. But it's easy living, and more of a rural vibe here where we're backed up against a National Forest. It's considered the safest city in our county and in 2009 it was actually listed by the FBI as the 2nd safest city in the entire US behind Irvine, CA.

The demographics of the city are pretty diverse and go along with the statistical national average across the board: 70% white, 56% Hispanic white, 9.2% Asian, 5.4% black, 8.4% mixed races, & 1% Native, since there's an Indian reservation in the city next to us with a huge casino. In fact, 1 of my sons got a scholarship for college from the tribe. We don't have protests or race/religion hostility within the community. Most are families with married couples, some single family homes, like mine, and about 1% are same-sex married/partnerships. In fact, just last month, my brother's neighbors sold their home & moved into my city from Costa Mesa, CA to retire. They're a mixed race same-sex elderly couple, white gay Brit-born male who grew up in Canada & was previously married to a female, and a gay Vietnamese male.

This is the backdrop of my own children's story. That by all measures, and political rhetoric, and ideology, since my city's politicians are Republican, and the majority of the citizenry is as well, the environment should be hostile and antagonistic to any gay person in the community. Well, let me tell you the story now.

I have 2 sons, 1 is straight, and 1 is gay. My gay son was a loner in elementary school because of a bit of ostracizing from male peers. That's simply because my son has always been effeminate and they saw him as "different". Kids that age are harsh. But my son took taekwondo along with me and my older son and got a black belt. He also played competitive tennis. By the time he hit middle school he could do more pushups, situps than other males in his class & could run a mile in less than 6 & a half minutes. He even competed in the male 4x400 relay for his middle school as the anchor. He was more athletic than the majority of the "buff" males, and so at this time they stopped ostracizing him. However, he felt more comfortable with girls and had a group of them as friends. He also did very well in school, and got 4.0GPA from 4th grade until he graduated, and was ranked academically in the top 20 in his high school for all four years.

By the time he hit high school he'd finally discussed his sexuality with me, but as he said, "..what's coming out??.." since everyone around him *assumed* he was gay by his look and demeanor, before he'd even hit puberty and figured it out for himself. So, he never had any transition within the family home, school, or the public with regards to his own sexuality. He grew up with it being just a physical characteristic, like that he has hazel eyes, and blonde hair, not a defining part of his character. He was just himself. On all accounts, my son had a 'normal' childhood. More 'normal' than my straight son, who struggled in high school and opted to be home schooled midway through 10th grade. My straight son didn't do any of the "senior" activities, including a prom, nor did he have a graduation ceremony, and only took a handful of jr college classes & getting a technical cert. My gay son, on the other hand, not only attended brick & mortar, he exceled there, taking IB & AP classes with high GPA. As a Junior he was selected as an Honor Guard for the graduating class, and by his senior year, he'd received many awards for good character from his teachers, along with receiving 2 scholarships for his college fund.

Before graduating high school he was accepted by the best Cal state university, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. When deciding about his dorms, he had the option to go into the "Pride Dorm". However, he ponder this for quite a long time, because he didn't want to limit his interaction and college experience, and ultimately decided to go into the 'gender inclusive', i.e. co-ed, dorms instead. What ended up happening was he was put on a floor with all straight males from all over the USA and all different fields of study. His dorm room was shared with 2 other males. He was also openly gay from the 1st day of Orientation, so the males were fully aware of his status.

My son's 1st days going to college were very stressful. He had worried months in advance of entering whether or not he'd receive his first experiences of discrimination and the like. What ended up happening was the opposite. I'll say that his upbringing, and confidence within himself, and his own acceptance of others, allowed him to bridge the gap between the males he dormed with. In fact, many of the 'Pride' students started out antagonistic towards the 'gender inclusive' straight students, but my son would remind them that if they wanted others to be accepting and open, they had to meet them with the same attitude. They'd come to his dorm floor to visit my son, and ended up making friends with some of the males on his floor as well. In the end, my son actually spent more time with the straight males in the dorm. In our FaceTime conversations, he'd often talk to me about how his ability to just be himself without making 'sex' an issue has made those males feel comfortable to ask him 'questions' about what it's like to be gay, etc. For the first time, my son was able to make really strong and healthy FRIENDSHIPS with straight men, that are just like any other 'non-romantic' friendships you could have. He was proud of himself for this achievement, and I'm grateful for the person he has turned out to be and the experiences he, himself, has created.

In the end, my feeling is, a lot of what happens in life can be of your own creation. Your attitude and mental skew towards things can often define the situation.

So frankly, the issues regarding censorship and acceptance are a VERY personal matter to me. I'm glad my son has never felt any shame or torment with regards to sexuality. He's, quite frankly, an emotionally healthy, and well-rounded human being. I'd like to keep it that way. I'd like my son to go anywhere in the world and feel comfortable and never be attacked. Of course, I don't have control over the laws and rules of other nations, but I do have *input* in suggesting how my son addresses and deals with the general public at large. I'll continue to support him, and I'll continue to support any efforts toward removing censorship.

Hmmm... The one and only BL movie released by China was completed & authorized back in 2014 and released in Cannes Film Festival, before the current Chinese president took office. It's likely the success of it that had influence. It wasn't actually finally released until 2018, and the censorship laws are not applied equally. In the 7 years since he's taken office, Xi's cracked down and issued 2 new list of guidelines that included targeting BL. That's not a xenophobic statement either. It is what it is.

As to Korea... That's not true anymore either. Here, I'll give you the recent list of Korean BL dramas were the OTP kiss:

https://mydramalist.com/680749-to-my-star
https://mydramalist.com/682933-you-make-me-dance
https://mydramalist.com/680735-color-rush
https://mydramalist.com/62919-mr-heart
https://mydramalist.com/59839-before-your-eyes-stop
https://mydramalist.com/79341-wish-you-your-melody-in-my-heart

As to France....
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6918220/ - The Shiny Shrimps

As to the USA...
2017 -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_and_Life_of_Marsha_P._Johnson
2018 -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_Butter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Strangelove
2019 -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Perfection
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queer_Japan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Trinity_(film)
2020 -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Secret_Love
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Half_of_It
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8727582/ - Circus of Books
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8855960/ - Straight Up

That's rich looking at your profile.

Wow. Why do I have to feel attack for pointing out facts regarding why it takes so damn long for a C-Drama to get released? That was **all** I was saying. I wasn't insulting or passing "vitroil" to the censors themselves. I was QUOTING the actual CCP rules as posted. That the censors have to DO THEIR JOB and follow the guidelines, and THAT would/could lead to incongruity in the plot of a drama that then needs TIME to EDIT due to those facts....

Where in the world do any of you people get that I'm attacking China and its censors???? I said, "... Let China do China, we understand. We'll wait for the content.." AFTER you come at me about these facts as if they're up for debate, and if censors give a little here or there in content means nothing to me in regards to what I said... I was merely talking about ***why it takes time for the dramas to be released*** PERIOD.

You know. All I did was state FACTS about CCP censorship that the whole world knows. I was explaining why you don't get C-Dramas released immediately nor will you have a drama air that isn't 100% completed and vented by the Chinese Censorship Board. This is all I said. But somehow you and everyone else are out her making it a USA vs China deal, defending censorship of Gay material, by saying something childish like "...you do it too..." You are the one that called me a "propagandist" for it. You are the one to **insult** me first. Then you say "We can remain courteous and exchange." while you continue to insult me and the country I reside in.

REALLY?

French will be French, I see.

You know, first off you don't know me. I'm not Korean. I'm simply American and white.

Take YOUR French PROPAGANDA and go somewhere else.

Why is someone from FRANCE questioning ME, as an AMERICAN, on the laws and rules made by the CCP in China? WTF are you suggesting??? THAT I'M LYING???

BWHAHAHAHAHA!

Don't believe me. That's fine.

HERE. Read a Malaysian publication on the matter:
https://www.unreservedmedia.com/less-rainbows-and-social-media-for-chinas-lgbt-community/

Censorship is censorship. Calling the depiction of a gay relationship immoral or abnormal, is another thing. Trying to sugar-coat it by saying, at least the worker-bees try to sneak you in a snack or two while the leadership tries to starve you of content doesn't cut it with me.

The entire country has to live by the standards, because we've already seen what happens if they take to the streets and protest in mass about any of it. We all understand this, and understand that Chinese are fine with it. The only thing I pray for is that Taiwan stays independent, because I surely don't want to see that fight on Same Sex Marriage nor their BL content either. Let China do China, we understand. We'll wait for the content and won't expect any hugging or kissing. But just contain that idea to the CCP.

The Chinese CCP believes it's subversive so you're not allowed to display gay behavior in media. Also, every C-Drama takes a while to finish editing and be released. The Chinese General Administration of Press and Publication and State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television takes its marching orders from the Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department. The CCP govt officials refer to BL movies/dramas as “vulgar, immoral and unhealthy content”.

The govt officials go on to say, “No television drama shall show abnormal sexual relationships and behaviors, such as incest, same-sex relationships, sexual perversion, sexual assault, sexual abuse, sexual violence, and so on.”

The ban also extends to smoking, drinking, adultery, sexually suggestive clothing, even reincarnation. China’s State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television told television producers it would constantly monitor TV channels to ensure the new rules were strictly adhered to..."

What this means is that the Chinese censor board officials will go through each drama & movie with a fine-toothed comb and anything they deem subversive to the Chinese general public, they will demand be edited out of the drama. Additionally, anything they consider subversive dialogue will be cut, which means it could affect the flow of the drama. This majority after the entire thing has been filmed and the actors have moved on to other projects. This means that the director/producers/editors cannot re-film it to correct it. They have to figure a way to edit it to make sense, or the drama gets permanently shelved.

Bottom Line: You're never getting a quick and easy release of any entertainment unless it's been done by a family member of the Top CCP officials who institute nepotism to get it aired.

Whelp, right or wrong; Korean bias or not, I'll just add that I was already in a K-drama slump as it is, because nothing they've been producing in the last year and a half, except 2 or 3 dramas, has been any freaking good, tbh. This just adds to the distaste. Why waste my time anymore?

South Koreans can do w/e they want with their national television channels and petition to pressure the Blue House or advertisers pulled to get the content that's already been spent off the air. They can waste people's time and money. They can bankrupt MBC, SBS, etc. Fine by me. It's their country.

But in their stance to slam Chinese and their take on Korean culture, they removing K-dramas I might have been interested in watching, thus, tbf, kinda forcing me to partake in watching more C-Dramas than I already do. I'm not sure this is the direction the nation wants to go. But okay. If they're fine diminishing the interest and value people had in watching their dramas cuz no one wants to waste time on a drama that's written poorly, executed badly, and then canceled by K-Netizens, that's their prerogative as well. I'll just say that in the last 2 years, the uptick in my C-Drama watching has grown by 58% where I'd watch ~30 C-dramas to the ~45 K-dramas per year. 2020, I past the 50 dramas watched mark with C-Dramas, while my K-dramas watching is on a downward trajectory. What's been going on there lately is just gonna increase the divide. But I guess it doesn't really matter because only Viki & NetFlix will be impacted by the changes for international fans.

In the meantime iQiyi & Tencent will reap the rewards of more international fans. Heck, even Mango TV could get a boost. But, you do you Korea.

Well, when Yu & Sam or the others bring it up, the translators indicate they say “countrified”. Sometimes when 1 or the other gets excited/emotional in their speech, it slips out.

I’m American, my native language is English & my 2nd language is Japanese, & I just recently started learning Korean. My limited understanding of the “sound” of Chinese comes from first having college friends from Hong Kong, Singapore, & the Philippines + my 1st Asian dramas being TW-dramas, Cantonese/Hokkien, then lastly C-dramas for “std” Mandarin. I have my own ‘listening’ preference myself, but I only know a few words here and there & don’t speak the language so what I’m saying is entirely from what others have told me.

The thing about Taiwanese Mandarin that I often hear is that zh, sh, & ch retroflexes are much more softer sounding. Mainlanders will think it’s ‘cute’ when spoken by a female, but consider it effeminate & unmanly for men to speak this way. Much like the difference between British/American/Australian accents, and even the regional accents within those countries, mainland Northern accent is considered the most sophisticated and precise, like how Brits think their London accent is the most proper English.

Especially with Yu’s accent, these aspects of the difference are discussed off-camera between the WBL actors. more than I’ve ever heard before. In an interview, when Sam’s “accent” came through, he even professed to have a “manly” voice. It’s come up because mainlanders have been bringing it up on forum boards regarding the drama as well. I think this is why, for this show, this topic is discussed much more than you’ve ever heard regarding these differences.

I know many Chinese believe that Taiwan is a part of China, pushing this idea through the UN & WHO but Taiwan, to this date, remains its own nation with its own laws.

Taiwan is the first Asian nation to have Same Sex Marriage as a law. When it passed, although Taiwan has laws against surrogacy, they require LGBT partners to have at least 1 of the partners biologically related in order to adopt. Without surrogacy, they’re unable to have kids. Thus, many went outside of Taiwan in order to get around the ban. [https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3843318]

By the May, 2020, advocacy groups and the fact that Same Sex Marriage had been the law of the land for a few years, caused a political push to introduce NEW law in support of surrogacy despite opposition from religious organizations who are anti-gay:
[https://www.ucanews.com/news/church-concerned-as-taiwan-moves-to-legalize-surrogacy/87931]

As it stand now, in Taiwan, the law is still being discussed in committees. The whole purpose is to protect the rights of all parties involved and not make this into a cottage industry:
[https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2021/02/25/2003752820]

WTF? 70% of Taiwanese speak Taiwanese Hokkien aka Taigi and it is one of the official languages of Taiwan. Mandarin is spoken in this drama because they’re selling it to China, via Tencent Video. Sam & Yu even discuss Taiwanese *accents* in their interviews, where Chinese fans call it sounding like “hicks” along with the fact that Yu intersperses Japanese in his dialogue.

If you’ve ever watched the TW-Drama ISWAK or ‘Drunken to Love You’ you’d have known this.
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taiwanese_Hokkien].

=/ I haven't liked anything Jung Hyun Jung has written as much since 2015. I don't think she's ever written an historical either, but I could be wrong. I hope she picks up her writing and makes this as good as her earlier stuff. I hate for him to comeback to a poor plot.

You forgot Taiwan. I understand that. I've made over 17K edits to the database myself. It was more a rhetorical statement.

The point I'm making is that the movie she is nominated for was written by a Korean-American professor for U of Utah campus in Incheon, South Korea. The film itself was produced by Christina Oh, along with Dede Gardner, & Jeremy Kleiner from Plan B who produced, along with NetFlix, Bong Joon Ho's 'Okja' released in 2017, 2 years before he made 'Parasite'.

Again, this goes along with the idea that 'Okja', which is Korean/American produced through NetFlix, has less Korean actors, as well as on-set crew working on it than 'Minari' did, but isn't listed because it's 100% American produced. This means that actors like Youn Yuh Jung's filmographies aren't complete is the main theme here. I'm just putting out the thought is all.

On a side note, Plan B Entertainment's Pitt, Gardner, & Kleiner's foray into Asian content is such a blessing for Koreans. They've helped open doors that should remain open in the future, and for good reason. ;)

Is the only reason this movie isn't listed on MDL because it's American produced?

The artwork and everything about it makes you feel like you're a part of the drama somehow. If you are a huge fan of the drama, it still a nice collectors item. As for me, I was already attending Korean language classes at the Korean American Cultural Center in Irvine, CA before these came out. It was a great way to study.

Oh, TYVM for sharing the link. It just goes to show how little we really know about the process, and making a lot of snap judgements based on the very *little* bit we've known. This here clearly shows that Shi De wasn't the *only* one aggressive in this scene. These 2 were literally creating raw art, and you may not like the content or topic, but it's still freaking great acting.

Ah, well if you prefer to get them from Amazon, here's the link:
[https://www.amazon.com/KDrama-Okay-Youngs-Fairytale-Finding/dp/B08GPJDL2F/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=Finding%2BThe%2BReal%2BFace%2B(1x%2BChildren%27s%2BBook)&qid=1616099858&sr=8-5&th=1]

Do you live in a country that blocks imports from South Korea?
They are available through Amazon.
I bought them from this South Korean online distributor. They sent it to me via DHL and I got the books in less than 2 weeks time. [https://www.harum.io/products/it-is-okay-to-not-be-okay-novels?_pos=1&_sid=cbe56fc06&_ss=r]

I actually have the physical copies of the 5 children's books she wrote 1) 악몽을 먹고자란 소년 - The Boy Who Grew Up Eating Nightmares; 2) 봄날의 개 - Springtime [Cheerful] Dog; 3) 좀비 아이 - Zombie Child; 4) 손, 아귀 - The Hand, The Monkfish; & 5) 진짜 진짜 알굴을 찾아서 - In Search of the Real Face. Inside, each book includes Ko Moon Young's autograph. They are so beautifully crafted. There are people who have posted their unboxing of these books on YouTube, if you want to see what they're like.

My collection also came with 2 books of 'It's Okay Not to be Okay' full script written in 2 Parts. I've been studying Korean and I thought it would help me with learning to read and write. ;)