#utsukushii kare: eternal

[zhaolusi]

MY BEAUTIFUL MAN: ETERNAL (2023)

[negrowhat]

Hello! Kind of a specific one lol, but what are your Top 5 “I need to pause this bc I’m so overwhelmingly pleased with what’s happening and need to take a breath” moments in BL from this year, if you have any?

Hey Opal! Of course I have had those moments this year! We've been gifted so many grand things this year.

Top 5 "HOLY CRAP I need to pause and take a breath" Moments. I'm sure these will mostly be NC scenes...

Hira and Kiyoi's bathtub scene from Utsukushii Kare: Eternal. Between Hira's excitement to bathe with his mans, Kiyoi's red embarrassed face, and him basically asking Hira to manhandle him more often???? It took me 30 minutes to watch that scene because I couldn't stop pausing and screaming! Also when Hira had Kiyoi facing the mirror??? AND TELLING HIM TO LOOK AT HIMSELF? AT HOW PRETTY HE WAS???? That about ended me. I just couldn't deal. Hira really gets to see the best parts of Kiyoi.

The Kitty Scene from Bed Friend. I really don't think I need to explain this one that whole scene was insanely good. But highkey I think my fave part of that scene was King asking Uea to do this and not cashing in his "You owe me one thing" ticket he won in their bet. He didn't want Uea to feel like he had to participate in the Kitty Play. But what honestly that whole scene had me pausing every few seconds.

The role reversal locker room scene in Pit Babe. Color me surprised at how well they both remembered their first encounter. Charlie turned on his naughty boy mode quite seamlessly and I literally kept pausing because I couldn't stop screaming...also Babe's moaning??? HIS FACES??? The SCREAMS I SCRUMPT.

LomNuea's wedding in Wedding Plan Special Ep. It was just so fucking beautiful. I had to pause to gather myself because I felt like a guest. Loved that it was a traditional wedding. Loved that Namnuea's entire family was there. Love that YiwaMarine were there to represent Sailom's family because they're really the only ones who were always there for him. It was just really perfect and I was very emotional and crying all over the place. (I didn't even try to find a gif from the special ep because literally no one was talking about it.)

Wen telling Jim he liked to eat old people from Moonlight Chicken. After their insane one night stand. Wen really looked Uncle Jim right in the eyes and told him he wanted to eat him up like breakfast. Well that's what I got from it. The sexual tension between JimWen was extremely strong in that scene...they still didn't even know each other's names but really I just had no idea Mix could deliver a line like that so incredibly seductively that I had to pause and rewatch it idk like 40 times...

ASK ME MY TOP 5 BL ANYTHING OF 2023

[emotionallychargedtowel]

Utsukushii Kare master post

With Utsukushii Kare: Eternal becoming available on streaming in Japan and rumors of international streaming distribution on the horizon, I thought this might be a good time to do a roundup post of all of my meta writing on the series so far. There's quite a bit of it. Between the complexity of the psychological themes in this series and my capacity for hyperfocus, I ended up with a lot to say.

In case it doesn't go without saying, this post is subject to change as I continue to post on this topic.

The psychological paradoxes of Utsukushii Kare

This is a series of posts (the current plan is to write three installments) about what it says on the tin: paradoxical psychological dynamics in Utsukushii Kare. These are things about the characters that may seem contradictory at first but can be accounted for by digging deeper into some psychological concepts. These posts are focused on the series (both seasons) but will draw from the movie and from the novel and related stories when they illustrate points about the series.

Part 1: Covert grandiosity and finding status through idealization - A pretty deep dive into 1) the subtle ways Hira shows that while his self-image can be highly negative in some ways, in other respects he feels superior to others and 2) how by elevating Kiyoi’s status and humbling himself in comparison, Hira attains a different kind of status.

An addendum of sorts to part 1: Hira's parents and his self-defeating tendencies - Some guesswork about how Hira's parents could have contributed to his self-defeating personality, with some further discussion of specific self-defeating strategies he uses in his relationship with Kiyoi and elsewhere.

Utsukushii Kare through the lens of pursuer-distancer dynamics and related psychological concepts:

The pursuer-distancer dyad & how it applies to the world of BL - a primer on this psychological concept and how it applies to BL generally, with a brief reference to how this concept applies to Utsukare (also touches on Semantic Error and talks in detail about an example from To My Star 2). This one isn't super focused on Utsukushii Kare but is pretty de rigeur for understanding my UK posts on this topic.

Paradoxical roles; or, I think I finally figured out the pursuer-distancer dynamic in Utsukushii Kare - This post comes after some of the posts listed below but I recommend reading it first as this is really where (I think) I cracked the code on this aspect of the story.

Pursuer-distancer roles & attachment style in Utsukushii Kare, Part 1: Hira - In-depth discussion of Hira's role in the pursuer-distancer dyad, his attachment style, and his personality

Pursuer-distancer roles and attachment style in Utsukushii Kare Part 2: Kiyoi - In-depth discussion of Kiyoi's role in the pursuer-distancer dyad, his attachment style, and his personality

Re-evaluating pursuing & distancing in Utsukushii Kare season 1 - super detailed post working out my thoughts about pursuing and distancing in season 1

On the way Sakai Mai (the series' director) uses seme left, uke right framing and its significance in BL and other Japanese media:

Using an example from the s2e1 with the girl who hits on Hira at a party (via a reblog of a gifset from @nanons)

On the way Sakai flips Hira's and Kiyoi's position in the frame in two versions of the same scene and what it tells us about its significance

How the persistent/cute trope plays out in Utsukushii Kare season 2, plus related overanalyses of the big season 2 finale kiss:

The persistent and the cute (how "persistent" and "cute" are code words with specific meanings in BL/yaoi/other drama and manga genres/Japanese culture more broadly)

Analyzing the season 2 finale kiss in light of seme left/uke right framing and the persistent/cute trope (in a reblog of a gif post by @nanons)

Reblogging @bl-bracket to lobby for the season 2 finale kiss, with more overanalysis

Fragrance nerd discussion:

This bittersweet fragrance - on the significance of osmanthus/tea olive in Utsukushii Kare season 2, with additional information on the possible significance of the fragrance of osmanthus and perfumes that are either osmanthus soliflores or feature prominent osmanthus notes

Posts on specific season 2 episodes:

initial thoughts about S2e1

Additional (informal) thoughts on s2e1

S2e1 rundown

Hira's incongruous/misaligned affect at the end of s2e1

S2e2 rundown

on S2e2, including pursuer-distancer dynamics and seme left, uke right

Utsukushii Kare S2E4: “face me straight on” (mostly discussing relationship dynamics pointed out in topic-specific metas)

on Utsukushii Kare: Eternal:

Kiyoi and Anna: on Kiyoi’s friendship with Anna and its significance for his personal growth

[25shadesoffebruary]

I want to be on the same page with you. Kiyoi Sou photo taken by Hira Kazunari.

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Maeda Kentaro as Kiriya Keisuke My Beautiful Man: Eternal (2023)

[t-u-i-t-c]

MAEDA KENTARO as Kiriya Keisuke in Utsukushii Kare: Eternal (2023)

[niaoniaos]

UTSUKUSHII KARE SEASON 2 (2023)

[l0ud3rth4nb0mb5]

"Why do you want to say sorry when you're clearly trying your best?"

JDJDJDJDKDD KIYOIIII OH HOW THEYVE GROWN OMGGGGG

[aliceisathome]

OOOH - box set of Utsukushii Kare: Eternal (aka My Beautiful Man: Eternal) is on Amazon.co.jp with a release date of 8th November. And English subs. Plus S2 is up with a release in September.

[lurkingshan]

Important life update: I have now seen the UK: Eternal bathtub scene with proper subs

[zhaolusi]

MY BEAUTIFUL MAN: ETERNAL (2023)

[negrowhat]

what are your top ten fav bl's of all time?

Hey Anon! I had to take some time to think about this. It's hard for me to choose things like this! You're really putting me on the spot lol. Here we go tho...I might cheat a little.

To My Star. Both 1 and 2. I love Seo Joon's and Ji Woo's story. I love their relationship dynamic. I loved how protective they were of each other. Both Ji Woo and Seo Joon are complex characters with layers that you can really bite into and analyze many ways. I know a lot of people were not fans of s2 but that was one series where I truly ate up the angst. Ji Woo is a hard character to understand unless you really take the time to watch the series and focus on his behaviors. You'll never, ever catch me talking bad about TMS.

Gameboys the Series. Both the seasons and the movie. CaiReel have such a modern and relatable love story. I think it being a series about finding relationships in the middle of a global pandemic while we were ALL sharing the same plight really stood out. I felt like I made new friends while watching that series. Also for s1 to be shot completely on an iPhone and for most of the actors to not actually be filming their scenes at the same time, I was BLOWN away by the quality AND chemistry. That series made me SOB and that is also something I consider impressive. If it can make me cry then it's certified gold.

Utsukushii Kare. Both seasons and the movie. This is another series with complex main characters. Hira deals with his general uninterest in damn near everything EXCEPT Kiyoi and photography. And Kiyoi deals with his need for attention even if he generally doesn't like people because they always disappoint him. It's interesting to see how they handle their seemingly unbalanced relationship. Hira is willing to give Kiyoi all the love he requires and not get close (which is normally what Kiyoi wants) and Kiyoi learns that with Hira he wants a real true love and relationship and that's quite a task when the man you love doesn't value himself. It's just interesting seeing the growth between them.

Color Rush S1. I love the way they tackle the soulmates trope, and explore the darker side to the obsession that could happen once you find your perfect match ESPECIALLY when that match can help you see a full picture. Yeon Woo struggles with a myriad of thoughts and fears as he does his best not to get close to Yoo Han even though Yoo Han is serving up himself on a silver platter with tantalizing promises of helping him learn the colors he craves to see. Yeon Woo becomes obsessed, but little does he know that Yoo Han is also obsessed because Yeon Woo also helps Yoo Han see a clearer picture. But maybe that obsession is really just them falling in love and not knowing what to call it.

Moonlight Chicken. Messy and relatable to a person like me who is smack dab in the middle of the age groups involved. This series really showcases how messy romances can be. It shows how hard it can be to close the door to a chapter you thought would end happily. This series shows how hard it can be to move on when a normally open door shuts in your face suddenly and forever. It shows how a chapter that starts off terrible can lead you into the most thrilling moment of your life. It shows that the last chapter you finished might have you TERRIFIED to move on to the next one. Stuck. This was a series I found difficult to dislike any of the characters even if they were being terrible. Emotions were high and reactions were warranted. This was a series where I felt like people were allowed to feel the way they were feeling.

We Best Love. Yes, both seasons. Shu Yi and Shi De had such an up and down ship. Shi De went through such a roundabout way to get close to Shu Yi and I really enjoyed watching them become friends. I enjoyed watching Shu Yi come to realize he was in love. I wanted to beat Shi De up in s2 for ghosting Shu Yi and I was enjoying watching Shu Yi get his lick back, but really he was just looking for answers so he can decide if he was stupid for wanting to forgive Shi De the moment he saw him again. It's another fun and messy series.

Lovely Writer. I LOVE Gene ok. He really made me love the series because he was such a bomb ass character. I also found Nubsib's psycho/stalkerish tendencies quite entertaining because he was so polite about it. I love that the series took stabs at all the things wrong with the BL community while simultaneously having the main character be an actor in one of the most toxic fake BLs I've ever seen. Just meta on top of meta. Satire in the form of a trendy BL within a BL.

History 3: MODC. Salt run aside, I just really loved this series. Can't believe a series about the shy kid falling in love with his bully is a fave. That sentence alone would make it problematic af...not to mention the questionable age gap between the 2nd couple. But it was beautifully constructed. Hao Ting found the best version of himself in Xi Gu and Xi Gu found a brighter side to life with Hao Ting. And they were WAYYYYY into each other and Hao Ting did put in his work to be forgiven. I do my best not to overthink Zhi Gang's age difference from Sun Bo because it's such a norm in Taiwanese BL. It's kind of interesting to see their relationship play out. Zhi Gang definitely has his hangups with the age gap and Sun Bo just doesn't care.

Blueming. Such a laid back series. Si Won is just a sweetheart dealing with self-esteem issues trying to make his presence known in life so he can get the best out of his university experience. And Da Un is just that effortlessly cool guy Si Won strives to be like. He can't even fathom the idea of such a cool guy having a crush on him that he takes the flirting as arrogance lmao. I think it's sweet that Da Un helps uplift Si Won and I think it's sweet that Si On showed Da Un the attention he never got at home.

Ingredients the Series. Just a sweet lil slice of life miniseries. It fills me with joy to watch Tops and Win pine after each other as Win works on his music and Tops works on his cooking and they live together symbiotically. There's not too much to this series. It relies heavily on food and chemistry and that's perfectly perfect for me.

[emotionallychargedtowel]

Kiyoi and Anna

I haven't posted anything substantive about Eternal yet as I'm trying to finish a three-part thing on the series that I've been writing off and on in little bits since season 2 ended. It should be ready to post soon and that'll clear the way for some more Eternal discussion. I'm also still processing the movie a bit. But I have a thought I wanted to share in the meantime.

One of the biggest things I've been mulling over from Eternal (and to a lesser extent season 2, but it's a lot more developed in the movie) is Kiyoi's friendship with Anna. It's easy to overlook this aspect of it, but I think it's one of the most significant bits of character development in the film.

I'd given a good bit of thought to what it would be like to be a closeted high school student at various points in my life. (I was too unaware of my own sexuality at that age to be closeted myself.) But it was only after watching this series that I thought about how much more difficult it would be in certain ways to be a closeted high school boy who gets a ton of attention from girls. Kiyoi clearly has some specific strategies he uses to survive this situation. During the part of s1 where he and Hira are in high school, whenever we see Kiyoi talk to a girl or when someone talks to him about a girl, he mostly just goes into gray rock mode. It's easy to imagine what sort of learning experiences he must have had on the way to developing these strategies. There must have been instances of drama, unwanted advances, and close calls where peers could have figured out about his sexuality. The best method of avoiding this he has found is just to engage as little as possible. Being closeted undoubtedly made it difficult, if not impossible, to have authentic friendships in general at that age. But it completely ruled out having even the most shallow of friendships with girls. It's possible that Kiyoi has never had a friendship this meaningful at all before. His shallow relationships with Shirota and his crew in high school seem likely to have been the norm for him throughout his formative years. His relationship with Hira was hardly a friendship. After high school, he didn't bond with his theater group much. He did connect with Iruma a little bit, but it's not like they were close. How could they be when Iruma was always hitting on Kiyoi despite his clear lack of interest? From what we've seen in the series, it seems possible, if not likely, that Anna is Kiyoi's first real friend.

So it's really remarkable that he has been able to form this friendship. It's exciting to see him having an authentic friendships at all, but a female friend he's out to and can actually confide in about things? Who he offers support to in return? That's huge. Anna also gently pushes back on some of the more obviously skewed things he says and holds up a mirror to his thought process in other ways. That's a sign this friendship has the potential to help Kiyoi grow as a person. He provides her some meaningful perspective when she's struggling, too. Circumstances are a big part of this change. Being out of school and in a professional world that's at least relatively accepting of LGBTQ+ folks both really help. But in addition to being supportive of personal growth, this friendship is a sign of how far Kiyoi has already come in that department.

[25shadesoffebruary]

Kiyoi instantly turning into Hira.

[essentiallykpopandbl]

Sometimes Hira says something and all I can think is... oh dude why would you say that? And other times he says something that is really sweet and exactly what Kiyoi needs to hear. And I just love him so much because of it.

[suga-sicedamericano]

I'm trying to watch my beautiful man:eternal and these AI generated subtitles are straight ass bro