This review may contain spoilers
This series tested my patience step by step
I initially enjoyed Ben's character "Pat". I thought he was cute and his weirded-out faces made my day and night. But as the series progressed, I realized it was one of probably four expressions he was capable of and it got annoying really fast. I loved Pat's friendship with Ae, Prem, and Nan. But once Chot was introduced, Nan, Ae, and Prem took a hard backseat. I love Chot, but not as much as Ae and Nan.I thought Man did an awesome job as Mr. Jeng, although I personally did not like Mr. Jeng. I thought that the character itself for 10 episodes was lacking. Man himself is attractive but Mr. Jeng has little to no charisma.
When I discovered this show in June, I thought there were only 10 episodes (I didn't care to read the # of episodes obviously and it was still airing) so when I got to episode eight, I was a bit interested in how it'll end in the two remaining episodes. But once I found out that I had not two but four more episodes to go, I was bummed. It was then, middle of ep 10 that I decided to drop this show because it was becoming too much; a real hassle to sit and/or skim through.
In the scene where Ae gives birth (clearly as an Ae biased), I was frustrated with its execution. It was cringe, strange, and illogical. Openly recording someone, a stranger at that, giving birth and crying out in pain rather than helping her, calling the police/ambulance, or telling her everything would be okay were standard expectations but the majority didn't do any of those! Even the police who showed up did squat (why is the Thai union always depicted as useless in these films?). I'm sure the older women who were giving Ae disgusted looks had given birth themselves so for no one but a medical student to step in while everyone else recorded or judged was sooo so stupid. And wtf was Pat's problem??? This is his best friend going into labor in the middle of a street and he couldn't do one thing to comfort her. I understand he freaked but given how close they are and Ae's protectiveness of him, I thought he'd at least got her back. I hated Pat so much that I wanted Put to get away from him so when they broke up, I was so happy and I didn't even like Put. Not until Pat left Put and went and got drunk instead.
It really took me three months to try and get through this series but I refuse to watch another disgusted/worried/weirded out face of Pat's again.
And don't get me started on Jaab. He only existed for aesthetics. I was so mad it took him a lifetime to comfort Mr. Jeng when the usually stoic guy unexpectedly broke down ugly crying. For 10 episodes, except being told that they're brothers, a very small handful of their interactions actually felt like authentic brotherly bonds.
Normally extras are just that, extra bodies in the background. But eventually, I was so bored with the main characters that I found myself scrutinizing for extras' interactions and expressions. It was funny as it seemed like they were told 'you guys can look in the same direction but no talking, don't even act like you're having a conversation'. The scene where Jeng and Pat were out trying restaurants was especially comical because they played a soundtrack where people were chatting and dining but the extras in the background were either on their phones or not looking at each other. Either way, this was a drop and I may or may not finish the last two episodes someday but I doubt they'll be missed...
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This review may contain spoilers
Mixed Feelings About This One
I'm a little disappointed in this series. The series started off to an amazing start but as one of the other reviews that I saw said midway through it started to feel like more of an obligation to finish. So I'll break down my review into 3 different parts: plot, acting/characters and overall.Plot: The plot I think was a generally an okay story, but I think it was poorly executed. Midway though the series the plot started to get lost. The main story was annoying and, dare I say, boring at times. Also the side stories were just all over the place. From Ae giving birth on public transit to Jaab and Jane's whole debacle, I think the side stories were not planned out very well which ended up talking away from the development of the main storyline. I did the the main storyline of the series which was the employee falling in love with their boss trope, but again I just think it was poorly executed. A couple things I didn't understand concerning the plot was why Pat didn't think he was good enough for Jeng even after Jeng confessed his feelings, why Pat tried to start dating Put again after how Put treated him and knowing that he liked Jeng, and the last thing I didn't understand is why all of Pat's friends were happy that he started dating Put again when they know how Put treated him before.
Acting/Characters: Overall the acting was decent at best. Some of the actors were good and some were not. I absolutely disliked Ben's character (Pat) from the way he acted (like a baby even though he's a full grown adult) to the terrible facial expressions he made in every scene. Also idk if it was just me but I did not feel the chemistry between Pat and Jeng (or Put). I hated how Jeng and Jaab were both kind of push overs when it came to the person they liked. Jane was also annoying in the sense of like why did you borderline cheat on your boyfriend and push Jaab away but then get mad/upset when he had finally given up on you. I thought Khanun was annoyingly dumb, idk I just wasn't feeling that character. Chot was the only decent character in my opinion; everybody else was lowkey mid.
Overall: This wasn't the worst Thai BL I've seen but it definitely could have been a lot better. It had a lot of potential but unfortunately failed to deliver.
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This review may contain spoilers
Good until the middle. After that, nosedive.
I make it short: Don't watch it!For me it was good until the 7th episode, the 8th was bad, the 9th was good again and after that it was just terrible.
I am especially disappointed by the last episode.
All questions and problems have to be solved and in the end I expect a happy ending in a BL. But one with tadaaaaaa.
Here.. lame.
Why walked the Mother through the Café? The Father threw the dismissal in the garbage, but what happened then? What with the new customer? There are other questions, but they are not worth enumerating.
That was not here at all.
Like in such series... you get closer, then some nonsense happens and in the end they get together. Here the pattern is also fulfilled. Only in slow motion.
Trisanu Soranun is really cool. I like him. I would marry him in a heartbeat.
I think he did a good job acting. I think that's because I have rose-colored glasses on with him and I'm not in my right mind.
Bunyapol Likhitamnuayporn has a problem with nasal breathing. I do not want to recommend him surgery, but it needs to be advised. That's why his mouth is open all the time and he also talks as if his nose is closed. I'm sorry: this stresses me out.
Paramee Mahatthanadul would be my dream man too. He's a little too aloof. A little too posh. But honey, I'm not perfect either.
Sirikorn Kananurak is a surprise. His role got better and better.
I'm not a big fan of emotional outbursts. They were well acted from my humble point of view. But anyone who cries so heartbreakingly should have a tear to spare. This was missing and in the film it should not be spared.
When we cry, we all look ugly. In a film, this is very critical. Either it works or the viewer finds it too extreme and distances himself.
I found it much too exaggerated. There's constant crying.
To the script.
Writer, you need to try harder. You either ran out of steam or they didn't have any money left for you. The ending just sucked!
It wr like an ultra thin tea, lukewarm and lovelessly served in a dirty glass. I didn't like drinking it. One does it because ... yes why? Because you hope it started so well, so it will have a good ending.
No. The end was just ...... SCREAM
What happened during the production?
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Wasted potential
Started on a high note ,,then fell off.Feels like you are skipping certain episodes when watching cuz the story isn't connecting.
Ps Ben acting is BAD....hope he improves in the future though
I get that he's new in the industry but he's constipated face and looking like he's holding a fart in almost all the time is off putting to say the least.
To much crying of the pats cahari.honestly I've never seen such a pathetically poorly written character until step by step ...what even was that..makes you wonder what Jeng saw in him.
I knew the show was a slow burn but boy oh boy ,was is sloooooow....It took too long to climax ..and it was just underwhelming..
And the time skips certainly did not help
I wanted my time on this,cuz I thought it'll get better but no.
Gave it a 5 just coz of handsome men in there
Otherwise as a drama itself Big NO.
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An office lovestory ... something different from uni and highschool love affaires
The story did sound good, employee and heir/boss falling in love ... only that´s it at all.The characters did not really develop, which is not the acting, but the storyline. Chot is over the top exalted and portraits a caricature but not a real character. He had his own love story which developed ... The lead characters but stuck in the not developing script but do their best. Why but Pat has to be that whining and immature, especially having been abroad in USa is a total miracle to. His character could more be in an antifeminist plot as a women ... Jeng is controlled and calm partly reduced. but that I can understand, he is an heir and under special surveillance ... He has to be cautious and can´t be too "familiar" with his employees. Those persons are most the most lonely in any labour situation.
The crying of Pat is like an Ariadne thread till the No12 and is most anoying ... incl. the missing tears when crying the soul out. Men hetero and gay are allowed to cry ... but here? For the drama? For portraying weakness? Secretly the writer wanted to have a "weak women" for a strong man?Or is the charakter of Pat designed to please / mirror women? If so ... what an antifeminist shit. Women? Weak? Okay to many men die die from a simple snot ... and if they had to give birth ... the Homo Sapiens might already be extinct, without climatechange. And then the monthly pain. No man would stand it ...
The 3rd love affair in the show, Jaab and Jen ... disapointing, but Murphy´s Law ... or sit happens and not all relations go smooth from attraction and good vibes into a real relation ... some encounters are just a flutter.
Crybaby Pat and an own company ... hm ... veery realistic ... and then there he is still unstable ... as I said, Pat stays unstable from beginning to end. And very realistic that a love affair is looming in 2 for 2 years ... and then they are switch together? Dreamland ... okay these shows are dreamlands but sometimes one is wishing for realism. And most LGBTQIAplus are realistic and move on after a break up. Especially gay men.
The story is too flat, despite a spicy potential as an office romance. Most relations are starting in the workplace today ... and there is a huge potential for telling not only one story.
Rewatching value? No!
I forced myself through the shows.
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Literally Slow Burn
Gosh my head hurt while I watched this (in a good way). It was kinda slow burn but the climax and falling action was not upto the mark and did not satisfy me. It felt like it was rushed and there was an incompleteness. A lot of scenes that should have been there was skipped.The ML Couple had a rushed ending-
1. They met accidentally (good start)
2. They had accidental meeting (okay good)
3. The ML caught feeling (great!)
4. Pat dated his past Bf (also good. Might happen in reality)
5. They break up (Pat&Put), Pat goes through heartbreak and starts having feeling for Jeng????? (How can this happen???)
This is where I feel they messed up. You cannot love a person who has feeling for you right after you dated your ex. Can you? There should have been a few more episodes prior to Pat catching feeling for Jeng where he was shown he was recovering, his moments with Jeng , and a realization that who is good for him.
The 2nd ML couple was sad. They did not come to a closure. Realityyyy.
The friend of Pat were good though. The office colleagues were a bit overdone but that's how the office scenario works.
That's all guys! I really expected a LOT from this drama. This is the first THAI drama that disaapointed me. Generally C-drama does because they make Romance into Bromance and K-Dramas because of lack of skinship.
K bye!
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strange writing
Started this not understanding the mixed reviews. It took until maybe ep 6 where I realized that this was not turning out that well. Some of the subjects that were touched were really important to discuss especially in regards to gay media. Unfortunately, it wasn’t really expanded on and felt like very touch & go so that was unfortunate. the time skips were hard to follow. overall, this comes off as an unfinished story or even a prequel. just a bad one. the acting was good, I loved seeing Up, though I do hope we see him in a leading role again soon.Was this review helpful to you?
all business and zero romance
This is my first review (written mostly because it is a waste of the actors)I want to say first that I love shows based on books because the characters tend to be more three-dimensional. Here we get NO idea why people get together, or break up or basically why anything happens.
It seems the screenplay writers focused on the workplace and less on the characters. The main character comes off very shallow and just plain dumb.
The pacing of characters like Jeng, his character goes from one end to the other almost overnight.
You will love or hate it...
in general, I agree with most that it's still worth a try....if you like to yell at the TV screen.
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What were those last few episodes and the ending???
I definitely have a big ass beef with the way this bl ended. Okay so i absolutely loved this series in first half but second half of episodes just disappointed me. What had me most frustrated was the fact that they announced second coupled storyline trough the beginning of the show and i got really interested in it but they just forgot about it and they never talked more deeply about it like you cant leave it unfinished, i was waiting for second couple closer or something but we never got anything which is so frustrating, its like im super glad that main couple had their happy ending but like what, also i think that the time jumps weren't that necessary.Was this review helpful to you?
LOVE SIGNAL
I have just watched the first episodes and I am very pleased with its remarkable execution, being an office romance it is one of the most exciting plots and not to mention that age-gap is another of my addictions when it comes to BL series but anyway aside from that I want to point out the intense elements that make the series a masterpiece.
Jeng's good looks will probably get you high anytime and screaming and not to mention he also has that game face that is so sexy even when he is serious, he is a very deep character that appears to be assertive yet a closer look could only make one realise that he has vulnerabilities that he likes to keep to himself which bittersweet mood always gets you curious.
Pat on the other hand is this one guy from abroad that is always up and down and for some reason acts childish despite his old age which makes me love him, as he is playful, active and very lively most of the time, he's that one person that makes the office scene look less officey and is a hopeless romantic.
The fact that the two leads are from different personalities makes the plot all the more interesting and furthermore, I love the fact that the pacing seems to be at its finest that it almost feels that the story is flawless, the leads each seem to have developed a sense of impartation to their characters and like it or not the fact that it starts to have the elements of a cat and mouse relationship makes it fun to watch giving them a very cute chemistry together.
I had been waiting for a whole year for the release of this series which automatically means that I had very high expectations especially after I watched the pilot trailer and it hasn't left me disappointed at all because it further surpassed my expectations.
This is probably the best office Romance of the year as you can get the feeling almost instantly owing to the fact that every moment of every scene feels very real and every emotion intense it just has a way that gets you absorbed and hardly bored you can't stop hoping and wanting more of their love.
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This review may contain spoilers
VERY SLOW "COUPLE DEVELOPMENT" AND BLAND STORY LINE
First of all, I want to acknowledge Man's hotness and somewhat acceptable acting skills. Given that he is still fresh in the industry, he delivers the character well enough. On the other hand, Ben , I'm guessing he is also a fresh actor but still needs a lot of workshops in acting. I find him in this series boring and sometimes over-the top acting.The premise is great, it's not that kind of BL where it's always the set up is either in high school or in university. The idea where the boss will eventually falls for the employee is great! But boy oh boy!!! How many episodes are we going to wait and see how Jen and Pat have a significant romantic scene!?? The closest we have so far is where Pat is crying over a comment on episode 7 and leans towards Jen.
It's so painful to watch Pat talks like he have this speech impediment thing. I don't know about it, is it in his acting or just plain stupid style?! Either way it's so annoying!
THIS IS ONE OF THE SLOWEST BL COUPLE DEVELOPMENT I'VE EVER WATCHED! YES THE TITLE IS STEP BY STEP BUT COME ON!!! IT'S NOT STEP BY STEP ANYMORE AFTER 7 EPISODES, ITS LIKE INCH BY INCH, IT'S LIKE A TOUR GOING TO "COMALAND" OR MAYBE "BORINGLANDIA". PEOPLE ARE LITERALLY SNOOZING WHENEVER THEY WATCH BEN TALKS AND SPEAKS LIKE EEHH...OOHHH... P'JEN...IIIHH..EEE...OOHHH LIKE COME ON SPIT IT OUT!!!!! IT'S NOT CUTE AT ALL!!!! YOU ARE WASTING MAN'S HANDSOMENESS AND GOOD LOOKS! SERIOUSLY!! Dee Hup House WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR COMPANY?? I USED TO LOVE YOUR SERIES ESPECIALLY LOVELY WRITER... LOVELY WRITER IS ONE GOOD EXAMPLE OF A GREAT COUPLE DEVELOPMENT... I'M SURPRISED THAT MYDRAMALIST GAVE THIS SERIES A 7.8 RATING WHERE IT SHOULD'VE BEEN 1.0
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So far meh
I have finally made up my mind and i am watching this but personally to me this series is booring. Kept watching, take a break and coming back. Its like a boss and a babe just slower and boooring. The main cast pat his facial expression just pissing me tf off. I hope later down it picks up because i Am at episode 4 for the longest while. I know its called step by step but come on nah man. The other brother whos in love with the pete look alike to me hes just beautiful and thats about it and the pete look alike 🙄😒 but as i said before Lets see if i can reach to 10 because right now i dont know.Was this review helpful to you?
