LAmom

First, the acting in this is pretty good (except for the over-the-top performance by the FL’s father). But I’m not paying much attention to the acting; I’m actually watching this because it is a comedy. Yes, the ML can act, but that’s not his primary talent. Hint: the VIKI translation team is named…”I am too Sexy for my Shirt team”. I kid you not! (Cue the laugh track.) Second, I’ve watched other dramas with the ML and have to admit he makes the best of his obvious assets. He’s a master at both whipping off his shirt and kissing the FL. (He’s got a very nice V-shaped torso with sexy pecs.) But now I can’t help chuckling every time he strips. Third, the poor writers have to include a myriad of ways to ‘86’ the shirt; so he gets shot, he gets stabbed, he gets beaten bloody, thereby creating opportunities to remove the shirt. How can writers create a decent script for a short drama if they have to include so much mandatory waist-up nudity? After the amusing stripteases, even the excessive, boring, old tropes became part of the humor. Bottom line? It was fun to watch!

I’ve accidentally watched the ML in several dramas. I never recognize his face, but I know that chest. You can’t help noticing, they shoot him as often as possible with it visible. I began laughing every time. However, he can also act. Too bad the scripts and lead actresses aren’t up to his level. If fans mention it enough maybe they’ll invest some money in decent writers and better supporting actors.

PLEASE, PLEASE, TRY NOT TO REVEAL TOO MANY “SPOILERS” when writing a Review or Comment. It’s polite to indicate “spoilers” so they can be masked (grayed out). Readers have the option to read or skip them. I prefer not to know the full story or the plot-twists in advance. The Reviews and Comments for this drama have many unmarked “spoilers.” I feel like I know too much, and there's not much point in watching the whole drama now.

Almost every C-drama I’ve watched falls apart in the end. Why can’t many Chinese dramas nail the ending? (Writers should be required to study the “Joy of Life” 1st season cliffhanger.) An ending should feel like it develops organically from the plot, even a cliffhanger. If viewers are scratching their heads saying, “Wait! Was that the end? No, there must be something wrong with my TV, or my streaming service accidentally cut out the last episode. Or, maybe the censors did a poorly executed hatchet job.” (Chinese censorship feels so “last century” to me.) Cliffhangers should make us anxiously anticipate the next season, but this ending just feels nonsensical, like the writers threw it in for the sake of ending with a surprise twist, even though it doesn’t feel connected to anything else in the plot. Instead of eagerly anticipating a second season, I lost interest in the whole drama.

The script makes an effort to understand the psychology of the characters. For example, the reason Run betrayed Elyes for Fei Long wasn’t because he was greedy, foolish, or weak. It was because Fei Long promised to protect Run’s older brother who was in prison and the target of violence. Why was Elyes such a jerk? He had been betrayed by someone he truly loved (Run) and became cold, unable to love, and somewhat paranoid. He couldn’t trust someone he cared about after that experience. It took 5 years for Pat to slowly earn his trust. And Elyes was fighting an emotional battle with himself because he wanted to love and trust Pat, but sometimes he failed. When Elyes felt jealous, threatened, or thought he was losing Pat, Elyse retaliated in a childish and psychologically-damaged way; he tried to humiliate Pat. But, he quickly regretted his actions. In the end, he began to control his worst impulses and his behavior improved. Is anyone so perfect they haven’t been a jerk after a traumatic breakup? Then there’s the odd situation with Pat managing Elyes‘s love affairs. Before they became lovers, Elyes had friends with benefits. He finally gave them all up for Pat, except for Kim, who was a close friend and business associate. But, Elyes no longer had a physical relationship with Kim. This may not be a great drama, but if the viewer only watches because attractive men with nice bodies have sex, or watch with their morals in a twist, they won’t understand it.

Thank you for being a sane voice, but you’re a “Stranger in a Strange Land,” (Robert Heinlein’s SciFi book circa 1961). You understand that fiction isn’t always pretty or socially correct. If fiction only had perfect characters, who always acted appropriately, and had no personality flaws, it would be monumentally boring.

Your comment is inappropriate and offensive to open-minded people within, or outside, of the LGBTQ+ community. And I’m willing to bet you don’t even know why. I’ll give you the simple explanation. “A narrow-minded attitude says more about you than those you are criticizing.“ Making quick, unsubstantiated judgements based on someone’s taste in dramas, is just another form of narrow-minded reasoning. I dislike cowboy westerns, but I don’t hate cowboys nor the people who watch westerns. Please, I beg of you, get off your bandwagon and deal with what your comment says about you.

Why? It’s “entertainment,” not the Bible. Why does there have to be a message to be good? I have nothing against messages, unless they beat you to death with it, but there’s a lot of good stuff that’s fun, interesting, informative, or just a unique “view” of the world; but no message. Frankly, I’m sick to death of people who pontificate. Too much hypocrisy for my taste.

Thank you for clarifying. BL is a fascinating social, cultural, and economic phenomenon. For years I heard about BL but never watched. Then I read on MDL that that women are big consumers of BL. I wondered why, and watched one. Now BL is one of my favorite genres. My personal belief is I’d rather see people loving each other than hating. Gender isn’t important if it’s consenting adults, and it’s also none of my business.

I believe technically, “Xiania” themes always include a mythological element such as supernatural skills, multiverses populated with gods, immortals, demons, etc.

Did I misunderstand your point? Good acting is good acting, regardless of sexual orientation. Almost every developed nation, both Western and Asian countries, have shows, books, etc. with BL themes. It’s a co-production with Thailand and Taiwan, which has legalized same sex marriage. China may officially pretend their LGBQP+ community doesn’t exist but “that don’t make it so.” (Note for non-U.S. readers: this is a U.S. colloquialism for “Just because someone says that something is true, doesn’t necessarily make it the truth.” ) In fact, there are many LGBQP+ books that sell well in China, plus the precedents of dramas such as “Word of Honor,” and “The Untamed,” that disguise BL themes as “bromances.” One of the best BL shows from China, “Addicted (2016),” was censored and butchered by poor editing, yet it still has some of the best, most sensitive, and insightful intimate scenes of any BL. (Note: Although some people imagined it contained a rape scene, it didn’t. Most viewers realized there was touching, that resulted in mutual satisfaction, but no penetration. Also, one partner made a token objection, but he clearly encouraged the other’s behavior, openly flirted with him, and continued to live with him, share a bed, and was the sexual aggressor when they finally had coitus.)

Uh, isn’t that the point? His character is supposed to be a useless man-child. It’s safe to assume his character-arc will be from spoiled and useless to more mature and competent.

“Auntie” in Asia is often used as a title for an older woman, who may or may not be a relative. You’ve probably noticed the use of “oppa” in South Korean dramas. It means “ older brother” but is also used in other ways. You might call your boyfriend “ oppa.” In this case, she is probably some sort of relative but if she isn’t a first cousin, a romance would be possible.

I don’t fav being overly critical but this series makes me angry. It’s just my personal opinion, but it had the potential to be good, however, the word “pathetic “ comes to mind. After watching 2 really cringy episodes, I may not continue. (Although a couple of commentators I respect suggest it improves later on.) Based on what I’ve seen so far, my impression is: 1. The plot makes no sense because Jade is such an unappealing character. Whether it’s the writing, directing, or Yim’s acting, his performance is loud, and teeth-grittingly over-the-top. Jade is a 2-dimensional cartoon rather than a complex human-being. 2. I kept thinking, “How could an intelligent, sensitive, and good looking guy like Mai fall madly in love with a buffoon like Jade? Nope, not believable!” 3. Yim seems to have the acting chops, so why was Jade’s character changed? Where is the gentle, loyal friend, with his child-like boyish charm, from Bed Friends? Sadly, since I don’t like this new main character, I don’t care about Jade’s “story.” 4. The poor production values and low-budget sets (yes, especially the car), plus bad editing, and sloppy sound, add to the mediocrity. 5. The supporting characters are more appealing, but their good acting, pretty faces, and attractive bodies probably can’t overcome this silly slapstick, posing as comedy.

Tai didn’t kill Kram’s mother, which Kram didn’t know at the time, but maybe he instinctively sensed Tai wasn’t evil. Just saying…

There were so many bad subtitles that I had to guess half the plot. Many dramas have been destroyed by mediocre subs. English is an incredibly difficult language, even if you’ve lived here many years. Maybe It’s time for production companies to invest in actual “native” English-speakers as editors for a final review and polish of the subs. Preferably, the editors should have an education in English Literature and/or English Language. In the long run, good subs increase viewership, and therefore, improve sales, which translates to higher profits.

Ditto

I get your point, but is it appropriate to air personal political opinions when they don't directly relate to the subject? Oh, well, "if you can't win 'em, join 'em." I'm surprised someone would discuss U.S. politics while criticizing sexually explicit content. I guess in a drama, a sexual act is verboten, but not in a candidate. Now let's see, which candidate did a jury find "liable for sexually abusing and defaming" a woman, and was also convicted of 34 felonies? What about the serial womanizer and marital-cheater? One of the candidates said, on the Hollywood tapes, "I did try and f_ck her. She was married. When you’re a star, they let you do it. Grab ’em by the p_ssy...anything." Those comments came from a dark, dark place. When a presidential candidate is sexually indecent, it can be ignored, but not in a drama. Odd values! Fortunately, if a show offends our dainty eyeballs, we can JSW. (Just Stop Watching.)

I came late to this article, but I’m always happy to check out a production recommended by a MyDramaList “friend.” Fans from diverse cultures, backgrounds, and lifestyles enrich each other’s experiences by sharing their views and insights. I sometimes leave my drama comfort zone, and venture into a genre I don’t usually care for, just because a viewer was motivated enough by a production to write an opinion. Thank you for taking the time to share.

* Please see my comment in Spanish below the English. Mi comentario está en español a continuación.
Maybe I missed something in an earlier episode that explains it, but I spot-checked and couldn’t find it. It’s frustrating when I don’t understand cultural references in Asian dramas, so I’ve been researching many of them. Here’s what I found. Lee Tae Sung is the name of an actor with an impressive bio and résumé. I tried to find a connection between him and Lee Ki Hyun or his character, Seo Haet Bit. I thought perhaps the actors were a couple, or brothers, or had acted together in another show. Sadly, I couldn’t find a link between them, but I’m in the U.S. and didn’t use my VPN to check Korean resources. I’m moving on, but my curiosity is piqued, so if anyone knows the answer, please publish it here. Thanx.
* Busqué la referencia a Lee Tae Sung y no pude encontrar ninguna conexión entre él y Lee Ki Hyun o su personaje, Seo Haet Bit. Si alguien conoce la conexión o entiende la referencia a Lee Tae Sung, por favor díganoslo. MuchGrac.