Surprisingly good mini series with some bromance

This is an example of a mini-series (a series with super short episodes) done mostly right. For some reason, most parts do not feel too hurried. The main weakness of many mini series is the pacing and erratic storytelling, and while Decline isn't entirely spared from it, I'm surprised by the plot development and character backstories.

I don't what the relationship between the two main characters is like in the novel, but I would classify it as bromance in the series. I was wondering whether to describe it as censored BL, but I think it is a case where we are left to imagine things if we want to but there isn't really that much BL innuendo. Sui Han Bai realizes that Su Chengxi is someone he has known since his childhood days quite early on although Su, who has lost his memory does not realize it till much later. We see Sui's devotion to Su when he blocks an arrow shot at Su with his own body and even in his semi-conscious state, calls for Su to stay safe.

The story unfortunately does seem incomplete, but to its credit, the series does have at least a tentative happy ending for the main characters and does not end with a silly cliffhanger when there may never be a Season 2. There is potential for a Season 2, but Season 1 at least ends satisfactorily.

Despite the synopsis, I think the series shows more promise if it is marketed as bromance rather than mystery/detective series because it thrives on our interest in the characters, and the mystery aspect leaves too much unaddressed.

Read More

Implied BL with a puzzling title

I stumbled upon this mini series by chance. It's gratifying to see that implied BL series from China can still exist despite the pervasive censorship. However, I'm not sure if BL series in which the romantic elements are at best heavily implied will continue to be released. Without publicity, even viewers who do not mind the fact that the romance is implied may not get to even hear about them. Yet, publicity will likely draw unwanted attention to such series, causing them to be cancelled.

Another problem with the current censorship rules is the fact that it will almost certainly affect the production budget, particularly for shows that are low-budget to begin with. After all, not many would risk investing in productions that most likely will not be commercially successful. The form that My Sweet Professor takes reflects this problem. It looks quite clearly like a condensed version of a story with much more substantial development. The story does get told, but the depth of character development, which can help viewers immerse themselves in the story and empathize with the characters, is gone. Additionally, the creators of the series have to resort to rather choppy editing to tell the story in such a condensed manner. The scenes quite haphazardly switch from the time when Gao Yuan and Huo Shang are high schoolers to eight years after, when they are adults. Furthermore, the reason behind Huo Shang's disappearance (critical to the story) is done through the speech of another character rather than through actual flashbacks. (And the revelation isn't even quite complete or convincing.)

What I can appreciate about the series, though, is how the leads' attraction to each other is quite obvious despite being implied rather than directly portrayed. It is clear from the start that Gao Yuan's resentment towards Huo Shang for disappearing eight years before is that of a lover who is coping with his boyfriend's unexplained disappearance. The way Huo Shang tries to approach Gao Yuan again is also clearly the behavior of someone trying to patch things up with his lover.

Unfortunately, there are many loose ends in the series. There is no real explanation of why Huo Shang does not try to look for Gao Yuan earlier. The corporate power struggle that Huo Shang is facing at work is also barely explained (it feels as though the truly censored parts of the story are not even the BL elements.) In the end, My Sweet Professor is a series that would have been much better if it had even been an eight-episode series with standard-length episodes. As a sign of how underdeveloped the story is, we do not even know why the series is entitled "My Sweet Professor".

Read More

Be patient with this one

It is easy to give up on Home School halfway through. After all, we may not really care much about most of the characters at the start. The teachers at Home School are either cold or creepy (often both, actually). And the students can be pretty unlikable too. But I guess the creators took a bit of a gamble here. The characters do become more interesting and likable apart from the one who turns out to be the main villain of the series.

It is unfortunately very easy to be frustrated with the series if you start off with the assumption that Home School and its teachers are part of an unrevealed dark conspiracy. This is because of the ambivalent way in which they are portrayed. They seem every bit like the bad guys who have tricked parents into enrolling their children in a school that ends up abusing the children and cut off the children's contact with the outside world. However, some of the "lessons" the teachers try to teach seem to have values even though the teaching methods are highly unconventional and manipulative to say the least. There were times when I was left incredulous, thinking that the writers have made the teachers laughable villains. At times, the teachers seem to place emphasis on conventionally good things like love and trust for one another; at other times, they seem to be cruelly teaching the students about the ugliness of the world. The ambivalence in the portrayal of the school does, however, have a purpose. There are early hints about this and it becomes increasingly clear to us--the school has not always been what we think it is like.

To be honest, the ethicality of the tactics employed by Home School to educate the young people remain questionable all the way even though a twist in the story makes us focus more on the main villain or the mastermind behind the villainy. Regardless of what Home School aims to do, I can imagine how emotionally scarring it can be for a young person to go through the school, especially for someone like Pennhung who appears to be a character with unspecified special needs. This is one of the weaknesses of the story, making the plot twists less convincing than they could have been.

At times, I also wished that the writers had written in more interesting lessons. Some of them are just too predictable. Take for example the game in which the students are made to play a musical-chairs game. They are told to find a place to sit down before the music stops--the number of chairs keep decreasing, but those who fail to find a place to sit down will be punished. Of course, it turns out that the students did not have to sit on a chair. They could literally sit anywhere. In another game, they students are made to play a game in which they have to identify the lizard, who can order anyone of them around. Of course none of the students turns out to be the lizard. The atmosphere would be different if there had been more interesting "lessons" written into the script.

Despite the flaws of the series, there is enough in the series to keep me watching. The strong performance by many of the actors and the good story pacing contribute to making the series more watchable. There are holes here, but the story is quite good

Read More

Even 2 suns can't heat this one up

Characters exist, characters inexplicably fall in love. And some possible, muddled ships. That's about it to this BL.

The storytelling is rather incoherent. Sun is sent to collect a debt from Athit--Sun is part of some debt collection company (it seems) and somehow Sun's own father engages the company's services, which sends Sun to collect the debt. (Weird.) And Sun is a debt collector who never manages to collect any debts--it is not clear why; it is not as though his colleagues have superior debt collection tactics, but I digress like the series keeps doing.

Anyway, it turns out that Athit does not even owe Sun's father anything. In fact, it's the other way round. So what purpose does it even serve to get Sun to collect a debt? Boun and Prem are the leads playing Athit and Sun respectively, and the acting is understandably weak because ... how are they supposed to act with such randomness? It is not like there's any nuance or depth of character to bring out.

Another couple, Ashing and Mangkorn, has an even thinner storyline (if you can call it one). It seems that Mangkorn is basically enslaved because of a debt his father owes (Ashing's father is the boss of the aforementioned debt collection agency). They don't get along well at first but suddenly fall in love.

Then there is an assortment of characters whose behaviors are often inexplicable. One vaguely sees some possible ships here and there, but everything ends up being quite confusing.

The storytelling style makes things worse. One quirk of this series is the use of flashbacks to show how what is happening in a scene happens to begin with. This style is most of the time purposeless and does not enhance our engagement or appreciation of the story.

The only really entertaining thing in this series is the ending. And I don't even mean the happy ending for the two couples. It's how the boyfriend of Athit's brother (a terrible person) is left stranded on an island, with everyone forgetting he's there. Initially, I thought that the careless scriptwriters simply did not realize that they had left him on the island. Perhaps they did, but it is funny how they made use of it at the end so generate some humor.

Read More

Quite lovable, but one support character could have been fleshed out more

I love both the main couple and the side couple in this BL. I wonder, though, if it might be better to make the side couple the main couple instead.

The main couple, Tae Joon and Won Young, have a rather solid if predictable story. I think much of the credit goes to the development of Tae Joon's character. I can understand how he has trust issues after being betrayed by his ex-boyfriend, so I can empathize with him when he finds it very difficult to simply forgive and make up with Won Young after he finds out that Won Young has been originally tasked to try to persuade him to come out of hiding and exhibit his works. Won Young is, on the other hand, also in a predicament we can sympathize with--he is suspended from his job through no fault of his own and can be in serious debt (also not really his own fault) if he does not get back his job. (It's unfortunate that the series seems to neglect the serious problems Won Young is facing after the initial exposition. Some timely reminders would perhaps have been good.)

The side couple, Dong Hee and Ho Tae, are quite economically portrayed. There is so much potential for fleshing out Dong Hee's back story. From the start, we are given hints that Dong Hee is in love with Ho Tae, but when the latter (who keeps changing girlfriends) shows an interest in him, he refuses to accept the love. Dong Hee's main explanation is that Ho Tae is the son of his mother's friend, but one wonders why. This is revealed later in the series in a flashback with Dong Hee suffering from abuse from his parents because of his sexuality and Ho Tae's mother being the only one who comforts him. Why Dong Hee does not accept Ho Tae's courtship because of Ho Tae's mother is less clear. Is he afraid that Ho Tae's mother might blame him if she is unable to accept it if her own son is gay--and she is someone he owes something to? Has he internalized homophobia in some way and thinks that Ho Tae and his family will be better of if Ho Tae goes on dating women? In some ways, Dong Hee can make for a more compelling main character than Tae Joon. The abuse he has suffered and the years of quiet one-sided love for Ho Tae make him the most emotionally complex character in the series. If only he were a more fleshed out side character or the main character!

Read More

I confess to bingeing this one, but it isn't really great

My first response to this series was: "Another tyrannical-boss-and-quirky-subordinate story?" The story relies on several familiar tropes, including a disapproving mother towards the end. Nonetheless, I did find it fairly watchable. It is rather stress-free watching because we more or less know how the story will develop and end. And the BL couple is fairly likable.

Be warned, however, that there are several poor transitional points. First of all, although we know that Xia Shangzhou (the tyrannical General Manager) takes a liking to his new secretary (Yao Shunyu), it strikes me as a little too sudden when Xia frantically rushes to the rescue of a kidnapped Yao. Clearly, there weren't enough scenes to show that Xia had already fallen so hard for Yao. Other poor transitions include Yao's own struggles with his own emotions. Yao goes through several stages:

1. he notices Xia's interest in him and freaks out;
2. he struggles with his own sexuality but eventually comes to terms with the fact that he is in love with a man;
3. he struggles with being uncertain if he is just a fling to Xia despite being in love with Xia and accepting it;
4. he realizes that Xia really loves him but decides not to accept Xia so that Xia can avoid being embroiled in a scandal.

Although things cannot possibly be entirely clear-cut, the shifts from one stage of Yao to another is a little too muddled to be truly moving.

Despite the flaws, I did enjoy some comic moments in the series. Unfortunately some of these moments also fall flat despite having potential. A case in point is when Yao is given the task of sabotaging Xia's blind date (arranged by Xia's mother). Somehow, Yao ends up buying a whole lot of condoms, causing the woman who was arranged to go on a date with Xia to think that Xia is a pervert. (Erm.... excuse me, first, Yao shouts to Xia "You are mine" but the woman mistakenly thinks that he is speaking to her. Then the condoms fall out ... and the woman thinks Xia is a pervert even though all Xia does is to help Yao, who is slipping. ????)

Somehow another Taiwanese BL, Stay by My Side, is listed as Related Content in MDL. I'm not sure about the links, but Stay by My Side is overall much better. Despite the cliches and predictability, I think You Are Mine had the potential to be much better than it has turned out to be. It is somewhat enjoyable, but nowadays, there are probably better BLs to watch.

Read More

Likable main couple, decent BL with significant flaws

The story of the main couple is fairly decent, with Sailom and Kanghan taking a familiar enemies-to-lovers route. There is some awkwardness in the transition though. Kanghan and his gang's bullying of Sailom and his friends is really malicious, but quite abruptly Kanghan saves Sailom from actual gang members while he's on a quest to intimidate him.

It may or may not be a good thing that the story can be a little unpredictable. Just when things get really serious, the plot takes a markedly light-hearted turn. Then just as things seem to be pretty light-hearted, the situations suddenly become serious again, such as when Saifah (Sailom's brother) is arrested for allegedly shooting Kanghan's father. Even the characters vacillate: we see Kanghan promising to stand by Sailom no matter what happens, and the next moment, we see Kanghan telling Sailom to leave because Saifah has confessed (falsely) to shooting Kanghan's father. He even makes a totally unwarranted remark about poor people to his grandmother. Then almost just as suddenly, Kanghan is helping Sailom again.

There are certainly commendable attempts to show the changes in Kanghan's character, but the explanations are not really compelling. It is true that he changes after his mother's death, but it does not seem convincing that the problems he faces would cause a reasonable person to become a nasty bully. Ultimately, the story seems torn between giving us BL fluff and dealing with more serious themes, and the two impulses are not juggled well.

One thing that is done quite nicely at first is the presentation of inequality in society. This is clearly represented in the uniforms worn by the students. The poorer students' uniforms look yellowed and washed out. Together with how even the authority figures in school blatantly favor the wealthy students when it is obvious that Kanghan, a wealthy student with an influential father, is viciously bullying others. Unfortunately, the issue of the rich-poor divide is not developed well in the course of the story. While the story starts off by pointing out the gross injustice that exists, it eventually glosses over things by presenting the wealthy characters as good people. In fact, problems are ultimately solved by the benevolent wealthy. Kanghan's grandmother intervenes when there is injustice in the school.

When Sailom is engaged as Kanghan's tutor by the latter's grandmother, it is not even just a matter of the wealthy helping to solve problems. Sailom is fired after Kanghan fails a subject despite showing improvement in his grades. I was hoping that it would be revealed that the grandmother can tell how much Kanghan cares about Sailom and has come up with a ploy to make him ask for Sailom to be his tutor again. However, there is no such revelation, which also makes the characterization of the grandmother a little uneven. It seems to show that the wealthy can ultimately be callous if they wish to. Kanghan manages to get his grandmother to let Sailom be his tutor again, and the debt that Sailom's family owes will be paid off if he manages to help Kanghan do well enough to get into the university. Perhaps unintentionally, this shows that the wealthy have the power to make or break the lives of the poor. There could have been some strong social critique here, but somehow things are glossed over. Eventually, the lives or Sailom and his brother are improved because of the benevolent wealthy. This is symbolized by how Kanghan's grandmother takes the trouble to get a medication for Saifah. (Yes, there's that unevenness in characterization. She is generally a reasonable and kind person, and the way she fires Sailom is off-character.)

I do like the series simply as BL. Apart from how Kanghan's bullying of Sailom is too over the top, the couple dynamics are actually great. However, the stories of other (potential) couples are underdeveloped. The series spends a fair bit of time showcasing the tension between Guy and Nawa and not enough time on their romance. A couple of flashback scenes in the last two episodes show how they noticed each other in the past but these flashbacks do not complement the hostility they show each other. There are also hints of romantic interest between Saifah and his friend, Name. However, Name only appears in the series when he is needed in the main plot, and there is barely any attempt to show their relationship further. Why bother with these other couples then?

I did enjoy this series, but it has some flaws that make it less than great.

Read More

Engaging if you can bear with the shifts

I was expecting a fun/funny time-travel drama in which the protagonist accidentally gets transported from the modern world to the Tang Dynasty, Initially, the story went very much as expected, and this may or may not be a great thing. On the one hand, I do enjoy the time-travel part of the drama, with the protagonist using his modern knowledge to get his way around in the past. On the other hand, when things fall within expectations, there is hardly any surprise.

But the series comes with some surprises. And this may or may not be a good thing once again. For about half the series, we see the more innocent side of the main characters. The Crown Prince whom the protagonist meets is a reasonable and righteous person, and we have typical rom-com vibes with two couples. However, after we have gotten used to the general rom-com trajectory of the story and characterisation, the series takes a dark turn. It makes some of the important characters more nuanced and rounded, showing a more realistic picture of political figures. Yet, the viewer has not been watching a drama about political intrigue for about half the series, so the shift becomes hard to swallow.

On their own, the two parts of the series are quite well done and engaging. Nevertheless, it doesn't work out that well when put together. Then there is the rushed and clumsy ending with (spoiler coming .........) the protagonist sustaining a fatal injury, This part was unnecessary. To make matters worse, he is transported back to the modern world seemingly because of the fatal injury (apparently it is impossible for him to die in the past) ... and his physical injuries disappear when he finds himself back in the modern world. (??!!) And while he does not magically get dressed in Tang-dynasty dressing when he travels to the past, his Tang dressing and fake hair conveniently get replaced by modern clothes and his original hairstyle when he returns to the modern era. I was almost expecting the series to end with some silly "it was all a dream" nonsense.

There is an additional 5-minute segment for the finale that seems to have been released separately from the final episode. This is where we get a happy ending, with the protagonist time-traveling back (we don't know how) to the Tang Dynasty and reuniting with his lover. (Time travel gets rid of fatal injuries?)

The drama is overall an interesting watch, and there is a lot to like about it. However, I wish the story had been steered back from its darker turn, which will make it more coherent as a whole.

Read More

Possibly intriguing premise marred by a silly twist

Perhaps I should start by spoiling the series because it can be quite confusing to talk about the series without spoilers, though spoilers might just show how messy it us instead of lessening the confusion.

The premise is fairly interesting: a cafe that grants a wish miserable people. Of course, as with all stories about wish-granting, you can expect something to go wrong with the wishes made.

It is heavily suggested (though not confirmed till later) that the woman in the cafe, who facilitates the wish-granting stuff, is the woman in the scenes where a young woman gets pregnant only to be ditched by her irresponsible boyfriend. It seems that after wishing for a better life for her son, she is stuck to granting wishes in the cafe. (Again, it is not clear why this would be so until the final episode because the other people having their wishes granted do not seem to have to replace her role in the cafe.)

One thing I didn't like about the woman in the cafe that mysteriously appears is how the woman (now much older than the time she is pregnant) gives an evil laughter and an evil smile. In a way, the cafe does not have to be a sinister thing. This seems like a cheap way of adding tension to the story. After all, the cafe is largely a neutral wish-granting entity, and it is not like it is deliberately causing things to go wrong after granting wishes.

Here's the biggest spoiler (if the series is not already "spoiled"): The main story has two parallel sets of characters that turn out to the be same set of characters at different stages of their lives. The series feels at first like many BL series that shifts from the story of one couple to the story of another despite the lack of any connection between them except that the characters are roughly in the same place. Nonetheless, for me, the series does give a sense that the two sets of characters are the same people--so much so that it tries to get us to think otherwise with a supermarket scene that seems to feature Ryou and Phathit (Patis?) in the place at the same time although they are supposed to be younger and older versions of themselves respectively. There is no reason for using a filming/editing style shows the younger version and older version of a character in the same scene, so it's probably there just to tell us a lie that Ryou and Phatit are different people.

To make matters worse, Phatit seems surprised when he finds out that his friend, Naphat, likes him. If Phatit is indeed Ryou, then he should not be surprised that Naphat is in love with him because the same friend confessed to him years ago.

OK, let's not care for a moment about the wishes or the plot "twist" revealing that the two sets of character are actually one and just think of the series as BL.

The story of Ryou and Mai isn't very special though it can be likable in many ways. The love triangle (Nack is in love with Ryou too) isn't very intriguing . Things don't get better when the love triangle turns out to be love square ... basically everyone is in love with Ryou: Mai, Nac, and their female friend, Dena.

The story of Phatit and Thana also isn't very special though it is a tad more realistic. They obviously love each other, but Thana has issues about being not good enough for Phatit whereas Phatit is so busy with his work as a doctor that he does not have enough time for Thana. However, I don't seem why Thana would hide from Phatit the fact that he has resigned from his job (partly to get the severance money to help his mother financially. Also, why would Thana cheat on Phatit with another guy (I think he is high on drugs, but even then, event feels forcefully written into the story.)

The wishes, though, screw up the story even more.

First, Thana's wish: he wishes for a job. Lol. I'm not sure how that would solve his problem since he has had a job previously and has been feeling (or has been made by others to feel) like Phatit is too perfect for him. Why not wish for status, wealth, equality, a life of happiness with Phatit, etc? (Perhaps we can have a Season 2 in which another plot twist reveals that they cake and beverage the characters have to eat before making the wish has the effect of lowering their intelligence drastically.)

Next, Nack's wish. He wishes he can kiss Ryou. LOL! He's not wishing that Ryou would love him back or if that doesn't sound ethical, how about wishing that he would not be in love with someone who does not love him back? Anyway, this guy only gets his wish granted many years later when Ryou is no longer Ryou but Phatit.

Then it's revealed that Phatit has also made a wish (when he is still Ryou). His wish is for Mai to love him wholeheartedly, and he gets it. But does Mai even not truly love him to begin with? Mai is under pressure to behave in a certain way and is in denial. Anyway, Mai, who is leaving for another province with his parents, suddenly goes back to Ryou after the wish is made. I think Ryou has more than what he has asked for because Mai can simply love him wholeheartedly and leave for another province.

And finally, the most bizarre wish of all is Dena's. Just what on earth is going on in her mind? It seems that she cannot wish for Ryou to love her (why not, if Ryou can wish for Mai to love him?) and so she wishes for the four of them in the love square to be remembered not as Ryou, Mai, Nack and Dena, but as Darin, Phatit, Thana, and Naphat. Wait, what???? Is she wishing to rename everyone? Is she, in some sinister and sadistic way, wishing to write everyone's fates? (The dark twist in her character, in the revelation that she is the one who locks Mai up in the locker room despite seeming like a supportive friend to all the other three characters is probably is most interesting twist. So maybe she is capable of something truly sinister.

Did someone manage to find the cafe in real life and make a wish to get away with making a BL series that does not make any sense?

Read More

Fascinating in its individual parts, but frustrating to piece together as a whole

What starts off as somewhat conventional horror becomes a mixed-genre story that gets increasingly far-fetched. I can't decide whether to give credit to the creators of this series for daring to try something like that or to lambaste them for going more than a little too far in merging paranormal elements with parallel-universe concepts.

What I did enjoy a lot was the bit of BL in the story. I'm not just talking about the ambiguous relationship between the main characters, which may be interpreted as "bromance" of sorts but increasingly becomes like one of those censored BLs from China (where you kind of know that the characters are in love even though it's not said). There is really a BL couple fairly late in the series (Tum and Phone), and I'm glad that despite the loose threads and plot holes in the story, there is some effort to give closure to their story.

Some of the individual subplots are actually quite decent. Sometimes, the series even manages to inject palpable pathos into the characters, such as in the subplot involving Ton (played by Nanon). However, perhaps the writers should have kept the plot simple. When it tries to merge sci-fi, paranormal, mystery and horror, it turns out confusing rather than intriguing. At times, one feels like yelling at the scriptwriters: "Just tell us who these characters are already!" Who the hell are the different characters played by Gun Atthaphan: Dome, Chan, The One? And then we have characters dying and coming back to life ... because of some dark forces at work? ... because of "faith"??? (what faith could they have if they are dead?)

Interestingly, the series gets into all sorts of messy entanglements without being unwatchable. We can kind of follow that A, B, C, D and E and happening even though we can't really see A, B, C, D and E forming a coherent whole and even though we might find ourselves wonder how A, B, C, D and E can even be happening. The cliffhanger after the closing credits in Episode 10 also leaves one with the impression that there isn't a serious attempt to tell a coherent story. What we have is a weird pastiche of narrative devices that serve to bait viewers. This has sustained the series for 10 episodes, but is it sustainable for another season?

Read More

Accomplishment? What accomplishment?

Yes, there's a fudanshi bartender, but what accomplishment does he have besides fantasizing about his colleagues and customers? Perhaps the way he perseveres despite reality disrupting his fantasies is an accomplishment? We only have two episodes, and the two episodes seem like the beginning of something that has a chance of becoming interesting in a quirky way. However, unfortunately, the two episodes are everything we get. In the end, we are just left wondering what the point of it all is.

If the fudanshi's fantasies are particularly interesting, it would at least be something. Unfortunately, it seems more like we are supposed to laugh at him and his fantasies rather than to indulge in them together with him. I think most fujoshis and fudanshis are better off fantasizing on their own. It's not as if we could get much vicarious enjoyment from his fantasies. All in all, a rather weird two episodes, and not in a good way.

Read More

Likable series with a lot of wasted potential

I really enjoyed about two-thirds of this series and was just ok with the last one-third or so.

At first, the series is a nice balance between being light-hearted and serious. Bai Lang's psychological issues and the dentist Jin Xun An's growing concern and attraction for him is sweet without being banal. The back story of Xun An's previous relationship is also nicely done (at first).

Unfortunately, at some point in the series, something goes wrong. I think it starts being somewhat perplexing when Bai Lang (who wants to reject Xun An's love at first because of his own psychological issues) starts behaving as though he does not know whether Xun An likes him.

I also think the series becomes much less interesting about the time the main couple become a couple. First, we have the strange objection of Bai Lang's sister to the relationship and then her change of heart, which is almost as sudden. Then we have the objection of Xun An's father--taken on its own, it doesn't seem to bad, but it feels out of place in the series. It feels as though the story is continued for the sake of being continued.

I also don't know why there seems to be a compulsion to squeeze in as many couples as possible when there is obviously not going to be time to give the other couples enough attention. In the end, we have two other BL couples and one straight couple thrown without contributing much to the series.

There are moments I like, such as how the story veers dangerously close to clichés but doesn't degenerate into clichés. At one point, I was thinking that Xun An's ex, in telling Bai Lang about the foods that Xun An does not eat, would cause Bai Lang to be so insecure that it causes a break-up, but it doesn't happen. I was also half expecting Bai Lang to see Xun An together with his ex (of sorts) and misunderstand Xun An. Thankfully, it doesn't happen either. And yet, I'm not sure whether to give credit to the writer(s) for this. Perhaps there is simply an aversion to heightening the tension in the story further. All too often, things get serious but then fizzle out quickly. In a way, this is both the strength and the weakness of the series.

With a better focus on the main couple and a greater willingness to delve into how Bai Lang's psychological issues could pose a problem in the relationship, the story would have been much stronger. Sure, some of the light-heartedness would be lost, but it would still be possible to have the same happy ending while making the story more moving.

Read More

Cute, funny at times, but needs something that shines

Roommates of Poongduck 304 is generally lighthearted, so lighthearted that the emotional ups and downs seem to have been deliberately compressed. The BL couple, Ho Joon and Jae Yoon, is cute and likable. Despite having something like an enemies-to-lovers plot (actually more like enemies-to-friends-to-lovers), the "enemies" part of the story seems slightly muted, like many other things in the story. This may well be a good thing because the two characters are, ultimately, not awful people. The "enemies" part of the story isn't exaggerated, so the characters' behaviors are not really toxic either. They are bother rather lovable without being ridiculously nice people.

Yet, there are a lot of emotions on the part of the characters that seem somewhat muted. Jae Yoon, for instance, has been in love with a friend who is merely out to exploit him. Eventually Jae Yoon finds out that this "friend" of his not only regards him as an fool but has also told others about him and saved his contact on his phone as Fool. Of course, Jae Yoon is devastated--but the emotions did not seem to have been the focus. There isn't even a scene in which Ho Joon finds out about this and tries to comfort him. And then Jae Yoon seems to get over it quickly. Sure, he is probably already in love with Ho Joon. (But notice that I said "probably"? There isn't that much clarity here, and if he has been already in love with Ho Joon, why does he still seem so concerned about his crush?)

Sometimes the lack of in-your-face depictions of relationships is really good. For instance, we know early on that Jae Yoon is in love with his "friend" because of how possessive he is of the chocolates given to him by this "friend". We also see that Ho Joon finds out that Jae Yoon is in love with that awful friend (because he is offered the same chocolates, supposedly very special, by the same person). I like how Ho Joon doesn't use the secret or the fact that Jae Yoon is gay against him even when they are in the "enemies" stage of their relationship. It shows something about his fundamental goodness. And despite being one of those straight-man-who-falls-in-love-with-a-guy characters in BL, at least Ho Joon doesn't have a moment of exaggerated gay panic. He seems to be in denial when a friend of his suggests that he is in love, but he doesn't assert his heterosexuality or claim that it's not true simply because Jae Yoon is a man.

Given a few more episodes, perhaps the series would have been even better, with more space for the emotional ups and downs of the characters. There could have been more time spent on the progress of their relationship before Jae Yoon finds out about that Ho Joon is actually the son of the President of the company they are working in and decides to leave him. The ending feels a little hurried although it is rather well made given the limitations.

Read More

Beautiful, in an understated way

The cliché "deceptively simple" comes to mind as I thought about this series after watching several episodes. On the surface, the story is simple: Si Won, an attractive guy who is too eager to be popular because of his insecurities, meets Da Woon, who seems to be effortlessly perfect and popular (but who, quite clearly faces issues too). Si Won feels threatened by Da Woon in a way, but the tensions between them is not exaggerated in the way one would expect in some enemies-to-lovers plot. In fact, there is a hint of mutual attraction the first time the two guys meet each other, and Da Woon clearly harbors no hostility towards Si Won.

It is not the first time that we see a BL couple who are film students, but it is one of the times when this fact is used well. Scenes from the film that Si Won makes, with just a few snippets as a film-within-a-film, effectively and economically reveals something about his relationship with his mother--the viewer may not have expected the revelation, but when it is revealed, the viewer may just go, "Oh yeah, why didn't I see it?" The mother, and not just the bullies Si Won encounters as a child, may have contributed to Si Won's insecurities by emphasizing to him as a child that people judge others by their looks and indirectly but frequently reminding him that people may look at their family differently because it's a single-parent family (the father having left the family when Si Won is a kid).

What is also hinted at is the relationship Si Won's sister has with both her parents as her mother accusingly talks (off screen) about how she isn't sufficiently against her father. Yet, even if the family is somewhat dysfunctional, it isn't a stereotypically dysfunctional family. Like every family, it may have its problems. However, the members of the family also do care about one another and do things for one another. The portrayal of the characters' relationships is, thus, sensitive and nuanced. This is quite rare for BL series, which often focus on the relationship of the BL couple at the expense of making other relationships simplistic. I guess this also enhances the so-called rewatch value of the series because there is a lot we can get with an additional viewing.

There is also much to like about the story of the BL couple. Many will appreciate how the main problem in their relationship isn't the fact that they are both men, a third party or some silly misunderstanding. There is growth in the characters, forgiveness and a happy ending that isn't plain fluff.

Read More

Enjoyable watch but not the most riveting story

At the beginning of the first episode, the protagonist says that one of the three people he is photographing is his first love. That's a nice introduction to the series because it is all about who the "first love" is--and since there is a "first love," is there also a second one?

The one who the protagonist will end up with becomes rather easy to guess quite early on (even if one is really unable to guess, one could just look at the list of actors and make a guess). And yet, the story quite deftly maintains the possibility that it's possible for the first love to be the other person.

Yes, there is a love triangle, but I'm glad it's hard to simply hate one of the three guys in the love triangle. The four main male characters are each lovable in his own way, and the main source of tension comes from, what else but a jealous girl. Then again, the girl doesn't turn out to be that bad. In fact, no one turns out to be that bad, which is either good or bad for the story, depending on whether you prefer fluff or a more realistic storyline.

Read More