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But Tong has already been in BLs before, correct? Did the fan mean Tong would never do a BL as lead?

Cute show, but I’m still bothered that in ep 2 after they swapped, they should have returned to the bedroom that belonged to their souls, not their bodies. Minor detail, but it just stands out to me. But a cute watch so far, nonetheless.

Yes, I hope all of us currently watching and enjoying it will give it a high rating right now! If you change your mind later you can always change your rating, but for now I would like to see that number higher!

How darling was that scene when Zen is trying to drink wine, and Ryo can barely contain himself? And as soon as Zen says it’s up to how Ryo does whether he falls asleep, Ryo’s stripping and bouncing, saying “I’ll do great!” 😆 Oh my god, just so laugh out loud darling.

I’m actually nervous to like this show as much as I do. Every week I mentally prepare myself: please don’t let this be the week they fuck it up.

If you are willing to share, what are the moments in ep 5 that made you teary?

And as far as Ryo goes, yes, yes I am very much with you on that. I would definitely put out for that seductive, heart-on-his-sleeve goofball. And then lots of cuddling.

Just for kicks, lately I’ve pondered what if I could only ever again watch BL from one country, which would it be. For me, no brainer it comes down to Japan or Taiwan. They are capable of BL that honestly are as high art as any non BL genre has turned out (I say this as if BL even needs to apologize for its existence, but that’s a way different discussion).

Unknown (Taiwan). I mean, mic drop. If the powers that be hadn’t done I-don’t-know-what-the-hell-they-were-thinking edits to the sex scene (and thank god I’ve seen the re-edit so I don’t have to curse into the void every day) then this series would be perfection for me, absolutely no notes. When It Rains It Pours (Japan). I do have a few minor quibbles with this one although not enough that I wasn’t completely shredded by this one. So much so that among the over 200 BLs I’ve seen, this is the one that I spent what would be an embarrassing and startling amount of deep-dive on if I didn’t have an understanding and acceptance of how art can absolutely fuck you over.

And of course there are several others. I share these as examples of the Sophie’s choice it would be for me to have to choose between the (future) BL of these two countries. Fortunately I do not have to actually make that choice and can thoroughly enjoy and be put through an emotional blender by beautiful series from both. (And as I currently live in a country that democracy forgot, I’ll take my wins where I can get them.)

Thank you for saying this! If he said “what?” one more time I was going to lose my shit. And I have NO idea what Jeong Wu saw in him. Ji Won’s personality was as flat as a pancake. And the bummer for me was that the kissing and NC were well done, but I just couldn’t buy that Jeong Wu was that into him. I wish they had done a better job showing why we were supposed to believe he was.

1. Wow, did I just watch a *Thai* BL with that level of performance?? (and not an engineering student in sight 😆)

2. What’s up with the crazy weird promo pic that has a totally different vibe than the show? 🤷‍♀️

Yes. Yes, all of this. I am truly stunned by this performance.

Wow, super surprised by the number of people dismayed by representations of high schoolers having sex. A) Uh, read the synopsis and the tags. Skip if it’s not for you. B) I can’t speak for all cultures, but in Western cultures, teens having sex is very very normal (and I suspect some other cultures as well, I just can’t speak knowledgeably about that). You are entitled to your opinion that you don’t agree with it happening, but that doesn’t make the fact any less true. And it never will (See: typical human development).

And you know what has always gone over well? Adults judging teens for their choices 🙄 If you truly care that much about the well-being of teens, I suggest more listening, understanding, and guidance and less judging.

It’s also normal in Western cultures for teens not to have sex too. Both are normal; neither is bad or wrong.

100% this 😆 I tell people this all the time. There is no in between for Jdramas.

So I’ll start by saying I have watched approximately 200 BLs, and this is the FIRST ONE that shows natural, ongoing affection between the leads. Like the majority of people in real life romantic relationships do. Holding hands everywhere. A hand on the back. A playful peck/sniff on the cheek. An absent-minded rub along an arm or leg while watching a movie. A hug from behind, with a chin on the shoulder. All throughout, very naturally, not just as a token moment once or twice in the show. This is so unusual (sadly) that I spent a good portion of my watching time just being (pleasantly) gobsmacked by this. Truly the most believable, natural interacting between a couple I’ve seen not only in my BL watching but also in any of the het shows I’ve seen.

I thought the last episode was well done. The take on the NC scene was also unlike any I’d seen before, as well as the very ending scene. The caring shown between the characters during the episode was sweet and believable.

As others have said, the series gets off to a kinda weird start, and also the editing left something to be desired, the “villain” plot and the dorm “rivalry” were nonsensical, there were some hot/cold emotions at one point that made no sense, some kisses were good, some were not (although the tongue sucking caught me off guard, but again, a very realistic part of irl kissing).

But if you’re in the mood for something light and feel-good, there are worse choices. If you’re prepared to sort of gloss over some of the rough bits and just enjoy the natural, (ultimately) sweet relationship between the leads — not a break up in sight! — then I recommend giving this show a try.

You’re looking at his hair when he’s in the shower? 😉

It is interesting to me how different he looks with his hair back. I mean, still gorgeous as fuck, but such a different look. I really wish they would spend even just a few more seconds on those scenes, so I could really have time to appreciate the difference…

The same thought crossed my mind about the, uh… blocking… as well, but I was surprised enough by what action they *did* show (especially with a young idol involved), that my, um, focus quickly moved on to other things.

And I would include an addendum to your note for the director: if *any* two humans are having butt sex face-to-face, there are legs in the air. Ya know, if they ever happen to be directing a non-BL and want to kick it up a notch 😉

Other questions crossed my mind about the mechanics of the act, but I just created a semi-plausible explanation in my head and went with it. It’s fiction, so does it really matter? Nah, but it made me feel better.

And I’m with you about Ito’s chest. Holy crap, man, way to hide the goods!

Yes, thank you. The prevalence in these comments of the black-and-white attitude that all cheating = bad is a bit surprising to me, although I suppose it shouldn’t be. Damn, humans and human relationships are so complex, that narrowing any human action down to black and white boggles my mind. Plus, putting so much focus on the “cheating” misses *so much* of what this story is about.

*For what this drama is trying to communicate* it is doing such a superb job of it that it’s too bad that some people are rating this lower based primarily on their feelings about cheating (and fictional cheating at that). I don’t condone many things irl that are portrayed in shows, but it doesn’t mean that shows shouldn’t represent multiple facets of the human condition. And I appreciate any show that can share compelling stories about those facets, including the light and the dark and the grey (and let’s be real… SO much about human-ness falls in the grey more than the other two). I think part of what makes some viewers uncomfortable is that characters which otherwise most viewers would agree are lovely, decent people are the ones showing their “grey side.” It’s so much easier to accept dark and grey in characters if they are already the “bad guy.”

I get it if people want to watch shows to escape greyness and darkness — I certainly do that as well — but I’m disappointed to see a show that tackles human complexity so well and so poetically get some of its low ratings because it doesn’t present the world as black and white, which it never set out to do in the first place.

THK is definitely a fresh take for a Thai BL (not an uni engineering student in site!) and this is definitely a production they put more effort into. As a result it would likely feel less “mass-produced” to you, but it’s still very much a Thai BL! 😆 Just so you go in with the applicable level of expectations, if you do watch it.

If you just want to skip to the scene in question — for comparison purposes of course — you’ll want to pop over to Ep 2 at the 56:45 mark. If you do watch the scene out of context, it helps to know that the character is definitely repressed for several reasons, is very curt and belligerently closed off, and he would like to think he is not as flustered and turned on by another character as he actually is.

The older American man plays a very small, “guest-level” role.

“…this is the first BL where they showed the guy doing it in action.” Someone has probably already mentioned this to you by now, but if not… have you seen the masturbation scene in The Heart Killers? Even though Joong is pretty shameless in general, I have no idea how he filmed that scene. The scenes in this show (while appreciated for their realism) do not hold a candle to the one in THK. THK is not going to be to everyone’s taste for sure, but that scene? Just, wow.

Your opinions might be unpopular to someone, but it’s not me ;-)

I never even watched Cherry Magic Japan because I had read there was no kiss at the end. I appreciate that some people can enjoy a drama with sexual tension that never culminates in (at least) a kiss, but that’s not for me. The kiss is my money shot.

Despite the accolades, I also have no interest in watching Spare Me Your Mercy, for example, after reading about all the sexual chemistry between two ultimately “platonic” characters. I am thrilled there are dramas that show loving and caring friendships between men, but if sexual tension is knowingly added to the mix, then I’m going to be expecting more than a hug by the end.

Yes, the blanket-covered sex in HOTE was weird and a cop out, and I too chalked it up to there being an idol-actor involved. But then again I feel that *anyone* willing to simulate sex in front of a camera is already miles ahead of my comfort level, plus there were so many other intense scenes already, that I guess I ultimately gave them a pass on their questionable execution of the sex scenes.

Kenshin’s kissing in Our Youth didn’t bother me, so I can’t speak to that specifically. But in other BL shows when I feel the kissing is sub par, I try to remember that while it may be true that the actor is not cool with kissing boys (in which case they shouldn’t have taken the job), it is possible there could be other reasons at play. Maybe they are just fine kissing boys but feel uncomfortable kissing on camera (in which case they should reconsider their career choice). Maybe they are just fine kissing boys and on camera, but they are just… bad kissers. Especially for actors who just haven’t had a lot of practice kissing.

At one point I read a comment from someone in the industry who observed that actors who had been in personal relationships were generally better at kissing on-screen than those who hadn’t. And given how young some of the BL actors are and especially the idol ones who may have been more sheltered during training, it wouldn’t surprise me at all that just overall lack of experience can be a factor for some of them.

I have seen the Pornographer series and DDOS, and I guess I don’t really try to compare those to the execution of Japanese serialized dramas (which doesn’t mean the serialized shows can’t do better sometimes). I don’t know if you’ve seen the Korean movie One Summer Night, but some would be hard pressed to believe that came from the same culture where lovers in serialized dramas go to bed in and wake up in what are basically street clothes, while somehow the audience is supposed to believe that somewhere between those two points in time the couple had passionate sex.

But I digress…

As I stated at the beginning of this post, I’m not a keen fan of shows that build sexual tension and then don’t give us the non-porn equivalent of the money shot. And this show… wow… it’s not even about the usual horny lust. This is about the primal longing — the primal *need* — for intimate, sexual connection. About the utter deprivation of this connection. About being repeatedly, painfully denied emotional and physical intimacy by our closest loved one and what that does to the human spirit. If the script or the director isn’t going to let the audience witness in real time the moment these characters find that connection with each other, then someone please DM me and tell me now.

And IF the reason we are denied that cathartic moment in real time is solely because one of the protagonists is played by an idol, then please also remind me to avoid anything by this producer who would allow that casting.

Hmmm, do you think no on-screen kiss is really a strong possibility, given that Kenshin and Rei from ONE N’ ONLY have each been in recent (very well-received) BLs where on-screen kissing and sex were definitely served? No on-screen kisses are definitely a let down in shows intended to create sexual tension, but in a show that is singularly focused on sexual longing, not only would no on-screen kisses (at a minimum) be a let down, it would also, as @JollyGolly writes, be ruinous to the so-far incredible script. *And* I would question the producer’s choice to cast someone for this story who is not comfortable representing physical intimacy on-screen. There are people still salty about the end of Cherry Magic Japan!

He understood the assignment!
https://youtu.be/q9GQI1md_EI?si=EJsi-DDXv4mzc3sB

I know, right?? Those glasses. I loathe — looooooathe — when a character wears glasses while making out, but I would not have had a problem if he had had those on 👓