FrothyMix

MILD SPOILER-ISH THINGS AHEAD:

Just finished episode 10. For me, the roughest thing about this watch is not that it made me cry, but that it made me cry over and over and over again. And the tears didn't seem cheap, but well-earned by the show. I have a much better appreciation this time around for the outstanding acting by Wayne Song as HT in ep 10. Very often it's easy to forget or want to pretend that grief doesn't always lessen with time, and that for some people the intense weight of their desolation can only be borne one day at a time. And then be borne the next day, and the next. He did say a few things that made me worry that he was reaching a point where he would choose to carry it no longer. No matter how many degrees he earned or how much traveled or drank or hung out with friends, or achieved in other areas, the giant black hole will still be there.

I'm plum tuckered out physically from watching this again. I knew what was coming but knowing didn't lighten the effect. The first time I watched I was so shocked and grief-stricken and pissed-off by what had happened that I think the rest of the last episode was a fog to me.

I have my theories on HT's climbing buddy/junior who looked exactly like you know who, but those will require a spoiler warning.

I will have to look into whether or not Wayne Song won any awards for this. He should have.

Watching this for a second time finally. I was so freaked out/traumatized by the first watch that it's taken me over a year to get back to this. So many elements I had forgotten: The sweetness and humor-and hotness- of the main side-couple's relationship development. Sun's determination, honest love, frustration and radiant smile. When he smiles his entire face becomes the smile. :) LOTS of humor from the group of male friends. I love THEIR freaked-out determination to remain best buds and a source of support for both of their good buddies who had suddenly gone gay.

I had sort of forgotten Xi Gu's fierce dedication to his studies and his courage in the face of the rough treatment from Hao Ting and his friends. HIs tiny, wiry frame standing up to those guys even in close physical confrontation had me cringing; I feared he would break.

The off-the-charts chemistry between the two leads, given that they are SO very different in type, appearance, height, weight, everything, is fascinating. Yet there it is. Tiny XG as the ultimate boss in the relationship is wonderful. HT's parents wonder at how HT listens to XG and responds, given that he's always been a stubborn brat, is hilarious and touching. Chemistry between leads cannot be explained; you can have the perfect-seeming and looking couple for a pair and yet something just doesn't...work, isn't there.

The relatively open discussions of the mechanics of gay sex and the need for instruction are funny too. I'm a bit annoyed at the "I'm not gay for guys, I'm just gay for XG thing" thing, but you know, I think a lot of gay or bi men use that position as a stepping-stone to admitting to themselves that they are gay or bi. Anyway, it's a common BL trope as we all know, but it doesn't piss me off the way it used to.

I know what's coming and I've got my paper towels ready, but I'm loving the ride to that place.

It's been a while since a BL made me cry just from the beautiful, positive, loving feels. When the soldier stops the BF just before he leaves at the end and confesses again, and the BF affirms the same, it was such a simple, naturally-acted moment and I welled up with tears for the perfection of it.

Nothing showy or overwrought here. Just two excellent actors, excellently directed, portraying a positive, affectionate, angst-free gay love story. This illustrates again that if the script is right, the actors are committed and have that chemistry, which these two do coming out of their eyeballs, the
story does not have to be flashy or melodramatic to grab you by the heart strings.

This totally needs to be extended into a full-length, multi-episode series starring these actors in the same roles. The field is wide open for where this story could go. You hear me, Strongberry? :D

One question: Why do you think the soldier didn't give the BF more warning, and why do you think they don't enlist at the same time so that they will only be apart for two years instead of four? Because the BF is going to have to enlist too, right?

Somewhat off-topic: In this day and age, it seems kind of absurd that women aren't required to serve in the military in Korea along with the men? The size of the army would be instantly doubled and maybe soldiers would only have to serve one year instead of two. I believe Israel requires women to serve just like the men. Just a traditional, "women are weak" mentality in Korea?

Interesting article about this very topic: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/south-korea-exempts-women-from-the-draft-is-that-fair/2017/09/17/e333662e-9896-11e7-af6a-6555caaeb8dc_story.html

Hello,

Here's the statement released by his management agency. (Note the third paragraph which translates from bullshit to "please don't anyone dare talk about what is almost certainly another suicide brought on by the harsh demands of the Korean entertainment industry. Do NOT write about this on social media especially, and we're going to use the sorrow of his family as an excuse to tell you to STFU):

This is Fantagio.

We feel devastated to deliver such heartbreaking and unfortunate news.
On December 3, actor Cha In Ha left our sides.We are truly heartbroken to deliver news to everyone who has sent lots of love and support to Cha In Ha until now.

We are filled with grief at this news that is still hard to believe.

We earnestly ask for rumors to not be spread and for speculative reports to not be released in order for his family, who is experiencing greater sadness more than anyone due to the sudden sad news, to send him away peacefully.

As wished by his family, the funeral will be held privately.

We express deep mourning for his passing.

I totally feel you. In fact, at the end I was thinking "the aids thing was like a little subplot that never went anywhere or mattered at all." Was the dad a closet case? And what was up with him walking in on the son while he was showering? He didn't appear to leer at him or anything, so wtf? Bizarre, meaningless aids plot aside, I liked the rest of it.

Can't believe there are no comments here. This is an outstanding short. Illustrates clearly why some closeted gay kids take their own lives...every day is a charade and nobody, and I mean nobody, knows who you really are.

The young actor who plays Tommy here is excellent. I was deeply moved by this and related to it powerfully. I was the opposite of kids like this...I UNDER-achieved deliberately because I knew my parent and other authority figures knew what I was capable of if I applied myself. So I gave them all the big middle finger by neglecting and down-playing my talents, which is of course a very self-destructive means of telling them to fuck off, but how did I know?

God, what a horrible, horrible mess.

But what an excellent movie. This was my second watch and I've a feeling I will watch it again at some point. The actor who played Ming was spell-binding, at least to me. Some combination of cute and manly that really flips my switch, and his portrayal was quietly spectacular. I never felt I was watching some dude "act." He WAS Ming.

It's hard to watch films like this about addiction, as characters spiral downward and make awful choices over and over again. I think sometimes the void within that addicts and alcoholics are seeking to fill can NOT be filled by anything, so that empty spot must become something you live with through a steady program of ongoing treatment and counseling, which none of these people made use of. Off to rehab and then back into the world all on their own...it was just a matter of time. And I hope someone slaps the shit out of Jackie.

I think there was a good, good person at Ming's core, which is why I rooted for him all the way through, and cringed every time he did another stupid thing. Yan was a dick to turn the druggies and Ming in to the cops, but to me Yan loved Ming very much, but their timing was always off. When Ming went to see Yan toward the end of the film I was hoping it was to rekindle what they had before. But I guess his grudge against Yan for turning him in was too strong, and what better way to punish Yan than by withholding himself? Damn, Yan looked fine in a Speedo too.

For some reason, I was really struck my the image of Ming walking away from Yan along the shoreline at the beach early in the film. That small but beautiful body, all broad shoulders, narrow hips and great legs in a flesh colored swimsuit, combined with the way he walked, was so beautiful. I think the director feels the same way I do about Ming's looks. :D

I am definitely one of those people drawn to dark films. Who knows why we enjoy inflicting painful shit like this on ourself, but I love it and have felt this way since I was very young. I like light stuff too, but give me a well-made shit storm like this and I'm a happy camper.

Wow, great job, great flick. I had problems with a lot of things in the last third, but even so I love the chances the writers and director and actors took; I appreciate the effort. This is def unlike any other movie I've seen. A definite re-watch for me. The dancing alone was enthralling. Great, fully-committed acting across the board, from leads and supports alike. This movie made me look at the Trans condition from a different angle.

lol

I like feeling weird sometimes. :)

lol I still think the intense confession scene near the end is one of the most passionate and moving such scenes in all of BL.

Not sure what to make of this...pretty cheesy in a lot of spots that were supposed to be scary. Then we went into soft porn mode and I was just so grateful for the glory and majesty that is Joon's ass. The actors needed more rehearsal on the fake f**king, if you know what I mean. When you're doing the deed, your abdomen doesn't go back and forth, your pelvis goes up and down, am I right?

That said, the story seems...truncated. So...the you-know-what shows up in you-know-who's bed and...that's the end?

Think about the possibility of venturing outside your comfort zone. You might be pleasantly surprised. Yu Shi seems a bit on the Asperger's or Autism spectrum perhaps, but people with both of those conditions have a right to engage in intimate relationships like anyone else, don't they?

This series is pretty wonderful. Excellent production values, great acting, an overall positive vibe, even given the strangeness of the double/personality thing. Oh well, someone will likely soon be run down by a passing car...

I'm great. You OK?

What genre would you put it in then? If they're not having a romance NOW, they definitely had one in the past.

Hi Olive. Thanks for your suggestions. However, I have watched both HIS and Right or Wrong at least twice each already. They are among my favorite BLs, especially HIS. In Right or Wrong the divorce has already taken place before the student and the professor meet up and had nothing to do with that. In HIS, again, the divorce has taken place before the gay couple's reunification, but much more recently, and definitely is driven by the husband's longing for his former male lover.

What I'd like to see, but didn't describe quite well enough, are some stories where the issue of a gay man deceiving a straight woman BEFORE the wedding is taken into account in a direct way that is the focus of the story, rather than it coming to light AFTER the marriage. You know, maybe something where the gay son is found out by the parents and agrees to marry someone but ends up confessing to her at the last minute; something like that.

Of course, now as I write I am thinking of more films and series where this has been handled. Another favorite series, Red Balloon, deals with it but again, AFTER the marriage has taken place, and in one of my FAVORITE gay/BL movies, No Regret, the husband to-be confesses to the intended bride very near the wedding date, bringing all hell down upon himself from his parents.

But again, this desire to NOT deceive another human and ruin their life for selfish purposes as the focus of the plot is something I don't think I've seen yet. It would be nice, as there are so many BLs in which that very thing takes place.

Well, I'm open to different interpretations regarding whether or not the kiss actually "happened." My initial assumption was that it did, but now I'm not so sure. Over the last two years I've become a great deal more comfortable with not feeling like there is ONE way to interpret a movie, overall or in part, and that it's OK to leave things ambiguous, in the flick or in my head. I used to just assume there was one definite meaning/plot and that was that.

I also have learned that some directors intentionally leave things ambiguous, like whether or not that kiss was a fantasy or not, or provide multiple possible endings, or just like to mess with the audience's head (which pisses me off sometimes) or are just too inept or lazy to effectively convey what they actually intended. I have always loved movies but in the last two years I've really dived into a latent interest in European and then Asian cinema, and I feel like most Hollywood films don't even interest me anymore. If it's not gay and Asian, I'm out. lol

I spent my whole life to this point sucking up 99% Hollywood crap, so I'm OK with my current range of interest. I got into European films, which bled over into Asian films and then, of all things, discovered that I enjoy the energy and general aura of K-Pop music. lol Mostly SHINee. If you'd told me two years ago I'd be into that, I would have laughed.

Thanks for your articulate response, estar. Always nice to discuss with someone who writes so well and thinks so clearly. So by your comment that you don't think the kiss "happened," are you saying it was some kind of fantasy...on the part of Fan, I assume? I did catch how the color hues changed and the lights all went out behind them during the kiss, then came back on as it ended (which, regardless what was going on in the writer's head or what was meant by it, I thought was a beautifully done little gimmick), which conveyed an aura of unreality. But after the kiss there was uneasiness/awkwardness of the part of BOTH, so it seemed like it had happened for Tien too.

Also thanks for nailing down the length of time they'd' been apart for me. I agree that ghosting someone is never a respectful or decent thing to do to a person...very hurtful and confusing. My confusion about the length of time is the type of thing behind my belief that it's always good for me to watch a flick at least twice if I like it enough to want to really understand it. There are ALWAYS things I catch second time around that I missed during the first. Just yesterday I watch another short for a THIRD time and "got" a major plot element that I missed twice before. But don't ask me to watch a David Lynch movie even a FIRST time. Too much BS to wade through for me. lol

Is there a reason it has to be a romance?