'Suki na Hito ga Iru Koto' (or 'A Girl and Three Sweethearts', or 'AGATS') is the story of a young pastry chef who spends a summer working and living with three brothers who own a restaurant in a seaside Japanese town. When she was in school the pastry chef had a serious crush on the oldest brother, who since then has gone on to become the manager of the family restaurant with his middle brother as the head chef. The youngest brother is still of school age and doesn't contribute much to the business -- he's too busy having fun.

The oldest brother hires the pastry chef to serve as the restaurant's pâtissière for the summer and also invites her to stay in one of the empty rooms in the house where he lives with his brothers. Between the work at the restaurant and life at home there is plenty of opportunity for drama.

Fans of the 'Enemies to Lovers' trope best be warned: the ML in this series (Kanata) starts out as one of the meanest jerks in any drama I've ever watched, and even by the very end he's still got a way to go before he'll ever become Prince Charming. This is a guy who in his very first meeting with the FL (Misaki) takes delight in watching her literally fall flat on her face on a public beach. And from there it only gets worse between them.

Truth be told, for Misaki the early episodes of AGATS are quite an ordeal. Kanata makes no allowance for her lack of life experience and seems to despise her wide-eyed view of the world, mocking it at every turn. When she tries to create a beautiful dessert that will impress him enough to start taking her pastry skills seriously, he ends up knocking it out of her hands so it lands in a messy pile on the floor, totally ruined. Then he simply walks away after ordering her to clean up the mess.

Eventually things warm up between them, and one thing I actually give this drama credit for is that Kanata's unapproachability remains consistent even after he has fallen in love with Misaki. In so many dramas of this type a rude lead character will turn into a pussycat once feelings develop for their counterpart. Not here. Yes, Kanata does tone it down in the insult department and shows flashes of affection and appreciation, but to the very end he retains that core of grouchiness.

I don't want to make too much of all this because this is a fun drama that I highly recommend. The performances are all first-rate, and for those who don't like plot complications that get too intense there's only a moderate level of angst. The love triangles (there are two) aren't taken to any extremes, and even the menacing rich guy who's constantly appearing on the scene with his threat to take over the restaurant ends up having more bark than bite.

Each of the three brothers gets his own plotline that isn't directly related to the FL. To me the one involving the youngest brother was the most touching. On the outside he's a happy kid without a care in the world but we eventually come to see the pain and resentment under the surface. I really like how this was handled and resolved, and Nomura Shuhei deserves credit for his nuanced performance in the role.

The performance by Yamazaki Kento as Kanata is simply fantastic. The actor is required to convey so much of his character's thoughts and feelings with only his eyes and facial expressions, and, much like Misaki does, over the course of the series we have to learn how to 'decode' him before we can understand where he's coming from. (I was happy to spend the time studying him this way because looks-wise he's very easy on the eyes.)

What I quibble with in AGATS is that the series never tells us why Kanata, who has grown up in a loving household and is on his way to achieving his dream of becoming a reknowned chef, has such a hostile outlook on the world. I also wish that Misaki had been more confrontational in those moments when he treated her the worst. Too often it seemed that she'd flare up and get in a couple of good retorts but then retreat. It felt like Kanata got away with too much.

Further regarding Misaki, like the FLs in many dramas she comes across as a little *too* naive, however compared to the immature FLs in such series as 'Thirty But Seventeen' she is a model of maturity. Still, it's never exactly clear to me why Kanata goes from despising her to falling in love. This is one reason I'd like to rewatch this series someday, to see if there are clues that I'll notice the second time around.

Read More

I wanted to like this more than I did. The main problem is that the story has been told so many times, in so many other movies and TV shows.

There are a lot of long pauses between lines of dialog. It makes many of the scenes drag and in a few cases allowed me enough time to say out loud what the next line would be. I was right about 3/4 of the time, which should tell you how predictable the script is.

I didn't care for a scene where it looks as though the ML is going to kill himself. It turns out that he doesn't, but we never learn if he never actually intended to commit suicide or if he changed his mind about going through with it. I think the answer is important to our understanding of the character.

The acting is generally excellent and there's really nothing else to fault with this production. It's just a little too much of a re-tread, which makes its slow pace feel even slower, and even though the ML's "coming out" is ultimately successful there's still something a little joyless about the outcome.

Read More

It seems unfair to judge this series by the usual standards since it is essentially fan service aimed at fans of the K-pop group EXO. In this it succeeds whole-heartedly. The guys in the group all prove themselves to be capable actors, and to stand in for EXO's millions of fans there's a naive and innocent FL, acting out the dreams of everyday girls by not only basking in the presence of such handsome and talented boys, but being actively pursued by one (or maybe two) of them romantically. I don't think you'll need any prior experience with EXO or their music to enjoy this, although there are a few cringy moments that will make you temporarily doubt your own sanity for sticking with it. It's worth enduring, though, since there are plenty of cute moments to make up for it.

The premise of the series is that group member Suho has been injured during dance practice and is in the hospital, and this has forced the group to delay their tour plans while waiting for him to recover. Since this is a Korean production the EXO boys who become the focus are the members of the group's now-inactive sub-unit, EXO-K ("K" for "Korean".) The boys end up taking refuge in a house that was once owned by the grandfather of Chanyeol, one of the EXO-K members. The realtor who has rented the house to them happens to live next door.

The house rental has included cleaning service, and to save money the realtor enlists her 23yo daughter Yeonhee to serve as the housekeeper. The resulting story is a frothy concoction of funny situations and misunderstandings, with the possibility of romance thrown in to keep the most ardent fans coming back for more. There is also a mystery of sorts involving a necklace that Chanyeol is desperate to find as well as a plot twist that casts new light on Chanyeol's relationship with Yeonhee.

Of the group members, Chanyeol and D.O. seem to be the primary MLs for the series despite Sehun and Baekhyun sharing top billing here on the MDL page. Chanyeol's characterization is cranky and rude -- the "bad boy" -- while D.O. is kind-hearted and surprisingly shy -- the "good boy". D.O. clearly takes a liking to Yeonhee and spends most of the series trying to get closer to her. Meanwhile, Chanyeol seems to dislike her from the start. (I can't say I blame him, since at their first meeting she sprays him in the face with a mouthful of water.)

There's a humorous friendship on the side between group member Sehun and Yeonhee's brother, Kwangsoo. It turns out that Kwangsoo makes a killer cup of coffee, and this keeps Sehun coming back for more. Over time they build a quirky bromance. This is played strictly for laughs but the two actors work very well together.

The one detractor factor to 'EXO Next Door' is the character Yeonhee. We're told that she is 23 years old but she comes off as someone much younger. Despite being very pretty and smart she knows next to nothing about dating (the questions she asks her best friend on the subject are unbelievably naive), and she over-reacts to everything with bug-eyed screams and squeals. I suspect the series took this approach because it needed a FL who could represent the younger female fans of EXO while being old enough that attention from the boys wouldn't come off as inappropriate. The downside of that is that someone with such an immature personality as Yeonhee seems extremely unlikely to attract the attention of not only one, but two of K-pop's biggest idols. It struck me as unintentionally funny that there would be scenes like one where the four guys in the house sit around and eagerly speculate over which one of them Yeonhee might like. (Cue the cringe.)

Still, everyone does their best to make it work, and once you accept that this is how things are going to be 'EXO Next Door' becomes an easy series to like. I have to say, though: I think the bromance between Sehun and Yeonhee shows better chemistry than either of the relationships between Yeonhee and D.O. or Yeonhee and Chanyeol.

What I appreciate about how the series wraps up is that we're not asked to believe that any of the boys ends up dating Yeonhee. Instead the emphasis is on lasting friendships.

I should mention that the music for the series is (of course) really good. Baekhyun contributes an OST song and there are music tracks from the group's catalog to underscore some of the scenes.

EXO is one of the superstar groups in K-pop. Like all of us I'm sure the boys have changed a bit since this series was made in 2015, but one of the best things about 'EXO Next Door' is that it lets you realize that they are all down-to-earth guys who are like you and me in many respects. It makes me wish more K-pop groups would launch such a project.

Read More

An early BL that proves to be a pleasant surprise

After finally being able to watch this series with good subs I can say that it is very underrated. The storyline is silly and the production had a tight budget, to say the least, but it's cute as hell and would hold up just fine compared to some more recent productions.

It's fun to watch these BL actors so early in their careers, too. (And it's nice to see that Best already has the lean-muscled physique that remains his trademark.) For a 2017 production it features a couple of surprisingly bold kisses -- the kind where the guys sample each other's lips a first time then decide to go in for hungry seconds.

The series follows three main couples, although one of the pairings is a little messy (no spoilers). My only complaint is that not everyone's situation is resolved at the end. Maybe they were leaving things open for a sequel, however the sequel that we eventually got turned out to be unrelated as well as far less enjoyable.

Read More

For me this movie was just okay. The biggest problem is that 'Luke' is not a very good actor. I don't think he delivered a single line of dialog convincingly. ('Dominic' is fantastic, though, and he has a beautiful singing voice.)

The second biggest problem is that the ending feels very forced. The movie's third act sets up a bunch of problems that it does nothing to resolve. Nothing! (Like, what about that date for prom? And Luke's homophobic friends?)

By the time we get to the final scene of the film we know that Luke is unreliable. He runs hot and cold and has no idea what he really wants. Maybe he loves Dominic, but on the other hand maybe he's just driven by guilt. So, the sentimental ending is unconvincing. It needed something that would assure us (and Dominic) that Luke really, truly knows what he wants now. As it is, I wouldn't be surprised if the next day he's back with the girlfriend. (Something tells me that will be the premise of the sequel. *Yawn* )

Read More

This series has a madcap quality to it, so although there are some intense scenes there's an outrageousness to the whole enterprise that takes the edge off. You might even find yourself chuckling here and there.

All of the scene-chewing comes from the two adult leads and the student ringleader of the little gang of nasties in the classroom. This is a decidedly evil bunch of kids -- by the end of the series most of them have attempted murder -- but in accordance with the wacky rules of Asian drama and this series in particular, none of them has to account for their crimes, and in fact by the end we are meant to sympathize with them. (They are even forgiven by their chief victim, who sincerely tells them that he loves them.)

In addition there are jaw-dropping plot developments that I haven't even hinted at. You will have to watch the series to experience them -- and I do recommend that you do that, although I caution fans of hardcore thrillers that most of what you see is so over the top that it's hard to take seriously.

As entertainment, though, this series does the job and will keep you watching. I binged it in one afternoon. In my book that deserves an automatic 8/10.

Read More

Ambitious but with an identity crisis

** Please be warned that this review contains lots of spoilers **

Watching this series from the vantage point of 2023 was an interesting experience. I can readily see how it must have excited the BL fans of 2016, and can imagine the anticipation for each new episode as the series progressed. Unfortunately, I can also imagine their disappointment over how it eventually ended.

Because, alas, the production ultimately lost its nerve, and it turns out that the conflicted feelings that Jatjang has for his neighbors Earth and Ice are simply overblown.

Well, strike that. The feelings that are overblown are the ones that Jatjang has for Earth in particular.

Because, while Jatjang declares several times over the course of the series that his heart “flutters” for Earth, in the final episode he reveals that he has never thought of Earth romantically or ever wanted to touch him sexually, and he even recoils when Earth unexpectedly kisses him on the lips to help him test how he feels. At the same time, we learn that the one Jatjang has wanted to be with romantically all along is Earth’s sister, Ice.

Jatjang, it seems, has just been a confused straight guy the whole time.

What, then, was all the fuss about? As a viewer I wouldn’t want to endure ten months of suspense only to be let down by such a whopper of a cop-out in the final episode.

Along the way, the series does tackle several contemporary issues faced by teens, and most of the time it handles them well. This includes a nod toward accepting people who are gay, which is laudable, but it must be said that the only two examples of same-sex attracted characters are Jatjang’s flamboyant ladyboy cousin and a closeted art teacher who has molested one of his male students.

Furthermore, once Jatjang’s father learns of his son’s possible bisexual tendencies he’s not happy about it at all. After he discovers that Jatjang has been keeping an online journal, he hacks into his son’s computer so he can read the entries from week to week, and soon pretends to be a concerned stranger in order to exchange messages with him. He repeatedly urges Jatjang not to give in to his feelings for other guys or even believe that they’re necessarily real. Then, once the dad finds out that the boy his son is attracted to is Earth (a friend he's around constantly) just the sight of the two boys alone together drives Jatjang’s dad into panic. This is usually played for laughs but after a while becomes offensive.

By the last episode, Earth and his sister have moved away and Jatjang is back to square one for his romantic pursuits. At the end of that episode (and of the series) someone comes to the house to pick up Jatjang to go to school, and after Jatjang’s sister announces that Jatjang’s “new lover” is outside, the family makes a fuss as though there’s a question of whether this new lover is male or female. We, the viewers, never find out for sure, but based on everything that happened earlier, wouldn’t it have to be a girl? By this point there has been repeated reminders that the only boy that Jatjang’s heart has ever fluttered for is Earth, and of course that was a false alarm—other boys have never appealed to him. The series can’t have it both ways. Once you establish that Jatjang is just a confused straight boy you can’t expect to get away with becoming coy on the subject again.

What cannot be faulted here are the performances of the main leads, Tongtong (Jatjang) and Nonkul (Earth). Tongtong has the most difficult role and completely owns it. His emotional range is amazing. Regarding Nonkul, by the time he was in this series he was already an experienced actor and had previously been in a pioneering BL film, 2014's “Love’s Coming”. (In that film, as here, his character is straight.) His performance perfectly balances the tough and tender aspects of Earth’s personality.

In the role of Jatjang’s dad, Jatjen, Saksit Tangthong is also very good, despite the flaws in his character’s approach to his son. As for the mom character, Pang, I must admit that she really annoyed me. In one satisfying scene she gets called out by the kids for always being a scold, and that’s exactly what she is. By the end of the series her voice grated on me and I couldn’t wait for her scenes to be over. I probably shouldn’t blame actress Aom Piyada for what I didn’t like about the mom. I’m sure it was the performance that they wanted from her.

The series is filmed like a traditional sitcom, mostly on a soundstage with occasional outdoor locations, but not with a live audience. Instead, canned laughter is inserted constantly. The fake laughs seem to become less intrusive as the series progresses, but I can’t say if that’s simply because I got used to them.

One last comment. For the files I used to watch this series, the subs were done by a team that called themselves EarthBangJang Subbers. That name was displayed at the upper right corner of the screen for each episode, serving as a constant reminder of how everyone back in 2016 must have been counting on the series becoming a bonafide BL. How disappointed they must have been when it ended without Earth banging Jang.

So, this is not a BL. I'd even say that there's not a "Bisexual Character" as the MDL tag suggests. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, unless you want to spend 55 episodes to get disappointed for yourself.

Read More

I rarely binge-watch but this one made me do it.

I was excited to find this drama after enjoying Yokohama Ryusei in 'Hajimete Koi wo Shita Hi ni Yomu Hanashi'. With just eight episodes the plot here moves quickly and there's never a dull moment. Performances across the board are excellent. It was also interesting to me that it's set in modern times yet you rarely see anyone in modern dress -- it's kimonos practically 24x7.

I also like that the FL is resourceful and strong-willed. She knows what she wants and is willing to do what she needs to. She is clearly a good match for the ML, and it's nice that he himself realizes that very early on.

One thing for sure, I really want to try Japanese sweets now.

A few things did bother me though. ** WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW **

First, the fact that all the trouble starts with a 9yo making an accusation that nobody seems to question. There's never any followup from the police to make sure he wasn't mistaken, lying on behalf of someone else, or acting out of spite. (And a case could be made that all three of those were true.)

Another thing is that we get seven episodes of the evil matron doing her best to destroy both the FL and her own son but once again we have a final episode of a drama where the main villain is given a redemption arc from out of nowhere. (And why didn't the father-in-law take action after she nearly killed him?) I don't know why it seems that most of the Asian dramas I watch end up redeeming the villain in the end. For me there's something unsatisfying about that. I want people to be forced to account for their wrongdoing.

Speaking of which, we then have Jojima, who does the evil matron's bidding in the early episodes and even attempts to *kill* the FL, but who then turns into a good guy who never has to account for the terrible things he did. (Also, the matron seems unconcerned when he stops working for her and joins the opposition, so to speak. I'd think she would be the last person you'd want to double-cross like that.)

Still, it's a fun ride if you're willing to overlook some of these inconsistencies. An easy 8/10 for me.

Read More

I found 'Always Have Always Will' to be very entertaining despite the presence of some well-worn tropes.

There's the roommates of the female lead who blame her for being more appealing to a boy they all like and who do everything they can to torment her.

And there's the snarky girl who pursues the male lead relentlessly despite being rebuffed over and over. In real life a person like that would be considered mentally ill. Alas, I don't think this trope is going anywhere soon.

One trope that this drama nicely subverts is the presence of a second male lead who is left heartbroken after losing out to the ML. In 'AHAW', this character has a level-headed approach to the FL that only makes it appear that he's courting her. (Later we learn that he has a girlfriend and isn't interested in the FL that way.)

But, to get to what impressed me the most: Le Gi Yang's performance as Luo Yan is nothing less than extraordinary. Watching this series I could scarcely believe that this is the same actor who played supporting roles in 'The Love Equations' and 'My Youth'. In the latter especially, by the end of the series his character has aged into his late 20's and looks like he's been through every year of it, yet in 'AHAW' (filmed two years later) he is convincing as both the high school and college versions of his character.

Dawn Chen as Fang Li continues the tradition of FLs in Cdramas who suffer from severe self-doubt and occasional stupidity. Fortunately, the character is intelligent enough to major in chemistry and seems very smart academically. (She's really cute, too.)

The side couple consisting of Fei Fei, the FL's best friend, and Shi Xu, a friend of the ML's, adds some comic relief. Their story leverages another familiar trope: the suitor who pretends to like the girl then finds himself developing real feelings for her.

At the heart of the series is a mystery involving the ML's loss of his memory during high school. How did it happen, and why? When we finally got the answers to these questions I have to admit that I was disappointed. I'd been hoping for something more impactful. The way the FL learns the truth is pretty ho-hum too -- her senior friend from high school just sits her down and tells her. He gives her a reason why he didn't do it sooner, but the way the premise of the series just seems to deflate feels like a let-down when compared to everything else it's had to offer.

We also never see the ML actually regain his memory. I was expecting that to eventually happen, but I can also see where it wasn't really necessary to move the main story forward.

In all, I enjoyed this series a lot and rank it in the upper tier of Cdramas set at a high school or college. Considering how many of those there are I guess that means I liked it a whole lot.

Read More

UPDATE: Not the worst ever - I should not have overreacted

NOTE: After many months of watching one horrible, low-budget BL after another, I now look back on my reaction to 'My Day' and realize I overreacted. In retrospect it doesn't deserve the rating I originally gave it, which was '1.0's across the board.

I've thought about rewriting the review but part of me thinks that would be a cop-out, like I'm trying to avoid my mistake. So I'll leave the writing intact but raise the score.

'My Day' is not a masterpiece by any means, but wow, I had no idea what the future had in store. Mea culpa!

--------

'My Day' is the BL series that asks: How badly do you want to watch two straight men pretend to be in a relationship?

Be careful how you answer, because watching this series might make your eyes bleed.

'My Day' is more than a disaster -- it's a sign of the BL Apocalypse. It's the result of BL fans blindly throwing their support behind anything that calls itself BL.

This series is so blissfully terrible that the only explanation I have for it is that it's a cash-grab exploitation ploy. No time or effort was put into anything related to the production except for product placements and the superficialities that might draw viewers to it for the first time -- things such as the attractiveness of the main leads and some of the costumes and set design. To me the rest is meant to just take the money and run.

In the world of commerce, anything that becomes popular will result in imitators who seek to profit by making fake versions of the original. As my MDL username implies, one of my hobbies is collecting sneakers, and in the sneaker world this is something that happens constantly. There's a whole underground industry of black-marketeers who quickly manufacture 'replicas' of popular shoes and cash in by selling them at a fraction of what the real thing would cost. At first glance these replicas seem authentic, but upon close inspection you realize that the materials are shoddy, the colors are off, and the construction is terrible.

'My Day' strikes me as the first replica of a BL series. Nothing about it feels authentic or sincere.

The acting is abysmal. It's as though every scene was filmed with one take. As I watched the initial episodes I wondered if the cast had done any kind of workshopping where they could delve into the personae of their characters, understanding their motivations, hopes, fears, and life history. Because in 'My Day', instead of characterizations what we get is people 'behaving' in order to create new 'situations' at the whim of the writers. Instead of a coherent plot we get a mad dash to throw as many BL tropes at the screen as possible. From one episode to the next -- or even from scene to scene -- characters are deployed indifferently, exhibiting behaviors that have no relation to what they were like in earlier scenes.

For example, when we're first introduced to Sky we learn that he's a top culinary student whose hard work has led to a much-coveted internship at a famous bakery. Sky stands proudly among his classmates as he's recognized for his accomplishments, exuding the kind of maturity that we'd expect from a top student. But then, just a few scenes later on his first day of the internship, when the president of the company -- Ace, a notoriously demanding and ill-tempered CEO -- is meeting the new hires for the first time, we see Sky sitting just a few feet away, indifferently checking his phone and paying zero attention to what Ace is saying.

This of course leads the two into a tense confrontation, but as a viewer you're left puzzled. Is this really how a top student would act? In that same scene just moments before, the employees had adamantly warned the new hires about how terrifying Ace can be when he's angry, but the screenwriters are so eager to engineer a confrontation between Ace and Sky that they resort to a completely unbelievable scenario for it to happen.

Later on, after Sky has done more than enough to get himself thrown out of the internship, he goes to Ace's office to beg for one more chance. What does the script have him do? Well, just that, of course, and nothing else: beg. "Please, Mr. Ace ... please, please!"

And that's it! (Someone give that writer an award!)

Never mind that Sky's appeal for mercy could have included something about himself or his family that might have an impact on Ace, making it the first time that an employee has stirred him in a way that makes him take notice and want to forgive. No, because that might have required some actual creativity.

Nevertheless, despite the lack of imagination in Sky's appeal, Ace does decide to give him another chance, because in the lamebrain world of 'My Day' a character will act completely contrary to their reputation without any explanation. Everything is at the service of the screenwriters as they hurry to shuffle us from one drama trope to the next.

I know there are plenty of series that people will say have had worse acting, worse writing, or worse production design than 'My Day', and, based on some of the comments here and on Twitter and YouTube I know there are people who actually think this steaming pile is a masterpiece.

What those other 'bad' series have that 'My Day' lacks is a sincere attempt to bring a consistent narrative to the screen. Despite the challenges (and a likely lack of budget) they strive to deliver an engaging story. The cast actually rehearses, and you can sense that they're really trying to create characters who have a motivation for everything they do.

It's a sad day for BL when hucksters can perpetrate a fraud like 'My Day' on a trusting fandom, and even sadder when the fans feed the monster by proudly celebrating it. We only get the kind of BL that we deserve, and if we insist on rewarding a dumpster fire like 'My Day' then I promise we'll only get more of the same, and we'll have only ourselves to blame.

As it happens, earlier this week, as I wondered 'What series could possibly be worse than this one?', I inadvertently found my answer on YouTube when I stumbled on an announcement that there will be a 'My Day: Season Two'.

Yes, the people behind this hot mess are going to give themselves a chance to outdo themselves....

May the BL gods have mercy on our souls.

Read More