BL "fans" treating New Siwaj (and other directors) like he is a war criminal
call me out if i missed the mark completely as this is a fandom outsider's perspective but sometimes the way people online speak to directors of these BLs and disguise their vitroil as "criticism" really disgusts me.
today i saw a long explanation tweet from director New Siwaj and it piqued my interest bc i find him in a really interesting position in the BL world: people (mostly interfans) seem to really hate him and criticize his style often but also he is kind of a veteran BL director and most of his series are very popular and loved & most importantly, his actors seem to love him.
i only got the gist from other peoples tweets but i guess he quoted the tweet above and he was trying to defend himself & also said that he might not work w the actors (idk which) that were in the OP's profile picture.
people were enraged that he couldnt take the "criticism" and he was being immature. and it's like, hey, maybe its not fun to sometimes hear a bunch of faceless fan accounts calling a work you've been working on for months "SLOPPY" and want you to accept it every time with grace. and why are we acting dumb as if he isnt one of the most hated on directors and with twitter's shitty algorithm, it's probably all over on his timeline for him to read even without any @.s or quotes. should he act like he doesnt know what people are talking about him? it's like fandoms are allowed to their big feelings and toddler tantrums but the artists should be always poised online, keep pushing through as if they don't hear what is being said about them. truthfully, if anyone isn't open to criticism, it would be the BL interfans themselves.
and to put the blame of Head 2 Head's very rushed premiere and filming schedule on solely on the director, without questioning what else might going on behind the scenes is personally insane to me. and people saying that his works are sloppy because he accepts too many works???? and that he hasnt been improving himself in that aspect despite people "criticizing" him about this for years???
UHMM... have you ever thought about maybe he likes doing his job and being employed and getting paid?? and production companies keep him employed and entrust him to do overlapping filming because they enjoy his work and trust his abilities???? and he thinks his system is working because all of his series are big hits??? are those such twisted and evil concepts to accept??
oh yeah, i am sure the evil director chose to overwork himself and everyone working on his set just to spite you dedicated and ever-loving BL fans and your precious favorite actors and purposefully chose to make a bad series. and he wickedly decides when a series can be filmed and released as if these things arent also determined by the production company decisions and also the actors' own schedules.
i even saw people accusing him neglecting his other actors because he praises and talks "too much" about JuniorMark. imagine cinephiles thinking Yorgos Lanthimos is neglecting Willem Dafoe because he works with Emma Stone more??????
and i think its SUPER valid a director might not want to work with an actor couple if their fans are super sensitive and rowdy and i am in fact glad New said this quiet part aloud. i wouldnt want to endure online abuse and be accused of "mistreating actors" just because of they didnt like the way i directed NC scenes or edited. these "fans" dont even realize their faves might lose endorsements and jobs because how much their fans create issues online in a way that seeps into real life. literally ships broke up over stuff like this....
e.g. if anyone else also has been following Jojo Tichakorn online for the last couple years, would probably agree w me that these past weeks were the most serene and happy i've seen him online during the roll out of a series. and its obviously because show is lower stakes/WinnySatang fans are quite chill so he isnt getting bombarded by people yelling at him every week and demanding explanations over dumb shit. i am so glad he is finally experiencing a positive run and wonder how this difference might affect his future works.
"But cant we criticize directors? Why be so sensitive to criticism?"
OF COURSE, i think its more than okay to criticize and yes, even getting mad at the director for their decisions and be disappointed and underwhelmed and want to voice it. but we as "fans" shouldn't forget to give grace as most of the directors are also queer creatives, dealing with low budgets and limited time and industry rules to actualize their own vision. i am sure New would love to get paid and be given deadlines in a way where he can leisurely work on and polish a single series and even vacation a lil bit before he can move on the next. you must be blind to see how OVERWORKED most of the actors and creatives in the BL industry are. is it really hard to word our criticism by also being mindful about how it feels being on the other side of hearing criticism or disappointment? and at the end of the day, it's not worth it get this worked up over a tv series. it's not like he is out there harming people in any way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
next time, if you find yourself really hating a series and it looks sloppy, rushed, badly directed, how about turning off the screen? its not like New Siwaj is holding you hostage and keeping your eyes open like A Clockwork Orange style? if he is that bad, GOOD NEWS! you dont have to actually watch any of his work! 😇