Lys

I am enjoying watching Vee suffer though. But I want him to suffer more. I want him to see Mark happy with someone else. The poor brother having to deal with all of this when Vee couldn't treat two different people right.

Also really loving how he said "they left me," when he freaking CHOSE the girlfriend. He abandoned Mark, then plays the victim. Super cute, Vee. No wonder you're alone and covered in vomit.

Episode four is pissing me off. Is he seriously going to end up with Mark just because his girlfriend doesn't want him anymore? This show does not know how to treat Mark right. He shouldn't be anyone else's silver medal. Also poor Nuea. He's nicer and more respectful, but he never stood a chance, because if a love triangle happens, the person always chooses the person who caused them the most pain. He should have tried sexually assaulting him while he was drunk. That seems to be the way to Mark's heart.

Honestly both Ploy and Vee are buttholes, it seems. They're perfect for each other, and Mark should give Nuea a try instead. But I'm only on episode three, and it's not even over yet, so maybe I'll change my mind. I can just tell they're gearing up for it to somehow be heartbreaking when Vee finds out Ploy is ALSO cheating, when he's an active cheater too. Like he freaking picked up her call and called her pet names while he was in the middle of flirting with another person. Is there something I'm missing here?

I'm just saying, if Mark had said yes, he'd have been banging his brains out this entire time. He made it very clear that he wanted Mark and would have him if Mark agreed. So why does the show act like this is some shocking thing for him to find out Ploy is doing the same? Literally the only reason he's not fucking two people at once with one of them not knowing is because the other person has a conscience and isn't letting it happen.

I'm sorry but is Vee mentally challenged? I don't mean that in an offensive way toward mentally challenged people, but he acts like he has no idea what he's been doing to his girlfriend. I'm only on episode three, and it's like Mark cares more about Vee's girlfriend than he does. Then despite the fact that he's spent the entire show openly trying to date another person, he's like, "oh, my cutesy relationship! Everything is fine! I've never done anything wrong!" It's so freaking weird.

I don't get why they never, ever have a conversation about the fact that he's dating someone already. Like if they wanted to play with the fact that he loves two people at once, why isn't he more conflicted? I'd actually be totally cool with it being polyamorous, with Vee trying to see if both of them would date him at the same time. But he can't just decide that for himself and hide it from the person he's dating. I don't understand how the narrative thinks we're supposed to feel bad for him or cheer him on when he's being such a piece of crap. What is this weird scene with him picking out perfume and forcing Mark to come with him like he hasn't been trying to get down his pants the last few months?

And the weirdest thing of all is why am I still so into this show? Normally this sort of thing would have turned me off. I guess I'm just waiting for the show to make me like Vee more, because I like the other characters. And it seems like it wants to vilify Ploy, which is absolutely ridiculous.

Because they didn't really sleep together at the end. They just watched a show and fell asleep. What we were seeing was Mark's guilt-dream.

No, seriously? I didn't even notice the director. Now I'm worried! Physical Therapy was one of the worst BL I've ever seen, and I'm including What the Duck (both seasons), Together with Me, and Our Days in that group, so it had some competition. Well at least now I know to go in with low expectations. I hope it surprises us in a good way.

Thanks! That's more in line with what I was seeing. It didn't look like it was an actual premier.

That wasn't meant to be a swipe at people who like it, though I understand how critical comments can seem like someone zeroing in on fellow fans. It does happen often enough, and I wasn't trying to hurt my fellow BL people. Like I said, it was more of a preemptive response to potential verification that it WAS as miserable as I thought based on other (erroneous) comments. I shouldn't have worded it that way, and I do see how it could be misinterpreted. I should probably just delete it to avoid further hurt feelings.

Yeah, in my usual haunts, it was often quite pushy. Lots of posts encouraging people to watch it, which is fine, but also lots of comments insisting everyone should see it and are idiots if they don't, remarks about other BL sucking (or being weak and shallow) in comparison, dismissive attitudes toward people who are hesitant to watch something so sad. Most of the comments on MDL don't seem so bad, though.

But thanks for clearing up that element of the story. I feel better about potentially watching it now. I'm still not sure, but I really want to see one of the actors in a BL of his own, so I've been bummed about it for a while. My best friend and I are working on a plan to hopefully make it a little less devastating. But now that I know it isn't what the summary says, the whole everyone forgetting about his existence, I feel a little less gutted over the concept. Whenever I get around to giving it a shot, I'll let you know how it was for me. :) Thanks again for the confirmation.

Spoil away. I'm not going into this blind. As long as people remember him and the guy isn't just suffering while no one else is grieving, that's actually a huge relief. Also, I'm not accusing anyone of anything, but I admittedly am frustrated by how often this show is being pushed onto people without regard to how it might affect them. That being said, I was trying to express how it appears to me from my uninformed perspective, not saying how it actually is. I was looking for verification that it wasn't. I was comparing the premise to known misery porn and reacting accordingly, but I'd be very glad to find that isn't the case here.

I do apologize for coming out defensive at the gate though. I'm pretty sensitive to this sort of thing, and there are those sorts who love sad endings and attack people who don't. But I shouldn't have worded it to seem like I was already ready for a fight.

The main thing stopping me from watching this (and there are a lot of things because I'm not in a good emotional place anyway, and I can't take sad endings) is that I read everyone forgets him. Can someone explain this to me? That seems like a pointlessly sad element, so does he really just disappear from existence? I feel like there's no moving on from that kind of misery. It's just sad to be sad. I'm curious about the show, though, so I'm hoping I'm misunderstanding and someone can clarify the people forgetting part.

If everyone just forgets and the other person just spends the rest of his life with pain in his heart (and no one knows why because they don't remember the guy he loved died), I just don't see how "good storytelling" can override that.

Ah crap, I didn't even think about the fact that the company might not sub it. >_< I was all excited, too. I really hope it gets subbed, but if we're counting on fansubs, the fact that no one seems to be talking about it makes me think we may be in trouble here.

I don't think it's Winny. It looks like it'll be with Ford. Hopefully they actually have a cute little side thing, at least.

Can someone tell me if this is the show I'm thinking of? A long time ago, I was looking at a het show, and one of the male characters ends up being gay or bisexual. It wasn't a BL. Does something like that happen in this show? I could have sworn this is the one I was thinking of, but after reading all of the comments, it doesn't seem likely. I wish I remembered more details. I always meant to go back and watch the scene again, but then I forgot.

You can answer in a spoiler either way. Thanks in advance.

I feel like GagaOOLala goes out of their way to find the most depressing and sad gay content, and 95% of their site is just that, both in short form and long form. Almost all of the shorts are just miserable, and with a description like this, I'm gonna assume this longer film is going to be miserable too. If anyone braver than me watches it, can you let me know if it's not the misery fest it sounds like it'll be? I mean, a happy ending somehow would be nice, but I'm banking on more of a sad, ambiguous one.

The entire short is an allegory for the way society rejects gay youth, which leads to them ending up in dangerous situations because they're unable to find love in healthy, safe places. Elijah is a protected, middle class boy with parents who worry about him, entering a dank, dirty area to have sex with a stranger because he's not in a position to court and date the boys at his school, etc. He has to hide who he is, which leads him down a deadly path.

Kokoy plays two roles in this short, which is very significant to the story's climax. Elijah sees four prostitutes, the REAL Kokoy among them. They all die in highly symbolic ways throughout the evening, and the killer is very likely the final, fake Kokoy that Elijah sees in the last shot. Although the killer himself may be more of a metaphor for the way the streets (bad people included) are what kill a lot of these young men, as far as a narrative device, this is a wolf in sheep's clothing scenario for Elijah's character.

In the beginning, it's clear Elijah has only ever spoken to this person online and on the phone, so he has no way of verifying that he is who he says he is. This is reflected again in the bathroom scene, when Elijah hears the phone ring but can't be sure where it's coming from. He's being catfished, but he doesn't know it yet.

All of the boys Elijah sees are already dead, victims of the man who is now using Kokoy's phone and photos to lure Elijah out. This is why in the end there's an exchange where Kokoy clearly doesn't know who Elijah is, and when he turns back to him, Kokoy is also dying.

The final shot is Elijah nervously approaching a person wearing Kokoy's face. The audience still sees the catfish identity, but Elijah is seeing the actual man, the killer. This is why he hesitantly walks toward him before the screen fades to white, as if overpowering the viewer. Elijah's own uncertainty and naivete are his undoing. We can assume he meets the same fate as the other boys this man has trapped.

The fact that the bodies of each victim are out in plain sight is reflective of the same society that cast them out now expressing indifference at their loss. These young people are treated like trash rotting in the street, undesirables, purely because they're males who love other males. The purpose of bringing Elijah in was to show how even sheltered children are exposed to these risks because of how society treats LGBT people.

I can see why people didn't like this, but honestly, I really enjoyed it. I think it's initially confusing, but when you stop and think about it, the pieces are all there. It had a clear and powerful message once you decipher all of the hints and implications.

For those who are confused by this short, my analysis is below:

Okay. I'll try to gauge it the best I can! I'm not easily scared by movies, but I have a lot of friends who are, so I think I can sort of guess what might be too much for someone. :)

Now this is just unfair. I was like, "I hope the guy who plays Tanaka does a BL eventually." I check his page. He HAS done a BL! ...It's a super depressing one that I've been avoiding despite all of the people insisting everyone watch it. Ugh, my heart can't take that kind of misery. This is a cruel twist of fate from the yaoi gods.

(And he's also in that horror with m/m themes but who knows when that'll come out internationally or if it has a happy ending.)

What constitutes scary for you? Gore? Jump scares? Monsters? I haven't seen it yet, but if you tell me what you deem as scary, I'll come back and tell you once I see it. Whenever it gets subs.

Oh thanks, that's interesting! I had no idea it was based on something real. I'm surprised I've never heard of the Grand Guignol. I'm a horror writer/filmmaker, so I feel like this should have come up at some point in my schooling, haha.