The Eclipse

I'm happy again

It's been hard y'all. It's been very difficult to watch every current BL, but this time they got it right. I'm finally feeling ACTUALLY happy about a drama. The casting is perfect, of course it helps. The boys were great, It was well directed, the story was amazing and had plot twists I didn't see coming. It's the first time in a while I watched something weekly and anxiously and I didn't wanna it to end. The chemistry between First and Khaotung is unbelievable. The development of First's character, Akk, is so well done. I always love Neo and seeing him in a serious part was nice too. Also, I really like him with Louis, they make a great couple. AJ surprised me too, now I like him more. I almost cried so many times, it got really emotional and sad but it's because it shows reality in an important way.

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A curse? What curse?

The story in itself is promising but the execution is a bit messy.
Three episodes in and there are pieces of the plot I wished were more installed and others I wished we'd discover later in the story to keep things fresh and make us feel like everything is planned out.
I'd have enjoyed the idea of a very present threat, of a curse every student believes in, to create a real tense and heavy atmosphere. As for Dika, I'd have liked it better if he was introduced a bit later, thus making Ayan look even more mysterious since we don't know his true motives.

A lot of things are put out there and it creates a bit of a messy development: the curse is mentioned but it's hard to know if students strongly believe in it or only think of it as a kind of joke or unrealistic threat, Ayan's uncle has come into the picture thus revealing Ayan's presence in Suppalo, Khan and Thua's relationship is unclear too since they both give each other the cold shoulder but at the same time, they seem to care about each other... and how can a powerful and elite school like Suppalo feel threatened by three students who aren't even that rebellious (they're only shown once or twice with casual clothes in school and end up complying with the rules even though they dislike it!)?
I think the further we go in the story, the more everything comes into place but it's a bit of a shame that the title of the series and its premise feel like it's just a mere detail of the story.

Of course, I do enjoy the "cat and mouse game" between Akk and Ayan. One teases the other, consequently, the other gets flustered... it's cute and quite well-executed (though it drags on for a long time). Akk and Ayan's actors have nice facial expressions and lively eyes.
I think Khan and Thua's relationship evolves nicely too (that scene when they're sleeping next to each other and Khan's owning up to his feelings...absolutely adorable!). It's a good thing that they've changed the dynamics they had in Fish upon the Sky, this way, it doesn't bring a sense of deja-vu.
Dika's story is, in my opinion, what is the most interesting aspect of the plot, and I found myself looking forward to knowing more about it while the curse is just a plot device that is not well used (at least at the beginning of the drama, the "mystery" behind the curse unfolds later and gets clearer).

Some dialogues and some scenes feel a bit stiff, nothing too cringy but there are silences that drag on weirdly between two sentences or the way the dialogues are delivered is not very natural with some actors.

No matter my criticisms, I've not dropped this series and it was a rather pleasant drama to watch!

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Masterpiece... if the story was fleshed more

I really loved this show. It was so fantastic. The cast chemistry was so good and the characterisations were absolutely brilliant probably some of the best characters in a BL.

The characters were probably the best part of the show. I was amazed with the detail put into each character's personality and background and how that directly carried through into their actions. For example, Akk comes from a humble upbringing and every action he does goes to trying to make his parents proud. We see it from Ayan who begins to conform to the system because his boyfriend and we slowly begin to see him lose his steadfast values. The characters also beautifully develop as the show progresses and we see the effect each one has on the other.

The one thing I am impressed in the show is that the queer identity was really well told. I feel that a lot of BLs are written from the perspective of two straight guys who turn gay for each other, so it was nice to follow Akk's storyline. We saw him struggling with his sexual identity and and how difficult it was for him and the work that was required. It felt massively realistic and authentic.

If I'm going to be completely honest, the show did fall a bit flat in the story department. I thought the way the major conflicts - Dika's death and mysteries of the trouble makers was neglected throughout a significant part of the show where some of the romance and character storylines stretched out too much. The story resolutions were also a bit weak. The Dika's death and Eclipse storylines were somewhat surprising but didn't give the full satisfaction it should have given especially with how I felt like there was too many easy resolutions in this show. Firstly the short film decoy felt very weak to me and after the way Thua going to all this trouble to keep the curse up and vented his frustrations would agree to do the short film felt unusual. The resolutions felt very easy and minimised the seriousness of the conflicts that had depicted.

Overall it's a really good watch with a bit of a few weak storylines. I definitely recommend this to everyone watch it though and I hope to see more BLs like this.

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Oh to have a love like theirs<3

This might as well be the best series GMMTV has produced in 2022. I just simply LOVE IT!

The acting was MWUA (especially First's and Khaotung's), the chemistry between characters was MWUA, the plot twist (you know which one, I don't wanna spoil) wasn't a plot twist for me because I already suspected it but gah dayum I loved it, the betrayal and how fast they all forgave him made me SO mad, etc

Altogether, I loved it!
I finished it some time ago so I can't be sure, but I think I never had anything bad to say about the show? It was all just my cup of tea and just how I like it!
If you like: romance, couple whose love is indescribable, a story of young teens discovering themselves and accepting who they are, amazing acting, a new comfort series... THE ECLIPSE is the right series for you

All I have to say is, sit or lay down and ENJOY!

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Wonderful from start to finish!

I loved this story (and I do mean actual STORY not just a basic romance with no plot to back it up)! The acting was incredible and the relationships showed development so the actors had chemistry and a believable love. The emotions were spot on. The families, the school, the friendships were all well done. Good acting and dialogue and plot with twists and turns that made it enjoyable, interesting, and lovable. I don't pay as much attention to the music unless I found it amazing or distracting. The songs were good, and one in particular stood out to me as really good, but overall the songs weren't the strength of the show. Honestly the incredible story and acting was just so wonderful that I would recommend this to anyone. It's got some heart-wrenching moments, some truly romantic moments, a little comedy, and even a mystery to be solved. The main couple weren't the only amazing parts, each supporting character was so believable. As far as relationships go, another wow. Not only were the relationships portrayed well, but they showed real partnerships, experiencing hardships and overcoming them together in a very practical and realistic way. This is what all BLs should aspire to be.

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Always be surrounded by positive people

What a good representation of a society full of lies, judgment, "perfection", secrets, hate, sacrifice, and LOVE. I put a 10/10 because I felt connected with the main character sharing all their emotion from pain to joy. no one I repeat got the capacity to judge you because nobody is perfect .what others got the courage to expose that you are hiding because you are frustrated don't put that frustration on others is not fair. we are talking about human rights but who are we to criticize people? each of us should learn to love and appreciate ourselves and not wait for someone to tell us what we want. look yourself at the mirror and love your reflection. love is love gender has nothing to do with it. your personality, your effort, your courage, and many other things should define you. stop caring about how others think about you. like someone said "leave the table when respect is not longer served" know your worth stop pleasing others and start pleasing yourself. be focused to love yourself, treating yourself first, and healing every wound before thinking about the people that love you for who you are, keep those who are putting the same amount of effort as you do, and finally keep close sincere people even if the truth hurt.

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Another missable series from the GMMTV stable

How do half-baked screenplays even reach the production floor? With limited queer content (ones not behind a paywall) available for viewing I still shouldn't have to lower my expectations to enjoy a show. Massive gaps in the storytelling, extremely poor editing, unaddressed inappropriate relationship depictions and awful pacing. The music is sub-par as is the colour grading, cinematography. The last three episodes were cloying.
The few pluses to this car-crash of a show would be some of the actors who played the students and professors.
If you haven't watched this series yet, I would recommend giving it a miss.

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Comfort.

I love this. First and Khaotung are such an amazing pair and the whole Suppalo situation is really good. I love the OST too, it's so good and relaxing to hear. There's not much to say, I just really love this, and I love the way they wrote Akk's character so you can really feel like he's trying to find comfot and acceptance in his sexuality and the fact that Aye realizes it and doesn't rush things is just comforting to watch.

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DONT EXPECT.

Honestly, I would have enjoyed the show a little more if I could skip my expectations. Can I blame myself though ? A school mystery, a enemies-lovers plot, such good cast. The cast did their best to save the series, they did, wish the plot wasnt so rushed and wish it made a bit more sense.

I mean the solid story you keep waiting for, never happens. The climax is over all of a sudden, resulting into a hurried last episode which delivers a few good scenes just to save your day.

If the story had a few more elements, a good pace, a few character build ups here and there, I could happily decide on it as one of bests. Hope to see more of First-Khaotung. The pair blown me away for sure.

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Would re-watch earlier episodes but would never sit through the whole series twice.

Before “The Eclipse” I wasn’t a fan of First Kanaphan Puitrakul. Saw him in “Not Me” and “F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers”, and although I recognized his acting skills, there was something about the actor I just couldn’t bring myself to like. So when I saw that he was the lead of a series, I was skeptical if I should even check it out. However, after seeing positive reviews and high ratings, I decided to give it a shot, and man, was I in for a pleasant surprise! His head student prefect role was soooooo perfect for him! He really did an amazing job! And Khaotung! Their chemistry was so good I immediately shipped them! Khaotung’s opening ost too, is fire! The only song/music I liked from the whole series.

The Eclipse, like many BLs, had a strong opening and many good episodes. I particularly like the authenticity and dynamic of Akk’s friend group and the Jam gang. I love that Khan, Akk’s friend, brings a different perspective and challenges him when necessary, and does it in a respectful-prefect manner. I love that the Jam gang was passionate about their beliefs and protested in a civil manner; they were mindful of only protesting when students were on break, etc.

Ayan started as a very woke and rational character in the earlier episodes and his arc to find the truth behind his uncle’s death was extremely interesting. Though of course that’s swept under the rug when his uncle’s notebook gets stolen.

The plot, character chemistry, and script were brilliant, for the most part, but as we head toward the end, that's when things took a turn for the worst.

“The Eclipse” biggest pitfall is that it tried too hard with its plot twists and dropped too many hints that you could see the tropes they were going for coming episodes away. Thua’s PREDICTABLE arc in episode 11 needs to go. I know it was done for shock value but it was so out of character, out of place, and downright ridiculous. That scene alone is a 0/10. We’re only reviving it to 7.5/10 because of FirstKhaotung. And I’m sorry, Wat’s idea to save them from that madness stunk and made 0 sense! So people aren’t okay with two classmates dating in real life but are cool with said classmates putting on an act that they’re dating for a short film?? What??! And why did it matter if they filmed the short film when it was a made-up lie in the first place? The other students and teachers weren't going to see it anyway since it wasn't an in-school contest?? Besides, I doubt their homophobic school would want to see the film's end results anyway???

That teacher Chadok and teacher Dika's relationship was so obvious I was deadpanned the whole time it was revealed. My biggest question is what is Thua and his stepfather’s relationship truly like? What bad things happened when teacher Chadok was head student prefect? All we saw was that as a high schooler, Thua’s stepfather was locked inside a room. What kind of curse is that?? And if Thua and his stepfather didn't get along because he’s gay, then does that mean Thua’s stepfather hated Chadok too because he’s gay? Or was that not known back then?

Whoever edited Wat’s “The Eclipse” short film…why is it more of a trailer and why did they include clips from the series and thought we’d appreciate it? We know the characters themselves didn’t film some (all) of the shots when we’ve seen the positions of their camera. The whole scene was cringe.

All in all, I would definitely rewatch some of the earlier episodes but you couldn't pay me enough to sit through the whole thing again.

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