A total eclipse of the heart
I was pleasantly surprised by this series. I often find high school dramas a bit boring or cringeworthy, so I approach them with some hesitation. However, this one was really good!I enjoyed the romance and the storyline, which carried a deeper message about fighting against a biased system and struggling under the weight of others' expectations – as well as questioning your entire identity at the prime age of 15 or 16 (lol)
I appreciated that they didn't shy away from showing the darker aspects of giving too much power to young people without the necessary guidance. Issues like bullying, suicide, and violence are often trivialized or glossed over in media that promotes happy endings, so I was pleasantly surprised that GMMTV chose to tackle these topics somewhat seriously.
The chemistry between First and Khaotung was incredible. They conveyed a wide range of emotions beautifully – everything from frustration to vulnerability, and from hate to love. I was hooked on their dynamic from the very start.
Although the plot does become a bit convoluted once the characters get together, and I had to scramble to get back on track, I found it didn’t detract from my experience. Maybe it was because I was so hopeful for a happy ending for these characters.
Overall, I highly recommend this series!
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You have been E-C-L-I-P-S-E-D!!!!
I love supernatural stories. I love fantasy stories. For that reason alone, the Eclipse should have been on my top 5 favourite series. But it is not. Why you ask? Let me tell you. I am going to begin with what I did not like about it(which is considerable) and what I liked about(saving graces).What I did not like:
The story : GMM TV took an absolute masterpiece of a story and ruined it with lackluster execution. I mean, imagine madness setting in during an eclipse? Stephen King level horror and tragedy could have been made possible. But the sheer arrogance of the director and the script writer, who thought that the viewers are dumb, how many actually read such stuff, annoyed the hell out of me. Viewers are more discerning than whatever the production house thinks, let me tell you that. I loved the premise, and I was super excited, but my excitement fell flat. First couple of episodes in, I was completely sure that this was the platform to present another romance drama in all its glory and angst.
I am not against a good romance drama, in fact I love them, but please, then call it romance, not the fantasy farce that your are palming on to us.
The 'romance' between the head of the Student Welfare committee and Aye's uncle was probably the saddest adult love story I have seen. Ayan goes in all angry lion, roaring and charging, and comes out looking like a drowned cat. One photograph is his proof that his uncle is depressed and that's why he committed suicide. Just because you are working in such a place, and gay romances are frowned upon, change your job, change the place. No one has any right to dictate terms to how you you live your life and so that was a bit unbelievable as well.
The character of Thuapa. I love Louis, make no mistake about it! Neo and his cute and fluffy love story in Fish Upon the Sky is the reason I sat and watched that show. But what the hell was this. He has been bullied all his life because he is gay. Ayan is the one person who stands up for him, and what does he do? For some weird, sadistic reason, that is not even clear to me till now, he outs Akk and Ayan in front of the whole school, inspite of being in a relationship himself with Kan. I was even more disgusted that no one, I repeat, no one called his out on his bizarre madness, not even Ayan or Kan ! Blaming the eclipse maybe?
The whole protests idea. There are 3 students sincerely protesting. To ban uniform. Look, I know, wearing uniforms are boring. I get it. But where I am from, and in most Asian dramas I have seen, uniforms are compulsory. There is a reason for that. It's not to demean the value of you as a human being. It is just to remove all differences between people, including that of class and social strata. Plus what irritated me further, was the fact that those three were actually in uniform when Akk and Ayan come back to school.
Ayan coming out in front of Akk's parents without letting him know first. I did not appreciate that. And also him constantly crossing the boundaries with Akk was also not something I enjoyed. But okay, as they say, everything is fair in love and war!
What I liked about it :
Parents. I must say. Khaotung is one lucky guy. Be it Tonhon Chonlatee, Midnight Chicken and the Eclipse, he always gets the best moms. I just love how supportive she is right from day 1, when Ayan (though not explicitly) tells her about Akk. I love how Akk's parents were completely supportive of his sexual orientation. For them, his happiness was their priority.
Neo as Kan long. Someone looking for their true self, I loved Neo as a teenager trying to come to terms with not only his sexuality, but also trying to stand up for what he felt was right and be positive towards his friends as well. Hard role, played with ease. I have always loved Neo... And I can't wait to see him as an antagonist is Only Friends!
Finally, the coup de grâce !! First as Akk and Khaotung as Ayan. What a powerful pairing! I have seen both of them in their individual projects, and they are both brillant actors, absolutely no doubt about it. But together? They are indescribable. What a connect they have with each other! Khao is a phenomenal actor and he just made me feel Ayan's pain as his own, his nightmares were so real. We all have lost someone close to us, and I could understand his pain. And how I love how Ayan makes Akk smile. First's smiles are so precious. Soft and slow to bloom, but seriously sexy after all! All in all, a couple that deserves a lot more shows together!
I will ask you to watch it at least once, so that you can see my darling First, Khao and Neo. But that's it. Just once... No re-watch value at all! :(
It's not boring, but not worthy of being a masterpiece, not like Not Me!
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you can ask that yourself when you watch this series. there were a lot of great moments in the series but ultimately, it collapsed under its own potential. it did manage to wrap up the most important plotlines, but most of the other plotlines lead nowhere and kind of had a lame ending.
oh well, i did enjoy watching khaofirst chemistry though so that was fun!
I also loved the ensemble cast (neo and his partner louis were great!)
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Re-watch worthy? Yes.
The major thing that I disliked the most was probably the story. Everything happened way too quickly at the very start of the series. The whole 'curse' was thrown at us so unexpectedly that I didn't even take it seriously. I think the best decision that the writers could have made to improve the story was to go more in-depth to either the whole 'curse' of the school or stick to the school's strict guidelines and follow Ayan's uncle's story. With this in mind, the plot would be a lot more different, but I think that for ME to fully enjoy 100% of this series they would need to either take out the whole curse or fully develop it and make it more enjoyable to watch. Overall I think the series is interesting to watch and the chemistry between the characters is wonderful. Would I choose to re-watch it? Yes, yes I would.Was this review helpful to you?
Great Acting/Poor Execution
Let me first say, I would watch First and Khaotung act in anything. They bring so much vulnerability to their roles. Outstanding cast all around, really. So I'll recommend it for them.This should have been 8 episodes. The plot dragged on, and it never really built up the mood and tension that a suspense drama needs. The themes of confronting conformity and redefining masculinity were promising, but it just didn't live up to its potential. I applaud the ambition, I just wish the writing and editing were tighter and the direction more focused.
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FIRSTKHAOTUNG ON TOP
changing my review after rewatching this for the 2nd time. this is actually amazing. the most under rated from gmmtv. the more you try to interpret this, the more the plot gets deeper. what i think is, The Eclipse uses the school setting as a microcosm for a corrupt nation, highlighting how openly queer individuals who refuse losing their sense of identity are met with systemic punishment. it also represents mental health and exposes the harms of both internalized and institutionalized homophobia. this series actually talks about being gay and gay life not just falling in love and romance. no one could've portrayed the characters of Akk and Ayan like First and Khaotung. their acting skills are unmatchable. if you find this show mid or boring then this is not for you and you should stick to watching shows that are easy-to-watch with a joke of a plot. if you didn't watch The Eclipse, then you are TRULY missing out. gmmtv really got two of the best actors in their hands and said yes, let's keep them in our basement and give them one show per year.Was this review helpful to you?
started okay, got better with each episode!
The mistery plot wasn’t that good, it’s not as deep as everyone said it was. that’s why the first few episodes were kind of hard to get through, i skipped a lot of scenes with the protests and stuff. But as the show focused more on Akk and Ayans relationship it got sooo good. I loved Khaos acting in this, it felt like there was so much love in his eyes, also both actors did an amazing job in the emotional scenes, their crying felt really real. In the later episodes the plot focuses more on the struggles of Khao realising he loves ayan but can’t accept he likes men, instead of the school curse and protests, from there it gets more deep and emotional. Thats when the drama gets reallyyy good, and i love akk and ayan so much, their relationship is so sweet.watch it, the romance part is one of the best ever, you can just skip the mistery stuff.
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Watch it for FirstKhao
I don't really know how to rate this one. I initially dropped this show 2x bcause I find it hard to watch past the 1st few episodes, but I kept coming back coz I'm not giving up on FirstKhao lolI ended up skipping quite a fair bit, until around episode 5 or 6. When their relationship starts to take off, I find there's traction and this keep me going. It starts getting more interesting here on.
Now, as far as the plot/story goes, it's really not my favorite. I guess, I'm just bored with yet another school setting, no matter what twist/spin they put on it...That said, it doesn't mean it's bad, it's actually pretty good. Just not my preference. That aside, everything else is great
Casting is amazing. I'm so proud to see FirstKhao leading this series. Their acting is so good, especially nailing the crying scene, especially First. I think he shed more tears than I did this year in this one show LOL
Their chemistry is on point and they are so good together. Not cringe or awkward moments, as you'd find in some acting. They are the couple we wanna see more and more of.
I especially love how Khao is flirtying with First, whether in this series or OnlyFriends. There's just sth about the way he flirts that makes it so lovely to watch them. I also love their song!!! They sound so good together.
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Eclipse of love
The story was typical yet fresh due to its supernatural and student rights elements. First and Khaotung's chemistry, as Akk and Ayan, was captivating, and they complimented each other's roles very well. The rest of the cast and crew did a fantastic job.Plot:
The story revolves around Ayan, who wants to know what happened to his uncle and Suppalo curse, and Akk, a student prefect's President, who wants to protect his school. The story deals with teenage love, student rights, coming out to your friends and family and more.
Every character deals with different issues and has found a way to overcome them together.
Akk: Trust issues and Ayan: A loss of a beloved. Akk and Ayan healed each other's wounds.
Kan: Cares a lot about what others might think. Thau: Difficulty with expressing his feeling. Due to Ayan's support and influence, accepted their feeling for each other. Thau also did the unthinkable, but he made up for it. Kan and Thau were cute throughout the series.
Wat: Difficulty in choosing a future due to parental pressure. Sani: Silent observer and lacks power. Sani gave the direction, guidance and support Wat needed to achieve his dream.
Namo: Attention seeker. He got what he truly desired.
Chadok: Due to his loyalty towards school and he lost his beloved. At last, he did the unthinkable and should have done this a long time ago.
Jam siblings: Lack of parental love and acceptance. Realised their mistakes and got what they wanted.
Suppalo teachers: Backward thinkers. Finally, accepting the change.
Ayan and Akk's parents were really supportive and loving.
All the characters got their happy ending.
All the OSTs selections are great. Over the Moon OST by Khaotung was mesmerising and had a unique essence.
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this review might turns out to be your "no" signal to watch this
i've already watched more than a hundred bl's now and this is my first time writing a review on this site. i admit, this series is so good. it reminds me of one lakorn i've watched but back then (i forgot the title lol).i have so many question on this series after finishing it just now and let's enumerate it one by one.
1. What does this series have to do with the eclipse?
2. What's the purpose of that teacher to create such curse?
3. What is the principal and teacher chadok relationship?
4. Why did Thua finally speak up?
5. Who is Namo actually?
1. the title is eclipse but i only seen the relevant of eclipse on the first episode and the last episode LITERALLY, i can't see its relevance on the entire series. this reminds me of 'top form' the series, it is still a mystery for me why it is called top form. lol. i don't know if i missed something but it's better if that eclipse has to do with that damn curse lol.
2. we all know that teacher chadok is the creator of the curse, but why tho? i don't get its purpose. to handle the students? lol. does the principal even know about this scheme curse chadok created?
3. they've at least give us a little flashback about the principal and chadok because they have a deep connection between them lol. when chadok hug him while crying is making me confused a lot.
4. he was always yapping about "so people will tell the truth" but he himself doesn't even speak for himself.
5. to be honest those three protesters, teacher dika, principal, teacher sani, thua and namo are still mystery for me. i didn't understand their purpose in the whole series and i actually even confused how they ended up in their situation.
the plot and story is really good. but the flow was kinda rushed and forced. 12 episodes feels like a short one for this drama but in reality a lot of scene was unnecessary to be included so some of the important details are missing. the story is good and i hope they give it justice by making a prequel. and also they didn't even emphasize how dika commit a su*cide, is that because of his depression or chadok broke up with him? (they didn't even tell if they really broke up). i just assumed the latter lol.
i just want to add the firstkhao chemistry here. is it just me or firstkhao doesn't have the spark here? i'm not a fan of their ship, but i like them in 'only friend' the series. i enjoyed watching them in that series but here does not give me the same vibe. i felt like they are forced to do a project, don't attack me, it's just my opinion.
good thing about this drama was the song and music. i'm really hooked up, specially the opening. lol. the actor choice and their acting was really good too. they really portray what character they have.
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Carried by chemistry
Every other review is right: the cast is the best part of the show. I loved First and Khao's chemistry and the romance is just so goddamn adorable. The trope of the troublemaker x goody two-shoes is so fun to watch.While I like the idea of a "school curse" hurting students and a school that has overly stringent and overbearing rules to stop students from speaking up, it just all stays so abstract that it feels like the writers didn't actually think through their themes.
Let's start with the protests. We see the kids who are protesting the rules, but it's really unclear what the rules even are and why it's such a problem. Some things that are briefly mentioned are school uniforms and phone use, but we never actually see how these rules negatively affect the students, and it makes the rules seem so mile it doesn't necessitate all the drama. I think the idea of "protesting for the right to protest" is very valid and interesting, but the setting needs to escalate it in a way that makes sense. It's likely that the protests started out from something small and then grew when the school tried to suppress it, but the show drops us right in the middle of the latter and never explains the history.
In terms of the curse, it's also unclear what it actually is. The students gossip about "the curse" and the teachers tell them to stop talking about it, but we don't know what it actually means other than "something bad happens to certain people." Random things happen and it's attributed to the curse, but I needed more characters to ask questions that people would ask in real life. Where did the curse come from? Is it supernatural or is it a person doing everything? Who does it target and why? This ties back into my issue with the protest concepts — none of the history is explained.
Throughout all this, there are moments where the show addresses homophobia, both internal and external. I actually enjoyed how the drama tackled these themes a lot, but once again it was kept quite abstract most of the time. It could've leaned into it much more and tied it into the curse and the school rules, and it would've solved both issues, by putting a clearer spotlight on the homophobia theme and adding more explanations to its other concepts.
Overall, the script just needed to be tightened and the ideas needed to be fleshed out. The romance is so good, but you really have to believe in stakes that aren't quite there.
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Wasted Potential
**Brief Synopsis**B (Student): Ayan
T (Student): Akk
Beginning: B and T are both students at a prestigious all boys academy known for their strict rules. A rumor has it that a curse exists that will punish all rule breakers and if things get out of control, the whole school might be impacted. B is a transfer student who transferred to this school to investigate what is going on and what happened to his uncle to lead to his suicide. T is a perfect, in charge of enforcing the rules. B and T begin their relationship on the wrong foot. Because B thinks T is brainwashed and don't care about the other students and T thinks B is trouble and should be supervised at all times to prevent him from breaking rules. But despite everything attraction starts forming between them, not that they would admit.
Throughout the series, B is busy trying to find evidence of this school's wrongdoing and T is trying to find evidence of B's wrongdoing so he could get him expelled. To complete this plan, T needs the note book B has been writing in and to get that notebook, he starts following him around (and maybe get more info on him). And the more he learns about B the more he sympathizes with him and he start realizing that maybe there was more to the picture then what he can see. But no matter how his feelings might be changing, there is a constant fight between his sense of duty towards the school and his own feelings. Later on, it is revealed that in order to maintain piece, T came up with the idea of the curse and did a lot of things to make the non conformers think they are in danger.
Towards the end, it is revealed that the school's corrupt system has lead to the uncle's suicide. However, the school continued to function and nothing seemed to have changed except for more inclusive rules because they realized just how much harm the rules were doing. T who nearly killed someone wasn't even punished for his actions. At the end, with the truth revealed, B finally relaxes and he and T could finally be together with T having finally admitted his feelings.
**My Opinion**
WHAT I DID LIKE ABOUT IT
- The acting is really good in emotional scenes. The crying is phenomenal and we could feel what the characters are feeling.
- The pacing is okay although the revelation at the end was a little rushed. The pacing for the relationship is a little rushed. From what we could see onscreen, they should have had time to become friends but definitely not enough time to develop feelings. Its just not realistic.
- The way the framed the mystery captivates you and makes you want to watch towards the end even if the ending didn't exactly pay off. The mystery convinced me to continue watching until the end but because I couldn't stand the other characters, I would skip to Ayan. The conclusion was disappointing as I thought there would be more to it.
WHAT I DIDNT LIKE ABOUT IT
- The whole school system presented. I know that the goal of the show is to show us an oppressive and corrupt school system but that doesn't make it less pleasant to see evidence of it. The school is more like a cult then a school. T is the perfect example of that. He was willing to potentially injure someone to uphold the rules. He didn't even think of the consequences of his actions.
- T wasn't punished for his actions. Just admitting his wrongdoing isn't enough. It's like just because your attacker apologized he shouldn't be punished for his actions.
- T's character is just not likable. He doesn't give us any reason for B to like him. Like is based on trust and B doesn't even trust him, believes he store his notebook even though he knows how important it is to him. Their relationship is just not very healthy if that are both guarded toward each other. There is buildup but the buildup just isn't believable or make me want to root for them.
- No plot twists or memorable moments. The mystery felt so flat at the end. It didn't live up to the excitement I was feeling in the first few episodes.
**Conclusion**
A very tiring show to watch with mostly unlikable characters, because of the plot.
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