It could almost have been good

Just jumping right in, both actors were good; they were good at looking like they were in love... they just didn't look like they were in love with each other. I guess we could call that a lack of chemistry, but I associate that with having poorly portrayed a role which is not the case there, just felt... like they could have easily been acting to have been in love with a tree across the way, Takara. Again, his acting is good, it is just completely without regards to Tashin.
Also, the story would have been very good if it was better portrayed. If I wrote a summary of the story here, it would sound good! I just kept getting distracted by trying to sense any attraction between the two leads. Also, not to sound callous, but the whole mourning the bird? Yes, I was devastated when I lost my closest pet. I cried like Taishin did. But in a drama for general consumption? It is just cringeworthy. Tashin insisting over and over that Takara saved him when he was mourning the bird... I could just feel the awkwardness pouring off the actors. I could just feel Takara's actor being like, "I really have to act this scene out with a straight face?"
So, in conclusion, I could almost sense a good story if I ignored the actual presentation of the drama itself.

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very cute with some very incredible actors

I liked the dynamic between the two leads. I like it when the power dynamic is "reversed" i,e, not based on gender roles, and I like the devotion the characters show each other. They are very observant of each other and I have never seen a show/person better at recognizing someone's strengths and portraying them in a cool, upfront, and selfless way.
Of course, while this stems from a good (if standard) story line, it is the acting of the Male Lead that puts this show at the top. He brings out the best in the plot and in the characterization. I can go on, but one thing that really stuck out to me was that in so many East Asian dramas, the male lead catches the female lead when she trips or something, but in this one, it's the female lead that does!!! I LOVE IT. The gender police's sirens aren't going off. She's not a bulked up warrior, she doesn't have to be! You don't have to be as strong as a man to catch someone in your arms! Or trap them up against the wall with your hands bracketing either side of your face. There doesn't have to be a reversal of gender roles because it's cute and hot and it makes the audience's (and hopefully the male lead's heart go doki doki even more! It rejuvenates an overused plot point, it puts characters on a more equal footing, it adds depth to the possibilities that this genre can offer and the twists and the cute scenes this drama can take! It's so fun and beautiful.

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fantastic acting. Just one plot gaaaaap. and that god damn ring. Homophobia? You tell me.

incredible acting. 20 out of ten. makes up for everything else. Mostly. two things significantly bring this down. First, the story progression... Like, they saw each other then poof they're in love. Like other than them saying they were in love, there's nothing that lead to that. Especially for vampire what's his name. I would have liked for there to be any indication of something that might have attracted him to farm boy. but nope, all of a sudden, I can suck his blood and oh surprise, I'm in love with him. Grrr.
The second? THAT RING! He even kicked it! They had two opportunities to get it on his finger! Really, is Korea that homophobic? I mean they just made a BL! They could at least not drop that ring. In more ways than one. Like they didn't even need to have it because it's worse this way. It feels like a concerted slap at gay marriage. Anyway. good job actors. Fighting at boys planet. May being in BLs only propel you forward as well as propel acceptance of queerness in Korean and international society.

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I'm just going to have to reimagine the ending, but not for the reasons you think. Any ideas?

1. Yang Hua. Enough said.
But actually, he's like so progressive, but like in a, well duh, kind of way, better yet, he's progressive in such a way that he makes progressive the new standard and anything else antiquated and regressive. And it results in the (obvious) tolerance, love, devotion, forward-thing, accepting, respecting, and intelligent person he is. I mean, he defends and defines the entire concept of feminism while just discussing the topic for one of her cases. (I am going to save his words until the end of time). I mean, he's simply using his unassailable intelligence and logical reasoning to lay out succinctly why the patriarchy exists and why it is created out of man's fear of losing power and control of human capital, i.e. that the patriarchy is stupid, and that women are biologically and societally more valuable than men, and that men are the lucky ones to be allowed around women, and unconsciously adds that he is especially lucky because he's with her. And the female audience is like, wait wut? and plays the scene another twenty times.
2. progressive relationships
2.a. that the woman is the breadwinner and the man is the homemaker.
I find this especially progressive for China, and yes, at the end, they imply that he's become a HUGE name in his field, but what's important is he clearly expressed throughout the show that he didn't need that. That her being the breadwinner was something that he loved about her and respected in her and promoted for her. Uh, I'm fangirling so much right now. That scene where she totally schools the top lawyers at that party where all the men are around the table smoking and drinking whiskey and they try to make her agree with their sexist comments about women belonging in the house and being best kept in the house rather than working... ok so after that, they try to turn it back on her and ask how her husband would feel/feels and he comes up behind her and puts his arms behind her and defends her, saying he's happiest when she is doing this, and happy keeping home so she can do this. We were all like SNAAAAAAP. Gah his character was the best. I have seen that actor in other shows and I thought he was extremely talented in those and I will admit, I came here to see good acting from him again, and while I wasn't blown away, it wasn't by bad acting, it was simply the character he was playing had subtler emotions, but when they came out ooooo, it was nice to see. like when SPOILER=======he asks her for the divorce and his eyes... I could feel his pain so close to my heart. And his reasoning for the divorce, I know some viewers didn't like it, but I thought it was beautiful and it showed such a close understanding of her thoughts and fears and her character. He knew what she was using the marriage to hide from, he understood, from her families context, and how she cared for her family her views on marriage and where her feelings and fears and insecurities stemmed from, and he gave her just what she needed.... and then the plot fell apart. I think I understand why he didn't "choose" between her and Yao Yao, or at least the second time, it felt like he was sad that she didn't understand the depths of his feelings for her and that she could even think that of him. But then, the showing up at the restaurant to pick up Yao Yao. and then at the airport when he saw Yao Yao and her son (omg what a great actor/character) off what he said around, "I've got it, I've got a plan, I'll take it from here" after pretty much tricking her into thinking he went to Australia with him? As other reviews pointed out, it shows a manipulative side that was very not in character. I'd like to think that his plan was just to give her time to reach the decision that allowed her to balance her morals and her career (i.e. not going back to that toxic law firm and staying independent), before she could move on to deal with other things like figuring out her feelings on marriage and if and how she wanted him in her life. So wft, what was with him just moving in across the hall. Him thinking, "Psych, I've decided it's been enough becuase now I'm acting like a stuck-up know-it-all (he was just a plain, carefree know-it-all before) now that he a CEO of one of the biggest organizations in China?" Like did anyone else feel like he was almost conceited?
2.b open/non-standard relationship
When he was talking with the parents he said he was fine with however she wanted him in her life, and given her experience with the marriages around her, family members as well as a divorce lawyer, he explicitly said they didn't need to be married. It's just a label afterall, and if their relationship wasn't pressured into a particular mold or expectation if the word marriage was attached to it, then that was what he wanted for them.
I couldn't tell from the ending what kind of relationship they were going to form, but knowing Chinese censorship, I'm almost positive it didn't end up as an open relationship (though it looks like they wouldn't be living in the same house, which is already one step of the normative relationship ladder).

So back to creating our own ending. How can we make one where he doesn't appear to be manipulative, scheming, or pretentious? How can we make it where she reaches an equilibrium with her ideas around marriage and what she wants in a relationship, and then *she goes out and FINDS HIM?* I don't like that he just moved in across from her. Consent?? Hello? Also, what about waiting for The Character growth you were working on so hard for her to complete? I mean I guess we can as omniscient readers make him omniscient and say, tada! he knows she finally took that step in her career that put her values and justice at the front, but that still showed nothing about her coming to terms with her feelings for him (THIS IS A G-DAMN ROMANCE SHOW) She never said I love you.

Ok, so circling back. Ideal ending: an ending where
1 he stays true to his nature,
2 they have a relationship that is different enough from the norm such that how they define it, whether as marriage or not, allows her to feel comfort and safety, but most importantly one free/unconstricted/unconstrained by the trappings that the word marriage brings to a relationship,
3 it allows for the non-standard gender roles to be played out in whatever way the characters needed, and
4 She reconciles where she wants to stand with her career (the only thing that actually happened) and with him, and then goes out and does something about it herself. Not him, like wtf.

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Good story, great acting, no chemistry, and plot gaps

Idk what the hulabaloo was about. Story was interesting but had its plot gaps. Especially in the end. But, sorry, THERE WAS NO CHEMISTRY. They spent most of the time trying to it make Tin appear like a creep to Tol. Like WE knew Tin wasn’t a creep, but the characters like Tol and co didn’t and we’re rightfully creeped out. There was just never a jump to romance or romantic chemistry. He looked like a creep to Tol and then he looked like less of a creep. And it’s nothing on the plot or acting. The acting was fantastic, the story good, the romance and spark was not. Maybe because of everything else. It was a fantastic time leap show that forgot it was a bl too. I love good stories in BL I hope the greater market sees it and appreciates it. I just selfishly wanted chemistry.

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Good story

Good story. I bet the manga was better because they could fit more in. This understandably seemed squished given the short time frame it has to be portrayed in. Though the kissing and sometimes the acting was really awkward. Especially on the part of Yagii-san. I don't think the actors kissed at all. That's ok with me. I can understand how that must be uncomfortable, and we aren't progressive enough to be at a point where people of the same gender kissing is as normal and comfortable as people of different genders kissing. It just felt... homophobic. Not that the actors or the show itself was homophobic. Ok, since the literal meaning of Homophobic is scared of homosexual people, then yes, both are homophobic. But it feels invalidating to queer people. If you can't fully betray it, then get different actors? Do I feel that this representation is better than nothing? Yes, but does that have to be my standard in 2021? I don't think so.

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okay...?

Could have been better, but based on the reviews I read, it was better than expected, but the acting was so bad at times, and always bad when it came to some characters. I guess I've grown to expect more with the dramas that are coming out "now" but "now" is literally 1-2 years after this was released.
SPOILER: I loved the Mek/Boss story, right up until Boss was like "me too" to Mek's confession and we're all were like HUH? So what was going through your little brain when you were torturing Mek this whole time by "pretending" to be girl crazy?! NO this is just a huge stupid plot gap!!!! This is probably what I'm most mad about, because there was almost any other way that they could have written Boss and Mek's story, and it would have been better or at least made more sense. GODDAMMIT.
So Mek and Boss is the only reason I can give the show an above average score. And Duen's smile.
However, I will give Bon/Bohn credit only in that his actor was probably the best actor besides TING TING. LETS HEAR IT FOR TING TING. I'll put Boss and King right behind them. Like I'd like to see Boss in something else.... with Mek... getting the storyline that actually does them credit. EVERY OTHER ACTOR (even mek half the time. Like why was his voice dubbed?) DESERVES A 1.
No toxic relationships. Bon just has some jealousy issues that hurts everyone, but is just something he should probably go to therapy about. It's so sad when "no toxic relationships or behaviours" is something you have to laud in a show wholly about relationships. C'mon BL. @#$%^&*

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It's rape, sexual assault, and incest my friends, not love.

Why does a story where men love men have to have so much sh*t in it. It couldn't be any sh*ttier honestly. Someone was RAPED and they make it a LOVE STORY. F*CK NO. Queer stories already have so much going against them, so WHY? And every relationship is toxic here. In addition to one relationship based on a rape, one relationship is incest, and the main relationship is abusive. In the main relationship, guy A often kisses guy B without his consent and after he's been told not to. That is sexual assault my friends, and if you're going to say "well, he wouldn't have gotten to kiss B any other way," then YES, GOOD. If the only way some one can kiss you is by doing it against your will, you should probably slap them, and if it continues, press assault charges. And the rest of their relationship is abusive in that guy A gets everything he wants out of guy B through manipulation and threats. It is not ok to break someone's phone to get their number, or any of the many manipulative things he does.
Finally, guy A's actor is Homophobic. I don't know if they knew that when they cast him, but they certainly could figure it out as they put him in ...kissing scenes with another man. And you can tell. His acting at times seems fine, but other times, you feel kind of sick watching him. Almost if you can feel the feelings he's trying to suppress coming out when he's acting...gay.
I'm so disappointed. I want to say something like it could have been better, but not this. The very premise is based on sexual, assault, rape, and incest, do just write a new story please.

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I was really lookingforward to this because Chimon is one of the actors I appreciate most from Thailand. I think his acting was just fine in this, I just feel bad for him. I feel like he had to force himself. I always wonder how much of a choice actors have, or moreso, how much pressure actors face to be in BLsespecially being an actor for GMMTV and being in a counrty where their BLs are world reknowned meaning they're being pushed by the literal government.
Has he been limited to BLs because of he has been side characters in them before? I always worry. I just can't imagine trying to act a sexuality that's not your own. Ok, actually I can all to well given that's what I do every day of my life. It fricked me up. And to have to do that for the world at large? It isn't the same because you can go back to your straight life, but the shadow will always be there. I'm sure stranges on the street will stop them and ask, and they'll always be wondering if that's something the person across from them is judging them for.
Summary: I have never seen a couple with less chemistry in my entire life. but not in a bad acting kind of way (there are all too many of those). It was just two straight guys that couldn't reach that far into their psychy nor escape the world we live in that tells us that gayness is weird and wrong. I 100% can't do it.
Anways, the chemistry was so lacking, awkward, and embarrassing that I can't even watch them attempt anything more intimate. Hence stopping at ep 7. Reading theough peopel's comments and seeing that they had to do the most intimate types of scenes makes me shudder to think of it. And it seems like I wasn't the only one,
And still, Chimon's smirk. CHimon's half smile. We love to see it.

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Perfect depiction of sexual abuse... by the main characters.

Sadly, Rain and Prayu's relationship is based on full-on sexual assault. Rain says no, and Prayu keeps going. Rain says no over and over again. Prayu approaches him over and over again. When someone holds something over your head to make you do something, that is force. When Prayu is in the bathroom and he makes Rain say sweet things to him by threatening him with the others finding out, that’s forcing Rain to do something without his consent. Him running his hands up and down Rain’s body until Rain stops fighting? That is 110% assault. If someone says no, it’s no, if someone holds something over your head until you say yes, that’s still not consent = that’s still a no. If someone runs their hands up and down your body until you stop pushing them away, that is still not consent. Imagine this was your brother. If you’re watching your brother get pinned up against the wall by someone to who he owes money, and they run their hands (and pretty much their mouth) up and down his body while your brother pushes them away, saying no over and over again, would you cheer when your brother gives up? And would you like to see the person manipulating your brother start dating him? Your heart would break for him. I’ve seen friends experience this, and one of them currently has an ex-husband in jail for sexual assault and possession of illegal firearms. And she met him at a drag race (Coincidentally)

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Queer story. From 2015. WITH A HAPPY ENDING

Let me start out by letting you know, I only watched Takuya and Joon Jae's storyline. But this makes it one of the most groundbreaking dramas of its time, and by extension, history. Takuya and Joon Jae's story is beautiful and realistic. It shows what someone in their situation would be feeling without getting too grim, but not reaching the surreality of BL (homophobia doesn't exist). I loved it. The acting was fantastic, and the actors didn't have the holdups that actors seem to today acting in BL. I'm not sure I'd even qualify this as BL. Maybe the forebearer of Korean BL simply by virtue of having a story where two men fall in love, but BL has the purpose of making the audience feel happy and to enjoy a relationship that is outside the standard rigidity of modern-day society. This was just a story among other stories where people explore their sexualities and preferences. And I love it. Oh, and also let me repeat THEY HAVE A HAPPY ENDING!!! Like what? This makes me almost proud of Korea (if I didn't know what the current homophobia people in Korea face today. Actually, that makes this show even more incredible. How did they get this past the Christian hardliners!? And everyone else? Why isn't this lauded on every site and list devoted to BL and queer media?! UGH, the travesty! But it exists! And people have watched it! ANd I have watched it, so all is good now in the world)

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Crazy acting

I liked episode 2 a lot more! Better acting and better executed. Didn't feel rushed like the first episode.
I didn't know they were going to be an anthology. I was so shocked at how fast the first one moved, I was thinking, "there's nowhere to go with this series now," but I'm really enjoying it now and I don't usually like anthologies. (though I have a feeling that the story in episode three will carry out for more than one episode. Maybe for the rest of the series which is an interesting directing choice.)
HOLY SHIA, I HAD NO IDEA IT WAS THE SAME ACTORS!!!! THEY WERE INCREDIBLE. COMPLETELY DIFFERENT CHARACTERS. I AM BLOWN AWAY. INDESCRIBABLY BLOWN AWAY. Mick seemed much older than Top in the first episode (he was literally playing an older character), but I was completely sure Mick was younger in the second episode (as should be the case because the character he was playing was the fresh-faced newbie to the older boss that was Top). (and here I was earlier complaining at the lack of diversity in acting with BL main leads that get used over and over with little variance to their characters. I have been corrected). Coming back 5 minutes later to give accolades to their makeup artists and hairstylists who have also really helped make the actors' transformations.
I liked episode 3, too. I feel like Mick doesn't have a large enough range of expressions to play X very well, but Top!? He has done another huge shift in character and is playing the sultry Namping like they didn't just play a brooding, overbearing, gruff, masculine CEO in the previous episode. It shows such versatility in acting that I want to send him to the grammys. He had also done a complete transformation from Ep 1 to Ep 2 as the free-loving, slightly immature and forthright Sun. I knew I had recognized Mick from somewhere, but I had no clue. NO CLUE, that Sun and Prin were the same actor. Fantastic job.
Aro REP! Surprise Kollawach Banjongleelahong's character in ep 1 says, "I don't want to be with anyone. I'm not interested in love. I can be happy without love. I hope there's a place for someone like me in this world. Sahdu!"
This is 100% Aromanticism

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10/10 acting, 8/10 story, 0/10 ending. This review is just a venting session about the ending

This would have been a 10/10 if not for the ending. What, you couldn't have a man and a man end up together even if he was in the body of a woman and you were implying he was practically turning into a woman? What the hell, you think that just because Kim Byung In couldn't recognize that the love of his life had swapped bodies right away, that Cheoljong wouldn't notice either? Are you now saying that what's on the surface is the only thing that matters? Are you saying that Jang Bong Hwan just goes back to his life? That he doesn't love the King anymore? Or what it wasn't him who loved the king and who the king loved. No one who was transphobic would have cared if you let them stay together or had Jang Bong Hwan remain in the body of the Queen, the transphobes can just convince themselves that biology is all that matters like they do anyways, so Jang Bong Hwan is not a man when he is in the body of the queen. I want to throw my hands up in the air like Jang Bong Hwan/the queen would do. This just goes to show how incredible that actress is. She acted out two completely different personalities, and the processes for those two personalities to mix over time and from two different directions. And back to my tirade, but I know we've already established that the ending is transphobic, or just sad. You took away Cheoljong's love! I don't care what your phobia is, but you have to admit that Cheoljong and Jang Bong Hwan/the queen had the most beautiful love, and you just took it away! (Crying ugly tears like the queen/Jang Bong Hwan. Sorry, distracted. But if you were a gender born not to have certain sexual organs that perform certain functions and all of a sudden you do, (and I know this took a lot of liberties), but this is a highly traumatic experience. Ever heard of gender dysphonia? The kind of gender experience Jang Bong Hwan went through would cause the most stalwart gentleman wish to consider self-harm. Yes self-harm. Come find me if you want to challenge someone who can speak first person to gender dysphonia, to waking up in a body that isn't theirs, that has parts that shouldn't be there. And finding himself pregnant ... I would have liked for them to have had a touch or reality here. You can't make everything better by thinking that at least you'll have power through your child. For heaven's sake, you created the character of Grand Queen Dowager Sunwon. That’s the worst kind of power, the worst kind of consolation. It should have made her even madder. Why didn't she blame/rage at Cheoljong He took control over the last thing that was hers/Jang Bong Hwan's to control. That feeling of having that last part of your body take over?! It is the most invasive, sickening destructive, devastating experiences. I guess if they even touched on this they would have had to touch on abortion and that would have been a no-no I'm sure. Otherwise 10/10 acting. Let me say it again 10/10 ACTING. Shin Hae Sun you're a God/Goddess in whatever gender or role you would like to take. Kim Jung Hyun, you did not disappoint.

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Depressing trend of Thai BL

I don't know if this is the right audience for this, but I feel like there's something colonial about the use of Thai BL to pretty much be almost porn. I wonder at how much agency/options the actors have. I wonder at how much agency/options the producers have. It's just that once Thai BL really started hitting the international markets, it became all about the explicit sex scenes at the expense of the plot and self-respect. I know Thailand can produce incredible BL and incredible television. Some of the best BL of all time come from Thailand, so I don't know why it's taken this trend. Maybe it's because of Thailand's history with sex tourism,that my mind is thinking about this, but sex sells, and exploitation of formerly colonized countries to satisfy the desires of western countries is a time-honored tradition. Please someone tell me I'm crazy. Please someone find me one Thai BL that doesn't have an explicit sex scene in it during the last year. I think I also just need a good cry.

Anyways, the show hypothetically has a plot, and I think the plot could be good if the actors could get it across, but I feel like the actors have to create these 2D characters, one that's prissy and annoying, and one's that so full of himself you want to punch him in the face... and annoying. There's no build-up, they don't establish chemistry (which we know the actors can thanks to love in the air), and then they just get down to it (cough), and my secondhand embarrassment just kills me. But the island is beautiful. I hope this spurs not-sex tourism.

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