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None at all! LOL!

Thanks for that. =)

In English, it would be more common to attach an adjective to give emphasis: "hungrily press, eagerly press, forcefully press, desperately press, etc." and they'd all have slightly different shades of meaning...

Agreed. I think that my issue, ultimately, is that the elements that this particular story is supposed to uniquely highlight (the less than great parts of the BL industry) are not well matched with comedy. Sure, some comedy can work well with the subject matter (like the OTT editor) but if the show actually wants to make some effective commentary, then they need to approach and treat it in a more serious way. Personally, I'd be much more satisfied with the show if they treated the material more as a drama and less as a comedy. But that could well just be me...

OK. I was worried for a second...

BTW, do Thai BL writers really use the Thai equivalent of "crushing" when describing kissing in scenes, as some translations have suggested?

(I'm curious because it's not a verb you'd normally see used in English for that purpose.)

When I saw the scene I couldn't help but think, "who'd ever consider that bread toasted???"

Is that really considered kinky? Oh my...

My issue with the music choices and sound effects is that, for me, they take the comedic points and make them farcical. That undermines any subtlety or dramatic worth that's also played into the scene. Genuinely funny material doesn't need the crutches of all of those bells and whistles attached to it. I do understand, though, that for a number of viewers, it's about having Hello-Kitty-Cuteness-Uber-Alles.

In my opinion, It's very good. =)

For all the comments about the shade the show is throwing at the BL genre, I still find that it employs a lot of the standard BL approaches and the first episode went really OTT with the cutesy music and SFX. I can't say that I find it bold.

I would say that I found the second episode less obnoxious than the first. I still don't like all the cutesy music and sound effects in the Gene/Sib scenes. I wish they could employ the approach they use when scoring the Aey/Mork or Mork/woman whose name I've forgotten across the board.

I'm glad Sib wasn't using that creepy smile from the first episode. While I see a patina of freshness to the Gene/Sib dynamic, it's still pretty predictable and formulaic. (Why do the "pursued" always have to be grumpy?) The Aey storyline actually comes across, to me, as being something a bit different and more interesting.

While I like that Tum is straight, it's a bit silly that he doesn't plainly tell Tiffy that he isn't gay.

It was an improvement over the first episode. Enough for me to continue with it next week. I will also say that they carried out the kiss better than I thought they would, and I like how Gene was able to be far more descriptive in his writing, afterwards.

Of course, before I lower them into the vat, I'll say something like: "Sorry I have to do this, but you left me with no choice" 8D

I will give Cherry Magic a go. =)

I'm 53, and I came out to my family at 16, back in 1983 (Not at all the norm, back then) and my love of LGBT cinema was born of a desire to find representation. It's difficult to articulate just how powerful that can be for LGBT people. When the entire world around you is modelled differently from your own internal experience, it can be difficult not to view one's self as abhorrent or freakish. Often alone, I would go to movies and feel like I could see something of myself up on those screens and feel affirmed.

Now, things are very different. Canada is consistently rated as one of the most LGBT friendly nations on Earth. Equal marriage has been the law of the land for almost 16 years and our Human Rights Act specifically includes sexual orientation and gender identity and expression as protected at the Federal (national) level. Adoption, benefits, and inheritance laws are equal. Our Armed Forces have openly welcomed LGBT members since 1992. Conversion Therapy is likely to be banned nation-wide within the year.

Politicians of most political stripes (both straight and LGBT) have marched in Pride parades, including our current Prime Minister. (President) Every city in the country has Pride events and they are staggered throughout the early summer to mid-September to allow people to travel to different cities. Really importantly, the parades are attended by people of all orientations and are very family friendly. LGBT people have held numerous positions in politics at local, Provincial (State) and Federal (National) levels.

Is there bigotry and hatred in Canada? Yes. Is there violence directed toward the LGBT community, at times? Yes. Do the large majority of people think that's acceptable: definitely not. A 2020 poll by the Pew Research Centre of the general Canadian population showed 85% of people in favour of the social acceptance of homosexuality.

All of those achievements came incrementally, with the broader culture seeing and accepting that LGBT people are just fellow human beings. Media representations played a part in that. I am so happy that, in 2021, a young LGBT person who could be struggling might get to see something as touching and affirming as 1000 Stars. BL has the ability to be so much more than mere entertainment, IMO.

I agree about "mouth-bumping" kisses. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that any actor in any show or film involving an LGBT romance should be able to at least perform a same sex kiss with the ease and believably of an opposite sex kiss. Not every storyline calls for steamy action but if one does they should hire people who are comfortable performing that.

I invite you to take a trip back in time and catch up with Ep. 5 of 1000 Stars. The rush of getting the next episode is both nostalgic and exhilarating. =)

That's the one way things could be saved, for me, Kasim: if it comes to light that what we saw was a BL-on-steroids-fever-dream of Gene's and the rest of the show gets a bit more grounded. (Highly unlikely, I think, but I can hope for 1 or 2 more episodes: LOL!)

Thanks again. =)

You've hit the nail right on the head, for me. Nubsib came across as very creepy in the first episode to me, too! Totally different from the feel in the concept trailer...

Thank you for the recommendation. Is it available in English?

I thought it was well executed, well shot, and the slow build just made the last third of the movie scary AF!

I've enjoyed our discussion. =)

I understand what your saying about the addition of too many friend/family characters. I think there's a balance to be struck and some series have pulled it off better than others.

I agree that some of the Thai shows do handle kiss scenes very poorly. GMM does seem to be the primary culprit, in that vein.

I've heard of Cherry Magic: perhaps I'll give it a try.

I agree with everything you said about the third episode of 1000 Stars. My eyes got misty in some of those scenes.

I've been watching every episode on the airing day and I did the same with Manner of Death. Doing so takes me back to the days before when we could binge watch things and I'm actually finding that it enhances my appreciation of each episode. I have such anticipation for them!

It's been a pleasure talking to you, and it's late where I am, as well (NA Mountain Time Zone.) Stay safe and take care. =)

I wonder how many people will end up looking at this thread and say "those people are crazy!" XD

EDIT TO ADD: One last thought. I do think that, at best, we'll see a very chaste kiss between Phu and Tian before the series ends. A steamy make out session would seem at odds with the tone of the series and I don't know how comfortable Earth and Mix would have been with kissing each other.

Something brief and tender, though, would be in keeping with the show. I'll be fanboy squealing if they manage to immerse themselves into the roles enough to pull it off. (Something I should be embarrassed to admit to at my age but c'est la vie...)

Alrighty, then. Thx!

I'm not offended at all. An exchange of viewpoints can be very interesting and I hope that neither of us come across as trying to express anything other than opinion.

I can understand your fatigue with the tropes given your long history with the genre. I started exploring it through Kiss: The Series, on Netflix. That's how I started with the story of Pete and Kao and I decided to follow up with it. For me, it was all relatively fresh.

I've been able to cherry pick based on some of the criteria I mentioned, earlier, so I haven't had to sit through umpteen examples of this or that storyline. While it can be done very poorly, the inclusion of family/friend circles appeals to me simply on the basis that relationships don't happen in a bubble and I think it rings true with the emphasis on family in Thai (and many other Asian) cultures: both for good and ill.

A series automatically scores with me for topical social commentary. I agree with your other criteria, as well, but one other element I look for in BL is the comparability of the pairings. To me, BLs are largely romances and I sour on a series if I don't see the romantic chemistry between the leads. I can't continue a series if I feel the leads are poorly/implausibly paired or if they can't sell me on them being attracted to each other. Other than Taiwan, I haven't seen pairings from other countries that match some of the Thai productions.

The Koreans have the potential to do it, but I think Korean conservatism works against it's BL industry becoming outstanding. Japanese BL seems too enamoured of Seme Uke rigidity and some of the most problematic elements of the genre. Are there any that you could recommend that might change my mind?

I also cut slack for BL series in comparison with LGBT cinema. Again, they're romances and I don't have the same expectations as I do with well executed cinematic LGBT drama. I'd love to see the genre develop more along those lines but I doubt that would appeal to the core BL audience, who fund the industry.

You have a rich journey ahead of you in discovering more about LGBT cinema. I'm excited for you! =)