#2017 asian drama

[redsamuraiii]

Peach Girl (2017)

[quellochemivadidire]

Screenshots of School 2017

[yuikomorii]

Breaking my silence but I do want to know all about the Lost Eden Ayato drama 🫣

// Basically, Ayato's LE route is deemed so vile, that when the game was launched in 2017, East-Asian fans were so traumatized by it that they refused to play or buy the game anymore.

Here are some reactions:

(I don’t speak Korean btw, so I had to use a translator. There are undoubtedly some mistakes but the message stays the same.)

I’m still wondering how Rejet allowed that thing to be published. Ayato has been known as the best-selling character since 2014-2015, and his DF is regarded as the best written in the whole franchise, so how did things go THIS wrong?? I guess this was a bad example of trying to be experimental, lol.

Maybe the “lost” from “Lost Eden” comes from the money they lost by giving Ayato that route. 😭😭

[joshualunacreations]

The US and its propaganda arm, Hollywood, have always been anti-Asian. Although opportunities are opening up for Asian actors, the underlying messaging—that divides and hurts Asians—hasn't changed.

Not too long ago, AsAms seemed united in outrage against racism and white-washed casting such as Scarlet Johannsen in Ghost in the Shell, Tilda Swinton in Dr. Strange, or Netflix’s Deathnote. Yet as more projects with AAPI leads and casts were produced, this so-called unity proved to be a lie.

The illusion of AsAm unity fell apart with To All the Boys I Loved Before—which was widely celebrated despite its blatant white-worship. The most recent blow comes from Hulu's The Company You Keep, a U.S. remake of a k-drama that replaced the male love interest with a white man.

Once it seemed like AAPI women were getting roles and being “humanized” (i.e. garnering attention and approval from white men on-screen and off) AAPI with media power were satisfied. It didn't matter that AAPI men were still erased and dehumanized—even in supposedly pro-AAPI projects.

Not only do AAPI with media power not care about the continuing harm against AAPI men, they exacerbate it. When AsAms critique anti-Asian narratives—especially ones erasing or targeting AsAm men like TATBILB—they're gaslit, harassed, censored and even permanently blacklisted.

This is because AsAm media is held hostage by the racist framework of the U.S. government's 1942-43 Mixed Marriage Policy. White men's hierarchy—based on perceived threat levels and receptiveness to white assimilation—still dictates Hollywood narratives.

Research confirms that the MMP persists today. A 2015 study shows how gendered racism leads to severe under-representation of Asian men (and Black women). Whereas monoracial Asian men face significant barriers in dating, a 2014 study shows mixed-white Asians get a "bonus effect."

This is why Hollywood execs know there will be less uproar if monoracial Asian men aren't represented—it's been the status quo for decades. In the few roles made for Asian men, they still fall into two categories: pathetic loser or toxic man/villain. In some cases, both.

The hatred and erasure of Asian men is so deeply embedded that it's led to the widespread erasure of AAPI men as victims of anti-Asian hate crimes in recorded stats and media narratives. AAPI journalists know this, yet continue to do nothing to correct it.

So what's next for AsAm representation? In 2022, Janet Yang became president of the Oscars. She's co-founder of Gold House—an AsAm Hollywood collective—and executive producer of Joy Luck Club, a seminal work bashing Asian men as irredeemable misogynists compared to "good" white men.

Many AsAms like Yang want more of Joy Luck Club and similar stories. Amy Tan, author of JLC, has been pushing for years for a sequel with the original cast. A TV series was optioned in 2017, and as of 2022 a movie sequel is to be written by white male screenwriter, Ron Bass.

Stories like Joy Luck Club aren't just bad media—they're dangerous. Arthur Martunovich randomly hammered three AsAm men to death because he saw a movie depicting Chinese men as abusers and he wanted to "protect Chinese women". There's a high chance that movie was JLC.

Hollywood has figured out it’s easy to make anti-Asian films and stifle criticism by hiring Asian tokens to give stamps of approval. An article from 1986 (40 years ago) about AsAm criticism of racism in Big Trouble in Little China shows there's a history of sowing division among AAPI and using government resources to do it. I understand the allure of the Hollywood dream because I used to believe in it myself. From an early age, all marginalized groups—POC, women, LGBTQ+—are taught to fantasize about how we'll finally be accepted and heal the hurt once we get on a big stage and give an award speech. Having experience in Hollywood as a comic creator, I know how people in power (esp. white men) behave. Their goal is to wear you down until you internalize their bigoted messaging, regurgitate it yourself, and then thank them for it. They hate the word "no." Awards don't matter if the content that gets you there ultimately serves bigoted and harmful purposes. In 2020, I made a test for AAPI media. None of the projects so far have passed. That's by design. We think we’re holding the statue, but really, it’s holding us.

Correction: I just noticed a typo in the comic. Inside the Hollywood sign's letter "Y" I meant to say "non-Asians" not "non-whites." Sorry, it was a lot of drawing and writing, and I got tired 🥴 (Please don’t repost or edit my art. Reblogs are always appreciated.)

If you enjoy my comics, please pledge to my Patreon or donate to my Paypal.

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[ask-hws-uzbekistan]

What is your relationship with turkey like? :]

You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?? I...I gotta go I hear someone calling me!

She only ran about a few steps before passing out on the floor. Sometimes I wonder what she sees in that guy...

Anyway, I'll be taking over for her in case you wanted the real answer.

She had tried to fight Iran once before with Turkey and Crimea back in 1578, but had to retreat for a while to take care of matters at home. Said matters being my brother and I rebelling against her rule on us. She did end up taking large areas of land from Iran, so I guess that's a win?

And then she did it again in 1616. She asked Turkey about a cooperative military offensive against Iran, to which he accepted and attacked Iran again. I kinda feel bad for Iran...that must have been annoying at best.

She used to talk to him and visit him quite often around the 1500s and 1600s. She also asked him for help in the face of Russian expansion around the 1700s and 1800s. However, we all know what happened...

One of his military generals, Enver Pasha, tried helping us in the Basmachi Revolt against the Bolsheviks, but unfortunately died in battle in 1918. His remains stayed in Tajikistan until the late 90s, where he was brought back to Turkey.

Initially Turkey did have good relations with the USSR due to the shared ideas of revolution and the overthrowing of the monarchy, but things got cold after Turkey joined NATO.

They never really talked to each other after that...

Until we all became independent. Turkey was the first nation to recognize all of our independences, and things were going well. Until Turkey took Muhammad Solih, the Uzbek President's opposition candidate, in to stay. Uzbekistan asked for him back, but in Karimov's tenure that meant bad news...and so Turkey refused. This started the deterioration of their relationship(all of us too, if I'm being honest–she was very cold and brash during this time and just did whatever she could to achieve her goals). She had also raided a lot of his office buildings and jailed his employees on accounts of "terrorism" for having prayer mats and religious books in the offices.

After Karimov died in 2016, a new era was ushered in as Vice President Mirziyoyev took office as President in 2017. He began to thaw relationships with the rest of us, including Turkey. My sister also finally joined the Organization of Turkic States as a full member in 2019! They started talking to each other like normal again, and they even worked on a drama together about the last prince of the Khwarazmian Empire, starring a Turkish and Uzbek actor and actress as the main characters who fall in love.

Hmm. I wonder if that reminds me of something...

Turkey's politicians constantly highlight how important Uzbekistan is as a gateway to other Central Asian countries(me totally me), and she's starting to move away from trading with Russia in favor of Turkey. He also gives her a lot of military weapons, like drones, and they've begun training together recently.

So to sum it up, I think they both benefit each other a lot economically, and Turkey's also very similar culturally with the rest of us.

Wait why do I see Kyrgyzstan with a suitcase looking angry?

Oh no I better stop him. Thanks for having me, the cooler brother- OH GOD

[compacflt]

When it comes to historical research, do you research for things that DON'T exist? For example, foods that are common now but didn't exist in the average American restaurant or grocery in the '80s or '90's? Words, phrases, and entire concepts that are commonly accepted today but unheard of to the average American when Mav and Ice were at Top Gun?

Your writing is so unbelievably good.

not really because I don't care about food, I care about the literary device that is "taking communion." i.e. it doesn't matter what they eat, it only matters that they're eating together, for the plot.

And, okay, showing my little-kid bias, but was there actually stuff in grocery stores in the 80s/90s that wouldn't be there today/vice versa? brands might change, like okay Pringles might not exist but you still have potato chips; and obviously specialty stuff like what you find in your average Asian market might not be commonplace, but, like, were the 90s all that different from today, American-food-wise? its my assumption that they weren't, but I also wasn't alive in the 90s, so. Um, ectocooler Hi-C, maybe? that's the one 90s food I know.

attitudes of course are what change. today's concept of being so QUICK to publicly label sexual identities would be extremely foreign, for instance. obviously people did label their sexualities in the 80s & 90s, people were definitely calling themselves bisexual and such, but probably not the people ice & mav would be hanging out with, in the Reagan-era navy. which is what my fics are about. that's the whole point.

and, also, COMMUNICATION changes. I have never used a payphone in my whole life so I actually have no idea how they work. but they were ubiquitous "back then," and lend themselves to amazingly interesting conflict (omg I don't have enough change to call my boyfriend maverick who's mad at me!!!) which is why I lean on payphones so much in my writing. honestly, im gonna be real, the invention of the cell phone makes telling stories about miscommunication so much harder. instant-speed communication would make certain stories less interesting, which is why a lot of horror movies default to the "no cell service" trope to isolate their characters, or why some teen dramas have the characters reject cell phones on principle (Alyssa or James having a phone in 2017's "The End of the F***ing World" would solve most of their problems, which is why Alyssa smashes hers in the first five minutes and James basically says he views them as a cancer to society--if they had phones the story would be boring, so the writers took away their phones).

I also feel like people used to treat society differently "back then," i.e. Going Out was much more of a thing when there were 10 channels on TV and no one had cell phones, so you Went Out and had drinks & met strangers & interacted with general society to an extent im not sure we do anymore. So that experience is way more fun to write about in the 80s than today. (u can't see me but im seething with jealousy over ppl who were born in ~1965)

idk. im not sure I did a great job reproducing the zeitgeist of the 80s/90s in my fics, bc I wasn't there to have knowledge of what they were like. I got most of my presupposed knowledge about that time period from reading Calvin & Hobbes anthologies as a kid. oh well.

[glassprism]

there is a big difference in acting styles between eastern and western people, especially in tv. Is there the same difference in theater?

So I may be the wrong person to ask this, because as a Chinese-American who straddles both the "east" and the "west" and who watches movies and the occasional TV show from both sides, I don't see much difference at all! At least in terms of emotional affect, I get the same whether I'm watching "eastern" or "western" media, and maybe that's just my brain being split between them, but yeah, that's all I can tell you lol. (Unless you're thinking of, like, Chinese soap operas or k-dramas or something? Because yeah those I don't watch and for all I know the acting is different there, but I imagine the genre plays as much a factor there as anything else.)

As for theater, I think my knowledge is pretty spotty and is centered almost entirely on East Asian theater (Japan, Korea, China), and even then there are large gaps. Like, I'm pretty familiar with Korean musicals, I've watched quite a few different shows from there (and they're excellent! Korean musical theatre is really underrated outside of, you know, Korean musical theatre fans). With Japan I'm mainly confined to a few select shows and companies, which I think skews my perceptions (let me tell you, Takarazuka can be really different from the rest of Japanese musical theatre). And with China the only thing I've seen is their production of Phantom (I'm not counting the World Tours that have gone there, to me that's "western" musicals taking a visit to the east). So take whatever I say next with a pretty big grain of salt.

For Korean musical theatre, I honestly don't find much if any difference in their acting styles. Watching their versions of Phantom, Elisabeth, Wicked, and so on, it affects me just as much emotionally as any other production I've watched; if there are any differences, I find it's usually because of an individual actor, not because of some culture-wide trend.

For Japanese musical theatre, I think they do tend to go for a more restrained, subtle form of acting, and a lot of them do come off more reserved, but I can also think of a number of exceptions. Also, since my main expertise is Phantom, it's difficult for me to make generalizations because, if you don't know, the Japanese production uses pre-recorded orchestrations anytime the production plays outside Tokyo (and Yokohama in 2017), and that forces an actor to work within a very rigid structure in order to stay in time with the music. And then on Takarazuka's end, they have a certain aesthetic and style of their own that the actresses have to adhere too. So it's hard for me to make sweeping statements because there's always that thought in the back of my head: "Okay, is it a culture thing or is it because the music is pre-recorded? Is it a culture thing or is it just Takarazuka being Takarazuka?"

For Chinese musical theatre, I've only watched their version of Phantom. And the videos all look like this. I'm not ungrateful, mind you, I'm just pointing out that it's hard for me to say anything about anyone's acting because they all look like white dots on my screen.

[waitmyturtles]

Drama Accountability Pinned Post!

EDITED April 24, 2024: Hello! Thank you for landing here. This blog is devoted mostly to Asian drama and movie reviews and meta analyses, along with your random fashion post and maybe a floating meditation on parenting along the way. This pinned post will help me keep track of where my scattered brain is at with what I’m watching, what I want to watch, and what I have watched.

My major focus regarding dramas is in completing what I’m calling the Old GMMTV Challenge (OGMMTVC), where I’m learning about the young history of Thai BLs through an expansive list of GMMTV and non-GMMTV dramas, to learn about the genre’s fumbles and improvements, as recommended by @absolutebl in their original post on the topic. I’m also inspired to learn about the development of Thai BL as an art form, complete with tropes, frameworks, and responsive commentaries, as described by @miscellar in an analysis post on Bad Buddy the Series. 

I’m also catching up in general with other classic and/or essential QLs of all other Asian countries, reviews of which you can check out on this tag. 

I tend to go down actor/actress rabbitholes when I’ve watched a drama of theirs that I have fallen in love with; I don’t always watch things chronologically; I LOVE SHOWS ABOUT FOOD AND/OR COCKTAILS, and I’m still new to Tumblr fandoms. But this is my space to absolutely just dump and analyze thoughts, so please, welcome, and thank you for reading!

What I’m watching!

Living With Him (J, BL, Thursdays) (my thoughts here) My Precious the Series (T, Thursdays) 23.5 (T, GL, Fridays) (my thoughts here) Cherry Magic (J, BL, anime), and fast-forward rewatches of Cherry Magic (J, BL) and Cherry Magic Thailand (T, BL) The Eclipse OGMMTVC Rewatch to Reexamine “Genre BLs” and Internalized/Externalized Homophobia in GMMTV Shows (T, BL) (2022) (The Old GMMTV Challenge)

Past Big Meta

Pain, Suffering, and Narratives in Some Asian Dramas (Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars, Our Dining Table, He’s Coming To Me, Double Savage, Dark Blue Kiss, and more)

Pain, Trust, and Separation in Some Asian Dramas (Bad Buddy, Still 2gether, A Tale of Thousand Stars, Until We Meet Again, I Promised You The Moon, and the movie version of Cherry Magic: 30 Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!)

What’s on deck (generally speaking):

Make a Wish (T, BL)

What’s on deck (The OGMMTVC Project and historic/significant Thai BLs): 1) The Love of Siam (2007) (movie) (review here) 2) My Bromance (2014) (movie) (review here) 3) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (2014 and 2015) (review here) 4) Gay OK Bangkok Season 1 (2016) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 5) Make It Right (2016) (review here) 6) SOTUS (2016-2017) (review here) 7) Gay OK Bangkok Season 2 (2017) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 8) Make It Right 2 (2017) (review here) 9) Together With Me (2017) (review here) 10) SOTUS S/Our Skyy x SOTUS (2017-2018) (review here) 11) Love By Chance (2018) (review here) 12) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) (no review) 13) He’s Coming To Me (2019) (review here) 14) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again (2018) (review here) 15) TharnType (2019-2020) (review here) 16) Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey (OffGun BL cuts) (2016 and 2017) (no review) 17) Theory of Love (2019) (review here) 18) 3 Will Be Free (2019) (a non-BL and an important harbinger of things to come in 2019 and beyond re: Jojo Tichakorn pushing queer content in non-BLs) (review here) 19) Dew the Movie (2019) (review here) 20) Until We Meet Again (2019-2020) (review here) (and notes on my UWMA rewatch here) 21) 2gether (2020) and Still 2gether (2020) (review here) 22) I Told Sunset About You (2020) (review here) 23) YYY (2020, out of chronological order) (review here) 24) Manner of Death (2020-2021) (review here) 25) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) (review here) 26) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake Of Rewatching Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (re-review here) 27) Lovely Writer (2021) (review here) 28) Last Twilight in Phuket (2021) (the mini-special before IPYTM) (review here) 29) I Promised You the Moon (2021) (review here) 30) Not Me (2021-2022) (review here) 31) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) (thesis here) 32) 55:15 Never Too Late (2021-2022) (not a BL, but a GMMTV drama that features a macro BL storyline about shipper culture and the BL industry) (review here) 33) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) and Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (2023) OGMMTVC Rewatch (Links to the BBS OGMMTVC Meta Series are here: preamble here, part 1, part 2, part 3a, part 3b, and part 4) 34) Secret Crush On You (2022) (review here) 35) KinnPorsche (2022) (tag here)  36) KinnPorsche (2022) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For the Sake of Re-Analyzing the KP Cultural Zeitgeist (part 1 and part 2) 37) Honorable Mention: War of Y (2022) (for the sake of an attempt to provide meta BL commentary within a BL in the modern BL era), with a complementary watch of Aam Anusorn’s documentary, BL: Broken Fantasy (2020) (thoughts here) 38) The Eclipse (2022) (tag here) 39) The Eclipse OGMMTVC Rewatch to Reexamine “Genre BLs” and Internalized/Externalized Homophobia in GMMTV Shows (watching) 40) GAP (2022-2023) (Thailand’s first GL) 41) My School President (2022-2023) and Our Skyy 2 x My School President (2023) 42) Moonlight Chicken (2023) (tag here) 43) Bed Friend (2023) (tag here) 44 La Pluie (2023) (review coming) 45) Be My Favorite (2023) (tag here) (I’m including this for BMF’s sophisticated commentary on Krist’s career past as a BL icon) 46) Wedding Plan (2023) (Recommended as an important trajectory in the course of MAME’s work and influence from TharnType) 47) Only Friends (2023) (tag here) (not technically a BL, but it certainly became one in the end) 48) Last Twilight (2023-24) (tag here) (on the list as Thailand’s first major BL to center disability, successfully or otherwise) 49) Cherry Magic Thailand (2023-24) (tag here) (on the list as the first major Japanese-to-Thai drama adaptation, featuring the comeback of TayNew) 50) Ossan’s Love Returns (2024) (adding for the EarthMix cameo and the eventual Thai remake) 51) Dead Friend Forever (2024) (thoughts here) 52) 23.5 (2024) (GMMTV’s first GL) (thoughts here) (There are many, many more on @absolutebl‘s wonderful compilation lists that I’ll want to check out eventually, and will adjust this list accordingly.)

What’s on deck (the Jojo Tichakorn/pre-Only Friends playlist):

Gay OK Bangkok (2016) (review here) Gay OK Bangkok 2 (2017) (review here) 3 Will Be Free (T, 2019) (review here) Mama Gogo (T, 2022) The Warp Effect (T, 2022) (review here) Dirty Laundry (T, 2023) (tag here)

What’s on deck (the Fluke Teerapat/Tanachot Prapasri playlist):

YYY (2020) (review here) My Ride (2022) (T, BL) La Pluie (2023) (T, BL)

What’s on deck (the JamFilm playlist):

Khun Chai (To Sir With Love) (2022) (T, lakorn) Laws of Attraction (2023) (T, BL)

What’s on deck (essential non-Thai BLs and other shows): The Gifted (T, 2018) Blacklist (T, 2019) Let’s Fight Ghost (T, 2019) The Gifted: Graduation (T, 2020) Takara to Amagi/Takara-kun to Amagi-kun (J, BL, essential BLs)  Seven Days (J, BL, essential BLs)  Ototo no Otto/Otouto no Otto (My Brother’s Husband) (J, 2018) Summerdaze (Singapore, BL) Guilty: Kono Koi wa Tsumi Desuka? (J) Nee Sensei Shiranai no (J) Kimi wa Petto (2017 version with Shison Jun (J)) Ingredients (T, BL)

What I have watched that I recommend you MUST MUST WATCH FOR YOUR SOUL:

Kinou Nani Tabeta (J, BL) (my writing on KNT) Old Fashion Cupcake (J, BL) (my writing on OFC) Cherry Magic Japan (J, BL) (my writing on CM) Cherry Magic Thailand (T, BL) (my thoughts) Bad Buddy (T, BL) (my mini-thesis on BBS, and my BBS tag) Moonlight Chicken (T, BL) (my writing on MC, my manifesto on khao man gai/Hainan chicken rice/nasi ayam, and my master list of MC Big Themes) A Tale of Thousand Stars (ATOTS) (T, BL) (review here) Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x ATOTS (T, BL) (my OS2/BBS tag, my OS2/ATOTS tag, and my OS2/BBS/ATOTS tag) He’s Coming To Me (T, BL) (review here) Make It Right seasons 1 and 2 (T, BL) (review on season 1 here) (review on season 2 here) The Eighth Sense (K, BL) (my writing on T8S) Life as a Girl (Joshi Teki Seikatsu) (J) (my writing on LAAG) She Loves to Cook, and She Loves to Eat (TsukuTabe) (J, GL, seasons 1 and 2) (thoughts here) The Makanai: Cooking for the Maiko House (J) (review here) Love For Love’s Sake (K, BL) Drive My Car (J, movie) His (J, BL, movie) Tonbi (2013 version with Uchino Seiyou) (J)

What I have watched that I highly recommend:

Unknown (TW, BL) (my thoughts) (final review coming) I Cannot Reach You (J, BL) (my thoughts) I Feel You Linger in the Air (T, BL) (my thoughts) Be My Favorite (T, BL) (my thoughts) Our Dining Table/Bokura no Shokutaku (J, BL) (my thoughts) The Eclipse (T, BL) (my writing on The Eclipse) KinnPorsche (T, BL) (my writing on KP) Semantic Error (K, BL) (review here) Minato Shouji’s Coin Laundry (J, BL) (review here) Utsukushii Kare/My Beautiful Man Season 1 (J, BL) (review here) Utsukushii Kare/My Beautiful Man Season 2 (J, BL) (my UKS2 tag) Kabe Koji/Kabe-Koji-Nekoyashiki-kun Desires to be Recognized (J, BL) (my writing on Kabe Koji) Eien No Kino (Eternal Yesterday) (J, BL) (my writing on EY) Kieta Hatsukoi (J, BL) (review here) Extraordinary Attorney Woo (K) (my writing on EAW) Silent (J)  Okaeri Mone (J, asadora) Life: Love on the Line (J, BL) Mozu (J) Wakako Zake (J) (seasons 1-4) XX: Blue Moon (K) Shinya Shokudo (Midnight Diner) (J) Crash Landing on You (K) Like Father, Like Son: Soshite Chichi ni Naru (J, movie) After Life (J, movie) What I really want to watch, but I’m in not a huge rush:

Home School (T) Raise de Wa Chanto Shimasu (three seasons and SP) Kim Ji Young: 1982 (K, movie) It’s Okay to Not Be Okay (K) Again My Life (K) Run On (K) The Tale of Nokdu (K) Little Women (K) Thirty Nine (K) Nora From Queens (US) My Liberation Notes (K) Doom At Your Service (K) Ishiko to Haneo: Sonna Koto de Uttaemasu? (J) Sotsugyo Time Limit (J)

What I have watched, in no particular order (besides the OGMMTVC shows above):

Marry My Dead Body (TW, movie) Ossan’s Love Returns (J, BL) (my thoughts) Cooking Crush (T, BL) (my thoughts) Wednesday Club (T) (my thoughts) Double Savage (T) (my thoughts) Only Friends (T, ended up being BL-ish, BLOOP) (my thoughts) Cutie Pie (2022) and Cutie Pie 2 You (2023) (T, BL) The Promise (T, BL)  (my thoughts) SOTUS S (T, BL) Bed Friend (T, BL) (my review of the finale) (my Bed Friend tag) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (T, BL) (review here) Our Dating Sim (K, BL) A Shoulder To Cry On (K, BL) Jack O’Frost (J, BL) (thoughts!) The End of the World, With You (J, BL) (my writing on TEOTWWY) SOTUS (T, BL) (thoughts here) 10 Years Ticket (T) (review here) The Novelist: Playback (J, BL, movie) (review here, spoilers) Ameiro Paradox/Candy Color Paradox (J, BL) (review here)  Dirty Laundry (T) (my posts on DL here) Individual Circumstances (K, BL) (review here) The New Employee (K, BL) (review here) Three Star Bar in Nishi Ogikubo (J) (review here) Cafe Minamdang (K) (review here) Hiru (J) (review here) Ase to Sekken (Sweat and Soap) (J) (review here) Big Dragon (T, BL) (review here) Ichigeki (J) (review here) The Director Who Took Me to Dinner (K, BL) (thoughts here) Two Office Workers Who Are Too Poisonous for One’s Eyes (Me No Doku Sugiru Shokuba No Futari) (J, BL kinda) BL Metamorphosis (J, quick review here) Why Her? (K) Let’s Eat (seasons 1, 2, and 3) (K) Where Your Eyes Linger (K, BL) Kodoku no Gurume (J) Chef wa Meitantei (J) Crisis: Special Security Squad (J) Meitantei Akechi Kogoro (J) Teppachi! (J) The Novelist (J, BL) Mood Indigo (J, BL) Izakaya Shinkansen (J) Sayonara Itsuka (J, movie) Fullmetal Alchemist: The Avenger Scar (J, movie) Hatsukoi (2020) (J, movie) Rinjo (J) To Heal Wounds of the Heart (Kokoro no Kizu to Iu Koto) (J) Hoshi to Lemon no Heya (J) My Husband Got a Family (K) Tony Takitani (J, movie) I'll Still Love You Ten Years From Now (Juunen Saki mo Kimi ni Koishite) (J)

What I tried to watch, but couldn’t finish:

Alice in Borderland (J) (I couldn’t do it, I can’t do violence, but Machida Keita’s Karube is really wonderful, and Yamazaki Kento was also fabulous of the bits I watched. Please don’t take my inability to watch this as a judgment of the show, it’s clearly a FANTASTIC show for people who can handle blood and games and killings and fights and stuff) (I will try this again considering so many people like it!) <3

On hold/dropped (permanent or otherwise)

Playboyy The Series (T, BL) (my thoughts) Bake Me Please (T, BL) The Sign (T, BL) Shadow (T) Gokushufudo (J) (on hold) Keishicho Outsider (J) (this is such a good show but I don’t have capacity to watch it, but Nishijima is FABULOUS IN IT, I will watch it at some point) A Boss and a Babe (T, BL)  All the Liquors (K, BL) UMG (T) Wakako Zake (season five) (J) Banshaku no Ryuugi (J) Tokyo In April Is... (J, BL) Minato’s Laundromat/Minato Shouji’s Coin Laundry, Season 2 (J, BL) (my thoughts so far) (on pause) Dangerous Romance (T, BL) Absolute Zero (T, BL)

What I’ve watched that I recommend you please do NOT watch, it’s not worth the expenditure of energy:  The Unusual Family (K) TharnType (T, BL) Step By Step (T, BL) (my thoughts) My Husband Won’t Fit (J) (I could go on and on and on about how I think this show was particularly irresponsible, but I might have a Western bias about my interpretation, sigh) Super Rich (J) (maybe this is necessary if you’re a total Cherry Magic/Akaso/Machida stan, but this show was unbelievably bad and a total waste of their talents -- if you really need some fan service, zoom through episodes three to five and SKIP THE REST)

[blue-grama]

Nine people you want to get to know better tagged by @lugarn

last song: When We Were Close by Jason Isbell. I'm mostly about Asian dramas here, since Tumblr's my outlet -- few people in my real life watch them -- but I have many interests and one of them is the most depressing fucking Americana music imaginable.

currently watching: Only Friends - I am relatively new to Thai media and have been wanting to get to some of Jojo's work. It's pretty fun to watch something currently airing and see people losing their minds every week.

Good Omens - I'm gradually working through this one with a friend at a glacial pace. Laws of Attraction - LOOK. Look. This series is giving me everything.

I Am Not a Robot - My favorite genre is 'bonkers premise done well' and this 2017 Kdrama is really serving that up. I'm obsessed with Hong Baek-kyun, the desperately sweaty scientist who made the mistake of creating an ultra-realistic robot with his ex-girlfriend's face. He's the worst. He'll do anything for funding. I love him.

current obsession: Laws of Attraction. There are only 2 episodes left, and what will my personality be when it's over, I ask you?

tagging @comradeother, @lilitblaukatz, @technicallyverycowboy, @callipigio, @apparently-i-am-an-adult, @fortherestofyourlife, @everyforkedroad, @wickedmoonlite, @nieuw31 -- but only if this would be fun for you, otherwise no pressure.

[thecatamaranlad]

OC dump

These are just Some Guys (and gals and nonbinary pals) from a story I wrote in 2017 after taking a road trip across the US post-Trump election, tentatively titled "Raptors".

Setting: (linked to more in depth post) near-future sci-fi, United States. Lots of climate-linked natural disasters and social breakdowns.

Story vibe: Queer buddy/road trip comedy with some drama, friendship, found and birth families. And shitty biodiesel campervans!!

OK, here are the dudes and other folks: (below the cut)

Tai (they/them): Main character. Biracial (black mom, redneck white dad), nonbinary, queer, from South Carolina. Really into cars and mechanics. Autistic, reserved, fiercely loyal to those they let into their world. Has unprocessed childhood trauma LOL but who doesn't amirite. 19 years old at the beginning of The Trip.

Kat (she/her but dgaf, she's literally a cat): Tai's cat. Small black adventure meow who will ride on your shoulder if you're Tai or Carla, and tolerates harnesses and road trips -- if she can look out the window. A year old at the beginning of the story/trip. Her name is either short for Katrina or Category 6, depending on who you ask.

Sam/Sammy (he/him): excessively tattooed meteorology grad student. Tai's childhood friend/babysitter. White, redheaded trans man. Kind Of A Mess. Not over his ex. Full Of Feelings. Eventually acquires a motorcycle. 24 at the start of The Trip, but doesn't join. Will answer calls and monitor the weather where you're at even if he's mad at you. (Three guesses who's my self-insert character.)

Carla (she/they): Asexual biromantic Hispanic girl with blue hair (at the start of the story anyways). From New Jersey. Sammy's ex and also roommate (it's complicated). 26 at the start of The Trip, which she joins because she's tired of Sam's angsty BS. Can't get a job in her field (mechanical engineering). Way too impulsive.

Lou (they/them): Nonbinary Asian American kid from Boston. Tai's... ex? It's complicated! Emotionally constipated, but well-meaning. 20 years old when Tai ditches them to fuck off to California in a shitty van LOL.

Marisa (she/her... she/they really): Tai's mom. A black woman in her 50s. Overeducated and underpaid (doctorate in English Literature). Might be involved in fomenting a revolution but who knows. Has certainly been illegally fired for union organizing before. Lost custody in the divorce. Lives in California now and communicates with Tai sporadically but supportively.

Holly (she/her): Tai's aunt's ex-lesbian lover from college. (Still definitely a lesbian. Probably white? I haven't decided yet.) Manages a queer farming/ranching co-operative in Montana. Bit of a prepper and not a little paranoid, but welcoming and caring nonetheless.

Anyways these are my lil comfort OC blorbos (aka the ones I DON'T make do a shit ton of emotional processing on my behalf). I just stick them into the world my brain is convinced is starting to exist anyhow (gotta use that degree for something!!), and see what they do.

[redsamuraiii]

Cheeky Couple 🥰

[heavenboy09]

Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To A Very Amazing & Radiant Talented Asian Actress Of Korean🇰🇷 Descent That Has Starred In Various Roles in Popular TV Shows & Films Of Her Acting Career

This Korean 🇰🇷 Born Actress Was Born Here In San Francisco & Went To The Same High School As Me. 4 Years before I arrived in SF

She is an American actress and former reality television personality. She began her career in 2004 as a cast member on the MTV reality series The Real World: San Diego and subsequently through her appearances on its spin-off show, Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno II. She is regarded by many as the Real World alumna with the most successful media career.

She was born April 10, 1983 in San Francisco, California, where she grew up. She and her older sister are second-generation Korean-American, raised by "traditional" parents who moved to the United States in 1980, and ran a hamburger restaurant. After graduating from Lowell High School in 2001, She attended and graduated from the University of California, Riverside with a B.A. in economics in 2005. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

She later transitioned into acting and has since become known for films such as Dragonball Evolution, Grown Ups, Premium Rush, Sorority Row, The Hangover Part II, Sucker Punch, and Big Hero 6 (2014). She received critical acclaim for her lead performance in the independent drama film Eden. She played the lead role in the miniseries Samurai Girl, was a series regular in the two seasons (2017–19) of the superhero drama series The Gifted, played the recurring role of Mulan in the ABC fantasy television series Once Upon a Time, and has been a series regular, since 2017, as the voice of Go Go Tomago for the animated Big Hero 6: The Series – the role she voiced in the 2014 film. Beginning in August 2020, She appeared in the recurring role of Ji-Ah on the HBO series Lovecraft Country.

Please Wish This San Franciscan Native A Very Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊

The 1 & Only

Ms. Jamie Jilynn Chung 🇰🇷 💛 Jamie Chung

Happy Birthday 🎂 🥳 🎉 🎈 🎁 🎊 To You Ms. Chung 🇰🇷

#JamieChung #GoGoTomago #SamuraiGirl #Big 6 Hero #Dragonball Evolution

[staydandy]

Prison Playbook (2017) - 슬기로운 감빵생활 - Whump List

List by StayDandy Synopsis : Kim Je Hyuk, a famous baseball player, is arrested after using excessive force while chasing a man trying to sexually assault his sister. Shockingly to him and the rest of the nation, he is sentenced to a year in prison. There, he meets his childhood friend and fellow baseball player, Lee Joon Ho, who is now is a prison guard and one of Je Hyuk's biggest fans. The drama revolves around Je Hyuk's time in prison, as well as the prisoners he meets and events that take place there. (MDL) AKA : Prison | Smart Prison Living | Wise Prison Life

Whumpee : Kim Je Hyuk played by Park Hae Soo (left)

Country : 🇰🇷 South Korea Genres : Comedy, Crime, Life, Drama, Friendship, Bromance

Notes : This is a Partial List - I didn't list every bit of whump, just what caught my attention the most • This is it! The show that started it all! This is the show I watched 2 years ago that triggered my interest [ie obsession] with Asian dramas! I really aught to rewatch and make this a full list some day.

Episodes on List : 3 Total Episodes : 16

*Spoilers below*

03 : (near end) Kim Je Hyuk realizes that he is loosing feeling in his hand

04 : Hit in the head with a nail stuck in a board .. (bonus : Lieutenant Paeng sings at the end 😆)

09 : (past half-way point of ep) Collapses because of appendicitis

More Whump Lists for this show: whumpetywhump

[eighttwotwopointthreethree]

who lives, who dies, who tells your story: a write up of new swan shakespeare's julius caesar

it's been a while since i watched a live production of shakespeare! and i hadn't really expected to spend this interval of my summer doing so, but the new swan shakespeare festival at UCI was doing julius caesar, which, if you know anything about this blog, is like my number one most favourite shakespeare play. so of course i had to go see it. and you can go see it, too, if you're in socal, alongside their production of as you like it, and the complete works of shakespeare (abridged) (which, if you've ever seen the reduced shakespeare company's filmed version, is really hilarious).

why is julius caesar my favourite play? i mean, besides the homoeroticism in the text between brutus and cassius (#brutecass4lyfe), julius caesar to me is just one of the most human of tragedies, one of the most prescient political dramas ever done. back in 2017, shakespeare in the park did a JC production that, controversially, portrayed the man as a donald trump-type figure. and you know what, they've got a point. julius caesar was a populist. literally, his faction was called the populares; he claimed to represent the will of the people, but ultimately was taking power for himself.

granted, brutus and cassius themselves were not scrappy revolutionaries trying to change the world for the better, for all that brutus likes to cloak himself in honour and high-minded ideals. their faction, the optimates, were of the ruling class in rome. they represented the people in power who disliked caesar's broader appeal. shakespeare (via cribbing from plutarch) points out that many of the optimates were simply mad they did not seize power the way caesar had. cassius was indeed born as free as caesar, with as many of the privileges and ruling rights as caesar; why should cassius bend the knee to caesar when the bitch can't even swim?

brutus, idealist that he is, also could not justify bending the knee. he did not want to lose his own power, though he couches it in shakespeare as a wish to remain free. it's through brutus' rhetoric about freedom that we get the idea of brutus and cassius as revolutionaries, when in truth all they wanted was to return to the pre-caesar status quo. and when they determined that the best way to usher in the revolution is through violence and bloodshed, they set forth the main tragedy of the play: that a revolution begun in blood will end in blood. we've seen this play out throughout the centuries: the french revolution, the russian revolution, pretty much every violent coup that ends in repressive regimes. as long as there are despots, there will be fodder for julius caesar productions. (cassius was onto something when he wondered how many times their actions would be played out in the future "in states unborn and accents yet unknown"!)

this timelessness was felt in the new swan production. the costuming was at parts roman-inspired, though not all the way through--people wore tunics reminiscent of southeast asian clothing, or hoods and masks, or--in the second half of the play--military camo atop their tunics marking their allegiances. one notable setting was the one for octavian and antony's conversation, set in what looked like a public bath. another notable costuming choice was caesar's majestic outfits--flowing, regal, queenlike.

the production notes mentioned a deliberate casting decision of 50-50 male-female roles, with antony, caesar, and cassius notably played as female, with their pronouns changed in the text to refer to them as female. calpurnia, caesar's wife, is taken out of the text and her lines given to lepidus instead, and the characters refer to him as caesar's husband--which does cause an interesting dynamic when lepidus says non-calpurnia lines in the bathhouse scene with antony and octavian. other roles were also condensed--cinna the conspirator was taken out of the text except in the scene with cinna the poet, titinius (our beloved plothole man) had his lines given to metellus cimber, and some of strato's lines were given to casca. also, strato's role in holding brutus' sword is entirely excised, which means that brutus stabs himself at the end, rather than implicate someone else in his death.

all in all, these changes led to a tighter-paced production, where the side characters like casca and metellus cimber were given more of a character arc than in the original. giving titinius' role to metellus cimber, for example, made cassius' death make more sense, because there was already established rapport between metellus cimber and cassius in the first part. (i would argue that in this production casca and cassius had more chemistry, though...)

another notable doubling choice was giving caesar's actor the lines for cinna the poet. i think that was striking for the production, because it made cinna the poet's death at the hands of the mob have a striking implication for this caesar's. who deserves to die, and who was just an innocent caught at the mercy of mob justice? was it only cinna? or was it caesar and cinna? if you ask mark antony, of course, she would say it was both of them. this production's mark antony did an excellent job in taking control of the narrative after caesar's death. i'm used to JC productions going to intermission after caesar's burial, but new swan deciding to do so after the dogs of war monologue certainly told me that that was the turning point--that by letting antony have any share in the narrative, brutus had signed the death warrant for his ~perfectly justified~ revolution. his idealism--his persistence in "civility" and "playing fair", was his fatal flaw.

a couple other scattered thoughts:

i could see that the production was more firmly on the 'bromance' side of the brutecass debate.

which, fair, yes, that is how people have traditionally read the dynamic, but i'm always a good sucker for a cassius obsessed with brutus to the point of dragging him down the path of destruction with her, and would love to see a bit more of this cassius' manipulative ability.

this cassius is fiery, sarcastic, and i do love the way she sinks to her knees in the tent scene when she offers her heart for brutus to stab, but...

i don't think this brutus is quite picking up what cassius is setting down. he's a liiiiiittle bit too heavy on the stoicism. the passion that he showed portia in her ONE scene with him? that's what i would have liked to see out of him in the tent scene, and in that forever and forever farewell cassius scene.

maybe i've just got deranged brutecass brainrot, but i do feel like the devotion that the two characters express to one another in the text itself is part of shakespeare's sympathetic portrayal of them.

i mean, otherwise, all we've got of cassius and brutus is that dante thinks they're such horrible betrayers that they're now forever being chewed on by satan in the ninth circle of hell, next to judas freaking iscariot. brutus and cassius are, as far as classic lit is concerned, sharing the afterlife together.

that's why their devotion to one another in shakespeare's play is so compelling. it's like cassius' one redeeming feature, that he's so unerringly loyal to brutus and only thinks the best of him. while brutus allowed himself to be seduced into cassius' conspiracy, and his own devotion to honour ends up signing away their lives.

and yet when cassius tries to warn him against letting antony take control of the narrative, cassius was still too in love with brutus to actually put his foot down and say no and stop it.

also this production's portia stole the show. in her one scene she was just incredible. badass. girlboss. 100/10 no notes.

according to the dramaturg, who was sitting near us during this showing, this show's caesar was an understudy because the other actor got covid? you literally couldn't tell because this caesar was spectacular. such mean girl energy. regina george would've been proud.

anyway, go see the production! or go see new swan's as you like it, or the complete (abridged) works of shakespeare. there's plenty of showings for the rest of this summer, and you'll be in for some solid acting and good fun.

[romanceyourdemons]

This is. Such a strange question. But you seem like you might have good suggestions? I'm taking a class on pre-1500 East Asian History and I'm absolutely loving it. and I am in the mood to watch movies/shows of dubious historical accuracy.

Now, as a movie nerd and also a nerd about the warring states period... do you have recommendations about movies set in ancient/medieval china? If not, no worries, I know this is a weirdly specific ask!

definitely! my favorite film about the warring states period (slash qin dynasty) right now is the emperor and the assassin (1998), but if you're also interested in films depicting more general pre-1500 chinese history i'd recommend red cliff (2008-2009) and legend of the demon cat (2017) (big-budget historical dramas), the lost bladesman (2011) (hong kong-style martial arts film), the last supper (2012), hero (2002), and shadow (2018) (damn gorgeous art films). off the top of my head these are my favorite films handling pre-1500 chinese historical events. i hope you find something there you like, and good luck in your class!

[denimbex1986]

'Breaking into Hollywood stardom in the early 2000s, Josh Hartnett fast became a teenage idol through his early work and was fast-tracked to become the next best thing. Initially disillusioned with the celebrity lifestyle, though, he turned down many starring roles in major movies and even resorted to taking a lengthy hiatus from the industry not to lose his passion for acting entirely.

While fans of Hartnett from his earliest roles may lament the lost possibility of what could have been, his carefully selected career trajectory has seen him feature in some bizarre but brilliant films. With Oppenheimer seeing the much-loved movie star back on the big screen in front of mainstream audiences, these 10 films present as the best of a stellar career that may be just hitting its peak.

10. 'O' (2001)

Taking Shakespeare’s classic play Othello and applying it to the basketball scene of a modern American high school, O was an experimental teen drama that was always intriguing despite having some flaws. It focuses on local basketball star Odin (Mekhi Phifer), who is convinced of his girlfriend’s cheating by a conniving friend motivated by jealousy.

While the premise seems difficult to take seriously, O actually produced some genuinely good dramatic moments, and its approach to teenage violence was strikingly mature. It also struck gold in casting Hartnett as the envious villain, allowing him to display his acting chops as a complicated character that was both despicable and entirely believable.

9. 'Wrath of Man' (2021)

A gritty action delight noteworthy for reuniting Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham, Wrath of Man offered intense thrills and a winding story to boot. It follows H (Statham), a mysterious new employee at Fortico Security whose exemplary combat skills prevent a heist and lead his colleagues to question the man and his sketchy past.

With elements of one-man-army action, heist thrills, and even revenge drama, the movie offered up something for all action lovers to enjoy. It also featured Josh Hartnett, who stood out among the star-studded cast with his enjoyably unheroic turn as a fellow Fortico Security guard who gradually finds his courage.

8. '30 Days of Night' (2007)

Based on the comic book miniseries of the same name, 30 Days of Night was a pulsating mixture of blood-and-guts horror and thrilling action. It follows the residents of a remote Alaskan town who struggle to survive a month of no sunlight when a mob of vampires descends upon them, killing most of the townsfolk immediately and leaving the rest in a desperate fight for their lives.

An amalgamation of horror subgenres doused in more than enough gore to keep the genre’s most eager fans satisfied; it kept finding new ways to be intriguing throughout its duration, even with its simple premise. While Danny Huston’s villainous performance received plenty of praise, the film also served as an adequate reminder of Josh Hartnett’s natural ability in leading roles.

7. 'Oh Lucy!' (2017)

An overlooked gem of modern Asian cinema, Oh Lucy! was a dazzling hit of empathetic, tragic fun which blended romance with adventure. The film follows Setsuko (Shinobu Terajima), a lonely office worker in Tokyo who develops a crush on her English teacher and ventures to America to follow him when he abruptly leaves.

The film grounded itself in universal themes, which it explored in quirky yet strikingly honest ways, with the entire cast putting in outstanding and nuanced performances to make it work. It also wasn’t afraid to get quite dark, making for a heartbreaking tragicomedy that thrived off the back of Terajima’s brilliance and used Hartnett’s comedic talent perfectly.

6. 'The Faculty' (1998)

After making his debut in one of the forgettable installments of the Halloween franchise, Josh Hartnett got more opportunities to showcase his potential in the sci-fi/horror The Faculty. From director Robert Rodriguez, it follows a misfit group of high school students who discover their classmates and teachers have been overtaken by parasitic aliens and cook up an unlikely plan to save everyone.

In addition to its overt sci-fi/horror premise, The Faculty also ran with an affectionate focus on teen drama and high school politics, themes brought to life by the film’s surprisingly fantastic cast. Hartnett portrayed Zeke Tyler, an intelligent though problematic youth who holds the answer to defeating the alien race in his drug-dealing antics.

5. 'Lucky Number Slevin' (2006)

A fascinating example of differing opinions, critics were harsh on Lucky Number Slevin, but casual moviegoers loved it. The action crime-thriller follows a wrongly apprehended man. He is dragged into a vicious feud between two rival crime lords, where he is given a violent ultimatum and is tailed by two men as he frantically decides what he’ll do next.

Using an outstanding cast boasting the likes of Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, and Ben Kingsley alongside Hartnett in the starring role, the movie presented as a fun-filled action spectacle. It also utilized a twisty story, heavily stylized characters, and eye-catching set design to make a lasting impression on audiences.

4. 'The Virgin Suicides' (1999)

For much of the early part of his career, Josh Hartnett was considered a heartthrob. It is easy to see how his role in The Virgin Suicides may be a big reason for that. As Sofia Coppola’s directorial debut, it focuses on five sheltered teenage sisters in 1970s America and the neighborhood boys who grow obsessed with them.

Based on Jeffrey Eugenides novel of the same name, the film uses the boys’ reminiscing of their younger days as the framework for the premise, allowing the film to take on a hypnotic, dreamlike meditation of adolescent angst. In what was just his third feature film credit, Hartnett was able to make the part of the young Trip Fontaine a memorable highlight of his career.

3. 'Sin City' (2005)

With its striking stylistic choices, graphic yet cartoonish violence, and forbidden allure, Sin City was a barnstorming, flamboyant dose of comic book ultra-violence. It follows a range of shady characters as they go about their business in the cesspool that is Sin City, with everything from vigilante cops to ex-prostitutes and their lovers getting their time to shine.

Within the chaos, Hartnett appeared as The Salesman — aka The Man or The Colonel — a slick assassin who is hired by a woman who wants to kill herself. His small, condensed story of passion and violence proved to be a perfect introduction to the film, highlighting its neo-noir tone, arresting style, and penchant for jarring and abrupt violence.

2. 'Black Hawk Down' (2001)

Based on real events, Ridley Scott’s grueling yet gripping modern war drama presented a horrifying depiction of combat. Following the American Special Forces units who were sent into Mogadishu to capture two lieutenants of a violent warlord, it shows how the mission went wrong as the soldiers were overrun and two of their Black Hawk helicopters were shot down.

While it was somewhat limited in scope and perspective, Black Hawk Down was incredibly effective as a no-holds-barred nosedive into combat's graphic intensity and abruptness. Hartnett was more than comfortable in the starring role, leading a stellar ensemble cast with aplomb.

1. 'Oppenheimer' (2023)

Oppenheimer should go on to become one of the biggest films of 2023. A commercial smash hit and a critically acclaimed masterpiece from Christopher Nolan, the film follows J. Robert Oppenheimer’s (Cillian Murphy) work on developing the atomic bomb and the political fallout that came as a result of that and his leftist leanings.

Among the many great delights the film offered, one that made many fans happy was seeing Hartnett back on the big screen in a major blockbuster. His supporting role was also quite significant, portraying the Nobel Prize-winning nuclear physicist and Oppenheimer’s colleague Ernest Lawrence, which gave him ample opportunity to showcase his acting talents.'