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Bad Buddy, The Hate of My Life
I watched Bad Buddy trend on Twitter every single day while it was airing and heard people praise it like it was crafted by the hands of God.Watching BB was actually one of the worst experiences of my life. The first few eps were corny but okay, and I thought I might genuinely enjoy the show until the randomly rushed angst that served no purpose other than a vehicle for the first kiss and avoidance phase between the 2 leads. I don't know how you manage to simultaneously delay a kiss while also making it feel unnaturally rushed and set up. The writing only fell apart from there, and the plot between the first kiss up until the reconciliation with the stupid xylophone scene actually changed my life for the worst. Every plot line and tonal shift in this show was written by an AI generator. The editing makes it even worse. I thought I was going crazy.
Pat is supposed to be a typical himbo character but he's so pushy that you can't believe he, or any of these characters, are college-aged students. His pushiness after the initial kiss is borderline uncomfortable. Pran is characterized as reasonable, orderly, and not an idiot, so he should be the most likeable character on screen at any given moment, but for some reason Nanon is always a hair's width from fully integrated into the character. Every new role I see him in is less convincing than the last, and he seems to have fleeting moments where he embodies a character perfectly before the performance turns towards entirely unconvincing. I wonder how many other people came to BB after watching My Dear Loser because they were impressed with his performance, just to be left scratching their heads by the end.
For a romcom, there was plenty of romance and comedy, yet somehow ticking all the boxes doesn't stop this show from being a disaster. I can't tell if the abrupt whiplash-inducing tonal shifts and ridiculous plots were crazier than the product placement scenes, but you could argue that the product placement scenes were so crazy that they were camp enough to temporarily distract from the rest of the show. Over-the-top product placements aside, BB could almost pass for fetish content with the amount of times Pat's stench was mentioned, how often he was shirtless or sleeveless, and the entire framing of the "first person to confess loses" arc. What the fuck is ever going on in this show.
The conflict-resolution in every part of the show serves no real purpose other than as a direct shift into the next conflict. The whole show can be broken up into three distinct parts, and the problem isn't that every part is so entirely different from the rest -- real people in real life experience distinct chapters in their lives -- but there is absolutely no fluidity between parts A B and C. The scene where Pat shows up like fucking Superman and saves the day with the power of xylophone while heartwarming music plays in the bg and we're given a montage of scenes that somehow transport us to Pat and Pran as an established couple is a scene that will infuriate me for years to come. I hate you Bad Buddy. You make no fucking sense.
I watched this show with two other people and I think I was the last person still standing by the time the final episode ended. I grinded the ending of the show by staring blankly at the screen or scrolling through Twitter when it was too painful to keep watching. When the episode was over I think I felt the heavens open up and an angel come down to touch me on my shoulders. I almost cried. I almost cheered. I laughed and smiled. It was over.
There aren't enough words to describe the psychological effects that bad writing, useless side characters, and terrible pacing can have on the human brain. Not to mention the lingering reminder of who the actors are playing in the back of my head whispering "he's homophobic" every once in a while. Sometimes these elements aren't detrimental on their own, but altogether Bad Buddy is shit-in-a-blender, a cocktail of disappointment and confusion. I hope God can transport me back to the universe everyone lives in where Bad Buddy is allegedly a good show.
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Fish Upon the Sky, There is a Predator Nearby
Never in my whole life have I witnessed this crazy level of manipulation and gaslighting made out to be romantic. The character of Mork is actually insane, and I feel like I'm stuck in the upsidedown place and no one else is seeing what I'm seeing. This is a character that is relentless in manipulating and harassing his love interest. He shows up in front of Pi's house (after stalking him to find out the address), watches him from afar, doesn't take no for an answer, pressures and manipulates him face to face and anonymously, and takes no responsibility for his actions to the point of being a bystander. He sounds like a horror movie antagonist and he would be one if the tone of the show allowed for it. He could be in the next season of YOU.I've seen comments and reviews characterize Pi as selfish and annoying for rejecting Mork's advances. The more reasonable comments call Mork's actions "not cool" or "a bit weird". I have to be 2 years late to the party and be the person who says straight up that Mork is a predator. Fish Upon the Sky is a romcom where the comedy aspect holds strong but the romance aspect is batshit insane. Pi was rejecting Mork for legitimately the entirely show. Even after an established relationship and a two year timeskip, Mork doesn't have any grasp on the concept of consent. Is that romance? I think y'all are on drugs.
I thought Mork's character was so blatantly a manipulator and it was just an aspect of the show to add craziness and absurdity, but after reading the MDL comments and reviews I've realized I live in the multiverse of madness where in the MDL universe harassment is hot. I shouldn't be surprised considering the history of the BL genre and its fans, but can it really get more blatant than Mork????? You can find the dynamic between MorkPi fun in a slapstick, cat and mouse, exaggerated way, but seeing people be genuinely mad at Pi's character makes me realize y'all would be gagged over abuse.
I still decided to give 3 stars overall which generally reflect the first few episodes of the show. Honestly they were fantastic and the comedy in this show is crazy. I would watch any show that's as funny as this one was, as long as it doesn't put me on suicide watch like FUTS did. I went from having the time of my life to being stressed the fuck out. If Mork got hit by a bus in episode 12 I would have been so happy again. I only got through the ending of the show because I watched it with a friend who loves crazy toxic shit. Love you babe. Thanks for keeping me off the ledge.
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it's the dollar store how good can it be
Let me start with a disclaimer that I kind of gave up on this show (more than once) but still wanted to write a somewhat robust review so I forced myself to skim the last two episodes. This means I might have missed some important nuance (surely) or events somewhere in the show and my review isn't super detailed.And yeah I skipped the side couple's scenes. Sorry! I heard they were good but I just didn't care to watch.
- Plot and Writing -
The writing for Hidden Agenda is pretty bad. I don't think it's awful and unwatchable (on writing alone) but the show felt directionless, as if it was being written in free-form. This could just be a taste thing. I'm not a slice of life person, which is a source of potential bias against Hidden Agenda and it's very simple story. But I don't know. Either I'm wrong, or the show is bad.
I think perhaps what bothered me most is that the show is called "Hidden Agenda", the same agenda by which the show is driven forward. When this ordeal is resolved before the climax of the show (instead of WITHIN the climax of the show) it induces audience whiplash. I imagine it's how people feel when they talk about Riverdale's billionth season being about completely random shit. Except GMMTV shows average 12 episodes. Which means the hidden agenda could have been drawn out to fill those 12 episodes. Instead, the story wastes a lot of space and leaves a lot to be desired. And I saw many MDL commenters sharing this same sentiment.
However, I've seen people praising the simplicity and feel-good aspect of Hidden Agenda. It's an "easy watch" (not for me, which I'll talk about in the acting section) and doesn't raise your blood pressure or expose you to intense content. Hidden Agenda is quite comparable to 2gether the series in this way. The acting is also quite comparable. I dislike both shows.
- The Hidden Agenda Reveal (ep. 9) -
There were a lot of mixed responses on MDL to the Hidden Agenda reveal (and all of Joke's actions leading up to this reveal). Personally I was on the side of finding Joke's approach manipulative in the earlier episodes, but the framing of the show wasn't clear enough to show this to the audience. From what I read about the manga from the comments, it is more obvious that Joke is manipulating the situations he and Zo are in as a means of getting closer to him. "Manipulation" not being an inherently sinister word, but I personally found Joke's use of manipulation too heavy-handed. I was on Zo's side here.
When it was revealed to Zo that Joke had this "hidden agenda" the whole time, Zo becomes upset and expects an apology. For this, half the MDL comments seemed to believe Zo acted hypocritically. "Didn't he do the same thing?"
My thing is, Zo's hidden agenda with Nita was acts of kindness, like trying to carry her stuff, or inviting her to the library under the guise of studying when he actually wanted to read her a story and gauge her response, asking someone she knows for advice on how to date a person, aka actually getting to know her. I think that's pretty harmless. Meanwhile, Joke's approach was being a weirdo. Backing people into walls, sneaky wedding rituals, "we have to go to my house oh its coincidentally a huge mess omg its midnight already I guess you have to sleep over promise I won't do anything weird! Change your style, change your food preferences, I'm super possessive around your friends." Like how is that the same as what Zo did?
I was also stunned by the fact that Zo is one of the least perceptive characters of all time, allowing Joke's hidden agenda to work in the first place. If Zo was a bit less dense he would have realized Joke's hidden agenda sooner. But I won't judge. He has trouble reading people, he has mommy issues, etc. He's a troubled boy. It's not his fault. But what bothered me about the big reveal is that, at that fucking point, the two of you are already dating, you know that he likes you, so did you not put 2 and 2 together? While I don't blame Zo as a character, I blame the writers who gave him so much goldfish-brain that it also deprived the audience of retrospective thinking.
- Supporting Characters -
One noteworthy scene was the Wave and Trin flashback story in episode 10. It was one of the few times in Hidden Agenda where I actually stopped and watched the full scene without pausing or skipping ahead. This is probably attributed to the relative acting talent of these supporting actors, as well as the way it stood out from other scenes.
The problem is that this scene served as insignificant exposition within the greater context of the show. It was a singular, self-contained conflict that explained another singular, self-contained conflict. This wouldn't have been an issue if the screenwriters had found a way to incorporate other self-contained conflicts throughout the show. Sprinkling in the supporting cast throughout the show, instead of just oh there's a stalker at the beginning, an old crush in the middle, and some random beef between seniors towards the end. Maybe we could have learned more about Zo's friends, maybe we could have learned more about Nita (because she was pretty cool), maybe we could have seen a little more of Joke's grandma (she was the best).
- Joong and Dunk and Acting -
So there's the enormous elephant in the room surrounding acting talent. Specifically the two lead actors, the stars of the show, the people who the entire show revolves around.
Personally, I find Joong and Dunk so hard to watch. Both together and separately. I have to do a lot of pausing and skipping, a lot of trying to hold myself together, because I'm very susceptible to secondhand embarrassment. I may have even had an easier time watching Star In my Mind, since I didn't know the actors yet and it was their first time acting together and you can only go up from there, right? Well they haven't gone much farther up yet. Honestly there was a moment in ep 10 where Dunk delivers a mini "you're being an asshole" monologue in the scene between Zo and Wave. That was pretty good! For Dunk standards, that was pretty good. But overall, the acting in Hidden Agenda was just not good enough.
But I want to say something very extremely important. Whenever you go into the Hidden Agenda comment section you're going to see 10,000 comments calling Dunk talentless. This may be true. But you'll also see those fans who try to desperately save Joong from from getting joint criticism. Saying Dunk is dragging Joong down and that Joong deserves a better partner and his career is being impacted by the evil dark energy that is Dunk. This is delusional. You just think Joong is sexy.
Dunk may objectively be the worst actor in this cast, and you might even expand this debate into the greater GMMTV roster, but that doesn't mean that someone who is better at acting than Dunk is a good actor. Joong may not have won 1st place in the GMMTV Worst Actors Contest, but he's still somewhere on the podium.
Joong is, once again, playing the monotonous quiet type. He's been playing discreet characters, in contrast to Dunk who's been playing the clumsier, nerdier, more animated and outwardly emotional characters.
This is tangential, but I want to note that this dynamic commonly follows couples in BL, and it's typically the case that this dynamic is superimposed onto the ever-present pest that is the top/bottom dynamic. Whenever the trope is reversed, it becomes a subversion. I find it the case that this dynamic follows masculine/feminine expectations, which are then projected outwardly onto the actors. Not only is a lack of acting talent more evident when your character requires more expression and dialogue, but the trend seems to be that, unless this actor is extremely capable with a solid reputation, it'll be the "bottom" who receives criticism disproportional to their performance.
This might be a hard sell when I'm using JoongDunk as an example, considering the fact that Dunk is truly a terrible actor. The criticism he gets is valid. But given the characters JD have been typecast as twice, and the comments that Dunk gets compared to Joong, I think it's fair to bring this issue up here. Because Joong is also, truly, a terrible actor.
I do think these two have been kinda victimized by GMMTV. This is their second project together and both shows were shit. That sucks, even considering acting talent. I think with good screenwriting and/or directing, even bad acting can be concealed within a show. Midnight Museum managed to do this and that show wasn't even good. Of course with GMMTV, and especially with JoongDunk, quality isn't the goal. These two actors are young and attractive and they're fanservice menaces. The only thing being monitored right now is profit.
But there is always room for improvement! I believe deep down in my heart of hearts that Joong and Dunk can improve as actors and put on a decent performance. I hope they get cast in a show with good writing and directing and gorgeous cinematography and good hairstyling and makeup. Joong and Dunk are too good looking to waste. And they might be terrible actors but when it comes to kissing they really go for it. That's kind of impressive. I've never seen two BL actors actually allow their bare skin to touch in a scene before. JD have courage and it should be sent to the acting workshops and used by good writers and directors.
- Overall -
Hidden Agenda wasn't good. It might have been watchable with different actors, or with the same actors and better writing. If it had different actors and better writing, it might be an excellent show. But those are hypotheticals and Hidden Agenda did not have different actors or better writing. Some people enjoyed it. I'm happy for them. I did not enjoy it and I would not recommend it, even as something to have playing in the background. If I was studying or cleaning my room and I heard a line delivery from Dunk or looked up to see Joong furrowing his eyebrows on my screen I don't think I'd be able to handle it. You're stronger than me if you can. But the intro OST was catchy I might go listen to it after this.
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There is a such a thing as unnecessary romantic tension
Enigma is a bite-sized show with a simple yet intriguing premise. It was exciting to tune into Enigma knowing that black magic is rarely explored as a theme by GMMTV, and that screenwriter and director O was enthusiastic about this show acting as a pioneer in that regard.Enigma had its strengths. Its cast, a majority women actors, did a solid job. In my opinion, performances like Prigkhing as Yihwa were the ultimate strength of Enigma. It's a shame the show is so short as to limit the time we got to see Yihwa, or Piploy as Namsine. Still, I have little complaint about Fa as a protagonist. Prim fits the role so well that it was practically made for her.
You can also see what O meant when he said he took a modern approach to making black magic more palatable for a present-day audience. The balance between the traditional, which is the origin of magic across all cultures, and modern tech (social media, the dark web) was evident. I would have 0 complaints about a more traditional approach, but because I know what O was going for, and the idea of an underground organization of black magic users operating via the web is pretty cool, I can't complain about the way Enigma handles magic.
Still, I do think it would be nice to go all-out. I understand Enigma is a gateway, and is appealing to an international audience, but I'm excited to see how much further black magic can be explored using the medium of mainstream horror dramas or movies that are accessible to a global audience, which is the platform that GMM currently has. For that, I also have to agree with the sentiments of my friend Reinee Seezinz. You may dread seeing her comments, but she's right about the ethnic makeup of GMM actors. Magic is traditional, it'd be nice to see plenty of faces that match.
I want to end by saying that yeah I am one of the people who thinks the romantic suggestions in the show were uncomfortable. Before the show even aired I had my buttcheeks clenched hoping to god it wouldn't be student-teacher. "Well he's not a real teacher!" Great. Should we celebrate? Should we pop bottles? The implication is that he is an adult man with a career, and she's still a high school student regardless of if she's a senior or 18. Thankfully the relationship was a one-sided crush, or at least that's what was explicitly confirmed by the final episode. That's not to say there weren't some scenes with the two of them that made my eyes narrow. Like the necklace, or her dressing his wounds. I'm sick of the trope and the way it goes over people's heads or, even worse, people die to defend it. If there is a season two and Fa graduates and ends up with Ajin, I'll consider that a defeat too.
For now, I don't have too many hopes or expectations. Overall, Enigma was alright. It wasn't groundbreaking, but not a waste of time either. It has its standout moments. I hope to see more black magic in the future. And more traditional culture in general.
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Something sweet for the kids
I'm starting this review by saying that BL fans can seriously be some of the most annoying people on earth. After watching My School President I came to MDL to read the comments and was baffled to find people comparing this show to KinnPorsche, The Eighth Sense, or Not Me. Are you actually serious? That's like trying to extract the same value from Barbie: Swan Lake and The Godfather. Apples to oranges comparison. BL has made some of you think that gay people are a genre.For what it's worth and the audience it's actually intended for, My School President is a fantastic show. The story is cute and unique, and the audience is sympathetic to the two leads throughout the plot. Fourth is an eye-catching actor with an acute grasp on subtlety and nuance, making for a standout performance onscreen. All I kept thinking throughout the show is wow he's almost perfect. A little work on his crying and he'll be putting some other gmmtv "actors" out of business.
The chemistry between Gemini and Fourth clearly translates well into the characters of Tinn and Gun. Every side character also contributed to the story in a well-rounded manner. Being honest, people adore Winny Satang and I don't really see it that much myself, but they fit the characters of Win and Sound who added an extra dynamic to the show's vibe that kept it interesting.
My only thing is that I cannot stand when people sing in dramas. I can't bear to listen to it, so I skipped every single singing part in the show which is a lot considering My School President is practically a musical. I'm sure I wasn't able to fully appreciate the show without the songs, but I can still appreciate it for everything else. When it comes to the high school setting I get scared sometimes that a show will push some questionable boundaries, but My School President was pleasantly wholesome and a lovely watch.
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It's perfect to me
This show is in a unique boat for a couple of reasons. Possibly the most noteworthy reason is that I felt endeared by the characters regardless of the quality of each actor's performance. I managed to not recognize Phuwin until the end of the show, and when I realized he was the annoying kid from The Gifted: Graduation it made his performance in NLMG funnier. He has an animated way of speaking that's over-the-top for a more serious drama like this, but it adds dimension to a character that would otherwise be too boring if he was less dynamic. Nueng is a great character, and Phuwin was a great choice to play him. I'd never seen Pond act before, and my first impression is that he kind of sucks, but I can also give him the benefit of playing a character like Palm that doesn't require much effort. Compared to Phuwin, he seems more convincing on the surface, but his character makes him stand out less. He is, however, extremely and unwarrantedly good looking. Him and Phuwin are as perfect a visual match as one can hope for.Chimon by default is a better actor than the two leads, and he plays a likeable character (unpopular opinion) which makes for an overall likeable performance. I won't flatter him though, everyone knows he's a decent actor already but he completely lacks any romantic potential. Luckily the character of Ben didn't really require it. Perth acts circles around anyone he shares a frame with, and putting him with the other most competent young actor in the show was a good choice. It's honestly a pleasure to see him.
As actors, the two leads aren't amazing. But together, they balance each other out in a way that showcases good chemistry. Phuwin might not be fully convincing in a serious role, but he carries a scene wonderfully when it's lighthearted and you need to smile. There are still gems in his more serious performances, like his facial expressions during their slow dance in episode 9, one of his best moments in the show. Pond's performance was almost completely one dimensional, but there was no question his character was in love. What he lacks in line delivery, he makes up for with his eyes. Any good director being keen to to this, Palm was a character of few words. Putting these actors' strengths together allows a viewer to cruise through scenes with differing moods without feeling awkward. The main couple's synergy is at its best in scenes like the ep. 8 beach scene where Nueng explains Plato's origin of love to Palm, a scene that is just genuinely so nice and cute and un-awkward that I thought "that was beautiful" after I watched it. I cringe at absolutely everything, but I hardly cringed a single time watching this show. That's a fucking miracle.
Ben and Chopper's scenes after the main couple's retreat honestly slot perfectly into the rest of the show. They aren't just a side couple off on their own mission, and they don't take anything away from the main couple. Credit can definitely be given to the superior talent of these supporting actors but I also found the story itself satisfying. It's a small redemption arc for both boys, and serves multiple purposes, of which my favorite is the simple yet effective showcase of character growth and the power of friendship.
I'm not joking when I say that the display of good communication, good morals, good friendship, and good actions are what make the show perfect for me. It is absolutely a fairytale, and that's obvious in every part of the show. Mafia vibes but set in high school? A fellow teenager as a bodyguard for your millionaire son? Fleeing to a picturesque beach? The show takes itself seriously, but it doesn't need to be taken suuuper seriously. NLMG is most obviously appealing to an audience of young adults and teenagers, and I think it's the right amount of seriousness for that audience. If your perspective is based on this being comparable to KinnPorsche, then you're already approaching NLMG from entirely the wrong angle. Lighten up and think of it as something sweet for the fucking kids. That's legitimately what it's supposed to be.
I've never seen characters in a show talk to each other and explain their feelings as clearly and directly as in this show. Whether it's stating a boundary, expressing emotions, asking for permission before kissing, etc. NLMG is a case study for good communication. I could pull quotes to use as examples but there's so many I wouldn't know which ones to choose. Not just counting the four boys, but the exploration of mother-son relationships made the show even stronger. The relationship between Nueng and his mother is absolutely comforting, and although Palm and his mother lack a relationship, she's still able to talk to him and express her situation in a way that provides some sort of peace between the two of them. Yes NLMG is completely idealistic and no one in real life communicates as smoothly and effectively as these characters do, but if depravity in fiction is green-lit then I see no reason why incorruptible characters should be a setback for shows like NLMG.
NLMG is also super low-stakes and low-stress. That's a buzzkill for a lot of people, and understandably so. But I'm serious when I say it works. I don't like romance and I like watching things that are scary or miserable or both. NLMG holds your hand the entire time you watch it, while showing you endearing moments between a young couple. It's actually insane that I loved this show so much, and that speaks to its comforting quality.
I have to also give flowers to the music in the show. It was corny and cheesy and it fit the show perfectly. You really have to appreciate the first kiss scene on the rooftop, classical music is just too good. It's crazy that scene was just minutes before the scene with Nueng and his mom where she expresses her support for him. I think I saw another comment about how the music is too cheerful in that scene, and honestly it does resemble Roblox obby music but I was too busy crying for it to affect me negatively!
I really loved this show which is why I give it a 10 overall. I'm always overjoyed when I come across a show that provides both comfort and good examples for its audience. Not suffering is really fun sometimes. NLMG is now officially one of my favorites.
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Folger's 2009 Home for Christmas Commercial
From premise alone, Midnight Museum looks like a show that should be good by default. I finally decided to watch it after someone told me it was actually shit. After finishing it I can see why they said that. 8.3/10 is definitely generous.From looking at the comments I can see everyone is thinking the same thing. Midnight Museum's storytelling is messy and poorly done. Each plot is interesting, but perhaps too ambitious to execute. Questions that should be answered or at least teased are left with the audience for too long, to the point that a "reveal" loses impact because you've already forgotten which element it connects to or what happened in a previous episode. Some questions are never answered. Some things that don't need explaining are given unnecessary exposition, like the snake dagger. A good storyteller should have a grasp on what the audience needs to be told, what can be hinted, and what the audience is smart enough to understand on their own. Midnight Museum failed miserably with this. It's actually unfortunate that the storytelling is the worst aspect of this show when the premise has so much potential to be good. So many shows have proven that an episodic formula can impact the audience: one episode is enough to emotionally connect the characters with the audience. Hotel Del Luna did it, and on the lesser budget side, Nightmare Teacher did it too. Every once in a while, Midnight Museum had a standout scene or the right setup for an impactful episode. But for some reason, the storytelling fell apart so dramatically throughout the entire show.
But even those who finished the show and came to MDL to write confused comments still seem to want a season 2. Part of it probably has to do with the acting. Now I have to give a full disclaimer, all the actors in Midnight Museum are by no means great actors. Some of them aren't even good actors. Some aren't even decent. What I really have to give immense credit to is the vision the casting director had when selecting an actor for each role. Know an actor's strengths, and stay away from their weaknesses, and even someone like Bright can stand beside a powerhouse actor like Pat and give a memorable performance. That honestly shocked me a bit.
Of course it was the talented actors who left the best impressions. As one would expect, it's a contracted actor giving a standout performance. Tor is undoubtable, and the scene where Khatha smashes the charred corpse and then holds Chan as he dies a second time is probably the best scene in the show (although the fight in the middle was pretty bad). There's not much to say, actors like him, Fah, and Gun elevated the show to a unique level whenever they were giving their best performance. Although I am disappointed that Gun spent so much time playing Dome or Chan. Very uninteresting characters. The short amount of time he spent as The One reminded me that he is a great actor after all, since I was beginning to doubt him. Unfortunately the role passed over to Nanon, who I think suited Ton the mannequin more appropriately. Having him play Dome and The One, and just three characters in general, feels like a bit much. His long monologue in the final episode was decent, and although I really had no fucking clue what he was saying (because the storytelling was so shit), I was able to sit through it without skipping. But I saw the scene get praised for his outstanding talent before I watched the show. Personally I think "outstanding" is a bit of an overshot. Obviously there are plenty of actors in Midnight Museum who did much worse, but their roles were more minor. As Ton the mannequin, he was good. For The One, I give him decent. Foei, by the way, can go straight to hell. Replace him with literally anyone.
On the topic of visuals, personally, bad CGI doesn't bother me. But this also has to be possibly the worst CGI I've ever seen in my entire life. It was so bad that I was laughing multiple times throughout the show, I couldn't appreciate things like character deaths that should have been impactful, and after the scene where Chan dies a second time, my tears dried up instantly and I had to try not to laugh too hard watching Nanon's Dome shoot fireballs at the meteors. I know we're on a budget, but oh my god.
Still, the good idea behind the show, even if the execution was bad, is why people want a season 2. I'm not sure if I'd watch a season 2; I watch bad shows all the time, so I'm impartial. Something a season 2 could improve on is a better use of budget. Some scenes looked expensive simply because a talented actor was on screen, or because there was no CGI being used. This honestly goes for every GMMTV show, but we need more talent on-screen. Whether that means contracting more independent actors, or actually signing more talented actors to be part of the agency. Also, my friend Reinee Seezinz is right. A little more ethnic representation wouldn't kill anyone. And as far as the terrible storytelling, I have no idea what went wrong. Was the premise of Midnight Museum just too ambitious? I don't know. Good luck next time though.
On a final note, I can't say I've ever seen two bros done the same way as in Midnight Museum. That was interesting for sure.
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There's a lot to say
First I'll say that from a technical aspect, The Shipper is impressively well put together. Combined with good pacing, the show has a generally attractive and easy-to-watch style. Sometimes you watch a (GMMTV) show and are hit by a feeling of awkwardness or emptiness from a given composition, dialogue, or blocking. To its advantage, The Shipper is especially polished.For approximately 11 episodes, I honestly thought The Shipper was somewhat of a mini-masterpiece. I had my gripes about it from time to time but as an overall show it's funny, crazy, and engaging. I've seen people say that the humor was over-the-top but because I watched it with a friend we had a ball. Sometimes for a show like this, over-the-top and absurd is a good thing. You can't have a show about fujoshis and not get crazy with the comedy. It keeps a good ironic air about the show's themes.
The Shipper somehow also managed to get so sad in episode 11 that I was crying like I watched someone die in real life. I love devastating media maybe because I'm a water sign or something but a successful tearjerker is the best in my opinion. Even though I could already tell Kim was dead by the time The Angel of Death said it, hearing the confirmation was a mega DAMN moment. The following scenes with Khett and Way are something you don't get often in comedy. Kim's death not being a fake-out also isn't something you get often with comedy. Unlike everyone else I actually really appreciated that they had the guts to kill him and keep him dead. Adding that kind of realism to an otherwise over-the-top and absurd show is especially impactful.
I see a lot of complaints about the romance aspect of the show. First of all, needing to neatly categorize things as BL or not and judging a show entirely on whether or not it fits your idea of BL is kind of insane. Like you're just blatantly a fujoshi if you're at that point. I have seen a more rationally-based critique of Kim and Way's story and its tragic end, a well-known and much-hated trope within LGBT media. While I honestly understand this critique, I feel like The Shipper was just unfortunate that Kim and Way were the only same-sex pairing and the tragedy had to hit them. The relationship between the two was (miraculously) well-navigated for a show like this one. We dodged the bullet of Way being in love with Pan unknowingly, we found out that Kim also loved Way before he died, and the relationship between the two had proper dimension and meaning. I don't agree with the sentiment that The Shipper is another case of "fake BL" or "technical het", nor did it feel like a case of "bury your gays".
For me, The Shipper would maintain a solid 10 stars with all this considered. But there are some glaring issues that cause major deductions. It's fairly early on in the show that we find out Kim is in a relationship with his teacher for access to exam answer keys. This is handled ABYSMALLY by the show writers. Pan, albeit a teenager who is yet to have fully developed a moral compass and sense of nuance, irkingly brands Kim a terrible person because he's been cheating in school. Maybe, in some universe, the worst thing in the eyes of one kid is seeing another kid cheat, but in my universe where I went to grade school for 12 years and lived as a teenager, I can't say my mindset ever aligned with Pan's. This is so reminiscent of the scene in The Gifted where Namtarn finds out Wave was being groomed by a teacher who stole his intellectual work, and her first reaction was "You got her fired?!?!?!?" like wow what a takeaway. It's not a cultural thing either. Grooming in media, specifically the student-teacher thing, is too often portrayed as a non-issue or a minor issue. For the way Pan handled that situation, I was already ready to deduct maybe 2 stars from the overall rating.
Then there's what I thought was the most glaring issue in the show, but I never see it get talked about seriously. They legitimately had Khett kiss his brother's body. I can't ever describe the reaction my friend and I had to watching that kiss happen in real time. We really didn't think they'd do it. At worst, we thought they'd switch the actors out so it was Prigkhing standing in for First. But they didn't switch. Absolutely insane. For that alone I honestly contemplate giving the show a 1 star rating.
Honestly the biggest insult to injury was seeing that fucking teacher show up again at the end. She got a happy ending by finding love with someone her age, which the narration describes as "not making the same mistakes". She should have been dragged off screen in handcuffs. I cannot believe she showed up to that boy's funeral. The only acceptable ending for her was in jail or dead. I can't wrap my head around the way The Shipper portrayed what is, completely and absolutely, a predator. And the show was doing well in all other aspects for 11 whole episodes. I was even able to look past (albeit barely) the Angel of Death's creepy love for teenage boys, since a young audience has young taste and that's reflected in the ageless inhuman angel character. But episode 12 had the craziest double whammy that honestly ruined the show for me.
I did love most of the show. I honestly thought it was excellent. There are just some things that I can't forgive morally. For that reason I can't even recommend the show either. It was the most disappointing case of ruining-a-perfectly-good-thing I've ever seen. That being said I don't regret watching, so all things considered I give The Shipper 5 stars.
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