My favourite Thai show
I first watched this show in 2020, and three years later its still one of the best shows I've ever watched.The story is simple: two young men try to come to terms with their growing attraction towards each other. It's the acting, the music, the cinematography, and the way the story is written that makes it so special.
You won't always like the main characters, but that's what makes the show realistic. It's a beautiful love story between two young people who are still learning about life and love.
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Rollercoaster of emotions
I have never come across such a perfect BL series before. Be it the cinematography, the story line, the main cast - everything touched my heart. The near kiss moments had me eating right out of the director's hand. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, feeling same emotion as the boys did. I felt hurt when Oh felt hurt. I felt anxious when Teh felt anxious. There was not a moment in the drama that I would go back and replace with something else. Every moment was precious. The pauses throughout the series helped build the tension. While I am not a fan of slow burn, this one definitely had me thinking other wise. The character development was immense. To be able to feel so many emotions at once, I think this series was a gift in disguise of carefully crafted imagery.After watching so many BL series, I thought nothing could surprise me anymore. But subtle scenes and without much kinship, this series went on to show that excellent acting and music can make anything magical. Coming to the acting, I think both guys were on point. The emotions were so intense, every time they stared at each other, the way they understood each other without the need of words - in my mind I was yelling, "Crescendo crescendo crescendo." And as if I wasn't already enamored by those two, I think the rest of the cast did an excellent job too. The way Tarn was portrayed and the symbolical meaning behind the hibiscus, I could feel in her shoes what it might have felt like to see the person you liked so much not suddenly not return the same feelings anymore. I loved the addition of background music at each place. Every time the beats became faster, even without anyone telling I knew something was about to happen. Then at some point the music would just leaving nothing but silence in its wake. I think that helped intensify our feelings as a viewer >.<
Frankly, I actually didn't know such a series existed. It was a chance encounter through one of the review forums where I saw the name and just by hearing the title alone, I was eager to watch it. And I am so glad it did. The story is a roller coaster of emotions. I cried so hard when Oh asked his parents if they were proud of him. I think as a child, acceptance from your parents is the biggest support one can ask for. There is nothing more valuable than being accepted by the people around you for who you are. Asking for acceptance can be scary. But realization is scarier. The fact that Oh openly posted his pic in lingerie and then deleting it within seconds tapped on a touchy subject. Or the fact that Teh jerked off to the same. Damn! They subtly touched over quite deep concepts and it didn't feel awkward at all. The flow of things was uncharacteristically natural.
I feel this series deserves much more than 8.4 on MDL. And I heard there is a second season to it. So goodbye! Thank you for reading my line of thoughts (I know I am bore people out of their minds sometimes but who cares!) I am off to my next station!
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A beautifully told story
This just gives realism. Even though the character Teh is hella dramatic, it still feels realistic. The miscommunications were not a mere trope and plot tool. The writing expressed relatable ways in which people can be. They may say one thing and do another. And two people with the closeness of these two main characters are often left reading into the actions of the other, so that the truth of their relationship is much deeper than what ithers hear or see. There is a connection underneath it all that requires understanding, and the conflict comes when that understanding falters.I thought the actors pulled it off quite beautifully. Even the music had a lit of great moments. The cinematography was also beautiful, romantic and melancholy.
Nice series.
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Get a piña colada to watch this.
The series was honestly long overdue for me to watch, but I kept avoiding it because of the "alleged trauma" it brings—I never wanted to start! The first thing that caught my attention was that they used different actors to portray the characters as children, which helped emphasize the growth of the characters. Teh and Oh-aew are a realistic portrayal of the teenage experience. Episode 3 was such a beautiful journey of self-discovery mixed with trauma. Oh-aew is my hero. I feel like he already knew that his feelings for Bas were just fleeting lust. He was so honest and brave about his emotions; he didn’t express these feelings openly, but he knew they weren't as deep as what he felt for Teh.I tried not to be too frustrated with Teh, because I felt he was the one struggling the most with understanding and accepting his sexuality. But he was definitely playing too much with both Oh-aew’s and Tarn’s feelings. Despite this, both characters were relatable, and the actors did an extraordinary job. However, I have to say they both cry in a way that isn’t exactly pretty!
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The yearning nearly killed me
This made my whole body ache. The persistent longing between the leads was so intense. Sometimes with a series where the mains are yearning but not giving in, I lose interest or start rooting for another coupling. I never strayed from the path with this one.Also, this series has one of the hottest intimate scenes I've ever watched, but its not explicit. Just raw emotion. How do you even do that? Good writing, good acting, good production.
My shallow side would also like to report that the mains are both very attractive and have great chemistry.
Definitely watch this one. It's a classic.
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Well made and well acted but a little uneven
The series accomplishes a lot. It remains engaging and enjoyable even though we mostly watch the mistakes and missteps of high school students trying to manage their first romantic relationsihps. It's all drama with very little time spent watching anyone enjoy eachother's companionship, but it works. The attention to detail in portraying life in the baba/straits chinese community in Phuket well exceeds what one typically sees in a television series, and it helps give the series a background depth that supports the narrative by vignette storytelling style. The acting is generally good overall, although this being a series there are the occasional moments of under-realized and manneristic characterizations.The writing is a bit uneven and in places seems to be inconsistent. E.g. Teh and Oh become estranged later in the series after Oh more or less tells Teh the friendship is over. Oh stops returning Teh's calls. And yet towards the end we find Oh asking Teh not to dissappear again.
The main theme music is quite an earworm, and Billkin's performance of it is very well sung and produced.
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It is a well-made BL drama.
This drama was often recommended whenever I looked up Thai dramas, so I decided to watch it to see why it seemed so popular.I was surprised by the fact that it was only 5 episodes, but because of the short number of episodes, every episode was substantial, filled with emotions yet not exaggerated, things happened fast and not draggy, I didn't feel bored a single moment.
Everyone in the drama acted very well, especially the main leads, despite being relatively young. Teh, one of the main leads, is only 22 years old. Of course, him being only 22 years old, I did not expect perfect acting, but it was good enough, really.
The chemistry between the two leads was also very good. I did not feel any awkwardness between them at all.
Basically, I do not have any negative comments to make about this drama. It was well-made. Details were well taken care of.
After completing this drama, I did not have enough of seeing the two leads' interaction (yes, it was that good), so I was pleasantly surprised to find the sequel 'I promised you the moon', which I will do a separate review on that drama review page.
I have to add, the OST of this drama gives a nostalgic vibe to this drama filmed in Phuket, fits the drama to a T.
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Showing without needing to tell
The subtext is palpable.The chemistry is electrifying.
The emotions are raw.
I gave this a 10 out of 10 rating before finishing the 3rd episode.
The last 2 episodes could be crap and it would still be 10 stars based on the 3 episodes alone. Of course i waited until i finished before sharing my review. But as expected, still a 10 out of 10.
Instead of seeing stereotypical TV-movie romantic characterizations, both characters act and react in ways you really identify with. Their actions and words always feel like something you've done or thought of doing in real life. They don't rely on conversations with side characters to understand what the leads are feeling. There is no exposition of their feelings. There's no voiceovers. There's no need for it. Their actions are enough to know and feel exactly what they're feeling.
With writing and acting like this, the storyline could be the most boring thing and it wouldn't matter. Tv shows like this let me know that any old plot can make an amazing watching experience if it's written and acted well.
Do yourself a favor and watch this.
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Thorough depiction of high school homosexual love story
Cute. Depicts teenage romance and homosexual struggles really well. Probably the best depiction I've seen so far. Usually they show off high school bl's as silly little love stories, but homosexual high school love stories completely differ to straight ones, which are more normalized in society. The internal struggles and realizations were shown really well. Definitely a recommended watch.Was this review helpful to you?
Stunning shots and a beautiful soundtrack
To start my review off, I'd like to say that I really enjoyed the story and it's realistic portrayal of the characters as humans - with flaws and negative traits. And yet, despite that it is one of the best romantic series that I've ever watched and it stands out among the many existing BL-series because of the masterful production, story writing and acting.Another thing that I really liked was the music that often reflected the emotions that the characters were feeling, which in my opinion allowed the viewers to immerse themselves more in the scenes.
The cast did an amazing job, I praise both of the leads for beautifully portraying Teh and Oh-aew. I need to congratulate the actor, who played Teh on his effort to really embody the character. I loved all his quirks and mannerisms, they added to the realism. (The one small complain I have, would be that the he had a very specific sad-almost-crying face, that to me seemed very fake.)
Lastly, the remaining aspects that make me rate this series so highly - the choice of locations and stunning frames, as well as the color grading. The whole series is a beautiful experience and as a viewer I see how much effort was put into creating it.
(This review was written after my 2nd time watching this season and I'd say I like it even more now)
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The TENSION
This is by far the most mature BL I've ever watched and it was absolutely beautiful. The skinship simultaneously feels the most natural and the most tension-filled, and the angst is just immaculate. The kiss scenes are few and far between but when they happened it truly felt like the entire world stood still.I know Teh got a lot of flak for the way he acted but I forgive him for all of it; instead, this drama really depicted the fear and pressure of a teenager trying to find himself and coming to terms with his sexuality — it made the story all the more heart-wrenching. And Oh-aew is just perfection.
The friend group and side characters get just enough screentime; they're obviously not the main focus but they add so much to the drama's feeling of youth and nostalgia.
There's still some parts of this that feel really dramatic, or some developments where I wish we could've spent more time on to explain why the leads or fighting, but I understand that it's just a side effect of only having five episodes. Overall, I don't mind the pacing at all because I think this drama did everything else right, including just having absolute gorgeous cinematography.
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stunning
The slow burn of all slow burns. Watching them fall in and out of friendship while realising all their problems were out of love for each other was simply beautiful. The first 3 episodes set the scene perfectly for the last 2 where emotion comes pouring through. The rawness of the two exploring their own sexuality at an age where the world is so confusing. They are both young and controlled by emotion with their worlds revolving around getting into university.all the small details that come unfolded as the story progresses makes it all the more interesting leaving you hooked. I was in tears by the end of it because some of it hit too close to home but that made it all the more special. I am so glad the cinematography was so beautiful and put together. I can safely say this is one of the better BLs I have watched. I can’t wait to watch the sequel.
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