#Probably speed vs. power? I don't actually know tho!

[sysig]

He¥ $@il0r (Patreon)

Bonus:

[absolutebl]

Can I tap on the wellspring knowledge of your BL encyclopedia levels of sageness? I'm honestly a little bit stomped, discombobulated, mystified.

Whyever do I seem to grow onto Why R U? as much as it would seem I somehow do?

Or maybe I should rephrase the question:

What ingredients does Why R U? juggle around with to somehow cook up its dish the way it does?

I really just watched this out of silly completism after Make it Right (which I didn't even really like all that much). Coming from there I expected a sort of globmess in terms of narrative and pacing, and... kind of got that served as expected? And as I watched it there were frowns, eyerolls, speed ups, cheek twitches over too much music inserts (whatever is the deal with that random guy on the stage before Saifah and Zon have theirs which is at least plot relevant?) a good deal of "this is somehow really dumb, DUMB", irritating fujoshi cutouts (Zol was okay in the end tho), too much cheese overdosing, too much spice overdosing, too much suffering sob story melodrama and me wrestling with somehow being viciously faceblind to every single character until about very late stretches of the series and also just wondering why I was still on it. Watching it the first time round was not really fun. It was patience taxing. I got the first little lol maybe in the last 3 minutes of the main series. And then a week passed and another and some more and somehow there's a whole bunch of recurring twitches calling for rewatches. (Which also have now been satisfied beyond the excuse of "maybe it's just that I feel a little bit bad about meanly trashing over it in my head like I did when I didn't even watch it that attentively.") That's a clear indicator I actually like something. Probably a lot.

I just have a tricky time putting my finger on why. I found some, but they hardly seem to justify a show crush in dimensions like this. If I try to ask my rationale it much rather comes up with more reasons why I shouldn't be liking this. It's pretty loud about elements that go against my established personal taste (as I am aware of right now, e.g. I know it's famed for its depiction of High Heat with good chemistry, but I don't like High Heat all that much.... or at least I thought I didn't....?) And objectively, it's not like it's a sort of every frame is a painting piece of work with very good direction production values, narratively the pace is all over the place at times as well. (I also still don't quite get what the third pair was good for. Establishing Zol as this world's creator-goddess of sorts with the power to enforce ships? And then Zon taking up the conclusion narrative is even literally kicking them out of relevancy when he says that this tale was just about the four of them?)

A bizarre case on a mystery level like this drops about once or twice per decade and typically also takes about as much time to be fully unriddled. Or at least the last two ones did. But going through some of your tropes collection posts I found some more hints pointing to... probably newly found soft spots for narrative and visual tropes?

So basically, is there more worthy of note than what I already found out to check out for verification? Just what does the show seem to be doing so right?

The preliminary list of candidates I made out so far:

Eyes emoting

vs. full body dramaturgy (You did that post on Saint's physicality, but it kind of feels like both of the two main pairs keep contrasting more crass bolder movements against loads of eyeing around...?)

A touch of meta and tropey self-awareness. (I really like the manga of Zettai BL and Bad Buddy's last line was a riot for me.)

Mild Tsundere x Dork x Overwhelmed disaster handfuls notoriously busy with having a few freakouts

Like loads of "What is thiiiiiis" or "How did it wind up being like this???" exasperation. (This is totally me with this show.)

Paired with a character that has the uberhuman ability to handle them without winding up needing therapy for babysitting burnout (Saifah, what's your secret?)

Enemies to Lovers, but the former is more like attraction misconstrued as irritation

excessive amounts of pillow hugs in all sorts of flavors

excessive amounts of shoulder leans

notorious amounts of puff your cheeks up

run away in a flight response and get caught again (maybe? It does suspiciously show up in Utskushii Kare and Bad Buddy too...)

bob your chin over x (although I am not entirely sure if it's this or if it's because Zon uses it to make Saifah stop his guitar zippery already. Anything that makes them put that damned guitar away might be more welcome for cheers than I was aware of so far)

Miscommunication, but they actually sit there and try wringing that needd talk out from pretty much the beginning all the time, so it's more down to characters speaking different languages rather than all being idiots too awkward to even open their mouths.

The teased knows how to turn things around to tease back, even more viciously if needed (This suspiciously also shows up in Bad Buddy)

probably this means vice dynamics?

Although SaifahZon kinda are adorkable, too

picturesque piggyback rides? Maybe? cocks head left and right and right back

??????

All About Show Crushes 

Honestly Why R U? is such a mess.

But I'm the same as you. On first watch I was like... I don't know... but the chemistry is good. I actively disliked Siafah Zon tho. Like I watched a bit in the first few eps and then skipped their part. I think I didn't do an actual watch of their story until the reshoot extras came out and even now they are just a bit to cheesy cringe for me.

I think your list is pretty exhaustive. But there is one more thing...

sometimes we like a thing because we like a thing. 

like there is no really good reason for it and we (especially me, and apparently you) can hunt about and try to explain it, or can gravitate to one spectacular reason (I fell like this is me and color rush) but sometimes it defies explanation. 

For me one of those is Oxygen, objectively there isn’t a whole lot to recommend it (I mean it’s fine but for the amount of times I’ve rewatched it, fine is not a sufficient moniker). I just LOVE that show.  

I think trying to figure out a show crush is like trying to figure out a person crush. Odd and possibly eventually tempered by persistent exposure. 

Sometimes it’s not about the show’s internal chemistry and narrative qualities or filming or anything, it’s about your chemistry WITH that show. 

After all you two are in a relationship (bit one sided, but that’s part of what crush means, unrequited). 

And sometimes it’ll last and sometimes it wont. 

This is kinda and odd place to go but follow me here:

one of things we don’t talk about or really acknowledge enough is that we can have friendship and/or plutonic crushes on other people. People you don’t necessarily want to bone or romance, but you do just really LOVE spending time with. 

I realized this recently with one of my besties. She’s basically MY person. We couldn’t live together but we have been literally trapped in a safe room together for 8 hours and never stopped talking (or enjoying each other’s company). 20 years strong and I still have a crush on her. I mean 20 years makes this an oversimplification about our relationship, but you get what I mean? 

Similarly, I think sometimes we just find shows and were like: oh this is MY show, in the same way. No so much that it was made for me, but that I jive with it more then, objectively, I should. 

You’re a food analogy person, so maybe that’s an easier way to think about it. This kind of crushing can be like a particular dish. 

Tom Kha in its iterations has been my favorite biggest comfort food my whole life. I can’t imagine anyone not liking it. I can analyze and explain why it is the greatest, most complex, and sophisticated combination of flavors ever plopped into a bowl, but I know there are people who don’t like coconut and others for whom it is too sour or too spicy. 

It’s about how my taste is perfectly meshed with that soup.

That said, I am currently experiencing deep crush on khao soi and an even deeper one on sundubu jjigae, so... yeah I’m fickle. 

Seriously tho, if you’re into Korean food sundubu jjigae is like the neglected child no one knows about. I like the super spicy veg version with lots of mushrooms. Fuck it’s so good. 

Well that devolved quickly. I must be hungry.