#they should have just left it at itsay
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Chapter 1: Only You in the Full Moon Night
Fourteen months. That's how long we've been waiting. And in less than two minutes, Aof made it clear that our patience was absolutely going to be rewarded. The long take sequence that introduces us to the Moonlight Chicken Diner and the denizens thereof is probably one of the best openings I've seen in all of television. And as the episode went on, it became clearer and clearer that we are watching Aof evolve in real time. By the time you get to the closing shot of Jim and Wen framed in the doorway of the diner, under the 'moon' of that lantern, you've been on a journey and you're ready to go on another one. This episode is the most assured work we have ever seen from Aof. There was not a wasted moment, not an extraneous shot; every single frame of this episode was absolutely intentional. The characters are richly drawn and organically introduced, and every single actor is bringing their A-game, from stars to supporters to background.
There are things I need to say about the sequence of Jim and Wen going from total strangers to hopping into bed together because my GOD. From the moment they locked eyes the energy was sizzling between them, and the conclusion was foregone: there was no way that night wasn't ending with those two in a sweaty tangle. And the way that was acted, with Jim becoming more playful and Wen becoming more seductive as the night went on; the way it was filmed, with the red and blue lighting and the handheld camera getting close up, putting the audience right into the moment; the sexual tension was palpable. By the time Wen bites Jim's ear, you almost want the release as much as they do. And I LOVE that they didn't kiss at all during their encounter, because that feels totally realistic. This isn't a love affair...yet.
On the side of young love, Heart and Li Ming's first encounter is almost the opposite of Jim and Wen's, in that it's immediately antagonistic. As much as Jim and Wen almost instantly understand each other, Heart and Li Ming don't understand each other at all. And whereas Jim and Wen start close and get closer by episode's end, Heart and Li Ming start far apart and by the end of the episode they're even further apart. I was worried that with Fourth and Gemini's inexperience, their characters here would be too similar to their My School President characters, but I should have known to trust Aof when it comes to casting. Heart and Li Ming are NOT Tinn and Gun, and the work that Fourth and Gemini are putting in here so far is quite good, Fourth especially.
Setting the story against the backdrop of the pandemic-induced economic crisis grounds the narrative and the characters in a specificity that I have found to be a hallmark of the best stories. I've said this so much at this point, but I Told Sunset About You continues to impact the Thai media landscape, and especially the Thai queer media landscape in lots of positive ways, by encouraging more directors to bring the Thai sociopolitical environment and Thai cultural aesthetics into their work. Making Pattaya integral to the rhythms and aesthetics of this story in the same way that Phuket was integral to the rhythms and aesthetics of ITSAY is so key to making the show stand out.
Not having Alan appear in this episode at all, just having him represented by artefacts: the terse note, the phone charger, Gong relaying his 'unread' message, was incredibly effective. Alan and his relevance to Wen's life at this point is defined from the very first by his absence.
Saleng and Gaipa round out the cast of main characters we were introduced to in this episode, with only Praew (and Alan) left to appear onscreen. They don't get much this episode, but they make it count, with hints of the roles they'll play in the narrative peppered into their scenes. Saleng especially is an interesting one, as it seems like Jim acquired his employment along with the diner, which is an uncommon enough arrangement to be noteworthy. It also looks like everybody is aware of Gaipa's feelings for Jim, including Jim, which tells us a lot.
All in all, this first episode gave us a lot, without feeling like a lot. It was so deftly done in the writing and direction, and so organic in the acting, that the overwhelming feeling is one of having spent an hour living a slice of real Pattaya life, not watching a fictional story. I'm so ready to spend 4 weeks living in this universe with these characters, and I'm already sad that I will have to leave them at the end.
Side Dishes
Mix Sahaphap is probably the sultriest actor in the GMMTV stable, and he's so perfect for this role because Wen is a walking, talking sex bomb and he knows it. The way he uses his eyes...lethal.
The actress playing Gaipa's mother, Narinthorn Na Bangchang, is playing such a perfect market vendor, it's reminding me of how similar we really are across the global south.
I can already feel Heart and Li Ming wrecking me and this only JUST started. Fourth and Gemini are really something special.
Mark Pakin is GMMTV's sixth man, he can come off the bench and play literally ANY kind of supporting character they need. That is MVP level shit.
This show looks SO GOOD, it sounds SO GOOD, production and direction teams put their foot in this one.
Watching Aof work handheld is a fucking DREAM. He's such a workmanlike director, he prefers to focus on pulling emotional truths out of his actors rather than high style photography. But his cast here being so good means he doesn't need to spend the majority of his directing energy on his actors, and he can experiment more with style. The opening sequence in the diner, and Jim and Wen's walk from the diner to the car, these are the kind of things he's never been able to focus on before, and now that he can it's SUCH a visual treat.
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HA! GOTCHA! 3, 11 and 18
Ooo, good choices, these options are really going to necessitate some thought on definitions for me.
3- Childhood Sweethearts
Okay so for me the first question is, what counts as childhood? Did they have to have declared some type of romantic feelings for each other when they were kids? Do we consider any couple that came together in high school to be childhood sweethearts, because that’s normally how I see that terminology utilized in real life? Do we count childhood sweethearts to be people in adult relationships where we find out later that they met as children (lol, no.)
I regret to inform you that I might just have to give this to
Cutie Pie
I am thinking about the shows I have seen where the couples met as kids but are adults now, and there really aren’t that many. I won’t consider high school BLs in the childhood sweethearts category because I am a happy for now kind of person and getting together in high school does not equate to being together forever. That leaves me only a handful: I Can’t Reach You, My Only 12%, Bad Buddy, I Told Sunset About You, and Cutie Pie that really give me an established childhood relationship and then some level of time skip to an older period in their lives. Of that list I feel like I Can’t Reach You and My Only 12% are much more in the friends to lovers camp, ITSAY is a friends to enemies to lovers kind of deal, and Bad Buddy is it’s own special brand of enemies to lovers. And in all of those cases there is one character that is aware of their feelings for much longer than the other.
So it is Cutie Pie for me because Lian and Kuea both loved each other their entire lives. They’ve been engaged since they were children, and even though Kuea is constantly searching for where he left his last brain cell and that gets in the way of him seeing how much Lian loves him, it cannot be denied from an outsider perspective that those two have been in love their entire lives. And honestly, I don’t think Yi and KonDiao are any different in that regard. The love for both couples has existed forever, the tops just have to learn to use their words.
11- Forbidden Love
If I were to go obvious for the Forbidden Love trope, the answer would be Bad Buddy absolutely no contest, but I AM GONNA GO NONTRADITIONAL HERE MUAHAHAHA
He’s Coming to Me
He’s Coming to Me is one of the strongest BLs I’ve seen. It makes me sad to no end that this show gets so little attention and that its distribution got fucked with because I think everyone who hasn’t seen this show should watch it and everyone who has seen this show should watch it again. I consider this a (non-traditional) forbidden love because by all accounts it should not happen. Med is dead and Thun is alive, and they spend the entirety of the show trying to help Med move on, and for most of the show Med and Thun literally cannot touch. I consider He’s Coming to Me a subversion of the standard forbidden love trope because of how incredibly queer I consider the show to be. Thun spends years hiding his powers, pretending that he can’t see Med, pretending to be normal for years, until one day he has had enough. But once he stops giving a shit, once he starts interacting with Med in public? I cannot for the life of me get the image of all those other people’s face out of my head. I think probably too often about that scene where everyone is looking at Thun with the utmost judgment and I just can’t think about it as anything other than two people who are not supposed to be together, choosing to be together anyway, for however long they can, until reality catches up to them.
18- Slow Burn
Hmmmm. This is hard because I feel like all of the BLs I’ve seen are too short for a real slow burn. So for the sake of this game, I am considering my slow burn to be whatever show drove me fucking crazy yelling at the screen and wanting at least one character to get their fucking shit together. So I am giving it to
I Told Sunset About You
This would probably constitute as a non-traditional option as well, but holy fucking shit the way I needed Teh to figure his shit out, stop being a coward, and just commit. My favorite type of slow burn is the one where the characters are generally aware of what is going on but they have to fight with themselves to get to the end goal. I think that has a tendency to play better than some late in the game romantic realization. The tension that keeps building and building and building only to shatter right before its crescendo is really what does me in. Oh has known he has feeling for Teh for fucking ever and Teh wakes up decently early to the fact that he has feelings for Oh, but then it is still like pulling fucking teeth, while walking through fucking molasses, to get to the finish line where Teh finally asks Oh to be his boyfriend. This show is such a slow burn for me personally that not even the little admission of Teh’s feelings in the hammock, nor the kiss in episode 4 is enough for me to feel like we have reached the end of the slow burn. I think it is my favorite slow burn because where normally an admission or a kiss from the more hesitant person would mark the end of the burn, Teh saying he has feelings for Oh, Teh rubbing up on Oh in episode 3, Teh making out with Oh in episode four, none of those feel like the resolution point in their quest to get together.
BL Romance Trope Ask Game
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Hey! I have two questions to ask you if you don't mind! Sorry for pestering you with kinda stuff but you are real insightful and help me to sort out my own internal feelings on things!
Is it just me or do very, VERY few BL's ever manage to stick an engaging,solid ending?
Out of all the BL's I've watched, the only ones I can name that truly nailed the ending imo are:
- HIStory 3: Trapped (imo. I know the ambiguity isn't appealing to you.)
- Bad Buddy
- My Beautiful Man
- His (The Movie)
- Blueming (The series itself is rife with pacing issues to me, but I think it stuck the ending really good.)
- Gaya Sa Pelikula
Some can come close enough for me;
- Theory of Love (yeah, yeah, I hate Khai too but the ending was nice imo)
- ITSAY/IPYTM
- TMS1 (suffers a bit from the HDS's consistent struggle with pacing towards the latter end of all her work )
- Old Fashion Cupcake (so close!!!)
- Restart After Come Back Home
- Cherry Magic
Most BL's introduce nonsense conflicts towards the end of the series with the Epsiode 11 drama (shivers in 2gether). I can't stand it when the final conflict comes out of LITERALLY nowhere instead of having been a continued issue that is resolved towards the end (think Cherry Magic, Utsukushii Kare, Bad Buddy, etc.)
Going further, they never seem...satisfying for whatever reason and I can't pinpoint why that is. I'm not necessarily left wanting more but feel like what I was given was unsatisfactory. Think a more subtle version of the feeling of seeing Vee/Maek end up together in the En of Love version (or Khai/Third for you I guess).
I wonder looking at it now if my hatred for the seme/uke trope has spoilt so many couples for me that I find any ending where they get together as unsatisfactory (I love The Effect btw. Can you guess why lmao?). All the shows in my best list are either very low on Seme/uke dynamics or have a very soft seme archetype (Blueming) / very unique seme archetype (MBM).
God I should just get over this contempt of seme/uke fuckery. Its ruined so much for me (from WBL, to UWMA).
Know how? Also, is there any particular reason you see as for why BL's fail to stick the landing? Or am I making this up?
Second question is simple. Why do BL couples often become boring when they get together and are happy? Is it just that the chase is over? And if so, what can be done to keep such a story engaging if anything at all?
Now that I read this back, it definitely isn't two questions as much as a set of compound ones but eh, here goes nothing.
Is my unhinged ranting coherent at all?
Honestly you named a lot of ones that I dinged points specifically because I didn’t like their endings. Old Fashion Cupcake and Cherry Magic would probubly have been 10/10 for me if the characters had just kissed at the end. And I say this totally aware of Japanese cinematic traditions that dictated why they wouldn’t, I’m just grumpy.
To answer the second question first:
Why do BL couples often become boring when they get together and are happy? Is it just that the chase is over? And if so, what can be done to keep such a story engaging if anything at all?
Yes. This is the problem every romance series contends with. This is why most romances end with the couple getting together (sex, engagement, marriage), This is why I don’t like second seasons, they usually have to separate or break up the couple to give the story tension.
And now... your unhinged ranting!
It makes perfect sense, and I think you either
don't really like 3 act structure (did you watch a lot of anime growing up, per chance? maybe not so much (or really dislike) Disney stuff?) or,
more likely, you don't actually like romance.
Not the idea of romance, but the classic romance novel beats and pacing. The Taiwanese and Thai stuff in particular tends to stick to that consistently. (Hence the ep 11 crisis of doom, AKA the unnecessary break up.)
Korea has a western romance aesthetic but they often shoe-horn in 4 act structure, which is why we get that (to me) super weird disjointed thing in Kdramas where they break up the couple (or separate them with time/distance) in the last 1/3 of the final episode and the rush this odd reunion thing in the last 10 minutes. I find this maddening, but it does mean that their non-BL billed and early gay short stuff might appeal to you.
You don't mention it but Thousand Stars is probubly the most classically paced and executed romance novel in BL form that we have ever gotten. How’d you feel about that ending. I’d also be interested in your thoughts on Seven Days (of course) as that’s Japan’s version of the perfect love story.
I think you probubly like more experimental narratives and arthouse cinema styles. I’d encourage you to check out short form BL, especially those from Strongberry (Korea) on GaGa. Also Dark BL depending on your squick factor.
But honestly from what you said it seems like you’re a prime candidate for the following:
Moody Arthouse Smackdoodle
Your Name Engraved Herein (Taiwan 2020 Netflix) - this movie is fantastic but it is also seriously depressing, it’s a self acceptance journey, but if you wanna wallow in high quality acting and serious gay drama, this’ll do it. It’s nto a super sad ending, it’s not happy either.
Goodbye Mother AKA Thua Me Con D (Vietnam 2019 Netflix) - like YNEH this is a great movie but it deals openly with homophobia, bashing, family trauma and social acceptance.
The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese AKA Kyuso wa Chizu no Yume wo Miru (Japan 2020) - obsession, cheating, breakup, reunion, then break up again, explicit, grey characters and grey concepts including morality.
Pornographer movie series - AKA The Novelist, Mood Indigo, Pornographer Playback (Japan 2018-2020) emotional manipulation, cheating, obsession, seduction, May/December (age gap AKA younger/older), kink, touch of necrophilia, explicit, complicated but ultimately... not sad.
Method (Korea 2017) - May/December, actor idol pairing, that should have been everything I wanted in life but it’s more about the actor cheating on his wife and their weird “artsy” relationship and frankly, I hated this. And I don’t say that lightly. The chemistry and acting can’t be faulted though and the story is... interesting.
His the series AKA I Didn’t Think I Would Fall In Love (Japan 2019) - boy goes to visit his absent father ends up kinda homeless on the beach gets adopted by local family falls in love with the boy working and living with them. Lots of long drawn out glances. Wistfully pretty.
Innocent (Taiwan 2021 GaGa) - mental health, childhood trauma, actually kinda sweet.
Does the Flower Bloom? (Japan 2018) - this is a May/December romance about an artist student and the house he inherits from his recently dead parents and all the people around him who are obsessed with him, including an older man.
Dark Blue and Moonlight (Taiwan 2017) - maybe? You like some of my least favorites, so this might be your thing. I sure as shit wasn’t mine but also it HAD ME HOOKED even though I didn’t want that. It’s the warped version of a CEO romance.
Also the “it’s a BL but I make no case for it” category:
Life: Love on the Line (Japan) - you would probubly NOT like the directer’s cut (which I prefer, of course) that ending is too saccharine, so go for the original.
Silhouette of Your Voce (Japan) You are one of the few people I think would really like this one.
Not Me (Thailand) - you don’t mention it but I assume you’ve seen it
Manner of Death (Thailand) - same
3 Will be Free (Thailand) - same, if not, watch this next
What Did You Eat Yesterday? (Japan) - there is not plot, so yeah, maybe that’ll work for ya?
Long Time No See (Korea) - SO GOOD, but edgy and twisted too
DNA Says Love You (Taiwan) - maybe. This one is... odd and oddly paced.
Joujou Pure Heart (Japan 2010)
Great Men Academy (Thailand)
Oh right and the bromance dirty half dozen:
Untamed
Word of Honor
The Guardian
Devil Judge
SCI Mysteries
All of these have ambiguous ends, and ambiguous (cough cough not gay) relationships.
#it's BL but I make no case for it#moody bl#cinematic bl#CHinese BL#Chinese bromances#Untamed#Word of Honor#The Guardian#Devil Judge#SCI Mysteries#Joujou Pure Heart#Japanese BL#Adapted from a manga#live action yaoi#DNA Says Love You#Taiwanese BL#Long Time No See#Korena BL#strongberry#Korean BL#K-BL#KBL#What Did You Eat Yesterday?#3 Will be Free#Thai BL#Manner of Death#Not Me the series#Silhouette of Your Voce#Life: Love on the Line#Dark Blue and Moonlight
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What Did I Watch: #37
This week, I was a bit weird. I'm having so many emotion and doesn't know where to categorize it.
Visual media and writing are different forms of art. And should be graded differently and separately. To watch something that cannot be separated by its original source, felt like the whole point just a form of betrayal towards what it meant to be a visual media. To stand up to its own story. That's exactly why we have Long Halloween and The Dark Knight. Two different forms of art, in which good on its own despite telling the same plot point.
Luckily, I've already read the novel. That's why I don't feel so much confusion, but still it would be wonderful if all the greatness in the novel could be fleshed out in the series also.
Well, regardless of that weird ending (goddamn it P'Tee, the only thing that can fix this is season 2, which is impossible), I Feel You Linger in The Air is perhaps the best thing I've watched so far, in my 5 years of watching Thai BL, except ITSAY. The technical in this needs to be studied religiously. The choice of lenses, frames, and colors. I want them to making art book based on this. I want figurines, like the ones they did for The Untamed. I want the physical book of the English translation. I want a freaking season 2. Like come on the possibility is endless.
Goddammit, I want season 2 so bad. Anything that could provide closure. To me this closer to being left by your beloved lover without any explanation. Been there, not a great experience.
(fyi, the special episode is most likely a spin-off rather than continuation)
So yeah, SS2 is a way to go.
That fucking mustache needs to go too.
The worst part from all of these, isn't about the existence of SS2, which you know at this point it's very vague idea. It could happen, could not. Nobody have any slightest clue.
To me, the waiting part is bearable. But when the waiting was stopped, that's when I'm truly scared. Good for you if you find a show that almost immediately occupied your mind. Me? I felt like I'm in limbo. I need to get off social media, that's for sure.
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IPYTM EP 4
I just feel like saying all of my IPYTM ep 4 thoughts now that I watched the episode, before I read any other posts on here. Raw thoughts minutes after closing the episode.
I feel like I need to say this first. I do not agree with Oh reading Teh’s logbook and invading his privacy, but I do appreciate that he told him later that he did. I also do not like the hitting Teh with the bouquet. Okay, just wanted to get that out of the way.
TEH (AND JAI)
I’m still mad at Teh. I do not forgive him. But I do want to say that Jai is a piece of shit for manipulating Teh the way he did. This episode made it so clear to me how Jai used what Teh wrote in that logbook to his gain, recognizing how vulnerable Teh was and seeing how weak his relationship with Oh-Aew had gotten and using that to his benefit.
Now honestly, I can’t tell if that truly was his plan from the start or if he saw the way Teh had fallen for him and what happened with Oh and decided to say that it was never real in an attempt to stop it as soon as possible.
Regardless, if he was a good friend as well as a good director, Jai would never have used Teh’s broken relationship the way he did. He could have tried to help Teh rekindle things with Oh, work through some of his fears and anxieties that were keeping him from feeling close to his boyfriend. That very likely could have solved both problems–Teh’s relationship issues and his acting barrier–but instead, Jai manipulated Teh’s feelings.
However, I’m not letting Teh off that easily either. There was a moment when I actually did feel a little bad for him, when I started to recognize how Jai was using him and playing with his feelings. And when Teh and Oh started doing a little better, I allowed myself to think that maybe they could figure it out with more communication.
But no, Teh wandered off at the after party to see Jai, and any tiny flicker of forgiveness I felt went out the door. The way he showed no genuine guilt or shame with Oh too made me honestly sick. Like Oh said, did he think he was stupid? Did Teh think he was being subtle? It gave me secondhand embarrassment to see him believe he was being anything except disgustingly obvious about what was going on.
And then for him to call Jai the Fang to his Akin, with his too-forgiving boyfriend sitting in the other room?? Again, do you have no shame, Teh???
Also, the way Jai and Teh both gaslit Oh-Aew, trying to make him think he was overreacting and overthinking when both of them knew Teh’s feelings were not just the result of his great acting. That the kiss was never just an exercise (at least from Teh’s side, which is the side that mattered most). Watching them both lie to Oh’s face like that lit a rage fire within me.
Now, the scene of Oh-Aew and Teh singing on stage and the music going quiet as Teh’s attention drifted from Oh to Jai was heartbreaking in a really good way. I’m so proud of Oh-Aew for finally deciding that moment was enough, that Teh deserved no more chances, and that he needed to walk away. I’m so proud of him for choosing himself.
I appreciate Teh’s roommate. I don’t have the sympathy in me at this very moment so soon after the episode to wish Teh such kindness, but I’m sure tomorrow morning I’ll be a little more open to him having the emotional support I know deep down he needs. So I’m glad he has his roommate extending a hand.
And it was incredibly sad to watch Teh realize how he’d isolated himself to the extreme all for this one dream, maybe forgetting along the way to dream about his relationship with Oh-Aew, his long term friendships, etc. All of the other dreams you can and should have as well. I think he started to realize everything he’d given up for acting and how less glamorous and fun it really was now that he was here.
And that hit him even more when he got casted and potentially signed, only to face the reality that it also meant erasing the digital footprint of his relationship with Oh, one of the few things he still had left. This life he had envisioned kept getting less and less glamorous by the second.
I’m not saying I want him to give up on his dream of acting, but I do hope that everything that has happened is his much needed wake up call. That he finds more empathy for the people he judged for drifting from acting, for the people he pushed away for not trying hard enough. I hope he sees how selfish and ignorant his actions and his words have been over the past few years and that he takes this as a starting point for a more understanding and accepting outlook on not just his own life but the lives of those around him.
And I do hope he heals one day. Or, well, I will hope for that tomorrow. Tonight I’m still mad at him.
OH-AEW
Now on to Oh. As I said before, I don’t condone the invasion of Teh’s privacy or hitting him with the bouquet. But otherwise, I really am proud of Oh-Aew. Do I think he handled everything perfectly? No. In an ideal world, I would have liked him to confront Teh sooner so he could have given him the opportunity to be honest early on.
But given everything, I think Oh’s level of compassion and his willingness to try to understand are more than most people are willing to give in his shoes. I genuinely do respect how level-headed he went about it. I wish he had been better rewarded for his grace, and instead he got a boyfriend who lied and continued to go behind his back even after Oh had given him an undeserved second chance.
But what I am most proud of is how Oh-Aew handled breaking up with Teh. Telling Teh that he was hurt and asking him to have pity on him. Oh chose himself again, more permanently. In that moment, he understood that Teh’s apology did not warrant forgiveness and that he was allowed to stay hurt, to stay angry, to stay unwilling to take Teh back.
Oh was vulnerable and still stayed firm in his decision to respect himself anyway, to trust his feelings and prioritize his healing. Teh was there crying before him, and he still understood that he had no responsibility to fix Teh’s pain. That the pain Teh was feeling was pain he had inflicted on himself.
You can see in the way he turned back to look at Teh leave and then the way he sobbed afterwards that it took all of his strength to not give in moments earlier. How easy it would have been for him to take comfort in the familiarity of Teh’s embrace once again, to give him that second chance and hope for the best. I wouldn’t have blamed him if he did; it’s hard to give up someone who once made you feel safe. Who once felt like home.
But I am so proud of him for choosing himself anyway. For knowing that, however hard it was in that moment to let go, it would have been even harder to live every day sacrificing his mental and emotional security for a relationship he knew would never feel the same. For a man he could never fully trust again.
Oh-Aew has grown so much.
OH’S FRIENDS
Also, Oh has the cutest, sweetest friends in the world. This was my favorite scene in the entire episode. I’m so glad he found his group and that they love him so much.
The contrast between Teh and Oh-Aew throughout this season and especially in this episode has been really apparent as they’ve drifted apart. And I think this scene really highlighted that. Teh verbally acknowledged how he had no one to turn to anymore, how he’d ruined his relationships with everyone over time, meanwhile Oh was surrounded by people ready to love him and take care of him until he was better.
Oh’s honesty with himself and the people around him resulted in a community of friends supporting him as his authentic self, while Teh’s lies to himself and the people around him resulted in solitude.
It’s tragic for him, really.
EP 5?
Honestly, I have no idea what will happen with episode 5. At this point, I want Oh-Aew to find happiness away from Teh and for Teh to fix his insecurities on his own. I don’t want them together.
Maybe one day they’ll find each other again. I don’t know. But after this season’s storyline has unfolded, I think Oh deserves better. And I don’t think they make sense anymore.
AND BECAUSE IT NEEDS TO BE SAID
Oh-Aew dying his hair from red to black again? Yeah. He is Teh’s red no more.
#this took me 2 whole hours to write and gif#it’s not even THAT long but organizing my thoughts enough to write something coherent took a long time#they should have just left it at itsay#they could have left everyone believing Teh and Oh were happily together :(#long post#sorry I’m on mobile so I can’t add a read more thing#teh x oh aew#i promised you the moon#ipytm spoilers
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Regretting pretty hard how I didn’t choose to liveblog Light On Me from the beginning, but also, like, I feel like the series is very outspoken and obvious with it’s characters and their feelings, a lot of the time, so I guess me saying it wouldn’t have made much of a difference.
But still! I have such an urge to write for this series. Maybe I’ll do a poem, or something.
#Also no#I didn't forget to post my art#I'm just waiting till I finish all my WIP's then I will#I have like one left I think then I will get around to it#Did another ITSAY one yesteryday too ^^#*Yesterday#The obsession really never stops#Oooo#I should maybe draw for Light On Me then too
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THE GIANTS OF THAI BL 2020 AKA SHOWS STEALING MY HEART IN NOVEMBER
UPDATE AND UPCOMING ANALYSIS NOVEMBER 2020
It's the moment I've been waiting for since the excruciating silence of Thai BLS during the lockdown. It's November, the month of thanksgivings, the month of pre-Christmas jitters, nanowrimo and the month that has finally made me realise we are so close to ending this godforsaken year. Still, most of all, November means that we are getting buttloads of shows that are about to take my breath away. This year has been such an exciting year for BLS because of the increasingly amount of companies and directors willing to produce and release different types of BLS. In this list, we have awaited sequels, delicious plotlines and shocking comebacks. But most of all we have lots and lots of romance and men. Which of these have you been waiting for? Let me know. Let's squeal about it. November is going to be so great!
Ratings: From 1 to 5 (1 being least excited to watch, 5 being most,) how excited am I to delve into these shows?
Shows already airing
1.I TOLD SUNSET ABOUT YOU/ INTERPRET, MY LOVE, WITH YOUR HEART
Genre/Themes: Romance, Melodrama, Coming of Age, Angst, Drama, Childhood friendship
Country: Thailand
Verdict: So finally I rise from the memories of poorly produced bls, and pains of bad acting, and toxic writings, and traumas of stiff actors and homophobic agendas to finally say that without a doubt. Nadao has produced another masterpiece after my other favourite (Non) BL; Greater Man academy. Nadao stuns me, and for a very long time, I couldn't understand that this was how everyone was feeling, one because I wasn't fully educated or in the know about the company, I only saw tv shows in Thailand that were produced by GMMTV and to be honest I didn't think there was anything else above that standard in shows apart from Lakorns and Movies. (I know Sacrebleu) Getting to know and watch Nadao shows has been an experience, and for BL, I am hooked and ready for what else they have to offer. The only qualms that prevent me from gushing about the show are how international fans are treated. It took me a very long time to forgive ITSAY for its subbing platform (and price range), and that's why I refused to watch it with positive feelings. After episode 2 though, I'd be a fool to hold on to resentment when there is no doubt that this BL (despite not knowing if it's a sad ending. I'd hate if it is but it wouldn't change anything) is the best BL of this year. With ridiculous, incredible production, outstanding breathtaking cinematography, beautiful and talented actors and writing so good it blows me away. Episode 2 left my heart in pieces, but in a good way, I haven't recovered from the angst.
Ratings: 4.5/5 Would have been a 5/5 if the pricing made sense but also I'm terrified about a sad ending which I won't be too happy about.
2. FRIEND FOREVER/ OUR LOVE IS SICK
Genre/Themes: Romance, Music, Coming of Age, Angst, Drama, Childhood friendship, Rich vs poor, Bullying
Country: Thailand
Verdict: It's a pity this show is not available for international fans. Because I think people would actually love this show the way I do. It's so precious, reminds me so much of my first ever BL Lovesick (made by the same production team so makes sense) but better. What can I say about this show, really adorable cast, actually so good on the screen, great chemistry, and good storylines that keep me hooked. I am so in love with surprisingly one of my favourite couples this year Tin and Sea. I have such a great time watching this show, and I enjoy also analysing and just piecing together some of the mysteries in the show. It's been so good so far, and I can't wait for more. The first episodes are a little slow-paced, but it gets better as you keep watching it. I'd advise you to watch the director's cut because that has all of the storylines in the episode instead of the tv version which is more censored and has a lot of deleted scenes that mess with the flow of the storyline. Still, one of my favourite Thai shows right now.
Ratings: 4/5 I think 4/5 is a fair score just because of some confusion when trying to watch it internationally and getting the right version and I do think the story feels like a whiplash between the different styles of writing of the main two couples. Go watch this though if you haven't, dm me and I'll show you how.
NON-THAI
3. GAYA SA PELIKULA
Genre/Themes: Romance, Drama, Comedy, Angst, LGBTQ+ Education, Contract relationship, Haters to lovers
Country: Philippines
Verdict: Normally with verdicts, I have so much to say about a show, also when I analyse I can write essays and essays of information. When it comes to this show, I'm speechless. I'm in awe; I'm crying just even trying to explain how great this show is. How great Fridays are because of this show. How upsetting and damaged I am when the end of the episode occurs, I literally mourn waiting for the next episode the next week because it's too long. This show pulls you in, and it never lets you go. I'm mindblown by the writing of this show, mindblown by the acting, by the production, music, but most of all I have become a mess because of this meta in this show. I have cried so much because of how much I care about this show, the characters are all fleshed out, are so powerfully written, and emotionally tugs at your heartstrings whilst still educating and representing LGBTQ community fantastically. I don't know what we did to deserve a show like this. Maybe its because after years of waiting for something to finally show up and just be unproblematic and be so great with no questions, no confusions, no struggle, this show is just that. And I will be forever thankful to the whole team that brought this to us
Ratings: 5/5 I would give this more than 5 if I could. That's how much this show means to me.
4. CHERRY MAGIC
Genre/Themes: Romance, Comedy, Supernatural, Office drama, Slice of Life
Country: Japan
Verdict: Kurosawa and Adachi. That's it. That's the reason for the 5/5 stars when it comes to watching this show. First of all, I like Japanese romantic comedy shows, and anime, and manga. So seeing cherry magic come to life as this amazing form of that makes me so happy. Typically with Japanese BL, everything feels so serious sometimes, and then sometimes it feels too crazy and over the top. But Cherry Magic just feels like a warm hug when you watch it; you can't help your self but to smile and giggle at Adachi's adventures realising that he can read minds because he's a virgin at 30 years old. To add to that, he is given Kurosowa this incredible, amazing, wonderful non-toxic man who absolutely adores him and unconditionally is there for him. I just like what? Where do I get my own Kurosawa? Like it just feels so unfair haha. But really cherry magic is full of great acting, fantastic plot and unique as well. Every character is also written well, and all have interesting dynamics. We also have another side couple who is so funny and ridiculous but also just cute and heartwarming. I have a great time watching this show and the fact that it's ending on Christmas day? Already tells you what this show is, a gift and its a great one.
Ratings: 5/5 I want my own Kurosawa. That's it. That's all I want Universe.
Shows Upcoming
5. THARNTYPE 7 YEARS OF LOVE
Genre/Themes: Romance, Drama, Comedy, Mature, LGBTQ+ Representation, Internalised homophobia, Sequel
Country: Thailand
Verdict: This is a complicated show to gush about. First of all TharnType, the series in 2019 was one of my favourite shows that brought me back to this BL thing. I absolutely adore all the actors, and I also loved the storyline like I said before there's something about Mame's writing that I appreciate, I think most of her strengths is found in TharnType. Because of this, this sequel is one of my most anticipated show this year. However, I feel conflicted because I hate sequels. I hate couples having to go through the weird-ass, shallow, conflicts that just end up ruining the meaning of their previous show and leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth about the couple I once loved (Looking at you Together with me the next chapter still traumatised honestly). Enough of the negatives, Tharn and Type from the trailer looks like it's going to be a wild ride, I can even see the great chemistry that made me fall for MewGulf, and I'm so excited to see the new couples and characters. I also am so excited to see TECHNO again and laugh with him every Friday. We also know that the awaited wedding between our couple is also going to be in this show. And that's going to make me bawl like a baby. Let's hope we don't have too many toxic or troublesome storylines, let's hope we don't have too many breakups and fights (because that hurts so much seeing Mew cry) and let's hope we finally have a sequel that is better than its predecessor.
Ratings: 4.5/5 This is how I feel about it, I don't think I can rate it as 5/5 because of all the worry and anxiety at what the storyline entails—still a great show to look forward to.
6. MANNER OF DEATH
Genre/Themes: Romance, Crime, Mature, Angst, Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Haters to Lovers
Country: Thailand
Verdict: Think about it. Why wouldn't this be number one on everyone's list of upcoming BLS? We have the return of one of the best actors in this genre MaxTul the actual godfathers of Thai BL; we have an incredible team here with a director that has won multiple awards, with a storyline that is unique to Thai BL, we're getting crime, detective, mystery BL with mature characters who are not in university? As if that's not enough, we also have a really incredible plotline about this forensic doctor who falls in love with someone who we are not sure if we should trust because he could be a murderer! Like oooh yes please, the drama, the angst, the thrill?? I'm ready for this; I am so prepared to give my whole heart and attention on this show. I want it to be so good, to defeat the shows of 2019 that came and took our hearts away, to be the best BL ever. It's so difficult not to raise my expectations when it comes to this show when I know we have a great cast, great chemistry, non-stiff acting, and just a really non-toxic author as well. I look forward to this so much. Only issue/question? Where is the trailer? Hello WETV, where is our teaser? Why don't we know the date for when this is coming out? I want it out now. But I'll try and be patient okay?
Ratings: 5/5 I can't think of how this show won't be good. And that's really worrying. But for now, I'll keep my expectations high and wait.
7. TONHON CHONTALEE
Genre/Themes: Romance, Coming of Age, Angst, Comedy, Childhood friendship, GMMTV
Country: Thailand
Verdict: Podd and KHAOTHUNG, (my sun, my heart, my favourite person ever) Sorry just gushing over my two faves. GMMTV has shocked me this year with the announcement of this show. First of all, Khao gets to have a show where he's the main lead. I've been waiting for this, and I'm so proud and excited for him. Not only that obviously, but TonTonChontalee looks really good with a vibe of a comedic spin to one of my favourite shows Theory of love. I am ready to see Podd act so stupid as Ton and at the same time sob when he finally realises that Chon is the one. I'm so ready to see Khao act his socks off, and the show looks so funny, so fun and just like the chemistry between two is definitely a winner. I cannot wait for this next Friday. And it also has Mike and Toptap! What's not to love? Seriously though I'm praying this is successful, and it helps both Podd and Khao to dominate GMMTV. Let's find out next Friday.
Ratings: 5/5 For Podd and Khaothung. Just worth the rating.
8. GEN Y THE SERIES
Genre/Themes: Romance, Drama, Comedy, Angst, 2moons Fanfiction, Haters to Lovers
Country: Thailand
Verdict: First of all 2 MOONS Reunion! What?? Very shocked to see this show tbh one because it's like a direct copy of 2moons the series; the same cast, the weird alternations to the same name, the same kind of plot as well. Channel 3 has finally decided to invest in BLs, one of the biggest companies in Thailand, so the budget is high, the actors are known and famous, the production is good. This is so exciting to see. Also, 2moons was one of my favourite past BLs the whole time it was airing, and I had a massive affinity for Kimmon and Copter, so it's great to see them play their characters again but with a better budget and now glow up and grown. Their acting seems to have improved, Kit and Ming's storyline being the main focus is also really lovely to see. I also love seeing Bas and the other actors from other Bl series (The Moment actors) and I'm excited to know more about the new cast as well. So yeh this show has a great potential to win my heart as well, and the competition is not easy at all. But with a great company behind them and an exciting premise, this can also be a winner.
Ratings: 4/5 I'm intrigued by this show, and I look forward to seeing what it brings.
November is such an exciting month for someone like me who just loves watching tv and analysing and just seeing romance bloom. These couples, stories and actors have a great potential to be the best things of 2020 so far, each of these shows holds evidence that they're worth paying attention to and honestly I've missed seeing Thai BLs that make me so excited so much. I've missed these actors, I've loved each and every one of them, and I can't wait to see them this month on my screen. What about you, guys? What do you look forward to? Who are your favourites? What are you worried about when it comes to these comebacks. Let's discuss.
#thai bl#bl drama#itsay#i told sunset about you#friend forever the series#cherry magic!#cherry magic#cherry magic! thirty years of virginity can make you a wizard?!#japanese bl#bl series#gaya sa pelikula#like in the movies#tharntype#tharntype 7 years of love#manner of death#tonhon chonlatee#poddkhao#gen y the series#wrpup#november#mewgulf#cwg
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ipytm and its teh problem
i was waiting to reserve judgment until all the eps aired but i feel even more pessimistic after ep 4 than i did after ep 3. now these thoughts aren’t exactly a criticism of the writing, producing, or directing of ipytm, just me putting out there my wish for something different from this series than what’s been shown so far.
i’ve seen a lot of people expressing apprehension at the possibility of rebuilding the teh/oh relationship in the one episode we have left. but my primary concern is that ipytm has left teh with absolutely no dignity. of course oh aew has clearly been wronged by teh but at least he has a support system, his ethic, and his self-confidence still intact. teh on the other hand... he’s a cheater, unequivocally self-centered, ignorant, and weak. jai has played him for a fool. he’s left with no one on or at his side. and that’s deserved within the narrative! it’s just so imbalanced compared to itsay (yeah, i’m going to compare the two, sorry about it). in itsay, teh exhibited all of those traits at times but he was also the guy who gave up his spot for oh aew and had that beautiful heart-to-heart with tarn.
now we’re just watching teh fuck up again and again and again and it’s so disheartening. i feel like i’m having a bucket of cold water poured on me every time i watch a new episode. i was looking forward to the breakup because then at least i could experience the catharsis of it all being out in the open and we could see teh grovel but even him attempting to reconcile made him look worse. you never once thought about breaking up? well, you should have because you were confessing your affection to another dude in the next room not too long ago.
i really have tried to view this characterization through a dialectical lens. sincerely. i understand people regress and live up to their worst attributes but the path they've plotted for teh feels too bleak.
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ipytm ep 3 (thoughts + spoilers)
this is going to be a tough post for me to do bc honestly...this ep just left me feeling so run down. i know that the cast and crew have always strived for realism and authenticity with this series, but this one was just a lot to take in :/ my thoughts are gonna be even more all over the place than usual but idec at this point. having to rewatch this ep again is really fucking hard (even harder than itsay ep 4 bc even though that makes my heart ache, i still feel some sense of satisfaction from the development we get...this just leaves me feeling defeated in every way).
you know the drill: not an analysis, just me ranting as usual bc free therapy (and boy do i need it after this one)!! i had so many feelings watching this ep (esp towards teh but what’s new), so here goes.
we begin with the drama students rehearsing for jai’s new play, and the introduction of the plum wine which will be the recurring motif in this whole ep. the use of the plum wine in this also kind of reminds me of how teh initially disliked coconuts until he started falling in love with oh-aew and started to like them instead...i’m guessing that’s the parallel they’re trying to draw with the plum wine comparison in this.
teh’s having a hard time getting into character (which we already know from last ep was always going to be one of the toughest challenges for him as an actor). his character in the play is supposed to have a sex scene, but he’s struggling with this bc he can’t put himself in his character (akin’s) shoes, so jai ends rehearsals early.
jai gives them all logbooks which he basically wants them to treat as diaries where they’ll write everything they feel/learn and hand it back to him (he’ll be the only one reading them). ngl this already had me feeling kind of yikes (esp now as i rewatch this knowing how everything went down) since jai already has inside knowledge about teh’s feelings on his relationship with oh-aew which he can take advantage of :/ more on that later though...
it’s sad to me that so much time has passed since teh’s argument with khim and he's STILL avoiding her. khim was someone that he respected immensely (and was such a great mentor for him) so it just sucks to see that their relationship has deteriorated so much since the first two eps. teh might have had his reconciliation moment with oh-aew last ep, but there’s still a lot that he’s not ready or willing to address yet.
i understand that teh’s just encouraging jai about his work when he tells him to stop having others comment on it, but at the same time, i disagree with him bc i think it IS important to get other peoples’ opinion about your work. how else will you ever be able to see things from other perspectives if you don’t?
anyway, teh tells jai he’s seeing a play, and jai asks teh if he’s bringing oh-aew...the look on teh’s face is telling enough that things aren’t going great between them (at least on his end). this brings us to the logbook scene, where teh’s homework for the day is to write about the similarities and differences between himself and his character in the play. this gets teh to reflect on how he feels his relationship with oh-aew is changing, or specifically, how oh-aew seems to be changing so much that teh feels like he’s becoming someone else entirely...and does that mean that he still loves him the same?
i feel like this is a fairly common issue with people that have been in a relationship for a while (and this is their third year together now), so i understand how teh might start having doubts. it’s nothing that oh-aew’s done, it’s just that sometimes all these small changes can keep mounting up to the point that they feel much bigger than they actually are. oh-aew’s really just doing what everyone else does, which is grow and change as they get older, but teh’s still stuck in the past trying to hold onto what they used to have instead of evolving with oh-aew. the way teh picks at all these little changes of oh-aew does make me think that he’s self-sabotaging himself. he’s just so afraid and insecure that oh-aew will change so much he leaves him, that he has to nitpick at reasons why oh-aew’s the one that’s growing away from him (though when we watch the whole ep we know that that’s not the case at all). it’s like a ‘if i push him away first, then he won’t push me away’ sort of self-defence mechanism. either way, teh’s a constant overthinker...and he’s always been his own biggest enemy since the start, so it makes perfect sense to me that he would do this to himself here too.
i know that they’ve been together for years at this point, so things are not quite as exciting as they used to be, but it hurts to see oh-aew be so happy about getting an A for his class, and teh be so unenthused about it. oh-aew has to basically beg teh to give him attention and praise. remember when teh used to get so worried when oh-aew did badly in chinese class...and now it’s like whatever to him just bc he’s not tutoring him/they’re not in the same major anymore :((( i know it’s prob both bc teh’s still hurting that oh-aew transferred majors, and from seeing oh-aew succeed while he feels like he’s failing, but still...
also, not inviting him to see the play with him bc he thought oh-aew wouldn’t be interested/oh-aew kept falling asleep whenever they saw plays together ;;; i get the reasoning from both povs, but it still is nice to be asked :(
so one thing i have to say about the progression of their relationship here is that i just feel this huge disconnect from last ep and this ep?? i know it’s bc of the time skip (since it’s a year later basically), but to go from the end of ep 2, where they’re promising to love each other forever, and then to teh feeling disillusioned/as though he’s falling out of love with oh-aew basically right after that?? it’s so jarring. i feel like we lose so much with these time skips bc the transition from ep 2 to ep 3 is never really shown, so there’s this lack of flow there. like we’ve skipped a step entirely and something’s missing. this is the disadvantage of only focussing on one year per ep since there’s not enough time to explore as much character and relationship development when we’re only seeing an hour long snippet of an entire year. it just makes things feel superficial since so much of what we should be seeing is missing...and we basically have to fill in all the gaps ourselves.
okay, back to oh-aew ranting to his friends about how he feels like his relationship with teh is fading away bc they don’t have the same interests anymore, but also wondering if that’s just normal for long-term relationships. bless that boy that came to ask oh-aew for his ig :’) at least he knows that he’s wanted and has options, even if he obv turns him down bc of teh (for now).
plug and mangpong are dating!!!!!!! and mangpong does a horrible job of trying to hide it 😂 sidenote, but i love the way pp delivers lines sometimes (like the “just shocked”), he’s so cute. plug and mangpong’s legs touching...and the wave of nostalgia that came over me (and oh-aew) during that ;;; oh-aew seeing their blossoming relationship would make him reminisce back to his own experience of falling in love with teh...when everything was still so fluttery and new. so when teh texts him about using his car to help jai move, he looks happy. like he wants to rekindle those feelings again too.
that being said, it’s kind of sad to me how even jai shows more interest in oh-aew’s major than teh (when he asks him for his opinion on how to get people interested in his play). oh-aew’s got some good ideas and is more than willing to help (esp since he wants to connect and find a common interest with teh again). also, just bc oh-aew doesn’t want to be an actor anymore doesn’t mean that he’s completely uninterested in it. god, watching this part again hurts bc oh-aew looks so happy and optimistic. he worked so hard to help teh (and jai) only for them to betray him like that. it made me mad originally, but now it just breaks my heart :(
jai’s running acting classes again for his play, and this time it’s a workshop to help them tap into their feelings. it’s like an intimacy exercise where they give one another consent to touch certain body parts. teh is still struggling a lot with this. i think teh craves intimacy, but as he doesn’t feel that connection in his personal life to oh-aew anymore, so it’s difficult for him to draw on his experiences. he can’t even remember the first time he had sex with oh-aew properly anymore. as usual, teh’s too in his own head to just go with the flow and ~feel things (which isn’t new since teh’s had problems with this since itsay), but it’s def something that he’ll need to learn how to do if he wants to become an actor. he’s trying, but the fact that he can’t get to that place makes him feel even more insecure than ever that he might never be able to get there. imo one of the reasons teh works so hard, and is as driven and ambitious as he is, is that he’s afraid that he’ll never be good enough. he puts so much pressure on himself, and the issue with that is that he’ll never be able to live up to his expectations that way.
teh is also very much alone now. oh-aew has his group of friends to talk to about his relationship with teh, but teh just has jai at this point. he’s pushed khim away...and he and oh-aew aren’t communicating effectively (which is also why they’re on SUCH different wavelengths in terms of where their relationship is at), so there’s literally only jai for him to talk to about all his relationship issues. and to me at least, jai seems to have ulterior motives (particularly when you consider that the subject matter of his play is pretty much the same thing that teh’s going through rn). it’s times like this when i do feel kind of bad for teh, but then again, he brought this upon himself the way that he almost always does...and it leaves me frustrated instead.
jai kissing his professor though...also their conversation?? i have QUESTIONS...
that whole interaction with teh when jai catches him spying on him and the professor was SO awkward. idk what it is about teh but i have never encountered a character that has given me as much secondhand embarrassment as he does. when he starts touching the bars and avoiding eye contact i just- why, teh why?????
moving on, i’m thinking there’s prob more to that scene that we don’t know about bc jai’s shifty like that...but it’s purpose is also to shift teh’s perception of jai. before this, he pretty much just saw jai as his friend and mentor, but seeing him kiss someone else pushes him to think of jai in another less platonic light. like the first spark of attraction.
the both of them go to see the mime show (babymime), and i know that the point of this is so teh can learn to just feel and let go the way that the mimes in this play do, but idk it’s just kind of funny to me the contrast between the last scene and this one.
the leg touching scene again but this time with teh and jai...thanks, i hate it :///
teh’s already feeling like he and oh-aew’s interests are making them drift apart, so by connecting with jai, it’s that initial feeling of attraction that he used to feel with oh-aew all those years ago. jai is that cool senior that he respects...he’s goal-oriented and has so much in common with him (in a way that he feels that oh-aew doesn’t anymore), so it doesn’t altogether surprise me that teh latches onto jai in this way. esp when all their conversations revolve around what teh’s most passionate about, and what dreams they’re striving towards in the future.
it doesn’t surprise me bc teh’s affections shifted in a similar way from tarn to oh-aew when he was first starting to realise his feelings for oh-aew too (though at least he and tarn were never officially dating during that time...)
there’s a genuineness to the way teh praises and encourages jai that isn’t there when he’s doing the same to oh-aew :( and that coupled with teh lying to oh-aew about him having dinner with jai while oh-aew is at home, completely oblivious, painstakingly photoshopping his boyfriend’s face on the poster of the play TO HELP TEH instead of doing his own uni work, makes me so fucking upset for oh-aew.
it’s interesting to see how different their personalities are even when it comes to something as simple as the way they read their texts. oh-aew is so ready to accept whatever teh tells him at face value, but teh overthinks everything to the point where he jumps to a certain conclusion in his head about it instead.
but yeah, it’s just really tough to see oh-aew try so hard for teh, only to see teh do nothing back for oh-aew in return. there’s only so much one side can give. it’s the absolute lack of effort on teh’s part to even try to make things work with oh-aew that is the most frustrating thing of all. oh-aew is carrying their entire relationship rn and it makes me feel all “and for what?? why should he even bother??” about it.
sneaking to sit at the river with jai is like this forbidden, new experience, so it just enhances that feeling of attraction that teh is already feeling towards jai. and esp when he starts telling him about his previous relationship with james, the significance of the plum wine, and how jai ended up breaking up with him. since it’s reflective of teh’s own experiences atm (even in how he kind of self-sabotages himself to push people/oh-aew away first), he clearly takes it to heart. and it makes him want to do an even better job since the play is an autobiographical one for jai. not to mention, teh supposedly being the only one that jai told his story to makes him feel ‘special’......and we all know how teh likes feeling as though he’s special to someone. you can see it in how dejected he is when he thinks jai only told him his story bc he wanted him to get into character better, but perks up the moment jai says he actually told him bc teh’s been doing such a good job (and to encourage him). like i mentioned before, teh’s already feeling vulnerable and isolated from everybody else, so hearing any sort of praise (and esp when it’s from someone that he looks up to as much as jai), is going to pull him in.
when they were hiding from the security guard i was like ughhh i know where this is heading and i. don’t. like. it........
the problem is that i know where teh stands on this. like i know that there’s some attraction on his end. but i don’t know where jai stands. is he intentionally manipulating teh’s feelings for his play? is there any sincerity there? i think it’s obvious that he can tell teh is attracted to him from the glance that they share in this scene, but i can’t get a handle on what he actually wants (which i guess is the point of making his character as mysterious as it is but still). and if he can tell, and he doesn’t actually like teh back in that way, it makes the end scene even more yikes imo.
hmmm teh lying in the pool trying to recreate that feeling right before their first kiss when the both of them just let everything go and sank down into the water. that’s how you KNOW the next scene is supposed to be angsty...bc just like how their first underwater kiss had a sense of sadness to it bc they were hiding, their first (on screen) sex scene has that same sense of sadness, only this time it’s bc teh’s using his attraction to jai/his method actor desire to get into character to fuel the sex instead of bc he genuinely just wants to have sex with oh-aew. and if his reasoning for the sex is bc of that, then his task to recreate their first sexual experience will never live up to the actual first time they had sex (when they BOTH wanted it, and there were no other factors involved).
that’s not to say i don’t think teh doesn’t love oh-aew anymore. i think that there HAS to be some level of love still there amidst all of the confusion, but it feels a lot more like he’s testing his love/attraction to oh-aew during this scene (sort of like how he did with tarn in itsay) than a proper ‘love scene’. like he’s trying to reconfirm his feelings, whilst using oh-aew as inspiration for his role at the same time. it makes my heart ache that this is the first love scene we get from them this series, and it’s marred by the context of what we know is going on in teh’s head. like i said, it’s this permeating sadness throughout...and just knowing that oh-aew has absolutely NO IDEA what’s going on with teh and why he suddenly wants to have sex makes it worse. oh-aew’s been trying to make things work, and in his mind, teh spontaneously coming over like this prob makes him think that things are getting better between them since this is also the closest thing to teh showing any sort of initiative to work on their relationship in this ep so far...
and that’s not also taking away how beautifully this whole scene is shot. i’ve always loved the way that teh and oh-aew play and flirt with each other (bkpp’s chemistry is honestly unparalleled!!) so it was nice to see them be kind of playful before they started kissing again (if you ignore how sad this scene really is). i LOVE the inter-splicing between their first time on the beach and the present. the way the score swells, and little moments where you can see their feet and fingers interlocked on the beach. it gives you such a visceral visual (and totally takes me back to itsay days when that sort of imagery was used a lot more). i just hate that since we know the truth, this scene is more uncomfortable than satisfying despite how nicely shot it is.
i wish we got more domestic moments from them. i know their relationship has sort of grown past those initial moments of flirtation, but it truly makes me sad that we don’t get to see more of them as a couple in general in ipytm. moments like this where they’re lying in bed cuddling each other are so few and far between that i always feel like i have to cherish every little fleeting piece of fluff that i can get. even if idek if this can really be called fluff since the context sort of ruins it.
oh-aew’s still got his heart attack bag :’)))
he was soooooo happy when he met up with his friends 😭 but also, how the hell is it possible for teachers to move deadlines up like that. i FEEL that panic... poor oh-aew...
teh’s in rehearsals again and this time he’s wearing his moon shirt which...i do NOT need those ep 3 itsay vibes rn when i was already dreading this last ten minutes with everything i have in me :((( but anyway, jai’s brought plum wine to class and we know that teh doesn’t usually drink, but he does this time. he tells teh that the taste will change over time (it symbolises the ageing of the relationship process), and teh says it’s a pity he won’t get to taste it next time since jai wants to go abroad to study. then teh tells him he’s worked on the acting exercise and wants to try it out with jai, and i feel like we all knew where it was going to go from here.........
they really had to hammer it in with him missing oh-aew’s call too huh :/
as soon as they started the touching/intimacy exercise again i was just waiting for the catch. even on this rewatch i’m still sitting here chanting “don’t do it teh don’t do it” knowing full well that he kisses jai and there’s no changing that. but then when they cut to oh-aew walking up the stairs with the posters and you hear just how much time he’s sacrificed to help teh/jai on this...sacrificing time EVEN NOW just to go over to their uni to give them the posters when he has a presentation due tomorrow that he and his friends still haven’t finished working on...it’s just heartbreaking knowing what he’s going to end up walking in on.
whether it’s itsay or ipytm, teh’s default state is confusion. so while i think that there’s a certain amount of attraction towards jai there of course, i kind of get the feeling that he’s confusing his feelings of connection with jai (bc of their shared interests and passion) with him falling in love with jai. i feel like his attraction to jai reminds him of what it was like when he was first attracted to oh-aew, and since things have changed so much between him and oh-aew, it’s like he wants to recreate and capture that feeling again with jai (which is also why he wears the moon shirt...he wore that during itsay ep 3 beach scene, which was the moment when the attraction really started to burn between him and oh-aew). he can’t feel that same spark with oh-aew anymore, so he transfers his feelings to jai since, at this point in time, he feels closer to jai than anyone else. instead of growing alongside oh-aew, it’s like he’s choosing to revert back to a time when he was happier.
we know that teh has always been the type of person that will act on his impulses when he feels them. that’s WHY it was so hard to watch...bc i knew while watching that last scene, he was never going to restrain himself or put a stop to those feelings bleeding over into action. and esp not when it could benefit him in some way with his acting too.
in the end, it just makes me so devastated for oh-aew. and i really hope that he doesn’t let this go bc he thinks it’s just teh method acting or getting into character or whatever...i know that teh’s feeling a lot of conflicting things rn, but that’s not an excuse. he really fucked this one up.
the thing is, it’s not that i don’t think teh is capable of acting this way (i’ve seen a few people say that this is ooc for him, but it really isn’t? this confusion and impulsiveness has always been a part of his character from the very start...he was always the one that had the most trouble dealing with his feelings out of the two of them), but the time skips don’t do him any favours bc we lose all those moments that take him to what he’s currently feeling. when we don’t have those moments, then it’s a lot harder to sympathise with him. in itsay, bc we always knew how teh got from point a to point b, even if he did frustrating/silly things, i always understood where he was coming from. i always felt for him. i GOT his struggles, which was why i was always able to empathise with what he was going through. in ipytm, he just comes off as unlikeable bc of how superficial his feelings seem (from what we’re being shown on screen at least).
falling out of love with your significant other/starting to feel things for someone else is obv a fairly common experience, so i don’t blame teh for FEELING like this, but it’s how he treats oh-aew throughout this that doesn’t sit right with me. even if you feel like you’re falling out of love with someone, or that they’ve changed since the first time you fell in love with them, you’d think there’d be some motivation to at least TRY to make things work with them before giving up. we never see that from teh at all. instead, he just see him becoming infatuated with jai (so we barely see teh/oh-aew together in the first place). and while i can see now that a lot of this is due to his own insecurities and inadequacies, it’s also just so disrespectful to oh-aew who's the one that we see putting in all this time and effort (it calls back to their whole “don’t give my time to others” scene in itsay bc we see oh-aew giving so much of his time to teh through helping him out with his play, while teh’s giving that time that should be for oh-aew to jai now). no matter his reasoning, watching teh act that way towards oh-aew does make it increasingly hard to root for him. there’s just too big a disparity in how the two of them choose to act and devote their time to their relationship.
what’s frustrating is that in itsay, teh would fuck up but he would always try to make amends with oh-aew in some way. he would always come forward to try to sort things out after...but there’s nothing here. even after their dinner fight in ep 2, it’s OH-AEW that reaches out to him first (even though it’s teh’s fault that they fought in the first place). where’s that boy that dressed up in his old school uniform in order to talk to oh-aew at his school? or made a whole chinese idioms scrapbook for oh-aew? or gave up his uni admission for oh-aew? i understand that characters and motivations change (and he was obv hopped up on his first love with oh-aew at the time), but it’s just really, really sad to see teh keep messing up and not even try to meet oh-aew halfway with this. yes, you can fuck up, but there are only so many times you can keep fucking up before it starts to look more like a pattern of shitty behaviour than a few forgivable missteps.
another issue is that there’s been so much focus on teh and his flaws that a lot of the time oh-aew comes off as a side character to teh’s story. previously, i understood that since teh was grappling with his sexuality. it made sense that his journey was the primary focus of the plot and character development. but i always felt that there was more room to explore oh-aew’s story (and i thought that we would get a lot more of that in ipytm...esp after ep 1), but it just feels like we kind of skimmed past all of oh-aew’s growth and struggles adjusting to bangkok/uni life so we could turn the attention back to teh again. i just hate that we never get to see more of how oh-aew’s changed in teh’s eyes (other than the surface level things like his hair, new car and major), and that we never get to see more of oh-aew’s life when it’s not related to teh in general. i hope that we’ll get more of oh-aew in the last two eps, but i really don’t know what they’ll give us anymore.
at this point, i don’t even want them as endgame anymore given everything that’s happened in the recent ep. and it pains me so much to say that bc teh/oh-aew are so immensely important to me, but they’re just in such different places in life. and teh esp has so much more growing to do (i think i said this last week too? teh...). oh-aew deserves to be with someone that can see his worth as he is (that won’t cheat on him for one!!). i just want him to be with someone that can make him happy. what i wanted most for them out of this was for the two of them to grow to a better place (together and as individuals), and while i still want that for them as individuals, it’s hard for me to want them to be happy together anymore. at least for the time being.
i’m kind of at a loss for how they’re gonna work through this (and i genuinely want oh-aew to be able to explore his options too...particularly with someone that will actually treat him better than teh’s treating him atm). so at this point it’s kind of looking to me like a break up is inevitable? but i do think it’s necessary for both of them rn. i feel so heartbroken about it though...like ipytm is actually making ME go through the breakup...breaking up with all my beloved itsay teh/oh-aew memories :((( anyway, i think a break up is also conveniently the best time to put a time skip tbh...so we’ll see if that does end up happening now in future eps.
this one took such a long time to write up bc i wrote like a quarter of this RIGHT after i finished watching the ep (so you can clearly tell which parts were me right after the ep, and which parts were me after i had some time to sit on what happened 😂), but i thought it was best to take a bit of a break. i didn’t rewatch it again until i calmed down a little and sorted out my thoughts some more (though i know this is still pretty messy). but yeah, i’m still very much interested in watching how they things are going to progress from here...but i can’t deny how sad i’ve been feeling after this.
#i promised you the moon#ipytm#text#i feel like i always need to rewatch ipytm eps bc i'm so HEATED during the first watch#but then by the second one i've usually calmed down so much more#like i obv still have a lot of things that i'm not super happy with (and rewatching this again didn't really bring me joy) but still#i get so invested in itsay/ipytm that sometimes i just gotta take myself out of the situation and go live my life for a bit#i was meant to post this yesterday bc it's been sitting in my drafts for too long but i just woke up (it's 2am) so what better time hah
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How Not Me is Helping Resolve My Complicated Love of BL
Ok I have been watching Not Me. I just started tumblr posting again and I've tried a few times to pull my thoughts together about this very special show. I just finished episode 7 which had me crying my eyes out and I figured I'd try to explain why this particular episode hit me so hard.
How I got Into BL
Ok I know this seems like a departure but it's important to why Ep 7 was so important to me. I'll try to make it short. I am older, in my 40s. I grew up in a time where there was not a lot of queer content. Although I was straight, I grew up in queer communities. Between my sister, who is lesbian, and her friends and all the gay male friends/trans friends I made along the way for most of my life I've been around more queer than straight people. When we were in our teens early 20s we would hunt for queer cinema. It was our thing and when we found a movie or a show it would be a celebration. We would all get together to watch. My other straight sis and I would fight to find queer shows that had happy endings or weren't about HIV or prostitution. It was so hard back then to find just happy queer representation. Everything was centered around trauma.
I first encountered BL with ITSAY so you know it's a little different from your typical Thai BL. I immediately told my friends that what we had been looking for years ago was happening in the Asian community. I then started watching other BLs and learning more about the genre and I had a complicated reaction to it.
On the one hand I love that light hearted stories of love where everyone is gay are being told. Like this is in some ways what we were searching for but because many were written by straight women for straight women some of the truth and validity for queer communities was left out or if someone like Mame got their hands on it it became completely misrepresented. I started to get really picky about what I watched and although I celebrate the variety I really missed the representation of real queer stories or even the support of queer communities.
If BL is going to make money off of queer characters it should at least lend it's popularity to actually trying to do good for the community. Then in comes Not Me!!
The Representation Thai BL Needs
Now not me is not the only BL to support queer stories and communities but is unique for Thai BLs specifically GMMTV BLs. I have really been enjoying the show overall. Even though I think White is TERRIBLE at impersonating Black and it makes me anxious every week, I think it's supposed to. If he was good at it we wouldn't have suspense. The fact that no one has caught on to him is wild to me though....just saying I don't think the show is perfect but it's willingness to add commentary about the political concerns in Thailand and specifically it's clear focus not just on BL stories but things the LGBTQ community is fighting for makes my heart so happy.
Episode 7 was a full on celebration of Queer Rights and guys I literally cried through all of part 2 and 3. The truth is when we look at minority groups disproportionately affected my socio-economic inequality, queer people are almost always part of this.
Not Me The Series took what could have been a storyline just focused on socio-economic inequality and has incorporated gay rights in a way that I rarely see in Thai BLs. I see it more in Filipino BLs honestly. Thai BL focuses on the fantasy which in some ways I love. In some ways I love the idea of this world where there is not stigma about sexual orientation and everyone can just like who they want but I think to completely ignore that this is not the world we live in yet is problematic.
For the BL industry to thrive it must use queer stories but to use their stories and not at least at some point fight for the people behind the stories feels gross. There needs to be some sort of balance and Not Me is bringing that to the forefront in a loud way. Sadly it's really a risk for the show. It doesn't fit into the neat little bubble that a lot of people who consume BL want. They want the fantasy. I get it. I'm not even putting them down. It's why I still watch Hallmark movies even though they lack any semblance of the real world. I watched them for years. I would be a hypocrite to pretend as though I don't have guilty pleasures that don't feed that need for a fantasy world but just like Hallmark was finally forced to address it's lack of diversity at some point Thai BL specifically GMMTV has to address it's lack of representation in the fight for gay rights.
This episode in particular gave an activist voice to so many and did not dance around the topic of marriage equality and gay rights. I have to admit when shippers scream "GET MARRIED!" to the actors that play their fav couple, I personally want to yell back "THEY CAN'T IT'S NOT LEGAL IN THEIR COUNTRY AND THAT'S A PROBLEM WE SHOULD ALL RECOGNIZE!" no but for real the ability to turn a blind eye to the fact that the queer community is still fighting for it's rights all over the World is not allyship and I don't know if I feel comfortable with individuals consuming queer media that don't intend to at least attempt allyship.
Not Me is in no means perfect and yes there are other shows out there trying to make a difference as well as actors and directors. I don't think the fantasy should disappear but I do think we need shows like Not Me to remind us that the fantasy is not real and there are real people who need support and their stories told.
I saw a lot of tropes dispelled in Bad Buddy and now Not Me showing activism in queer spaces I just hope to see BL in general moving in the right direction and supported by the masses. I hope it doesn't receive too much backlash and viewership goes up.
Between Sean/White and Dan/Yok the BL romance is there but it's just not provided in a neat package or a wildly inappropriate one. A suspense/thriller where the main couples happen to be gay is progress. It's a pretty big deal and still way ahead of queer cinema and film in other countries. I hope BL continues to move in this direction.
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I Promised You The Moon Episode 4
I loved it for what it was. Duh.
This was a very heavy episode, and I knew that I wouldn’t fully love it for that reason. I was the same with episode 4 of ITSAY as well. All the tears and yelling was a lot and it drains what little emotion I have in reserve.
I will say I still enjoyed the episode a lot. I know some of the girls and gays did not. They’re mad at the writers for spwitting up their pwecious wittle ship.
The criticism that I’ve seen thrown around is, why throw in a third person? But my question is why not? Teh is a fucking actor, you don’t think he’s going to deal with any outside interest?
Jai is the first of many temptations that Teh is going to have to deal with. He was the first test for Teh’s faithfulness and Teh failed.
Now people always bring up, “well if he left Tarn for Oh Aew, then he is someone who’s head can be easily turned”. I can’t say I fully disagree. Sometimes you lose them the way you get them.
However, I feel like we’re underestimating the importance of Oh Aew to Teh? I think Teh underestimated it a little as well. He got comfortable, and basically took the piss and when Oh rightly left him, he started to realise what he had.
Oh Aew did the right thing in the end by leaving Teh. The trust was gone, it was over. I feel like he was beyond gracious and kind to give Teh a second chance, once he found out that there wasn’t even a scripted kiss.
The kiss he witnessed between Jai and Teh was way over the line in regards to chemistry building. But he loves Teh and even though he could smell the bullshit from him, he still tried to push through it. As far as I’m concerned, he can move on without regrets cause he did all that he could.
As mad as I want to be at Teh, I can’t help but feel a bit bad for him. He lied to Oh Aew and that’s where he fucked up. But at the same time, someone was manipulating him and playing with his emotions. He has to suffer two heartbreaks in regards to Jai and Oh Aew.
I think if his infatuation with Jai was weak and just based on sexual attraction, I’d be cussing him out, but it was more to him? He respects Jai, and they had aligning goals? I think in a time of doubt and confusion Jai was supportive for him. He’d lost his confidence not only in his relationship with Oh Aew but also his acting and although he should have consulted all that with Oh Aew, Jai was there and mixed with an attraction that was fatal.
Now, Teh shouldn’t have been so bloody obvious in front of Oh Aew about his feelings. Confessing to Jai while Oh Aew was upstairs schmoozing with his cast mates? Nah Teh was foul for that and I’m glad that Oh Aew smacked him in with those flowers, it was quite cathartic.
Teh is a cat with many lives. He is going through all this fucked stuff personally, but he has landed on his feet as far as his career and I’m genuinely happy for him. He’s worked hard to get here, and with his work ethic he’ll get far. I think now he has learned his lesson about keeping it professional and maybe the pitfalls of working closely with directors and their stylings.
Speaking of directors. Some of you are going to be mad at me, but... Jai is hot and he didn’t do anything wrong.
Anyway, happy pride. Bye!
Okay, I’m kidding! Jai fucked up. I think we need to remember Jai is not much older than Teh or Oh Aew. He’s still finding his footing as far as being a professional... he’s not there yet. He’s being lead by a woman whom I don’t think is all the way professional herself. So he’s learning not the best tactics.
Jai fucked with Teh and his emotions, all for his goal. He compartmentalised everything and in the end he was wrong and I think he knows that and I hope in the future he doesn’t use that technique again. Its cost him a friend in Teh and I think that he’s genuinely sad about that.
I’m curious to see what we get for the last episode. I’m glad this episode happened the way it did. I feel like a lot of you shippers need to chill out? This show was never about the Teh x Oh Aew ship? It was about them as two separate people, their lives, their dreams and then some romance mixed in. The same can be said here. This is a hurdle, part of their life and I wanna see more.
#teh#OH AEW#teh x oh aew#tehoaew#jai is hot please forgive his sins#i told sunset about you#I Promised You The Moon
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Yes, I'm standing up for my homeboy Teh and giving my opinion on IPYTM EP.2 things
Look, I know absolutely nothing about what makes a piece of media good but this episode KILLED me. The previous episode was fine, okay, a great start to the series, but it didn't stand out to me.
IPYTM ep2 just about hit me and dragged me through the mud, to put it in a way. I don't know if that's what makes a TV show great, but it definitely made it amazing for me.
I am terrible at words most of the time, so I'll try to put it as best as I can,
Teh is, for one, a Really Stupid Person. But get this. He's Just Like Me. Okay, maybe this is another case of me loving something because I can deeply relate to it, but COME ON. From my point of view, it just makes so much sense. I understand every single thing he's feeling, I swear. I know why he did what he did, why he said what he said. And yes, he treated people terribly and came out all self-centered and mean and it was, I'm not denying it. No matter how much he explains to Oh-Aew his insecurities, he still behaved like an asshole been there, done that. But it makes so much sense. It's another facet of the Teh we met in ITSAY, that arguably immature and at times selfish (I don't know if that's the word I'm looking for, really) teenager that held a grudge against his once best friend because he felt like he stole his thing, which was acting. That same guy who got increasingly stressed over his best friend/crush not loving him enough. Let's not forget that Teh did lose Oh-Aew once -even though it was his fault from the beginning- and his father even died. No wonder he's afraid of being left alone in his fight. Add to that the fact that his entire life has been about proving himself to others, after growing up as his brother's shadow and with his then rival's image in the back of his mind.
From what I can tell from this episode, it seems that he knows his fight is difficult and that his chances of failing are bigger than the other option, and he had Oh-Aew by his side, but now he doesn't anymore. So now his whole world is crumbling down. Will Oh-Aew leave him again? If Oh-Aew didn't fight as hard to follow his dream, will he fight for their relationship in the future? Will Teh be left alone once again, hating Oh-Aew the way he did back then? It's unfair! Now Khim seems to give up too! Everything's going badly!
Teh doesn't seem like the kind of person to doubt himself, but he definitely seems to panic whenever things don't go the way he planned them. He had it all already pictured, and now it's gone. If the one thing he thought would never change -his and Oh-Aew's acting careers, which was the beginning of EVERYTHING, looking back on it-, already changed, what are the odds that Oh-Aew won't stop loving him suddenly? What are the odds of him never living up to his own expectations, both in his career and life in general?
It's so fucked up... so human.
Don't get me wrong, I think that sooner or later Teh has to change his behavior otherwise he might really end up alone personal experience things. If he keeps making the same damn mistakes, I will punch a hole through my computer screen, as I was about to throughout the whole damn episode.
But now that my Teh Best Character rant is over (I AM aware of the fact that I'm just praising myself if I say we're the same, but shhh), let's just a tiny bit about the episode!
As I said, I have no idea what makes a good piece of media, but this episode was the biggest roller coaster of emotions I've felt in a while (see: ITSAY ep.3 and 4), and that, to me, makes it great. The acting was top-notch, seriously. The scenes of them arguing are not anything I was thriving to see -because conflict stresses me- but I was shocked by how heart-wrenching they were. And each time I cried a little, not gonna lie.
Now, CAN WE TALK about PP for a minute? And Oh-Aew? First of all, never in my life did I expect for them to touch on this subject of Oh-Aew being more 'feminine' as they said. I saw another post talking about it really well so I'm not about to elaborate on a subject that would only get me tangled in my own words, but I just wanna say that I felt so hard for Oh-Aew at that moment. I think it was mainly to show how he doesn't fit in the acting industry, but it's still a statement on how that same industry and, let's be honest, the rest of the world looks down on not traditionally masculine guys. And PP did a superb job in these scenes. 10/10 definitely cried my eyes out.
I already talked my shit on Teh so I just wanna say, there's a reason why Billkin was named best actor! He kills it every. single. time. Where's his oscar??? I didn't think he could get even better than in ITSAY but here we are.
Now on the actual episode, I loved it. The last scene is the most direct foreshadowing I've ever witnessed so I am scared but putting that aside, I think this might've become my second favorite episode of the whole series (ITSAY ep.3 is another level of keyboard smash).
I really don't know what's to come. I'm afraid. I don't know if I should trust Jai and Q or if I should quietly drag Teh and Oh the fuck away from them. Q is a sweetheart for all I know but I don't trust pretty boys with painted nails! And Jai has been sus since the beginning, not once did he say or do anything to make me like him, to be honest.
I just hope that whatever shit Teh and Oh-Aew go through in the next episode, it won't be Teh's fault because it would mean he lost that single braincell of his side comment I know that jealousy is toxic and we don't want that but I'd love to see jealous Oh and Teh again asdfgbxvbdfgzxcv. I mean I know Oh-Aew's perfect and all but he CAN make a mistake once in a while too, you know?
That's all. Head's now empty. I don't ever want to think about this episode and show for another week. I need my sanity.
#sorry if this was hard to read#english is hard#teh best boy everybody#idc idc#ipytm#i promised you the moon
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YET ANOTHER IPYTM RANT PT.3
Yeaaaaa, I’m sure all of you are done watching this hell of an episode I had to deal with, and I think I ranted so much on twitter/letterboxd I’m left without any new words to give except these points of why everything done until now should be erased from everyone’s memory and we should all agree itsay does not have a part 2.
• That damn sex scene being the poster: what the hell do they think we are??? I think I speak for more than half of this fandom when I say that scene made us all uncomfortable as fuck, maybe for Ohaew that was an act of love but for Teh that was merely an experiment for his little character in the play and that made me sosososo damn disgusted i had to leave to puke TWICE. They gave that scene so much clout and made them the POSTER OF THE SEASON, like all we could ever care about was two dudes fucking, and not giving a damn about the plot. We constantly do so much to separate itsay from those toxic ass BLs and they do us dirty like that. Anyways it made me sick.
• The entire episode had both of them reminiscing the beginning of their relationship but while Ohaew always thought of it in a light, kind hearded type of way, Teh looked back at it as a whiny ass mothrfcckr thinking about how much Ohaew changed and how he didn’t feel the same, and if that was the case I really wanna know why not break up instead of fucking CHEAT, but I’ll get there. That scene where Oh was wearing Teh’s damn shirt and getting late on his OWN college work so he could help Teh like the perfect boyfriend he is, Teh was lying to him through a text, feeling whatever the fuck he was feeling for other man and thinking about ACTING ON IT. It honestly made me so sick to my stomach I had to pause because I was sobbing like I was in his place.
• WHAT ARE THEY GONNA DO ABOUT THAT FUCKING TEA TATTOO NOW HUH
• I talked on my ep 2 rant about how that dinner scene was a trigger for me and a huge red flag for Teh and how I was hoping they could redeem his character who was, honestly, unrecognizable, and intead I was given: a cheater. No words. Billkin felt so much for this character and now at every single interview you can see how this changed and it breaks my heart. Teh was a lot of things and he had a lot of flaws, but whatever the fuck the writers of ipytm did to them this season doesn’t have a simple and quick “fix”
• ALSO, ALL OF THIS, ON PRIDE MONTH???
• They REALLY included that scene of the guy asking Ohaew for his instagram and him being like “no sorry i’m in a relationship” to contrast with shitty cheater Teh and I’ll never forget that
• And you know what’s the worst part of all this?? There’s still 2 more eps to go, and they’re going to try and give Teh a redemption arc like it’s something that happens with every couple and they just have to go through with it “together”, they’re going to try and convince us (not me) that they can still be happy as a couple after all that bullshit, and that giving us a little scene of them kissing under a moonlight at the last 3 minutes of ep 5 is going to fix all the turmoil this part 2 cause us. But I will not be here for it.
#ipytm#i promised you the moon#more like i promised you DEEZ RANTS#ep 3#or whatever the fuck this was#and FUCK teh
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Hello! Finding your blog has been a blessing. It's fun, informative, insightful, a great reference source for finding new things i might want to watch, and the hard work you put in it is greatly appreciated. It has also really made me critically think on the difference between BL content and LGBTQ+ content, something i was already tangentially aware of, but not actively considering, which brings me to the questions of series like KinnPorsche and Not Me. In your Not Me pitch post you said "Another one that is joining the growing cornucopia of shows that I’m not sure I should really review in this blog, because I’m not not sure they’re really BL." and that left me wondering if you would actually eventually not consider reviewing, giving thoughts on, and/or making any kind of posts on shows that break out of just being BLs and branch out to blend more with LGBTQ+ content? (which incidentally, i think as more time passes more shows and the meaning of what a BL is will be blended more into LGBTQ+ content, not to say that most BLs will not stay as what they are, but that the usage of the term will likely broaden with time to not be just what it is now.)
I ask the question because i am curious as to what your thought process is in this and because i am selfish af and your reviews and insights are fun so i want to read it all and i would be sad if you decided to not give your thoughts on/write about what you don't quite consider/label BL. I am very well aware that this blog is absolutebl though lol so i can see why you hesitate to review them here.
Hi! Glad the blog is good to you. Thank you for saying such nice things!
It has also really made me critically think on the difference between BL content and LGBTQ+ content, something i was already tangentially aware of, but not actively considering, which brings me to the questions of series like KinnPorsche and Not Me.
YAY!
In your Not Me pitch post you said
"Another one that is joining the growing cornucopia of shows that I’m not sure I should really review in this blog, because I’m not not sure they’re really BL."
and that left me wondering if you would actually eventually not consider reviewing, giving thoughts on, and/or making any kind of posts on shows that break out of just being BLs and branch out to blend more with LGBTQ+ content?
Well I already don’t review quite a bit from Taiwan like Your Name Engraved herein, Innocent, & Light. And theres a ton of older stuff from Japan I’ve barely mentioned. I mean I touched on them but never wrote a proper reviews or anything.
I ask the question because i am curious as to what your thought process is in this and because i am selfish af and your reviews and insights are fun so i want to read it all and i would be sad if you decided to not give your thoughts on/write about what you don't quite consider/label BL. I am very well aware that this blog is absolutebl though lol so i can see why you hesitate to review them here.
Well thank you!
I guess I am leaving myself an out?
I enjoy queer cinema sometimes, but I’m exhausted by the suffering most of the time.
I’m into BL because of the romance of it, the happy ever after and the queer happy endings.
I started this blog for fun (and to find my community) and I don’t want it to become not fun.
If it becomes too much a queer critique vehicle, I feel like it’ll get too negative and not fun, so I want to have an avenue to say, if a BL gets too close to my discomfort zone, ya know... I’m not gonna review that. (As I have done with ITSAY for example.)
I honestly just never want to watch something I don’t want to watch because I feel obligated to one tiny corner of tumblr.
I know myself really well, if I stop enjoying this, I’ll stop doing it. Gotta control my own quit instincts.
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I honestly feel a type of way right now with teh and oh like i dont like how the writers have made everything tehs fault for everything no one is going to want oh with him i really wish instead they showed how this time oh was dealing with things that caused them to have problems like how in the first season it was teh cause to me it would had showed that each one of them had their flaws and stuff but to me it just seems like the way the writers wrote teh makes it hard for me to like him with oh they make everything his fault everything in their relationship is his fault and thats not good i really wished they had put it as half and half it would be easier to work on their problems but its just idk oh seems weak and teh seems toxic
But also it also just makes it harder for people to feel bad for teh because ik he isnt the best at expressing himself and his feelings he messes things up because he understands things too soon but no one is going to have a heart for him if the writers have written him like he is hurting oh every chance he gets cause of how they have made oh's character which comes off a little weak but idk i love teh and i believe he loves oh he is having a hard time expressing that and its hard but i feel like no one gives him a chance its just lets through teh into the fire yk? Idk do you get what i mean? Like i wish people would give teh a try and just see from his pov instead of making him trash cause i believe he really loves oh
hey anon! i see your frustration with teh but i actually really like that the writers wrote him this way. it is super in-character of teh to be the one who's insecure and impulsive, because he hasn't quite learned how to deal with his feelings yet. oh-aew also has a lot of growing up to do, but he's definitely the more emotionally mature one of the two, so it makes sense that the conflict here is coming from teh.
at this point, we're not supposed to want teh and oh-aew to be together *as they are right now*. but we have three more episodes to go, with what i'm sure will be a lot of time skips, in which they both will have hopefully grown into more mature people who will be better partners for each other in the long term.
i also don't think oh-aew is weak at all! i think he's extremely patient and resilient, and i think that makes him strong. he *chooses* to stay with teh because he loves him. at any point, if he decides he won't put up with teh's shit anymore, he could leave and i wouldn't blame him. remember in itsay episode four when he left teh at the beach and said "why don't you stop right now?" oh-aew has been hurt multiple times before and he has his limits, and i believe that he knows what those limits are.
i don't think there's any doubt that teh loves oh-aew. he just has a lot of growing up to do. right now he's still very emotionally immature. we see him repeating the same patterns here as he did in itsay, but at least now at the end of the second episode, he was able to admit to oh-aew that he lashed out because he was afraid and insecure. it's not enough, but it's growth. and i trust that he's going to go through more shit that will make him grow up even more.
i like that teh is an extremely flawed character. in a true coming of age story, he should be. i also think oh-aew has his flaws, and we don't talk about those flaws enough because he's not as explosive of a character as teh. oh-aew doesn't always communicate his feelings or his needs, he bottles them up and makes compromises even when he doesn't need to. that's a problem! part of growing up and being in a healthy relationship is communicating your needs and setting boundaries for yourself, which i also think is something oh-aew will get better at as he grows up along with teh.
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6 & 10 for Not Me, 13 and 17 (just favorite OST in general)?? 😁
Thank you so so much! 🥺
6. If you could be friends with one (1) character from [IF] who would it be?
Gumpa. He just seems like a good friend in general (pls don't turn out to be secretly evil lmao). Plus, he does (free)running and thai boxing. We should totally be fitness buddies!
10. What are your head canons about [Character, IF, etc]?
I don't actually have any head canons atm
... I'm kind of lowkey hoping for BlackTodd to happen (or rather: to have happened in the past) because that would just be really, really painful lmao
And it would explain why Black is so closed off and bitter. Come to think of it, it would be kind of funny~ if someone as principled as Black was at least partly driven by personal reasons/spite.
13. Any show/ book/ fandom/ etc you’ve been meaning to get into?
You're My Sky. I just don't have the time to atm 😭
Also, the My Ride paperback has been collecting dust on my bedside table since Christmas. I have now one week left to finish it until gagaoolala releases the first 6 eps of the series lmao
17. Favorite opening/ closing song from [IF]
!!!
Real World by Season Five from the Nitiman opening. I honestly just love it so much.
As for OSTs in general, ITSAY & IPYTM. I've been meaning to pre-order the album actually but I've heard it's seriously difficult to pre-order from outside of Thailand ugh
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