#how are we going to get kenta with kim

[sunsetsover]

that's the end </3 i had so much fun rewatching this show and liveblogging it for the 5 ppl that gaf <3 and im so glad that i could convince at least one person to give this show a chance w my rambly ass posts <3 it's not perfect but it really is still such a good show and SO much fun to watch and i miss it already </3 but i cannot wait for s2 to start on friday and to come back and annoy you all once again <3

[le-trash-prince]

I really want to talk about the music and perspective in this scene bc this is Kenta's POV????

I know that a lot of ppl tend to view music in BL from a Western perspective, in that it is meant to tell the audience how to feel about a scene. But BL as a genre grew out of manga, specifically shoujo manga, where conveying the emotions of the characters is more important than telling the audience how to feel about what the characters are doing. Music in anime is thus often used to establish an emotional connection between the audience and the characters.

Off the top of my head, a really good example of this is when Porsche is riding on the back of Vegas' motorcycle, and there's uplifting music playing. The music was not trying to tell the audience that we should feel like that was a cute romantic moment between a man and someone who tried to rape him. The music was conveying the freedom and joy Porsche felt in that moment, since he had no idea what Vegas had done. A lot of Western viewers get a sense of cognitive dissonance watching that scene because they assume that it's romanticizing rape, when it's simply an example of BL being an emotionally immersive genre.

Sorry to soapbox, I just feel like I constantly have to explain this, and I think Westerners would do a lot less moralizing about how things in BL are portrayed if this was more widely understood. I still wanna do an in-depth post on this, but a quick search of "how music is used in anime" should provide some insight.

Anyways, so the camera cuts between shots of Kenta's face and shots of Kim's face, but Kenta is the one doing the looking while Kim is focusing on what he's doing, which establishes this as Kenta's perspective.

And I'm just feeling a little insane about the way Kenta's posture immediately goes from high-alert and defensive, to completely relaxed once he realizes it's Kim. Like he knows he's going to be okay, because who among these men can stop Kim Minsu?

And then the slow-mo starts and the music cuts in and I'm??? Clutching my heart??? We don't have shoujo bubbles or doki-doki sfx to show how Kenta is feeling, but we do have a soft, dreamlike melody and a thudding beat to show that, in spite of his stoicism, Kenta is deeply affected by the sight of Kim swooping in to rescue him.

I feel like I could watch this scene on repeat for the rest of my life my god Kenta spent so long suffering on his own and he's already weak for the first person to treat him like he's worth protecting.

[liesineyes]

I am apparently late but watching pit babe season 2 trailer got me out of my slump era.

Like, what do you mean we have Babe losing the race to this new dude and Charlie literally gently pushes Babe back to defend him.

I mean, Charlie 🤌🏼

And a possibility of an amnesia plot. God damn. I am about to lose my mind if it is what it is. Charlie asking Babe if they are a couple and Babe blinking at him with soft eyes and with a fucking ring on his finger?

Ring. Ring. The fucking ring. And Babe's soft smile? Yeah. I am finding a cliff to jump from. 🥲

And Pete Chris? Pete fucking Way's look alike. His sex partner? Hello? I didn't even know I was that excited for this pairing. And Kim and Kenta kissing? With Kim holding Kenta's gun? Excuse me, sir?

Like what's going on with Pete? Pete!? and also Kenta getting kissed like he deserves to be 🤌🏼

And of course, North and Sonic finally getting to be a couple.

The visuals? 🥹🤌🏼

Finally the makers saw the fics and decided to have all of these people kiss. I swear. And the damn lab experiment? I think it is Winner and I don't know how I feel about Dean and Winner yet. Jeff having nose bleeds and being scared? Give me more of Charlie whump because why else would Babe butt his nose in there if not for his boyfriend/possible husband. The xrated scenes of Charlie and Babe? I am absolutely seated.

Jeff in hospital. I wonder what is going on, and Tony standing on the top of the building like he didn't terrorize these children. What a bitch.

Also, respectfully - fuck you tumblr for limiting ten photos per post.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Okay Mid Year Here We Come!

Pun intended.

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

May 2025 Week 5

Ongoing Series - Thai

Knock Out (Fri WeTV ) ep 3 of 12 - Sometimes, on my more philosophical days, I feel like this BL is the backstory of the brother & boyfriend characters who run the gym in Wandee Goodday. 

Meanwhile, massage oil scene with the secondary couple was excellent. Kind of came out of nowhere. (Presumably so did he.) But I’m not gonna complain. (Presumably neither did he.)

My Stubborn (Sun iQIYI) ep 5 of 10 - Sorn literally cannot keep his hands to himself. This show is the poster child for workplace sexual harassment. That said absolutely every employee seems to be doing it, so perhaps it was a hiring mandate. Company bonus? Your paycheck comes with a side of kabedon?

Pit Babe 2 (Fri iQIYI) ep 5 of 13 - Serving us a season 2 like no BL before has ever served. I am in awe. Mostly of Kenta's tatas on a platter and the cast joking about them and wardrobe's wholesale investment in their importance. Which is true. Very important work Pit Babe is doing for us right now.

Where was I?

What is happening?

I can’t with the scooters. I just can’t.

The plot (or whatever you wanna call it) continues a pace. There’s a lot of vrooming and canoodling.

Oh who cares, let us return to what really matters - black shirt tata chacha chacha.

Kenta brought a knife to a car fight. Best thing to happen in BL in years: a vroom vroom rescue.

Kim's protective doughnut of Kenta was, in fact, (as the kids would have it) legend. I am officially calling this maneuver the Bangkok Drift (and you can't stop me). I got nothing left to say. It spun out my brain meats.

(I should invent a very strong cocktail called the Bangkok Drift. I'm taking mixer suggestions in the comments.)

Also Kim = brimming with BDE. OMG is this couple BDE vs BTE (big tata energy)? Yes, yes they are.

Carry on Pit Babe, you clearly know what you're doing, even if no one else does.

(I should clearly be doing a Trash Watch of this but it's too late now.)

The BangkokBoy (Sat Gaga) ep 6 of 12 - Ooo hacker cutie, just what we all needed in our lives. Should we talk again about how incredibly hot Top is? Goes without a saying, I suppose. Also too pretty = likely the mole. (Too much to ask him to put that hacker up against a wall?)

I am still very much enjoying this, but I wish it was a bit less gangster and a bit more BL.

Eye Contact (Weds WeTV) ep 3 of 12 - NO SINGING. I figured it out. This is Make it Right goes to college and that's why I like it. That said, the terrible editing is beginning to grate on me. Perhaps if I were able to watch the extended version it wouldn’t be so bad. But as it stands  I’m losing patience with the whole WeTV platform in general, so I won't be upgrading on principle.

The Next Prince (Sat iQIYI) ep 5 of 14 - I'm enjoying it for the fantasy aspect. But we have got couple bloat happening. There’s too many. I am kinda into and excited by most of them (except maybe the leads), but still it’s too much for this show.

They aren’t Pit Babe, they can’t get away with it. (To be fair, Pit Babe really isn’t getting away with it either, it’s just so chaotic it doesn’t matter.)

While whipping boy is a favorite trope, and I did squeak in delight when that dog lead came out - Thailand going kinky rarely works out well for us. This pair is very "someone's been reading too much Slytherin slash."

My Sweetheart Jom (Fri YT) ep 3 of 12 - It's fine, but pretty missable. I dont get much chemistry from the leads. More parental tolerance meets childishness. I mean, if they’re aiming for a Daddy/brat dynamic, it’s not working.

I like that the same actor is playing the same psychopath in both shows currently airing. Aon is very good at being wild-eyed crazy.

On a completely different note wouldn't he be great as Song Qi if Thailand did a remake of Moon and Dust?

Boys in Love (Sun iQIYI ) ep 6 of 12 - I don’t know. They’re losing me on this one. It doesn’t seem to know where it wants to go or what it wants to do. There’s no major through line. And while that has worked for me in the past with pre-branded existing pairs (e.g. We Are) the profound lack of tension isn’t really working in this show for me. I hate Shane’s parents. Hate them. 

That is all.

Sweet Tooth Good Dentist (Fri iQIYI) ep 10 of 12 - Jimmy is back, yay! This ep was all backstory and dealing with past drama. I wish we got a little bit more of Sant’s story. But also I am v bored.

The Ex-Morning (Thurs YT) ep 2 of 10 - I don’t have much to say about this show. I found this episode dull. Krist is always the same character in BL, and frankly it’s an archetype that I intensely dislike. More importantly, I always fail to understand why any love interests are ever interested in dating this personality type. Frankly he’s a jerk and a bully. Were this any other couple and any other production house I would have already dropped it.

I Promise I Will Come Back (Mon WeTV) ep 2 of 10 - It’s a bit touristy for me. Look I don’t like seeing anybody’s travel photos, not even my own. This is not a framing convention I enjoy in my BL. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Sweetheart Service (Korea Fri YT) ep 4 of 12 - this installment was rough, confrontations but also successes. I feel sorry for the bartender character. But it is interesting to watch Strongberry tackle a true love triangle.

It's okay Taeha, there is a whole other cutie just gagging to be taken care of by you.

Just look to the left.

Moon and Dust (China YT) ep 2 of 6 - Is both absolutely terrible and terribly great. All of the triggers! But if you didn’t know that going in why are you even bothering to read my blog? You can't be taught.

Okay so just stepbrothers (not blood related). Fine.

White/black outfits? This is perhaps the least subtle BL of all time.

Fair price, China.

And so fucked up. Bite him! Yay!

Excellent.

None of this is going to end well for any of us but I am ALL IN.

Give me the fuck-up-a-tude. GIVE IT TO ME.

Fight for You (Taiwan Fri Gaga) ep 11 of 12 - This is common with Taiwanese BLs... once they are together and boyfriends they’re absolutely adorable, incredibly gentle, and very sexy - domestically beautiful. Meanwhile, add another to the Official Roster of Fantastic Grans in BL. This one is such a bad ass. Love her and her spoon - we soulmates. I wack at people with spoons if they come in while I'm cooking all the time.

The Sparkle In Your Eye (Singapore Sun Gaga) eps 1-4 of ? - Yet another celebrity BL (trend noted) but I am curious about Singapore's take on the genre. However this is one of my least favorite power dynamics (younger less powerful character has crush on older popular guy who doesn't like him). Also, far beat it for me to predict what a BL from Singapore will be like (when we have had so few) but the fact that they’re speaking in Chinese is indicative that this is gonna have that style, which means I’m not sure we can depend upon it to end happy.

It's airing but......

Loy Kaew First Love (Fri YT) ep 3 of 6 - Didn't drop for me. MDL says it aired but not where (usually means YT or Gaga, but not for me). I’m not particularly motivated to hunt. So I’ll let this one slide until I figure out how to get it or it ends badly and spies tell me... whichever comes first.

Top Form (Thurs WeTV) ep 11 end - Apparently I’m never gonna be able to see this final ep unless I pay for WTVs VIP? Which I’m simply not doing. If their interface or app were better and didn’t crash and have a bazillion other bugs, I might consider it. But the technology is terrible. Can’t condone this kind of behavior. So I guess I’ll live never knowing how this ends. I assume they're happily together blah blah blah.

Season of Love in Shimane AKA Ai no Kisetsu: The Season of Love (Thai) - Sequel to Kiseki Chapter 2 which I intensely disliked. I won't watch this.

Mission to the Moon (YT) 2 of 12 - Watching but I can't keep track. Too short, too many, too YT. I will report at end.

Next Week Looks Like This:

I've started including Thai holidays so we know why something might not be airing that day.

Coming Next Month

(I'm not confident on any of these, mostly rumor-based.)

6/2 Reset (Thailand iQIYI) - Yet another time travel kinda thing this time with Pond & Peterpan (we love this idea) but what a melodrama! And (shocker) celebrity romance again. On the night of his greatest success, famous actor Armin dies after being betrayed by his lover. However, death is not the end. Going back in time and meeting mysterious fan TD, the path to superstardom begins again.

6/5 Ball Boy Tactics (Korea Gaga) - After retiring from gymnastics, Han Ji Won thought his biggest challenges were behind him. Turns out, winning Olympic medals was easy compared to surviving university as a painfully shy ex-superstar. Enter Kwon Jeong U — campus heartthrob, basketball star, and a whole new world of trouble wrapped up in a perfect smile.

6/13 I Became the Lead in a BL Drama 2 AKA Zoku BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita (Japan ????) - Another 2nd season I certainly did not want. This time the story tells what challenges they have to face as a relationship. Also the story of the managers continues.

6/20 Depth of Field (Japan Fuji TV)

6/?? Revenged Love (China) - A remake of 2015's Falling in Love with a Rival. Wild.

2025 Line Up

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 1

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

20 BLs Announced for 2025 That I'm Really Excited About

GMMTV 2025 Line Up - My Totally Biased and Wildly Flawed Feels

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENTS

Well, see the Pit Babe 2 car rescue. Possibly best BL moment of 2025.

I can't I'm just eating this BL up. It's is beyond toxic. Are we in Forbidden Love territory? Will we go all the way to necrophilia? Depends on who dies first, i suppose.

Oh, someone's dyeing.

It was a really good kiss. As it should be! They have some seriously good "through the net" action to go up against. One of them from Taiwan.

What? It was a GREAT scene.

May I please point out that I called Boat as a great lead for a BL when he was a very minor side (and only good pairing) in the horrendous My Secret Love in 2022? I believe my case was made based entirely on this screen cap:

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[prapaiwife]

"A friend, someone you know, a close one, roommate assistant"

It's the way Kim said said all how he feels kenta is to him at this moment. And the way kenta was like tussling with him but looking at kim hearing him say all these words to him because he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Like he obviously understands what those words mean but it's also like he couldn't take it in or have it even process to grasp what he actually means to someone. After all he's someone who didn't grow up with any love so to have someone tell him that so openly and easily is a disbelief.

But I just love how all in kim is he has such a protective nature towards kenta. Like their bond is already an emotional one but it's going to be more of a sentimental one as time passes. Like with these two it's all about the control vs autonomy because kenta spent much of his life under Tony which we know has caused a lot of trust issues and being manipulated constantly. He was conditioned to suppress his feelings which makes it hard for him to be vulnerable. Before he opened up to Kim about his feelings he was keeping them to himself. All that he's endured and encountered will make it really challenging for him to assert any of his feelings. So it's inevitable that Kenta's struggle with his autonomy will be an obstacle.

But kim has a lot of patience and understanding when it comes to kenta's reluctance to open up to him about anything. He knows that his upbringing has really shaped him and how he views people. How he views the world and how he especially looks at himself. But Kim gives him that really good gentle encouragement for him to feel like he can talk to him. Make him feel safe at least with him so he can express whatever he's feeling without any hesitation and fear of being punished for it. And we all know that Kim is very protective especially if kenta pushes him away his persistence is to just protect but also gives kenta space as well. But that doesn't mean he doesn't ever get frustrated with him because of how Kenta is so shielded from everything and anything it gets in the way when he wants to get closer to kenta and wants to understand him more.

I feel Kim being so observant he can see that Kenta doesn't like loneliness but he's been isolated since he was a child. He doesn't even necessarily hate ppl or have a disdain for them (except tony) but he's been told and believed that everyone hates him. I think Kim can tell that kenta wasn't born cruel and aggressive it's just the world he was thrown into has turned it's back on him. It's like kenta doesn't want the weight of the world on his shoulders but asking for help and letting ppl in is foreign to him.

With everything that Kenta has been through since he was a child it was like as if his age has stopped. But his body obviously kept growing! but his brain has been forced and or used to skipping certain stages of things in his life that he's meant to experience and to feel. It's like his mind is frozen and his feelings are very limited he doesn't really know what he's capable of when it comes to love and to love someone fully. And the fact that he will get to experience that with Kim even though it might not be right away I do think as time goes on within their relationship he'll know what it's like and that's going to be just so great for him to witness to see that he is meant to be loved.

[pharawee]

What really gets me about PeteKenta this week (and by that I mean that it causes me emotional damage), much more so than in the episode before (or in the whole of season 1 even though the seeds were already there) is how emotionally careless Pete acts towards Kenta (and the mission against Tony but maybe that's for my PeteChrisWay post). And it's all such a mess -- their shared past, their individual traumas, their current preoccupation with second chances -- that I can't even blame Pete, even if I'm fully on Kenta's side here.

Pete treats (and, let's be honest here, this isn't even the first or fifth time) Kenta as an afterthought. I know he means well and that he's driven by trying to make amends for something that was never even his fault to begin with. I also understand that with the way things are right now in canon, his feelings for Kenta were always platonic (even though that makes the one kiss they shared kind of questionable in retrospect because at the very least he was acting very inquisitive, inviting even) which is fair enough. I wish they'd kept the whole "the one that got away" angle because it feels so much more realistic to me than the revelation that all this time Pete was himself secretly pining after Way.

(adding a sprinkle of gifs to this post because clearly I'm not suffering enough already)

The secret pining COULD however at least partially explain why Pete never put a stop to Kenta's one-sided pining either. Because he must always have known. He can repeat the "he thinks of me as a brother" line a hundred times, but he's a telepath. Kenta and he kissed, and every time they've since met and touched, Kenta's thoughts are very obviously all but screaming his longing at him.

And yet Pete has never said anything -- either to spare Kenta's feelings or (judging by how he handled his secret crush on Way) because he found the situation to be overwhelming. Again, I don't blame Pete in the slightest, it's not like he had an emotionally healthy childhood to learn how to approach these things. I don't even blame him for the third possibility: that Kenta's crush is a very useful thing for him to keep around, especially since in the past it's kept him out of Tony's reach (plus, feeling wanted when your own love is unrequited probably feels very nice too).

There's no way Kenta would have let him leave over and over again if it wasn't for his feelings (and remember, Kenta never extended the same courtesy to any of his other brothers until much later). Unrequited or not, not addressing the elephant in the room left Kenta in limbo for years. He's kidnapped children for Tony, probably even killed for Tony, yet as soon as Pete starts leaning into Kenta's longing for him, Kenta can't bring himself to stop Pete (much less harm him or rat him out to Tony) -- which is a really convenient secret weapon to have in a fight against someone as ruthless and powerful as Tony. It's not even deliberate manipulation but pure self-preservation. Babe and Jeff and Charlie and Way have all learned to survive on less than that. It's about time we see the damage that Tony caused in Pete.

And not only that. I think now we also get to see that Pete doesn't know or understand Kenta nearly as well enough as he believes. He literally asks the go-it-alone guy to not go it alone when that's kind of his whole thing (not to mention that OF COURSE Kenta will do the thing for him and not care for the consequences -- it's all he knows to do to earn appreciation). He's essentially leaving Kenta on stand-by, not like the brother he claims to be, but like a thing he can just pick back up whenever it's most convenient for him. And he deals out praise to Kim while openly reprimanding Kenta in the next sentence -- which ironically is such a Tony thing to do because it keeps Kenta small and loyal.

Pete is so willfully blind towards Kenta's feelings and to who Kenta is as a person that it makes him look like a total dick here. And the thing is, his defence doesn't even hold up: you wouldn't treat your brother like that either, someone you claim you share a bond with. Hell, if Pete treated Kim that way -- someone who's only marginally involved -- Kim would surely let him have a piece of his mind. But Kenta has learned to suffer in silence so why bother changing the status quo (and never mind that the status quo was Tony)?

As things are right now, Pete's allowed to have priorities (currently these priorities lie with neglecting everyone's safety by dicking down Chris on every imaginable surface in his condo while not even using a secure password on his private computer) while all Kenta is allowed to do (all that he KNOWS to do) is switch masters from Tony to... what? a very absent Pete?

I'll always love PeteKenta, and I'll always love the could-have-beens from Pit Babe Season 1, but with how things are playing out right now I either need Kim to put Pete in his place (good) or Kenta to walk away and leave Pete on read (even better).

[rinrin222]

okay, okay, okay….

I’ve settled… and rewatched the kimkenta scenes like twenty times now.

listen.

there’s no chance in HELL that Kenta hasn’t realised how he feels, at least somewhat, towards Kim. I’m just— I can’t believe that because you cannot tell me that man doesn’t know that he sees Kim as something more. He may not completely recognise the feeling yet, understandable if he hasn’t, but he knows something has changed.

Alright lemme focus in.

Kenta was very touchy with Kim throughout the episode, yall saw that too, right?? SO TOUCHY!

But Kim…. Kim put everything out there without saying a damn word about feelings and then still had to watch Kenta be the bait.

{Holy Shit it’s Teen Wolf and Thiam all over again goddamn it}

The KISS!

The fucking KISSSSSS!

Okay, listen, Kim really said all he said, and then just straight up pinned a raving Kenta and kissed him. And Kenta just went lax. He was already confused, angry, showing that part of himself to Kim in a way that we haven’t really seen, raised voice and all, and then Kim told him what he was to him before straight up showing him what he was.

Kim kissed Kenta, and while Kenta didn’t kiss back… He didn’t shove him away. Kenta didn’t push Kim away at all, he just melted, eyes darting with confusion as his brain tried to process what was going on. And when Kim told him to worry about him too, not just Pete…

Kenta gave in. He hummed and then said what he was gonna do before asking if Kim was coming too.

And Kim… Kim follows Kenta, but he also protects Kenta, even if he’s not entirely sure what he’s doing because he’s a racer not a detective or a spy… though he doesn’t do too bad at it.

Kim stands in front of Kenta while they hide, putting himself at risk in guarding Kenta so he’s the one they’d see. But Kenta tugs Kim out of view. The way Kim smiled was everything but Kenta’s lips… the corner of his lips started to curve just barely. He was fighting it.

Kenta is constantly touching, guiding, even reassuring Kim’s movements.

But the part that… the part that really hits, that actually shattered me, was when Kenta told Kim to trust him and then took off to be the damn bait.

When he’s captured, that look on his face. There were so many emotions playing out that actually… it was like there were too many questions. Like he was relieved that Kim didn’t follow him, but also realised that Kim wasn’t following him. like he realised he would be coming face to face with Tony again. like he realised he was all alone again. Kenta just—- he looked shattered, relieved, scared, and resigned all at once.

AND THEN THERE WAS FUCKING PETE.

Kim tells him that Kenta was taken, and there is panic in his fucking voice. He tells him about Willy too, important information. But Pete didn’t even seem to care about Kenta being taken. Considering how he treats Kenta it’s what the fuck ever at this point.

Okay…. imma go rewatch the episode again and get to writing because i need to fix this 😭

[simplywooziss]

so, theorizing about how EP8 can go (and after reading some theories here), i would like to present mine because, why is kimkenta making me be so active and start posting here?😭

so far, we know these

are happening on the same day, yet we don't know the sequence of how they're happening. and two of the main timelines i thought could be possible are:

1. the kiss happens first: kenta finds the "demon snake" place, so he decides he wants to go alone and investigate. kim stops him from running off and tries to convince him to go together, they argue then kim kisses kenta. after a moment, kenta reluctantly agrees, and they leave for the place. once there, they encounter tony's men, hide, kenta does his distraction thingy and kenta gets taken.

2. the kiss happens after: kenta finds the lead, they both venture together but get caught by the men. kenta does his thing and BOTH escape safe and sound. once back at the apartment, kim scolds kenta for being so reckless, kenta pushes back, they argue a little bit more, kim gets irritated and kisses kenta.

i honestly don't know which theory i like more, but i'm so ready for them to finally DO something. they've been dancing around each other for so long, i am thinking kim is just waiting for kenta's cue.

kim may be a straightforward man, but he would still wait for a sign that allows him to keep pushing without making the other uncomfortable. and kenta is so used to being told what to do, this new freedom with kim would help him properly accept his feelings and move on to be happy on his own terms.

anyways, i hope i made some sense of this because i'm so excited for what's to come and knowing we get the EP7 Reaction Video tomorrow, we might get more insight from them.

thank you for reading♡

[negrowhat]

Saw you reblogged a post abt Kim showing more pain when watching Kenta sacrifice himself than he did when he was being tortured and all I can think is maybe its a continuation of the kiss scene. Like "Please, look at how much this hurts me. I care. I care so much, Kenta." The torture, he didn't want to show them it affected him. But when Kenta was going he was all but yelling it at Kenta

Honestly Anon, I feel like it's something Kim instantly regretted. Kim doesn't strike me as the type to regret most if any of his decisions. We've never truly ever seen him be remorseful about anything. Because he puts his all into every decision he makes. He usually knows exactly what he's doing even if he's unsure of the outcome.

But today Kenta really put him on the spot when he asked him for his trust in that situation.

This whole season Kim has been working his ass off to protect Kenta and rescue him and to stop Kenta from making reckless decisions n his own. He's grown to care deeply about Kenta. And we have seen on more than one occasion that it pisses Kim off the way Kenta doesn't value his life, especially since he cares so much about Kenta's safety.

Today they had that argument where Kim is upset that Kenta doesn't think of his feelings or even keep him informed on his plans so that he can help him. And then finally Kenta tells Kim his plan to use himself as bait so Kim can escape. In a way, Kenta is giving Kim what he asked for before. Consideration and thought. He's running his plan by Kim first. And they don't have any time to actually discuss it. Kim either has to go with his plan or not. That's it. And Kim only has a second to decide. Is he going to trust Kenta or not?

Kenta asks Kim to trust him. And it shows that Kenta understands how afraid for him Kim is but his plan at least gets Kim out to come back and rescue him later. And I do believe that Kenta thinks Kim will come back for him with reinforcements. But he has to get out first.

And Kim couldn't just deny Kenta and let him think he doesn't trust him or his judgement. His hands were kind of tied. It's important to Kenta that Kim trusts him and he knows it. Just like Kim wants Kenta to trust him and depend on him. That street has got to go both ways and they had to start somewhere.

So not only do we see pain on Kim's face for allowing Kenta to use himself as bait, but I also think he regrets it. Because he trusted the plan and not is gut. I'm sure everything inside Kim was screaming at him to not leave Kenta's side. He was ready to follow that man out there and face Tony's men together. The way Kenta had to keep pushing Kim into that corner so he would stay hidden. I'm sure he felt like another person who let Kenta down.

The torture he endured at the hands of Tony and Winner in s1, he probably viewed it in a completely different way. He was captured because he was standing up for something he believed in. Because he was trying to do the right thing. Because what he had learned about Tony, he knew Tony needed to be stopped.

The decisions that led up to him getting captured and tortured were all decisions he was able to make after thinking about them. He was able to control what he did that led to what happened to him and for that I think he was OK with whatever happened. If he died at least he died with his morals in tact.

This situation with Kenta was out of Kim's control.

[clowncroccharms]

I think we don't talk about the fact that Kim was not only kidnapped and held hostage for an unknown period of time, but enough time for him to worsen pretty severely in the sense of his physical state from when he arrived, but that he was beaten so badly that his apartment looked like someone took a hose and sprayed tomato soup everywhere. Like, we don't talk about how Kim likely has legitimate trauma from that and we don't talk about how he was going to be killed by Tony and had to wait in a cell for god knows how long, dreading the day they showed up to quite literally snatch his organs. Like, all of that happened.

I really hope it gets addressed in S2 because as much as I want Kenta's trauma to be addressed, I don't want Kim's to be ignored when he's living with and falling for someone so closely tied in with that situation. I want to see them address it, I want to see Kim heal from it and work through it, I want to see this complicated relationship fully navigated and explored thoroughly.

[summerofofelia]

I don’t really have any theories about Pit Babe season 2 just yet (except that Pete is fucking a Way clone he created in a lab), however, I have not been able to stop thinking about this KimKenta scene.

Ahhhh just look at how they’re holding each other!!! Kenta has found his safe space in Kim I just know it.

Here’s what I think - I think this scene is going to happen midway/towards the end of the season.

The soft smile. The tenderness. I am simply vibrating from anticipation.

Look at this look of love Kim has. The way he’s looking at Kenta is everything. That is a man in love. So it’s gonna have to be later on in the series because where we left them in season one they were at odds with each other.

My theory for this scene is that Kim has just rescued Kenta from some kind of predicament. Being imprisoned by Tony in some way (perhaps with other characters), hostage situation or held at gunpoint in a confrontation. And the gun in Kim’s hand? Yeah, he fought his way through a bunch of dudes to get his lover back.

[ppeonppeonhan]

So My Stand-In just ended, and We Are & Wandee Goodday end next week. We still got Knock Knock, Boys!, My Love Mix-Up!, The Rebound, Love Sea, and SunsetxVibes for a while, but...

4 Minutes (Action | Drama | Sci-Fi)

It took Bible almost 2 years to crawl out of that Build fiasco, and the fandom is primed to see him again with all of the ominous and sultry clips of the series they've been teasing us with.

Obviously, it looks promising 👀 but I'm most excited to see him in action again, and to explore another supernatural Thai drama -- this time about precognition (aka seeing the future). It'll be even more interesting to explore what it's like to be in a relationship when you BOTH have that ability. Does it prevent missteps or prove they're inevitable? We'll also get to see if Sammon, co-writer of the haunting Dead Friend Forever, will haunt us with every project.

Battle of the Writers (Rom Com)

Tutor and Yim of Middleman's Love are joined by not one, but FIVE other couples in this adaptation of a Chinese webtoon where one of them is accused of plagiarizing the other. I love a love-hate dynamic, but I can't imagine Yim resisting Tutor for long, so we'll see.

Century of Love (Action | Drama | Romance | Supernatural)

Boy meets girl. Boy falls for girl. Girl dies. Boy uses magic stone to stay alive and agrees to die a tragic death if he doesn't find his reincarnated girl after 100 years. The Gods said "Ally!", sent her ass back as a boy the last year of that century, as if to say: "Oh, are you really in love? Prove it!" Boy, understandably, doesn't recognize girl. Suspense and tension ensue.

Really enjoying how the supernatural genre is slowly becoming as prominent as the high school / college romance settings. Please give me more of The Sign. But I'm, honestly, not really a fan of the actor Daou, which made it hard to endure their last series together, Love in Translation. Mostly in it for cheeky and adorable Offroad -- and the plot, obviously.

This Love Doesn’t Have Long Beans (Rom Com)

So what I gather from the trailer is that a douchey rich guy hires a model to seduce a chef into making him his successor. Fuzzy on the why, but am far more interested in how that rich guy seduces the model's very aggressive bestie. Double the love-hate. Double the fun.

The Pit Babe writers wasted NO time capitalizing on the success of their series, and their pairings. Not only is this an answer to the Jeff and Alan fandom's pleas for more, it's also a response to the ghost ship of Kim and Kenta. We've never felt so seen. Also, I'm loving Thailand's Chef era.

The Trainee (Comedy | Drama | Romance)

A production intern slowly realizes the assistant director that everybody fears is low-key kindhearted -- and a whole ass snack. PAPI!!!

Love me some OffGun. Cooking Crush was meh but I have high hopes for this one. Per uje, their chemistry is immaculate.

DATE: Mid-July 2024

[liesineyes]

Okay, now that I took that off my chest, here's some episode six thoughts -

- Charlie backhanding Willy and Babe struggling to hold him back was exactly what I was expecting. But honestly it is crazy how the show totally glosses over sexual assault. Like they want to go extreme but without taking any accountability.

- Honestly, the sexual assault was 101% Willy's fault but Babe is also at fault (not the sa) for hiding all of this from Charlie, sneaking around to text Willy and all and then removing his ring and showing himself as though he is available to Willy knowing well that Willy has been constantly pushing his boundaries from day one. I mean I am not sure what Babe was expecting would happen, like what exactly was his plan? Show Willy he is interested and then Willy would tell his special sense and Babe would be like 'you bitch I was just playing you?'

- The whole Babe trying to explain but with 'I had my reasons' 'I didn't go further' like sir, you removed your ring to show yourself as available and then instead of explaining you are hitting Charlie with 'you don't give me time, I am lonely' what were the writers thinking writing such dialogues from Babe in this context?

Alan asking Babe to apologise to Charlie and Babe:

I don't know if I want to mirror Alan's expression or laugh at the absurdity. Though Pavel crying made me want to jump through the screen and hug Babe.

- I'm glad Jeff is reasoning with Charlie about Babe's decisions better than Babe explained himself because Charlie needed to hear that to cool down.

- Also, Okay. OKAY. Kim casually feeding Kenta? I am sorry!? Did I just see that? Like he made food for Kenta canonically and then fed him with his own two hands!? I am completely and fully sane about this (no I am not.)

- Pete trying and failing, I swear he is setting himself up for being dumped by Chris. Also the fact even Pete knows why Charlie wants this drug to work but the show implies Babe thinks Charlie doesn't think of him at all when he does something. (Also I want to talk' about how Babe actually didn't think of Charlie's feelings when he accepted the bet with Willy with his own ass on bet. Or when he followed after Willy, in the sauna so Charlie saying that actually made sense but Babe? I am sorry that was such a misfit dialogue from Babe because Charlie doesn't even have much of a personality beyond Babe - in the show only though)

The communication gap between them is stressing me out. How is it that everyone but these two idiots know about each other!?

- Sonic-North - I thought these guys were supposed to serve me friends to lovers but I am kinda disappointed with their story's progression. Feels like every couple is getting more than them, but this is what happens when you so many couples.

- I'm probably going to be the minority here but I think Alan is not a good captain at all. He is a good father figure/friend to them but the fact he is always like team team team but the only plan he has is where everyone helps Babe win the race. Be it Dean, Kim, North or Charlie. Anyone who tries to overtake Babe on the race track, Alan immediately goes into 'It is a team, you have to think of the team, cover for Babe, let Babe take the lead'. Like I genuinely have zero idea about racing cars, so I can be wrong but like if it was one person, I would understand but there's four now. Alan needs to figure out if he can even provide equal opportunities to all his team members or they are there just to cover up for Babe so Babe could win.

- I'm not surprised Willy is with Tony but I've a feeling he might flip sides like Kenta later on? He did look rattled on hearing Tony say take everyone around Charlie down.

- And Charlie is a weak weak man when it comes to Babe (I mean who wouldn't be? Babe should be bubbled wrapped and protected all the time.) But can we talk about them fucking the first chance they get to talk properly? like ✨ communication✨

This is getting way too long, okay I will stop here. But I liked this episode if you ignore the bad writing at places.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Let the Horny Tata Agenda Continue (AKA Happy Pride)

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

June 2025 Week 1

Ongoing Series - Thai

Knock Out (Fri WeTV ) ep 4 of 12 - Oh they are great together and I adore them but I'm so nervous about how soon in the arc they're in the sack. This pacing usually means dark times are coming for our boys in the 2nd half. I would’ve preferred a slow burn and external conflict. I sense a breakup and lots of angsty trauma incoming.

My Stubborn (Sun iQIYI) ep 6 of 10 - This show is foolishly good, emphasis on fool. I love Jun getting some of his own back. Biting off more than he can chew. Erm... sucking down more than he can swallow? I think Sorn may have a neck fetish and I support this kink. I adore him defending his chew toy against yet another HR violation. Add in some honorific negotiation? I'm so happy. I love that they actually let the lipstick lesbians' lipstick get all messy. Sorn showed his hand a bit with the “want to be her daughter-in-law?” line. Delightful. Carry on absurd sexy show, you might actually be a kind of BL surrealist art. I haven't decided yet but I'm enjoying the journey.

Reset (Mon iQIYI) ep 1 of 10 - Pond & Peterpan (we love this idea) in yet another celebrity melodrama? Srs? (Yes it's a 2025 trend.) And another time travel thing? Oh boy. (10 points if you get THAT joke, also, you're old.)

And yet... I love it. It's riveting. They cast two very charismatic leads. It’s engaging for all that it's not a very original concept. Does originality it matter when the team is this good? It’s reminding me of a mixture of My Stand In + Triage. And I’m not mad about that combination. I didn’t know I wanted it, but apparently I did. I’m gonna enjoy my Monday nights for the next couple of months.

Pit Babe 2 (Fri iQIYI) ep 6 of 13 - Babe should have let Charlie beat up Willy, everyone would’ve enjoyed that. Bf putting his own superpowers to good use. It was fun to see Alan go all Daddy on Babe though.

I just want Kenta & Kim to quietly become this solid stable judgy couple sitting on the sidelines and observing all the other chaos gays around them while going home together shacking up and eating.

Look by all measures this is a Very Silly Show. But I grin like a fool most of the time i’m watching it, so who tf cares? 

Eye Contact (Weds WeTV) ep 4 of 12 - it’s hilarious that we think the dad is going to step in and ruin everything, when instead he just pushes them closer together. I did have a chuckle at the reversal of that particular trope. Fun times. Next week looks bad tho. Like bad BAD.

Speaking of bad. The acting in this one so awful it’s beyond awkward. Everyone except Tora of course, who is experienced at the genre. That said, I would still like to see the actor playing Chain in a lead. He is so pretty and I am so shallow.

The BangkokBoy (Sat Gaga) ep 7 of 12 - Sun is so baby. Yet again I would like more BL and less gangster.

The Next Prince (Sat iQIYI) ep 6 of 14 - The dad suddenly being interested does not read as authentic to me. Even though I think he is meant to be a sympathetic character. Wildly amused by the matching cream lace men’s lingerie on our side couple. I guess that’s a thing in BLandia now. Please make it a thing. I do like their dynamic and that our pet is given agency within his whipping boy relationship. JimmyOhm give good kiss, tf! 

I did enjoy the sequence of them all at the club together dancing, Royals on the loose. Cutie vallet getting picked up in background! You go baby! A pleasant sojourn for all. Minus the fighting, I guess. Look here, a bodyguard with a rain phobia in a part of the world where there is a rainy season and monsoons is patently ridiculous. He should not be doing that job. Excuse for kisses I guess. But honestly I couldn't be less interested in the leads.

Boys in Love (Sun iQIYI ) ep 7 of 12 - OK so everybody is officially boyfriends now, how we gonna drag this into 12 eps? They are all v so cute! Even the teachers. Especially the teachers. They are my favorite. They are adorable. Wish the show was entirely about them. Cute cuddling and all but SHOES ON COUCH!  

My Sweetheart Jom (Fri YT) ep 4 of 12 - I’m not mad about this being Yoon’s era of playing everybody’s hot older brother. Also I’m enjoying this show more now that I’m watching it on a faster speed. I don’t like to do that with Thai stuff (because I’m trying to get better at the language) but this one is just taking too much out of me on normal speed. So it's at 1.5 now and I gotta say, much easier to swallow.

I Promise I Will Come Back (Mon WeTV) ep 3 of 10 - I'm not wild about this but also I have to point out that this would be a lot worse if the leads were not seasoned BL actors. which is not to say that this show is good, cause I don’t feel like it is, but it certainly better than it has any right to be. Victor is very smooth! NO SINGING shower or otherwise. The night market date was very cute though.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Sweetheart Service (Korea Fri YT) ep 5 of 12 - Fantastic. Nonverbal chest inertia gets us all in the end.  

Ball Boy Tactics (Korea Thurs iQIYI) ep 1 of 8 - After retiring from gymnastics, painfully shy Jiwon is struggling to survive university. Campus heartthrob and basketball star JeongU might actually make things worse... or better?

I love it. Of course I do. It’s great, sort of Semantic Error meets FC Soldout, carry on with your bad self, Korea. 

Moon and Dust (China YT) ep 3 of 6 - The only reason this isn't higher up on this list is because it's China and I don't trust it. It's so delightfully warped and craptastic and I am obsessed. But also terrified. Never forget The On1y One happened to us recently.

The Sparkle In Your Eye (Singapore Sun Gaga & Viki) eps 5-6 of ? - weirdly, I’m liking it more now that they are pining and separated and everything has shifted to become a bit darker and more sophisticated. This is still not my kind of BL, but I appreciate it a little more now its gotten twisted. I like that it’s a tangled chewy interesting story, like knife-cut noodles.

What's happening to me? Is my taste getting... mature? Surely not.

It's airing but......

The Ex-Morning (Thurs YT) 10 eps - sorry all I dropped this half way through ep 3. I just felt like it was pulling teeth to keep going and I was just angry at it, at GMMTV, at the script, at the characters. That's not healthy for any of us. I do this for fun. If it's really amazing in the second half I might give it a try, but for now, I'm out.

Loy Kaew First Love (Fri YT) 6 eps - Dropped at ep 4. Just too much other stuff too poorly acted, edited, scripted, just everything bad.

Season of Love in Shimane AKA Ai no Kisetsu: The Season of Love (Thai) - Sequel to Kiseki Chapter 2 which I intensely disliked. I won't watch this.

Mission to the Moon (YT) 12 eps- Watching but I can't keep track. Too short, too many, too YT. I will report at end.

In case you missed it

Sweet Tooth Good Dentist ended tf - GMMTV would like you to know that JimmySea are endgame in every BL ever, even if it’s not their own. Which is a shame, since they both have chemistry with other boys. But whatever. I will say the sex positivity of this show, especially at the end, is a real bonus. But it's the only one. Still, GMMTV how far you have come.

Summary

What a disappointment. I was super excited to have Mark lead a BL finally. And he did his best but I wasn’t sold on the chemistry between the main couple, even though Mark has demonstrated he can have chemistry with everybody. Poor directing then? Or was it his partner? Putting that aside, it was more the plot, or weird lack of one, and underdevelopment of characters that disappointed. There was just something off all along with this show. It’s difficult for me to put my finger on exactly what it was. Which makes me thing it was mjltiple somethings. It made this show a challenging watch from about episode three on. And I don’t imagine ever returning to this with any kind of enthusiasm. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t very good either. 7/10 and there’s a part of me that’s tempted to drop it all the way to 6. 

In other news: that "stressed desserts" sweatshirt is the first merch I’ve actually ever wanted to buy off of a BL.

Top Form ended - It was an OK ending. Honestly, I simply never got into this show in the way that most of the rest of the hellsite did. I blame the honey.

Summary 

Two actors who are in competition with each other professionally fall in love and it gets complicated. This show was well acted with good chemistry (that honey scene is one for the history books) but it was a bit off for me. The ego conflicts of the filmmaking industry came to the fore but awkwardly (like this sentence). Frankly? I didn't enjoy the premise or the story and I can’t get away from that. Based on Japanese IP, I think this might have been better left to Japan. This is a solid Thai BL and if you like its brand of messy gay and actor narcism full frontal, then you'd likely give this a 9/10. I don’t, so it gets an 8/10 from me. But I recognized that this is my specific taste and no reflection on its quality as a BL.

Fight for You ended - even though I wasn’t particularly invested in the sides, I loved the closure of that triangle and it did make me cry. Ultimately that side pair is SO PRETTY I hope the actors get their own show. Also, absolutely nobody does domesticity as well as Taiwan they are so cute. NO SINGING. A solid v taiwanese sappy ending. 

Summary

There is a lot to like about this BL, it has a cops and robbers romance thread running through it with intelligence officers trying to catch a gang of criminals. The valentine's operation does have the secret identity drawback of one character constantly lying to his mark. While this dynamic is intrinsically distasteful IMHO, the Liar is so sunshine and charming and earnest (about everythign ELSE) it's somewhat mitigated. Ultimately this lost its way a little bit, but the support cast was excellent. The pretty side triangle, while it ended poignantly, was underdeveloped. That said, the whole thing was colored positively by Taiwan's sexy charm and signature chaotic domesticity, but that jarred with the gangster premise. In the end, I’m torn. It’s classic Taiwan: a bit messy dramatic, sweetly sincere at heart, but overly sappy. None of which I’m not opposed to. Still, I don’t think I’m gonna be re-watching this one very much so I'm giving a solid 8/10, and that's abut where it belongs.

My Golden Blood finished its run. Word on the street is a solid ending. Not enough to temp me. I'm leaving it a dnf.

Making Thai Subtitles: Culture, Slang & Curse Words - excellent interview with a professional translator (who translates English media into Thai for Netflix). I know it's the wrong direction for most of us but still very fascinating to hear a pro talk about her work.

Vertical KBL No Dating in Boarding School AKA Boarding School Love Story has shown up cut together as full on grey sites and YouTube. Stars Jeon Woo Jin & Han Kyu Min. I don't like verticals but I really enjoyed this one and you will too if you like uni BL and its component tropes and quirks. The story of shy quiet studios and poor Jinwoo who gets sucked into the drama of rebellious rich kid Eunhyeok. They fall in love despite their own, and everyone else's, objections. Here from a fan subber, catch it while it's avaiable. I will not be held responsible if you miss it.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Coming Up

(I'm not confident on any of these, mostly rumor-based.)

6/13 I Became the Lead in a BL Drama 2 AKA Zoku BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita (Japan ????) 6 eps - Another 2nd season I certainly did not want. This time the story tells what challenges they have to face as a relationship. Also the story of the managers continues.

6/16 Revenged Love (China Gaga) 16? eps - A remake of 2015's Falling in Love with a Rival. From China ON GAGA? Wild. What alt-reality IS THIS? I have had them for 3 seconds but I'm already obsessed with the side couple.

6/17 SunTiny (Thai iQIYI) 10 eps - MaxNat are back as SunNuea from their Y-Destiny showing. The spoiled prince with the hot tutor (in case you forgot). They in an LTR and then... bodyswap. I know I know, I'm confused about all of this too. But Cooheart is looking FINNNEEEE so what the hell.

6/20 Memoir of Rati (Thai Netflix or YT) 12 eps - GreatInn in a HISTORICAL with a class divide and everyone's favourite side couple, AouBoom. Initially I was v excited but now 2 things: Netflix (I do not chill) and sad ending. I might save this to binge. I am getting serious I Feel You Linger in the Air vibes. And I can't go through that again right now.

6/20 Depth of Field (Japan Fuji TV)

2025 Line Up

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 1

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

20 BLs Announced for 2025 That I'm Really Excited About

GMMTV 2025 Line Up - My Totally Biased and Wildly Flawed Feels

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

From Sweet Tooth Good Dentist (they got me, okay?)

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[prapaiwife]

I would very much like to see and I wonder if we'll get it if we don't then that's fine. Kim possibly confronts Pete on how he's been treating kenta. He knows a lot more now cause Kenta opened up to him and I think from now on he's going to be very protective of kenta's feelings. Cause he wants Kenta to feel comfortable with him to trust him. And I just want to know if he wants to hear what Pete has to say like it's obvious that he has been treating kenta not great at all since he's come to him.

[le-trash-prince]

Hi Em! Thinking about your recent response on @to-be-spared’s post about Kenta assuming he’s being objectified because he’s used to being treated like an object, and gosh can I just beg you to expand upon it if you have any more thoughts? Because it’s just so delicious and good and I think about Kenta feeling like an object all the time! Especially with the way Pete acted when he gave Kenta to Kim to watch over, we all freaked out over that, rightfully so it was insane! Like Kenta as an object, as a dog, as sub-human, the way he sees himself that way, the way others see him like that, the way Tony trained it into him, it’s just so interesting to think about. Especially when it comes to how it motives his physical actions and how he moves through the world and eventually how he acts around Kim, and how Kim reacts to it! God I could talk about this for hours!

Yesss Kenta either viewing himself as an object or being stuck in thought patterns that lead to him feeling like an object is so intrinsic to how I see his character. So I went off a bit lol

In s1, whenever Kenta went against what Tony wanted, i.e. doing what Kenta wanted, there’s always this sense of inaction or passive action to it. Like he takes action in a way that allows him to view it as “I didn’t really do anything.” He doesn’t tell Tony about Charlie getting close to Babe. He doesn’t tell the guards where Jeff is hiding. He doesn’t kill the people resisting Tony. These are all passive acts of resistance that let him lie more easily to Tony, but he also lies to himself in the process.

I think there’s this sense of, “If I don’t do anything, then I didn’t do anything wrong and I won’t be punished.” (Which is untrue, of course, since Tony hits him for these things anyways, and Kenta's view of right and wrong has been completely skewed into "harm" and "less harm.") And there’s also a sense that he isn’t allowed to speak back at Tony (when he tries to argue against cutting Red Racing’s funding, he’s completely ignored) or do anything to actively protect people when Tony is in the room.

It’s a survival instinct for him, and a learned behavior, since Tony wasn’t treating him as a person even as a small child. But eventually Kenta realizes that no amount of being good and obedient and quiet will ever result in an end to Tony's violence. Like, Tony says this and Kenta stabs him two minutes later.

This is part of what makes KimKenta so interesting to me because Kim is, if nothing else, a man of action. Kenta spent his whole life trying to balance staying alive and gaining his father’s love and trying to mitigate harm, and then Kim shows up and within a matter of weeks has Tony’s whole scheme blown open and revealed to X-Hunter. Kim finds out Tony is doing something wrong, and he immediately stands up to the man, and he doesn’t back down, even when he’s being dragged away to have his organs harvested, he goes kicking and screaming. He is such an antithesis to Kenta imo. They’re both loners who still care about protecting other people, but they go about it in such different ways.

Regarding other characters viewing him as an object: when it comes to Pete, there's always this sense that he believes in Kenta, he tells Kenta that he's the one who can stop what Tony is doing, but I think there's a disconnect that keeps him from getting through to Kenta. I do think Pete sees Kenta as a person, and he wants Kenta to make the decision for himself to leave Tony, but Kenta literally does not know how to do that. (more on that here)

Whereas Babe, who calls Kenta a dog that only follows orders, who says he was raised like an animal, who understands the way that Kenta views himself, is the one who is able to get through to Kenta for the first time. He tells Kenta that he has a choice, and that he doesn't need to do the right thing just so he can have a better life (a thing Kenta does not believe is possible), but so the children can have a better life. That moment on the roof, when Babe says "You can choose, Kenta," is the trigger that leads to everything else in the s1 finale.

Regarding the way Pete talks about Kenta to Kim, the word he uses is อยู่ที่, "to live at/to stay at," and a more direct translation of the sentence might be "We're not asking Kenta to live here forever," which isn't how you would phrase it in English, so I think "We're not asking you to keep Kenta forever," was more a translation choice than what Pete was literally saying. And while I do think he was speaking on Kenta's behalf like Kenta wasn't there, Pete knows Kenta wasn't about to speak for himself. If left to his own devices, Kenta would crawl into a hole somewhere. So Pete's playing the big brother, which is and isn't what Kenta wants from him, and Kenta starts shutting down as a result.

In the s1 fitting, they tried out some accessories for Kenta—a bracelet and an earring, and I thought it was telling that they ended up choosing to depersonalize his outfits instead, leaving his watches, which stand out a lot less, as his only accessory. There's this sense that he wasn’t able to make personal decisions even regarding the way he dressed. If he stands out as little as possible, if he makes his presence as small as possible, then he can survive.

So it makes me so happy to see him with these dainty little studs now, which I personally feel like Garfield was very intentional in getting his ears pierced right before s2 started filming. Quite a few of the other characters have earrings, but Kenta's is in a unique style, both ears pierced with studs rather than hoops. Considering this was his first act of self-expression, I think it speaks volumes that someone like him would choose something so delicate.

I think we are seeing Kenta learn to be his own person in s2. He stood his ground against Tony, he chose to warn X-Hunter instead of disappearing, he chose to go and investigate Tony's whereabouts. He's already making more active decisions than he did in the entirety of s1, even if it's just "make up for my past by stopping Tony at all costs."

Kenta's lack of personhood really comes down to the way that Tony raised him and treated him his whole life, so living even just a year or so without Tony has already made a noticeable impact in Kenta's behavior. But those thought patterns don't just go away overnight, and I don't think Kenta really quite knows how to be himself, and I think, without Kim there to keep him grounded, he would self-destruct very easily. Because being a person is hard.

Thank you for the ask 🥺 I think I rambled enough, so here's some old headcanons and such related to the topic.

Kenta’s bday

Kenta’s name

Kenta as part of Tony’s Japanese collection

There’s something of this nature in basically all the Kenta fic I’ve written, but Puppy Play was pretty much my dissertation on Kenta’s personhood