Turned Into A Farce - Tumblr Posts
I asked myself this morning if there was anything I hated more than infidelity plots in BL season 2s and, while the answer is still "NO," nonsensical amnesia storylines are now in consideration.
In the end, there were a handful of special moments in the finale. Talented actors eeked out what organic sentiment could be found.
I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts on what the final episodes could have been ...
Minato's Laundromat 2 Ep 12 (Finale) Stray Thoughts
Last week, one of my favorite shows continued to shit the bed with this ongoing amnesia plot, severing the compelling mirroring between both couples in service of what feels like a ratings play. I enjoyed getting to hear Nishigaki Sho’s more relaxed voice again compared to the bright one he typically uses when interacting as regular Shin with Minato. Minato went on a date with Shin at the insistence of the rest of the cast, and he tried to remind Shin of some of their moments, heavily leaning on their season 1 moments. It proved ineffective, and then the show hurt us by having Shin finally say Minato’s given name. Seeing that Shin doesn’t remember him, Minato has ended things for now.
Once again, we’re back to some early dynamics with Minato being sick and Shin insisting it’s okay for him to help since they’re friends.
Oh they are finally fighting. I get Minato’s frustration, but I’m also with Shin. It’s pretty lame to learn you were abandoned by what apparently is the love of your life during a moment of crisis.
I guess I’m relieved that this head injury hasn’t interrupted Shin’s plans of becoming a doctor.
I really am a sucker for heartfelt letters written by characters who struggle to express themselves, but I am always frustrated that they never deliver them themselves. Perhaps it’s too realistic for them to end up not working since only one letter like this I’ve ever delivered has worked.
It wouldn’t be Japanese BL if we didn’t have a track and field segment in the finale.
And now we’re back at the beach.
He can remember because Minato’s letter expressed the love that Shin has been asking for. 😐
High-key annoyed. “I remember everything,” is one of my favorite phrases in romance. Hate amnesia plots so much.
On the plus side, Nishigaki Sho and Kasukawa Takuya are good.
My goodness. It took us 24 episodes but we finally released the tension.
Oh, wow, Minato said the thing and kissed him on the street.
Final Verdict: 6, The Finale Doesn’t Erase the Stupid. I’m so sad that I can’t bring myself to give this show a 7. 7s are reserved for shows that stumbled around but were trying to do something appropriate with their characters. This show abandoned reason for madness at the end of episode 9 and gave up on the paired storytelling of its two couples to use a stupid (and honestly ableist) story trope in order to create a false balance shift. Did Minato need to be more open with Shin? Yes. Did he need prove his devotion to reassure Shin? Yes. Was this the best way to do that? Absolutely not. I really love continuations where we get to see the couple grow together and manage the challenges of commitment but this regression at the end of this season really pissed me off.
I still love Minato so much, but I’m deeply frustrated by the cowardly choices of this creative team in the final arc. I don’t know what order came down that made them scramble to do this instead, because I was in love with the slow, painful peeling back of layers of internalized homophobia on Minato for the first 9 episodes. Please don’t use my frustration here to argue that adaptations leaving behind source material are bad. That is not what went wrong here for the first 9 episodes. This feels like ratings nonsense and I hate it.