Day 30: Was 2023 a good drama year for you?
Given that I discovered an infinite treasure trove of new and interesting things to spend time with just hanging out on the internet for anyone to watch,
went down that rabbit hole to become fascinated with a new-to-me country, its culture and language,
found a new-to-me genre,
that I am now somehow writing fiction in and semi-adjacent to despite my cognitive limitations,
I have to say chai
Day 28: Something you want to see more of in dramas
Healthy relationships. Truly healthy relationships based in strong friendships without toxic red flag interludes invented for the sake of making it to the episode count or threatening to break them up near the end when you don't have the courage to go that far even if it would be for the best.
Some year that won't turn into a rant at the end. Conditioning, eh? 🙃
Day 25: Favourite romance of 2023
The quality and depth of the friendship matters more than anything because that's what a lasting relationship is built on.
Minoru & Yutaka slowly sharing their past with each other as their friendship heals old wounds and becomes love.
Bokura no Shokutaku
Jim & Wen, the slowest of slow burn romances, who took the time to get their heads in the right place to build a solid foundation for their home.
Moonlight Chicken
Day 24: Favourite costumes of 2023
The clothes in Jack o' Frost (Japan) were the most evocative for cold weather; those in Moonlight Chicken (Thailand) for who spends time in air conditioning, who doesn't, and economic status.
day 21/26 cont
Of course the merry go round of fighting and fake sex was what everyone was excitedly talking about so I went in with very low expectations and really only started it because that was the easiest way to dispel the anxiety which had built up over 3 months of catching bits of fandom arguing. And as it veered wildly from trashy to wholesome to toxic to downright sappy, there were parts of it I liked.
But damn, with that cast it could have been so much better.
Day 19: A drama that made you laugh
Day 20: A drama that made you cry
He's Coming to Me
A kind boy who can see ghosts grows up and takes a lonely one home to his uni flat, as you do.
There is so much kindness and warmth in this. It is beautiful and funny and heartbreaking and full of love.
8 hour-long episodes and well worth your time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG0H6JUHLMs&list=PLYYyUhZKiEj7Yz5o5bS5Keny6lX7R-gQR
Day 18: A favourite scene of 2023 part 2
In an attempt to find one favourite scene in Bokura no Shokutaku I rewatched it all tonight and have narrowed it down slightly.
Because spoilers let's just go with pretty much all of episode 3. It has Tane being adorable, Tane throwing a tantrum, Yutaka being Yutaka and Minoru falling in love.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkkMPuKhKFg
You'll have to watch until a later episode to get the giant poop interjection into a meaningful conversation 💩
Day 17: Best actor of 2023
Mark Pakin, who stormed a messy complicated role in a messy complicated series (Only Friends) which really needed better writing and editing. He was also Leng in Moonlight Chicken and part of the glue which made that series work so well.
Iijima Hiroki & Inukai Atsuhiro, Bokura no Shokutaku, who were able to quietly convey so much emotion in characters who found it hard to express themselves. And 8 yo Maeyama Kuuga for Tane.
Day 15: A trope you loved seeing in 2023
Found family. BL does it better than any other genre I've found.
At the heart of my 2023 favourites Bokura no Shokutaku, where two quiet young men, each carrying deep sadness, fall in love whilst essentially co-parenting the World's Cutest Kid, and Moonlight Chicken with its interconnected close and supportive friendships. They go through difficulties and arguments but always take care of each other. Great example of non-toxic masculinity
Elisheva Meira ✡︎ 🌈