etoks21

There is a UNIVERSE of options between one hand-holding incident and a mannequin kiss, and "big, gregarious skin ship" as you call it. It has been scientifically proven over and over, that human beings NEED touch, hugging, holding. It's not a thirst for hot, heavy "skin ship" some of us are after, it's an acknowledgement of the MC's basic humanity we seek.

Constantly rationalizing this homophobic tendency in J and K-BLs to hold back on even the smallest of intimacies is unhelpful in encouraging them to grow and mature. It's more than possible to enjoy a BL for the most part, as I did this one, and still voice significant criticisms.

LOL

This special episode was like a parody of typical BL over-reaction, false assumptions, suspicions, insecurity, miscommunication, etc. but it was so over the top that I couldn't help but laugh. These two are a mess. If this level of jealousy and jumping to conclusions continues, they won't last six months. hahaha

Also, the awkward discomfort they always feel in each other's presence, even when things are going great, along with the unrealistic, cold, physical distance they maintain wrecks the portrayal of what could be a charming and very romantic relationship. Yes, yes, yes, I know..."it's a JBL and JBLs rarely do touching or hugging, let alone kissing and god forbid, actual SEX/LOVEMAKING, blah blah blah..." I don't care that so many JBLs do this, that fact doesn't eliminate the degree to which the cold/distant/sexless trope undermines the connections these shows purport to portray.

It's really too bad and I wish the JBL factory would grow up and get over their homophobic discomfort with two men showing physical affection. I get that Japanese are not ones to show affection in public, but these two dudes keep their distance when they have an entire HOUSE to themselves. It's not "fluffy," it's not "cute," it's not "adorable." It's anti-gay. I'm not asking for explicit sex scenes, though that would be fun too, I'm asking for normal, realistic physical interactions between human beings who love each other. These two have barely touched hands.

Thank god for Tane. This show should be called "TANE, HIS DAD, AND A COUPLE OF LAME GAY DUDES." That little actor is downright remarkable in his natural affect in front of the camera. He is always IN the scene. He does lots of little natural things a kid would do, even when others in a scene are the focus. I catch myself watching him instead of Yukata and Minoru exchanging neurotic expressions of insecurity and fear. Dad looked damn hot in his towel at the bath house too. I wish those kinds of public bath houses/hot springs were common in the U.S.

I found Minoru appealing and love his deep, resonant voice, something so many Asian men are blessed with. Yukata not so much, which is interesting as I found the actor charismatic and hilarious in A Man Who Defies the World of BL and its sequel. I get that this is supposed to be his character here, but it's also his job to make that character, as half of a BL couple, be engaging despite his flaws. I found Yukata mostly boring.

I'll still give this show a 7/10, which is a "C" on my ABCDF grading scale. Without Tane and his dad I would likely give it a D. All that said, there was enough here to keep me coming back and I don't regret the watch. I'm frustrated at how much better it could have been though.

For me, somehow I continued to perceive Teh as a deeply flawed character with a good heart at his core who does multiple fucked-up things. I don't dislike shows as a whole just because they feature characters who do multiple dislikeable things. In fact, a big part of why I LIKE those shows so much is that they are willing to show one of two lead characters acting out in multiple, negative ways. If I was looking for only sweet, kind characters who did sweet, kind things I would have a lot more Thai BLs on my list.

Don't get me wrong...Teh is the definition of a challenging character. However, part of this is also that I have wrestled with similar demons myself. Long ago, I came to understand there is a part of me that ALWAYS thinks the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, especially when I find a relationship that feels good and fulfilling. Something in me almost automatically begins to wonder "well, couldn't I do just a LITTLE bit better?" I have no defense for this component of my personality; it is just there and I basically understand why it's there and how to deal with it, thanks to a lot of therapy work.

ESPECIALLY in the sequel, when Teh repeatedly acts out with that hot professor, I totally got it. But also, the professor was manipulating him to make his acting in that play better, which was the height of inappropriate and shitty behavior. But WOW, when the script was willing to have Teh STILL obsessing and pining after the prof AFTER he knew what had gone down, I was just so impressed with the willingness of the show to confront us with this kind of behavior and yet still ask us to try to have SOME understanding of Teh as someone who desires to be good and yet repeatedly fails.

On top of all this, even though I felt I got what was going on with Teh, I did NOT want Oh-aew to take him back until Teh had taken steps to deal with these clear personality flaws that were bound to fuck up any future relationship, be it Oh-aew or someone else. But as we know, the last thing almost all BLs want to show is someone in therapy, responsibly dealing with their shit. The only one I've seen attempt that was "The Eighth Sense," but that was shown in such a messed-up, inaccurate, stupid way that they'd have been better off not to include the therapy in the script.

So, with ITSAY and IPYTM, especially the sequel, I enjoyed being pulled apart emotionally in several directions all at once. My sadness for Oh-aew, my empathy and understanding of Teh and his behavior, my wanting them to get back together but knowing it was not for the best until Teh dealt with his shit, all this messed-up human-ness moved me deeply. Let us not forget also Oh-aew's unshakeable, deep love for Teh through all of the above. That actor did a fabulous job of portraying his loneliness and ongoing depression/sadness during the period of time Teh was more and more avoiding him and he had no friends. That scene where the new group of friends joins Oh-aew at an outdoor campus table and begins to kindly question him about who he is and what's going on in his life, etc. and Oh-aew suddenly breaks into tears was written and performed so well it broke my heart. I've been that lonely.

I even had very mixed feelings at the end of the sequel when Teh and Oh-aew more or less reconcile on the beach. I was happy for both of them because each loves the other at a core level, but Teh is not ready for love in his current condition, so I was screaming "no! yes! therapy! no! yes! therapy!" at the screen.

Also, there are multiple, powerful, unusual scenes of love, flirtation, coming together, especially in ITSAY, then coming apart, as Teh wrestled with his powerful feelings for Oh-aew right alongside his internalized homophobia and fear of such a relationship. Do you remember when Teh goes to see O-a at the latter's parents' beach resort and there's that silent kind of slow-motion, come-hither, dance/chase that begins in the hotel and ends up on the beach. O-a keeps letting Teh catch up to him, but then he moves away to entice him. That scene was beautifully done and SO exceptional for a BL.

Then there was the scene where O-a was alone in his room and tried on one of his mom's bras and considered himself in the mirror. What a beautiful/sad/happy/lonely portrayal of a kid wrestling with who he is and what he wants. NOTHING like that anywhere else in BL World. And stuff like that was repeated over and over.

The scene in ITSAY where the two of them talk and flirt and there's this air of sexual heat and they come together sitting on the floor, Teh wrapped around O-a from behind and you think they're going to finally do it but then Teh chickens out...beautifully acted, directed and performed. Over and over ITSAY and IPYTM present us complicated, layered scenes unseen anywhere else in BL.

Then there's the feature film-worthy cinematography, music, and set design throughout both shows. Again, ten steps above most BLs. To me, these two are in a class of their own and are unlikely to be topped, though I would love to see that. Also again, beyond amazing these shows came out of Thailand, mostly knows for TOOTs. So naturally the production company that made them dissolves itself while GMMTV and other crap-factories keep chugging along.

I need to check out your lists. Pretty amazing we're in 70% agreement on our top10 without consulting as we put them together. It is interesting that my top 2 don't make your list at all.

Yup, back to the lists. I haven't put these guys in order of preference yet. I've just been gradually compiling names again. Kengo is always hot.

I will let you know when I watch your recs below.

Powerful.
There always have been and always will be monstrous human beings among us, many more than we think. There will never be a time to believe this type of thing has somehow gone out of style. If not in Korea, then in Saudi Arabia or Africa or Russia or the USA. The monsters are always waiting for people to get tired of watching out for them but the time to stop doing that will never come.

8.5/10

"they both have scientific perfectly shaped faces." Says who?
If you can't see Mix's nose job you need glasses. It's narrower and more pointed than his old nose. Strange that you are denying reality. I was going to post links to old and new nose but don't care enough to go through the effort. If you want to believe he did not have a nose job, great. Go for it.

Cute, brainless watch, but I'm relatively into it.
As usual, is you have great chemistry/vibes between the two leads you can get away with almost anything. I was going to list all the tropes and cliches being employed here but it would take all afternoon and anyone watching this already knows, so I'll pass.
The farmer guy seems a little bit TOO simple to me. Verging on intellectual disability. They should have worked in a plot element wherein we learn he fell off a tractor as a child and is brain-damaged. He certainly looks good with his shirt off. Nice that he's not emaciated like most Thai BL boys.
City boy has such delicate features but somehow I can still buy him as being 27, so I guess it's good acting. He looked cute as hell with his hair wet and parted after Farmer Boy washed his hair and face in the hospital.
Farm Boy's search for a medical reason for his pounding heart was amusing. The back and forth with the doctor was handled well.
I like the Caucasian farmer character with the beard. It's amusing he's just thrown in the mix with no reference to how he came to be living in Korea, speaking fluent Korean. If he immigrated as a child or was born there would be fun to know. His ease with the language leads me to believe he's a native Korean, which is interesting.
All the supporting acting is good, village peopled, Farm Boy's mom, everyone. It will, or could be, interesting to see how these country folks handle it when these two become BFs. Hell, sophisticated city Koreans are generally homophobic bigots, so it would seem unrealistic to have the hicks be open and accepting of a gay couple in their midst.

I can't speak for anyone else but I think Mix had a nose job because I can SEE that he had a nose job. Sometime between ATOATS and Moonlight Chicken. It was during MC that I noticed the shape of his nose had changed. It was much wider and almost had a bump to it in ATOATS. That's all gone and now he has a nice, but slightly too ski-jump-looking nose.

If you don't believe me go back to the last of the Our Skyy 2 BB/ATOATS episodes and watch the part where there are several flashbacks to Mix and Earth face to face in closeup in ATOATS. The difference is clear as day unless you don't want to acknowledge the evidence of your own eyes.

I don't mean to imply anything negative about the fact that he had a nose job. He looks more handsome/sexy now than before, to me at least.

I know nothing about Earth having or not having a nose job.

OTT script, direction and acting wrecked what was the core of an important film here. Plot holes and melodrama overwhelmed the message about Korea's corrupt justice and prison system. The warden-character was ridiculously written and acted. He belongs in a Batman movie, not here.

4/10

lol. Me too. :)

BB/ATOATS would have been SO hot and high-drama if the writers went scorched-Earth in a completely opposite direction and had Pat/Chief hook up in secret while drunk, which I could totally see happening, and then spend most of the rest of the time covering it up until inevitably, the shit hits the fan when the other two find out.

Think of the angst! The drama! The tears, fights, slaps, recriminations, name-calling, and desolation! It all would have been so delicious. Plus having the added benefit of blowing most BL fangirls out of their collective minds...this thread would have 10,000 comments! Instead we got the expected, painfully-fake cutesy-pie BS from Pat and Pran in a plot that was embarrassingly juvenile, even by BB standards. The unending soundtrack of sitcom music, sound-effects, alternating with disaster music, was as annoying as it was expected. On the other hand, Mix and Earth nailed all their scenes when they were ALONE, unhindered by the other two lame characters/actors. Haven't been that moved by a Thai BL pairing in a long time, well, since Moonlight Chicken, actually.

Obvious? No. Interesting, yes.

I don't know if you're crazy or not. I will leave that question to you. But why did you drop a good show over a FAKE depiction of a cat-murder? Do you drop shows with depictions of the murder/rape/torture/psychological abuse/whatever of human beings? Truly curious.

I mean, you know the ACTOR didn't really kill a living cat IRL, right?

BBxTOATS episodes:

Tian and the Chief: 10/10
Pat and Pran: 1/10
Overall: 5/10

Won't waste time discussing the "plot."

Best part of the four episodes, overall, is the really quite stunning chemistry between Earth and Mix . The love/affection/admiration between them feels one hundred percent real. Their scene by the pool at night near the end is remarkable in its intimacy, intensity and again, realness. I felt I was eavesdropping on two people as something magical and beautiful took place, as if maybe I shouldn't be there but was glad I was anyway. 😉😉😉

Never thought I'd say this about anything having to do with TOATS: Several times near the end and especially in the scene I mentioned above, tears were streaming down my face. A couple paper towels took care of that but by scene's end the towel was soaked and I was holding it over my mouth to stifle a sob. The pooling tears in the Chief's eyes, the look of overwhelming joy and disbelief on Tian's face, and the breaths he had to take to steady himself were the definition of great acting. Something we rarely see in BLs. Bravo to Earth, Mix, and the director.

The degree to which Mix has improved as an actor since TOATS is remarkable. He is the one who moves me the most throughout these eps. But Earth's portrayal of the stoic but deeply loving Chief can't be over-praised either. When the Chief tears up it's over for all of us. Wow.

The second-best part of these episodes is the sexual assault scene at the very end. 🤪🤪🤪Kidding! Those who have watched know what I mean.

The third best part is every scene featuring the little village boy. What a great young actor. Second only to little Tane of the JBL Our Dining Table.

The worst part of the four episodes is the forced/put-on/fake interactions and lack of chemistry between Nanon and Ohm. If anything, their romance has become even less convincing than in BB. Are there issues between those two actors? Every smirk and head-shake feels false.

Funniest part of these episodes: Comparing Mix's noses between TOATS flashback scenes and now. He, his new nose, and those dreamy eyes in Moonlight Chicken and now BBxTOATS slay me every time. What a cutie.

ummm...you know she didn't REALLY kill a cat, right?

Who killed her and why? Am I stupid or did this not make sense?

Oh well. She was too old for him anyway.

A few plot holes and blatant implausibles, but overall an exciting watch with good acting, amazing fight scenes, and a hot, talented ML. Korea has somehow made me a fan of well-done, violent Yakuza/crime/thriller-type flicks. I used to avoid them out of Hollywood until I stumbled across Asian cinema.

8.5/10

Once this started, I remembered I had watched it once before a year or so ago. After ten more minutes I also remembered why I dropped it. There have already been a few odd directorial choices, but the decision to cast a female actor as the "transvestite" hooker was a major blunder. NO man dressed as a woman looks that convincing. This supposed transvestite also speaks with a perfectly natural FEMALE voice and, ooh, he sings like a woman too! lol That choice of casting eliminates all the potential dramatic tension in the storyline because this actress is totally UNconvincing as a man in women's clothes, which is what the character is supposed to be.

So unfortunately, because I like the ML Takahashi Kazuya and would have liked to see him in an early-career role in a good movie which this is not, I am dropping this odd duck with its obviously female-playing-a-man-who-dresses-as-a-woman mistake at dead center of the film.

1/10