#i was super interested in this film because of the premise too

[amazingmrcinema007]

I hope David Zaslav and the stooges at Warner Bros. crash head first into a wall painted to look like a convincing road under a tunnel.

[tossawary]

A handful of random thoughts about the "Ultraman: Rising", with some vague, marked spoilers here and there:

I like the fact that they didn't explain kaijus or where Ultraman came from. After so many superhero origin stories where we have to be slowly introduced to the existence of the supernatural, it's refreshing to get dropped in the middle of a "second-gen" (unclear how many generations of Ultramen exist in this universe so far) superhero's story. The movie isn't apologizing for its genre or its premise. It just goes, "Yeah, you know what a superhero is and what a kaiju is, so let's go already. No, we're not even really going to explain how Ultraman's powers work. That's not what this is about!!! It it about our protagonist's daddy issues!!! Keep up!!!"

If I think about the world building, I do have some questions, like who built the protagonist's fancy tech house that's also a superhero base, but it's not too important. I assume his dad built it and then moved out to give his kid space? OR: "Why do the kaijus seem to attack this place specifically?" This movie works mostly because it's like "this is classic superhero stuff and we're just not dwelling on the logistical setup too much"! It leaves you to fill in some blanks on your own or just suspend your disbelief, which works.

The pacing was a little weird in places and the movie does get a little ridiculous in parts, I'm never quite sure of what the capabilities of these characters are, but it's a superhero vs. kaiju animated movie and that's to be expected. I still enjoyed myself well enough.

A few of the character designs didn't super work for me, like the big-headed kid characters. The kaiju baby is maybe a little too cutesy, but she was very cute and I've forgiven them because they didn't shy away from babies being gross. (There is... A LOT of baby kaiju vomitting.)

I did really like some of the other character designs. I liked the protagonist's big nose and pierced ears and bangs falling in front of his sharp face; he looks like such a dirtbag pretty boy. I like the lean in the industry right now towards more stylized and geometric 3D character designs in general, because I think that the shapes are fun and they'll age better this way.

Dirtbag guy to single dad is a winning story formula, huh.

They did a lot of 2D-style effects in this movie that I thought looked fun. I dig that trend in the industry right now as well. Some of the scenes were a little clean, almost bare, in terms of environmental design, but the colors generally looked great. Some of the scenes were really bright and vibrant and pretty.

(Mild vague spoiler?) There's no romance in this movie, which was surprising when they definitely set up a female journalist in the position for a love interest. No, it's a "strangers to friendly acquaintances" relationship for them. The female journalist is also a single mother, which was interesting, because you don't get a whole lot of career-minded single mother love interests in animated movies.

(Unimportant spoiler:) She told the protagonist to his face that she thinks he has daddy issues. Not stated quite like that, of course, but it was pretty funny. She was also right about that.

The emotional focus in this film was instead about the protagonist, Kenji, repairing his relationship with his father and also taking care of the kaiju baby. Kenji's only friend and co-parent for a chunk of the movie is an AI assistant (Mina) his parents made.

(Unimportant spoiler:) Stumped by an issue, Kenji makes a frustrated comment about how maybe he should ask Siri instead. Shortly after, in response to a different statement, the AI assistant Mina makes a passive-aggressive comment about how maybe he should ask Siri instead. I found that pretty funny.

(Mild spoiler:) Ultraman in this universe is a known and popular superhero and has been for decades. At one point, the baby kaiju gets out into the city, and Kenji has to go get her before she gets hurt or hurts someone else, and he publicly tells her to "Come to Daddy." And this is overheard by a bunch of nearby civilians, who gasp loudly. It is quite funny. It doesn't really come up again, but even if that wasn't recorded, you just KNOW that the news and the internet went wild over that revelation. "Ultraman had a baby with Gigantron???!!!"

(Another mild spoiler:) At one point, Kenji asks the female journalist for some parenting advice, and she IMMEDIATELY asks him if he has a secret love child. (No one is quite sure why this baseball star suddenly came back to Japan from the U.S., as they don't know he's Ultraman.) Kenji denies it, but I'm pretty sure that she must still think that he does.

(Continuing:) Kenji's baby kaiju parenting struggles (along with his ego) are fucking up his baseball career, due to stress and lack of sleep and conflicting commitments. We aren't shown a lot of interactions with his team, but I desperately hope that he also asked a couple of his teammates for parenting advice or something, so that his team could also immediately assume that he has a secret love child.

Like, "Yeah, yeah, Kenji Sato's secret love child, we all know about it. The poor kid is really bad at hiding it. We're trying to keep it hidden from journalists for him, but the whole team knows he's a new dad, for sure." (They do not know that Kenji is Ultraman and the baby is a kaiju.)

All in all: this movie was fun! Very silly, but cute! I think that I might try to pick some other "Ultraman" shows or films out of the dozens that exist, and try some of those ones out. The property seems to exist in a similar vein as "Transformers" where Rule of Cool rules world building and canon is whatever the newest iteration wants it to be.

[picturejasper20]

One of the earliest episodes from A New Wish that got my attention was "Fearless" because it explored both Jasmine and Hazel's relationship and their characters.

The episode starts with Hazel telling Cosmo and Wanda how Jasmine is coming to her house after school. Hazel comments that she wants for both of them to watch a horror movie the same way she used to with her brother Anthony. Cosmo and Wanda question this a bit as the movie may be too scary for Jasmine but Hazel says that it would be fine.

Here we see that Hazel is in a way trying to project what she used to do with Anthony to her new friendship with Jasmine. She assumes that Jasmine is going to like watching horror movies without having considered if she likes that first. Note that she is doing unintentionally, she isn't being pushy nor anything but it is worth of pointing it out since it what in part drives the plot of the episode.

So Hazel goes to school and tells Jasmine about the film. Jasmine tells her that she doesn't like horror movies and begins to name a number of things that she is really scared of. She is someone who is a bit of scaredy cat, even being scared of things that would be harmless like cheese. She also adds that her family often makes fun of her for getting scared so easily and it is something that bothers her.

This makes Hazel asking for a wish that makes Jasmine ¨fearless¨, as it takes her main big fears out of her. Hazel does this in a way to ¨help¨ Jasmine but is also so they can watch the horror movie together. When Cosmo and Wanda grant the wish, this seems to work, however, they quickly notice that there is another Jasmine outside the classroom and Hazel goes out to figure out what it is.

It turns out that Jasmine's fears weren't sent anywhere after they got taken out from Jasmine, meaning they came to life and now they are going all around the school causing chaos. This is a interesting twist to the premise of what you would expect from these episodes which usually are about the ¨fearless¨ character acts super reckless without their fear as part of them. In this episode the fears manifest themselves in the real world and Hazel has to find a way to defeat them.

Eventually Hazel realizes that she can only defeat the fears if Jasmine faces them herself. She goes to Jasmine and talks to her about this (without revealing the magic part) and highlights how she was able to speak to Hazel without any problem when they first met or how she doesn't have any issues with singing in public. It is a cool scene because it shows how people can fear different things. While some fears can be more social, others can be related to things that look dangerous like spiders or snakes. Hazel tells Jasmine that she is able to overcome her fears, her family could stop bothering about her. Finally Jasmine goes along with the idea and then a sequence of her facing each of her fear plays.

Suddenly Jasmine gets possesed by ¨fear itself¨ and grows a lot in size. The being provokes Hazel, telling her that she tried making the relationship she has Jasmine the same she has with her brother. ¨Fear¨ says that Hazel is afraid of change and she is scared of trying out new things. This aspect is something that a huge part of Hazel's character, as she deals with how things changed so abruptly in her life and she wants for things to stay the same. She wants to repeat things she used to do because that's what she is comfortable with and she gets anxious when she has to step out from that comfort zone.

Hazel admits that she is scared but she is going to try new things with her new friends from now on. This makes the fear disappear and for Jasmine to return to her normal size back. Jasmine asks Hazel if she still wants to watch scary movies, to which she replies by saying that they should do something they both like, showing that she is trying out new things in a way. The episode ends with the two laughing while leaving the gym.

In all, i think this episode does a good job at showing better how Jasmine is as character and how she has different sides to her. She can be energetic and sociable but she also gets scared of a lot of things easily. Some aspects from her family get revealed as well, which adds more to her character. The episode explores well how Hazel is still struggling with moving to a new city and how she misses her Anthony, something that was established in the first episode ¨Fly¨. In a way she tries to make Jasmine something that she is not in an attempt to repeat what she used to do with her brother.

It is an episode that is quite creative in the execution of its premise and it develops both characters really well, making it one of my favourites episodes from the Season 1 A.

[twistedtummies2]

Top 10 Portrayals of Inspector Lestrade

Having just finished my list of my favorite fictional detectives, I felt it was time to return to my absolute favorite of the bunch: Sherlock Holmes. In the past, I have done lists related to Holmes himself, as well as his friend and colleague, Dr. Watson, and his arch-nemesis, Professor Moriarty. I recently revisited those three countdowns to see if I would change anything, and…at the moment, no, I think they’re still pretty solidly set. HOWEVER, I’ve never gone over any of the other major characters in the Sherlock Holmes universe since those three. I haven’t covered his other allies, or any other noteworthy antagonists he faced. So, I decided it was time to fix that problem. These lists WILL have descriptions, but they’ll be very brief, partially just because I don’t have a TON to say about most of the characters/portrayals involved. We’ll start off with a Top 10 devoted to Scotland Yard’s most competent detective, Inspector Lestrade.

In the books, Lestrade is one of Holmes’ closest compatriots. While the super sleuth frequently interacts with various Scotland Yard officers, Lestrade is the most recurring, and has the most rapport with Sherlock. Their relationship is an…interesting one, to say the least. On the one hand, the two do care about each other, and there is some level of mutual respect under their respective, prickly surfaces. However, the pair bicker constantly, and always seem to be trying to one-up each other. Holmes concedes that Lestrade is probably the best detective at the Yard, but with the caveat that he is “the best of a bad bunch.” Lestrade, meanwhile, often tries to downplay Holmes’ unique skills in favor of boosting his own ego, and is forever frustrated by Sherlock’s antics. At the same time, he recognizes Holmes is very helpful to himself and the force, and for all his faults, he always manages to help the Inspector catch the crooks in the end. Indeed, the main reason Lestrade usually fails is because he ironically tends to jump the gun: he’s someone who fails to look at the big picture, or else notice the smaller details, which is what Holmes is very good at. If he just took his time more, he could probably get to the bottom of things more quickly…but Holmes can do all that in an instant, so it’s a good thing he’s hanging around. Different interpretations throughout adaptations and reimaginings of the Holmes universe have reinterpreted Lestrade in a number of ways (and with no less than two different pronunciations of his name; “Leh-strawed” seems to be the most common, but a couple choose to say “Less-trade”). Some versions of him are more comical and bungling, while some are more serious but still not quite as brilliant as Holmes. Some make the character more bullheaded and easily angered, while others make him more supportive and friendly. Many of the best find some sort of balance between these disparate elements; while he may not get the kudos that Holmes and Watson get, Lestrade is an interesting character in his own right, with a lot of layers writers, actors, and directors can play with. Having said that, here are some I particularly enjoy. So STOP IN THE NAME OF THE LAW! Here are My Top 10 Favorite Portrayals of Inspector Lestrade.

10. Frank Finlay, from A Study in Terror & Murder By Decree.

Finlay played Lestrade, by sheer coincidence, in two completely different films that have the same premise: Sherlock Holmes vs. Jack the Ripper. He looks, sounds, and generally behaves exactly the same in both movies, too. It’s rather uncanny, really.

9. Eddie Marsan, from the Guy Ritchie Films.

In the first film, Lestrade is a major character, and the way they play with his relationship with Sherlock is surprising; it’s just a shame he’s little more than a cameo in the second film.

8. Jeffrey Jones, from Without a Clue.

Arguably the most bumbling version of the character on this list. However, since this movie is an outright comedy, I don’t mind this. (Please keep a certain elephant out of the room; I am only addressing portrayals of the character, not the people who played them.)

7. Peter Madden, from the 60s BBC Series.

In some ways, I think this might be the most book-accurate take on Lestrade, especially in terms of physical appearance. Madden only played the character in the first season of the series; in the second season, actor William Lucas took over. Weirdly enough, Madden did appear in the second season playing a completely different character in one episode. Not really sure why he was recast.

6. Dennis Hoey, from the Universal Films.

Alongside Jones, the most bungling version of Lestrade, frequently used as comic relief. In most of the films - not all, but most - he makes Nigel Bruce’s infamously doofy Watson look like a genius in comparison. He’s a lot of fun, though, and the chemistry between the three performers is great every time.

5. Rupert Graves, from Sherlock.

Arguably the most serious version of Lestrade on the list. I love the sort of normalcy he brings to the crazy world of Holmes and Watson, and the way he’s able to just put up with all the nonsense Sherlock shoves onto him, as well as find ways to rein Holmes in.

4. Archie Duncan, from the 50s TV Series.

This Lestrade is able to be extremely funny without actually being a moron; while he always needs Holmes to help him out, it’s mostly just because he’s impulsive and hotheaded, and therefore doesn’t always think things through or notice the details Sherlock notices. (Just like in the books.) Duncan, like Peter Madden, would weirdly play other characters in the show BESIDES Lestrade, including a villain in one story. Very talented performer who was always good to see in action!

3. The Version from Moriarty the Patriot.

This is probably the most friendly and encouraging version of Lestrade on the list, though he still gets righteously annoyed with both Holmes AND Moriarty in the series. I love his energy and the integrity the character has in the show; like Holmes, he’s willing to bend the rules to see justice done, and will never give up no matter what, which explains why they like each other above all else.

2. Akiko Morison, from Sherlock Holmes in the 22nd Century.

This version is a female descendant of the original inspector, named Beth Lestrade. She actually was more of a standout to me in this show than Watson was! Once again, this version isn’t depicted is an idiot - she’s fiery, strong, and very good at her job, with great instincts. Her problem is that, once again, she doesn’t always pick up on the details or fully understand the situation, which leads to conflict and her need to have Holmes around.

1. Colin Jeavons, from the Granada Series.

The definitive take on Lestrade, just as Jeremy Brett was the definitive take on Holmes, in my opinion. Jeavons plays Lestrade as a slightly pompous and rather sarcastic police officer, but he also seems to be one of the versions of the character who has the best sort of relationship with Sherlock. I love the chemistry between the pair, and how they each seem to sort of admire each other, though neither will ever admit it. At the same time, that competitive rivalry between the two has rarely been showcased better. Altogether marvelous.

[focsle]

Once again I am misled by recommendations and rottentomatoes reviews into thinking horrors are going to be Good…and my toxic trait is I think I have objectively good taste. Watched Barbarian last night. Didn’t like most of it. Spoilers below.

I think when I feel most critical of films is when they’re really good in the beginning and then deflate themselves. I thought the first third of Barbarian was SO creepy. It built the tension so well, I was really invested in learning more about Tess and Keith as characters, and had a really good way of balancing the anxiety of the situation. The premise of the house was super disturbing too. But after the first act everything else was a mistake.

Killing Keith, shifting the perspective to making Insufferable-Heavy-Handed-Parody-of-Toxic-Masculinity-Character AJ a main character who’s introduced 1/3rd the way through, and basically making Tess secondary to him was all a mistake.

Keith was a red herring that worked really well in building the opening tension, but was also clearly a red herring. I think it would’ve been more interesting that as the red herring died away, the horrors of the house being discovered together by Tess and Keith (as the film did a good job at building investment in their dynamic) would’ve been just…more engaging from a character standpoint. I think AJ served a function, but he sucked, and overemphasizing him as a main character was trash. I went from telling Tess not to go in rooms, to not giving a shit at all about the scary basement because I did not care about AJ, I didn’t care if he died, I wasn’t scared for him, and he just had like…..no substance. It’s crazy how the premise that I thought was so scary at the beginning literally meant nothing to me when he was the one in the tunnels.

Suddenly shifting the tone for the last 2/3rds to be a horror comedy also did not work for me. I feel like it was trying to replicate the artistry of Peele and his skill in blending horror and comedy seamlessly, but it didn’t know how to do it well. Peele has an understanding of tone, ramping of tension, and diffusal, as well as creating characters that you care about that like…didn’t exist here.

And I love horror as social commentary. I think horror is at its best when it’s a social commentary. But this film literally spoonfed it to you. The script spelled out every second ‘This Is About Toxic Masculinity And The Hypervigilance Women Have To Have Over Stranger Danger In This Society’ in a way that had no subtlety. It was a big eyeroll. It’s like how I more or less quite enjoyed the 2021 Candyman and thought it did some really great things, but also there were times when a character would just…Look at the camera and Define Gentrification. Or at the end of Block Island Sound where there was an unnecessary voiceover of the main character being like THIS IS THE POINT BTW. I feel like it happens a lot lately. Horror as social commentary works best, I think, when you give the viewers some credit to see your thesis statement without having to spell it out. Or are viewers just dumb? Do most people need things spelled out? Have we just become dumber at following narrative themes? IDK MAN it makes me kind of mad.

Anyway. It was so good and then it was so schlocky and disappointing.

[gothicbarbie]

Top 25 BL Series of 2024

It's that time of year once again, and I will be ranking my favorite BL's from 2024. Nothing I watched this year was God Tier imo sadly, but there were some great series. Overall though I think I was a bit disappointed with 2024 series compared to previous years. Hoping that 2025 is better for me.

Also just a reminder, nothing that started in 2024 but is still airing will be on this list, they will be on the 2025 list. And if a 2024 series is missing from here it means that I haven't checked it out yet, or I tried 1 episode and it didn't grab me. It might show up on a later list.

TOP TIER 10/10

1.Unknown the Series (Taiwan) - Of all the shows I watched this year I think that this one was the one that grabbed me the most. I actually paid to watch episodes so you know how much I was drawn to it! The chemistry with the main two was so good and I loved the plot so much. I am a bit over step brother type stories at this point, but this one was just so well done. The tension and the chemistry was just insane.

2. The Sign (Thailand) - Like with Unknown ^ this series also really grabbed me and had me waiting for eps week to week, especially in the beginning. I became OBSESSED with BillyBabe and rewatched the eps like 3 times after they aired, that's how into the show I was at the start. It did fall off a bit for me at the end, but the premise and production value of the series was just so good. I def. think it's one of Thailand's Top BL series ever! Gimme more BillyBabe PLEASE!

3. Let Free the Curse of Taekwondo (Korea) - Def. my favorite Korean series this year, it was great. There were definitely frustrating moments and episodes but overall I really enjoyed this from start to finish. I just love shows that have tension and angst and drama but also happy endings and the main pairing had a sort of sweetness but also sexiness to them that I just really loved watching.

4. Love in the Big City (Korea) - This series/movie was SO GOOD but I don't really view it as a "BL" in some ways because to me it just felt like a really well done film? I think because it wasn't just about a ship, and it had so many other storylines going on and it was so well rounded. I love that we got to see the story of this man and the different relationships he experienced in his life. The bitter ending sorta left me unsatisfied, (tho I think it was hopeful), and that's why it's not even higher on my list, but everything about this was fantastic.

5. I Hear the Sunspot (Japan) - One of Japan's best series this year imo. It was really great. I really love that we got a deaf character and I also loved the plot and seeing how the main two came together. They had a really subtle sweetness to them that I really enjoyed. It was just a nice (mostly easy) show to watch.

GREAT 9/10

6.Pit Babe (Thailand) - Overall I had some issues with the plot of this, but for the most part it was a very fun and unique series. The main pairing had SO MUCH DAMN CHEMISTRY goodness and their plot was really fun to watch. The side pair was nice too. Babe as a character was just so interesting, I love characters like him that have such a tough exterior until someone can break through. The acting by everyone in this was great and I liked the ABO elements as well. Too bad it sounds like they might remove the element in season 2, but it also wasn't as implied as it should have been, minus a few comments here and there from the characters.

7. Love for Love's Sake (Korea) - Another great series from this year with a super fun plot and cute romance. I wish I had more to say about it but because I binged it SO quickly it's a little tough to remember exactly what it entailed. Definitely one I will need to rewatch soon.

8. Time of Fever (Korean) - This was super short and I binged it so fast but I do remember really loving it. Just wish it was longer. The kiss scenes were great too.

9. Love in the Air Koi (Japan) - Really loved this series, it was such a fun series. A great adaptation of the OG series and a bit more cohesive/concise. I was so pleasantly surprised by the kissing scenes too! Shoma is just so beautiful!

10. Living with Him (Japan) - A very cute series with a sweet plot and nothing too dark or serious. The chemistry between the main two was great.

11. Perfect Propose (Japan) - IMO this was a darker version of the series above lol. I get them a bit mixed up, but this one started off a bit racier and imo had a few more issues. But it was still fun to watch.

Good 8/10

12.Twins the Series (Thailand) - This series was kinda dumb at some points but there is something refreshing about sports BL's sometimes, and I absolutely loved the main pairing in this one. Not sure why but I really enjoyed watching the build up of their story and the overall plot of the show also kept me entertained.

13. Playboyy the Series (Thailand) - This series was MESSY AF. But it was also just a total blast to watch. I was always interested in the plot even if there was so much going on and if some things were dumb/didn't make a lot of sense. It was def. the raciest BL we got this year, and I am def. curious to see what will happen next season.

14. Rebound The Series (Thailand) - Another sports BL. It wasn't super exciting and I skimmed a little bit but overall I enjoyed watching it and I liked the chemistry with the main duo here as well.

15. This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans (Thailand) - This was a fun series to watch, I really shipped the side pairing more than the main pairing and I found the overall plot a bit boring, but it still held my interest.

16. My Love Mix Up (Thailand) - Loved to hear they were adapting this show cuz I liked the OG version. This one didn't hit the spot for me as much but it was still a nice series. And of course loved the main duo. Can never go wrong with GeminiForth in my eyes, their chemistry is just so natural.

17. Takara's No Vidro (Japan) - This was a great little series from Japan. The main pairs chemistry was good and I really liked the progression of their story. Super easy watch.

18. Love is Better the Second Time Around (Japan) - This was actually a great series and prob. should have been higher on my list cuz it was very well done, but I guess I just wasn't as invested in the chemistry of the main couple as other people were, But, I still really enjoyed it.

DECENT 7/10

19. Blue Canvas of Youthful Days (Taiwan) - Nice to see more representation for deaf characters this year! This was another show I enjoyed but I did skim some bits/had some issues. Overall, good series tho.

20. Last Twilight (Thailand) - I know everyone LOVED this series and I can understand why, but for me, it wasn't my favorite. I like JimmySea but dont love them, and I think it started better than it ended. It was just a bit too sad in parts for me but it was a well one series.

21. We Are the Series (Thailand) - Wanted to love this series but I found myself a bit bored with it overall. Of course I loved joongdunk and all the pairs but it was a bit dumb for my taste.

22. 4 Minutes (Thailand) - Another series I wanted to love, but didn't. Probably my own fault for not paying as much attention to it as I should have, I think I missed a lot of what was going on. I found a lot of stuff a bit boring… But the main pairs chemistry was fantastic!

23. Smells Like Green Spirit (Japan) - I loved the premise of this series because we rarely get to see trans/questioning characters on TV like this and I really liked the way they did it for the most part. I had a few issues of course, and overall the series felt a bit wacky at times and there were some yucky moments, but I still thought it was good.

24. Anti Reset (Taiwan) - Very weird premise and I don't usually like silly plots like this one, but I had a good time watching this series. It wasn't anything amazing, but it was fun.

25. Jack and Joker (Thailand) -YinWar are AMAZING and they did a great job in this series. I loved the characters they played and the couples storyline. But as a whole this series bored me a bit, I just don't really care for the mafia type plots on shows. But I think it was a great show.

HONORARY MENTIONS:

These shows missed the top 25 this year and I didn't think they were strong enough to highlight, but I will still rank them because I did enjoy them in parts.

His Man 3 (Korea-Reality) - As a reality series I didn't include this on the list, but it's def. worth the watch. I enjoy this series more than #27 personally. I like all the different dates they have the men go on and how they all mingle with each other etc.

The Boyfriend (Japan-Reality) - So glad Japan sort of did their own version of His Man, but this series fell flat for me. I didn't ship the main couple at all, so that might have been part of it, but I think overall the series was pretty boring. I hated the commentary too. I think the men should go on more dates etc. But, it was a fun show to watch and binge quickly.

Wandee Goodday (Thailand) - Didn't love this one the way other people did. I think the first few eps were interesting but after that it fell really flat for me. I liked the main pair but didn't love them. Overall I just think it could have been better and sexier and the promos made it look way more exciting than it ended up being imo. It was a tad cheesy, actually.

Cosmetic Play Lover (Japan) - Also binged this series quickly so I don't remember all the details. I found the plot a bit boring but I liked the main pairing. Nothing outstanding but enjoyable.

My Stand In (Thailand) - Another sort of weird premise, but I think it worked and I enjoyed watching the plot play out. But overall it was just a bit too toxic for me. I couldn't really get past the abuse, even if the scenes between the main pair were hot.

City boy Log (Korea) - Not exactly a BL and I wasn't super happy with where some of the plots went, but overall I still enjoy the series. The chemistry with the main duo is just TOO GOOD!

Bad Guy My Boss (Thailand) - Super toxic premise but I just had so much fun watching it. I love the main couple and was intrigued to see how they got together. After the first few eps the show started feeling super repetitive and boring and I kinda lost interest, but regardless, I enjoyed skimming through it.

Cherry Magic (Thailand) - Wish I could have loved this series but it just didn't really do it for me. It was okay, and at times I preferred some things to the OG version but it just didn't really have the same charm for me.

Eccentric Romance (Korea/Thai) - These mix series don't really work for me because it just feels forced, but this was a fun little dumb series that I enjoyed lol.

7 Days Before Valentine (Thailand) - Very strange series I thought I was gonna hate but I found myself kinda liking more and more as it went on. Interesting premise and I loved the "main" pairing even though we didn't get a lot of progress for them.

Two worlds (Thailand) - Premise isn't really my thing at all and I skimmed a lot but MAXNAT ARE SO GOOD. I loved their plot and their chemistry.

Love Sea (Thailand) - Loved FortPeat and their chemistry in this but overall I found the plot a little boring. And Peat's character is always such a baby in every series, I'm not a fan of the writing for him.

Cooking Crush (Thailand) - Similar situation here. I like the main duo's chemistry and overall this was a cute series, but cooking shows aren't really my thing. But I still had fun with it.

The Only1 (Taiwan) - This series had good and bad moments for me. I felt overall it was just way too slow. I did like the main pairing and their chemistry but wanted it to move faster.

Night Dream (Korea) - This series was short and I watched it really fast so I don't really remember a lot about it but I think I liked it lol.

+++ Fragile (Korea) - Didn't know where to put this series because its not really BL, but I felt it was worth mentioning because we did get a BL kiss in the final episode and will potentially get a seasons dedicated to the character. I think the series was really fun and worth checking out.

Non-Asian BL series that I enjoyed in 2024:

Rkyter (Norway) - So good and definitely worth checking out! Sadly season 2 didn't deliver so I didn't bother with it but I have hopes we will get more potentially. This isn't technically a BL but the BL ship is good.

Prisma (Italy) - Another great series with a great BL pairing, sadly was cancelled but regardless, still worth checking out.

These series I just didn't love. Maybe I enjoyed the plot, or the ship, but not both. Or I liked it at first, but it kinda lost my interest in the end. Regardless, they were all enjoyable for different reasons and still worth checking out. FYI these are in no particular order:

Happy of the End (Japan) 25 Ji, Akasaka De (Japan) Deep Night (Thailand) Sunset x Vibes (Thailand) Kidnap the Series (Thailand) For Him (Thailand) I Saw You in My Dream (Thailand) OMG Vampire (Thailand) Gray Shelter (Korean) First Note of Love (Taiwan)

Can't say there were any series I HATED but I just found a lot of them boring. I skimmed through most of these series below and don't have a really good opinion on them. But I found a few enjoyable things about them, like the main pairing, or some nice kiss scenes etc. Some of the Korean ones were good, just way too short for me to get invested in. Overall these just weren't my favs that I watched this year and were forgettable to me.

Thailand: Battle of the Writers Memory in the Letter Knock Knock Boys OMG Vampire Only Boo The Trainee Summer Night Series To Be Continued

China: My Intimate Relationship with my Teacher (China)

Taiwan: VIP Only

Vietnam: Vian the Series

Japan: Doku mo Sugireba Koi to Naru My Strawberry Film I Become the Main Role of a BL Drama Sugar Dog Life Sahara Sensei to Toki-kun Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro Ka

Korea: Boys Be Brave Blue Complex Match Play Blossom Campus My Damn Business Seoulblues Blue Boys Bad guy

Older Series that sadly can't make the 2024 list but that I watched in 2024 include: -Oxygen the Series (Didn't love but I liked the pairings) -I Will Knock You (Had some fun bits but felt a bit too platonic for me and toxic in the beginning) -Unforgotten Night (Great first ep imo and then went nowhere. Promo made it look way better than it actually was) -What Zabb Man (Super boring and unforgettable)

FAILURES OF 2024:]

Jazz for Two (Korea) - The one was just a mess. Started with SO MUCH POTENTIAL but starting from ep 3 it went downhill so quickly. It’s not often that Korea gets it wrong imo but this one was so disappointing. The two couples had great chemistry but storyline wise were just so badly done. Both of the “bad boys” in those ships were just straight up abusive and mean? Literally the bully character kicked him in the stomach and face, tried to SA the main character… and both were so homophobic after getting kissed. There were hardly any nice/sweet moments, and the ones that were there felt super rushed. -Addicted Heroin (Thailand) - Just couldn't get into this at all, and I found it really boring and the main duo had zero chemistry. Not to mention it was very platonic feeling imo. -B x J Forever (Filo) - Completely ruined the main pairing and the season 2 plot was such a dud! -Love is like a Cat (Thai) - What were you thinking Mew? This one was just sad (as in bad) and weird lol)

Here's to things hopefully looking up in 2025!

And stay tuned for my top BL pairings from 2024!

Oh, and here are all previous lists since TUMBLR is not saving my tags.

2023: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/737844075622023168/top-30-bls-of-2023

2022: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705139242020618240/my-top-20-bl-series-of-2022

2021: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705227666795741184/my-top-15-bl-series-of-2021

2020: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705674738528354304/my-top-15-bls-of-2020

2019 and earlier: https://gothicbarbie.tumblr.com/post/705678223200174080/my-top-bls-of-2019-and-earlier

[gunsatthaphan]

GMMTV 2024 part 1 - review

another year, another lineup, another post that no one asked for dhkgdf

But here are my thoughts on the announced shows from today (in order of announcement, BLs are marked with a 🏳️‍🌈, personal favorites are marked with a 🌟):

My Precious The Series: This project has been lingering around for 4 years now since it was announced and I'm tired lmao why are they making this into a series now??? I have many questions. I never had any desire to watch the movie, it seems like a generic coming of age drama oozing with unnecessary nostalgia so it's a pass for me. .

Ploy's Yearbook (🌟): I like this one!!!! It's giving I'm Tee Me Too but with a female ensemble cast, all of which are fantastic and also the rest of the cast is very promising and we're in for a lot of new ships - I was hoping Earth and the other 30yr olds would finally be free of the blue shorts but maybe this the last one 🤡 but anyway yes I will definitely be tuning into that one 👍🏻 .

We Are (🏳️‍🌈): I'm just gonna go ahead and assume this is the WabiSabi show because it looks terrible. Like how lazy do you have to be to just throw a bunch of BL side- and 1 mainstream couple into the same show with the most basic plot you can think of like what a joke?? WinnySatang are another side couple in this so either they're getting their actual debut show in part 2 or this has all been a scam lol. I expected a lot more, same goes for AouBoom and MarcPawin, who I was hoping would maybe get a comeback show. Also PondPhuwin going from NLMG to this is.... a choice. Don't wanna judge too fast but the trailer made it seem like no effort went into this at all. Hoping for a better end result. .

The Trainee (🏳️‍🌈): Oh look!!! It's OffGun show number 6 lmao rip. I'm not gonna comment on this matter again, I guess they'll just be around forever and that's that lmao. But anyway I'm a little confused by this show, the premise seems fun but?? I have questions lol. I'm excited to see View and Piploy though and I'll just keep an open mind. .

Only Boo (🏳️‍🌈): How did we go from Only Friends to Only Boo lmao what a downgrade. I wanted an all-newbie BL and I'm excited to finally see some new faces but I guess I fooled myself into anticipating a setting that's not highschool lmao. This is another show that I'm clearly too old for but it's also the MSP of 2024 and that ended up being nicer than expected so maybe this will be the same. We shall see. .

Pluto (🏳️‍🌈 🌟): I'm 😭😭😭 This was such a huge surprise I'm still shook lmao. Namtan and Film is not only a couple I never expected in 432 years lmao but also a very strong combination in terms of acting and I'm SO into it. They're revisiting a plot about a disability which is still something I'm dreading about Last Twilight so I guess it comes down to the director again. Let's hope they do it justice. Also the twin story could be tricky, I'm getting some Not Me vibes plot-wise but regardless the trailer looks super interesting to me, also Ciize and Kapook?? YES please. I'm so hyped for this!!!! 🥺 .

On Sale (🌟): Ghostbusters but make it TayNew? I love it lol this looks so fun, I'm very intrigued. I wasn't a huge fan of New before but he climbed up the ladder with The Warp Effect real fast because he undeniably excels at playing awkward goofy characters and this looks like another chance for him to showcase that lol. Him and Tay have always worked better as a comedic duo for me so I'm actually excited that this will be more of a bromance situation lol. Also Mook and Jan are excellent additions so I will be watching this for sure!! .

Ossan's Love Thailand (🏳️‍🌈, remake): I have very mixed feelings about this, I have not seen the original show but from what I've gathered, this does not seem fitting for EarthMix, also is it really necessary to remake another Japanese BL? But this is coming from someone who's not exactly a JBL connoisseur so I guess I'm biased. It seems that after MLC they became enthusiastic about the idea of casting EM in more mature roles which I endorse very much but aren't the people in the OG literally 40 💀 idk I'm curious to see what they make of it and also if we will ever get to see a trailer because we all know how that went with Cherry Magic lol. oh well. .

My Golden Blood (🏳️‍🌈🌟): Well well well. what do we have here. This is for sure the biggest surprise since Be My Favorite lmao I can't believe Gawin is bringing yet another retired BL actor back from the dead and this time it's supernatural kjdhgd. The vampire genre is something I never thought GMMTV would take on but like?? I'm excited?? I'm so happy to see my boy Gawin in another main role and Joss is such an interesting partner but he fits the genre very well imo lol. Also Neo and Mond?? I'm so ready. Hoping for a release around Halloween next year for obvious reasons lol ✌🏻 .

Kidnap (?): Another show another confusion lmao this looks like Double Savage 2.0 to me, Ohm is caught in another mafia situation but this time not with his brother but with someone who's either a bro or a 💖 bro 💖 lmao but this smells like bromance to me. Ohm would never. And besides that I'm not really intrigued. next. .

Summer Night: This is kinda strange because everything about this seems like a BL but... it's not? the first 30 seconds had me convinced PhuwinDunk were gonna be the new thing on the block lmao but yeah apparently not. If I squint my eyes I would think this is Hidden Agenda 2 but with more girls lol and tbh I expected another JD series but regardless the plot seems a bit generic to me so I'm on the fence about it for now. .

Wandee Goodday (🏳️‍🌈): This looks like the Walmart version of Only Friends tbh but guess what I'm on board lmao. It's AllThis Entertainment's new project which means no Eclipse Season 2 (thank god). Great and Inn are a pair I did not see coming and tbh I did not expect Great to even take on a BL role to begin with but I'm intrigued! The director has been moving on a vast spectrum of different genres lately and this is another one that's completely different from their previous works. But I'm excited. It looks kinky and violent. perfect. .

Highschool Frenemy: All I'm seeing is people beating each other up and calling each other friends afterwards so yeah. not my thing. next. .

My Love Mix-Up (🏳️‍🌈, remake): I'm not a huge fan of this, not just because I didn't like the original but because I was hoping to see GemFourth in a different setting. I'm confident they can do it justice though and deliver a good outcome, especially regarding the comedy, but other than that this isn't going on my watchlist for now. .

conclusion: this was a wild rollercoaster lol, every trailer was a stressful game of Het, Gay or Bromance lmao - The majority of this lineup was not to my liking but then again I appreciated the variety because from puppy love highschool romance to gay vampires is a spectrum you really can't complain about lmao. My 2 highlights for now are Pluto and My Golden Blood simply because they're both a massive surprise that they kept very well hidden lol, I'm also intrigued by Wandee Goodday and Ploy's Yearbook because those have great ensemble casts.

One thing I'm missing from the BL lineup though is a genuine romance, something that's deep and genuine and more mature. What they announced seems fun but for the most part either silly or drowned out by 32 couples at the same time lol. so I really hope we will get something a little more serious that also talks about lgbt issues in part 2; Something like Be My Favorite would be nice, maybe minus the supernatural element.

I did not expect them to announce 15 series already, considering this is only part 1 so who knows what part 2 will bring. I'm expecting FK to make an appearance as well as PerthChimon since they are the only 2 couples that have not shown up, also possibly JoongDunk because I can't imagine they would separate them just yet. Looking forward to December! ✌🏻

Don't hesitate to drop your thoughts below! 🧡

xxx

[yichens]

how last twilight went in my head

It’s soon been a year since Last Twilight started airing and while it did some things right, it also did many things wrong. I’m not only talking about the ending and how it ruined the whole show for me, but also smaller things that I now see more as flaws. Or maybe not flaws per se; they’re rather things that could’ve been done better if some more thought was put into the story as a whole. (Which is ironic to say when I know how many hours they already spent writing the story.) 

You see, I had a lot of expectations for this series. Many of us had, I guess, and it sucks that those expectations were not met. I also acknowledge that I’m partly at fault for my own disappointment; I’m obviously only one person and no person responsible for the series would be able to read my mind and make it 100% like I wanted it to be. But they gave me the pilot trailer, left me with it for over a year before the official trailer came out, and during that time I was holding that pilot like a precious trinket in my hands. I was turning it around and around under the light, watching and studying every glimmer and reflection with wonder. I thought I knew what they were trying to tell me. I thought I understood. 

Then the series came out and it strayed far from what I’d imagined it would be. Once again, not completely their fault, and I was watching the show with an open mind – I wanted to like it, however it was. But the closer to the end we got, the more I noticed that I was starting to bend my mind backwards to explain some things for myself. I started making excuses for them. And then at some point, I realized I didn’t have to do that. They shouldn’t require me to do that just to have me like what they'd created. 

So I eventually accepted that Last Twilight just wasn’t for me and that I was disappointed in it. Not only did the ending land far from where I wanted it to go, but so did other things. The flaws started bothering me more. I grew a little more bitter after each day spent thinking about this show. It had become something unrecognizable, and so I had to make it right. I had to paint the picture that will never be forgotten again.

These are my thoughts on what I thought the show would be like, how the characters would be, how the relationships would develop, and where the show would end. All of this is based on the pilot trailer and many details remain vague because of that; some thing I only came up with while writing all this. I don't have a full story in my head, only bits and pieces I thought would be part of it one day.

(Most of this rant is directed towards the lovely Monica @stormyoceans and Mimi @dimpledpran, as well as maybe Leo @idaokiwatine. Otherwise, I don’t know if anyone is interested in this, but this has been stuck in my head for too long and I needed to find some relief.) 

(placing the rest of this under the cut bc it got super long)

Mork’s life – past and present

The pilot trailer introduces Mork (not Mhok btw, I refuse to change my mind about that) and his side of the story very briefly. That is expected from a 4 minutes long pilot trailer that’s main point is to rouse the viewers’ curiosity and only introduce the story as it was during the time of filming that pilot. Despite the briefness, we still get the essentials: Mork is harsh spoken, a bit crude, playful, aloof, and quite melancholic at times. We learn he works as a mechanic, is friends with Porjai (not named yet in the pilot), and most importantly, has a debt he has to pay off. 

They left that debt out once the show came out, and its absence made me frown. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against the change. I like the alternative story line with Rung and how her passing has left Mork deeply scarred. I love the symbolism of Rung’s car which Mork is unable to sell because as much as he is bitter about his sister’s decision to end her life, he cannot cut her and her memory out of his own life. It’s a good premise, yet the show doesn’t really explore it enough to make it stick, so I both love it and mourn it.  

Anyway, when the pilot trailer introduced the debt plot to us, I got attached to that thought. That’s probably the most accurate way to put it, to talk about any of these thoughts I will introduce here. I am attached to my own delusions of this show. So let’s continue observing them:

Mentioning Mork's debt made me assume that it was a core element of Mork’s character and his motives in the story. It would be the starting point of his journey, and I was excitedly waiting for them to tell me more in the series. What kind of debt is it? How large? Where does it originate from? Who does Mork owe money to? How does that debt affect his life? How long has that debt affected his life?

And while I was waiting for the answers, I started coming up with answers of my own:

Mork is left with his family’s debt, not his own. He's an only child who carries his parents’ debt after their unfortunate passing (accidental or organized? Irrelevant for me during that time). That debt will stand in front of Mork’s future, holding him back. It’s like a weight he cannot get rid of even if he tries, its pressure stopping him from running forward. If I have to make comparisons, I thought Mork’s story would be a bit like Jack’s in Jack & Joker; he cannot start a new life before he’s settled his debt. 

These thoughts were backed by Porjai who in the pilot tells Mork to pay off his debt; to think about his future again. Ths switch seemed important somehow. Porjai doesn’t want Mork to continue living like this, always owing money to someone and struggling to survive. Things need to change for him. He needs to find something else than work, avoiding his debtors, paying off his debt, fearing for himself, and not caring about his future. There needs to be another path he can take, a better road for him to walk upon.

And then, Mork meets Day. 

How would that happen? I don’t have a clear answer to this but based on what was shown and said in the pilot trailer, I somehow assumed it would happen through Porjai (which it still kind of does, but it’s more accidental in the series). The pilot trailer introduces Porjai as the person who comes up with new things for Mork to do, jobs that would pay better. This made me assume that following her ideas would eventually lead Mork to Day.

As a side note, I find it really interesting what Porjai's ideas for a better job are. When talking about quick, easy money, her offer is “dining with rich clients”. Not something you’d expect her to offer to a mechanic like Mork, right? It's nothing like what she offers to Mork in the series now. Getting Mork a random gig as an AC repairman makes a little more sense than this, though this offer also makes Porjai a completely different character. 

The offer really left me thinking, okay. Mork doesn't accept it, of course, and I understand why it’s not something Mork would do based on how we see him, but why does Porjai suggest something like it? What exactly is Porjai thinking Mork should work wth? What does “dining with rich clients” actually mean? Because for me, that sounds hell a lot like she is suggesting Mork become an escort/host (at a host club???), and so that was a thought I started linking to her. 

Porjai is the one talking to rich clients every day. She works as an escort/hostess somewhere and they pay good money for it. She knows it’s an easy job once you get into it and Mork could pay off his debt that way, maybe, if he was able to take the pressure. But he wouldn't, and so they find something else.   

But what exactly leads Mork to ring the doorbell at Day’s house? I don’t think Porjai would have a straight connection to Day, but she could know Night.  

In the series we now know, they introduce Night as a bar owner. Maybe Porjai ends up visiting Night’s bar a lot because her clients like to go there? Maybe she knows this bar owner/bartender and sometimes they talk after she’s done with her clients. She and Night are casually acquainted, not too close but on good terms, comfortable. 

And then, during one of these casual talks, Night lets it slip that his brother is going blind and looking for a caretaker. (Maybe he whines about how difficult Day is being about it. Porjai is a good listener, and it’s easy to talk to her, I guess. It must be rough for Night, trying to handle it all.) 

Porjai answers that she knows just the man for the job. Night decides to give it a shot. 

Cue Mork’s interview for a job he’s in no way qualified for, yet he goes anyway because like the pilot says, “he has no option”. It doesn’t sound too hard, taking care of someone. But things are made a bit more difficult by Day, and so the interview scene ensues as it does: Mork reads to Day again, and despite acting like an ass in front of this rich brat that could be his future boss, Mork gets the job. Suddenly, his life is turning around. He’s on his way to paying off his debt and becoming free. 

Mork needs to start thinking about his future. It’s scary because he never had the chance for that before, never got the choice. His parents were gone and he was tied to his debt before he had the opportunity to really dream. So, what does he want to do? Where does he want to go? 

Will he stay around or will he leave all of this behind?

Of course, I assumed that Mork’s plan would be to get enough money to pay off his debt and then quit his job as a caretaker, no strings attached. But Day turns out to be different. Day turns out to be someone who Mork wouldn’t mind staying for.  Day is more than just the money Mork gets paid, and he needs to come into terms with that, with wanting something for himself.    

Day's side: His family and Mork

It will probably sound funny when I say this but back when the pilot trailer was all I had, I never really gave much thought to why Day is going blind. I know they mention an accident happening, but I thought it was just that – an accident. Something in the past. Something irreversible. Something that cannot be taken back or “fixed”, and now Day just needs to learn how to live with his new reality and move on. (No cornea transplants... I never really saw this coming when the show started. Imagine my shock when they started talking about it.)

What surprised me about the show was also the time that has passed since Day’s accident and since his vision started getting worse, and before he and Mork meet. The pilot left me thinking that Day’s vision was like that ever since the accident; that it was down to 40% (20% in the series) until they later realize that it’s getting even worse. I thought Day was still fumbling to understand his condition, to figure out how to live like this. I thought he had only recovered and spent a short time visually impaired before Mork comes into the picture, and that all these things were as new to him as Mork who has never done this kind of job before. I thought that was going to be part of their dynamic; this sense of newness and slowly learning about things together. About solving problems, finding answers, and adapting.

But well, details. Let’s move on from that.   

Day is mostly introduced to us through Mork’s eyes as he infiltrates Day’s world after accepting his job. We first see the insufferable rich brat, the guy who has it all but now has somewhat less. The guy who is still grieving what he lost with his vision, yet is fiercely trying to claim it all back. He fights for his right for independence by being a stubborn mule who refuses to accept any help. He’s obnoxious, and whiny, and demanding, and a bit snobbish. He is both determined to beat his disability and so close to crumbling under the weight of his own changed reality. 

Mork challenges Day in all the ways Day needs in this moment. At least this aspect of their dynamic remains in the series too, this ability Mork has to keep Day from slipping further into despair. Mork is not afraid to act like a dick to Day who is more than delighted by his boldness. He doesn’t like people treating him like glass, so Mork’s harshness and playfulness is refreshing. It reminds Day of how things used to be; of how he used to be. He even starts accepting Mork’s help after Mork drills it into Day’s skull that it doesn’t make him any weaker. They build their relationship upon mutual understanding, but I'll return to all that a bit later.  

Let’s focus on Night instead and how he fits into all of this. After the pilot trailer, I never imagined that Night would somehow be the reason for Day’s accident – I never even thought he would play such a huge part in Day’s story, though I did think he would play a part in it. 

My first thought about Night was that he was going to act as their mother’s eyes and ears in the house. (I didn’t know what to expect from Night’s character back then, so I just thought there would be a reason for him to stay in the house all day.) He inserts himself into every MorkDay interaction, is present, watches, and studies them. Then he relays what he’s seen to their mother, letting her evaluate Mork’s fitness for the job and how his progress is. I thought this would be a more prevalent aspect of everything, this ever present sense of being watched and judged by an outsider.

This position would've also allowed Night to be the first one to notice when MorkDay’s relationship starts changing. It's difficult for them at first, and maybe Night decides to help Mork out a little. He cares for his brother, after all. He tells Mork privately why Day chose him as his caretaker. He sees something in Mork and decides to help him out. He takes upon the role we see Master Aon carrying in the series now, working as the bridge between Mork’s world of ignorance and Day’s world of newly found obstacles. 

The closeness this springs between the two obviously isn’t part of their mother’s plan. Khun Mhon/Ramon wants Mork to be a caretaker, a professional Day could rely on. She pays Mork for that. The pilot version of feels very different from the her we see in the series, yet she is equally protective of her son.  

This protectiveness causes her to be a meddler, and we witness her questioning what kind of relationship Mork is building with Day once it starts feeling like it's different from what she expected. She’s heard about it from Night (who already questions Mork’s feelings, asking him if he still cares for Day only out of pity) and that makes her doubt Mork. Already attached by this point, Mork is forced to lie and reassure her that he still knows “the boundaries of his responsibility”. 

Because we as viewers are privy to Mork's inner feelings, we can recognize his lie, but Day cannot. Even Day’s “superpower” doesn’t help him at this point, and he is convinced that Mork sticks around for the money only. He hates the thought, hates to think Mork is somehow forced to care for him. That Mork cannot choose for himself because he's the victim of the circumstance. And Day feels pained, feels crushed. He cried to his mother, attached to his caretaker who has somehow become a friend. He does not want this man to leave, and on some level, maybe Day's mother understands. Maybe she is able to accept that her son needs Mork, and Mork is allowed to stay until he's completed his duty.

Day's mother never quite trusts Mork, though. She knows Mork isn't being quite honest about knowing his responsibility with Day, so she worries what might become of them. I think it gets more complicated if Mork’s debt interferes and places Day in danger. Mork cannot stay if his past is haunting him; he cannot stay if his presence is threatening Day's safety. Mork probably struggles with this aspect of his life too, and eventually Day is left with the choice to either accept or tell Mork to leave (and it wouldn't be a romance if we didn't already know his answer).   

I think the question of safety and Mork's ability to do his job well and remain professional would explain Day's mother's apprehension towards him better than how they explain it in the series. I somehow do not feel for her in the show because her worry over Mork’s ability to “take care of Day” (outside of his job, as Day's partner) seems so belittling towards Day as a person. She assumes that Day needs someone to take care of him for the rest of his life as if he will never be independent again. Day never tells her otherwise which I find a little strange when Day otherwise remains so adamant about doing things on his own and mastering skills that allow him independence.

(Though now that I say that, I realize that in the show, they cut off him gaining any of these skills. They don't, for example, ever make Day use a cane or learn braille – skills that I assume would be essential for his independence. He relies on Mork a lot, and even after the time skip in the last episode, he rather asks for a "stranger" to guide him to the car than takes it upon himself to get there the way we all know he can.)

In the middle of all this, come the 180 days they give Day before he loses his vision completely. It changes everything. Of course, those 180 days are not the end for Day – he's not dying or anything. They just mean there’s more for him to do, more for him to process. He needs to reach acceptance and finally find peace with his blindness. 

And all that he does with Mork, with his help and alongside him, which I will talk about next. 

Mork and Day, quietly in love

I think what the show really nails is the development of the MorkDay relationship or at least the basics of it. Especially the first three or so episodes feel absolutely ecstatic as we witness how the mutual distaste between MorkDay turns to curiosity, turns to understanding, turns to hesitant trust, and then to friendship and eventually a crush. It’s all so beautiful – and yet. 

It moves a little too fast, I’d say. That feeling I had ever since episode 2 should’ve probably been my first warning sign that I was not about to get the story I wanted, but I always worked with it. I understood they had only 12 episodes, that they had a lot of story to cover. Some sacrifices had to be made to get all they planned to fit in. 

But. (Because there obviously is a but coming, a big but.) They never used that time they stole wisely. And in my mind, I wanted everything to happen slower, to feel lazier, stickier somehow. You know, I wanted there to be more struggling, more hardship, more setbacks. Things shouldn’t have felt so linear between Mork and Day; not only up after some small bumps in the beginning, without them sometimes moving backwards, too. They were supposed to take two steps forward and one step back, not just walk ahead like it was easy to trust a stranger like that.

(That back and forth could’ve also been the way to fit Mork’s trauma into the story; to force Mork to be vulnerable when he realizes that he has to give something in order to get something back. He learns a thing about Day, Day learns a thing about him. It's only fair.) 

It would just make sense if things were not easy. They’ve both gone through a lot and it’s hard to open up about those things, especially to someone who is still basically a stranger. That made me think that it would take Mork and Day longer to even tolerate each other; Day does not want Mork to be his caretaker, doesn’t want him invading his space. Mork is there for the money, not to listen to Day’s bitching. They’d rather avoid each other than actually spend time together, both agreeing to this out of mutual benefit. Mork gets paid, and Day gets his mother off his back and is free to do how he sees fit. They’re stuck together but it's the lesser evil. 

But that doesn't last forever, and eventually, their curiosity wins. Mork would probably give in first, would want to know more about Day after watching him. He’s the one with the ability to work his way under Day’s skin by annoying Day to opening up. Anger makes us quite honest at times. And when Day slams the doors shut at times, literally and figuratively, Mork remains unphased by the temper tantrums. We see parts of this in the series too, but I always thought it would take them longer to find it themselves to be civil with each other.  

After the door is open though, things start pouring out of it. Vulnerability stops feeling as scary. We see the one palm distance scene happen which is still one of my favorites. It’s so beautiful in the pilot, the epitome of closing the gap between them, of stepping closer. Mork wants Day to see him, and Day's curiosity is aroused.

I was honestly kind of sad that the series gave that scene to us so early. I wasn’t expecting Day to let Mork so close so soon, though I should’ve seen it coming when they turned the flirting setting so high for Mork. I just thought that scene was going to be more than just Mork flirting with Day, about him showing interest. I thought it was about understanding, about wanting to know the other. About wanting yourself to be known.    

I guess my version of Mork by nature is more hesitant to approach Day than he is in the series. He is still direct and unapologetic, won’t take any shit, won’t fear to annoy Day, yet he will be hesitant in other ways. He doesn’t like being vulnerable, doesn’t initially like being seen by Day, doesn't trust so easily. It takes him time to adjust into wanting all this and thinking about it as a good thing.

He also hesitates to touch, to grab, to hold; to get physical with someone who cannot see it coming. Mork might not know a kind touch, mostly used to the roughness and violence of others.

Day would be equally hesitant because it must feel strange to touch people so openly when you cannot se them, right? At least for me, I’d find it weird and uncomfortable to grab a stranger, to suddenly hold them, even if by the arm or shoulder. (Because how do you know it’s an arm or a shoulder you're touching when you cannot see? You cannot be sure. It could be anything.) This requires adjusting from them, accepting this physicality as part of their new relationship. Mork needs to allow himself to be grabbed. Day needs to be bold enough to do it and be comfortable with it.

They discuss boundaries, both for Day and for Mork. What are they comfortable with? Are they comfortable always or only sometimes? Are there times when they do not wish to be touched? Should they announce it when they plan on touching the other? What are the rules of their interactions?

They learn yet again, try to understand. These are the steps they take during their journey as they adjust to each other and their intertwining lives. They start lowering their walls and breaking the boundaries, allowing each other closer, closer, closer.

And suddenly, Mork is no longer just a caretaker. Suddenly, Day is not just someone Mork stays with out of money. More feelings appear, and once one of them – or both of them – recognize those feelings as romantic, things start going south.   

I always assumed that August would play the biggest part in making both Mork and Day admit to their feelings (and he does! The series confirms this). He’s obviously introduced as the “love rival”, the one who makes Mork jealous. He will make Mork understand that these feelings he’s having for Day go beyond professional, beyond friendship. He wants to take care of Day in a completely different way, and that makes him come face to face with a choice: to tell Day or remain silent. To stay or to leave. 

Because here’s the deal: Mork is Day’s employee which requires him to stay professional with Day. There is supposed to be a certain distance between them so that Day can trust Mork as his caretaker, as his aid, as his guide. Mork is supposed to not cross any lines for Day’s safety and comfort. Mork is not supposed to be having these thoughts and feelings about Day.

In the series, I assumed they would point this out; that they would bring out the moral question of are you allowed to look at your "boss" like that, with the eyes of a potential lover, when your professional relationship is as delicate and emotionally intimate as a relationship between a caretaker and the person they’re caring for? Are you allowed to cross that line, even on a thought’s level? Does that affect the trust between you two?

In retrospect, I find it a little weird how little Last Twilight brings up this issue. Back in the day I even saw someone mention it in a post (I cannot remember who or where) after pointing out how often and easily these positions of trust allow taking advantage of the other person. Not saying that Day wouldn’t be able to fight for himself or stand his own ground if Mork was, indeed, being a creep about it, but Day unfortunately cannot see it happening. If Mork had bad intentions, I think he would have many chances to take advantage of Day’s disability. Day’s in a vulnerable position that has nothing to do with his capability. 

So, why not make the viewers think about it more? Why is Mork not realizing how much power he holds? Even after he becomes aware of his feelings in the series and starts thinking Day might feel the same, it’s Porjai who points out that they’re still employer and employee. Mork works for Day, and Day is supposed to be able to trust in his professionalism no matter what. 

Of course, Mork is prepared to quit his job after their kiss in the series if Day doesn’t feel the same for him. He doesn’t want to make Day uncomfortable once he’s been made aware of Mork’s feelings. But my initial expectations based on the pilot were that this conflict of positions would play a bigger part. Night questions Mork's feelings first, Day's mother does it next. Mork decides to hide behind his lies. This made me think that we would succumb into a limbo of “will he or will he not?” as both Mork and Day struggle with handling their own (slightly forbidden) feelings. 

It's just that they both wish to stay like this and they both fear that the other one will leave if they were to be honest about their feelings. It feels easier to put on the mask and pretend they’re still an employer and employee. Out of selfish reasons, they both need each other. On the other hand, they both see why the other would need this relationship to remain as it is.

If we assume that we embark on the 180 days journey with MorkDay once they're already aware of their feelings and are both remaining mum about it, I think their reasons to remain go like this:

Mork stays because he doesn't want to abandon Day now that he is facing all this so suddenly. It's a big shock to Day to realize that he will lose his sight completely, and he's formed this bond with Mork that Mork hates to rip away from him when he's already feeling vulnerable. It's Mork's priority to make Day feel safe and comfortable. It's Mork's wish to make Day happy, and so he wants to stand beside Day as he faces these last 180 however many days he might have. Mork helps Day to make the most of that time he has because what else is there for Mork to do? To return to his old job and struggle again? To be forever trapped in his debt? Because at least like this he is paying off his debt slowly and not feeling as trapped.

For Day, he might hate the thought that Mork stays because of his duty, but it's also that it helps Mork. The money he's getting obviously means a lot, is more than Mork ever thought he would have. Day has seen and heard about Mork's life before, how violent it all was/is, how much he struggles. He wants Mork to stay if it will help him. He wants Mork to stay because it helps Day. He likes being with Mork and Mork makes him happy, and all this change feels a little less scary. He thinks he's learning how to live again, with Mork.

This type of setting would’ve offered a delicious opportunity to explore the slowly blurring line between their professional relationship and what can be seen as something else, something more. It would’ve offered some very delicious gay yearning, and I think these moments could’ve been depicted through scenes like the fish tank scene or the fitting room scene. Of course, those scenes work as they are now, as indicators of budding feelings between Mork and Day. But those could’ve also been scenes that show their feelings to the viewer, make them obvious to any observer, yet remain hidden from the object of those feelings himself. The want to touch, to be closer; yet the fear to be too close, to get rejected, and eventually, to lose everything. 

They have six months, dedicated only to each other. They have six months before some kind of end or a beginning or whatever they wish to think of it as. Six months. I would've loved the slow burn of it all, seeing those six months shape and morph and change them.

The ending

And what about when those six months come to an end? How would things look like to them? How would the whole story eventually end?

Honestly, I think the story in my head had a lot of similarities to what we get in the first 9 episodes of Last Twilight: Mork and Day meet, start developing a bond, find happiness and a new hope in each other, Day gets his final 180 days before he goes completely blind, and MorkDay decide to spend that time exploring together. Things are nice, simple.

Yet, I think they start that journey with very different ending goals in their minds. They have very different thoughts on how things will look like to them by the end of their six months, and while they spend time together and ponder on their hidden feelings, those thoughts only solidify. And this is what I think goes on in their heads and how it shapes the final ending of my own version of this story:

Mork comes to the realization that by the end of this journey, Day will no longer need a caretaker, need him. His duty is done and he is free to go. His debt will be paid (maybe he's counted he will have enough money by then), and he can plan his future however he wishes. Maybe this even means that it is his time to go and live the life he never got to have before. Why would he stay if Day no longer needs him? If other bonds (friendship, companionship) remain, they will be able to keep in touch through their phones, even if from a distance. 

For Day, it's all very different. He might be very hesitant at first, not quite trusting his own feelings, not quite believing in himself. But after each day, after each moment spent with Mork, he grows a little surer. He knows what he wants. He knows what he wants from this future Mork has helped Day realize is still in front of him.

He wants Mork. He wants them to stay together.

So, during his last seeing moments, Day gathers his courage and kisses Mork. That is his last image, the last thing he wishes to do, the only image that is missing and the only image that will forever remain. Admitting to Mork that he likes him and accepting that he wants to be with Mork in the future are his ending and beginning. He is finally being honest about everything. 

Day wants more, not just a caretaker. Mork is now free to accept or refuse.

Of course, by this point, we would all know that Mork will accept. He will be delighted to accept. What else is there when we can so clearly see the deep bond between them? How could they ever part when they mean so much to each other? They're the only two that have remained "blind" to the inevitable.

And so we get that yes, and another kiss. Followed by the happiest smiles they've ever shown us, maybe some tears even. Day holding Mork’s face between his hands and taking in the darkness, yet feeling happy in it. He has a future with Mork. He will build a future that has them both in it.   

I don’t know if I would require much more story after that. Beyond hearing Mork’s answer to Day after finishing their journey together, I never asked for much else. It would be satisfying if done right, if it feels like both of them have found peace and purpose. They start off as troubled individuals and end up happy, content, together. 

Maybe I would be a little greedy though, and accept a time skip which shows us glimpses of MorkDay’s life after. Day is doing something new with his life that makes him feel satisfied. Mork is finally living for himself.

I wanted there to be hints about what Mork might want to do throughout the story/journey, just like they gave hints in the series that Day would love to own a bookshop later. I never quite bought Mork’s cooking career in the series – I know they paint it so that Mork enjoys cooking, especially to others/those he loves, but it never fully felt like his own choice to become a chef. It feels more like something he has to do because at first, he enters the chef position for money. He loses his job as a caretaker and has to find something else to live on. It makes it once again feel less like his own choice and more like a survival instinct.

And so, we have come to the end of my string of thoughts. This is what I had in my head about Mork and Day, how I thought the story of Last Twilight would go. This is what the pilot left me with after giving me its impeccable vibes. Would this be a better series? For me, definitely. Others might disagree, but I did not write this for you anyway so, sorry. 

Just… Last Twilight could’ve been so much, so different. And even a year later I still mourn the fact that it was not, that it will never be. Such wasted potential, but I’ll love it anyway. I’ll love the parts I've managed to salvage. 

(Thank you for reading if you did read this whole thing! Feel free to discuss this idea with me if you want to or point out any things I might remember incorrectly/have forgotten. My inbox is open and so are my dms, I won't bite ^^)

[artist-issues]

Raya and the Last Dragon popped into my head today and I kept thinking about how the incredibly unsubtle and poorly executed message of trusting others felt like a first draft.

What do you think about it? Would a revised script with the same story premise fix that film? Or was it doomed from the get go in what it was trying to say?

Good question! I go back and forth. I think the movie's biggest weak point was its writing, so I guess I'd say, "a revised script with the same story premise would fix it!"

There's nothing wrong at all with a message like "Without trust, we can't stand together." Because it's very true. Everyone has priorities, and there's always a chance they'll choose themselves over you, or over the "greater good." But if you keep trying to take control of the situation by believing the worst about them before it happens, you'll be exhausted & jaded, they'll be exhausted & jaded, and all your time and energy will be spent on competing with each other for the grand prize of "who can look out for their own interests better."

I think Raya and the Last Dragon's premise works for a truth like that. It makes total sense to have a girl who's competitive become jaded and control-freaky when her father, the symbol of the virtue of trust & good faith, is murdered by betrayal. And not just any betrayal, but betrayal from someone she directly tried to befriend and trust as a sort of "first experience" with that good faith her dad was always talking about. Makes total sense. And it's impactful; something that traumatic and personal would cause a relatable character flaw that the heroine needs drastic measures to overcome.

I actually love the concept of Sisu too. I like the idea that she's this pure, selfless soul who's got childlike faith—but, all the jaded people in a post-apocalyptic world respect and consider her worldview because she's a revered dragon. So she really does change minds just by being around them, just by coming back and existing in the first place. I mean, if she had been just a sheltered girl from, say, a different country, who came into the broken Kumandra with stars in her eyes, the bad guys wouldn't have thought twice about whatever she exemplified. But she's a dragon.

And step back and think about it: having a group of characters from every walk of life come together as a mini-experiment in trust and unity during the course of the adventure is a great idea. It's not flashy or original, but it's classic and true. Avatar the Last Airbender has a crew of characters from each tribe combining to defeat evil. When Kenai has a prejudice against bears in Brother Bear, how is that character flaw solved? Not just by him turning into one, but by him having to travel with and get to know one.

What they get to know is that they all have something in common: they've all lost people to the great evil in the world. And, they all want the same things, despite cultural differences. They all want their families back, they all want safety and success.

So yeah, the pieces are all there. The problem is, the writing was just super clunky. Theres a lot of telling, when it comes to the story, instead of showing. There's not no showing. There's just not enough.

I know this is already a long post, but I'll just point out: Aladdin's message had a lot to do with trust, too. But no character ever said out loud, "you have trust issues and you need to work through them." Certainly not more than once. The closest you get is Genie telling Aladdin to be himself.

Instead, you're just shown that Jasmine is the type of girl to give an apple to a hungry kid without even thinking about whether or not the shopkeeper wouldn't want her to do it. She's the type of girl who plays along with a scrubby boy from the marketplace trying to help her. She's the kind of girl who goes out with a Prince even though she has reason to believe he's already lying to her. She just does those things, and never says, "hey, why did you lie to me--you have trust issues!"

Meanwhile Aladdin's whole story is him bending over backwards to control what everyone thinks of him, because he can't trust them to accept him as he is. But he never says, "Trust gets me hurt." He just says, "if Jasmine knew I was really some crummy street-rat, she'd laugh at me."

Those sentences that the characters say are well-written because they are realistic. Only in our modern psycho-babble Instagram-influencer culture, where everyone thinks they're an expert on the human psyche, are teenagers starting to say things like "My trauma causes me to struggle with trust."

What Aladdin says is much more immediate, much more down-to-earth than that. It shows where his brain is in that moment. He's not thinking about the general philosophy of truth and trust. He's just thinking about what he should or shouldn't say on his date, and how scary the idea of getting laughed at is. We, the audience, are smart enough to infer that it's all rooted in trust issues. We don't need Genie to deliver a speech six times to make it abundantly clear.

I'm capable of identifying that as the problem, but I'm not great at doing it, myself. I know the language, I'm not great at speaking it. But actually I'm going to punt this part of the question over to @doverstar , who is very skilled at "show, don't tell," especially in dialogue. How would you re-write that scene where Sisu is trying to convince Raya of the importance of trust?

One final thing that I think handicaps Raya and the Last Dragon is that, because of the way they're written, the characters lose likability. Theres a way to have a traumatized, defensive girl who thinks she knows everything still be likable. Just like there was a way to have a selfish, insecure liar be likable in Aladdin.

I think there are other issues—I'd have completely written out the baby and the monkeys, and I'd have cut the fight sequences between two teenage girls way shorter because nobody cares about them. But that can be for another post.

[guster-animations]

Kamen Rider Gotchard Producers Symposium PART 3

part 3 finally! a lot of really interesting information in this one. i’m gonna make a few small changes to parts 1 and 2 after i post this, and then i’ll get started on revice

TOKU TRANSLATION MASTERPOST HERE

again, this is for the henshindex wiki. join today!

Kamen Rider Gotchard: TV Series Conclusion Commemoration Toei Producer Team Special Roundtable (Final Edition)

“Kamen Rider Gotchard” will soon be at its climax!

This year, we are delivering a Toei producer symposium like usual, split into three parts. Continuing from the first and middle volumes last week, this time it is the final volume. The three parts totaled up to an over 30,000-word talk. The participants are, naturally, the producer Yosuke Minato, as well as assistant producers Daigo Matsuura and Kaho Miyashima. In the final volume, they will discuss their three most profoundly memorable “Gotchard” episodes, secret stories from contents made with TTFC, and then curious “future” topics too…?

Act 8: Assistant Producer Harashima’s Top 3

TTFC: By the way, for today’s interview, each of you thought about the 3 episodes you personally have the most profound emotional attachment to… Could I ask you what yours are, Harashima?

Harashima: Third place goes to episode 12, “Runaway Liner! Abyss Rider!”. The one where Sabimaru becomes Kamen Rider Dread. The reasoning behind it was first that action director (Hirofumi) Fukuzawa had also been working as story director, and has shown very fresh direction. Also, I like dirty action as originally shown in Korean films and drama (Laughs).

Matsuura: You’re like that too? (Laughs)

Harashima: I think that in that episode, that roughness was definitely needed, and Fukuzawa made such different action more unrestrained than ever. While I say that I like dirty things, it was a standpoint that had to be adjusted for a children’s program, so I’m also curious about the impact of this portrayal—where so much pain was inflicted on Hotaro—had on everyone in the audience…

Matsuura: But as much as we worried, we were surprised that there wasn’t a strong negative reaction against it. Especially for today’s kids, aren’t they seeing a lot of things like “Demon Slayer” nowadays? I think they’re more used to that kind of expression.

Harashima: That’s right. Then, episodes 9-10 just before that were a school trip. I still felt like there was chitchat around “Chemy searching” as the basic story premise, so I also wondered if it was okay to have a development as serious as possible. But a development like that is just right for “Kamen Rider”. A difference with the Super Sentai series, where teamwork is highly valued, is that in that situation, the protagonist should not bear their pain and suffering alone. I fully understood that in that episode. Because I was a “Kamen Rider beginner” at that time, it’s a very memorable episode in that sense too. To say it more accurately, I really like the course of events through episode 12 and up to Director (Katsuya) Watanabe’s episode 13, “Get Him Back! UFO X Friends Forever!”.

Second place is “Rinne’s Dawn! Transform, Majade!”. Protecting the opponent Atropos, and showing one’s own “decision”, was a single pattern, and Rinne’s actor Reiyo (Matsumoto) showed incredible acting and expressions. In Reiyo’s case, Rinne first awakened in “Kamen Rider The Winter Movie Gotchard and Geats: Operation to Find the Strongest Chemies”, and this episode 19 was another step in her growth. Majade, which Rinne transforms into, has a really good appearance, and it brings back memories of when I watched the “PreCure” series as a kid.

Matsuura: Mr. (Hiroshi) Takagi’s music was amazing again too. It’s sparkling. There are parts unlike Kamen Rider music, but it fit “Gotchard’s” setting wonderfully.

Minato: Matsuura was the one who originally recommended Mr. Takagi.

Matsuura: I knew Mr. Takagi from the work called “Go! Princess PreCure” (2015) which he had composed the music for, and that work’s music was also excellent. Then the music for “Kaitou Sentai Lupinranger vs. Keisatsu Sentai Patranger” (2018) was wonderfully done. I wanted to work with him sometime. It always becomes difficult to decide which composer to ask, but I’m really glad that I got Gotchard to be done by Mr. Takagi.

Harashima: I felt like the Rinne-related tracks especially had phrases that resonate emotionally with girls. A sparkling feeling that evokes memories of “PreCure” or “Sailor Moon”. Then of course my first-place is Zukyumpire (episodes 22 and 23) (Laughs).

Matsuura: You really don’t waver on that (Laughs).

Harashima: Something we didn’t talk about when it was a subject earlier is that (Akiko) Inoue had been talking about Zukyumpire from the screenplay meeting stage, but Yua (Yamashita) sympathized when she heard at some point that it’s about a girl who was dependent on him and becomes independent. Of course, “Gotchard’s” main character is Hotaro, and the main guest character is Zukyumpire, but I knew Inoue’s stance that she wanted Yua’s portrayal to be important too, being involved with the story, and I learned from that. I especially like episode 23’s final scene. For Yua, the ex-boyfriend Tacchan comes in and says he wants to take Yori back, but Yua can clearly state, “I’ll make my own happiness on my own terms”. Then the background song “Kimi ni Zukyun” is played and the episode ends.

Minato: Yeah, if I’m not mistaken, in the second draft Inoue proposed “Can I add this kind of scene?”, and it was added. It wasn’t in the first draft, and even at the point when it was added, it was a mood of “This might be cut if it’s introduced…”. I think that was at the time that we received the final manuscript, but actually, at that time, there was a scene about the people who got memory-wiped in “Kitchen Ichinose” coming in again, and saying something like, “I feel like I had some kind of amazing dream, but I can’t remember…”. When it became necessary to cut either that scene or Yua’s scene, I asked Inoue, “Which do you want to remain?”, and she wanted Yua’s scene. So I guess Inoue had emotional attachment there too.

Harashima: If it were the “Kitchen Ichinose” scene that was there, it would be a much more comedic ending. That’s fine too, but because we kept Yua’s scene, the relation between Chemy and human progressed a little further. In the beginning with WrestlerG (episode 5) it was nothing but a human and Chemy being separated, but during Zukyumpire it’s already been over 20 episodes, so it’s very good that a depiction was done showing the impact that memories of a Chemy has on a human, like the flower that Yua received from Zukyumpire have been pressed and used as a planner bookmark, and Zukyumpire’s words remaining in Yua’s heart. It becomes an episode with an ending that always feels a little different, and it’s personally moving for me.

Minato: Also, the existence of “Tacchan” was featured in that episode, and in the endgame he’s doing something completely different (Laughs).

Matsuura: He stands out way too much however you think about it… (Laughs).

Harashima: That was originally just decided to be “the ex-boyfriend Tacchan in the last part”, and when I was thinking about what person to cast, Director (Kyohei) Yamaguchi said, “In that case…!”. A “bad-feeling editor” character appeared in Watanabe’s episode 14.

Matsuura: “That guy! With that flashy blond hair!” (Laughs).

Harashima: With Director Yamaguchi saying, “The bad feelings from that time would fit perfectly with Tacchan”, we got Takato Nogami to come back a second time.

Minato: Doing it that way is Director Yamaguchi’s usual practice (Laughs). In “(Avataro Sentai) Donbrothers” too, when the “Old Ninja Man” Ono’s (Takashi Sakakibara) mother came in (Don 32: “Duel Part 2”), he proposed, “Let’s do that person who took a blow from Taro Momoi in Don 18: ‘A Shark’s Blow’!” (Laughs). [note: i haven’t watched donbros]

TTFC: No negligence or missed opportunities (Laughs). You don’t know which character will connect to whom or what style…

Minato: Speaking of casting in “Donbros”, the sudden appearance of a mysterious comedy duo in the Romeo and Juliet episodes (episodes 30-31) was Matsuura’s wrongdoing (Laughs).

Matsuura: Hello, I’m Matsuura, a principal offender (Laughs).

TTFC: Now I’d like to hear about your “Best 3”, Matsuura.

Act 9: Assistant Producer Matsuura’s Top 3

Matsuura: I thought I’d have each episode in my top 3 be by a different scriptwriter. (Keiichi) Hasegawa is the Romeo and Juliet episode we just talked about… (Hiroki) Uchida is episode 24, “Sudden Turn of Events! The Forbidden Steel Rider!”. That’s a compilation episode too.

Minato: It was good, Uchida’s structure. That was wonderful.

Matsuura: And Akiko (Inoue) is episode 40, “Wicked Descent! Three Great Dark Kings”. But a runner-up is the Wheel Malgam episodes (20-21) written by Hasegawa. I’ll touch on that a little bit. Those two episodes’ primary centerpiece was Spanner transforming into Kamen Rider Valvarad for the first time. “Kamen Rider Valvarad’s debut” itself has already appeared as information before, like it was said at the start of this symposium. So, separate from that, I prepared a surprise component in this episode.

[SPOILERS FOR AVATARO SENTAI DONBROTHERS AND KAMEN RIDER FAIZ]

What I came up with there was the development that “Spanner is turned into a Malgam”. We keep coming back to “Donbros”, but it’s because Tsuyoshi Kijino repeatedly becomes a Hitotsu-oni (Laughs). For me, though, the impact of the protagonist of “Kamen Rider 555 (Faiz)” (2003), Takumi Inui, being the Wolf Orphenoch has always stuck with me… During the hon-uchi (preparatory meetings for scriptwriting), I proposed to Hasegawa the idea to match that shock.

[SPOILERS END]

Again, before then, I hadn’t really gotten the chance to work together with Director (Teruaki) Sugihara, so I was very happy to be able to see the visual wonder of Sugihara’s direction.

TTFC: Director Sugihara only did those two episodes in “Gotchard”. I’m looking forward to “Kamen Rider Gavv” from now on.

Matsuura: To follow this— with Hasegawa’s Romeo and Juliet episodes, that was slotted for episodes 30 and 31, and Hasegawa thought that might be the last time an “adolescent drama” could be done in “Gotchard”. At first Hasegawa wanted do a band episode for it.

Minato: That’s right, at first there were discussions that it would be interesting to do something like a band episode somewhere, since Junsei (Motojima) plays the guitar and Kajiki’s actor Amon (Kabe) plays bass.

TTFC: I see. Like, let’s make the best of their special skills?

Minato: Yes. For Hasegawa, there was “the times we can do an adolescent drama” which Matsuura talked about, but actually, we had already decided to begin working on the summer movie after episodes 30 and 31 were written. So, when we returned to the TV series, it was unmistakably nearing the final portion. Taking that into account, we wanted Hasegawa to do what he wanted to there.

Matsuura: A band story sounds interesting, but in practice, a lot of problems will come up with it, like wanting to make a song for that, and not having much time to spare for music practice. That’s a common issue for planning. So, unfortunately, I had to ask to do a different concept. That’s how together we came up with the idea of a school talent show where interesting events occur. I remember various ideas like maybe a concept café or a takoyaki shop. Then, a “play” story appeared, relatively close to the band idea, and Hasegawa was on board with that too. The “transfer student” as a different development in the show was something Hasegawa had been pushing since the band idea. It’s a cliché, but the idea was that a beautiful girl transfers to the school, and it has some sort of effect on Hotaro and Rinne’s relationship. I, as a “cliche-loving man” (Laughs), was very motivated. Immediately, Director Yamaguchi presented Kanon Matsuzawa, who’d appeared as Kei during the V-Cinext “Kamen Rider 555 20th: Paradise Regained”, and she was decided to play the transfer student, Seina Tsukumo. At any rate, it was Hasegawa’s order to have her be an “unmatched beauty”.

TTFC: You mentioned it a while ago, but there was also the surprise appearance of Hirofumi Suzuki and Shinnosuke Takahashi. Tsuyoshi and Sonoza in “Donbrothers”.

Minato: I remember that was decided somewhat suddenly (Laughs).

Matsuura: That’s also a tentative goal. Isn’t there a scene where the drama club president Hajime Mikuriya gives a speech to everyone? Director Yamaguchi said it could be interesting for the audience to get really excited right before then, to more effectively show that everyone is disinterested in the speech. That way, Mikuriya seems more “pathetic”. So we talked about calling in pro comedians, but when I wondered if there were actors who weren’t comedians but could make the same people laugh, I went, “Oh!” (Laughs).

TTFC: The “Super Hero Time” fans were happy too (Laughs).

Matsuura: As the person in charge of the casting, I can’t say I “slacked off” with it… no, it’s not like that! (Laughs) It was also “luck”! (Laughs) It was quite an “unreasonable request”, but I’m very grateful the two of them came and did it happily. Well, even separate from that, I think those Romeo and Juliet episodes were a masterpiece. I myself had a period in school where I was reading a large number of Shakespeare works like “Macbeth” and “Hamlet”, but I once again realized the power of a work that still continues to be read even after 400 years. With this universal appeal, the way that Hasegawa skillfully intertwines the main parts of “Gotchard”, the relationship between Hotaro and Rinne, and other things, was deeply moving. By the way, I might not need to explain it here, but the full version of “Romeo and Juliet” that Hotaro and Rinne performed in can be watched on TTFC, so if you still haven’t seen that, you should definitely do so (Laughs).

TTFC: How about episode 24?

Matsuura: The TenLiner episode. Minato was saying a little of this before— we can make compilation episodes a little loosely, but this one wasn’t like that at all. It was a very well-structured and interesting episode.

Minato: That episode was at the turning point of “Gotchard” in its entirety, so filming-wise, it was the first shot of the new year. We also did bi-uchi (preparatory meetings related to designs) at the end of the year, so we wanted to decrease the staff’s workload. If we did a lot of complicated location scenes at that point, we would definitely end up being overloaded during the New Year holidays. But preventing that wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be (wry laugh).

Matsuura: There are difficult places in that point in production. But what I can say is that it’s just like Uchida to be able to convey the story and items in “Gotchard” as much as possible to everyone in the audience, at that time in the year. It couldn’t have been written if it weren’t him.

Minato: Uchida wrote the compilation episode in “Kamen Rider Revice” too. Where everyone shows the history of their battle to try and restore Hiromi Kadota’s memory. That was done in an interesting way, and honestly, there were parts that showed promising skills.

TTFC: And one more, episode 40. The one where Germain and Gaeliya arrive. And with the existence of the Dark Kings as a “Trinity”, three of them appear.

Matsuura: When I look back on it, Akiko was mostly writing the Dark King characters. She’s writing Germain and Gaeliya’s debut episodes, and Gigist was appearing starting a little while ago, but his first story was when a gorgeous person (Laughs) came in too, and Gigist’s character didn’t really show before then.

Minato: It’s around episodes 32-35. There were parts that I still wanted to stay “mysterious” at that point.

Matsuura: So, it was in the Hopper1 Malgam episodes (36-37) which Akiko wrote that we got to see what Gigist’s character is really like. If I think about what feeling it was written with, the words “understanding all humans” come to mind.

Minato: That was amazing.

Matsuura: Since then, we’ve come to call Lord Gigist “the old man who understands feelings” (Laughs), but there was surprise that “He ended up like that?!”.

Minato: Enemy characters are always hard to make. It turns out that whatever you do, they’ll hold ambitions, and they’re fighting to realize those ambitions. For “Gotchard”, Glion was defeated first, and we worried about how to portray the Dark Kings who would appear after that. This was decided in the structure of “Gotchard” itself, but as an enemy of the always-progressing Hotaro, it’s maybe something about a static existence, or to say it in the words of today’s world, an existence of “problems caused by old people”. I’ve been consulting with Inoue since that stage, so when she wrote Gigist, it was an “Aha!” moment.

TTFC: It’s a little unique for an enemy to hold that stance.

Matsuura: Also, it’s unbelievably intimidating when (Ryotaro) Okiyuki says those lines. It simply gives the feeling that “he seems strong”. And then, I loooooove the character of Germain. He Zukyun’d me (Laughs). When suit actor (Kosuke) Asai plays the “domestic violence boyfriend character” [i swear this is what he says] Germain which Akiko wrote, he made me think, “this guy is completely going at it” or “what an awful guy”, even just with little movements. Furthermore, the performance of his voice actor (Kohei) Amazaki synchronizes beautifully with Asai. Episodes 40 and 41 were (Koichi) Sakamoto’s, and when I was watching Amazaki do voiceovers with the director, he seemed to be completely satisfied too. As you know, we were thinking about Germain being used as Glion’s new body from the beginning, so it was decided that his appearance would only be for episodes 40 and 41. So he was a “stepping stone” in the overarching structure. But I gave orders that I wanted him to be depicted as the strongest being until he’s defeated, and to show so strongly that it makes you think he’ll be the final boss. So Akiko, Asai, and Amazaki each responded to that to their heart’s content, and I’m grateful for that. However, consequently ending up making a character who’s too good to last only two episodes is nice for the people watching, but as a producer, I kind of feel like it was a mistake (Laughs). But, as I can think even that was an amazing “miscalculation”, the scriptwriter, suit actor, and voice actor were a wonderful “trinity”.

Act 10: Producer Minato’s Top 3

TTFC: How about you, Minato?

Minato: I thought I’d also do it this way and have one episode each from the three writers, but it’s difficult. It’s not in the TV series whatsoever, but for Uchida, it’s “Kamen Rider Gotchard vs. Kamen Rider Legend” (all 2 episodes), on Toei Tokusatsu YouTube Official and for Toei Tokusatsu Fan Club members. I was already putting energy into making one new program into the work. Timing-wise, episodes 3-6 were all by Hasegawa, and Uchida’s hands were free, so ahead of time, I asked him to do it before writing episodes 7 and 8. What I was first concerned about was Kaguya’s character. He was working out the minute details with LINE up to right before sending the manuscript. I think Kaguya became a very good character as a result. There was also the direction of Director (Takayuki) Shibasaki, and from the starting point, he was able to lay the groundwork for connections regarding Legend/Kaguya to episodes 33-35 and the summer movie. I have a feeling Kaguya will be active for a long time afterwards and won’t just be there. They were two 15-minute short films, but they were strong (Laughs).

TTFC: The way you made a new Rider like Legend appear was likewise a new experiment.

Minato: With Gotchard being a card Rider, we wanted to make things called Ride Chemy Cards a hit, and with that course of events coming first, there are also Legend Ride Chemy Cards, so we wanted a person (Rider) who uses that. There was also an idea to bring that about in “Gotchard” proper, but ultimately Legend was first streamed on Toei Tokusatsu Youtube Official and such, and we also had him appear in the TV series after that. But of that happens we have to think about how to do it so that it’s shown to a lot of people, and how to make it interesting. Because there are people who wouldn’t have seen “Gotchard” on TV… I guess some have only watched a bit of it too. So, we couldn’t do him as anything but a person from yet another world (Laughs). So the people who don’t know “Gotchard” can watch as much as possible and look forward to how the next episode is made.

TTFC: Having a new character in a position as Decade’s successor is also an observation point.

Minato: In terms of results, that area was also able to be returned to in the summer movie, but from Toei’s perspective, it was still significant that they had introduced the character Twokaizer in “Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger” (2021). It feels like Decade and Legend are directly linked because Twokaizer had a relationship to (Kaizoku Sentai) Gokaiger. Next is Akiko Inoue’s work, and I touched on this a little before (in the second volume), but it was (Kiyotaka) Taguchi’s group’s episodes 28 and 29, where Renge’s grandma appears. I talked about this on the official homepage’s “Gotcha Place” too, but I wanted those two episodes to be a “change of pace” after the big roadblock of defending Glion was over, one that you’d remember as “some kind of weird episode” into your later years. It’s an episode where Inoue and Director Taguchi met those demands excellently. To give concrete examples from past works, a similar mental image to the taiyaki expert episodes in “Kamen Rider Blade” (2004) (episodes 29-30) or the “dark kitchen” episodes in “Kamen Rider Kabuto” (2006) (episodes 29-30) (Laughs).

[THEN IT SHOWS THE PROMO SHOT OF THE FEET LMAO]

TTFC: It’s the exact same episode number as those episodes too (Laughs).

Minato: Personally, I think it’s fun to experience watching a 30-minute-per-episode tokusatsu show where every episode is interesting, and where there are a lot of episodes full of personality. Of course, as a story that’s spread out throughout a year, it’s also important to have characters that are liked. With that feeling, I’m glad Renge’s focus arc also was able to delve into her character. I think we were able to broaden the scope of the one-year production with Director Taguchi, who became the “senior students’ director” after he did episodes 42 and 43.

TTFC: And the last one is Hasegawa’s work…?

Minato: Hasegawa began working on the summer movie after episodes 30-31, so the next thing I asked him to do was episodes 44 and 45. After that, with episodes 46 and 47 being by Inoue, I tried to have everyone write a part of the final trilogy, so in the exact same way as 30 and 31, I asked Hasegawa something like “is there an episode you want to make happen here?”. As a result, what he finished was a story about Kajiki and Hijiri. In Hasegawa’s episodes, he raised 44 and 45. Hijiri’s name had occasionally appeared in Kajiki’s lines, but she re-appeared here. According to Hasegawa’s post by the way, during the first draft preparatory meeting, Minato said to him, “This reminds me of ‘Ultraman Tiga’s’ ‘Farewell to Darkness’”…

[Footnote: “Ultraman Tiga’s” 22nd episode, “The Fog Comes In”, is Hasegawa’s debut work as a screenwriter. The character Horii, who acts in a comedic relief character role and is part of the defense team, meets her future spouse. The only episode he wrote in the last part of the series was “Farewell to Darkness” (episode 47). This is a continuation of episode 22, as well as episode 11, “Requiem of Darkness”. Horii and Kajiki’s roles share similarities in their positions and their approach to “light and darkness” within the hearts of people. Of course, also the beauty of the guest heroine. Incidentally, the day that “Farewell to Darkness” was July 26th, which is very close to “Gotchard” episode 45’s air date of July 21st.]

Minato: That’s correct (Laughs). This episode is at a similar time in the structure of the series too. “Farewell to Darkness” is also a little bit before “Tiga’s” final trilogy (episodes 50-52).

TTFC: In “Tiga’s” case, the last two episodes were listed with the names of three screenwriters who worked on it, including Hasegawa. Compared to that, “Gotchard” has three writers each in charge of one episode in the final trilogy. It feels like that direction hadn’t happened in the Kamen Rider series until then.

Matsuura: Huuuuh… I see, “Tiga”… (Laughs). You were thinking in a “Tiga”-esque pattern that the most recent Rider season isn’t considered to be the last. I somewhat understand that.

Minato: However, we didn’t do anything like “Ultra’s Star” (episode 49).

[Footnote: An episode that breaks from the standard right before “Tiga’s” final trilogy. It’s one with a meta component of the protagonist slipping in time to the filming of “Ultra Q” at “Tsuburaya Productions of 1965”. Incidentally, the space monster Chaliger, who appeared in this episode and has the power to travel through time, was played by Masanori Machida— Koichiro Asahi in “Gotchard”.]

The episode where the protagonist Daigo and company slip in time to the past and somehow go to Tsuburaya Productions. Hotaro went to the future in the summer movie, but if we did some sudden episode like that now where Hotaro goes to Toei Ikuta Studio, no one would watch the essential final trilogy (Laughs).

TTFC: And speaking of “Tiga”…

Minato: That’s right. “Gotchard” has the theme of alchemy, so I became picky about the number “three” which is connected to that, and “Tiga” means “three” in the Indonesian language (Laughs).

Matsuura: Since you said that, my name is also Daigo (Laughs). And Future Hotaro’s actor is DAIGO too. What is this?!

Act 11: Mother and Son, and Then the Gotchanime

TTFC: At the point in time that we’re recording this round-table discussion, the final episode (episode 50) has still yet to air, but I looked at it ahead of time, and the scene where Tamami sends Hotaro out really struck me.

Matsuura: (Yoko) Minamino was really excellent in the finale.

Minato: To speak frankly, there’s a part of me that asked Minamino to play the role of Tamami specifically intending to have her do that scene. After we established Hotaro’s mother, it was almost a given that we would have that kind of situation at the end.

Matsuura: Minamino in the winter movie was incredible too.

Minato: Originally, we weren’t planning to do a story about Hotaro and his mother in the winter movie, but I’m glad that, along the course of making the story, we put in a drama about Hotaro arguing with his mom over something trivial and running away at the start, then returning home at the end. I think that, because that development happened, we were able to “lift Hotaro up” even in a movie where a lot of characters appear.

TTFC: This might be too meta of an angle, but I wasn’t especially surprised when Tamami said she had known her son’s identity (Laughs).

Matsuura: Did you guess that she knew because it’s Minamino? (Laughs)

TTFC: I guess it’s natural that she would know…

Matsuura: So it’s not because she’s Tamami, but because she’s Minamino. Because she was in “Legend of the Iron Mask”.

TTFC: Of course, I don’t think there are many generations that know of that.

Minato: Speaking of that, the work “Sukeban Deka II: Legend of the Iron Mask” was the late Toei president (Osamu) Tezuka’s debut work as a producer before he passed away last year (2023). While I was making the screenplay for “Gotchard” episode 1 and 2, I was thinking about asking Minamino to play the role of Tamami, but after I talked with Department Head (Hideaki) Tsukada, it turned out that I would meet with Minamino several days later to shoot a video that would play at Tezuka’s memorial gathering. Then as Tsukada introduced me to her, I immediately asked, “Do you have any interest in doing the current ‘Kamen Rider’?”. After that I gave her a formal offer, and that’s how she ended up in the role. Minamino was always saying “It’s because I grew up with Toei” because it was that timing. As long as I’m watching, with the feelings of conveying that she’d learned at Toei when she was a new actor herself to the young cast members, I think that she entered the daily scene. It felt like I wasn’t thanking her enough. Junsei (Motojima) is also a new actor, and shots have to be retaken a considerable amount of times, but she always watched over Junsei, and no matter how many takes we did, she stayed with him. So we also strongly think that she helped us in more ways than just her acting.

Matsuura: Junsei kept at it, too. It was the Platina Gotchard episode (26 and 27), and the Hopper1 Malgam (37) and Rainbow Gotchard (38) where he really showed the difference in his acting, and I felt his growth. Of course, now for Reiyo. I think you can see it in the summer movie; she’s always really reliable with her acting.

Minato: Reiyo was talked about yesterday (the day before the symposium), while recording audio commentary for the summer movie and many other things. When I think about it, she definitely started to become good in the winter movie, but she got even better in “Televi-kun Hyper Battle DVD Kamen Rider Gotchard: What’ll We Do?! Hotaro and Rinne Switched Places!!”, which was filmed right afterward. She’s always been a cheerful girl, but she wasn’t good on sets at first, and there were points where she seemed very tense. At that time, with that “Televi-kun DVD”, she did a so-called “body-swap episode”. That was (Koichiro) Hayama’s group, and they did a thorough rehearsal before filming. After getting to do varied performances there, it seems like she came to enjoy it. Her expressions got gradually better.

Matsuura: That was the best performance she’s done (Laughs).

Minato: I think there are also a lot of people who didn’t watch the “Televi-kun DVD”, but it’s a work I’d certainly like them to watch.

Matsuura: On that note, I asked (Katsuhito) Onishi to write the “Televi-kun DVD” screenplay. And speaking of Onishi, I’m indebted to him for writing the script for “Gotchard Short Anime - Gotchanime: Gotcha Furasu High School’s Seven Wonders!” much in the same way… This is an article aimed towards TTFC members (lol), so let’s talk about the “Gotchanime” too.

Harashima: Okay. Well, I was allowed to do a lot of things, and that was fun (Laughs).

Minato: For some reason, I feel like I mostly just threw things away, I’m sorry about that… (Laughs)

Harashima: Don’t worry about it (Laughs). At the point in time that this article will enter the world, its final episode still hasn’t been broadcast, so please look forward to that.

Matsuura: Is there a behind-the-scenes story here?

Harashima: A behind-the-scenes story… (Considers for a while) Something unexpected was that episode 36, where the Hopper1 Malgam appeared and the TV series got a serious plot twist, was right when we could distribute a light-hearted story with the “Gotchanime”. I’m personally glad about that. We weren’t intending for it whatsoever, but it feels like there were many people who came to watch “Gotchanime” to feel better (Laughs) Like it was linked to the original work (the TV series) well. Again, at the start, what I heard from Matsuura was that it’s in a short anime, but there are separate contents and it’s a work in the world of “Gotchard”, so we should properly think about what components we’re putting in to “draw” people to watch it. We were aware of that while making it. More than anything, all of the cast members were excited, and did better than we imagined. Naturally, that was expected of (Misato) Fukuen, a pro in voice work. If there are still people who weren’t watching, it’s not too late even now, so please give it a watch right away. The final episode has a lot of surprises too!

Act 12: To Love, To Be Loved

TTFC: Matsuura, you were in charge of “The Dark Sisters Present Kamen Rider Gotchard: Unfinished Plans”.

Matsuura: Yes, I was very self-indulgent in my work (Laughs).

TTFC: Episode 0, “New Year’s Eve Special”, was very novel (Laughs).

Matsuura: That was natural because New Year’s Eve of 2023 was a Sunday, but “Gotchard” didn’t air that week. It was started so we could make something to coincide with that. We were really just scared that various things would be forgotten if it wasn’t airing, even for just a week. So I planned something on short notice. There were no other people I could ask to help, so I wrote the script and whatnot by myself in about half a day. Minato liked it when I showed it to him and asked if it was good, so then I rushed to finish it (Laughs). I’d done all the (audio) commentary episodes for “Donbros” with Minato, and that did well. I guess this was something we felt like we’d already done… The workload was already big since it’s a weekly schedule, and it felt like things were getting too repetitive for me as a creator. When I thought about how to make TTFC more interesting and less habitual, I remembered “Kamen Rider Zi-O: Supplementary Plans”.

[Footnote: A spin-off work released on TTFC in the early days of “Kamen Rider Zi-O’s” broadcast. Naturally, you can still watch all sixteen episodes in the present. With the recitation style of entrusting the script to the cast while they acted, the strong meta component was a distinct feature (Producer Shinichiro Shirakura was in charge of the script). There were many legend actors who guest starred in “Zi-O” on TV and then came in to appear on “Supplementary Plans”.]

I took inspiration from that for “Unfinished Plans”. Even though it’s released irregularly, I could continue it until the end. I definitely hope you look forward to the finale too.

TTFC: Information about Clotho’s model was only revealed in “Unfinished Plans”.

Matsuura: It wasn’t talked about in the TV show, so… When I asked Hasegawa to talk about the situation and write something for “Unfinished Plans”, he surprised me by immediately responding.

Minato: If you think about it, the Toei video Blu-Ray Collection’s extra video, “We Are Class 3G”, is like that too, but each of the various plans are independent from each other and became interesting-looking things. You don’t have to watch it all to enjoy the whole TV series.

Matsuura: To sum it up, I think it took the happiest form because of the charm that the cast and characters have was supported.

TTFC: “Class 3G” and the aforementioned Romeo and Juliet and such were like a “Gotchard Acting Troupe”. As for these members, it seems like no matter what they do or when, it always turns out interesting.

Minato: It’s valuable that all of the actors involved, including the adult cast, loved this work. That was definitely the strength of “Gotchard”.

TTFC: In the meantime, as for things you’re planning to show in September (of 2024) and beyond, there’s the “Final Stage” in four cities across the country.

Minato: This is also becoming a pretty extravagant matter. We’re making elaborate plans for it. The Final Stage, as already announced, had its script written by Hiroki Uchida. Regarding the developments beyond that… there are a lot of things that I can’t say yet. But, for all of the fans, I’ll tell you to please come and watch the Final Stage. Even with what’s being broadcast now, you can still see it!

Postscript

TTFC: Our time will be up before long, so I just have two points left. First of all, if you could talk about the director’s cut of the final episode, which will be released on TTFC…?

Minato: Okay. For this director’s cut, I have TTFC to thank for making my proposal a reality. So, from the beginning, I asked Uchida to freely write lines that got close to all the characters’ emotions, without taking the normal episode length into account too much.

Directors are people that normally think about length while filming too, but this was filmed with more room for the acting, so consequentially, the version of the finale that aired had a suitable amount of good scenes. Moreover, since the director’s cut is showing everything, I think the people who watched the TV version can enjoy it too.

TTFC: Thank you. Now, everyone, if you have anything else you want to share here, even something minor… (Laughs).

Matsuura: Umm… oh, right! There was one small thing. The hands that appear at the start of the opening are actually mine (Laughs). For some reason, Director Tasaki asked me to do it… So, for the fine individuals who want to see Matsuura’s hands, once again, please watch the OP on TTFC. That’s it. I wanted to say that somewhere (Laughs).

Minato: On that note, Harashima, you have a story about the roast beef stand, right?

Harashima: I did. That was a Yamaguchi episode… I think it was episode 31.

Minato: The scene where Kyoka and Lachesis are talking to each other at night. About the Ouroboros Realm, and the Dark Kings.

Harashima: I played the role of the woman working at that shop (Laughs). I was filmed for the back-and-forth with Kyoka in the filming stage, but a lot was cut out for the broadcast (Laughs). In the end, I show up in some shots, but you can’t see my face at all. So, I don’t think you would notice it, even if you rewatched it on TTFC, but all I can say is that I did actually appear in that scene (Laughs).

TTFC: I see… What about you, Minato?

Minato: It’s a little more serious of a story than what they’ve told, but it’s about Hotaro and Rinne. I thought about where the two of them would go and how to depict them for the whole year. But when I think about it, if they finally reached some kind of goal, their “youth” would end. It’s a program where the protagonist’s main ideal is to “push towards change without fear”, and if we showed that only until the conclusion, it would feel like it lost the spirit of “Gotchard”. So, in the summer movie and TV finale, the end of the story was shown, but I won’t hint at anything concrete for the future of those two. Again, I really focused on having those two be “Rider 1 and Rider 2” rather than “hero and heroine”. I wanted to emphasize that aspect. Something like an irreplaceable partner? It’s close to the Riders-1-and-2 relationship between Sento Kiryu and Ryuga Banjou in “Kamen Rider Build” (2017), but if we went that far, it would be a little too romantic (Laughs). It might change in many ways in the future, but for now, those two are good as they are. And if Hotaro, Rinne, or any other characters remain for a long time in the memories of anyone who watched “Gotchard”, that would make me happy.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL

June 2023 Wk 3 

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs. Organized by which ones (in each category) I’m enjoying most.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Step By Step (Tues WeTV & Gaga) ep 9 of 12 - There sure is a lot of drinking in this show (who am I to talk?). Omg so awkward: The not-break-up not-confession. I have heartburn. Also I could not watch Jeng break down. Just nope. Then time jump? If that was our DOOM episode the timing is off. Or next week is the final? Or we get 3 eps of domestic bliss and sexitimes? I’m confused. 

La Pluie (Sat iQIYI) ep 9 of 10 - I like how trope-subversive this show is - first soulmates, then love triangle, now the faen fatal. NO SINGING. Oh good. They didn’t! Yay! So yeah I still love it. But I am also still a touch scared of where it might go. This one can’t be trusted. 

Be My Favorite (Fri YouTube) ep 5 of 12 - not a bad ep this week or was I too drunk to register nuance and damage? You decide. Trash watch here.

Luminous Solution (Sat Gaga) ep 5 of 6 - I always have to psyche myself up to watch this show, because I want to fast forward through most of it, but it’s on Gaga so that’s damn near impossible. At least this is the penultimate episode. I think after 3 BLs I can safely say Gun is just not a good actor. Speaking of... crying clothed in the shower? I haven’t seen that trope in years. But I LOVE the high school boys and their story so much. Love Sick level of earnest floppy goodness, I’m such a sucker for this kind of romance. I want them to be in a completely different BL. I’m so conflicted. I NEED this show to end so I can decide how I feel about it.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Love Tractor (Korea Weds iQIYI) eps 5-6 of 8 - So much is happening, evil x-boyfriend shows up. We got flashbacks to coming-out drama + nasty dad (super unusual for a KBL). But baby’s first taste of desire is hilarious. This one is full of lovely contrasts, and contrasting life experiences. It’s all about support and neglect. 

Tokyo in April AKA Shigatsu no Tokyo wa (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 2 of 8 - Very much full of hero worship and giving me My Beautiful Man vibes (only softer and office set). “Dazzling” = always an interesting word when it comes up in JBL subs. It’s clearly a Japanese word/concept like kawaii  that is more complex than the English word being used. Meanwhile, this being Japan we get lots of hints as to separation and dark past events. 

Tie The Knot (prev Under the Same Sky) (Pinoy YouTube) eps 1-2 of 8 - From OXIN Films (Rainbow Prince), based on a true story (?!), Briggs's family runs a bridal business but he has never fallen in love until he meets a groom to be in an arranged marriage. EXACTLY the same premise at Mame’s forthcoming Wedding Planner. There are so many characters and prospective couples (including a v bi girl with a female fuck buddy, not seen that in a BL before) that it is a little hard to keep straight (heh). I’m sure it will shake out. It’s intriguing so far, if a touch silly. I actually like the arranged marriage premise because the two rich kids involved in it are so weirdly kind & platonically sweet to each other, even if they’re both on the same page about it only being for show. 

Vian the series (Vietnam YouTube ) ep 7 & 8 of 12 - Apparently there is very little difference between a cat and a demanding princess of a boyfriend. That clocks. Basically this was the dating times. 

Naked Dinner AKA Zenra Meshi (Japan Fri Gaga) ep 11 of 12 - There is a lot more meat to this silly little BL then I thought there would be given the premise, but it’s Japan so that’s as it should be. But, as it’s Japan there’s also a little too much cringe for me. I do enjoy how generous Japan is with late bloomers and I would def like to host a kimchi party  but otherwise... meh. 

Stupid Genius (Vietnam Fri YouTube) ep 3 of 6 - Bi erasure still alive and well I see. This one remains fine for VBL but no more than that.

It’s airing but ...

House of Stars (Thai Mon iQIYI) 12 eps - I bounced at ep 3. Will binge if told it is worth it at end.

Stay (Pinoy YouTube) 7 eps - It’s mostly in English and set in LA so I’m not bothering but the first one did drop.

Ever After (Pinoy YouTube) - I investigated but as spies reported it's a real mess (not a hot one). Don’t bother. 

About Us but Not About Us (Pinoy Prime?) - from 2022 supposed to be finally getting inter distribution, didn’t show in my territory. A professor grieving the loss of his partner meets an ambitious literature student. I’m not fussed. 

Stay With Me ... NO! 

In case you missed it

What Did You Eat Yesterday movie, BL Express posted a review. I’ve yet to get hold of it but if you enjoy Our Dining Table this is it’s grown up parent series & movie. 

Café in Love - I finally got around to watching this. And frankly it hits all the tropes but is so damn bad. The setting is cute, the central brotherly relationship is sweet, the side cast is v queer (baby gay has all these auntie queens catting about) and some complex bisexual awakenings but… but… everything else is a chemistry void. Some fun language wordplay and exploration of cultural tropes like cheek kissing does not save it from an unnecessary amount of punching  and a but ton of sexual harassment and statutory rape. No thank you. I had to rewatch Destiny Seeker to get over this. 3/10 

I gave up 

Takumi-kun Series 6: Nagai Nagai Monogatari no Hajimari no Asa (Japan Sun ????) 10 eps - NO ONE ASKED FOR THIS and no, I have no idea where to get it, why would I? Apparently it finished. I still can’t find it but it’ll be off this list next week.

Why You (Khmer ????) - Billed as a horror romance, not sure if this is a movie or a series where it aired... nothing except that it exists.

Next Week Looks Like This:

3 BLs are finishing but nothing is starting up. We running lean these days. 

Just started today (Sunday): Dinosaur Love (Thai iQIYI) Trailer 10 eps - from Ultimate Troop about a uni student, Rak, whose partner cheats on him with Rak's best friend. This gives bad boy hazer Dino an opportunity to hit on Rak at last. From The Yearbook people so I shouldn’t watch this as it airs. After Remember Me? I swore never again with them. But there’s so little on right now, I might fall on the pulp sword. 

I’ll include it in next week’s summation. 

I’ll have the July 2023 upcoming for you next week too. 

2023 forthcoming BL master post (see comments, some are inaccurate, NOT KEPT UPDATED)

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

I love him, Your Honor. (Be My Favorite... HIM, he’s my favorite.) 

I love them, Your Honor. (Luminous Solution) 

Watch a tiny GL ship set sail across the seas of overly optimistic tumblrs... (La Pluie)

MY PRECIOUS! OMG I LOVE HER SO MUCH. (Tie the Knot) 

Incidentally, I would like a future as a dictatorial elder queer running a slightly shady business fleecing the straights via their dumb marriage traditions surrounded by nubile half-naked hotties.

And ya know what? I think this is achievable life goal for me. 

Gotta go, I have a future to plan. 

(Last week.)

[27emailsicantsend]

You know what I just realized when Ricky told Gina that she was super busy with the movie filming and barely had no time to make to to rehearsal not with her tight schedule on Halloween episode so you know what Gina did. She took care of issue next day when she told Quinn that she could film all day with Mack as that was most of her filming schedule with him so that she would have all the time to do HSM3 with Ricky. So she did something about it and made sure she would have time for Ricky and the drama club, unlike EJ. When EJ was so overwhelmed last summer with all of tasks and he didn't even ask Val for help or anyone as well to take some of burdens so he would have some time to spend with Gina so this really shows that Gina was truly committed to Ricky and drama club because she actually cared about them and they were very important to her more than anything else and didn't want to put them off or ignore it just because she was too busy. EJ thought the problem would go away itself and everything would be okay and the problems would keep increasing to the point that Gina just had it with him and had to end it. I find it very interesting that when you are truly commit to something, you do everything in your power to make sure you get what you want. If you don't care much about something, why bother to put all the efforts into it. Gina showed her commitment to the drama club and her time with Ricky and she proved it. EJ didn't bother to do all that so that really shows that he wasn't really committed to Gina at all. She wasn't first thing on his mind and not even his first priority and never was. It was all about impressing his father. So if he was really committed to Gina, his actions would have showed differently. This is not that hard. If you care about someone, you show it through your actions. Like he had many jobs and college courses and more and yet he made time to talk to Val on the phone says a lot about who he is truly committed to.

Yes! You expressed this perfectly, anon! I am sort of parroting you here, but truly everything EJ did s3 was self-serving. He wanted to impress his dad because it benefitted him not going to that college. If he didn't go to that college, it benefitted him so he could be with his girlfriend. I always felt so icky the way he twisted the narrative to make it look like he was doing it all for Gina.

I think it was actually crucial we got that scene of Gina apologizing to EJ, because if you were team EJ season 3, then watched that scene you might have went "now wait a minute, why is gina apologizing?" And then you would also wonder why her apologizing caught you off guard in the first place. Because the way gina and ej handled everything was not equal. Maybe the premise was the same, but the reactions were not. And that is all the difference you need in seeing where true intentions were.

Now, I'm going to give EJ some credit here: season 4 I genuinely felt like he was actually doing things for other people. Episode 5 is the biggest proof of that. He dropped everything to help his ex's new boyfriend basically get back with her. He said so himself he was not totally loving hearing ricky talk about gina, but he still pushed ricky to fight for her. Then we also got the scene of ashlyn telling maddox EJ had been rooting for them since the beginning. We see him tell ashlyn that he thinks maddox has feelings for her. Then we see EJ hear Gina out and own up to his behavior season 3, not trying to fight to win her back. His intentions became unselfish again and it was clear in his characterization season 4. You could genuinely see his growth and I found myself liking him again!

Joshua Bassett said it (I'm summarizing): Ricky and Gina represent a healthy relationship and posts like this prove why.

[lizzibennet]

do you have any modern!Kathony fic recs for someone who usually has a hard time getting into modern aus for ships from period dramas/stories that take place during historical periods? :)

god anon i hope you have a lot of free time

sidelines by ramarro - “Kate sees Anthony's bumble profile and finds it very pretentious. It does not stop her from obsessively drawing his arms though. Until he starts dating her sister.” SIDELINES MY BELOVED!!!!!!! probably my favorite modern au (which is why i’m recommending it first). it’s just delightful. i don’t wanna give too much away just read it!!! i promise you will not be disappointed

most eligible by amalin (firstglances) - a ‘the bachelor’ au. if that means nothing to you don’t worry, it meant nothing to me too. you can get by with very little knowledge of the show besides the basic premise. i love this one

a supercut of us by joekavaliers - basically a buzzfeed unsolved au where kate is ryan and anthony is shane. probably more enjoyable if you already like bfu but it’s really funny

prima facie by katelai - kate, anthony and tom dorset are all famous actors starring in a new film. drama and speculation follow them because while kate and anthony are married and happy, anthony and tom are exes. this is really really good, super interesting, anddddd hot. this author has a bunch of really intriguing fics - i haven’t read all of them, but i really liked the ones i have! mind the tags though

just go with it by suitsusboth - kate jokingly selects the title of viscountess as she is booking a flight. much to her surprise, there is an actual viscount on board, so she’s moved to sit by her husband, because that’s obviously what they are. right?

operation: barista series by starkswinterfelling - OMG OPERATION BARISTA HIIIII. i love a good text fic tbh and this one is about all the sibs trying to get anthony and that cute barista from that coffee shop in their town, kate, together. so cute <33333

the little things you do by zegabz - flower shop au. kate finds a floral arrangement she made just as she is heading to a bar to meet up with friends. incidentally, the man who so rudely discarded the bouquet she made is there too. screams

it had to be you by zegabz - when harry met sally au. need i say more

june, after dark by stutteringpeach - edwina is friends with daphne whose wedding celebration is taking place in her grand fancy estate in the country, so obviously she drags kate along. daphne’s brother is very annoying, but also familiar to kate… hmmmmmm

soulmates au by teabrigadier - soulmate au in which the first words your soulmate will ever say to you show up on your wrist on your 18th birthday, and both kate and anthony have very decided opinions on their soulmates, since both of them have very asshole-y soulmate marks. there is an anthony pov and a kate pov!!

a place to rest by lookingforthestars - kate runs a little bed & breakfast. anthony shows up suddenly one late night. they go from there

you are the light that is blinding me by lookingforthestars - anthony is just one of kate’s vaguely dickish, annoying coworkers - until she starts eavesdropping on conversations between him and a mystery woman, and a side of him she was not aware of is revealed. peak idiots being idiots love them

i can’t find the words, so i guess it’s time by pentaghastly - k&a have a one night stand after much unresolved sexual tension. to kate’s surprise, he starts being a regular at her tea shop.

I could go on but lol

[theskyexists]

The Lion in Winter

Truly incomprehensible, Alaiss and Eleanor's talks. 'i should like to see you suffer' then breaks down and calls her mother. What. (Edit: ah. She's afraid she'll take Henry, and afraid of Eleanor for it, so she tries to bark at her. But eventually she seeks comfort from her anyway)

All her children think her horrid and duplicitous and hate her or something. But why???? Because they're hopelessly dependent on Henry?

Eleanor did get him though. Or at least Henry was got. John hurt him

This is a story about somebody who excels at all they do (king), being good fighter and being lucky and smart and powerful and amazing and getting the girl, and a hundred after, and getting away with it all too, except he's so afraid of death now and no one to immortalise him and his accomplishments. He can't live on in anyone.

Eleanor got him again. Hah

So he locks up his sons and his wife. Gets the anullment, gets a son maybe, still. He should kill them all really.

Honestly, none of them ever helped their mother, it seems, well there did seem to be civil wars...?

Once again, why does the king walk around in such shit clothes

Why did she give them knives if she wanted them to flee. But I do believe she did want them to flee. And she wanted them all to live .

This films one premise is that this family is super reluctant to kill each other.

Nonetheless this is a tribute to a 'great man'. Everybody thinks this man is awesome, no matter his cruelties. Including himself.

It was an interesting imagining of the times (the sets and costumes)

Also the man who plays Henry is of course stunning.

[eightypercentjack-blog]

And now for something completely different.... 😄

I was super intrigued by this and heard a lot of people say they loved it 'except the ending'. I also tend to find Demi Moore open and likeable, and was happy to see her get such an interesting role.

What started out strong with a super interesting premise, great concepts and really awesome graphic design work turned into what seemed like a pretty squandered opportunity. After a point it wasn't doing anything with its own intriguing setup or making any kind of more thought-provoking commentary on its powerful themes. Everything is a little too hollow and one-note for it to hit the way it initially seems they were intending.

I'm not as squeamish about body horror as some but there were definitely a few moments I had to hide my eyes (perhaps not the most obvious ones either!) I can also see why it's been forwarded for awards as a Comedy. This surprised me at first but by the third act it makes sense, even if I wish I'd personally found it funnier than I did. I think as much as many parts are absurd enough to be comical, I was too busy wishing they'd done so much more with the ideas, talent and aesthetics available - the Substance itself almost has more of the feel of a character than a plot device because it's been so meticulously designed.

Demi Moore is great, the moments of real emotion all come from her. There's one scene in particular that is so deeply sad, human and real, especially in the midst of so much outlandish surrealism. I wish we'd seen more of that and more of her exploring Elisabeth so that her actions later on make much more sense to us. Margaret Qualley is fine but has so little to say (literally, the dialogue in this film is very sparse). I know we can see the lack of conversation, isolation and their overall depictions as intentional commentary but I think it took a toll on the connection the audience is able to make with them before it all veers off the deep end.

Something that is fantastic, which I don't notice in every film, is the soundtrack. Super effective.

I absolutely recommend seeing it but, to run with the obvious line, the Substance needed more substance.

[grandhotelabyss]

Maybe I'm too stupid and lowbrow, so the reasons for why I liked Joker 2 will be just prove to others that it is unsophisticared trash.

But I dunno, I just thought it was an interesting movie, like the first one wasnt really about some IP franchise charachter, so this one isnt about some super villian caper plot but about the power of the first movie and it's consequences.

People fell in love with Joker and the whole premise of this being (for the first half) some overly sweet romantic musical, and atleast for me it worked: maybe because I deep down like that lovey dovey stuff of both sides showing love to each other, so one gets seduced by this sacharine imaginary wolrd.

As one got seduced by the bravado and the impotent violence of "Joker", the film and the idea - so there are sequences here where Joker starts acting all bombastically, having daydreams, now not only of song and dance, but of the violence and "retribution" the audience craves.

So then it comes to a shudden shock, when it not only gets revealead that the fangirl lady gaga is literally just some larping fangirl in love with the idea of some killer clown as if she had a tumblr blog about her favorite yuri sadist anime or whatever - but also that the little dwarf, who is framed as pitiable as possible, felt the real effexts of the Joker.

Ofcourse the later could be a very basic "oh no, being violent is le bad" message - and it seems to go that way - but at the same time the tragedy comes there, that when Artur has this realisation, that he "asks for help" like all the theraphy language asks of him, he gets rejected by his fangirl and everybody else - because all that hated him still hate him and his followers dont care about some loser, they only care about the super edgy clown prince or whatever shit people say.

But the problem is that Arthur at best is Raskolnikov, he is a softy that cant fully go above morals and self preservation, his spirit is broken both by society cutting his act short by killing and brutalizing his followers who are "inspired" in this cliche way of "singing to victory", while he is simply brutalised and abused, because in the end nobody can laugh trough the pain, only in cartoons and comics.

One could say that this movie is flawed because it ends without any solution, just a pessimistic outlook of either being abused or lashing out as a response till everything gets repayed in an even more horrific way.

But I think that doesnt make it bad or "demorilization propoganda against us brave chuds" - like I think some ask mentioned the Idiot by Dostojewsky sometime ago, and that book also ends with the protagonist failing in his quest and every outlook leading to tragedy, yet nobody would call it bad for that.

Because as Dostojewsky basically boils down to saying that humanity without love is lost, no matter how banal that sounds, so does this movie.

Yet I know this will probably make you think that the critiques are right lol, but I dunno its hard to put into words, just all the layers of the film on a meta level also proving how the audience doesnt care about the first movie besides as a power fantasy, hence why it is a musical, or it predicting the response of the fans and everyone hating it, or the fact that a guy who previously directed raunchy sex comedies chose to make this movie instead going the easy route of making some plot about joker escaping prison and then terrorizing the town with his minions till he has some ephiphany/gets killed by some batman or whatever lol.

And also it looked pretty to me lol, which may seem insignificant, but after watching that truely garbage and overrated trash "deadpool and wolverine" I could appreciate that - and that movie was truely bad yet the same people praise it, hence why I doubt critics are a good barometer.

That movie truely made me sick of its reddit-esque meta lampshading, while in Joker 2 it was mostly fitting.

I dunno, in the end I'm not saying its some perfect movie or even that "deep" if one is a lot more sophisticated and well read than me, but as a comic book sequel movie I doubt there are a lot more interesting attempts.

(oh also another small meta joke I found funny is the whole implication of the Lady Gaga charachter only using Joker for her own gain, which seems to be what the singer literally did cause nobody cares about her anymore so why not attach yourself to a super succesful itteration of a super succesful franchise? Hell the chuds could have easily said "see this is a critque of women taking from men and then discarding them once they dont need them anymore!")

I still haven't seen it, but I post this for those who may be interested in a review from a reader.