Lorenzo

Religion is definitely a sensitive subject especially when there are other religions that are way more deserving of criticism than Christianity. As a follower of Christ and one of the few who actually read the Bible with linguistic and historical context it’s much better than other religious texts I have studied. My issue with any media that tackles Christianity is that there’s a fundamental misunderstanding of the Christian faith. The criticism I’ve seen portrayed many times over is rooted in an individual/group’s ignorance rather than the religion itself. I hope this series doesn’t go the way of cliche lazy “awareness” and actually has something interesting to show about Homosexuality and faith.

Yo same! I had to pause and take a long breather before pressing play.

Yeah I kept switching translations because for some reason the Close Caption one is different from the non CC. I noticed a few words I recognized from watching Korean and Japanese Dramas were subtitled differently. I was tempted to watch the English dubbed but I doubt it would be any better plus I like listening to the Korean and Japanese.

I was so upset at that part and how Johan confessed his feelings for Ryu but framed it as someone else so he could have an out. I’m just happy they found each other again and will spend the rest of their time together. Man… I’m getting sad just thinking about it again.

Yeah even more so as a gay man. I’m shocked that a series depicting a really toxic relationship (one that literally has 🍇) is getting more praise than this beautifully shot show. Man that cinematography is on another level!

It’s strange reading the comments denying the obvious romantic undertones. I finished watching the first two episodes and it’s clear there’s more to their relationship than “brothers”. I’m planning to watch a few more episodes tonight so idk if my early impression will change but I even found comments denying Ryu as a gay man… he literally says in the opening he’s afraid to be loved as an explanation for his response to his friend’s confession. Someone who is not gay would not even entertain the idea let alone feel deep regret. I guess media literacy is going down the drain and this will be another under rated JBL.

Also, to be frank with you, I personally think the BL genre (which contains many realistic depictions of the romance between characters who happen to be gay) is often and detrimentally lumped in with Yaoi. Yaoi with the stereotypical archetypes, often toxic depictions of gay relationships, and inherent fetishizing of homosexuality… All of which unsurprisingly fits the many criticisms I have with “BL” dramas as a whole. Thankfully there are many dramas that break the mold put on BL and beautifully depict gay romance as romantic. As stated before, I think it’s ridiculous for others to label these stories as “bromance” or even “gay bait” when they’re clearly romantic. It’s just my personal opinion and I’m glad BL is evolving but also hesitant with the resurgence of extremely problematic depictions of toxic relationships and how popular they are.

*cough*”He is so black flag”*cough*cough*

Yeah I wished more BLs have better written characters who act like men who happen to be gay. I think that’s why I like BLs that have a story first and romance second because it feels more… earned? I’ve started watching more Thai dramas since there was a gap of new JBLs and KBLs. Man I forgot how “bad” many of them are and I was fatigued by them. Sure these types of stories have their place and merits but I prefer a different approach to the depiction of gay romance.

I’m definitely not a fan of depressing one lol. I avoid them completely because I love happy endings. Hopefully this one will be happy but I’m enjoying the journey! Also, “realistic” doesn’t mean depressing. My use of realism is in the way the characters are written like real people instead of caricatures of gay men.

Hence why I said it’s obviously more than BL and there are plenty of “realistic” BLs. By realistic I mainly mean by how the characters are written. They behave how men realistically do and not the female stereotypical top/bottom (guy/girl guy). I like BL I just think it’s interesting how because it’s not following BL tropes many are claiming bromance/no romance at all. I think that’s why the romance from the trailer wasn’t recognized immediately because they weren’t eating each other’s faces or showing porn scenes.

I know it’s definitely gonna be a slow burn romance.

Two episodes in and it’s Really good so far. The editing in the beginning is amazing and emotionally powerful. I felt the regret and pain from Ryu’s conflict and it was beautifully depicted. Amazing directing. The characters feel like real people especially the side characters and I think this is much more than just your stereotypical BL show. The acting, pacing, story is so engaging and doesn’t feel… cheap? Cheezy? There are a few other series that I have felt the same way and that they weren’t just fetishizing homosexuality. Might be because the director is male that I’m enjoying this so much and can relate to it more since it’s not homosexuality through the female lens. Sometimes they can get it right but it’s refreshing as a gay man to have such a strong series written and directed by a male. The action is good too and I hope it only gets better!

To me the conversation about the “happy ending” is very disturbing. I have only seen the two original movie adaptations and the second one definitely turned me off from reading the novel and this remake because no matter if they are together it’s definitely not conventionally happy. Especially after reading the comments on the OG comparing the two and how the novel is “darker”. I personally dislike the romancing of “toxic” behavior in relationships and the dated stereotypical portrayal of homosexuality with violence. A lot of these types of stories seems more like giving into unhealthy obsession instead of genuine love. There’s a lot more that can be expressed in a book than a live action adaptation and I wonder how the novel handles that aspect. Maybe one day I’ll eventually check this series out but that won’t be anytime soon.

Yeah I’ve watched the og movie after seeing promo for the remake series and man it turned me off from watching Double Helix completely. Now hearing the novel leans even more into the abuse… Yeah I’m definitely skipping this one. Disappointing because the actors look amazing and the normal parts look lovely but I’m definitely over the stereotypical Homosexuality with Violence trope from back in the day.

Really good so far and I love how they expanded on the plot and gave it some much needed depth. I was a bit worried that this was an adaptation

I think it’s revealed why in this recent episode. One actually has real feelings for the other and for a long time.

Although there were some editing issues it was such an amazing story. so beautiful 10/10

This right here. As a gay man it’s wild seeing this double standard and realizing just how many people fetishized homosexuality. It’s mainly why I gravitate towards Japanese BL and avoid Thai BL like the plague. The culture around “pairing” actors is extremely off putting for me.

oh man don’t get me started on that whole weird thing.

It’s wild but what can you expect from these people especially when they can’t comprehend the romance from the trailer. I mean the physical closeness and dialogue obviously depicts it as more than friendship. I guess since they didn’t show them having sex it’s automatically gay bait. I honestly would rather have a series with an interesting story and great acting over gay porn scenes. Even more so nowadays when we’re flooded with mediocre content that gets praise because of their NC scenes.