#Utsukushii Kare: Eternal

[zhaolusi]

MY BEAUTIFUL MAN: ETERNAL (2023)

[neuroticbookworm]

Random QL Superlatives: 2024 Edition

This list is gonna contain qls (and a few kdramas) I’ve watched this year, rather than the qls that were released this year.

Best Hosaka: Namgoong Shiwoon, Light On Me

ICYMI, I am obsessed with Hosaka from I Cannot Reach You, for his complete disdain for miscommunication, his incredible radar for bullshittery, and his otherworldly ability to not-so-gentle-parent bl boys into talking to each other. Every BL should have a Hoska. A Hosaka is a crucial part of a healthy BL ecosystem imo. So this year’s Best Hosaka Award goes to.. Namgoong Shiwoon!

Namgoong is kind yet firm in his opinions (and boyyy does he have them in a bushel and a peck), goofy in physicality yet measured with his words, and an all-around stellar friend. He would figure out the exact ways you’re ruining your life before you’ve even had a chance to emerge from the mental rubble, and will meet you with a detailed presentation on how to fix everything. Get a Namgoong for your life and listen to them for the best results!

Favorite Signature Move, Kiyoi tackling Hira, Utsukushii Kare 2 and Utsukushii Kare: Eternal

Kiyoi losing his patience with Hira and tackling him to the ground so he can get in his face and scream to get information out of him was simultaneously hilarious and sad.

Most Ineffective Defense: Sangwoo and His Lil Desk Divider, Semantic Error

I am still laughing at how Sangwoo believed with his entire precious heart that putting up a foot tall, easily removable physical barrier is gonna deter my man Jaeyoung, menace extraordinaire and dedicated Sangwoo-annoyer. Boy, did you even wanna try?

Saddest Sex Scene: At 25:00, In Akasaka

I was already heartbroken when Hayama and Shirasaki tried, failed, and emotionally devastated each other by attempting to “rehearse” for their intimate scene the previous night, but the filming of the actual scene took the pieces of my shattered heart, stomped on it, and then set it on fire. The aborted pinkie touch should be made illegal due to the amount of pain it inflicts on the masses.

Favorite Wholly Unrealistic Teenage Boy, Hasegawa, Oppan

I love this boy with all my heart and soul. What a mature little teenage noodle. The writers must’ve conceived his character by pouring all the good stuff they want to see in a baseball-jock teenage boy into a beaker, and out he emerged, Powerpuff Girls style.

Best Use of Strong-Independent-Women Money: Lee Mi Na’s Collection, Hit The Spot

I adore this woman for many things. Her friendship with Hee Jae. Her standards for men.

But most of all, I adore her for the things she spends her money on.

What an icon.

Best Righteous Anger: Ryunosuke, Tokyo In April Is…

I am always a big fan of characters who are mad for the right reasons and are not afraid to show it. Ryunosuke watched his friend carry this unbearable guilt around for years, and was rightfully mad at Kazuma who he assumed knew what had happened to Ren. And when he realized that Kazuma did not know, Ryunosuke sets his anger aside and tells Kazuma. I am part of the Ren Protection Squad and Ryunosuke is our leader.

The Cameo That Inspired The Loudest Scream: Madea Kentaro in Utsukushii Kare: Eternal

My earnest, precious son Yamato from I Cannot Reach You showing up in the middle of Hira and Kiyoi’s patented messiness? The scream I scrumpt, y’all.

Bestest Best Friend: Joon Pyo, The Eighth Sense

Joon Pyo! He got the fuck out of his own room for the night so his childhood best friend can get some. Ji Hyun better protect and cherish him at all costs.

Most Precious Gift To The World: Fujita-san and Kasuga’s conversation, Tsukuritai Onna to Tabetai Onna Season 2

Asian daughters fighting the intergenerational trauma demon everyday just.. get to have this? To watch whenever we want and draw strength from it? And feel the shoulders of the other daughters (and mothers) also fighting their fight, standing right beside us, fighting, and living, and thriving? What a blessing.

Wisest Wisdom: Pie’s Post-Breakup Advice, The Trainee

Heartbreak is temporary. French Fries are eternal.

The Swooniest Gwenchana: Ji Hyun, Happiness

Did I make up a whole category just because I needed to put his face on this post? Yes.

This year has been, amongst many things, undeniably fun. Tag me in your superlatives lists, and I will see y’all in the next one!

Tagging the peeps: @lurkingshan, @bengiyo, @happypotato48, @wen-kexing-apologist, @starryalpacasstuff

[negrowhat]

what are your top ten fav bl's of all time?

Hey Anon! I had to take some time to think about this. It's hard for me to choose things like this! You're really putting me on the spot lol. Here we go tho...I might cheat a little.

To My Star. Both 1 and 2. I love Seo Joon's and Ji Woo's story. I love their relationship dynamic. I loved how protective they were of each other. Both Ji Woo and Seo Joon are complex characters with layers that you can really bite into and analyze many ways. I know a lot of people were not fans of s2 but that was one series where I truly ate up the angst. Ji Woo is a hard character to understand unless you really take the time to watch the series and focus on his behaviors. You'll never, ever catch me talking bad about TMS.

Gameboys the Series. Both the seasons and the movie. CaiReel have such a modern and relatable love story. I think it being a series about finding relationships in the middle of a global pandemic while we were ALL sharing the same plight really stood out. I felt like I made new friends while watching that series. Also for s1 to be shot completely on an iPhone and for most of the actors to not actually be filming their scenes at the same time, I was BLOWN away by the quality AND chemistry. That series made me SOB and that is also something I consider impressive. If it can make me cry then it's certified gold.

Utsukushii Kare. Both seasons and the movie. This is another series with complex main characters. Hira deals with his general uninterest in damn near everything EXCEPT Kiyoi and photography. And Kiyoi deals with his need for attention even if he generally doesn't like people because they always disappoint him. It's interesting to see how they handle their seemingly unbalanced relationship. Hira is willing to give Kiyoi all the love he requires and not get close (which is normally what Kiyoi wants) and Kiyoi learns that with Hira he wants a real true love and relationship and that's quite a task when the man you love doesn't value himself. It's just interesting seeing the growth between them.

Color Rush S1. I love the way they tackle the soulmates trope, and explore the darker side to the obsession that could happen once you find your perfect match ESPECIALLY when that match can help you see a full picture. Yeon Woo struggles with a myriad of thoughts and fears as he does his best not to get close to Yoo Han even though Yoo Han is serving up himself on a silver platter with tantalizing promises of helping him learn the colors he craves to see. Yeon Woo becomes obsessed, but little does he know that Yoo Han is also obsessed because Yeon Woo also helps Yoo Han see a clearer picture. But maybe that obsession is really just them falling in love and not knowing what to call it.

Moonlight Chicken. Messy and relatable to a person like me who is smack dab in the middle of the age groups involved. This series really showcases how messy romances can be. It shows how hard it can be to close the door to a chapter you thought would end happily. This series shows how hard it can be to move on when a normally open door shuts in your face suddenly and forever. It shows how a chapter that starts off terrible can lead you into the most thrilling moment of your life. It shows that the last chapter you finished might have you TERRIFIED to move on to the next one. Stuck. This was a series I found difficult to dislike any of the characters even if they were being terrible. Emotions were high and reactions were warranted. This was a series where I felt like people were allowed to feel the way they were feeling.

We Best Love. Yes, both seasons. Shu Yi and Shi De had such an up and down ship. Shi De went through such a roundabout way to get close to Shu Yi and I really enjoyed watching them become friends. I enjoyed watching Shu Yi come to realize he was in love. I wanted to beat Shi De up in s2 for ghosting Shu Yi and I was enjoying watching Shu Yi get his lick back, but really he was just looking for answers so he can decide if he was stupid for wanting to forgive Shi De the moment he saw him again. It's another fun and messy series.

Lovely Writer. I LOVE Gene ok. He really made me love the series because he was such a bomb ass character. I also found Nubsib's psycho/stalkerish tendencies quite entertaining because he was so polite about it. I love that the series took stabs at all the things wrong with the BL community while simultaneously having the main character be an actor in one of the most toxic fake BLs I've ever seen. Just meta on top of meta. Satire in the form of a trendy BL within a BL.

History 3: MODC. Salt run aside, I just really loved this series. Can't believe a series about the shy kid falling in love with his bully is a fave. That sentence alone would make it problematic af...not to mention the questionable age gap between the 2nd couple. But it was beautifully constructed. Hao Ting found the best version of himself in Xi Gu and Xi Gu found a brighter side to life with Hao Ting. And they were WAYYYYY into each other and Hao Ting did put in his work to be forgiven. I do my best not to overthink Zhi Gang's age difference from Sun Bo because it's such a norm in Taiwanese BL. It's kind of interesting to see their relationship play out. Zhi Gang definitely has his hangups with the age gap and Sun Bo just doesn't care.

Blueming. Such a laid back series. Si Won is just a sweetheart dealing with self-esteem issues trying to make his presence known in life so he can get the best out of his university experience. And Da Un is just that effortlessly cool guy Si Won strives to be like. He can't even fathom the idea of such a cool guy having a crush on him that he takes the flirting as arrogance lmao. I think it's sweet that Da Un helps uplift Si Won and I think it's sweet that Si On showed Da Un the attention he never got at home.

Ingredients the Series. Just a sweet lil slice of life miniseries. It fills me with joy to watch Tops and Win pine after each other as Win works on his music and Tops works on his cooking and they live together symbiotically. There's not too much to this series. It relies heavily on food and chemistry and that's perfectly perfect for me.

[emotionallychargedtowel]

Utsukushii Kare master post

With Utsukushii Kare: Eternal becoming available on streaming in Japan and rumors of international streaming distribution on the horizon, I thought this might be a good time to do a roundup post of all of my meta writing on the series so far. There's quite a bit of it. Between the complexity of the psychological themes in this series and my capacity for hyperfocus, I ended up with a lot to say.

In case it doesn't go without saying, this post is subject to change as I continue to post on this topic.

The psychological paradoxes of Utsukushii Kare

This is a series of posts (the current plan is to write three installments) about what it says on the tin: paradoxical psychological dynamics in Utsukushii Kare. These are things about the characters that may seem contradictory at first but can be accounted for by digging deeper into some psychological concepts. These posts are focused on the series (both seasons) but will draw from the movie and from the novel and related stories when they illustrate points about the series.

Part 1: Covert grandiosity and finding status through idealization - A pretty deep dive into 1) the subtle ways Hira shows that while his self-image can be highly negative in some ways, in other respects he feels superior to others and 2) how by elevating Kiyoi’s status and humbling himself in comparison, Hira attains a different kind of status.

An addendum of sorts to part 1: Hira's parents and his self-defeating tendencies - Some guesswork about how Hira's parents could have contributed to his self-defeating personality, with some further discussion of specific self-defeating strategies he uses in his relationship with Kiyoi and elsewhere.

Utsukushii Kare through the lens of pursuer-distancer dynamics and related psychological concepts:

The pursuer-distancer dyad & how it applies to the world of BL - a primer on this psychological concept and how it applies to BL generally, with a brief reference to how this concept applies to Utsukare (also touches on Semantic Error and talks in detail about an example from To My Star 2). This one isn't super focused on Utsukushii Kare but is pretty de rigeur for understanding my UK posts on this topic.

Paradoxical roles; or, I think I finally figured out the pursuer-distancer dynamic in Utsukushii Kare - This post comes after some of the posts listed below but I recommend reading it first as this is really where (I think) I cracked the code on this aspect of the story.

Pursuer-distancer roles & attachment style in Utsukushii Kare, Part 1: Hira - In-depth discussion of Hira's role in the pursuer-distancer dyad, his attachment style, and his personality

Pursuer-distancer roles and attachment style in Utsukushii Kare Part 2: Kiyoi - In-depth discussion of Kiyoi's role in the pursuer-distancer dyad, his attachment style, and his personality

Re-evaluating pursuing & distancing in Utsukushii Kare season 1 - super detailed post working out my thoughts about pursuing and distancing in season 1

On the way Sakai Mai (the series' director) uses seme left, uke right framing and its significance in BL and other Japanese media:

Using an example from the s2e1 with the girl who hits on Hira at a party (via a reblog of a gifset from @nanons)

On the way Sakai flips Hira's and Kiyoi's position in the frame in two versions of the same scene and what it tells us about its significance

How the persistent/cute trope plays out in Utsukushii Kare season 2, plus related overanalyses of the big season 2 finale kiss:

The persistent and the cute (how "persistent" and "cute" are code words with specific meanings in BL/yaoi/other drama and manga genres/Japanese culture more broadly)

Analyzing the season 2 finale kiss in light of seme left/uke right framing and the persistent/cute trope (in a reblog of a gif post by @nanons)

Reblogging @bl-bracket to lobby for the season 2 finale kiss, with more overanalysis

Fragrance nerd discussion:

This bittersweet fragrance - on the significance of osmanthus/tea olive in Utsukushii Kare season 2, with additional information on the possible significance of the fragrance of osmanthus and perfumes that are either osmanthus soliflores or feature prominent osmanthus notes

Posts on specific season 2 episodes:

initial thoughts about S2e1

Additional (informal) thoughts on s2e1

S2e1 rundown

Hira's incongruous/misaligned affect at the end of s2e1

S2e2 rundown

on S2e2, including pursuer-distancer dynamics and seme left, uke right

Utsukushii Kare S2E4: “face me straight on” (mostly discussing relationship dynamics pointed out in topic-specific metas)

on Utsukushii Kare: Eternal:

Kiyoi and Anna: on Kiyoi’s friendship with Anna and its significance for his personal growth

[25shadesoffebruary]

I want to be on the same page with you. Kiyoi Sou photo taken by Hira Kazunari.

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Maeda Kentaro as Kiriya Keisuke My Beautiful Man: Eternal (2023)

[t-u-i-t-c]

MAEDA KENTARO as Kiriya Keisuke in Utsukushii Kare: Eternal (2023)

[pinkkop]

Day 58 - 15 Days BL Challenge (part 4)

Day 58 - BL scene that made your imagination go wild

Only three prompts left of the fourth part of this challenge! How time flies when you're having fun!!

I left this prompt pretty open to interpretation and I do like thinking about scenes that blew your mind.

That being said I'm going to narrow this down pretty fast and take it straight into the gutter, below the cut.

So please, proceed with caution (or maybe don't, if you're under 18 🫣)

I'm not great at being horny on main because I feel like it says too much about me and I'm no writer but I'll do my absolute best!

Love in the Air - extended scene of episode 6

Every time I see this scene, in any form, my mind just wanders off, because the order in which things happen is that Rain and Phayu has (some sort of) sex and then an undetermined amount of time later they're in the afterglow with Rain's back to Phayu's front. They then precede, after some brief conversation, to continue having sex, starting from the same position.

You might see where my mind wonders off to when presented with this scene, because what if Phayu never pulled out after they had sex the first time and Rain was basically cock warming Phayu through the whole conversation. Just... 🤯🤯🤯

Just the thought that they couldn't bare to separate after. Rain enjoying the fullness and the feeling of being owned by and being in service of Phayu and Phayu enjoying Rain's submission.

My Beautiful Man: Eternal - Bathtub scene

In this scene Kiyoi asks for Hira to man-handle him and Hira seems a little hesitant but the scene ultimately ends with Hira pushing Kiyoi face first up against the mirror next to the bathtub.

I can't help but imagine Hira giving Kiyoi exactly what he wanted. Hira would be pressing Kiyoi up against the mirror and having his way with him, but you bet that all the way through the prep and penetration Hira is constantly praising Kiyoi.

Talking about how beautiful he is and how well he's doing, how well he's taking Hira. Kiyoi would be forced by Hira to confront the image of himself as Hira sees him in his most vulnerable and laid bare moments and Hira wouldn't let him look away from his own reflection.

Hira would become a slave to Kiyoi's pleasure and make it his mission to serve him. He wouldn't let Kiyoi even lift a finger so Hira would restrain Kiyoi's hands against the mirror but with Hira's single minded focus Kiyoi would have no problem coming untouched.

There are two other mirror scenes in BL that has a similar feeling: Pit Babe ep 9 and Every You Every Me ep 4, and what they have in common is how single-mindedly the "top" is focused on the person right in front of the mirror. Like the eye contact and the worship of the person put on display is so intense, which I think is absolutely intoxicating.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this and that you see my vision! I'll got get myself a glass a much needed water 🥵

If I had any writing skills I might go write these scenes on Ao3 but there's reason why I'm an engineer and not a writer 😅 I'm much better with data than words 😊

The original challenge is here, part two here, part three here, and four here.

[niaoniaos]

UTSUKUSHII KARE SEASON 2 (2023)

[lollipopsub]

Utsukushii Kare the movie: Eternal Teaser trailer [ENG SUB]

The official Utsukushii Kare Twitter just revealed a teaser trailer for the movie!!!

It looks.... absolutely perfect.

[l0ud3rth4nb0mb5]

"Why do you want to say sorry when you're clearly trying your best?"

JDJDJDJDKDD KIYOIIII OH HOW THEYVE GROWN OMGGGGG

[zhaolusi]

MY BEAUTIFUL MAN: ETERNAL (2023)

[nongnoopran]

I finally watched My Beautiful Man - Eternal and OMG ITS SUCH A GREAT MOVIE 😭😭😭 What a perfect ending to this series. Sounds fake but I legit laughed and cried and screamed, the movie was soooo good and I love Hira and Kiyoi sooooo much 🥹🥹🥹 I think I believe in romantic love again…. Am I being dramatic? 😅 yes, but that’s how I feel. Def one of my fav couples and I think…. My fav Japanese BL ever and just one of my favs overall. Anyway…. If you have not watched this movie, you should! And def watch the first 2 seasons before because it provides so much wonderful context and history about these characters and their story. 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[negrowhat]

15 Day BL Challenge 2K24

FULL CHALLENGE HERE

Day 10: Most Emotionally Pleasing Love Scene

Hira and Kiyoi's Bathtub Scene in Utsukushii Kare: Eternal. You could practically FEEL Kiyoi mentally begging Hira to have his way with him. And of course, Hira is clueless and just content to share a hot bath with his most worshipped and treasured person. And then we basically get Kiyoi gently mentioning that he wants to be ravaged more, and though Hira didn't really manhandle Kiyoi the way he requested he did ravage the actor and made him stare at his pretty face during the ravaging. I just loved seeing a softer...hornier side of Kiyoi and I could truly feel his longing and frustration to be held and touched by his own boyfriend. It shows that in some aspects, Kiyoi is at Hira's mercy.

YaiJom's Goodbye Love Scene in I Feel You Linger in the Air. OH MY GAWD THIS SCENE FILLED ME WITH SO MANY FEELS. The passion and the sadness. Yai was so tender as he worshipped Jom's body. He was so fucking sweet and through tears he made gentle love to Jom. The way they cried and held onto each other. Oh my gawd! OH MY GAWD! Also the way they edited them breathing together over their flashback montage??? Heartbreaking. A beautiful, but torturing moment for them both I'm sure.

Kevin and Pluem's Final Love Scene in Ghost Host Ghost House. The way I was highkey WAITING for it. They hadn't seen each other in THREE YEARS, but when they finally reunited it was like no time had passed. But Pluem and Kevin were different people and it showed in the way they acted. Pluem seemed more at ease and more confident and sure of the love they had and Kevin seemed more relieved and happy that Pluem was still the perfect guy he fell for. You could just tell that they had been waiting for this reunification. Also if you look hard enough you can see Kevin's can tab bracelet in some of the shots before Pluem noticed it later.

Honorable mentions to CaiReels first time in Gameboys the Movie and JengPat getting it on in Jeng's restaurant in Step By Step.

[aliceisathome]

OOOH - box set of Utsukushii Kare: Eternal (aka My Beautiful Man: Eternal) is on Amazon.co.jp with a release date of 8th November. And English subs. Plus S2 is up with a release in September.

[25shadesoffebruary]

Kiyoi instantly turning into Hira.