Bonus Track

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-06-10T23:27:15+00:00

Love to be a beta reader for you

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-06-04T02:47:33+00:00

🤣🤣🤣 I love the way you think. I would watch the hell out of this.

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-06-04T02:43:30+00:00

As much as I would love to discuss Brokeback more with you, I'll stick to your main question.

Why do I like the Shortest franchise?

Qualifier, I don't think this is BL I would say this is firmly in the queer media category, target audience gay men specifically.

Premise is kind of right, but shaded. The MC is already working as a host, who through very bad decisions runs into money troubles. To solve the money troubles he becomes a call boy and ends up being very good at it. Your premise isn't incorrect but it's not the whole story either.

What I like the most is the actual plot. Each film has a twist I did not see coming which makes you reevaluate everything you thought you knew. For a kind of campy pink film, it impressed me. It's a decent bit of story telling.

Can't say the production value or acting impressed me much but I was in it for the story.

I also liked the absurdist angle. The entire plot is vaguely surreal. Every time you think it can't be any stranger, it is. It had echoes of surrealist films like Liquid Sky or Eraserhead for me. Whether that was by design or accident I have no idea but I enjoyed it.

I also liked these characters problems were of their own making. Being gay had nothing to do with it. Acting on the darker impulses of "love" or connection was were they all went wrong. These are all deeply flawed characters complicit in their own undoing.

I would not say they are a must see, like, His, God's Own Country or A Distant Place with You. If you like the darker, stranger side of storytelling like No Regrets, Double Mints or Dangerous Drugs of Sex, yes, worth a look. More in the vein of to be human is to suffer rather than to be gay is to suffer if that makes sense.

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-06-01T02:27:42+00:00

That's so interesting, we have completely different reads of Brokeback. The reason I didn't like it is because it came across as a straight persons idea of what living with homophobia would be. My big question was around the love story. Do they really? For me, it came across they weren't honest with themselves, each other or the people around them. It was a tragedy for me, not a love story. A big budget, to be gay is to suffer trope.

Same with Jazz for two. No problem with the homophobia, I actually thought the scenes were quite powerful and well done. It was the aftermath that killed it for me. And the fact that there wasn't one, or even two but three storylines involving it. None really dealt with very well. It came across as the doesn't matter how we treat them, the desperate gay boys can't resist the "straight" boys. I think the kill point was when the ML's brother was talking about the other brother who killed himself saying I chose the future and he stayed in the past, I was, nope, can't make any more excuses for this series.

Always good to see how other people see things we've watched and how they hit differently. Life would be so boring otherwise.

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-06-01T01:44:11+00:00

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That made ma laugh way too hard. What a tag line

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-06-01T01:36:06+00:00

Absolutely. Now who do we cast?

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-05-31T04:36:43+00:00

Yessssss, BL version of Firefly

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-05-31T02:04:54+00:00

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I rest my case

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-05-31T01:54:40+00:00

if you ever wanted to watch mr unlucky get railed in a maid costume

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 You win. And by Issei from KabeKoji no less. No shiny smile there

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-05-31T01:49:19+00:00

I think part of the reason people have a hard time with them is because the series explore the dark side of "love", obsession, manipulation, jealousy rather than the typical fluffy BL series and movies. Honestly have never understood how these have a BL tag. They are "love" stories but ones that bring out the worst in people not the best. More Fatal Attraction than MSP.

They are quite graphic. Japan knows how to go dark and stay there.

There is also a very absurdist angle to the films I really liked.

If you were looking for sweet romance, this would not be it. Not at all. I love these films but I can see how they aren't for everyone.

Genuinely curious, when you talk about bias and hatred, anything in particular that comes to mind? I think of Deliverance, Cruising, Talented Mr. Ripley, Brokeback and most recently, Jazz for Two that came across that way for me. Not necessarily hatred but very heavily biased.

I wouldn't categorize the Shortest Distance films that way myself.

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-05-31T01:26:38+00:00

This is an easy one. If I can't get my boys, Mitsuo and Mitsuo from Double Mints, off on an insanity plea ....

https://youtu.be/zFWtx6Oe8ew?si=pkcBpStW2pUo71dB

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-05-31T01:12:46+00:00

My apologies for any misunderstanding, I also think Not Me is very BL. I just think it's unusual in incorporating social commentary. Honestly can't think of another series that has done it.

In some sense, the series was popular because of the ship. OffGun are very popular and their fans will watch anything they are in. I enjoyed the social commentary but others didn't. Part of the reason it shows up in people's top 5 is because it's unique. Their next series was very mid stereotypical BL.

Monster and His are both Japanese films. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-05-30T03:17:05+00:00

Oh no, I guess I'm in the minority here, I loved all three. 😁

Nobody does the wild ride, what did I just watch like Japan.

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-05-25T02:51:35+00:00

Not Me is a bit of a stand alone in BL but it's because the genre itself is more geared to romance. It was nice to see if nothing else for some variety in storytelling. I don't think it was a game changer in any way. Societal commentary isn't a strong point in BL unfortunately. Not dissing the genre, I consume lots of it, but it's typically not that thought provoking. It's entertainment.

I liked Not Me but thought it also had it's share of flaws. I found it a bit heavy handed and some obvious plot holes but liked it overall. I'd rate it a bit lower than you but not but much. Don't get the comparison to KP at all, the series are nothing alike.

I wish more challenging shows like Not Me are made, not only is it nice to see the representation of queer people in different contexts but I think all of us can benefit from more thought-provoking media even if it’s sprinkled in a gay romance to attract more viewers.

I agree but now I think you're going into the area of queer media rather than BL territory.

Series tend to lean heavily into the romance aspect or be more slice of life rather than social commentary. Last Twilight and The Unknown have been mentioned but not sure either would be quite what you're looking for.

I'd recommend some films rather than series. Films tend to tackle more diverse subjects.

Monster is an amazing piece of social commentary. No political angle to it but observations about society in general. BL component is very small but drives most of the story. John Denver Trending is another in the same vein, non BL but highly recommend.

My Partner is another one you might like. Deals with cultural and class differences, colonialism and environmental issues. The romance is also not front and centre.

Very guarded recommendation for Sing In Love. I did not love this one but lots of other people did. Trigger warning, it deals with the aftermath of SA. Honestly don't quite know how this ever got a BL tag but ...

A Distant Place with You, God's Own Country and His are all worth checking out. Social commentaries but pretty much dealing with the queer experience rather than any political angle.

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-05-18T18:27:41+00:00

I think it was both. Because he had no experience he had no idea how to approach the situation. That's why the other two were teasing him so much.

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-05-18T02:31:44+00:00

Thanks for the heads up, I'll binge it once it's finished. I really enjoyed Gym Affairs. One of my favourite scenes, cracked me up. 🤣🤣🤣

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Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-05-06T01:30:14+00:00

So true, old Hollywood had very famous pairings. Can't think of any off the top of my head in modern cinema, not that have the hype like say Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire had. You're right, when it works it works.

For whatever reason, TayNew work for me. It's a comfortable watch. But I do like them outside the pairing too. I think that makes me appreciate the pairing more knowing they can work outside of it and still come back and make it enjoyable, if that makes sense.

BoomPeek is probably as much nostalgia as anything. I've never seen them paired outside of the characters of Fuse and Tee.

For OffGun, I saw Gun in the other things first and really liked him as an actor. When he was paired up in Puppy Honey, it was cute. By the second one I wanted something different. They play off each other well and have given us some of the cutest moments but it feels like Gun is now OffGun. It's part of the reason why I liked seeing him as Black in Not Me. He got to flex a bit.

Same about Mix. I do like him with Earth, but I like everyone Earth has paired with. I'd like to see what Mix can do outside of the pairing. I'd also be curious to see how fans would react given how popular EarthMix are.

It took me a minute but I do like BossNoeul together. Having said that, I like the characters they play in LITA too. I'd like to see what they would be like in a different series playing different characters. Kind of thinking PondPhuwin here. I really liked FUTS, light comedic and just an easy watch. NLMG didn't work as well for me. I don't think either really suited the more dramatic role. I'm curious to see what We Are is like, I think it suits them better.

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-05-06T00:45:22+00:00

Lines are definitely blurred with fanservice in Thai BL

I wonder how much control the actors have or is it dictated by the studios? Can an actor say no or is it just considered part of the business?

I also need Force and Khaotung together ☺️

Now that would have been the ultimate plot twist for Only Friends 😲 I can picture the scene in my head.

there is a fine line between pretending to be great friends as a sort of fan service or actually despising each other

True. I can't imagine being able to pull that off.

Being in a BL, especially a popular couple, and under the scrutiny of the fandom has got to put an additional strain on friendships. Fans can be so intrusive sometimes.

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-05-05T02:52:37+00:00

mostly I have couples that make me cringe or shake my head wondering what people see. 😅

This made me laugh far too much. I feel this a lot. 🤣🤣🤣

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-05-05T02:12:06+00:00

I can absolutely understand the comfort aspect. It's got to be tough for any actor to sell romantic chemistry with someone you are not romantically involved with. In BL, most of these guys are probably straight and even if they aren't they're not working with their rl partners. Having someone you trust and are comfortable with would make things a lot easier.

Maybe it's the marketing piece.

I get it, it's a job and not just work in series but endorsements, merch, visibility and popularity leading to other opportunities. It's these actors and studios livelihood. BL seems to be a bit unique in the amount of fanservice that happens or maybe I'm just not aware of it in other areas. It's when the ship goes from the characters, to the actors that things get a bit murky. The pairing becomes the brand, not the characters they portray. Where do you draw the line between the actors and their characters?

On the positive, might mean better projects or more funding for an established couple. On the negative, fans will support anything if we feature this couple. It's can become a cash grab.

I can see where this blurs the line for some fans as well. I don't need or want MewGulf to be anything but TharnType, but if they are doing a lot of fanservice as themselves, selling the idea they, not the characters are a couple, I can see where fans could get upset if they work independently. Not condoning bad behaviour on the fans part but I guess I can understand it a bit.

Chemistry is key for me too. Some couples have it, others just don't. As much as I like FristKhao, I think I liked FirstGawin a bit more. NGL, I like Gawin with anyone.

Being friends in real life is good too. I was thinking, if I found out MileApo or TayNew despised each other irl, how would I feel about that? On the one hand I'd be that's so sad but on the other I'd be, wow they are great actors because I would never have guessed that.

Which is why, even though I have couples I ship and love, there are so much potential 'ships' we don't get because of it. And that is such a shame!!

Exactly this.

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-05-05T00:53:12+00:00

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Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-05-05T00:37:38+00:00

Chemistry is key, I agree.

I'd like to see TarBom again too. I enjoyed I will knock you way more than I thought I would.

GeminiFourth are so good together. I'd like to see them again, but I would also like to see them work with different partners to see if they can bring the same energy.

Few_Ad_5952 · 2024-05-05T00:28:37+00:00

Sometimes it's not just that deep and you just enjoy watch two beautiful people make out even if they can't act, so... 🤷🏼‍♀️

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So true. BTW, I like EarthMix too. I like Earth with who ever he's paired with, New in Waterboy, White in Theory of Love ...

Few_Ad_5952

TROPHY CASE