femslashedtires
usa
a really good time if i don't think about it
Here's the thing: Manner of Death was a phenomenally fun and well made murder mystery thriller of a bl... until precisely the moment I started examining it with a critical eye. So while I continue to find Sammon's themes and moral deplorable, I think it's perfectly possible to have a lovely time with this series! The characters are so charming, the plot is fun and engaging, and all around there's a lot going for this show. But personally.... personally, this story rubbed me the wrong way in several important spots. And while I have a great fondness for these characters, I probably won't return to it any time soon.
-The Full Review-
STORY:
I hated this story. Don't get me wrong: it was a decent mystery. The clues were not particularly subtle, but the plot structure was engaging and it was fun to put the pieces together. It was everything behind the story that I could not tolerate. This particular crime and this particular story had no business being a BL. It is the very definition of using women's pain and trauma as a plot device for men's stories and it's ridiculous.
While the story pays some amount of lip service to feminist response to these stories, it doesn't carry through the subtext and is tonally inconsistent. The episode where we delve into this in detail very nearly ruined the entire show for me because it was so poorly done. I am not a fan of this author or her works, and I am actively considering taking Triage off my To Watch list after DFF and Manner of Death have been so disappointing.
ACTING:
This was such an interesting title for acting! To start with: Mei is a phenomenal talent. Part of the reason it is so disappointing that what should have been Jane's story was squeezed into a genre that sidelines her was that Mei was absolutely ready to command that show. I also really enjoyed Mint as a partner for her, the two sisters created the perfect rapport for the story.
For our leads, Max and Tul are both wonderful. I wasn't convince this was going to be a good show in the first episode, but their tension resolved into a beautiful, fun, and mature relationship. I was really very charmed by their romance. To be honest, some of the more dramatic scenes strained their talents a little, but it didn't really impact the story enough to cause any issue. Certainly, I am still looking forward to catching some of their other work.
The rest of the cast filled in well, with some particularly sweet chemistry from Bhu and Putter, as well as a excellent performance from Great.
PRODUCTION:
Mostly, I enjoyed the production of this story. What caught my eye right away was that despite it's other flaws in the treatment of women throughout this story, the filming of violence against women was very careful not to be sexualized or gratuitous. This was never more clear than in the autopsies, which were careful shot to maintain neutrality.
Outside of this, the costuming was realistic but told the stories of the characters well, the locations were unique and decently dressed, and the lighting was nothing special but nothing wrong. Thankfully, the sound quality was very consistent without any glaringly visible equipment. Over all, the production is not doing anything extremely noteworthy, but it's doing the job and doing it competently.
INTIMACY:
While I wasn't disappointed by the lead actors chemistry, I did think the writing into and out of intimate scenes was hilarious in the worst ways. These poor actors were doing the best they could with the most abrupt tone shifts possible. I would have liked to see a more natural transition between suspicion and moments of romance. But once we'd made that leap and switched into the romance, it was lovely. These actors are clearly comfortable with each other and the characters have a language between them that works well. That said, I had seen this recommended as high(er) heat, and I don't feel that's particularly true (at least anymore).
In all, Manner of Death rather fumbled the ending for me, but I would still feel comfortable recommending it to most people. Just go into it looking for a more mindless thriller than something that is going to tackle hard hitting issues or offer an unusually spicy romance.
-The Full Review-
STORY:
I hated this story. Don't get me wrong: it was a decent mystery. The clues were not particularly subtle, but the plot structure was engaging and it was fun to put the pieces together. It was everything behind the story that I could not tolerate. This particular crime and this particular story had no business being a BL. It is the very definition of using women's pain and trauma as a plot device for men's stories and it's ridiculous.
While the story pays some amount of lip service to feminist response to these stories, it doesn't carry through the subtext and is tonally inconsistent. The episode where we delve into this in detail very nearly ruined the entire show for me because it was so poorly done. I am not a fan of this author or her works, and I am actively considering taking Triage off my To Watch list after DFF and Manner of Death have been so disappointing.
ACTING:
This was such an interesting title for acting! To start with: Mei is a phenomenal talent. Part of the reason it is so disappointing that what should have been Jane's story was squeezed into a genre that sidelines her was that Mei was absolutely ready to command that show. I also really enjoyed Mint as a partner for her, the two sisters created the perfect rapport for the story.
For our leads, Max and Tul are both wonderful. I wasn't convince this was going to be a good show in the first episode, but their tension resolved into a beautiful, fun, and mature relationship. I was really very charmed by their romance. To be honest, some of the more dramatic scenes strained their talents a little, but it didn't really impact the story enough to cause any issue. Certainly, I am still looking forward to catching some of their other work.
The rest of the cast filled in well, with some particularly sweet chemistry from Bhu and Putter, as well as a excellent performance from Great.
PRODUCTION:
Mostly, I enjoyed the production of this story. What caught my eye right away was that despite it's other flaws in the treatment of women throughout this story, the filming of violence against women was very careful not to be sexualized or gratuitous. This was never more clear than in the autopsies, which were careful shot to maintain neutrality.
Outside of this, the costuming was realistic but told the stories of the characters well, the locations were unique and decently dressed, and the lighting was nothing special but nothing wrong. Thankfully, the sound quality was very consistent without any glaringly visible equipment. Over all, the production is not doing anything extremely noteworthy, but it's doing the job and doing it competently.
INTIMACY:
While I wasn't disappointed by the lead actors chemistry, I did think the writing into and out of intimate scenes was hilarious in the worst ways. These poor actors were doing the best they could with the most abrupt tone shifts possible. I would have liked to see a more natural transition between suspicion and moments of romance. But once we'd made that leap and switched into the romance, it was lovely. These actors are clearly comfortable with each other and the characters have a language between them that works well. That said, I had seen this recommended as high(er) heat, and I don't feel that's particularly true (at least anymore).
In all, Manner of Death rather fumbled the ending for me, but I would still feel comfortable recommending it to most people. Just go into it looking for a more mindless thriller than something that is going to tackle hard hitting issues or offer an unusually spicy romance.
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