We Are

Good characters with a disappointing plot

Let me start by saying what I loved about this show: the friendship, especially Peem's group of friends, was great and I loved every single scene when they were together. They genuinely felt like a very close group of friends who care and take care of each other and who wholeheartedly love spending time together. Watching their scenes together truly made me ache and yearn for such a group of friends.
From episode 1 the show managed to establish their friendship, bond and dynamic perfectly and their drunk scene in episode 1 remains one of, if not my number one, favourite scene of the show: it feels real, like watching a real group of friends getting drunk and being stupid.

On a very surface level I also enjoyed all of the couples, in the sense that the foundations for fun and interesting dynamics were all there, sadly the actual execution of their stories and the development was not good at all.

We had a total of 16 episodes but instead of delving deeper into the characters, we wasted so much time just going nowhere. The development of the relationships was stagnant and extremely repetitive, to the point that it became almost annoying. I personally binged the show once it had already aired, but, if I had watched it while it was airing, I feel like I would've felt even more frustrated by the constant going nowhere.

An extremely disappointing aspect was, in my opinion, Phum's character: the potential is there, but instead of actually showing us who he is and why he is the way that he is, we get info dumps towards the end of the show and never really end up exploring his relationship with his father (that was hinted on episode 1) until the very end.
The pieces for a very compelling character are all there, sadly the writers weren't able to actually explore and flash out his character.
They should've showed us instead of telling us and they should've done so bit by but throughout the whole show.

Chain and Pun's story was also very disappointing: it started out very well, from episode 1 we could see that they felt extremely close and intimate with other (eg: Pun hugging Chain to sleep and biting his ear; Chain being very caring and soft with him and not with others etc), we ever got some very nice moments towards the beginning of the show, but then absolutely nothing happened at all until the very last part of the show.

Peem and Phum (and Q and Toey to an extent) felt like they kept walking in circles and going nowhere, and while it was annoying how they kept backtracking and being oblivious and dumb, at least there was a development, things were happing, but with Pun and Chain it just felt like they completamente forgot about them at some point.

A very disappointing show with a simple concept that could've still worked for me had it been executed better.

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excellent, heartfelt ensemble storytelling within a quiet piece

This was the first show I've watched with any of these actors in a main role, and I couldn't be more pleased with my experience. I've long since admired P'New's skill at handling large episode counts, intimate friend groups, and and a quieter, more mature romance and We Are brought all these things in spades. We Are follows a large ensemble of friends and the way their knitting together of friendships and relationships changes the lives of the individuals. It's quiet and generally low-stakes, but the actors bring a weight to these college friendships and romances that makes you feel how important they are to the characters at hand. It ends up being the story of choosing to be gentle, supportive, and brave with those closest to you to foster uplifting communities. I really enjoyed it a lot.

-The Full Review-
STORY:
I absolutely love this story. Each character felt true and dimensional in their own story. It's easy to grasp Peem's aspirations, as well as the life that shaped his personality. Phum's issues with his parents are not expanded on extensively but they are felt throughout his character. The treatment of Toey, the baby of the group, is consistent and serves as an anchor to unite the group when things aren't going well. Even Beer, Matt, and Mick (who have comparatively smaller roles) feel like real installations in their lives and a great representation of friends on the periphery of a core group.
My only real issue with this storytelling is that there was a sometimes awkward pacing with a focus on flashbacks. I felt that the story could be improved if, for example, Q and Toey's history was more naturally integrated into the events of the story. We tended to move from one couple to another in rotation, with large flashbacks to convey prior history, when stronger development between inter-couple relationships proved a more interesting way to discover backstory and emotional mindsets.

ACTING:
I'm noticing this is a rather unpopular opinion, but this show absolutely rocketed Phuwin to my top 10 Thai actors. Between finishing this show and writing this review (less than one week) I've started (and finished) Never Let Me Go and started in on Summer Night. There's a delicacy to his character work that was particularly effective with Peem's gentleness, but that didn't prevent him from truly shining in the boyish, loud, and playful moments. I truly enjoy watching his performances.
For Pond, I thought Phum sat very naturally in his skill set. It was quite satisfying to watch him melt and become a livelier and more active friend. I think that P'New's direction really suited his style and allowed him to make that transition much more realistically and comfortably than in NLMG. The growth was quite stark and I am very proud of him,
Next most stand out performance, to me, was Winny as Q. His character was quite quirky, quiet and reserved--but not necessarily out of a sense of shyness or self-consciousness. I loved the give-and-take of his attentions, as well as his blunt manner of navigating the world. The equally un-self-conscious way he became a sweet and affectionate boyfriend was so cute.
I picked up this series for AouBoom (if you can really say that--I'd only seen them in Midnight Museum, which was hardly a major role lol), and I was surprised, but pleased with their chemistry. I'm not sure what I was expecting from them as a pair, but Aou, especially, walked a line of a character who could be quite annoying very well. You could really feel their character's fondness for each other quite well.
As for the rest, there was no one I was dissatisfied with. Everyone in this ensemble managed to match each other's energy in an infectious and driving way. The connection between the characters was the only thing holding this story together, which is always a difficult task. But the chemistry never collapsed and the ensemble functioned well together. I particularly enjoyed how many "dramatic reveals" had at least three or four other cast members in the background reacting in unison. It was really well done!

PRODUCTION:
I don't have much commentary to make in the production of this show. P'New favors a naturalistic style and that is very apparent here. The costuming and set pieces are suited to the piece and competently assembled, but not particularly attention grabbing. It's clear they production team preferred to highlight the performances of the actors over artistic staging--which I think works just fine for this piece.
For the positives, the most intimate scenes (Q and Peem on the steps, Loy Krathong, conversations in the dark at camp, the gallery show, etc) came off very intimate and warm with just subtle shifts in lighting and framing. I love being allowed to just watch actors act their asses off without a lot of distracting tricks and magic. And this show certainly delivered.
For the negatives, I thought the paintings were really uninspired. With so little time and energy spent on other aspects of the production, and with the importance of painting and art to so many of the characters, I really expected Peem, Q, and Toey's artwork to be.... better, lol. Q, even, barely had a recognizable style/interest despite being the Maestro. I would look to Not Me as a better example of a show that pulled of art students work successfully within a narrative.

INTIMACY:
As I said, I was new to (almost) all of these couples and had no baseline for their chemistry or work together. All of them sold their relationships. I enjoyed that each couple got a unique style of intimacy that reflected their personalities--which is not always the case in ensembles this large. I particularly enjoyed the way that Phum and Peem's sense of intimacy developed ahead of actually confirming their relationship, and their struggles in navigating what that means for them. The use of casual affectionate touch was also quite beautiful in this series.
I found that the NC scenes were rather typical to GMMTV. I think they suited the tone of the story fine, but were a little bit generic? Many other moments of intimacy were more valuable to the characters than any of the sex scenes, which made them feel quite tacked on or simply to fulfill a quota. They didn't detract from the story, but they didn't add to it either. I would really like to see a GMMTV that manages to include sex in a more meaningful, character-motivated way. But these sweet first times were fine.

In all, I really enjoyed this story and it's been sticking with me a lot more strongly than I expected when I first started it. The characters (and their actors) are very charming and it's a feelgood, warm story. It actually made me quite excited for Perfect10Liners because I'd forgotten how good P'New was with juggling broad stories about friendships. I would recommend We Are to anyone looking for something acting-heavy and sweet.

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Came for the romance. Stayed for the friendship

This series focuses on the (beginning) of romance relationships between four couples. Some were dealt with better than others, while others I felt were not given the opportunity to blossom like thier counterparts (Chain and Pun's). I personally adored the relationship of Tan and Khaofang out of the four as they made me smile whenever they were present on the screen. I dint really warm up to Phum and Peem until quite episode 10 (😳!), so that should tell you something.

But what was the saving this series were the friwn3dship of the two group of friends. Whenever they were on the screen, I just felt joy and happiness when they were all together. It was fun watching one group of friends, but when all the groups combined, the sntics and chaos that was released with them! So, in the end, because of this, I am giving this series an 8 (I actually thought that I would have given it something lower). So, while rhe romance is there for us to enjoy, the friendship will indeed steal the show!

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Soft stupid silly dudes being guys

This was so soft and comforting. No big drama, nothing too frustrating. Just a sweet little thang.

Acting:

It’s a college rom-com about a bunch of pals who are dudes being guys who like their pals who are dudes being guys, so the story doesn’t necessarily ask for too much complexity in the acting. I think everyone did a good job in their roles here, though. For sure without a doubt my favorite Pond and Phuwin series and lowkey can say the same for the Aou and Boom dynamic here. Everyone was lovable and annoying but like it was endearing enough for them to get away with their antics. Solid portrayal of college pals and their young love.

Writing:

Smooth sailing type storyline all around, which I usually don’t like, but I think it worked well because there was always so much going on. If this were a one-couple/one-character focused series, I don’t think it would have worked without a serious conflict. Love a love story starting with a meet-ugly, too. I think the characters were all unique which was also an important part in making this series work. The “wait, is this love” and “playing hard to get” tropes get a bit old, but it didn’t piss me off too much because they shifted focus in the plot often enough for me not to dwell on the frustrating bits. Nothing really stood out as ultra dumb in the plot, it was all just very soft and fun.

Chemistry/Romance/Kissing:

My top Pond and Phuwin series, I think. They worked better here than in other series, in my opinion. The whole meet-ugly to mutual bullying to wait why do we not hate this to oh no we like this a lot to situationship to lovers worked quite well for them. Aou and Boom worked really well here, too idk why they just did. Like Aou was so annoying but also so endearing and it fit Boom’s character and they portrayed it well together. Not my favorite Winny and Satang on-screen couple, I liked their story, I just don’t think it fits them as well as MSP. This was a cute little rom-com; it worked well. The kissing hmm… Sometimes, maybe, the actors perhaps came off as a bit not entirely relaxed and comfortable with the kissing. Not Aou or Boom or Pond, but maybe everyone else a bit. I don’t want to nitpick or be ridiculous, it’s just hard not to notice, ya know. Like relax, lil guy, I promise it’s gonna be okay lmao.

Music/SFX:

Obligatory corny rom-com music, no surprises there. Obligatory goofy GMMtv rom-com SFX as well, no surprises there. The random cat meow will always confuse me, but whatever, not a big deal.

This was just fun all around. I really enjoyed it, especially after having seen the mess that was My Stand-In recently.

Now, for some highlights from my notes:

- Phuwin with the little water fountain top pony so precious
- Pond always gotta be sporty
- Art prodigy Winny<3
- Smitten Satang, my love
- Aou, the chaotic boyfailure
- Pretty accurate representation of the walk back from a bar in college
- Mom wanted you to study medicine but you chose fine arts oof… THAT must have been a rough dinner
- How you gonna leave my boy like that
- An apology?? Check the sky for pigs, bro
- The “wait, is this love?” trope will kill me one day
- Ya’ll have both initiated and reciprocated kisses with each other lmao what are we doing
- Situationship type shit
- This was so soft I forgot to write anything else oops

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Great break from heavy shows

I know for me at least watching back to back emotional roller coasters can be draining, so I really appreciate a show that can be refreshing with out being completely brainless. There are some troubles and conflicts but they are handled quickly without the stretched out drama. All the characters are college age and for once I buy it, they are intelligent adults while being playful and young. They understand the value of friendship and even without people pairing off I think this would have been a great show.
I really enjoyed the two friend groups coming together. Many shows have it only set in one facility, two at most so to see a friend group built up of many was refreshing.
I enjoyed how all the couples had very different starting points for their relationships and showed how all their relationships looked different because each couple was unique.
Considering they started from four books worth of materials, I think they managed to work the pace well into the 16 episodes.

Overall I think this was a feel good show with some of our favorite pairings/actors and I loved all the guest appearances. I've marked this one as high re-watch because I can really see myself adding it to the list of shows to watch when I'm down or when a show or book punches my heart (looking at you Theory of Love❤️)
Worth trying, you may like it to.

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My Review of We Are

Honestly, this is one of the only series from GMMTV that I would rate this highly. Usually, I’m not really into comedy series, but this one… I absolutely loved it. The story is light but well done, and the couples are super cute, each in their own way.

Special mention to AouBoom — my little babies! Their chemistry is just so sweet, I totally melted watching them. They really made me enjoy this series from beginning to end. 💖

On the other hand, I was a bit disappointed by PondPhuwin. I usually love them so much, but in this series… I don’t know, something felt off. Maybe it lacked a bit of connection or emotion this time around. It didn’t ruin the experience, but it’s the one thing that left me a little unsatisfied.

Still, I totally recommend We Are! It’s a feel-good series — funny, heartwarming, and filled with sweet moments and lovable characters. A great surprise in the BL world!

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A Green flag story which calms you

This is my first time reviewing and this story is worth the review. I love how this whole story is full of green flags. This drama is very different to the manhwa so there are some plot holes(I am too blinded by love to see them). There should be more background stories about Fang as his POV is none, to be honest.
This story is full of green flags, all the couples are so cute and I wish there were another season. Almost every Wednesday I would be kicking my feet in the air at how entertaining they are. Overall, I am happy with what I got to watch and hope others also enjoy it as much as I do.

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Funny but slow

First of all, I consider this series very funny. Yeah some scenes are cringe like the guitar scenes. However, peems side eyes were hilarious. I also loved tanfang, but I was so cringed out by Q and Toey. I mean in episode 7 it was so cringe how they were standing and facing each other while Toey was crying repeatedly saying something like “hear me out” or “let me explain” meanwhile he wasn’t explaining, like what. His crying was so bad. I found that couple very boring and didn’t care about them. Anyways, I feel like we barely received screentime from phumpeem. Their screen times were always very short. Also why do they kiss like that??? They tap lips and kiss as if they’re disgusted or afraid. Also they were very awkward ngl their conversations were always about such random topics. I liked them together and thought it was hilarious when they were “enemies.” Please someone teach phuwin and pond how to not kiss awkwardly lol. Anyways, but yeah this series was funny, but definitely bland. None of the characters had interesting backgrounds. Also, why did they all take so long to date??? That was kinda dragged. For example, Phum and peem were always kissing, but finally dated on episode 12. Like what??? I enjoyed this series the first few episodes because they had me cackling , but then I felt forced to keep watching.

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Review of "We Are The Series"

"We Are The Series" dives deep into the heart of university life, exploring themes of friendship, love, and the journey of growing up—common yet cherished elements in the BL genre. At the center of this narrative are Pond and Phuwin, whose on-screen chemistry is nothing short of captivating.

Pond and Phuwin's dynamic is the series' standout feature. Their chemistry brings an authentic warmth to their interactions, making every scene they share memorable. Phuwin, in particular, has shown significant growth in his acting skills. His portrayal of complex emotions feels more nuanced and convincing, adding depth to his character's development throughout the series.

However, the series does have its shortcomings. One notable issue is the abundance of couples introduced. While this diversity aims to offer a broader perspective on relationships, it sometimes leads to a lack of focus, resulting in several characters and their storylines not being highlighted as effectively as they could have been. This scattered approach can make it challenging for viewers to form a strong connection with all the couples.

Another point of critique is the rather fictional and somewhat unrealistic way Pond and Phuwin's characters fall in love. While their journey is endearing, it stretches the bounds of believability, making it feel like a fairy tale rather than a plausible romance.

Despite these drawbacks, "We Are The Series" succeeds as a feel-good show. It avoids intense conflicts between the main characters, particularly in the final episodes, opting instead for a more light-hearted and hopeful narrative.

Overall, "We Are The Series" is a delightful watch, particularly for fans of the BL genre. It offers a sweet, uncomplicated story that highlights the chemistry between Pond and Phuwin, backed by Phuwin's notable improvement in acting. While it could benefit from a more focused approach to its numerous subplots and a more realistic depiction of its central romance, the series ultimately delivers a charming and enjoyable experience.

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Repetitive and cramped storyline, but the chemistry between the main leads makes it worthwhile

Considering the repetition in high school/university students falling in love storyline, it feels like the production company has given up on creative writing and storytelling. Having watched Never Let Me Go, this severely pales in comparison and it is laughable that Phuwin and Pond were given such a series to pursue. The series again fell into the major fault of making everybody date each other, which to me is sluggish writing.

Despite the poor writing, I must applaud Phuwin and Pond for their amazing chemistry. Phuwin is generally a better actor and his character allows him to act and not just look pretty (in a similar way to Never Let Me Go). I find that Pond is a weaker actor but I appreciate that he never looks awkward when he's paired with Phuwin. Really love this pairing. They definitely deserve a better plot and setting to play with.

All in all, the production company needs to wake up. The BL industry is changing. Queer characters should be incorporated into drama series with a well-written plot and production instead of a basic drama with no creativity just to earn the BL bucks. (Shoutout to I Feel You Linger In The Air).

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