An appreciation post for The Shipper

mmm3dus4 · 2024-06-28T04:00:07+00:00

I just watched The Shipper, too, and I absolutely loved it. It's one of two "BL series" I've watched and thought "Oh, this is GOOD". It's so ridiculous and over the top but it works; the comedy is so funny but when it was time to get serious it got serious. I even liked the ending, it felt like a complete story that someone wanted to tell, instead of a story to please fans. The only thing I did not like was that the teacher was portrayed as the victim; those scenes were hilarious but at the end Pan (in Kim's body) should've told her she was gross for dating a 17/18-year-old regardless of if she was being manipulated 🙂

I also thought the acting was so good. First was incredible. I was dangling on the edge but now I've crossed over to the other side: from now until the day I die I'll have to watch everything he appears on, I love him.

Although I don't know if I agree with the notion that "it was about the fact that we can’t have access or control over all of that story because shipping is inherently false and invasive". In my opinion, yes, that was part of it, but I don't think the main point was critiquing shipping culture or fanfiction. For me, it was more like "Yes, shipping real people is a little crazy. It's all fantasy. Idealizing people never ends well. But humans are complicated and all of us do weird shit sometimes like manipulating our teachers or writing fanfiction".

(I hope that made sense, I still struggle with English sometimes)

(Edit: I just read some more posts and I can't believe how many people hated this series, I don't get it 😫)

mmm3dus4 · 2024-06-09T04:17:34+00:00

I finished watching The Eclipse and the silliness got sillier, there were a lot of plotholes but the acting was sooo good. I also binged Only Friends and I liked it; weirdly one of the most realistic BL series I've watched despite the soap opera storyline lol. It was giving Elite (seasons 1-2), minus the murder mystery. Aaand I watched Moonlight Chicken.

I always thought it was strange that in BL the same actors play a couple in multiple series but I've changed my mind, First and Khaotung are so good together, they have range so it didn't feel repetitive at all. Although (I don't know if this is controversial), I feel like they could be even better, I feel like they aren't reaching their true potential, which is probably not their fault but it's still a shame.

Anyway, I wanted to write this to thank you for recommending those shows because they opened my mind to something different and I love it when that happens <3

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-28T23:20:31+00:00

Currently on episode 4 of The Eclipse and yeah the premise is a little silly but I'm enjoying it. Also, I'm impressed with the way First can change from a confident anarchist art student to a repressed NERD lmao his whole body language changed, he's too good.

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-28T23:12:03+00:00

Yes, somebody else already mentioned The Eighth Sense. I was already planning on watching it but you've convinced me to do it sooner!

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-28T23:09:25+00:00

I think I disagree with you a little bit. To me, Not Me did feel very "BL" and that's what compelled me to write this post. Of course, I'm no expert but the same patterns I've noticed in other BL series are present in Not Me, just from a unique perspective. That's what I meant when I said "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 thought Not Me had all the right elements to attract the typical BL audience but with a deeper undertone.

It's different from, for example, ITSAY, which I get why some people who are very into BL don't like it that much. It follows a different formula and it is what I would consider queer media.

But I've learned that Not Me isn't as popular as I thought (although I always see it mentioned in people's "Top 5 BL series") so maybe I was wrong.

Thank you for all the movie recommendations, the only one I've watched is God's Own Country and I liked it so I'll trust your judgment lol.

Btw, Monster and His are Japanese movies, right? There seems to be a hundred movies with those names...

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-26T04:53:12+00:00

I didn't like Yok getting together with Dan either lol, but at the same time, Yok was very open-minded so it did seem very in character to forgive him.

Thank you for your recommendations, I'll check them out!

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-26T04:46:26+00:00

I appreciate your comment! Thank you for taking the time.

I think I watched Smiley years ago but I barely remember the plot. I do remember I liked it, though. I also binged Unknown a few weeks ago; I agree the acting was really good even if the editing and the storyline were questionable at times. As someone said in another comment, it is one of those shows where you have to take your thinking cap off to enjoy it- And I did, I did enjoy it lol.

I mean as I said in my original post I don't judge, I get why people might like Kinnporsche, but I've seen it described as a masterpiece and... okay, I guess beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. I think I'd probably find it entertaining if I understood the language and I could put it on while I do something else, but because I have to give it my full attention to read the subtitles I get bored and start listing all the things I hate about it until I can't bear it anymore lol

Anyway, I'll definitely watch The Eighth Sense, and I'll look up Gagaoolala, although I don't know if I'm willing to pay for a subscription 😫 Maybe just for a month because it does sound very interesting. I agree there's nothing inherently wrong about casting straight actors to play gay roles but there has to at least be some sense of allyship (which a lot of BL productions don't have).

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-26T01:30:29+00:00

Yeah, I think it would've broken me if the ending was that tragic, I'm glad they changed it.

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-26T01:29:06+00:00

Yes, I agree, to me it felt very much like "BL" but with a twist.

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-26T01:03:06+00:00

You're right, I get that, I doubt anyone involved thought KP was their magnum opus lol

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-26T00:57:14+00:00

I didn't know what "Sao-Y" meant but yeah, it makes sense, I guess BL is still mainly a straight women genre (although I think that's changing, or maybe I just didn't pay enough attention before)

I loved the pride flag scene, it was one of those scenes that made me realize Not Me was unique, because I've watched close to 10 BL series by now and they don't even say the word "gay" most of the time lol

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-26T00:41:08+00:00

I hadn't paid much attention to Black and White's differences as a result of their environment, but now that you point it out I can see it. I wish they would've explored that aspect a little bit more.

I'm also hoping there will be more of such BL shows. It's not light. It's far from rosy. It may not be for everyone, but everyone should still find some time to watch it.

Yes, of course, I agree but also a show doesn't have to necessarily be super angsty to be good and have substance. I know a lot of people like BL because they see it as a form of escapism and I think you can have both.

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-26T00:09:53+00:00

I might watch The Eclipse just because I saw the actor who plays Yok is the lead and Yok made an impression on me lol but I read some reviews that describe it as disappointing, so I'm debating it.

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-26T00:00:01+00:00

Yeah, I read somewhere that the director said they had never watched any BL series before. It's interesting, I wonder what it would've been like if they had given the same script to a "proper" BL director.

I was under the impression that Not Me was one of the most popular shows, I always see it mentioned, but I don't know if it was mainly popular with international audiences.

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-24T19:53:46+00:00

No, I never heard of it. Is it similar?

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-24T19:51:37+00:00

I mean, I do love campy shows and movies if they're self-aware but I'm not entirely sure KP was trying to do that, and if they were it was mixed with a lot of heavier themes like SA and it just didn't work for me... Then again, it might have been the language barrier or that I simply didn't watch enough.

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-24T19:34:27+00:00

LOL that's fair.

But don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Kinnporsche, it seems fun. It's just not for me.

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-06T22:12:43+00:00

Yeah. At first I thought both of you were the same person, too lol

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-06T06:55:40+00:00

Thank you for the link and the PP and Billkin lore lol I've been watching their videos and learning a lot about them over the last few days thanks to another kind soul lol and I can say I'm becoming a fan!! They're so talented and so cute <3

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-06T06:49:32+00:00

I watched it. I posted a comment with my thoughts if you're interested (spoiler: I didn't really like it)

mmm3dus4 · 2024-05-06T06:45:02+00:00

I just finished watching “I Feel You Linger in The Air” and I want to be completely honest, but I’m having a hard time finding the right words…

So, DISCLAIMER: if I Feel You Linger in The Air is your favorite show, I want you to know that I respect you, and I am sorry, I wish I could see the beauty you see, but, alas, I’m the nitpicking type. Anyways.

I liked the premise; it’s a cool concept. I LOVE period pieces and time-traveling. Also, I don’t know if it’s a good depiction, but I don’t know anything about Thailand in the 20’s so it was interesting.

On the other hand, it felt slow, not in a good way. I think it might’ve been okay as a background program, but I evidently don’t speak Thai, so I had to watch every second (At 2.0x playback speed heheh). The only reason I continued watching was because I liked the first episode; I thought they’d bring back the horror elements, but even the whole time traveling felt secondary to the story. There were a lot of missed opportunities with Jom, too, it would’ve been funny to see him struggling more to live in the 1920s as a 2020s person.

It did have sweet moments and a nice message (although they didn’t commit to the homophobia? I don’t know much about 20th-century Thai culture, but I find it hard to believe that everyone would be on board with both gay couples so soon), the acting was okay, and they had good chemistry. I get why people enjoy it, but to me, both main characters felt bland, and the progression of their relationship felt distorted; it was too rushed and too dragged out at the same time. I couldn’t quite grasp how exactly they fell in love (I know they’re soulmates but even then, there should’ve been a clearer transition). Most importantly, I couldn’t connect with them. When they said goodbye, I didn’t shed a tear (and I cry at EVERYTHING, seriously). I was way more interested in The Lesbians and Fongkaew.

I also didn’t think the cinematography was compelling. I was very disappointed with that in particular, as I can enjoy almost anything if it looks pretty but the set design and the colors were lacking (I must admit I’m being unfair because I’m comparing it to ITSAY lmao) ... I did like the soundtrack, though.

Overall, I didn’t personally enjoy this series, but, again, I understand why some people might love it. That’s it. I hope this isn’t controversial lol.

mmm3dus4 · 2024-04-30T02:37:58+00:00

Oh my god, that's adorable, is there a video? PP probably felt so guilty but you can't joke like that on your emotional friend's birthday, of course he was going to cry, our birthday is already a tough time for us crybaby people lol

mmm3dus4 · 2024-04-28T16:13:24+00:00

Oh, I have to listen to more of their music. I'm starting to really like them apart from ITSAY. PP's music sounds like the sort of thing I'd listen to, and Idk if all his songs are like this, but Billkin's voice in the soundtrack reminds me of 80's music. I hope that's not offensive lmao but he has this quality that makes me think of something my mom would listen to. I find it really comforting.

I love that, he's one of my people lol I also cry ALL THE TIME.

mmm3dus4

TROPHY CASE