One of the best portrayals of childhood friends to lovers I've seen
And trust me, I'm an avid romance reader and watcher.I rarely feel the need to write a review here, but this time I had to because it's very unfair what people have been doing with this show. First of all, everyone is entitled to their own opinions and I respect that, but this is just pettiness at this point.
Enchanté has had a love story premise from the beginning - you can rewatch the mock trailer and the official trailer, it has never passed as something else. And that's exactly what it is. From episode 1 we can catch glimpses of this love being built. We catch a hint of Theo's (the main character) personality and how that makes him a romantic and how his relationship with the main lead (Akk) is going to grow and their dynamics. I personally enjoyed the show from the first episode, but I can understand that it would take some time for other people. What I can't understand is why some of you would come here and complain with assumptions after watching one single episode, that is 1/10 of the story.
Moving forward, comes one of the reasons I came to like the show so much: it builds up perfectly. Once you reach the latest eps you can notice how hints were dropped in the first eps, how they've been foreshadowing a lot of stuff; the kind of show you know it'll hit different on a rewatch, because now you know where to look and see what it has always been there! I know a lot of people have been claiming that the plot is flat, but I can't not disagree with that when the story is being told so well and the knots are being tied when they're supposed to. This year only I have watched different shows with supposedly better plots that weren't able to do that.
Force and Book are doing a great job of telling AkkTheo's story, but saying they're the only reason why fans are watching the show is not only ridiculous but disrespectful to the rest of the cast and everyone involved in it. We had the 4 ambassadors who claimed to be the Enchanté trying to court Theo and the writers made a good choice of pace in telling each of their stories in a different episode. We had the time to get to know all of them without losing track of the main leads' story, because Akk was always there and Theo has always only had eyes for him. And that's plot wise great. Their relationship is indeed the must of the show, but isn't that the whole point of a love story? I can't get why anyone would be mad at this.
I think when it comes to the childhood friends to lovers trope, it's really hard to make it perfect, and that's ok. Friendship is something very intricate and you have to be careful to make it believable that the feeling changed for the characters, to show how/when/why that feeling changed; to show the desperation of wanting to take a step forward and the fear of messing everything up and losing the person that means so much to you. It's not easy to put that on paper and probably even harder to show that on television, but they actually did that perfectly. As Taylor Swift once said, "you can hear it in the silence/you can feel it on the way home/you can see it with the light's out" and that's what the writers and specially ForceBook brought us, and maybe that's why they got a hold on these fans because they got a loved trope and portrayed perfectly.
"But who's the Enchanté?" Of course that is the biggest call of the show and like I mentioned before, they worked with this for several eps: getting to know the boys and their reasons, and one by one, why none was The Enchanté. The revelation (in ep 8, to be more specific) wasn't a shock for some and it was "disappointing" for others, but you can't say it was a plot failure or something in this line of thought because the hints were always there. It wasn't something out of pocket to shock the audience - it was carefully worked on from episode 1. So yeah I think it's fine if you expected to be someone else, but that's on you and your expectations, it wasn't written in any other direction than what it was meant to. So maybe stop being petty about this lol.
Last but not least, there's a lot of parallels with THE LITTLE PRINCE Can you believe that? The first time I saw the leads as kids reading the book it melted my heart, but I thought it'd be that. Gladly, I was wrong! Their story is almost a retelling of the book we've known and loved for years. They barely quote the story, but it's all there and you can see it if you know it. It's just amazing what they made out of it and I love this so so much. The AkkTheo relationship is the unraveling of "It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important."
In conclusion (because this is getting too long ain't no one reading all that) I think it's obvious now how I love this show. It became a comfort for me and I do believe it could be a comfort show for a lot of people as well. Enchanté had the "disadvantage" of airing right after a hyped and loved show, but comparing to it and criticizing over and over again just because "it's not that show" is simply childish and unfair to them. Of course it's not that show and it'll never be - never tried to. They're telling a different story and believe me: you can enjoy both! Why would you try to make a rivalry out of this when you can appreciate two good shows instead. Shows end and it's not their fault that the previous one did and they got the tv time... Come on. Also, why would you come to mdl and rate/write a review to the show after watching less than half of it? It doesn't make sense - you don't know the full story. Of course you're not obligated to watch the whole thing if you dislike it, but then just drop it and move on, it's pretty unfair to $hit about it and drop the ratings considerably just because you personally got fed up with 2 eps. And the reason why I'm writing this with still one episode to go is because I'm pretty tired of the free hate the show is receiving on this site.
And now, FINALLY, if you enjoy romance I think you'll love this. If you want to watch best friends slowly and MUTUALLY falling for each other to the point they can't take it anymore and lose themselves to it, I think you'll love it! If you want SLOWBURN and MUTUAL PINING you'll LOVE THIS! So please, try not to give up before even trying because of some bad reviews you saw about it. Give it a chance and have your own opinion on it.
"And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
Watch Enchanté!
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Original story, Awful execution
The story had amazing potential but the writers squandered it on illogical twists and turns.BL harem? Count me in! That was my first reaction. But after watching more episodes I realized the writers might not have ever watched an actual harem series or anime in their lives. Apart from some very well written and directed scenes in the first few episodes, I'm sorry to say this series didn't deliver on what it set to accomplish. A love story with a bunch of guys seeking the love of one cute guy.
On the acting, props to Force for acting the hell out of some of the most cringe-worthy scenes I've ever watched. He did a great job, also Fluke (Saifah) and Boom were great, hope to see more of them in the future. Book needs to get his act together, literally. He was all over the place in some scenes, his face is very expressive and that can be both an asset and a liability.
The music was okay. Tho the music video for the intro song was pretty good.
My first thoughts were that a BL harem situation was an amazing plot, but at the end the story they had in mind didn't fit quite well with that premise, in my opinion.
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LOTS of nonsense, but the actors are cute
SOME people say the series has turned to worse since the identity of “Enchante” was revealed, but it was not great to begin with. except for actors.* * *
THERE are dozens of series that depict “brothers” while casting actors that are not even remotely similar to each other, which is pretty annoying.
But here we have a few actors who could be bothers, but they are not in the scenario.
WHAT? Book’s character is written as a lass, so he is not interested in intimate fun? As almost always in BL series. Not believable at all. Also, the idea that they first become boyfriends and only then way later start to become intimate is completely backwards to how things happen in real life.
This tampers with the submerging into the story when you have to suspend disbelief in very basic truths of human life and relationships.
Other issues are covered in a spoilers tagged comment below.
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This review may contain spoilers
SHUT UP AKKTHEO BOYFRIENDS<3
!!CONTAINS SPOILERS!!I don't really care about MDL rating actually, but this is the second time i feel the need to write a review about a series. The first time was because of how bad a series was and this second time is because i want to give justice to an actual good show, and that is Enchanté.
At first i watched the show because i was bored and saw the first episode on my yt timeline so i watched it. I didn't even know the actors and the plot summary at that time. The concept of looking for enchanté surely wasn't my favorite, but i was just curious on how the story would be. I was worried, i thought it would end in a cliché way like most story with similar concept were. I had so many thought, and my most concern was "why is he so attached to this enchanté guy?" when he clearly doesn't have a deep connection with him. They only exchanged a few sentence on the book anonymously, and it's not even personal. So i thought they would make Akk the enchanté and the only reason Theo felt something about the enchanté is because it's his best friend which he had subconsciously liked for a long time, blah blah . And it's just meh. The usual illogical love story. BUT then i saw the spoiler of who enchanté actually is, just after i finished episode 2. So i watched the next episode with Theo as enchanté in my mind, and i got even more curious as to how they will reveal the story without making it look "forced" and have actual reasons behind all the characters' actions. And i should say i'm SATISFIED.
1. The enchanté isn't Akk nor the 4 ambassadors.
2. Theo have his reason for being the enchanté. People might say he's crazy for this, but it's not like he purposely hired 4 men to pretend to be his "enchanté", he was a victim of the ambassadors trying to get something from him by being his enchanté. And although i wouldn't do something as extreme as what Theo did, i can totally understand his reasons.
3. The ambassadors have their reasons for pretending to be enchanté. And i'm glad it's not because they're genuinely have feelings for Theo, because that would seem too "dreamy" especially since Theo is a new student.
4. They did a very good job at linking stuff that they showed in previous episodes as evidence of some key point in the later episodes. For example, Akk being a lefty, Saifah as the only enchanté among the 4 ambassadors, and Natee as the key person.
5. The story is in the right pace, not too slow nor too fast. They're not jumping into kissing since the first episode just because they're best friends. And they're not dragging it too much either. At least while we're waiting for them to confess their feelings, we can see the development of their relationship in every episode.
6. AND THE CHEMISTRY. They have one of the best chemistry in BL industry. I love how comfortable they are as real life best friends, and they're not forcing fan services by unnecessary skinship or sweet talk. So if someone have the nerve to say something about their chemistry, i'm 100% sure that person doesn't have a friend irl that's why they don't understand how chemistry between friends actually is.
Also, additional fact. The 2 main leads, Force and Book have known each other since kindergarten so expect a good friendship from them.
(++) Acting wise, overall all the characters are good. But let's focus on the 2 main leads. I'm not an expert so i can't say this theoretically, but i can at least judge their acting based on how comfortable i see them. Their acting aren't awkward at all, and i could say one of the best especially among rookies. Yes, they're rookies. Force is really versatile in facial expression, he doesn't hesitate in moving all his facial features like eyes, mouth and eyebrows to express the character of Akk. I feel the need to mention this since some actors look really stiff, even when they try to play with their eyebrows, their eyes seems tense and doesn't give off the right emotions. So, i'm glad to see the variety of expressions Force shows. And Book, honestly i think that it's due to the character that he couldn't show expressions as much as Force. Because Theo is a calm person and not as expressive as Akk. BUT he did a good job in every expression he portrays as Theo. Like, the little confusion everytime he talk with the ambassadors. And episode 8 is the peak, he did a good job in expressing the frustration and disappoinment Theo felt towards Akk and i especially like his expression after the balcony kiss scene. When they let go of their kiss, he looks like he tried to "scoop" the air, he makes it look like he's reluctant to let go of the kiss and still wanted Akk but on the other hand his smile showed relief that his longing for Akk was finally over.
Enchanté plot might be simple, but at least they shows that they actually thought about the storyline. Not like some shows with literal plot holes but then get praised by people simply because the actors are handsome (well, ForceBook indeed are handsome too ofc) or the story have some spicy bed scenes (i'm not talking about any spesific show, ok?).
I just don't understand how can people hating on a light, unproblematic and harmless show like enchanté. I saw a lot of unnecessary and unreasonable hatred towards this show since the first episode. Just because it replaces the previous show, not up to their taste and the dumbest one is because the main leads look like twins. LOL.
Well, i think that's all i wanna say. Thanks for reading this long ass paragraph, but i would really appreciate it if you guys watch this show with a light feeling and without any sentimental judgement ^^ So you can enjoy the show and grasp the story well.
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This review may contain spoilers
Akk Deserves Better
Recap: Theo moves back to the Thailand after his Grandmother passed in an accident. He is reunited with his childhood best friend, Akk. His new life back home bores him so he writes in a french book in the library, Enchanté, and magically he comes back and someone wrote a message back in the book. After the search for the mysterious Enchanté, comes up with 4 possible people the story begins to unfold.⚠️Tread lightly spoilers ahead⚠️
First off Akk is the embodiment of perfect man imo. It was a running joke between the friend I watched this with and myself that Nubsib from Lovely Writer was our previous standard for men and now Akk has stolen his crown. He's kind, respectful, and kind of oblivious.
The problem lies with Theo. He's spoiled and manipulative. There were a a lot of things he did that left a bad taste in my mouth. We attributed a lot of his earlier behavior as possibly still reeling from the loss of his grandmother but then things kept getting worse. After the Enchanté reveal, his already not great character went downhill. Theo got mad at Akk for not telling him his parents split up but it wasn't Akk's place to tell him and he wanted to keep Theo happy. Theo immediately turning around and calling Sun after he got mad at Akk while drunk and angry is very bothersome behavior.
Theo also seems to have a habit of going to extremes. Akk doesn't pay attention to you for a day? Pretend to be a love rival to get his attention and bribe a guy to pretend to be said love interest with the promise of furthering his career. You find out your parents split up and you don't know if you are holding your boyfriend back in life? Well, don't talk to him about the issue, move back to France, and tell him straight up that you leaving and don't leave room for negotiation. He just got more unlikeable as the show went on.
The rest of the cast was unremarkable outside of Saifa (love you Fluke Gawin😘) and i saw some people say that the show should have ended after Episode 8 and I agree.
I recommend this show for a casual watch to fill the time. preferably after a drama that left a worse taste in your mouth. Props to the actors for their amazing acting tho. 💖
Note this was written between 1am and 2am after a work day so pardon the weird phrasing.
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Ending not great, but watch it for Theo & Ak's relationship anyway
Enchante’s storyline may not have been revolutionary, but I think there was a solid effort put into crafting an interesting story beyond the typical college BL plot. They could have just slapped together a bunch of good-looking guys, hoping that the eye candy (aka Gawin and Force) would sell the series, but they didn’t.But the mystery of "who is Enchante???" was not what I stayed for.
As a friends-turned-lovers kind of story, the series devoted serious screentime to a blooming romance between friends. And for me, the relationship between Theo and Ak was everything.
Scenes with sexual tension were executed effortlessly – with Force and Book’s effortless on-screen dynamic, their relationship came off as both playful and genuine. Banter aside, they also captured the beauty of falling in love with a friend: Tender gazes that lingered, the breath catching in their throat after one person moves too close, the fear of taking a step closer.
Constantly worried about inconveniencing Theo or making him uncomfortable with his affection, Ak put Theo first even when it pained him to step back. He gave unconditionally and selflessly, even when Theo couldn’t do the same.
Some comments have railed against the ending, demanding to know why Theo stayed hopelessly immature without any character development. But I think this shows not the ugliness of Theo, but rather, with a character like Ak, how there is no way any (necessarily flawed) human being could ever deserve someone like him.
Read my full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/04/03/enchante-2022-review-above-all-a-story-about-friends-turned-lovers/
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It's messy but it's funny
It's actually bad, and messy, and the plot twist it's bullshit. But it's funny and ForceBook are sooo charismatic and has such good chemistry that they kinda make it work..? But I watched knowing that it was bad and that made the experience just fine, it was exactly what I was expecting, something funny and cool to watch after watching a tough series, and worked for me!It's kinda camp? I guess.. And my god the CGI was so fucking bad that I almost cried from laughing.
About the main character: Akk BEST BOY, he's lovely, caring and funny. Theo is fucking boring and I didn't like him at all...
Resuming: It's bad but it's funny and you can enjoy if you watch with low expectations like me.
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I DIDNT EXPECT THIS SERIES TO TURN OUT SO GOOD? WTF
Okay, so enchante might not be the best bl out there or a game-changer, but the plot gave me hope that gmmtv actually cares about their storyline lmao. I mean we can see that in their few bl series like not me, bad buddy or he's coming to me, but that's about it! Enchante is gonna enter that list if they wrap the final episode with the best resolution! I love the details and the hinted agendas happening here and there.> idk why yall mad at theo or akk and even siding one of them when they are actually both not wrong nor right! They both have reasons and i understand both of them. Theo was inebriated and dazed from the revelations. His parents didn't want to worry him because he had just returned from Thailand and his grandmother left .. Akk not telling theo becoz its not his business to tell. Everyone has their reasons, and you can't deny that or see things in black and white; there's always a gray area. WHY IS IT THAT EVERYONE ASSUMES THE SUN IS A BAD GUY? Is the goal to stir things up? What if he's there to convince Akk that he's deserving of Theo? Each ambassador served a certain role, so why can't Sun have one that isn't simply for show?
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Cute and Enjoyable
Oh wow, It's kinda new and I like the atmosphere watching this. It was so cute, no hardcore scene. I like this series tho, but I want more from the story (10 eps is not enough for me) I'm not complaining I just want to make it longer XD...Story: It's still a school bl story but it kinda new since no engineering course envolved here hahaha XD.. they are so cute to be honest. I can feel their chemistry together ( no cringyness watching them). The story, I kinda like it but I don't know I feel like there's still lacking when there's no reason for this series to be lack off ( I'm just can't believe it's already done T.T) but all in all Its a cute series to watch to.. 8.5/10
Acting: They are not cringy to watch but I want more emotion from them 8/10
Music: I also enjoyed their ost's and bgs... 9/10
Rewatch Value: Hmmm maybe sometimes? 7/10
Still a good series to watch tho. I Still recommend this to watch .
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A SKY PINK AND PURPLE
I feel like now with the end I lost the best part of my week, Enchanté was and IS a part of me that I will always remember, the story make you excited about everything, the actors are so fine, I'm really impressed, this is a story that I want more so bad that I will rewatch a thousand times, they litterally make the sky pink and purple for me in the lasts episodes, It's a story that I understand that are complete, but I want more and more and more. The soundtrack is AMAZING I always listen on spotify, the only weak point is the production on the last episode, just that. In general was amazing. I hope they release a season 2 or others story with the main roles because man they have CHEMISTRY.Was this review helpful to you?
Lost Potential ...
I was really excited for this one, mainly because of the two ML and of course Fluke ...Although it started off really well, it did fall short after the 3 episode for me, and the main reason for this is the whole I am going to look for Enchante, not sure how many people actually go searching for a total stranger but then end up being your self, I did find kind of strange, and bit a of attention seeking, I do get the reason why he did though, but I do feel there was a way to confess your love. The moment it was revealed who the mysterious Enchante guy is, it just started going down the drain. then the main 4 so called popular role modals that turned out to be greedy or just wanted to use theo to gain something was a little off for me. The whole Enchante concept, build up and payoff was extremely lacklustre and disappointing.
The actor for Theo was pretty flat imo. His acting was fine, but I wonder if it was just because the character was so dull that I wasn’t that interested in him. Akk on the other hand is beautiful and charismatic- I really hope we see him in other works soon. Honestly if he wasn’t one of the male leads in this series, I may have just dropped it- it was that boring.
Overall: I did struggle to watch this every week, and it basically came down to well lets just end it, since i did invest time in it from the start, that goodness it was a shortish drama, as I don't think I would have continued with it if it was longer.
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