Final thoughts

Firstly, how the writers used Shirasaki character did not frustrate but rather confused me. It is established that Shirasaki is an awkward character who is very impulsive and candid about his thoughts and feelings regardless of the social atmosphere. We see this in many instances; one example is how back in college he voiced is objections to script changes regardless of who is in charge. Therefore what confused me is how this same individual did a complete 180 turn and became so hesitant in voicing his feelings openly. At first I summed it up to him being in love and its effects but later on I found that I was just making an excuse for this contradicting characterisation by the writers. If I am to stick to characterisation of Shirasaki in the beginning of the series as well as every other instance in the series that does not include romance, I expect him to just blurt out his feelings unabashed. Him being candid and awkward is his whole personality so could liking someone be that substantial that he becomes a reluctant personality? Yes, he thought that Hayama had long lasting feelings for someone else and yes, he is inexperienced in love but again with his demeanour one would expect him to blurt out something of the effect to, "I think I am starting to like you!", the moment he had an inkling that he liked Hayama. Could it be that JBL writers are so dedicated to the penchant of making characters stubborn, hesitant and frustrating that charactersation is bound to bend to its will?

Secondly, while I understood the reason for Hayama being aloof, I felt that its justification could have been explored a little more. His mother's failing modelling career, if I remember correctly, caused her to become depressed which affected how he was socialised. She told him to smile and not show his teeth and how she placed such great emphasis that he was a pretty face that he internalised that he was a pretty face to everyone and no one cared to see beyond his attractiveness. We see where in his adult life in college and even after becoming a celebrity he was adulated to the point that he became a cynosure. However this had an adverse effect on Hayama as it solidified what his mother ingrained causing him to become an eccedentesiast. Now ,what I would have liked to see is an interaction between his mother and him during high school to see how her words on him just being an attractive face affected him. This is his teenage years, a very critical time in one's development into adulthood where a lot of socailisation takes place so I would have loved to see how his mother's influence further ingrained the belief that he is just a pretty face. I also would have loved to see an in person interaction or phone call between his mother and him during the shooting of the series starring Shirasaki and himself to see how her words still affect him.

This all brings me to my major point which is that Shirasaki's personality being the opposite to Hayama's should have been the push towards Hayama defrosting. This patent antithesis was the reason why Hayama fell for Shirasaki in the first place, and the fact that this was established should have been built on to show how Shirasaki broke down Hayama's walls gradually instead of them just showing these walls shaking in reaction to jealousy, but lo and behold in true Japanese fashion Shirasaki had to become this stubborn and reluctant character right up until the very end.

Anyways, onto some minor points (I am rapping it up I promise lol), I did not like the theme song because I thought it did not fit the atmosphere of the series. However what I did like most about the series is that it was original in story-line in how it intertwined the romantic development of the characters with the characters they were acting as in the series they where filming. I also liked how they explored the effects and experiences of becoming an actor and celebrity through Shirasaki, and the fact that it was not only his first big role but he was also paired with a celebrity provided for a unique perspective of things; especially since right now Net is paired with a new actor due to the split of NetJames (Bed Friend) and his new acting partner has been receiving some unwarranted backlash.

yup that's it lol

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An Amazing series

First of all let me say life will not always be happy but it is the happy moments in it that should be reflected on when we are sad; it is the series, books or movies that make us happy that we should engage with because everyone deserves happiness. If you are struggling please talk to someone. With that said:

Love for Love's Sake 9/10

Wow, what a watching experience. It has been a while since I just laid down and binged a series without interruption. I managed to navigate the game theme without much confusion. I love that when the game started to glitch and the server started to malfunction we the audience got to experience it. At first it seemed as if I was being thrown random fragmented scenes but then I realized I was experiencing the glitch with the characters; it was like being put into the series itself. For lack of a better term, it was the opposite of "dramatic irony"; with dramatic irony the audience is aware of truths that the characters are not but in this case both the audience and the characters were thrown for a loop and conscious of the what was happening. I appreciated how each scene fragment I was thrust into gave a different emotional impact, for example when all of a sudden it was grandma sick in the hospital and Cha Yeon Woon was dead on the floor, this sudden scene was emotionally jarring and thought provoking which kept me on the edge of my seat. The glitch provided a constant switch between happiness and sadness which I believe to be symbolic of the central message which is life won't always be happy there will be sad moments, sometimes when we least expect it, just as how we could not predict whether the next scene the glitch gave us would be sad or not. Whitney Houston once said, "The Greatest love of all is learning to love yourself", and I believe this series is testament to that. Tae Myung Ha knew how to love and care for others but he did not know to accept love and let others care for him because the one person who is supposed to love you unconditionally abandoned him, his mother. Due to this sense of rejection every struggle he and his grandma went through, every breakup, and every sad moment in his life felt like a rejection until it seemed to him that life itself was rejecting him; and to him if life did not want you and even took away the one person who kept him, his grandma, then why live, so he walked out into that sea thinking that maybe somewhere beyond this life there is a place where it does not hurt so much. However the power of love made him want to stay; because every sad moment and rejection could not amount to the feelings of happiness Cha Yeon Woon brought to him; it gave him a reason to live, and he made friends that supported him; so maybe he won't always be happy but now there were people to cheer him up and turn that frown upside down.

Now the romance and affection captured me in every way. I love that we got to see them be a couple, they held hands like breathing and the kisses were not lewd or sexually just purely loving and affectionate and that made them special to me.

I truly enjoyed this series and I am glad I spent the time today and finished it; its not everyday I get to watch a series I think is over a 8 star rating so thank you to the producers, writers, directors and actors who made this beautifully deep series. The acting was amazing, every tear shed by the actors held true emotion and grief which made the scenes palpable. The cinematography was excellent every scene looked clean and aesthetically pleasing which only added to the feeling being poured out on screen because setting gives words and actions a place to live to truly evoke emotions from the audience.

I did not get my "special 10 scene", but this series is an amazing one.

Well done Love For Love's Sake

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Season 1 & 2 Review

It is the first time I have ever watched a series that is so lopsided. One half of the plot was shallow and without any substance while the other was delivered so well. I will discuss the shallow half first.

The romance between the lead couple (James & Ait) was without depth and proper writing. Their entire story just seemed arbitrary. In season 1 how their story started off seemed off. I had given season 1 an 8/10 because I had attributed the poor qualities to the fact it was obvious that they had a very limited budget as production was not the best. However the message was delivered in a very solid way (the good half of the plot). The romance for the second couple (Marco & Bas) that took place in season 2 seemed poorly constructed but there were some good scenes especially in episode 5. The poor writing for one half of the plot and the poor production eventually could not be ignored and blamed on just a limited budget hence why I rated it 5/10 for season 2. This was the bad half now lets talk about how well the message was delivered and it was all thanks to one actor who carried the whole series on his back from beginning to ending; Michael Kiettisak Vatanavitsakul who played Bas. I will be using the spoiler feature from here on because topics such as rape, sexual harassment, sexual abuse, suicidal thoughts, suicidal attempt, depression, manipulation, emotional abuse and abuse of an actor will be discussed, so if you are triggered by any of these you may want to stop reading now.

Do you want to be the bird in the cage or in the sky? - Marco

In season 1 we learn that Bas is forced to drink protein milkshakes and is banned from eating anything else by the production company owner; P'Tee. This is done for him to keep his muscular appearance that fits the stereotypical image of a BL top. Bas and Ait are also forced as actors to sign abusive contracts that holds them hostage and takes away some of their basic human rights such as a right to privacy, a right to freedom, a right to movement, a right against inhumane treatment, etc. The protein milkshakes Bas is forced to consume makes him sick and causes him to perpetually vomit and feel weak. Even though Ait was not abused to the same extent as Bas he was too forced to conform to a certain image by Tee. Ait was made to do plastic surgery because he was told some of his facial features (nose) was a facial defect. The more serious abuse took place between Bas and Tee.

It is revealed that Tee has been raping and sexually abusing and harassing Bas, and he gave himself ample opportunity to do so by restricting the actors to only living with him and setting a curfew. He forced Bas into submission by emotionally manipulating him and holding him hostage emotionally. Bas is from a humble family and he sees himself as the failure in the family as his brother is going to university and is the star brother while he goes in chase of his dream of acting. His father does not waste any opportunity to belittle him and compare him with his brother. Tee uses this against Bas; trapping him as he craves his father's acceptance and approval. When this was revealed I realised that his vomiting was not just because of the milkshakes but because he was suffering from anxiety attacks. There is a scene in season 1 where they go to the beach and Bas just spontaneously runs towards the sea wall and stands on it. That scene struck me because the sea and horizon is often associated with freedom, hope and possibility. Seeing him just stand there staring blankly out at the sea is like watching his freedom before him but like the horizon he can never reach out and touch it.

In season two the writers double down on his torture. He becomes suicidal and attempts to hang himself but luckily he is stopped by Marco just as he jumps off the bed. Now Marco was in love with James (Ait's boyfriend and his best friend) but he eventually falls for Bas; again the love story-lines are not great so that is not my focus here. My focus is how Marco showed Bas that someone cared for him and that his life was worth living and his happiness matters so he should not let his father or Tee withhold his happiness. Furthermore we see how Bas' upbringing is also toxic. There is a scene where his brother tells him that men do not cry, so we see how trapped Bas truly his psychologically; he is being raped, cannot cry out due to intimidation and manipulation; he was dying in silence.

I did not like how they handle his situation by Marco standing by and hiding while filming Tee sexual assault Bas for the purpose of evidence. This irked me. I also hated how James threatened Tee to only take action against him if he continues to rape Bas; that is wrong on many levels.

Another issue was the one of actors' privacy. James and Ait are forced to hide their relationship because of what BL fans will think and fear of their negative reactions.

The message and purpose of this series is to highlight and expose the atrocities of the BL industry that cause the suffering and abuse of actors. It is to protest against the stereotypes that actors must force their bodies to conform to in order to please audiences. It is to call out production companies that have employees taking advantage of actors sexually. It is a rallying cry to all actors who were abused and forced into suicidal tendencies that there is hope, there is a reason to live, their happiness is paramount. It points a heavy finger at fans who lambaste actors for having a private life in which they have a romantic relationship outside of their ship. This series was an ultimate protest against these disgusting realities, and the effects were vividly displayed to cause empathy, sympathy , shame, and anger among fans.

The actor who played Bas did an excellent job. His acting was awesome as you could feel and see every emotion associated with abuse and trauma through his performance. I hope that he gets to act in a proper series with a good production company that has resources because he is too good for a low budget series, but he seems to already be getting this as he stared in PitBabe (North) and This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans (Nubnueng). He deserves a lead role.

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Beautiful Series

I loved this series from the very first episode. Love how intimate they were with each other and that level of familiarity allowed for them to connect on an honest and pure level which allowed them to always be direct with their feelings and this is what I loved most about the series; the simplicity of communication while working through complex emotions. Both characters felt disenchanted in life for different reasons but in each other they found purpose and meaning in life. My special 10 scene came in the finale when Hiro ran home to make Kai stay. That whole confession scene was so real between them. "You've already been shaping my life. Take responsibility properly" - Hiro. When Hiro said this it came from a place of love and genuine need for a second half. It tells you that you cannot live your life away from others because you fear your rainy days will only influence other people's lives negatively; who knows there might be someone who will walk into the rain with an umbrella. Hiro is willing to spend the rest of his life holding that umbrella for Kai as Kai holds him close keeping him warm from the rain. "Perfect Propose" is a fitting name because in the end what could make for a more perfect proposal than someone who loves telling you that they will give you the rest of their lives. Well done Japan; you caught my heart this time.

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Halfway Mark!

Sunset x Vibes - Episode 6

Editing

The editing of this episode made things confusing. I honestly think they added those scenes from their date in the last episode to fill in time. The majority of this episode felt like a filler to me. I do not see how editing this episode to take the story back one day had any significant impact in revealing any of the characters. I think they could have just continued down the timeline. I would have preferred if the party was thrown in celebration of Salin's design winning the competition and then we would be introduced to his dad and see the interaction between his dad and Sun, who would be his boyfriend at that time. It would have also been better if towards the end of that party everyone started getting social media notifications on their phones breaking the news of the alleged plagiarism of the design. This way the plot could have been pushed forward in them investigating things which would have made a healthy episode. This is just my humble suggestion/opinion.

"Because we can" Attitude

I am a bit weary of how this series is starting to progress having watched this episode. In my last review for episode 5 I had expressed how I would be looking forward to see how they would tie in the paranormal element of the series because at that point it seemed disjointed from the rest of the series, and having watched its further introduction in this episode it still seems disjointed. I am starting to fear that this series will fall into the footsteps of "The Sign the series". The major reason why I did not rate The Sign much higher is because they did too much at the same time and neglected the romance in the series. What is happening here is that they are trying to give two series/stories in one. I call it the "Because we can Attitude"; meaning when production companies have a big budget they can sometimes try to do too much because they can. It is obvious that this series has a good enough budget to allow for waste. The cinematography of this series is very aesthetically pleasing and the settings compliment the themes (wealthy, privileged) well so the money is there; it was the same thing for The Sign; CGI was good. When production companies have these size budgets they sometimes do too much and end up accomplishing nothing or cause one part of the story to be neglected or become retarded. I see two series here:

One where a rich boy pursues his own dreams away from his dad and has to battle challenges in the workplace while having a relationship with the president of the company.
Another one where a rich boy helps to run his family's hotel chain has strange dreams that turn into nightmares and manifest into paranormal encounters. He becomes entangled with a rich president of a company through mutual business dealings and the two must face and battle the paranormal together while falling for each other.
I think it is unfair to say that "they are just following the novel" because a series and a novel are woefully different. Sometimes to get the best out of a series you have to bend the original material to fit the making of the series. A series will never be able to achieve what a novel/book can and I think this is echoed by every bibliophile, myself included, when after watching anything adopted from a book/novel they say these customary words, "The book was better." - biased thinking? Maybe so, but my point still stands. I hope they are able to pull off both stories and make them into a cohesive series. I would hate for this series to fall into the "Because we can Attitude". I am a strong believer that the bigger budget does not always make the better series. A budget is intrinsic for the production of a series but it is the script and delivery of said script that captivates audiences. I think KinnPorshe did an excellent job of not allowing their budget to lead them into doing too much.

Halfway mark in a series

On a more positive note, they did satisfy my preference for a solid foundation by the halfway mark of a series. Nothing I hate more than when a BL series is halfway through and there is neither a confession of feelings at the very least or a relationship. This is not a 30+ episode KDrama. What are we doing if halfway through there is not at the very least a confession of feelings/ an acknowledgement of feelings. When this does not happen oftentimes the last few episodes are either rushed or the finale is so packed with couple scenes that it is too much and these scenes are like fresh water - no flavour. I am happy that this series has avoided this because when we have an established couple at this point there is room for them to tackle the conflicts together without additional romantic drama and they are allowed to grow in their relationship and we as the audience get to witness the maturation of their story; and with how much this plot promises they will need the time without added romantic drama.

Second Couple

They did not get much screen time today but I am hoping that will change in the next episode. I would hate for their story to drag throughout only to be rushed near the finale, so I am rooting for them in the next episode.

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Another Good One

I enjoyed this series throughout the beginning to about episode 12. While I did not come to dislike it, my interest started to wane a bit. However I was more than satisfied with how it concluded. The friendship among the group of friends is endearing and genuine. We saw how much they supported and comforted each other no matter what. This is seen especially through Q and Toey's romantic development; even though they were helping Toey they did not leave Q out and make him the enemy even when Q got upset at them; that is true friendship.

The Chain and Pun story-line was most definitely not all it could have been. I felt that some of the air time spent on Phum and Peem could have been reduced to facilitate Chain and Pun's story so as to give it a bit more body. It was hinted that there is a lot more to Pun than his silly personality; during the episodes where they went on the volunteer trip we saw him take charge as the leader of the volunteer programme and saw him step into a different shade of his personality. I would have loved to see more of his and Chain's friendship through flashback to see the developing feelings taking place on Chain's side. The kiss at the end between them was no doubt a game changer in how I thought of their story. No it did not negate my aforementioned thoughts but it did make for a makeup scene for them as a couple so that viewers at least got something to hang on to. It also created the possibility for me to think that, "Hey, these two obviously have some feelings toward each other and they may not have gotten the well needed time to develop as a couple but them diving in at the end is saying it is never too late to act upon feelings that are there and that it is okay because they can explore these feelings later." What is important is that the feelings between the two are strong enough for them to set the scene on fire with that kiss and so I am willing to let my imagination fill in the gaps. I really would have loved to see Pun's point of view on things though. Therefore me regarding their story as a 10 is really me giving that kiss a 10 because they stole the finale with their scene; they got one kiss scene and they delivered, so I can't argue with that especially when they out did some of the other couples' kisses.

Q and Toey's story-line was unique and cute. It was not really my preferred type of story-line and dynamic but even I can admit that their story is special. I loved how they had feelings for each other even before knowing each other's real identity; it provides for the idea of them being fated to fall in love. I did think that their story dragged a bit especially when Q knew that Toey was the boy he was passing messages to. Later on I considered that Q should be given the opportunity to really settle his feelings and come to terms with the revelation and while I think this should be permitted to Q, I still think it could have taken less air time that could have been given to Chain and Pun's story. However I love their interactions after becoming an official couple. Their playfulness may seem really childish but it is their love language which is unique to them; I loved that it showed that even though they had upgraded their relationship to a romantic one, they still remained friends and not just lovers. I still remember their heart melting kiss in the cafe and what better venue for it to take place than where it all began.

I will now be ranting!

Tan and Fan are definitely something; a special couple one might say. It takes great patience and tolerance to endure the sensory torture that is Tan's whole demeanour and voice. He is one of the most irritating characters I have ever had the displeasure of watching. I truly believe that Tan went to bed at night and thought of ways to torture those around him with not just his voice but also his incessant, annoying and repulsive co-dependency on Fang. He is like a parasitic vine and Fang was the unfortunate tree that had to endure the life being squeezed out of him. I am convinced that Fang did something horrible in a past life to warrant having fallen in love with this ever grinning leach of a lover; honestly Fang should buy a leash for Tan and keep him at bay from others; just because he willingly puts up his nauseating behaviour does not mean others should be forced to. Anyways I digress so let me continue the review. Tan and Fang have a very comforting relationship in terms of them finding a home in each other. We see this when Fang was having family woes and he found solace in Tan (as ironic as that is). They loved openly and shamelessly. Their spaghetti kiss will cause blushes on fans cheeks for sure. One issue or rather concern I have about their relationship, which I also have with Phum and Peem's, is the parents situation. Fang never introduced Tan to his family at all and Phum never introduced Peem as his boyfriend to their parents which leaves the uncertainty of why. I would have loved for this to have been delved into. Is it that they fear their parents would not accept them; I would have just loved some mention of it to fill that gap.

Phum and Peem are the couple that were a couple even before they started dating. Their many kisses and tender moments were heart warming to watch. Their relationship has a solid foundation of trust and care that was established prior to them becoming official and I think that serves them well in their relationship. Peem became that safe haven for Phum when he had his family issues and Phum was also there to assist Peem in his daily life. In the episode where Phum and Peem sat on the beach when Phum fought with his dad, we see Peem being a listening ear and a shoulder of comfort and if that was not romantic then I do not know what is. In the finale where they were thanking each other for coming in each other's life, it felt fulfilling to see these two, who started out not liking each other, become such a loving couple.

An issue I had with the finale is how the situation between Phum and his dad was handled. I will try to handle this as swiftly and carefully as possible as father issues can be a very sensitive topic for many. In the Caribbean society there is an abundance of matrifocal households largely due to father absenteeism. I say this to highlight my point that many children have complicated feelings towards their fathers because of abandonment or otherwise. Phum felt abandoned by his father when he was shipped off to a foreign country. He was an alien there and while his father may have had good intentions that does not negate or trivialize the fact that Phum felt abandoned and was entitled to at least a conversation regarding the matter. Seeing Phum "repairing" the relationship with his dad at the dinning table was like watching the hungry feed the satisfied because Phum made everyone at the table feel at peace but himself because forcing filiality and not having an open conversation about his feelings is avoiding the issue. It ultimately seemed to me as if he did it for Peem's sake rather than his own.

Anyways despite all my criticism, which i hope I delivered respectfully, I did enjoy the series while it aired and my 9 star rating reflects that.

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