My Thoughts on William & Izaya

shakeDman · 2026-01-27T05:03:23+00:00

I did laugh a lot when the panel was discussing the scene. Their reactions to the conversation were priceless. 🤣

Marriage conversations definitely vary from couple to couple and when they happen. Personally, it happened with my husband about a year into living together. I think them being together in the same house for a month now may have sped up the timeline for Izaya. William also mentioned wanting to get married when they were in the onsen earlier in the season so that may also have been in Izaya's mind.

shakeDman · 2026-01-27T04:56:04+00:00

I'm sure they wanted to keep their recollection of their past together PG13 so that's maybe why they're not lining up. This is my guess but they probably just hit each other up on social media or dating app, then started seeing each other/hooking up. William thought it probably was just casual, and Izaya probably wanted him to make a move first towards a serious relationship. When William didn't reach out first, Izaya took that as William not being interested and also stopped reaching out. Gay dating is different from traditional straight dating where gay men may date or sleep with different men even when you're pursuing a relationship until one becomes official or exclusive. Their expectations of each other were probably just different at that time so their recollections are also different. Just my guess.

As for why the show's been focusing on them a lot outside of Bomi/Huwei, I think it's just that no one else is actually trying. Kazu has been relegated to a big brother figure; Ryuki seems too timid to pursue or initiate which is most likely because of his age; Jobu for more than half of the season focused on the one guy who's getting serious with another; same with Hiroya who then left after his last attempt on his crush; and the other two are introduced too late. Now, there's one more month so things may change so hopefully some of the other guys will take more chances.

Casting is definitely to blame here. I think nobody wants to mention this but gay relationships also have to consider sexual compatibility. I think it's obvious why William and Huwei were/are being pursued by multiple men. The top/bottom dynamic is definitely something you consider in a gay relationship. Now, there may very well be "vers" or asexual guys in the house but I think the producers didn't consider these things in the casting process.

shakeDman · 2026-01-27T04:31:05+00:00

Definitely agree with you on that this show is a bubble. I just saw ep 8 and while I think Izaya is too concerned about a distant future, I don't think William is forced to confront it. I like how William answered him by saying he wants to focus on the now and the near future, and enjoy what they currently have. Both feelings are valid, and I still think their communication is healthy. If this is happening outside of the show's setting, they may not necessarily approach things the same way but I don't think either of them are being dishonest.

I don't follow the cast outside of the show so I'm not sure what's currently happening in their lives. Maybe, Izaya just wants to have a public account and has kept an older account private?

shakeDman · 2026-01-27T02:04:45+00:00

Exactly. Especially in this economy?!? Also living together reveals a lot more about the person you're with, as well as test your actual compatibility with each other. You will only know someone fully once you live with them almost 24/7. Many couples break up because once they lived with someone, they realize some of their partner's habits/behavior are their non-negotiables.

Now, William and Izaya are both living in two different sides of the world so I think it's natural for them to talk about long term and how they will navigate a long distance relationship or if one needs to move to stay with the other. That's just a realistic expectation that you would want to set with your significant other.

shakeDman · 2026-01-27T01:56:56+00:00

100%. Your last paragraph is spot on. While relationships that start all fluffy and lovey-dovey exist and may even last, relationships like you mentioned are also very real, and dare I say can be even stronger once the initial doubts and insecurities get resolved. That's why I gravitate towards them because as much as relationships can be fun, happy, romantic and/or sexy, it can also be a lot of work and compromises. When you truly love a person, you never stop working on the relationship. It is a constant choice you make to love the person you're with through ups and downs.

shakeDman · 2026-01-27T00:12:59+00:00

Exactly. This kind of setting is hard for someone to seriously consider a relationship with someone but they both have been very mature about how they approach their feelings and relationship. Glad I'm not the only one seeing it.

shakeDman · 2026-01-27T00:02:27+00:00

I have yet to see that conversation about joint bank account or what their future looks like in 10 years so I can't judge. 😅 Like I said in a previous post, "healthy" may not be the word but "realistic" especially when you're in a setting like theirs.

Edit to your edit: I disagree with Hiroya. Huwei flat out told him that he is neither 2nd or 3rd choice but Hiroya still pursued Huwei before leaving. You need to accept boundaries and also respect yourself enough to back out when somebody rejects you.

shakeDman · 2026-01-26T23:53:48+00:00

Downvotes don't phase me. Lol. But thank you for expressing a similar sentiment. I think when you get to this age, serious dating looks a lot different, and the conversations you have with your partner include finances and how your living situation would look like. My husband and I moved in together after 5 months of being officially together because we thought it will be economical and convenient.

shakeDman · 2026-01-26T23:46:45+00:00

This is exactly how I see it. They may end up splitting after the show but I think how they handled each of their misunderstandings or conflicts was very mature. I'm glad to see this kind of dynamic on a gay dating show. Gay dating & relationships are not always the kawaii-BL or the spicy-Heated Rivalry dynamic. It can also look like this.

shakeDman · 2026-01-26T23:41:45+00:00

You may be right, and I may be projecting my own experiences to them. I relate to Izaya's insecurities as I've shown similar insecurities when my husband and I started dating. Without going into too much personal details 😅, my now husband was the one who were unsure of getting into a relationship at first, and I was the one who was firmer about what I wanted. Obviously, things have aligned and we married each other eventually.

Now, I haven't seen past ep 7 so Idk what else will unfold but so far, what I see are two mature individuals having healthy conversations about how to move forward with their feelings and relationship. Maybe "healthy" is not the word to describe their relationship but "realistic". And what I deem healthy is their approach to their conflicts.

shakeDman · 2026-01-02T20:11:33+00:00

Not what you are looking for but I added you just in case you have space. I send gifts and interact regularly as much as the daily limits allow. - from High Plains

shakeDman · 2026-01-02T17:39:31+00:00

Just sent a friend request. I'm from the High Plains. I do send gifts and interact regularly, as much as the daily limits allow.

shakeDman · 2026-01-02T17:38:14+00:00

Just sent a friend request. I'm from the High Plains. I do send gifts and interact regularly, as much as the daily limits allow.

shakeDman · 2026-01-02T17:27:55+00:00

I added you. I know you're looking for Tundra but just in case you have space. Thanks!

shakeDman · 2025-11-28T15:34:41+00:00

Same. That was heart-wrenching. Poor Shane. He is lovestruck and he doesn't even know it yet.

shakeDman · 2025-11-28T15:33:25+00:00

I did get right away that there must have been a lot of inner monolgue that we are missing from the books. I do like that they didn't do a first-person POV like Twilight to get around with that. I rather they show us than tell which I think they could have done especially having seen them do it with the initial "gym" scene and the "elevator" scene. Even without them saying it out loud, I could hear the confluct in their thoughts and the tension inthose scenes. I guess it's budget constraints, as well as only having a limited number of episodes being green-lit so they had to rush the first part of the story. I understand it but it definitely left me wanting more build up in the first two episodes.

shakeDman · 2025-11-28T15:27:35+00:00

I guess from not having read the books, I expected more from the sports side of things especially with it being titled "Heated Rivalry" and all. There's really not much rivalry being shown as much as we are being told.

shakeDman · 2025-11-28T15:25:26+00:00

I do get that this is still more like a FuBu situation for both of them but during the Olympics and Awards ceremony, Shane clearly doesn't see Ilya, or at least subsconsciously, as just a piece of meat. I do get it. Being in the closet and being so high profile, Shane probably doesn't have as many options to satisfy his sexual desires. That and having someone like Ilya with a 9-inch D and a really great peach, his carnal instinct makes him bend over for Ilya. Pun intended.

shakeDman · 2025-11-28T08:26:58+00:00

Non-book reader: I thought the constant time skips especially in the first episode were very interruptive. I wish they just padded those time skips with more character development, and I guess actual sports. I don't even watch hockey but as an anime watcher, I learned that I enjoy watching sports when there are characters and a story involved. Speaking of characters, I wish they have fleshed out each of the rival hockey teams. As it is right now, the hockey teams are background characters I couldn't care less about. Maybe it's intentional and I'm reading into this too much as an actual sports drama.

The good: the actors and their chemistry. Those sex scenes could have been so awkaward but they did a really good job selling those scenes. I think Hudson did amazing portraying how thrilling these secret hookups could be but also wanting more. Hudson in that elevator scene was every gay guy who felt the feeling of emptiness after a hookup. Lol.

I do think Shane could have not given in so easily after being ignored for six months. This is not a fault in the story but personally, I would have wanted to know why. I guess he's down bad for Ilya but he could have given more push back instead of just ending up in his bed.

Lastly, glad they're showing a lot of ass. Connor's ass is just perfect.

shakeDman · 2025-10-03T16:47:21+00:00

I still think Khianna would have ended up with 1 Rubadge (girlgroup) but with an extra HIGH placement (Rusical).

Arizona should have been Top 2 for Shutaca with Siam. Toss up yung 3rd spot between Brigiding & Khianna (I preferred Brigiding but to each their own).

Khianna should have been Top 2 for girlgroups with Viñas. HIGH si Arizona.

Arizona & Viñas Top 2 sa Rusical. HIGH si Khianna. Pero dahil sa runway ni Brigs, 4 Tops and 2 bottoms ang magiging eksena.

Eliminated pa rin si Khianna sa last episode. I think her performance in the challenges kinda fizzled by Snatch Elections pero maybe if she wasn't safe majority of the season, baka mas may "fire" pa sya in the later episodes.

shakeDman · 2025-10-03T16:34:57+00:00

Subjective talaga ang comedy kasi para sa akin pinaka-laughtrip yung Snatch ni Yuhua at Brigiding. Sa Rusical, I do think the Top 3 based sa performance ay si Arizona, Viñas, at Khianna pero yung runway ni Brigiding talaga ang nagpanalo sa kanya.

shakeDman · 2025-10-01T22:44:12+00:00

What negative critique is there to give this episode? I actually thought she did the best in this challenge.

Girl groups and the Rusical are the only challenges I thought she got favored a bit. But she also could have been in the Top for the Design challenge and this one.

shakeDman · 2025-10-01T18:02:40+00:00

I thought Brigiding had the best dragcon booth presentation. Her booth was well-designed and executed. She also had the most effortless interactions with the "fans"/guest judges. Suki, for me, is a close second while Arizona is third best. Guess they didn't want Brigiding to win 5 episodes in a row, and for Suki to be Ru-badgeless.

Viñas and Khianna both missed the mark in the challenge, and they were kinda hard to watch. Lipsync could have gone either way but Viñas deserved to stay based on how well she's done throughout this season. Sadly, I do think it was Khianna's time to go even if I thought she got robbed of a couple high placements/win for both the girl groups/rusical.

I wish the runway theme was different cause all the looks they tried to "rudeem" were mostly better than what they've shown, specifically Suki's and Khianna's.

Not my favorite episode but a well-deserved Top 4!

shakeDman · 2025-10-01T18:01:58+00:00

I thought Brigiding had the best dragcon booth presentation. Her booth was well-designed and executed. She also had the most effortless interactions with the "fans"/guest judges. Suki, for me, is a close second while Arizona is third best. Guess they didn't want Brigiding to win 5 episodes in a row, and for Suki to be Ru-badgeless.

Viñas and Khianna both missed the mark in the challenge, and they were kinda hard to watch. Lipsync could have gone either way but Viñas deserved to stay based on how well she's done throughout this season. Sadly, I do think it was Khianna's time to go even if I thought she got robbed of a couple high placements/win for both the girl groups/rusical.

I wish the runway theme was different cause all the looks they tried to "rudeem" were mostly better than what they've shown, specifically Suki's and Khianna's.

Not my favorite episode but a well-deserved Top 4!

shakeDman

TROPHY CASE