Be My Favorite

I really like the concept. It wasn't boring at all and very entertaining. The main couple was great. To sum it up, I was really invested into the plot and the development of their relationship. Though, there were some incoherencies with the present/past plotline. Also, the chemistry lacked a bit imo. I loved Fluke character and he portrayed his role really well, I believed his feelings. For Krist... not the same story. His behaviour got on my nerves several times, I felt like he hasn't fallen in love with his pair... But, this was still enjoyable and one of the best BL released in 2023 which was very poor of Good BLs, sadly

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Already My Favorite

Be My Favorite is definitely one of my favorites.

•❅✧❅✦ Story •❅✧❅✦

Always an introvert and outcast, Botkawi has been in love with Pearmai for over 10 years. At the age of 30, his life isn't going that great, but everyone else's lives are amazing. While weeping over his sorry life, Kawi receives an invitation to Pearmai and Pisaeng's wedding. Kawi has always had a hatred for Pisaeng for not only being hot and popular, but also stealing away Pearmai when they were in college. While on a hunt for a wedding gift, Kawi receives a special crystal ball from a strange old man which sends him 10 years back in time. Kawi takes the opportunity to fix his mistakes and get with Pearmai, but he also unknowingly forms a friendship with Pisaeng, who wants more than a friendship with Kawi.

While the time traveling is not too unique, I really love how Be My Favorite pulled it off. Time travel wasn't too much of the focus, but rather the series was character centric. It wasn't about fixing situations and scenarios to better suit Kawi, it was all about Kawi learning to be more assertive and voice his opinions and thoughts that really drove the story forward. It was really nice to see from the first episode that all Kawi had to do was be more assertive to befriend Pisaeng and to learn that he really had no bad intentions when he "ruined" Kawi's chance to give his gift to Pearmai. Kawi could literally have had a better life he wanted and would be happy if he just had confronted Pisaeng and Pearmai.

That being said, the series could have gone with 10 episodes rather than 12. The last few episodes did feel a little bit draggy.
The storylines about Pisaeng going back in time, or even the minor storylines about Max, Pisaeng's mom, and even Pearmai's family backstory could have been cut. Pearmai's storyline wasn't really necessary as she wasn't really a main character. Instead of her, I would have loved to see Pisaeng's backstory, which we got a little bit of, but not enough. Pisaeng's mom's political story was a little confusing to follow and really didn't push the story forward as there wasn't really any big drama or issues with her politics and Pisaeng and Kawi's relationship. I was kind of expecting her to be against the relationship despite advocating for LGBT rights, but that never happened. As for Max, his story kind of felt incomplete since he was advocating for LGBT rights throughout the whole series but never once was seen with boyfriend. Still a great series though.


•❅✧❅✦ Characters •❅✧❅✦

Pisaeng x Kawi

Pisaeng and Kawi are that couple that's perfect for each other, but seems to have never had a "honeymoon" period. Every time I see Pisaeng and Kawi, they remind me of an old couple that are soulmates, but constantly bickering with each other. They are definitely a new take on a romantic couple.

Pisaeng is so adorable. He's literally the perfect man. He falls for Kawi after talking to him for a few days and becomes loyal and dedicated to him soon after. Pisaeng's love is so loyal and strong despite Kawi pushing him to the side for Pearmai so many times.

Fluke, who portrays Pisaeng really stepped up his acting game and was amazing. I couldn't stop watching him. I want to see more of him.

Kawi is annoyingly adorable. When he starts being true to himself and starts being more assertive, people are naturally drawn to him. The only thing that was stopping him from being happy and successful was himself, which he soon realizes after traveling to the past.

It was nice to see Krist back in a BL, but I wasn't quite sure what to think of his acting. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't eye catching. I haven't seen any other Krist series or movies aside from SOTUS and SOTUS S, so I can't comment too much on his acting, but it didn't feel as great as he did in SOTUS. I honestly found Kawi to be annoying during the first few episodes, and as the series continued on, scenes where Kawi should have been nervous around Pisaeng came off more as Kawi being "repulsed" and "turned-off" at the thought of sleeping with Pisaeng. Maybe Krist is better at playing the more "stoic" and "masculine" characters, but Kawi was definitely not his best character. He still did a great job though.

•❅✧❅✦ Overall •❅✧❅✦

I really enjoyed Be My Favorite. It was a different take on the time travel concept and I loved what they did with the character growth. Pisaeng will definitely be on my mind for a little while now. Where can I get a person like Pisaeng?

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Inconsistent Time-Traveling Rules But A Warm & Cozy Time

The magic and whimsy of Be My Favorite gives me warm and cozy memories. It's not a perfect drama for reasons I'll go into later, but it definitely is one of the stronger BL's I've watched. It felt much cleaner than other GMMTV dramas in that the story had clear direction and no loose ends (at least for the parts that mattered). There was clear character growth for both of the characters and it was so satisfying to see Kawi become happier and more confident once he realized that he didn't need to time travel anymore to live a full and satisfying life.

The drama was also so dang pretty. Some of the scenes were absolutely and unexpectedly breathtaking.

I love romcoms with supernatural elements, so this could've been a 10/10 win for me, but the time traveling rules were very weak, or rather nonexistent. When Kawi first went back in time and it was chaotic, it made sense because Kawi was too preoccupied with making the future perfect that he ended up fumbling the present. When he returned, he was much more intentional with letting things play out, but when he went back, it was a mess. So what’s the lesson here? There needed to be a clearer connection between past actions and future implications. Like with most GMMTV dramas, I just turned my brain off and I was able to just fully enjoy the show.

The show really showed its strength with its surprisingly mature ending. I was ready to throw hands when Kawi got sick because I assumed it was the writers trying to throw an unnecessary last minute twist, but instead the twist of Pisaeng going back in time really had me floored. Pisaeng, having accidentally gotten Kawi sick in the future, considers ending his relationship with Kawi to prevent Kawi from getting deathly ill down the line, but Kawi, having grown so much in his time travels, tells Pisaeng that he's content with his life with him, and wants him in his life no matter what happens. They lived a full life in love, no need to tinker with the past.

What makes me love this show is that it's strong on its own. A lot of BLs falter because the writers rely too much on the ship or the mere fact that it's a BL to get attention and create buzz. But Krist and Gawin aren't a massive ship (and doesn't really seem like that was an intended goal of the show anyway given the lack of shipwork between the two) and you could've made Be My Favorite a het drama and it would've been JUST as good. I'm glad we're no longer settling for subpar stories to push ships and maximize $$$. I hope we continue to strive for quality dramas.

All in all, I really enjoyed Be My Favorite, a very unexpected pleasant watch!

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Is it my favorite?!

Well, no. Though it did manage to pleasantly surpass my expectations. For the past year or so GMMTV has mainly been full of disappointing Bad Buddy regurgitations, or overly ambitious productions that miss the mark. Be My Favorite managed to have the same cheesy charm of a classic GMMTV BL, but set itself apart with great chemistry, believable acting and decent writing (and somehow very little product placement?!).

The best part of the series is definitely Krist and Gawin. I wasn’t really a big fan or even familiar with either of them before this series, but this duo worked out really well! Their chemistry didn’t feel stiff, and you are always waiting for the next moment you see them together.

I actually really liked the main character Kawi. He is a total asshole, but also cute and endearing. I understand why Pisaeng was drawn to such a puzzling character. Though I will warn you that Kawi is a little stupid and misguided at times, but it makes you cheer for him when he takes a step in the right direction. I’m also just glad to have a main character who isn’t lukewarm and plain.

Pisaeng starts as a bit of a mystery, but it’s quickly revealed that he is just 100% boyfriend material. I have no complaints.

I can’t say the plot itself was revolutionary. The story had a lot of overused cliches and some parts of the story were downright stupid and redundant.
What really made this drama stand out to me was its ability to get my heart racing. It literally had me giggling and kicking my feet. So be prepared to enjoy some surprisingly touching and charming moments, and buckle in for the corniness, stupidity, and embarrassment of a true romcom.

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Have you lived your life to the fullest with no regrets?

One of the fews BLs that justifies good story doesn't need excessive sex appeal to market it.

PLOT & GENRE DISTRIBUTION : - All the genres are well balanced in this story, you'll not feel anything is left out. Plot flow is interesting and you'll not feel bored. Nothing feels rushed and you'll feel satisfied but the filler episode could have been done in better way considering the uniqueness of concept. Climax of this drama is my favourite part when our MC learns that somethings cannot be changed, only the paths can be differed. The 3rd spin to future when Kawee becomes famous and is ignorant towards life is the peak of this drama, every possible dynamics you expect happens here.

THEME : - Living your life to fullest, second chance, knowing & loving yourself and embracing your mistakes are the concepts behind this in my eyes as this one can have various interpretations and possible messages can be drawn from it depending on your own experiences. Time-travel is not the unique concept, but given the execution and story it's logical and exciting.

ACTING & CASTING : - Dialogue delivery is really good, like you laugh when you need to and no one overacted their role. Krist as Kawee was well casted and acted, I have watched a lot of his work and he is a decent actor. I felt most of the Kawee's emotions. Confused, scared, lonely, sad, happy, goofy, you can see it all coming but except love, I can't feel his love for pisaeng but I liked their friendship more. Fluke as Pisaeng was well casted and decently performed again and he has one impactful scene with his mother that left an impression on me. I have watched him before but I can't remember much. Other actors did a good job as well.

CHARACTERS & DEVELOPMENT : - All the characters represented were realistic except Pisaeng (reasons below) apart from the fact in real life you hardly get second chance.
> Bodkawee - He is introvert, shy, reserved, had low self-esteem and struggled while approaching people. He had a negative view of world, that everyone will leave him and judge him for who he is, that's why he was scared to face his true self and became self-proclaimed loser. After helping him on his first day praemai becomes his crush and he feel in love with her then he mustered up his courage to confess it to her but things went south, so when he got a magical second chance he left no stone unturned to achieve his desired outcome even-though universe was against it. After he traveled back in time, on outside he did changed into more approachable and tried to achieve all those things he couldn't earlier but on inside he was still insecure about people accepting him and with all these piled up emotions Pisaeng became his first friend and also his emotional punchbag ^^ Unintentionally he turned mean and selfish towards Pisaeng as he was frustrated with results of his efforts. Even after he was drawn to him, he denied his feelings and got scared to show his true self as he was conscious about people around him and became dependent on alcohol. His 30-yr soul in his 20-yr old couldn't be of much help as he haven't experienced much in life previously, so he came out as goofy and sometimes childish when he tried to change. But by the end you could see him becoming more calm and understanding. His love for his father was unconditional as he tried to undo the inevitable. Embracing his mistakes and learning from them is his biggest strength. I felt he was asexual to be stopping all of Pisaeng's advances but they didn't dived into it and pulled he was not ready arc. (which is also important tho)
> Pisaeng - What a saint is he, isn't he? This boy really has the patience of a saint, as you his love for Kawee remains unwavering in every spin to future. He is always there for him. No matter how cruel and selfish Kawee became but this guy supported him at every turn. And oh boy! when he cried in climax I saw him breaking down and feeling shitty after Kawee pulled another "oh I need my friend I'm heartbroken" He was sweet, caring, loving, lonely, supportive and best friend material ever. His character has an arc development of finding yourself. They didn't pull gay for you idiocy, but he truly tried to discover his sexuality and to understand himself. His dynamics with his mother and Max were applauding. In true sense he was Kawee's angel and not the mysterious uncle. Him distancing himself from Not showed how much friendship, respect and integrity mattered to him. That being said, they made him too perfect without a flaw which is unrealistic. Also, when he was asked why he loved Kawee he would say "because you're cute" come on there is always a reason, that pretty much implied to me he was there to love Kawee and was unrealistic.
> Praemai - This woman is goddess to be forgiving everyone left, right, centre. But eventually she is most confident, level-headed, sincere, kind, caring and definition of true friend but her only flaw is she expect so much for people around her but to get disappointed and this started with her mom leaving her to make progress in her career. As she said "I'm maybe disappointed, but I'm not desperate" She owned herself, knew her own worth and could differentiate right from wrong. Her putting people in their place when they are wrong is her strength. She grew up to mend her issues with people around her in composing manner which made her stronger. In climax, during wedding scene she was complete opposite of her true self, where she compromised with her life, which justifies you don't know what future holds.
> Max - He was guide to our main characters. His radical mindset made him clear minded and he was confident in his advices. He was the best supportive Kawee could have after his father. He found his own peace in working for the cause. And his stylist need a raise. lol.
> Not - His demeanour was everything, he expressed his feelings with his body language. He was not a lost cause, he was distracted from right path and as Kwan told him off he had his positive traits and you can see that when he encouraged Kawee but he was hell bent on not acknowledging them. He mindset was still immature for love so I guess it was right for him to not end up with anyone.
> Kwan - This character was short but had an impactful presence. She didn't became lovelorn and cherished her friendship with Pear and put stop to Not's impure intentions, it was enough to make assumptions about her character.

STORY : - Story was well-structured, it wasn't creative but made sense and was enjoyable. It's pretty much straightforward and not difficult to understand. A boy who tag himself as loser gets second chance to change things and try hard to align everything from love, family, ambition to friends. One of the strongest part has to be romance, although both actors played their roles well but together their wasn't much spark.
1st Act pulls you in but was a little (ignorable) stretched. 2nd Act and Climax was interesting and engaging while 3rd Act was satisfying but not great
There were somethings I wished they had explained them more and just didn't shrug it off because it has to happen.

PACE : - Every scene was as long as it should be, it was medium paced and let the story to develop.

EXECUTION : - There were fillers in last eps which could be done in better way. They wanted to show more of their romance but it didn't landed. It has consistent tone flows well.

Direction & Cinematography : - Direction is Good, giving each scene deserving time and was without random and abrupt shots. There wasn't much to cinematography but lightings where needed were well done. Max had some great outfits, I would love to buy them. hehe.

Music & SFX : - Music was good, I loved the opening song "REDO" and "Unable". At some places I thought SFX were weird but overall they were alright.

Did I enjoyed it? Yes.
Is it the best? No.
Did I care about the character? Yes, especially Pear.

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Cute series but needs some work

This series is cute and sweet, but I have to agree with a few that I am not a fan of Krist acting in this series nor am I not a fan of the character Kawi. I get that they are trying to show growth and development of the character over time, but sadly he comes off child like, never learning and annoying relying on thinking money and getting the girl is happiness, and only wanting to make him self happy no matter the cost to others, when there are a lot more important things he should doing. Hard to believe he has held on to loving Pear for 10 years not having a life but then wants to go back over and over to make things work for him hurting others and then changes love interest until 8 episodes down, way to long. The storyline was lacking in real development and at times was annoying with the time going back and forth. I sadly found my self fast forwarding just to get through it. The side characters and friends were a nice touch and interesting and I love Fluke playing as Pisaeng, his character was great with emotions, growth and development. I wish the friends had more screen time. The series had a lot of potential to tell an amazing story but fell flat in execution, to many few parts did not fit and there was a lack of chemistry between the two leads felt more like bromance then Boy love I enjoyed the concept of the series and enjoyed some characters but Krist "Kaiwi" did not do a good job with this role and character. The last to episodes was the best of the series only.

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A delightful watch!

I didn't expect to like it so much! Loved the use of time travel without a lot of the limitations of the time travel so it was quite enjoyable. The development of the story was great and felt natural as well. Some parts of the story were a bit slow and there could have been a bit more romance but overall, it was loads of fun to watch!

The characters were great, leads had a lot of chemistry and worked well together. For a change they don't make women seem evil in this which was refreshing! The side characters are interesting and their story doesn't distract from the main characters' storyline so it was a good balance. It's nice to see positive characters and a few grey characters. Made it more natural.

A little bit on the predictable side and also there are asexual couples too but one character seems to highlight the importance of sex. It would have been nice to see the characters to have a conversation about their concerns with their partner.

The music is nice. Will be looking into the songs.

The show might be a 9 but because I was enjoying it a lot I bumped it to a 9.5. This is the kind of drama one needs to get you out of your drama slump!

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If you can manage to like Kawi, you'll love this drama!

Honestly, the writing of this story is top-notch. It's a slow but steady story, constantly propelling you forward and giving you the time to enjoy every step of the action. I cared a great deal about the characters and their reveals. Even as I rooted for the two male leads, I was also cheering on the side characters.

The only issue with this show is the lead, Kawi. While I love his story, he's incredibly annoying as a personality. You find yourself wondering, "What is Pisaeng getting out of this?" Even when Kawi does show positive sides of him, I'm still so mad at him for his other behaviors that it seems fake. Have you ever disliked a character so much that you start feeling actual anger when they succeed?

So as the title says, if you don't feel annoyed by Kawi, then you will absolutely love this show. Maybe he's your cup of tea! I wish you all the best together.

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a must watch for romance lovers! def one of the best bls out there!

Intro:

I am someone who doesn't particularly enjoy romance, especially romcoms. I enjoy genres like: action, thriller crime, etc. However, I can recognise a good drama regardless of the genre. This is one of those rare gems which you'll love even if you don't necessarily love romcoms in general.



Acting & Cast - 10/10

My first Thai BL was SOTUS so, Krist is an actor I hold in my heart memorably. However, his controversies surrounding his homophobia made me dislike him over time. As a queer person myself, I couldn't comprehend how people, especially those who profit off the queer community, can be queerphobic. I am not someone that believes queer character should be only played by queer people. A character is just a character after all. But the least you can do when you play a queer role is to be an ally. However, even though late, I've learnt that Krist has grown a lot over time. He has always been vocal towards his support towards the queer community. People, including myself, were quick to judge with only edited and limited resources at hand. He has said somewhat "rocky" things but has always learnt and grown from those mistakes. Krist is truly one of the few BL actors that loudly supports the LGBTQIA+ community online and offline.

Now on to the actual series, I never expected to see Krist and Gawin as a couple but it was an extremely pleasant surprise. Krist is an actor, who plays all the roles he is given amazingly well. He never disappoints when it comes to acting. Gawin is another great actor. I'm so happy to finally see him having a lead role. This was truly the perfect first main role for him, imo. GawinKrist's chemistry was insanely good. They fit so well together. I really hope to see more of them again, one day. I hope to see Krist in more BL roles (which is something he has wanted as well but couldn't due to his pairing with singto).

The cast was a perfect fit for all of their respective roles. Everyone was great at truly embodying and projecting their characters. This one of the best series in terms of casting and chemistry between actors.



Story - 10/10

The story was amazing. The story was very progressive, complex, and heartwarming. The portrayal of one coming to term with their sexuality was beautiful. I felt that they did a great job in showing the complexities of it. There was one thing that disappointed me. The only thing that disappointed me. There was a certain scene where there was an opportunity to talk about asexuality but wasn't. Asexuality is practically invisible in most dramas. It would have been nice to finally see some representation for those on the asexual and aromantic spectrums.

It was refreshing to see family dynamics that were complicated. Families that weren't just bad or good. The children had problems with their parents, faced disappointment but also showed the love between them. It felt very realistic and relatable to the majority in most parts. Every character's family situation was unique and different but also very similar. Most of the families in the drama were supportive which was so nice to see in BLs.

The characters all had depth and development. The best part of the drama was Kawee's character development. The side characters had their own stories which were filled with complex emotions and depth. I loved how the side characters' stories had satisfying conclusions too and weren't abandoned. Every character has their own unique struggle.

The fantasy/ supernatural aspect of the drama was very good. It all felt like a big heartwarming lesson on life. The time travel was perfectly woven into the story. It never felt unnecessary and it further showed each character's growth and made the ending even more satisfying. The drama showed how even the smallest decisions can have a domino effect and change the future. The best part was how after every travel, the characters grew some more. It was imperfect in a perfect way.

The romance was perfect. Kawee's and Pisaeng's growth together was great. I loved how healthy their relationship was. We truly need more representations of healthy relationships in dramas especially BLs. Almost all of the characters ended up being green flags by the end of the series. The romance and character development was paced so smoothly. It never felt sudden or delayed. The overall pacing of the whole drama was really amazing. It kept me wanting more and more, to the point that I am miserable now that the series ended.



Music & Sound - 9.5/10

The OSTs were actually so good. Krist and Gawin are really good singers. The singing parts didn't feel cringe or out of place, which is unfortunately something that often happens in BLs. I felt that the songs really portrayed the emotions and stories of the characters really well. This is one of the rare series I've watched where I actually remember the OSTs.



Rewatch Value - 9/10

The series was very memorable but I'd rewatch it just to be happy all over again. The fluffy feeling that I got from the drama will not fade easily. The drama had me all giggly and flushed, that wholesomeness is something I want again.



Overall - 9.5/10

I loved it! I definitely recommend all BL and romcom fans to watch it. Don't hesitate just give it a try and you'll even get some relatable advice from Max. This series is truly one of GMMTV's best creations. I need more like this!



Thanks for reading this far <3!

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Time solved everything

I started to watch this drama because of Krist, but in the end, I fell for Gawin. In 2023, GMMTV had many BL dramas, and I watched everything. And this is one of the best dramas on GMMTV. At the very beginning of the trailer, I was excited because it's a fresh plot and a new pairing. But the production changed Mike to Gawin, and I was disappointed. The other thing was that, though it's a new pairing, I was loyal to Singto and Kris, though there is no future for this pairing.But after watching the first episode, I was ecstatic because it was not the same copy-and-paste plot and time travel, which is brand new. And the new pairing was awesome. They had the chemistry, good acting, and body language that made me sit through illogical plots and make the drama even more addicting. As a couple, they brought out their understanding of each other so well. I could describe their relationship as comic, inevitable, fiery, jeoulous, and mature. All their scenes together highlighted their amazing chemistry. They complimented each other perfectly, whether they were in love or fighting with each other.The character Kawi, on the other hand, was annoying. I was wondering why he cannot see or feel the feelings of Pisaeng, and the obvious answer is that writers want the Kawi to grow throughout the drama. Typically, this means moving from a worse person to a better person. Meanwhile, Pisaeng delivered an emotional roller coaster, which made me fall head over heels for Gawin. But in the end, he gave up and left Kawi.Though I never believed "time will solve everything," it did. This story path is not a flower road. There are many obstacles that test their love and affection, and it was heartbreaking to see fate testing their love for each other. "As time goes on, you'll understand. What lasts, lasts; what doesn't, doesn't. Time solves most things, and what most time can't solve, you have  to."Time solved everything.The writer used each and every character to develop main characters, and each minor character had an ending without vanishing into the air after building a happy ending for Pisaeng and Kawi.Actually, I'm so glad that this drama is not only focused on romance. Recently, I learned many life lessons from this drama. Mainly, it addresses common insecurities, overthinking, and different aspects regarding the LGBTQ community. Not only was it a drama, but it also taught me many life lessons.

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