One other note, this one worthy of a discrete discussion thread. Unintentional Love Story flirts with LGBT themes more overtly than a typical K-BL does. Quite subtly, too. Both Coffeshop and Potter are out gay men. Their conversations make clear that each one is open and out to the other, and they comfortably discuss romantic traumas they've had in the past. There is an awareness that Liar may not have awakened to a recognition of his attraction to other men, and that that lack of self-awareness warrants not just caution in dealing with him, but also consideration. Caution, for the out Potter not to hurt himself by hitting on a straight man. Consideration, for not rushing Liar into a romance he may be unready for. A flashback sequence depicts Young High School Aged Future Coffeeshop struggling to come out as gay. Rejected by his own parents, the one adult who embraces him for who he is turns out to be Dropout's mom. The series quietly presents these queer moments as part of the world building, rather than making them the point of the story the way an LGBT genre would likely do. Still, it is a more honest, even brazen depiction, of men who seem authentically gay than K-BL usually serves up. By contrast, both Liar and Dropout follow more conventional K-BL arcs. Although the show depicts each one gradually realizing, struggling with, and accepting his attraction to a man, there is never an epiphany "hey, I am gay!" moment. It feels a bit closer to "I just like you." Even so, showing _a process_ is better than nothing. Since *The Eighth Sense* offered a similar tale about characters already comfortable in their identities, perhaps this is a sign that K-BL is ready to be more brazen in the depiction of queer themes despite a domestic audience still prudish about sexual themes in general and squeamish about LGBT stuff in particular? Or maybe these two series are just unicorns? Either way, I found Unintentional Love Story refreshing on this basis, and I count it as a redeeming point in the series favor.
There is enough source material from the manga, (71 chapters and 12 additional for the Side Story), to have a solid season 2, if the adaptation stays true to the novel. A second season would be extremely successful if they focused on the secondary couple as the primary couple. There really is still a story worth telling in these four characters alone! I was very enchanted at the beginning of the series and then became very complacent as the cliché that it had been set up for, had to be played out. I felt that it had an independent film festival type of vibe, one that you would go to see with your significant other for a date night. Now, as I conclude, I would just like to recommend we stop by the ice cream parlor for a sweet of your choice and discuss the highlights and predictability of the series! 😉 😊. Overall I enjoyed the series and would welcome a season 2.
Ice cream combined with BL talk? If you were a guy, you'd have found the secret way into my....uh, into my.....nevermind. but I will eat the ice cream anyway.
Count me among those more intrigued by the second couple than the primary. Why? I think because the series telegraphed the lead couple's arc from the get go. I more or less predicted the events of episodes 6-10 as soon as the Big Lie became evident. What Drama Whale almost dubbed "cliché" before generously settling on "typical," struck me as "obvious," or "self-evident," or "formulaic." Hmm. Perhaps Drama Whale ought to have trusted her first thought. "Cliché" captures it. The second couple therefore had two advantages. First, it was not obvious how their story would turn out. (Which is fine.) Second, the series took too long to reveal their backstory. (Which is a flaw.) Both qualities ensure, we remain curious about them while waiting for the inevitable, predictable plot "twists" to unfurl for the main couple. (Which is a serious flaw.) The only question became whether we would enjoy the ride while waiting for the lead pair to fall for each other, have the lie _nearly_ revealed, double down on the lie, have the lie independently revealed (betrayal!), the break-up, the remorse and efforts to atone, the rejected bid for reconciliation, the reciprocal remorse at watching the spurned party suffer, and, finally, rapprochement. Knowing the series would conclude in 10 episodes, I predicted from the start exactly which episode would deliver the story beats I just outlined. That may sound smug, but really it reflects disappointment. No series should ever be so easy for a viewer to storyboard. Notwithstanding the shortcomings of the story, I still found the series passably entertaining. What the script lacked in originality, it made up for with character building. Both Potter and Liar became interesting as people. Their backstories drew me in. The side couple, Coffeshop and Dropout, were equally enjoyable. Having Coffeeshop serve as an ally for both Liar _and_ Potter proved a shrewd decision, possibly the cleverest detail in the whole script. An old friend of Potter who counseled him to open up his broken heart, Coffeshop also offered Liar a part time job so he could hover around Potter. With Coffeeshop overtly rooting via word and deed for the lead pair to couple up and seize their romantic moment, the audience was compelled to invest in them as well. Moreover, the actors elevated the humdrum material they were given to play. The series earns its emotional resonance despite the flaws of its telegraphed plot, and that is largely a credit to the performances. Despite knowing what events the plot required to be inevitable, I kept wanting to see what would happen next. Well, not _what_ would happen--more, _how_ the script would bring about each inevitable moment. Unintentional Love Story may have tipped its hand regarding the main story, but it nonetheless manages to elicit the requisite feels BL fans crave.
@@dramawhale03 is that because we both possess super smart, keenly perceptive intellects? Or because we've both seen too many dramas and just instinctually _know_ what lies ahead?
@@johnmaster3748 Not that I doubt your intellect, but I think it's the second option ahah I feel like I can predict a lot of romances, so it's nice when tthey actually surprise me :D
Goodness I managed to get through most of Ep 2 and then completely forgot this existed till I saw the first few minutes of your video, even the title was forgettable Was it cliche or poorly conceived and executed, because the original source material is acknowledged to be good. Directors get money to adapt the Outstanding BL stories; it’s in the adaptation that things tend to fall down because they’re usually not produced by people who are steeped in BL culture to begin with, hence the disconnect. If you look at the profile and work of Directors and Writers who grew up on BL, men who found themselves more represented in BL than mainstream gay media, and genuinely want to add value to a genre they already respect and adore - you will find well-written, well-executed BL that doesn’t disappoint it’s primary audience - Until We Meet Again; Killer and Healer; The Untamed; Cherry Magic; GameBoys; Semantic Error; Lovesick; Khun Chai; Old Fashion Cupcake; Unforgotten Night; HIStory3: Trapped; Eternal Yesterday; Addicted; My School President You’ve seen enough of the counter factual so no need for me to put the opposite list here haa 💕
One other note, this one worthy of a discrete discussion thread.
Unintentional Love Story flirts with LGBT themes more overtly than a typical K-BL does. Quite subtly, too. Both Coffeshop and Potter are out gay men. Their conversations make clear that each one is open and out to the other, and they comfortably discuss romantic traumas they've had in the past. There is an awareness that Liar may not have awakened to a recognition of his attraction to other men, and that that lack of self-awareness warrants not just caution in dealing with him, but also consideration. Caution, for the out Potter not to hurt himself by hitting on a straight man. Consideration, for not rushing Liar into a romance he may be unready for. A flashback sequence depicts Young High School Aged Future Coffeeshop struggling to come out as gay. Rejected by his own parents, the one adult who embraces him for who he is turns out to be Dropout's mom. The series quietly presents these queer moments as part of the world building, rather than making them the point of the story the way an LGBT genre would likely do. Still, it is a more honest, even brazen depiction, of men who seem authentically gay than K-BL usually serves up.
By contrast, both Liar and Dropout follow more conventional K-BL arcs. Although the show depicts each one gradually realizing, struggling with, and accepting his attraction to a man, there is never an epiphany "hey, I am gay!" moment. It feels a bit closer to "I just like you." Even so, showing _a process_ is better than nothing. Since *The Eighth Sense* offered a similar tale about characters already comfortable in their identities, perhaps this is a sign that K-BL is ready to be more brazen in the depiction of queer themes despite a domestic audience still prudish about sexual themes in general and squeamish about LGBT stuff in particular? Or maybe these two series are just unicorns? Either way, I found Unintentional Love Story refreshing on this basis, and I count it as a redeeming point in the series favor.
There is enough source material from the manga, (71 chapters and 12 additional for the Side Story), to have a solid season 2, if the adaptation stays true to the novel.
A second season would be extremely successful if they focused on the secondary couple as the primary couple. There really is still a story worth telling in these four characters alone!
I was very enchanted at the beginning of the series and then became very complacent as the cliché that it had been set up for, had to be played out.
I felt that it had an independent film festival type of vibe, one that you would go to see with your significant other for a date night.
Now, as I conclude, I would just like to recommend we stop by the ice cream parlor for a sweet of your choice and discuss the highlights and predictability of the series! 😉 😊.
Overall I enjoyed the series and would welcome a season 2.
Ice cream combined with BL talk? If you were a guy, you'd have found the secret way into my....uh, into my.....nevermind. but I will eat the ice cream anyway.
@@johnmaster3748Funny, a similar thought crossed my mind- if only you were a woman, a Uhaul rental for the second date would be in order! 😂 😂 😂
@@lynnzajicek and what do gay men exchange on the second date?
@@johnmaster3748Answer: Their names! 😂😂😂😂
I cant find what you recommended ;A;
Count me among those more intrigued by the second couple than the primary. Why? I think because the series telegraphed the lead couple's arc from the get go. I more or less predicted the events of episodes 6-10 as soon as the Big Lie became evident. What Drama Whale almost dubbed "cliché" before generously settling on "typical," struck me as "obvious," or "self-evident," or "formulaic." Hmm. Perhaps Drama Whale ought to have trusted her first thought. "Cliché" captures it. The second couple therefore had two advantages. First, it was not obvious how their story would turn out. (Which is fine.) Second, the series took too long to reveal their backstory. (Which is a flaw.) Both qualities ensure, we remain curious about them while waiting for the inevitable, predictable plot "twists" to unfurl for the main couple. (Which is a serious flaw.) The only question became whether we would enjoy the ride while waiting for the lead pair to fall for each other, have the lie _nearly_ revealed, double down on the lie, have the lie independently revealed (betrayal!), the break-up, the remorse and efforts to atone, the rejected bid for reconciliation, the reciprocal remorse at watching the spurned party suffer, and, finally, rapprochement. Knowing the series would conclude in 10 episodes, I predicted from the start exactly which episode would deliver the story beats I just outlined. That may sound smug, but really it reflects disappointment. No series should ever be so easy for a viewer to storyboard.
Notwithstanding the shortcomings of the story, I still found the series passably entertaining. What the script lacked in originality, it made up for with character building. Both Potter and Liar became interesting as people. Their backstories drew me in. The side couple, Coffeshop and Dropout, were equally enjoyable. Having Coffeeshop serve as an ally for both Liar _and_ Potter proved a shrewd decision, possibly the cleverest detail in the whole script. An old friend of Potter who counseled him to open up his broken heart, Coffeshop also offered Liar a part time job so he could hover around Potter. With Coffeeshop overtly rooting via word and deed for the lead pair to couple up and seize their romantic moment, the audience was compelled to invest in them as well. Moreover, the actors elevated the humdrum material they were given to play. The series earns its emotional resonance despite the flaws of its telegraphed plot, and that is largely a credit to the performances. Despite knowing what events the plot required to be inevitable, I kept wanting to see what would happen next. Well, not _what_ would happen--more, _how_ the script would bring about each inevitable moment. Unintentional Love Story may have tipped its hand regarding the main story, but it nonetheless manages to elicit the requisite feels BL fans crave.
What you say is true, and not smug at all^^ To be honest I was also able to predict what was going to happen and when^^'
@@dramawhale03 is that because we both possess super smart, keenly perceptive intellects? Or because we've both seen too many dramas and just instinctually _know_ what lies ahead?
@@johnmaster3748 Not that I doubt your intellect, but I think it's the second option ahah I feel like I can predict a lot of romances, so it's nice when tthey actually surprise me :D
@@dramawhale03 it's so pleasant when a drama serves up a genuine surprise! Any drama that subverts formulaic storytelling gets bonus points from me!
Goodness I managed to get through most of Ep 2 and then completely forgot this existed till I saw the first few minutes of your video, even the title was forgettable
Was it cliche or poorly conceived and executed, because the original source material is acknowledged to be good. Directors get money to adapt the Outstanding BL stories; it’s in the adaptation that things tend to fall down because they’re usually not produced by people who are steeped in BL culture to begin with, hence the disconnect.
If you look at the profile and work of Directors and Writers who grew up on BL, men who found themselves more represented in BL than mainstream gay media, and genuinely want to add value to a genre they already respect and adore - you will find well-written, well-executed BL that doesn’t disappoint it’s primary audience -
Until We Meet Again;
Killer and Healer;
The Untamed;
Cherry Magic;
GameBoys;
Semantic Error;
Lovesick;
Khun Chai;
Old Fashion Cupcake;
Unforgotten Night;
HIStory3: Trapped;
Eternal Yesterday;
Addicted;
My School President
You’ve seen enough of the counter factual so no need for me to put the opposite list here haa 💕
I think there's just one that I haven't watched yet in your list x)
@@dramawhale03 Nice 😊. I forgot one Danmei Nirvana in Fire 💕
@@stepmaster9988 Well that makes it two then x) Though they are both in my list to watch^^'