I love this show's version of the Eiffel Tower. No tourist masses, no fences, no police, noone trying to sell Mini Eiffeltowers. I get now why some people get "Paris Syndrome".
The drama was well made and the actors did a great job. However I'm a bit concerned with the end message of the drama "Young people need watch their own behaviour". But in reality it is also algorithmns of social media that actively promote hate over love messages. I also think it's not something should be left alone to deal with, it's also the school and parents job to guide and educate.
No there was no assault. In the novel, Toh purposely made himself drunk so that Nuea could kiss him while drunk.…
I think the tone was a bit of in my comment after reading it again. I was reacting on a comment that very quickly disappeared again and it might have been someone elses.
The director actually toned this down from how it was in the manwha, where Taesung actually pressed multiple kisses…
Anyway my whole point is. I try not to judge how persons see and respond to the world because it is so highly dependant on factors outside of our control (education, culture, political system...).
The director actually toned this down from how it was in the manwha, where Taesung actually pressed multiple kisses…
I'm in the very lucky position to have been at a school were consent was thought and I'm very happy about it. Because it gave me the tools to say no in a situation where I had to. But I don't know how it would have been otherwise.
The director actually toned this down from how it was in the manwha, where Taesung actually pressed multiple kisses…
I remember in 2020 reading a comment on Thai people heavely critizing how sexual consent was depicted in TharnType. To me I see that fewer shows include sexual aggression between the main couple. For example the most recent thai adaptation (F4 Thailand) of the manga "Hana Yori Dango" didn't include the sexual aggression scene between the main leads of the original. And more and more BLs are coming out without using sexual aggression as a plot device. For context it really helped me to watch street interviews of Asian Boss to understand where different countries are standing in the discussions on sexual consent.
To me it comes down to a few questions: What is bad about depiction of sexual aggression? Why are shows still popular? Why are discussions on sexual aggression in shows happening or not happening?
To me the depiction of sexual aggression is very dependant on how it's framed. Because I know that in most cases actors know beforehand that such a scene is happening and are not actually in the situation while filming. The real danger to me is people seeing a scene and then thinking that it is ok to do something similar in real life. That's why discussions are so important to figure out where we want to stand as society.
So why are shows like this so popular? Here I am entering the realm of speculation because I am not living in Asia and therefore don't have the full context. For example Addicted, I explain it's popularity due to very little depictions of same sex relationships because of censorship hence there were little to no other alternatives to this show. Furthermore even if same sex relationships are tolerated in China there are still seen as something abnormal. And the conclusion of writers that an "abnormal" relationship can only result in abnormal, unconsensual sex isn't so far off. I also think that if Chinese people discuss this, it is a) on different social media platforms b) not on social media platforms at all because they're are probably not the safest place to voice out controversial opinions.
Another thing that might enhance popularity of sexual aggression in general is rape phantasies (not the actual thing) being actually a quite common "kink", also with woman. Furthermore, scenes like pressing people against walls are an "easy" way to work around pg censorship (e.g. in Japan where kisses are only allowed to be a certain length) and still be "sexy".
Why are discussions on sexual agressions happening or not happening? A lot of series include teenagers as their target audience. Even in Europe where a lot of countries have mandatory sexual education in school often don't include consent in their curricula. Furthermore in a lot of countries around the world sex is still a tabu topic. And it's very hard to talk about sexual consent if you can't talk about sex. It's especially hard if you are on your own to educate yourself on the topic. It's hard if your peers are also not educated on how to talk a about it either.
Also it might seem meaningless to "freak out" about sexual aggression against fictional characters if it is still a struggle to voice out concerns of sexual aggression against real persons in a country.
The director actually toned this down from how it was in the manwha, where Taesung actually pressed multiple kisses…
We don't know that these discussions are not happpening. First of all, a most of those discussions are not happening in English. Second of all on chanels like Asian Boss you can see that these discussions are indeed happening but mostly real life cases are triggering those discussions. For example a case of gang rape in India caused mass protests there just as lovely said before. It is always very easy to point out mistakes other countries are making but unless you live there you wont be able to grasp the whole picture. Just as I have difficulties to comprehend the full picture of the lack of gun control and universal health care and uniform guidelines on sex education in the States. Other people might shake their heads at the lack of compassion we have towards immigrants in Europe. And even European Media struggles with adressing sexual agression properly, even here assaults are still happening. So how can I expect any other region in the world to do better? The only thing I can do is look at what could be improved here and be part of that change.
The director actually toned this down from how it was in the manwha, where Taesung actually pressed multiple kisses…
@Maggi64 Even if Addicted was a Hit in China it doesn't mean it was a hit because it included sexual aggression. Some things get a lot of attention because they're controversial. Just as the popularity of Game of Thrones doesn't mean that everyone wants to go back to the Middle Ages.
The series really follows the book so we will have to see how some of the issues you wrote about are addressed.…
It's okay that it is in the series as well. From my perspective, I just don't think the actor is chubby. I'm worried someone might see this and be like I look the same I should probably lose weight when (in my opinion) they don't.
No there was no assault. In the novel, Toh purposely made himself drunk so that Nuea could kiss him while drunk.…
@Meighan Moore If you can't handle a different opinion, stop reading! When I saw the scene I was also Toh can't give consent. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the series. In the end the actors were only pretending to be drunk and gave their consent while this was filmed. The danger is if someone looks at this scene and is like "Yeah it's ok to touch someone while they're drunk on mushrooms" and then does it. That's why it's important to talk about it and establish that some people are not okay if they would be touched while drunk on mushrooms.
Vee and Dome looked into eachother's eyes for over 8 seconds in the laast moments of the show! Vee just comunicated with his eyes he likes Dome and smiled.
This show is like watching a car crash, you can't look away from. Sometimes I'm at awe at the actors delivering their lines with a straight face, despite the level of cringeyness. But the more I watch it the more I'm like it's a parody of the genre. The "sexy music" at certain scenes make me laugh, as well as the fact that I can complete some of the very stereotypical conversations before they're finished. All of this is garnished with lots of fan service. There are some points I'm very conflicted with: 1. Uneven power dynamics between a popular and nerdy character, as well as the difference levels of experience and age. And how the one in power is taking advantage of this and it is only partially being adressed as an issue. 2. Fat shaming of a character whose actor has normal weight! And no one telling this character "I see, you're insecure about your body but to me you look perfectly fine" ( And no, saying "I can help you work out" and "I only care about the inside" is not being body positive because both are implying something is wrong with the outside) Also the representation of "nerd" is not something I can identify with. I see this over the top, clumsy, awkward, naive, "not very intelligent" in academics characters in a lot of Thai series (e.g. Smile in Boy for Rent, Oh in My dear Loser: Edge of 17) and I feel oddly misrepresented. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that having good grades and doing homework is a cool thing in asian series.
1
No tourist masses, no fences, no police, noone trying to sell Mini Eiffeltowers. I get now why some people get "Paris Syndrome".
To me it feels like 2Moons
However I'm a bit concerned with the end message of the drama "Young people need watch their own behaviour". But in reality it is also algorithmns of social media that actively promote hate over love messages. I also think it's not something should be left alone to deal with, it's also the school and parents job to guide and educate.
To me I see that fewer shows include sexual aggression between the main couple. For example the most recent thai adaptation (F4 Thailand) of the manga "Hana Yori Dango" didn't include the sexual aggression scene between the main leads of the original.
And more and more BLs are coming out without using sexual aggression as a plot device.
For context it really helped me to watch street interviews of Asian Boss to understand where different countries are standing in the discussions on sexual consent.
To me it comes down to a few questions: What is bad about depiction of sexual aggression? Why are shows still popular? Why are discussions on sexual aggression in shows happening or not happening?
To me the depiction of sexual aggression is very dependant on how it's framed. Because I know that in most cases actors know beforehand that such a scene is happening and are not actually in the situation while filming. The real danger to me is people seeing a scene and then thinking that it is ok to do something similar in real life. That's why discussions are so important to figure out where we want to stand as society.
So why are shows like this so popular? Here I am entering the realm of speculation because I am not living in Asia and therefore don't have the full context.
For example Addicted, I explain it's popularity due to very little depictions of same sex relationships because of censorship hence there were little to no other alternatives to this show. Furthermore even if same sex relationships are tolerated in China there are still seen as something abnormal. And the conclusion of writers that an "abnormal" relationship can only result in abnormal, unconsensual sex isn't so far off. I also think that if Chinese people discuss this, it is a) on different social media platforms b) not on social media platforms at all because they're are probably not the safest place to voice out controversial opinions.
Another thing that might enhance popularity of sexual aggression in general is rape phantasies (not the actual thing) being actually a quite common "kink", also with woman. Furthermore, scenes like pressing people against walls are an "easy" way to work around pg censorship (e.g. in Japan where kisses are only allowed to be a certain length) and still be "sexy".
Why are discussions on sexual agressions happening or not happening?
A lot of series include teenagers as their target audience. Even in Europe where a lot of countries have mandatory sexual education in school often don't include consent in their curricula. Furthermore in a lot of countries around the world sex is still a tabu topic. And it's very hard to talk about sexual consent if you can't talk about sex. It's especially hard if you are on your own to educate yourself on the topic. It's hard if your peers are also not educated on how to talk a about it either.
Also it might seem meaningless to "freak out" about sexual aggression against fictional characters if it is still a struggle to voice out concerns of sexual aggression against real persons in a country.
It is always very easy to point out mistakes other countries are making but unless you live there you wont be able to grasp the whole picture. Just as I have difficulties to comprehend the full picture of the lack of gun control and universal health care and uniform guidelines on sex education in the States. Other people might shake their heads at the lack of compassion we have towards immigrants in Europe. And even European Media struggles with adressing sexual agression properly, even here assaults are still happening. So how can I expect any other region in the world to do better? The only thing I can do is look at what could be improved here and be part of that change.
If you can't handle a different opinion, stop reading!
When I saw the scene I was also Toh can't give consent. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the series. In the end the actors were only pretending to be drunk and gave their consent while this was filmed. The danger is if someone looks at this scene and is like "Yeah it's ok to touch someone while they're drunk on mushrooms" and then does it. That's why it's important to talk about it and establish that some people are not okay if they would be touched while drunk on mushrooms.
There are some points I'm very conflicted with:
1. Uneven power dynamics between a popular and nerdy character, as well as the difference levels of experience and age. And how the one in power is taking advantage of this and it is only partially being adressed as an issue.
2. Fat shaming of a character whose actor has normal weight! And no one telling this character "I see, you're insecure about your body but to me you look perfectly fine" ( And no, saying "I can help you work out" and "I only care about the inside" is not being body positive because both are implying something is wrong with the outside)
Also the representation of "nerd" is not something I can identify with. I see this over the top, clumsy, awkward, naive, "not very intelligent" in academics characters in a lot of Thai series (e.g. Smile in Boy for Rent, Oh in My dear Loser: Edge of 17) and I feel oddly misrepresented. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that having good grades and doing homework is a cool thing in asian series.