Summer didn’t give us a lot to say, but we ALWAYS got something to say. Ben, NiNi and Shan talk a highlight of the season, Twig reports from the field, and we award summer’s Girl Who Tried.

Episode transcript available here.

00:00:00 Welcome

00:01:15 Introduction

00:02:21 Twig’s Dispatch

00:14:24 Spotlight: Tadaima Okaeri

00:20:34 Girl, You Tried

00:27:08 Celebrating 50 Episodes

Summer Lagniappe (A Minisode)

School's in at GMMTV, but we gotta put two series in detention for not fulfilling the assignment. The actors were charming, but the finishes were...rough. Ben, NiNi and Ginny talk 23.5 and Only Boo, the merits of high school stories, and the specific challenges of telling stories about queer high schoolers.

Episode transcript available here.

00:00:00 Welcome

00:01:15 Introduction

00:02:18 23.5: Early Reactions

00:14:18 23.5: Supporting Characters

00:21:27 23.5: Frustration with the Writing and Execution

00:33:42 23.5: Final Arc and Ratings

00:38:42 Only Boo

00:48:06 Only Boo: Popping the Bubble

00:58:42 Only Boo: If You're Gonna Do An Idol Story, Commit

01:05:06 Only Boo: Final Thoughts and Ratings

01:08:45 Outro: High School Blues

GMMTV Breakfast Club

Second chance romances, long-term pining, and their roles in queer narratives are our JAM, so we gotta talk about how two Japanese BLs should have been 10s but absolutely flopped for us. Ben, NiNi and Twig talk Love Is Better The Second Time Around and Living With Him. Join us to break down what it's like to watch a show fall apart in real time.

Episode transcript available here. [https://www.tumblr.com/the-conversation-pod/756087203487268865/second-rate-second-chance-the-letdowns-of-love-is?source=share]

00:00:00 Welcome

00:01:15 Introduction

00:02:38 Love Is Better The Second Time Around: What Worked

00:13:31 Love Is Better The Second Time Around: What Didn't Work

00:23:32 Love Is Better The Second Time Around: Final Thoughts and Ratings

00:26:54 Living With Him: How It Started

00:36:33 Living With Him: Where It Went Wrong

00:44:40 Living With Him: Final Thoughts and Ratings

00:52:03 Why The Queerness Matters

Second Rate Second Chance

It’s been awhile since we checked in on Taiwan, and the latest offerings have really run the gamut in terms of quality. Ben, NiNi, and Shan sat down to discuss the state of Taiwanese BL via two recent shows, Anti Reset and Unknown.

Episode transcript available here.

00:00:00 Welcome

00:01:15 Introduction

00:02:11 Anti Reset and VBL

00:13:13 Unknown the Series

00:20:16 Unknown: The Pseudo Incest Trope

00:27:53 Unknown: San Pang, Li Li, and Family in the Narrative

00:35:48 Unknown: The Ending Stumble

00:43:32 Unknown: Adapting the Da Ge Novel

00:46:15 Unknown: Final Thoughts and Ratings

00:51:53 Whither Taiwanese BL?

Going High-Low with Taiwan

In our Spring Lagniappe, Ben and NiNi and friend of the pod Twig answer some questions, drive-by some pulps, and award the season's 'Girl, You Tried'.

Episode transcript available here. [https://www.tumblr.com/the-conversation-pod/751828830310760448/spring-2024-lagniappe?source=share]

00:00:00 Welcome

00:01:15 Inbox: Comparing Cherry Magic Adaptations

00:10:17 Inbox: Remaking Het Romances into QL

00:16:04 Catch Up Corner: Young Royals season 3

00:21:23 Catch Up Corner: Man Suang

00:25:12 Catch Up Corner: DNA Says Love You

00:29:23 Twig's Dispatch

00:38:35 Winter Round Up

00:44:45 Girl, You Tried

00:47:35 Look Ahead

Spring Lagniappe

Japan is churning them out almost faster than we can keep up, so we dedicated a whole grab bag episode to give them the attention they're asking for. Ben, NiNi, Ginny and Shan talk what's working and what's not in Japanese BL as we discuss Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun, One Room Angel, Perfect Propose, Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro Ka, I Want To See Only You and I Became the Star of a BL Drama.

Episode transcript available here. [https://www.tumblr.com/the-conversation-pod/751105923599204352/mixed-nuts-part-2-thoughts-on-yaoi?source=share]

00:00:00 Welcome

00:01:15 Grab Bag Part 2: J-BL

00:02:22 Sahara-sensei to Toki-kun

00:11:29 One Room Angel 

00:18:54 A Note on MBS Tunku Shower

00:26:01 Perfect Propose

00:49:27 Sukiyanen Kedo Do Yaro Ka

01:04:44 I Want To See Only You

01:10:55 I Became the Star of a BL Drama

01:26:16 Outro

Mixed Nuts, Part 2: Thoughts On Yaoi

BL is really leaning into genre in a big way, and we're too big nerds to let that go uncommented upon. Ben, NiNi, Ginny and Shan talk some successes and failures in genre blending over the winter season in Playboyy, 7 Days Before Valentine, Dead Friend Forever and Love For Love's Sake.

**TW for Dead Friend Forever: discussions of violence and gore**

**TW for Love For Love's Sake: discussions of suicide and self-harm**

Episode transcript available here. [https://www.tumblr.com/the-conversation-pod/750570714469367808/spring-grab-bag-part-1-genre-shows?source=share]

00:00:00 Welcome

00:01:15 Grab Bag Part 1: Genre Shows

00:02:37 Playboyy

00:18:42 7 Days Before Valentine

00:29:35 Dead Friend Forever

00:50:03 Love For Love's Sake

01:13:39 Outro

Mixed Nuts, Part 1: Genre Smoothies

Thai BL has been suffering some...performance issues lately, so we're diving into why these shows can't seem to keep it up. Ben and NiNi talk Last Twilight and The Sign with friends of the pod Aiden and Captain Hands.

Episode transcript available here. [https://www.tumblr.com/the-conversation-pod/749926703983443968/roses-thorns-and-buds-a-last-twilight-and-the?source=share]

00:00:00 Welcome

00:01:15 Introduction

00:03:54 Last Twilight: Roses and Thorns

00:09:35 Last Twilight: Failed Expectations

00:15:54 Last Twilight: Ableism

00:22:02 Last Twilight: Buds

00:25:22 Last Twilight: Final Thoughts and Ratings

00:29:26 Intermezzo

00:32:43 The Sign: Roses

00:39:32 The Sign: Thorns

00:48:43 The Sign: Buds

00:56:03 The Sign: WTFery

01:04:24 The Sign: Final thoughts and Ratings

01:10:02 Outro

Roses, Thorns and Buds

Japan said it’s GL time and we said YES. Ben, NiNi and Ginny talk Chaser Game W and She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat.

Episode transcript available here. [https://www.tumblr.com/the-conversation-pod/749112935687847936/lets-go-lesbians-a-japanese-gl-episode?source=share]

00:00:00 Welcome

00:01:15 Introduction

00:02:41 Chaser Game W: A Flop

00:18:31 She Loves To Cook, and She Loves To Eat

00:23:14 SLTCSLTE: The Women

00:34:18 SLTCSLTE: Yako and The New House

00:39:17 SLTCSLTE: The Food and Nagumo

00:43:02 SLTCSLTE: Depictions of Intimacy

00:50:53 Final thoughts and Ratings

Let's Go, Lesbians!

Another day, another Japanese sequel. Ben, NiNi and new friend of the pod Twig talk Ossan's Love, being influenced by fandom reactions and Old Man Yaoi.

Episode transcript available here. [https://www.tumblr.com/the-conversation-pod/748486190269923328/dispatch-the-ossans-love-episode?source=share]

00:00:00 Welcome

00:01:15 Introduction and Some Context

00:06:25 Ossan’s Love History and Summary

00:13:42 The Characters

00:28:23 Love or Dead and In The Sky

00:39:00 Ossan’s Love Returns

00:45:33 Final thoughts and Ratings

DISPATCH! (The Ossan's Love Episode)

The Conversation is a podcast all about Asian BL/GL/QL (and sometimes other queer media), coming at you from a film crit perspective. We swan in every other week-ish to shoot the shit on faves, flops and trends, artistry and industry nerdery, and also crack and simping, because we contain multitudes. You can find us and reach out on Tumblr: @the-conversation-pod [https://www.tumblr.com/the-conversation-pod]

Credits:

NiNi (@shortpplfedup [https://www.tumblr.com/shortpplfedup]) is our editor and producer. Ben (@bengiyo [https://www.tumblr.com/bengiyo]) is our creative director and content manager. Shan (@lurkingshan [https://www.tumblr.com/lurkingshan]) is our associate producer. Twig (@twig-tea [https://www.tumblr.com/twig-tea]) is our correspondent. Our theme music is Dedication by Ron Gelinas Chillout Lounge [https://open.spotify.com/artist/03JYfsI9Ke7JFuxHD239m2] (Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com [https://www.free-stock-music.com/])