After all, a typical P'Aof series. Too mainstream, too tame, not courageous enough. A cute little BL with young…
Considering Ticket to Heaven was somewhat delayed......I have a feeling the series was more daring but then because of pressure to "not offend people", it got sanitized a lot before release.
Wayu's friend Tai is SO loud and clueless about reading the room sometimes. I honestly want to slap a muzzle on his mouth so he just STOPS TALKING in some scenes. Good freaking grief.
RE: the finale - SPOILER ALERT for those who have not seen it yet
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
The MLs said they personally consider the ending to be a sortof wistful fantasy on Yin Qi's part, where he is imagining Pei Yanzhi is there holding the umbrella. They think Pei Yanzhi isn't really there.
But they also said everyone should interpret that last scene in their own way.
Personally, I enjoyed the series a lot. But I was a little disappointed in the abrupt ending and wished they'd had at least 5-10 more minutes to ease us into it, instead of cutting the final scene off like that.
But....with that kind of open ending, I'm hoping there will be an extra episode to give us a little closure. Fingers crossed.
They discuss it here (a fan added the English subtitles):
I guess I didn't check the cast list very well, because I was surprised to see Lee Jae Jun as the other contract killer. I love that he's getting more into acting now, since his start in CityBoy_Log. I liked him in that series (before they ruined it and I quit watching). He makes for a good bad guy in The Lie We Lived In.
Looking forward to the last few episodes.
But on a separate note....and I mentioned this after a previous episode......WHY is Tae Jeong such a physically weak and clueless "cop" ? It's ridiculous.
I can't even describe how much I love this series.
And the music is absolutely perfect. Beyond perfect.
SkyNani are incredible actors.
When the last episode arrives, I don't mind whatever their final "status" is with each other. All that's important is that their souls are still connected. And I want them to act together forever. The intense, oceans deep and deliberately ambiguous chemistry between them is unparalleled when compared to many other BL "couples." It's just exactly right.
--------------------------------------
Also.....side note (most, if not all of you, will probably not even know what I'm talking about. ).....
........does the beautiful imagery at the beginning of each episode remind anyone else of the graphics in a small indie video game called Gris? Or of the graphics in another small indie video game called Journey?
It's not exactly the same, but the melancholy and feeling of loss tinged with soulful beauty in both the opening scenes of the series and the two video games feel slightly the same to me.
UGH, does anyone else think the background music is TOO LOUD in some scenes? Especially the cello music (and I love cello, so that's saying a lot). GOD it's freaking annoying.
But ok.....so.....episode 3.....
1) Sun is BEAUTIFUL, especially with the shorter haircut. He absolutely looks like a model, and that scene where Pakin was making him recall sad memories so he would have a certain facial expression for the photo shoot was just stunning. At least, to me. He was really beautiful.
2) Even if it's not a major part in Payback, it's SO GOOD to see Boss in a non-comedic role again. I feel like the last couple of series he's done have been flat and uninteresting, and not funny in the least. Just....bleh. NO MORE "comedies" for a while, please. (And I also have to say that, as much chemistry he had with Noeul in Love in the Air - and they had a LOT of chemistry in that series - IMO they have not really clicked lately. So I'm glad Boss is not paired with Noeul, here.)
3) Is Toptap an established actor? He only has Payback listed on his MDL acting page and nothing else. But he's interesting.
4) I hope Fuaiz's character is fleshed out a bit more. So far he just seems like a very shallow bitchy BITCH. In past series he's shown some great acting chops. But so far in Payback he's not layered and interesting the way he was in 4Minutes.
Definitely needed the official mental illness diagnosis, as all of the signs were there. Glad they included that explanation and plot point.
One thing - I'm hoping it's just a translation error, but I don't like the fact that in Ep 12, they used the word "cured" when it comes to Lu Feng's bipolar disorder. It's not "curable," but it is certainly treatable.
I'm glad, in the end, that Yichen finally chose Lu Feng and helped him get help.....then stuck around afterwards, too. Aside from the mental illness and bad choices on both their parts, they were, after all, a couple in love and determined to make things work. And you could see that Lu Feng truly regretted so many things he did to Yichen over the years. I think they'll be OK.
I like the way the final episode wrapped things up. It wasn't perfect, of course, but it was good.
Who was the person he was whispering about? Where can you see the preview clip at for 12?
He was sleep-talking and said his brother's name.
Lu Feng still worries that Yichen will leave him, and a lot of his fear is associated with Yichen's brother, who always tries to coax Yichen into leaving Lu Feng.
I'm halfway through Ep 21, and I have to say again what great casting they did for the twins, Nao and Dan. The resemblance is strong enough to really believe they are fraternal twins.
Even though Tiger has gotten closer to his brother, it's sad that he's slowly being pulled into the seedy underbelly of the mafia. He's not bothered by the violence and killing anymore.
And I may be wrong, but it feels like something pretty dark is building.
I'm glad Tiger got to experience the loving warmth of Nao's family, and how they just accepted him with open arms. If I'm right about something dark coming soon, Tiger will need to draw on the memory of that warmth to get through.
So, having just watched Ep 4......I'm wondering why Tae Jeong - the supposed "cop" - is so freaking wimpy. Holy CRAP he's a wimp. And he has NO characteristics of a law enforcement officer.
He's acting like he has ZERO situational awareness, ZERO sense of self-preservation, ZERO "spidey sense" that tickles his neck and tells him something isn't right.
He's just acting like a cute little bottom who flinches and cowers a lot, and who has to be taken care of by a top when he has flashbacks about his Dad.
For his fans, a five years' old video:https://youtu.be/KLuuJvm6y30?si=PlaZMRAP_JJMVCCc
Oh THAT was a cute interview. ❤️Thank you for sharing the link.
I loved him as the guy possessed by an evil demon in Uncanny Counter (but WTF? Was that REALLY five years ago?? Sheesh!!). He was deliciously dark in that role.
And I'm loving him in Kitchen Soldier. He's hilarious.
I enjoyed this series. JBLs are a completely different animal from Thai or even Korean ones. And definitely different from CBLs.
The Japanese ones (for the most part) seem to be based more on maturity, without a lot of drama. Some might find them boring, I'm sure.
But having MANY gay couples in my circle of dear friends, I find the more mature ones rather refreshing from time to time, and closer to my own observations of my friends' real life relationships.
1
1
1
Just speculation on my part, though.
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
The MLs said they personally consider the ending to be a sortof wistful fantasy on Yin Qi's part, where he is imagining Pei Yanzhi is there holding the umbrella. They think Pei Yanzhi isn't really there.
But they also said everyone should interpret that last scene in their own way.
Personally, I enjoyed the series a lot. But I was a little disappointed in the abrupt ending and wished they'd had at least 5-10 more minutes to ease us into it, instead of cutting the final scene off like that.
But....with that kind of open ending, I'm hoping there will be an extra episode to give us a little closure. Fingers crossed.
They discuss it here (a fan added the English subtitles):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDuP4I2tacU&t=1s
From the cast list:
Actor: Terada Takuya
Character: Kentaro [Mu Gun's right-hand man]
Support Role
I guess I didn't check the cast list very well, because I was surprised to see Lee Jae Jun as the other contract killer. I love that he's getting more into acting now, since his start in CityBoy_Log. I liked him in that series (before they ruined it and I quit watching). He makes for a good bad guy in The Lie We Lived In.
Looking forward to the last few episodes.
But on a separate note....and I mentioned this after a previous episode......WHY is Tae Jeong such a physically weak and clueless "cop" ? It's ridiculous.
And the music is absolutely perfect. Beyond perfect.
SkyNani are incredible actors.
When the last episode arrives, I don't mind whatever their final "status" is with each other. All that's important is that their souls are still connected. And I want them to act together forever. The intense, oceans deep and deliberately ambiguous chemistry between them is unparalleled when compared to many other BL "couples." It's just exactly right.
--------------------------------------
Also.....side note (most, if not all of you, will probably not even know what I'm talking about. ).....
........does the beautiful imagery at the beginning of each episode remind anyone else of the graphics in a small indie video game called Gris? Or of the graphics in another small indie video game called Journey?
It's not exactly the same, but the melancholy and feeling of loss tinged with soulful beauty in both the opening scenes of the series and the two video games feel slightly the same to me.
In the episodes you haven't seen yet, there's a lot of love, there's a lot of abuse and manipulation, and it gets DARK DARK DARK for a while.
But ok.....so.....episode 3.....
1) Sun is BEAUTIFUL, especially with the shorter haircut. He absolutely looks like a model, and that scene where Pakin was making him recall sad memories so he would have a certain facial expression for the photo shoot was just stunning. At least, to me. He was really beautiful.
2) Even if it's not a major part in Payback, it's SO GOOD to see Boss in a non-comedic role again. I feel like the last couple of series he's done have been flat and uninteresting, and not funny in the least. Just....bleh. NO MORE "comedies" for a while, please. (And I also have to say that, as much chemistry he had with Noeul in Love in the Air - and they had a LOT of chemistry in that series - IMO they have not really clicked lately. So I'm glad Boss is not paired with Noeul, here.)
3) Is Toptap an established actor? He only has Payback listed on his MDL acting page and nothing else. But he's interesting.
4) I hope Fuaiz's character is fleshed out a bit more. So far he just seems like a very shallow bitchy BITCH. In past series he's shown some great acting chops. But so far in Payback he's not layered and interesting the way he was in 4Minutes.
One thing - I'm hoping it's just a translation error, but I don't like the fact that in Ep 12, they used the word "cured" when it comes to Lu Feng's bipolar disorder. It's not "curable," but it is certainly treatable.
I'm glad, in the end, that Yichen finally chose Lu Feng and helped him get help.....then stuck around afterwards, too. Aside from the mental illness and bad choices on both their parts, they were, after all, a couple in love and determined to make things work. And you could see that Lu Feng truly regretted so many things he did to Yichen over the years. I think they'll be OK.
I like the way the final episode wrapped things up. It wasn't perfect, of course, but it was good.
Lu Feng still worries that Yichen will leave him, and a lot of his fear is associated with Yichen's brother, who always tries to coax Yichen into leaving Lu Feng.
Even though Tiger has gotten closer to his brother, it's sad that he's slowly being pulled into the seedy underbelly of the mafia. He's not bothered by the violence and killing anymore.
And I may be wrong, but it feels like something pretty dark is building.
I'm glad Tiger got to experience the loving warmth of Nao's family, and how they just accepted him with open arms. If I'm right about something dark coming soon, Tiger will need to draw on the memory of that warmth to get through.
He's acting like he has ZERO situational awareness, ZERO sense of self-preservation, ZERO "spidey sense" that tickles his neck and tells him something isn't right.
He's just acting like a cute little bottom who flinches and cowers a lot, and who has to be taken care of by a top when he has flashbacks about his Dad.
So bizarre.
Does anyone know who was cast in that role?
I loved him as the guy possessed by an evil demon in Uncanny Counter (but WTF? Was that REALLY five years ago?? Sheesh!!). He was deliciously dark in that role.
And I'm loving him in Kitchen Soldier. He's hilarious.
That one made me HOOT with laughter, LOLOL.
The Japanese ones (for the most part) seem to be based more on maturity, without a lot of drama. Some might find them boring, I'm sure.
But having MANY gay couples in my circle of dear friends, I find the more mature ones rather refreshing from time to time, and closer to my own observations of my friends' real life relationships.