Welcome to my second attempt at a weekly blog post, where I give short thoughts on things I’m watching but not recapping.
I’m currently recapping Bad Buddy, Love Between Fairy and Devil, and Silent, so for thoughts on any of those go directly to their pages.
Right now I am Still Watching and enjoying Jitenshaya-san no Takahashi-kun, Koi to Dangan, Between Us and I Will Knock You. You can look at last week for my thoughts on those which haven’t changed.
Summer Strike I am still watching but am impatient and annoyed with most of the characters including one half of the lead couple. Online I see people enjoying it still, but for me it’s no longer something I would recommend. I’ll watch to the end and give my final thoughts here.
One show I didn’t mention last week is:
Shiko Funjatta! – Japan 2022
Currently airing Japanese college-sumo-club drama, 10th and last episode airs this week and I have watched 4 episodes so far.
This show is called Sumo Do, Sumo Don’t on some streaming platforms.
In this show, a slacking young college student is forced to join his college’s sumo club and compete in order to graduate and get a job. The sumo club currently boasts a single, female club member who is zealously devoted to the sport.
I’m minorly knowledgeable about sumo, having seen a few matches and having a father who follows it. I also like the Israel Kamakawiwoʻole song “Tengoku Kara Kaminari” about Hawaiian sumo wrestlers. The show is an interesting deeper glimpse into that world, the training methods, the food, and various things about sumo. The production style feels more cinematic than a lot of Japanese dramas I’ve watched.
The story is cute and the characters are a kind of fun, whacky combination typical of Japanese storytelling. They’ve got enough depth and heart and room for growth to make me anticipate the next episodes. So far this is one I’m enjoying and would recommend.
This week I started:
To Sir, With Love (Pictured) – Thailand 2022
Recently completed drama from Thailand, I’m 2.5 eps into the 17 total.
I think this is what they call a Thai lakorn, though I don’t know enough about the subject to feel confident. It caught my attention because it features a gay main character and his loveline is a prominent part of the story.
The basic story is about a Chinese family in Thailand in the 1930/40s, with a soap opera-like dramatic plot of family intrigue and external world events. Our main male lead is gay, which he absolutely cannot be as the oldest son, in line to take over the business and be the next patriarch of the family.
It starts with the leads as kids and some very dramatic family setup, then it flashes forward to the kids as adults, which reminds me of some Korean weekenders/dailies. I know nothing about 1930s/40s Thailand and it’s a new and interesting world to learn about.
Also, with so many BLs avoiding the societal difficulties that can come with being gay, it’s different to see a show where the central conflict revolves around it. The show has set it up so that the sympathy is entirely on our leads side, and being forced to be this person he really isn’t is depicted as horrible. While his treatment by some people claiming to love him appalls me, there are other characters who are supportive and loving so that the situation doesn’t feel too bleak and upsetting to watch.
Right now this show has my complete attention and I’m loving it. It is a soap-opera type show though, so if you aren’t interested in people yelling, scheming, cartoonish villains and unreasonable parents, it may not be your thing.
This week I Finished:
Can You Hear My Heart – Korea 2022
An older South Korean weekender with 30 episodes total.
Enjoyed this all the way to the end with its unique male lead and side characters that were, for the most part, at least somewhat sympathetic. It’s also not as long as other weekenders I’ve watched and in general, the plot moved even if the business stuff was, as usual, confusing and uninteresting to me. I would recommend it to anyone who likes this kind of thing. For more about it you can see my update from last week.
Ai Long Nhai – Thailand 2022
A currently airing Thai BL drama with 12 episodes total.
They nailed the ending by having just another episode of our lead couple doing things together, including buying shoes. So the show remained comfortingly conflict/plot-less for the entirety of its 12 episode run. I don’t know who to recommend it to, but I really enjoyed it. For more about it you can see my update from last week.
Legend of the Blue Sea – Korea 2016
A 2016 Korean modern fantasy romance with 20 episodes total.
This is a show I watched with my mother as part of a prolonged Lee Min Ho appreciation marathon. He’s definitely handsome but it’s Jun Ji Hyun with her comedic timing that I appreciated most.
The plot is that he’s a con artist, she’s a mermaid. Other stuff happens, but it’s a star vehicle show where showcasing the leads and their chemistry takes precedence over a strong plot. But the characters did have arcs, the side characters were entertaining, and even if 20 episodes is too many and some of the conflicts were a bit cookie-cutter, I found it enjoyable.