This review may contain spoilers
SO FAR SO BAD
@sarhattiwatti got everything right about this problematic show, so I'll just add a few comments here in response to how I've seen people defend other terrible shows.
1) "You haven't even seen the whole series yet, how can you judge it so soon?"
In a few short episodes, we have already seen unwanted touching, STALKING, and INCEST. There is no way to justify these actions no matter how many more episodes are left. Once a person has committed these acts, there is no taking it back or making it better or okay. They are and should be deal-breakers for any further relationship developing between people. Would you end up dating a stalker because they turned out to be "nice" or "cute" or YOUR BROTHER?
2) "This is just fiction, anything goes. It doesn't mean anything, it's just a fantasy."
Fiction and story-telling have always had real-world consequences. Every culture uses stories to pass on values and spread ideas about what beliefs they hold . The representation shown here regarding male/male relationships are very problematic and those who do not know real people in same-sex relationships can conclude, based on this show, that men can be persuaded to date their own brothers or their straight co-workers if the only tried hard enough. There is so much wrong with this narrative. Lack of positive or accurate representation is a part of why we have racism and homophobia in the real world. This show certainly doesn't help in any of these areas.
3) "This was created by straight women for straight women."
Again this is an issue of REPRESENTATION. Regardless of the creators or target audience, the relationship being portrayed is male/male and therefore is a representation of gay men everywhere. Telling other people's stories without getting anything correct is harmful, and it begs the question if any gay people are involved in the creation of this show, because it doesn't seem like it, and that's a problem in itself. I also highly doubt straight women or anyone want to see incestuous relationships between characters, fictional or otherwise.
4) "It's not incest, they're not related by blood."
Again, @sarhattiwatti already addressed this but I also want to further emphasize this because it's WAY TOO COMMON in BL shows. Whether related by blood or not, IT'S STILL INCEST. They have a scene in the show from back when the brothers were younger and were taking care of each other. That just further establishes that they had a prior FAMILIAL relationship and makes this all the worse. They grew up together, nature has a way of making people not see each other in a sexual way if they grew up in the same household as established through psychological research, so anything that deviates from this is WRONG. Please don't debate me on this because it will make you look bad. Stop trying to justify incest, it's not a good look for anyone... And as for the inability of two men to reproduce, would it be okay for a brother and sister to have sex if they use protection or have their tubes tied??? IT'S. STILL. INCEST. AND. IT'S. STILL. WRONG. (add clap emojis for emphasis)
BL shows have always blurred the lines between realism and fantasy, but this series really takes it too far to a place that creates a problem for the representation of male/male relationships. It has taken cute fantasy into a dark place, and it's a huge step back in the progress of LGBTQ+ representation. Such a shame coming from Taiwan, which is otherwise the leader in Asia regarding these matters. This show either needs to hire some actual gay people, or end entirely for the sake of everyone.
1) "You haven't even seen the whole series yet, how can you judge it so soon?"
In a few short episodes, we have already seen unwanted touching, STALKING, and INCEST. There is no way to justify these actions no matter how many more episodes are left. Once a person has committed these acts, there is no taking it back or making it better or okay. They are and should be deal-breakers for any further relationship developing between people. Would you end up dating a stalker because they turned out to be "nice" or "cute" or YOUR BROTHER?
2) "This is just fiction, anything goes. It doesn't mean anything, it's just a fantasy."
Fiction and story-telling have always had real-world consequences. Every culture uses stories to pass on values and spread ideas about what beliefs they hold . The representation shown here regarding male/male relationships are very problematic and those who do not know real people in same-sex relationships can conclude, based on this show, that men can be persuaded to date their own brothers or their straight co-workers if the only tried hard enough. There is so much wrong with this narrative. Lack of positive or accurate representation is a part of why we have racism and homophobia in the real world. This show certainly doesn't help in any of these areas.
3) "This was created by straight women for straight women."
Again this is an issue of REPRESENTATION. Regardless of the creators or target audience, the relationship being portrayed is male/male and therefore is a representation of gay men everywhere. Telling other people's stories without getting anything correct is harmful, and it begs the question if any gay people are involved in the creation of this show, because it doesn't seem like it, and that's a problem in itself. I also highly doubt straight women or anyone want to see incestuous relationships between characters, fictional or otherwise.
4) "It's not incest, they're not related by blood."
Again, @sarhattiwatti already addressed this but I also want to further emphasize this because it's WAY TOO COMMON in BL shows. Whether related by blood or not, IT'S STILL INCEST. They have a scene in the show from back when the brothers were younger and were taking care of each other. That just further establishes that they had a prior FAMILIAL relationship and makes this all the worse. They grew up together, nature has a way of making people not see each other in a sexual way if they grew up in the same household as established through psychological research, so anything that deviates from this is WRONG. Please don't debate me on this because it will make you look bad. Stop trying to justify incest, it's not a good look for anyone... And as for the inability of two men to reproduce, would it be okay for a brother and sister to have sex if they use protection or have their tubes tied??? IT'S. STILL. INCEST. AND. IT'S. STILL. WRONG. (add clap emojis for emphasis)
BL shows have always blurred the lines between realism and fantasy, but this series really takes it too far to a place that creates a problem for the representation of male/male relationships. It has taken cute fantasy into a dark place, and it's a huge step back in the progress of LGBTQ+ representation. Such a shame coming from Taiwan, which is otherwise the leader in Asia regarding these matters. This show either needs to hire some actual gay people, or end entirely for the sake of everyone.
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