etoks21

Oh good, then you'll be dropping the drama and I won't have to read your inane babblings, which include you writing about how you're above responding to people like me but then you respond to people like me in depth anyway. lol

I am so wounded and destroyed by your desperate, misdirection insults that I have no idea how I will go on living without your recognition and feedback. However, since you're dropping the series, I won't see any more comments from you here anyway, so that's good.

So you actually believe there aren't lots of films in which murderers get away with murder? I guess you've not seen many Korean crime thrillers. lol Normal people don't look to BLs and other dramas for their moral guidance. You might consider being like them.

Great thriller, much more so than usual for a Korean of the genre, because the friendship angle is so dominant and strong. I don't know what the hell some of the neg comments below are about, because I found the acting and the plot, except for a couple of facets I may just not have understood correctly, to be excellent.

Ju Ji Hoon is tremendous in this. His cry of despair/anguish/sorrow in one pivotal scene quite literally pulled the tears from my eye ducts; it felt that visceral.

Highly recommended. 9/10

wtf?

How was it toxic before Hyun Tae's mother's little scheme backfired on her and everyone else?

those ratings come out of god knows where on MDL. I think any rando can have an effect on the rating. They're all over the place here.

omg...lol. This is not a fucking church. Yes, that one scene strongly suggested the "relationship," whatever it is, is one-sided and more in her head than in reality. And for reasons having nothing to do with what we've seen so far, you've got him "cheating" on her already. You can't wait to get to the self-righteous outrage I mentioned above.

So, since you've already fantasized that he's going to cheat and that cheating "crosses a line" for you because you're so holy you can't even bear to watch actors pretend to cheat in a drama, I guess we can assume you've already dropped this show, as well you should.

MDLers like you ARE entertaining though. Do shows featuring murder and other crimes from kidnapping to embezzlement "glorify" those acts or simply acknowledge them as existing in reality? Or is it only romantic and sexual improprieties that upset you? Why is that? Do you think having an affair is worse than murdering someone?

I have watched countless films featuring murders, and have yet to kill anyone...go figure. Are your morals anchored so loosely that you're afraid if you see some infidelity here you might go fuck around behind your partner's back? lol

Again, you're shrieking about plot devices that haven't happened, and insulting other commenters ("maybe that's the kind of drama YOU enjoy...") over something that hasn't happened, after one episode.

I'm going to go ahead an suggest you will NOT drop this drama, even if the dude cheats on the girl AND the guy, and that you are all worked up about an imaginary character choice, because that is exactly what you are HOPING to see. Just go ahead and admit it, and enjoy the grey-area ride.

Also, I don't buy for a second you "appreciate morally grey characters." What you appreciate is the opportunity to screech from your church pulpit about the sexual sins you enjoy watching, which lets you have it both ways. You're titillated by the transgressive behavior and you get feelings in your secret places from waxing self-righteous in response. It's a double-whammy thrill-ride for you!!! :D

Just admit it, get on board, and let your freak-flag fly, baby.

Your simplistic, childish outburst here, all predicated on "cheating" that has occurred only in your head, is bizarre and also, hilarious. You are definitely an MDL Little Girl, regardless of your gender identity.

What are you talking about? When did that happen?

Besides, it's already clear he's not into her. I think her being his "girlfriend" is more in her head than in reality.

Also, if he really did cheat on her with the arrogant Senpai, wouldn't that make for an engrossing and fascinating plot development, rich with opportunities to feel self-righteous and outraged? If all characters ever did were right and proper things, dramas would be boring af.

I still say, if Iwanaga knows he "wants Miyata and will stop at nothing to get it," then where has he been for 12 years, other than boffing his now-assistant, and a lot of other people I'm sure?

I'm inclined, at this very early point in the story, to suspect Miyata did not turn up on that day for some reason having to do with information he received, accurate or not, indicating Iwanaga was not sincere in his affections and was playing him. Remember, during this first episode, we heard Miyata accuse him of that very thing at Iwanaga's apartment (where he had foolishly allowed himself to be manipulated into ending up in a drunken state) and at the restaurant, where he said something to the effect that Iwanaga liked to toy with people and their emotions, referring specifically to the assistant (but also to himself).

I think Miyata was told or saw or heard something way back then that led him to believe that's exactly what Iwanaga was doing to him. And from what we saw in this information-rich first episode, I would be inclined to think the same. I mean, look, why is Iwanaga keeping a former lover who clearly still pines for him around as an "assistant?" My spidey-senses tell me it's because he like toying with people and a fun way to do that is to keep someone in a constant state of frustrated desire toward him that stokes his ego?

And maybe you're a presumptuous twit.

What matters, actually, is how the actors LOOK onscreen, not their real age in the real world. A 20 year old actor who LOOKS 14 can play a 14 year old character, but wouldn't make sense as a 20 year old. This is not hard to understand. There are no cards on the screen saying "This actor is actually 25 but please pretend the character is 40, despite how they look."

I see what YOUR problem is; it's your inability to comprehend that what we see and hear on screen is ALL that matters, not what's in someone's bio.

Your whole comment is giving weirdo vibes. Or presumptuous twit vibes, perhaps both.

The old man comment had NOTHING to do with Senpai's "behavior." They were discussing his accomplishments and how he LOOKED on the cover of the magazine. Maybe you just haven't watched enough of anything to get the meaning of dialogue as written.

I've watched dozens of Jdramas. Did you know that each one is a different, separate show from the others?

The real-life age of an actor doesn't matter. What matters is how old the actor APPEARS to be. I stand by what I said: The 21-year-old looks younger than the 17-year-old.
A two-year age gap is not enough for the younger character to be snarking on the older's age in an editorial meeting.
You're right, they were calling him "Senpai" in high school, which is an upperclassman. I looked up one definition that equated "Senpai/Sensei" but that is incorrect.

I repeat, the emphasis on age difference from the 30-year-old is a bit of a stretch if "Senpai" is just two years older. In the editorial meeting, Akhiro said Senpai looked good "for his age." Bro, he's two years older than you...?

Whatever. It seems to be a good show.

Nice! Another seemingly excellent JBL to put on my currently watching list.

Senpai/Sensei seems a bit of a manipulative, dishonest, douchebag. I like that in a BL character. ;) Even if I dislike the character, his presence makes for great drama/angst/distress/unease, all of which makes for a great story. He has that arrogant/overly self-confident air that always rubs me the wrong way, as I'm sure it's intended to do here.

Seriously though, if he's so into Akhiro, where's he been for the last 12 years? Email/cell phone/text/snail mail are all available options for someone who really wants to communicate. This misunderstanding/background explanation had better be damn good.

Can someone help me out...is there supposed to be an age gap situation here? How can there be an age gap if you're in high school together? And why was everyone calling him "teacher" already then? Seeing as how Akhiro referred to Takashi's "age" in the editorial meeting, it seems there IS an age gap. That being the case, both in high school and in the present, the actors cast needed to be older-looking. "Senpai" in high school looked younger than Akhiro. Now that I look at the bios, the two actors are 25 and 33, so that's good, but Akhiro said he was 30. He doesn't look 30.

But, bitching aside, this looks very promising.

No, bro, I'm just full of "hatred and negativity," that's it; that's all. It's not possible to like some things and dislike others.

Bro, you're unable to deal with people who disagree with you, so you throw around BS like "ooh, you 'hate' things I like and are 'negative' about things I'm positive about so I hate you, bro." lol

Deal with it: a LOT of people don't care for this show. They have every right to say so and why, and what you think about it doesn't matter.

It's telling you're not even able to articulate what you find "beautiful" in this show. Instead, you choose to throw your hatred and negativity at me. Dunce.

God, is this a parody or something? Terrible...the film seems to be dead serious about its plot, but the situation and the acting are making this feel like a big-budget, soft-core porn/comedy. Only it's not a comedy, which just makes it seem stupid.

The evil seductress/wife, encouraging the soldier to "serve the p***y, I mean people," comes off as a deliberate caricature, yet apparently, we're meant to take her seriously.

I'm dropping at 46 minutes in. I love hot, sexy, outrageous, dark, transgressive stories, but this is just...absurd.

Dropped. 1/10

In what way were the MCs "terrible people?" I haven't seen this yet.

This is by far, the best sex-less BL of all time. Even though I would have killed to see the MLs' two sets of pillow lips go at each other. Yummy...

Michieda Shunsuke's wild facial expressions and physical slapstick gyrations were a joy, and Meguro Ren pulled off one of the most original BL characters I've seen. His looks are so interesting and unique in their beauty. I definitely see him as a Yakuza in some future Japanese thriller. :)

8.5/10

After episode 4 of my re-watch: This is charming and funny af.

I adore Hashimoto. She's a tiny ball of fire, and when she feels vulnerable she never falls back on that Japanese actress trope where they act all breathy, mousy, weak, and so soft-spoken you can barely hear what they're saying. She speaks what she says declaratively, like any other person of worth would do.

Why would I choose to not engage in comments about a show I've watched three episodes of in hopes it would improve but didn't? How does my leaving a negative comment disallow you from doing anything you want? If you interpret comments that disagree with you as forbidding you to watch a show, you are overly sensitive.

It seems like you have a hard time allowing other people who don't agree with you to express their negative opinions of a show you like. Why is that? Do you think comment sections are only for people who "like" the shows the comments are about? Newsflash: Comment sections are for ALL opinions, not just positive ones.

The "time I'm using" amounts to about ten minutes, so I don't care how you recommend I use it. I suggest you stop being so thin-skinned and do a little growing up, which might result in opening your mind to the idea that comment sections, even those about BLs, are not fan-girl club meetings.

Back for a second watch after this originally aired. It's very good.
Leads are perfectly cast, acting's good, writing's fine. It's lighthearted, but not "fluffy," in the Thai tradition.

For once, my feelings on a BL align with the MDL rating.

lol Boy, are you ever in the right place: MDL, the Internet home of self-righteous, sex-phobic prudes. But what if the people in a film are naked, having sex and MARRIED? That would be OK, right? Christ

BTW, there's about 30 seconds of nudity/sex in this 90-minute film. lol