Feardorcha

Poor Kaneko; Hiro's life is really stressing him out.

https://mangatoto.com/series/121394/perfect-propose-official

Right? Well, maybe if we are very lucky and behave ourselves, they'll give us a post-series special episode. At least we're getting one more episode than "Old Fashion Cupcake", anyway.

A handsome man appears from nowhere, cleans your house, restocks your fridge, cooks you dinner, gives you a handjob, cures your insomnia, clears up your skin, and lovingly restyles your hair, all over the course of 24 hours. Well, damn, it's all right for some, isn't it? Do I need to half-kill an old man to get that kind of luck or...?

I like all of the characters here, I really do, but I'm not sure it bodes well that by far the most engaging relationship in this BL at the moment is the one between the gay male lead and the straight female supporting character who has a crush on him. I could watch a whole series about these two as besties on adventures in Osaka. Just the two of them running around staging elaborate dates for strangers, returning lost puppies to their owners, and finding love, family, and friendship along the way.

It's only episode four, obviously the dynamics between the male leads will change, especially with the arrival of the ex, but so far, the romantic potential eludes me. I love a good opposites attract story but I just don't see the attraction. I have no idea what Sakae actually sees in Soga; other than his handsome face and cute smile, what is keeping Sakae so invested? He seems baffled by everything about Soga, from his personality to his hobbies to his interests. And Soga...is freshly(?) divorced, and hasn't given any indication he's even on the market. He seems just genuinely interested in making friends. I find Soga endearing but we share a lot of the same interests, so I feel I understand him on several levels. But what's got Sakae so pre-dickmatized?

Maybe it's just the allure of something different. I look forward to the next episode.

We are in the minority but I also found the series ultimately underwhelming. It had such an intriguing set-up, only to end on the same simplistic message so common in romantic dramas. I really thought the story was heading somewhere fresh and original. I was so disappointed when it landed in My First Philosophy Picturebook territory. Such a waste of an interesting story device.

What an absolute nothing of a series.

A better story would've been the conversations between Toki and Sahara leading them both to realistic growth: Sahara finally lets his past die and from its ashes rekindles his relationship with Nekoto; meanwhile, Toki appreciates the maturity to where his crush-on-teacher led him, and he embarks on a flirtation with Rise/someone else while pursuing a future of personal achievement.

Because in no way does this series sell a love story between Toki and Sahara. They are "in love" because the script says so, not because anything in the plot leads to/supports it. In most every aspect and facet, they present more as brothers than anything else. Whenever the script tries to romanticize their relationship, it's clunky and awkward and ridiculous.

This should've been a better show.

Agreed. Worth a watch, I think, but that's about it.

The only reason I'm still watching this show is so I can keep up with the references in the comments. Honestly, this comment section needs its own rating. 10/10, would read again!

I rated it a 5 (barely watch once, never think about it again). I think those who really liked it might find affinity with this series because both deliver very simplistic messages with quiet earnest via pretty boys, some of whom kiss.

I rated this series slightly higher than "The Eighth Sense" because the concept vehicle was more engaging and I liked the performances better but I find both shows mostly meh.

You're not doing anything wrong. I, too, found this a middling watch. Glad I watched it but I wouldn't watch it again, and probably won't remember much of it in a few months.

I said this series might be a good fit for those who enjoyed "The Eighth Sense". I never said I myself enjoyed "The Eighth Sense".

I'm guessing that part of the summary must be connected to the manhwa; it certainly isn't applicable to the series. Sangwon is an afterthought most of the show, and Kyunghoon is barely a character (his sister has more direct influence on the story than he does and you will forget she exists until she's actually onscreen).

There is no love triangle. Sangwon likes Myungha and is vocal about it but Myungha is equally as vocal in telling him he has less than zero chance and that all Myungha's affection is for Yeonwoo. Yeonwoo and Sangwon have a cutely immature rivalry about it but everyone knows that Myungha and Yeonwoo are in love and together.

The series was fine, worth at least one watch. If you were a big fan of "The Eighth Sense", this is probably a good fit for you. For those concerned: yes, it does have a happy ending, you won't be disappointed in that regard.

That person is off their fucking rocker, full stop. Just wow.

It is damn bizarre to me that they referenced "East Palace, West Palace" and "Spring Fever" as proof that the Chinese Government has not enshrined anti-LGBTQ legislation at the highest levels. The first had to be smuggled out of China to France for editing and festival submission, the director had his passport confiscated and was put on house arrest, and another Chinese director who had nothing to do with any of it was punished by having his film—China's official submission to Cannes that year—pulled from the competition by the Chinese Government in order to set an example to the entire Chinese film industry.

The latter film was submitted as a Hong Kong-France co-production. Both films were filmed, screened, and submitted without China's approval, and people were duly sanctioned and punished by the Chinese government.

"Seek McCartney" is so sanitized it can barely be called a gay film. China's official approval of that one was only because the theme is virtually invisible, it was predominately a French production and fit under the "arthouse" label, and China was trying to do damage control on the world stage for their increasingly public anti-LGBTQ policies and behaviours. The men in the story never kissed or hugged, held hands briefly maybe twice, and patted each other's backs slightly out of frame. Hell, the same year China allowed it public screenings was the same year they yanked "Addicted" off the air midbroadcast despite that series being China's most watched programme airing at the time.

And if I recall correctly, the only explicitly gay character in "The Dead End" was depicted as a Taiwanese national, not Chinese, which is how it got around China's ban.

I just cannot take seriously anyone who disregards the sociopolitical context of Chinese film and media production to insist that the mere existence of gay films created by Chinese citizens is proof that Chinese censorship doesn't exist. It's so wildly, grossly, insultingly disingenuous.

I don't know if it's the editing, the translations, or the story itself but these last few episodes have been clunky and disjointed.

The rather heavy-handed ominous atmosphere looped through episodes 5 and 6 is more jarring than intriguing, and it was already difficult to care much anyway because this is all a simulation and outside of Myung Ha none of these people actually exist. Since it's unclear if Myung Ha is subject to actual mortal danger via the game, there are no concrete stakes attached to the choices he makes, so it's tough to be invested in the dilemmas presented. Unless the consequences of his in-game choices have impact on Myung Ha in the real world, or the in-game characters somehow gain sentience, none of this matters.

I suppose the server errors could permanently trap Myung Ha's consciousness in the virtual world, thereby making it his new "real" world, in which case he'd be living life with the outcomes of his previous in-game choices. A compelling premise but if that doesn't happen until after he's been forced into irreversible decisions by the game, that seems a rather dark turn for this particular story to take.

Definitely one of the show's current weaknesses for me is that Non is more plot device than character. He's like a football on the pitch: he needs to be kicked around in order for the game to happen but his relevance is only in relation to the players and spectators. He just isn't as real of a person as everyone else, not even to the extent where I understand why he's nicknamed "Greasy". Yes, yes, it's a shorthand method for telling the audience that the whole school looks down on him, but the boy has perfectly fine hair, practically flawless skin, and is well-groomed and seems as properly hygienic as all the other boys in his class. Meanwhile, Top's hair has spent six episodes looking like a delicately oiled wok and no one has said a word.

I think I see what the production is attempting to do by slow-dripping Non's story, revealing facets of Non in direct parallel to the layers of the others in a superposition of bad deeds that ripple out toward horror, but so far, his facets simply aren't as compelling or interesting as everyone else's layers. I expect (hope) that will change in the next couple of episodes, where it seems we'll see more of Non exercising agency within his life rather than being pushed around by external forces, but right now I'm indifferent to what actually happens to Non; I'm just eager to get back to those bastards paying the bloody price for it.

I'm rooting for Tee's death because that's the retribution in-universe. If the punishment was everyone goes to prison, or everyone loses all their money, or some other form of payback, I'd be rooting for that as well.

Non is the type of victim I struggle to pity. If he fought back a even a little and simply failed, I'd find it easier to empathize; sometimes, you just lose the battle but at least you tried. My honest thought at the end of the episode was, if you're just going to roll over and take it, you might as well just die. An uncharitable thought, I know, but Perfect Victim archetypes raise my hackles. There is a middle ground in this victimhood dynamic between becoming outright scum (Tee) and being downright spineless (Non).

Yes, Tee is absolutely a victim. He is also a villain willing to inflict harm on anyone and everyone, including the people he calls his friends. His motives are understandable but his methods are still deserving of consequences, and in this show's universe, the consequence is a violent death. So, yes, I have a great deal of sympathy for the kid stuck between a rock and a hard place; I have nothing but antipathy for the monster that kid has become, and I look forward to that monster's grisly death.

As for Non—honestly, my sympathy for him has run out. Weak, pathetic victims aggravate me no end. I don't like Tee or his indiscriminate actions but I can at least respect the steel backbone required to be that maliciously manipulative and so very good at it. He's a prick but he's a competent one, my favourite type of bad guy. Non is just...well, if he's not dead, I hope he grew a spine and is exacting vengeance.