The drama deals with one of Life's hefty moral dilemmas. It handles the material sensitively, thoughtfully and intelligently as well as explores what unconditional love between two friends looks like. I always enjoy watching shows like this because I come away with strategies on how to handle difficult circumstances should I find myself in a similar situation. For me, the moral of this drama is that each person is responsible for his or her own happiness while they walk on Earth and that happiness comes wrapped in different shapes and sizes for each individual. So whether or not person one approves of person two's decision does not mean that person two's decision is wrong.

SPOILER ALERT... do not read any further if you wish to avoid spoilers.

The drama revolves around the best-friend friendship of two male 20/21 year olds -- Frame and Earth -- and the same-sex relationship between Earth and Non. Non is 22 years older than Earth. Frame learns an uncomfortable truth regarding Non's background and, from that moment on, Frame is torn between doing what he believes is right for his best friend Earth and knowing that if he exposes the truth he will potentially be wrecking happy lives. Frames wrestles with the notion that once words like this truth are spoken, the hurt and damage can be far reaching. For this reason, Frame is cautious.

It is a fact of life that people do things of which others may or may not approve. The question is, though, Does our 'not approving' of these things mean that those involved have to live their lives according to our wishes? This drama explores the point of view that individuals have the right to make their own decisions whether or not they are good or bad decisions.

In many ways, I saw this presentation through the lens of a gay guy coming out to his family. His family may want life to be completely different for their son but if his parents truly believe in unconditional love, they will accept their son without any drama or fuss. Such an unspoken belief is also something with which Frame wrestles. If his friendship with Earth is truly based on unconditional love, he will simply state his views and leave Earth’s life-choices to Earth without judging him.

I encourage everyone to watch this drama and pay attention to the comments that Frame makes on his Instagram documentary. They are thought-provoking and there are valuable lessons to be learnt.

Read More

I really enjoyed this brief mini-series.

In a country that is as socially conservative as South Korea, it must be a difficult decision for actors to play gay characters. Tak Woo Suk and Yeon Seung Ho were excellent. I am so glad that they were prepared to do this. I really liked their chemistry and the sincerity they showed one another. I also was blown away by Ra Sun Young's powerful lines about family being more important than whether or not her brother likes men.

Dramas such as this one are very, very valuable. They show people that being gay is not a bad thing. We all share the same kinds of feelings and if you love someone, whether it's same-sex or opposite-sex, no-one is all that different from anyone else.

Read More

HAPPINESS IS WHAT YOU MAKE IT

“His” is a truly beautiful movie. It’s equal parts heart-warming and heart-wrenching. But more than anything, it is a thoroughly satisfying 2-hour journey. I encourage everyone to watch it. Be warned that it’s probably a good idea to have a box of tissues beside you as there are some moments that touch one’s soul.

Please don’t read past here if you haven’t yet seen the movie. Watch it first and then come back and read this review if you feel inspired. There are spoilers below.

====="SPOILERS AHEAD" ALERT=====

This is one of those rare gems of a movie that stayed in my mind, for all the right reasons, long after I finished watching. And the more I think about it, the more impressed I become with the script-writing and the directing.

Screenwriter Atsushi Asada and Director Imaizumi Rikiya have done an incredible job with this presentation. It’s not rushed. It’s not complicated. It’s not dramatic. But it DEFINITELY IS rewarding viewing. I can’t get it out of my mind that this story is based on someone’s real-life experience because everything about the movie shines with authenticity.

We enter the lives of two gay men who break up shortly after the audience arrives. We are then fast forwarded a number years, and the man who was responsible for the break up returns with a six-year-old daughter. He’s on the cusp of a divorce. The story that follows is how two gay men, a devastated wife and a young girl struggle with Life and, ultimately, build a bridge to Happiness.

The main characters: Igawa Shun hasn’t been able to fully accept his homosexuality; Hibino Nagisa leaves Shun and marries a few years later; Hibino Rena is Nagisa’s wife; Hibino Sora is Nagisa’s and Rena’s daughter. The actors who play these roles were completely immersed in their characters and, as a consequence, the “believability factor” of this story is enormous.

"His" about coming out and community acceptance of a gay relationship. It’s also about two men raising a young girl. The movie covers Family Law and legal prejudice, and looks at the hurdles created by emotions. The message that stayed with me the most, though, is that a person should never lose sight of what matters in Life. Moreover, when a person does the wrong thing to someone else, sincerely apologise. It is through an honest and heartfelt apology that a pathway to resolving conflict is created.

Read More

Definitely worth watching + one criticism

This review contains spoilers. It's better to watch the show before reading what I've written.

Each week, I waited patiently for the next episode of "History 3: Making Our Days Count" to be released on VIKI. It's been such an amazing show and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. The final episode, however, is not sitting comfortably with me. At this very moment, I am in front of my computer after having completed the drama and I'm feeling completely gutted and wishing that I had stopped watching the show at episode 18.

By way of background.... my very-much-loved son passed away a couple of years ago and this final episode has brought back all the misery, all the heartache and all the grief that I felt when he died. I mention this as an indicator of the impact that this last episode had on me and also because there is a parallel between my experience and Hao Ting's story. It is a huge credit to Shao Hui Ting's writing and Tsai Mi Chieh's directing that I am now feeling this way. In addition, Wayne Song's acting was absolutely outstanding; he brought me to tears. I honestly hope that he wins an award. He deserves it. I also know that I feel this way because of Juan Zhi, too, and his ability to create an incredibly real and very likeable Xi Gu. I applaud the abilities of every one of these people with all my sincerity. What makes me reflect the most, though, is that I wish that I did not have to experience these painful feelings again without benefiting from some positive gains as well. For example, when I look back on my son's life, there are so many positive aspects to it for which I am extremely grateful. This sense of the value of a life was not there in the last episode of "Making Our Days Count". For me, such positive gains in the midst of terrible tragedy seemed to be missing and I was left feeling meaninglessly heartbroken.

I'll explain what I mean.

Xi Gu did not deserve to end so miserably. He had already been through more than enough. His struggles contained life-lessons for all of us and were worth so much more than a few bits and pieces in a biscuit tin. That Hao Ting's parents did not honour the memory of Xi Gu a little more was cruel because even in death, Xi Gu kept his heartfelt, solemn promise to Hao Ting's parents and gave their son the reason and the momentum Hao Ting needed to make a great life for himself. It would have been wonderful if Hao Ting's and Xi Gu's homosexual relationship, brief as it was, could have been celebrated because of all the good that it eventually brought. This did not happen though. Instead, we were introduced to "Phoebe" and the glimpse of a heterosexual relationship now being important. In my opinion, Xi Gu's promise to Hao Ting's parents in an earlier episode was worth its weight in pure gold and was worthy of acknowledgement and story development rather than being pretty much forgotten. Had Xi Gu been remembered with fondness and gratitude by everyone who mattered, the tragedy would have felt worthwhile and it would have sat much more comfortably with me. It would have been cathartic.

To be honest, I usually find the "six years later" (or equivalent) kind of last episode challenging. In this particular instance, I would have liked the final episode to lead the me along a little more gently instead of keeping everything a mystery until right near the end. While all the characters in the drama had had 6 years to move on and get used to the situation, as the audience, everything was brand new to me and it was hard getting my head around it all and trying to make sense of it. Maybe this is just me, though.

While I know that I have been negative in writing the above, please keep in mind that these critical thoughts relate to just one double episode in one drama. And the drama was well worth watching.

In closing, I sincerely want to thank all those involved with the different History series. You are doing the world a great service by showing same-sex dramas and teaching the world that gay is OK. What's more important, though, is that you are leading the way with helping the world see what gay relationships look like, that they are not something scared of and, at the end of the day, that love is love. I congratulate everyone on their amazing work.

Read More

I really enjoyed watching Kongpob and Arthit again. These characters are so real that it feels like they are your friends and you want the very best possible for them.

SOTUS S was one of the best journeys in romance and enduring love that I've seen. Singto and Krist did an amazing job in creating such honest, believable and caring characters. If anyone wants lessons on how to be romantic, Kongpob is the man to watch. He says so many sincere and heart-warming one-liners that I felt my heart melt many times. Honestly, I learnt much more about how to be romantic from this story than anything else I've seen. I'm definitely a better person because I watched this show. Along the way, I also picked up some very valuable life lessons.

I sincerely say "Thank you" to the director, the scriptwriters, the book's author and all behind the scenes crew. You have created something very special with the telling of this story.

Read More

FIRST CLASS ENTERTAINMENT

I watched this on Netflix and by around episode 5, I was hooked. And it just kept getting better and better and better as the actors settled more and more into their roles. I ended up viewing all 50 episodes in 3 days and I will definitely be re-watching this a few more times in the future. It was a very, very satisfying experience.

Sean Xiao is a highly engaging actor and I seriously hope that he wins one or more awards for this performance. His interpretation of Wu Wei Xian was thoroughly believable and I think this character is going to be permanently etched in my mind for all the right reasons. Heaps of praise must also be given to Wang Yi Bo in the role of Lan Wang Ji. As the two lead characters, there was an enormous amount of chemistry present in their partnership. These two guys scaled the Mount Everest of acting heights and I found it impossible not to get caught up in all the emotions.

Kudos also to all the cast, the crew, the directors and the writers. This is one of the best journeys of entertainment that I've travelled. Thank you!

Read More

Thank you VIKI, thank you 한기찬 and thank you 장의수. I loved this series. From start to finish, I enjoyed the journey. Each week I patiently waited for new episodes and their translation. The soundtrack, the cinematography, the script, the directing, everything was superb. MOST IMPORTANTLY, though, special mention must go to Jang Eui-su and Han Gi-chan for their outstanding acting. They were 100% believable and gave their all to their characters. For too long, gay men and women have had to sit on the sidelines where they have often been regarded as damaged goods that weren’t made quite right. As the world is now starting to realise, though, being gay is just another possibility of what it means to be a normal person. To me, Han Gi-chan and Jang Eui-su are heroes. In lots of ways, South Korea in 2020 still seems to look at gay people a bit strangely and, because of this, these men must have thought long and hard about taking on gay roles. I am so glad that they were brave and that they did. They will make a difference right across the world. I highly recommend this short and extremely well produced BL drama. 감사합니다 And to the translation teams… 1,000,000 x “thank you” because without you, I could not have enjoyed this wonderful creation.

Read More

DEEP AND MEANINGFUL VIEWING IN MANY WAYS

Please be warned that this review contains spoilers. My focus in this article is primarily to consider the writing of Jo Kwang-jin. He is the author of the webtoon upon which "Itaewon Class" is based. He also wrote the script for the series.

Kwang-jin has done an exceptional job. I am full of admiration for him. The drama is intelligently written and sequenced with flair between main-story, back-story, side-story and parallel-story. A number of his characters are quirky and they enliven the entertainment. All the main characters come from a position of social weakness. For example: a black Korean who continually has to authenticate his nationality, two sons who are emotional casualties of a ruthless and domineering father, an illegitimate child, an orphan, etc.; even the billionaire villain was a starving street-child in his early years.

I was particularly impressed that Ma Hyun-yi, one of Kwang-jin’s characters was transgender and that Kwang-jin allows her to shine brightly in the sun. This is a major moment in Korean dramas given South Korea’s continuing reluctance to celebrate that, just like skin-colour or eye-colour or height (etc.), gender identity is a characteristic with which one is born and that ‘normal’ is a word that covers many possibilities. The events that culminated in Ma Hyun-yi’s coming-out as transgender on national television were riveting viewing, and the script and Lee Joo-young’s acting were superb. Anyone who watches this scene with a humane mindset will be emotionally touched by seeing what unconditional love looks like between genuine friends who sincerely care for one another and who see deeper than a person’s surface.

Park Seo-jun is one of my favourite actors and, in this role, he shows the depth and breadth of his abilities. As the lead actor, Park Seo-jun creates a Park Sae-ro-yi who is an uncomplicated man and who stays true his friends 100% of the time -- he never blames nor criticises them. This seems like a simple acting task on the face of it but as one follows Park Seo-jun from episode to episode, it is easy to appreciate that in acting Sae-ro-yi, Park Seo-jun has to dig deep. Sae-ro-yi wholeheartedly trusts those around him and he leads the cast when it comes to demonstrating unconditional love. Sae-ro-yi also never hesitates to accept responsibility however heavy that burden will be. Kwang-jin’s life-philosophies that are delivered to the audience via Sae-ro-yi are truly a gift to the world. In Park Sae-ro-yi, Kwang has created a template for what constitutes an immensely decent human being. It would be a wonderful world -- a really wonderful world, in fact -- if there were more people like Sae-ro-yi around.

In addition: the makeup is first class (watch how Jang Dae-hee ages and becomes increasingly ill); the soundtrack is exceptional and deserves special recognition; all actors create believable and authentic characters; the direction and the production are magnificent. I must also make mention of Ahn Bo-hyun’s acting. His performance as Jang Geun-won is incredible. I have never felt so sorry for the bad guy as I did for Geun-won. It is to Jo Kwang-jin’s writing-credit and Ahn’s acting that Geun-won comes to life as such a deeply flawed character with whom the audience can feel angry, sad and sorry. I never stopped hoping that he would see the error of his ways and change.

There is no doubt in my mind at all that any viewer who watches this show will we richly rewarded if they look beyond simple entertainment and straightforward romance. This is a memorable and outstanding drama. I anticipate that many awards will wander its way. I don't normally re-watch shows but I might make an exception for this one.

Read More