i am rewatching it now to see if i missed anything to make me think it was just okay-to-bland and no i feel the same. it was fine, it was cute but that's it...it was just ...ok? the more i sit with it the more flat i think about it while knowing in my brain it was cute but not feeling it the way i want nor what others do.

imo what the show lacks is heart and a sense of true intimacy. of friends, of space, of romance, of life. it's evident even the way the scenes are set up. i understand that they were in higher alert for covid when this was filmed but that's the reality of all productions from here on out until the world gets its shit together. additionally, though i do not think that it is as high as people think, if the budget for production WAS high then it absolutely should have been better! we should have been able to see it with thoughtful production, editing, shot choices. and i'm sorry but it was shot very perfunctorily and that was evident. but the whole thing is so sterile /and/ perfunctory so it makes sense.

i don't care for nor notice patterns of supposed cross-gender norms (miscategorized as heteronormativity) placed on these relationships or characters and i do not think that is the issue since BL is definitively and staunchly dedicated to masculinity even when it tries to imply some type of 'female' in more feminine characteristics. i mention this because the issue with them wasn't the tall/short thing but there was 1) a difference in caliber of acting 2) very obviously that other kid is young and he is very very small so it is kind of jarring to see one, who is very much not college aged anymore, and someone else who graduated high school 2 years ago (and is very much college age!)

what's most shocking to me is the reception of the show. i have noooo idea how it got so popular or even exactly why like what kind of contagious feelings that people caught for this show. i know there must be people who are pretty ambivalent towards it like i am. i wish it had more oomph or pizzaz or something. i have seen and watched way worse but i have also seen, watched, and /enjoyed/ the way worse and that's the biggest bummer for me. it doesn't have to be special but it could be something eye-catching, or really funny, or something to just stand out or makes you want to latch on to it except for the red clothing or the BLK coffee shots but that's about it and that's not enough. even his fake tattoo was boring and so new (hello! makeup!)

i didn't care for the manhua but they're so different that it doesnt really matter anyways. maybe the story from conception wasn't that interesting anyway? who knows but this one had no ambiance (literally with the way it was edited and no audio tracks of ambiance but also figuratively)

i don't remember the music (and i am literally rewatching it) and usually i hate music in these shows anyway so let's just say it was fine. would i rewatch? well i am now so.


the girl was hot and i love plurisexuals and that's about all i have to say now