Only Friends

they have created heaven and hell for themselves...

when the first trailer came out, the hype was already there.this series felt different, fresher and rougher than the standard high school BL. And thankfully it delivered!
What makes this series so special is not the NC scenes,which while very risqué by GMMTV standards, individually are no more so than what other studios have been doing for a long time, but its characters. In particular, Boston, Ray, Sand and Nick are characters that most of us have probably met before or perhaps find ourselves in them.
That and the unsparing and revealing look at their dysfunctional relationships is what makes the series unique. It's not all sunshine and roses and not black and white. People struggle, act toxic, can't always define their feelings, have their own baggage of traumas. and hurt other people.
And that shows Only Friends like rarely any other series before and also the courage it takes despite all this behavior to get involved with another person and trust the feeling we call love.

Acting-wise, this series is always at the highest level. First and Khao can unleash all their talent, with characters as complex as Sand and Ray. Sometimes it's just nuances, a little shadow in their eyes, but they make you feel all the emotions.
But also in the scenes where the big emotions are asked for, the two deliver like no other and probably create some of the most emotional scenes in a drama of this year and with sand and ray have already created two iconic overly complex characters who combine vulnerability, security, selfishness and devotion in themselves
And Neo-Oh my God, finally give this man a leading role, because he is pure gold! He didn't just play the f*ckboy Boston, he was it! If you look at his other roles, he's probably one of the most versatile scene players GMMTV has to offer.
But Mark doesn't have to hide either, even if his role as Nick was a bit simpler, he was always convincing.And his character shines and shines more and more, the longer the series goes on.

Staying with the characters, we also come to the biggest negatv point of the series, called Top and Mew. Their characters seem more like stereotypes, their relationship not so believable and their story arcs feel strangely flat, and even though their relationship becomes more intense, I just didn't warm up to the characters too much.

Apart from that, one parts were too rushed and other parts were obviously designed to make even more mess.
But even in these parts, Only Friends is more entertaining than the competition, making it, in its worst parts, an entertaining mess and, in its best parts, a beautiful, fragile, unpolished paean to love and thus an undeniable drama highlight of 2023.

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Esse BL❤️‍?

Primeiramente, eu amo os atores então já ganha um ponto comigo.
eu amo um caos porém também odeio, estou vendo que vou sofrer um pouco por causa desse BL, eu realmente quero que o sandray fiquem juntos, é o único casal que eu realmente quero que fique juntos.

Para mim, eles são perfeitos juntos, eu sou cadelinha deles. Mas sinto que o Sand, vai sofre muito, eu espero que o Ray perceba.

falando no geral, a trama é boa. É como vê um dorama de mistério, com suspense. Não se sabe quem é pior, literalmente eu desconfio de todos.

Os casais ainda não estão desenvolvidos, mas daqui a pouco talvez desenrole.

Spoiler
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Então eu peço Ray case com Sand, ele tá caidinho por ti, mas como você faz isso com ele!!!??? Não venha ficar com teu Best, volta pro Sand!

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Started off great. What went wrong?

The first half of this show was really great! Fleshed out, complex characters were introduced with a wide variety of storylines that made for an interesting watch. The characters were authentically queer and messy, with really fantastic acting coming from everybody. Every character has some pretty serious flaws, and to be honest it looked like everybody was going to hate each other by the time the show was over. I was not expecting a traditional happy ending for most if any of these characters, but that's life! I came into this expecting that it would be messy and disastrous, that would have been a reasonable ending.

However, the last few episodes completely switched their tune. Of everybody in this show, the only characters that made any sense to give a happy ending to was Sand and Ray, with a possibility of Boston and Nick ending up in a successful open relationship. I'm the first to admit that I'm biased as this is the only show with ForceBook that I've ever been able to finish because I just don't enjoy their pairings, but Top and Mew were a disaster from the start and everybody could see that they were going to crash and burn before they even got together. But for some reason, instead of letting Mew go through with his revenge and have a true wild phase, he ends up getting back together with Top??? It made zero sense with the original plot and came across as something that was changed halfway through to appease the fans.

The treatment of Boston and his shitty ending also seemed to come out of nowhere. Initially, it seemed that this show was going to challenge the stigma around queer people who sleep around and don't choose the monogamous lifestyle with Boston's character. I truly thought that he was going to get a "happy" ending where he continues to live that life or has an open relationship. But instead we got whatever that was and a reinforcement of the idea that the only way to truly be happy is to settle for a monogamous relationship. There were plenty of characters done wrong by this change in narrative, but personally I was most disappointed with Boston's treatment.

Really great acting from the cast in this though! Khaotung has proven himself as a very capable and compelling actor before, but he really did an AMAZING job as Ray in this. First also did a great job as Sand, and together the two of them played very well off of each other to create a really tangible dynamic. Neo got a chance to step outside of the roles he's been cast in for the last few GMMTV shows, and his acting really stood out here.

Overall, there's a lot of really talented actors in this who got to shine during the first half of the series, I just wished they had went with a different ending.

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Stumbled In the Final Quarter

For a show that warned viewers to leave their morality at the door, the ending is what lost this almost-masterpiece an entire star.

I'm just going to say it: Boston deserved better writing. Neo Trai's acting performance was easily the strongest across the heavy-weight cast, but even I tired of his sad eyes and out of character whining by the end. He should have stood firm, he should have been allowed to be a non-monogamous king in peace, and he should have gotten to end the series with the threesome he was promised in the beginning. I just hope he gets the last laugh while off in New York.

Edit: After sitting with this show for a bit longer, I'm dropping my rating to a 7/10.

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Enjoyable and funny but far from a masterpiece !

There are a lot of good stuff like the acting, the messiness or people theories so I enjoyed myself.
But we need to talk about the sl*t shaming in this story. You cannot sell your story as really sexy, explicit and progressive and then have all characters who don't want to be in a relationship and just want to enjoy s*x be the bad guy in your story, they're just bad to be bad, no background, no reasons for their actions. They are just sl*t because life I guess (Boston best example). For me, it's really problematic.
That's being said, almost all characters don't really make sense too, they act to make the plot move forward :
- Mew calling Boston before having s*x with Top when they don't seem to be that close
- Nick putting the listening device in Boston car before the party for no reason
- Ray having a breakdown in front of everyone after telling the truth to Mew
- Mew hitting Ray in the face after the breakdown even if he does the truth
- Daddy Dan character just came and disappeared
- Boieng character same
- the token lesbien duo
- the r*pe accusation plot....
And it's just what came out of the top of my head.
Now, the relationships and characters !
- Mew and Top were really boring for me sorry, I don't like the virgin who's gonna change the bad boy from his bad habits because he's just soooo perfect. Not my cup of tea I guess. And I didn't like their characters as individuals too. I just remembered that Top used to take dr*gs and stopped thanks to the power of love ! With no consequenses
- Ray and Sand were cute but Ray did a lot of f*cked up things. Not respecting Sand boundaries and all of it being played as if it was funny just doesn't sit right for me. (The scene were Ray interupted Nick and Sand vacations after Sand told him not to come...) Or Ray calling Sand a bunch of names when he's mad and never really apologised for it either. Like there is nothing cute about this relationship if you think about it. They could have shown us the impact of that kind of codependancy but no. I'm happy they take Ray alcoholism kinda seriously even if he's pretty clean, his friends drink next to him as if he was not an addict, no discomfort... It could have been really interesting to also see the burning for Sand, being the only reason for someone sobriety is not easy.
- Nick and Boston were cute, I really liked them at first but they didn't get enough screentime in my opinion. It could have been really interesting to see their characters and the reason behind their actions. But I think the writer's opinions really shaped their story, especially for Boston.
And I'll finish by saying that if you don't know how to write about serious topics like addiction, abusive relationship, r*pe accusations, you SHOULDN'T !
But yes, It was an entertaining show ! So watch it if you want to have fun ;)

(sorry for the mistakes

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Can't even finish it.. It's so bad. (Characters are CREEPY!!)

The story was eh then it just became horribly unwatchable. After they made Ray do that whole thing at his best friend's birthday I knew where this show was going and I was praying and hoping it'd get better. And then when they made Ray cheat with Sand then I had enough. I don't understand how anyone can say this is good. All the characters are terribly written and it's way too fast paced? Mew says he doesn't want to sleep with Top and then takes him home?? Then after that they start acting all lovey dovey, it's so forced.. They don't even have a reason why they like each other. Top can't sleep with Mew right away so he decides to chase after him? Really, that’s the reason why Top likes Mew? Why were all the characters sleeping with each other in the first ep too? I stayed for Sand and Ray but of course they ruined them like the rest of the couples.

Now the real issue I have with this. Why is everyone just sharing these videos and Audios; and why are these characters so creepy?? Why are people skipping over the fact that Mew literally THREATENED Boston using that tape? I'm sorry but I don't think that's normal??? How am I supposed to root for anyone in this show when literally everyone is a terrible person. Top and Nick were the worst in my opinion. Why did Top have that recording in the first place..? AND WHY IS NICK SUCH A STALKER AND A CREEPER. And when Top cuddled Mew when he was obviously out of it… The only thing good about this show is the Ost.

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Vale muito a pena assistir!

Não tenho palavras pra descrever o quão esse elenco é maravilhoso e a produção é incrível. Gostei bastante e já estou muito apegada ao elenco. Espero que continue assim, pois minha avaliação não mudará facilmente. O First está impecável, como sempre, todos estão muito lindos🤍🤍 Os personagens e história são maravilhosas e merecem 10 em tudooo

A trilha sonora é excelente e toca nos momentos certos, realmente não tenho o que reclamar sobre isso

Gostei muito do trailer e também da abertura, fiquei feliz em ver a Nonnie atuando, não vejo a hora de conhecer sua personagem melhor😸

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The only "BL" that would have benefited from 18 episodes

I'm a lover of messy characters and messy storylines so this was truly the best series for me to watch.
What I liked
- the acting, like wow this cast gave it their all and I couldn't imagine any other actors playing these couples/characters
- the music, AMAZING ost by khaotung and jojo series always have good music
- the writing of ray's character and nick's character, I loved how much growth ray went through in these episodes and I love a desperate loser character like Nick who isn't naive but also a lil messed up

What I didn't like
- the pacing, Boeing's character came in WAYYYYY too late to have to really make a punch with the amount of damage he could have done, if this were 18 episodes, Boeing coming in at ep 10 would have made more sense
- production, this is personal preference and a little bit meta so I won't get too into it but yeah, stop cutting scenes based on fan's perception
- the flatness of Top's character, I feel like with how dynamic Mew is he deserved a partner that also had some depth to him but we know as much about Top as we do Cheum

Overall, I really loved this series and I hope we get a season 2

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The most painfully realistic BL GMMTV has ever made

Only Friends is the sauciest BL GMMTV has ever made to date (definitely as adult as adult gets for GMMTV), and this should raise some initial alarm bells. So many BLs have gone down this route, in a desperate hope that extended, cringey scenes of two handsome guys going at it would make up for the lack of an actual storyline.

But no. No, thankfully, this isn’t that kind of BL.

While you can expect a storyline full of action (....!), you can also expect some marvelous twists and turns in the narrative, woven together with stunning visuals. Thanks to the stellar acting of a stacked cast, the show delivers on emotions when it’s most needed.

There’s just so much going on here. But FINALLY, GMMTV has given us a BL with realistic characters and complex motivations. 

The narrative sloshes around the lives of a group of friends, each messed up in their own way. Yes, there’s really no other way to describe it except for “slosh”, partly because the relationships are so messy and entangled, and also because they’re sloshed (drunk) half the time.

I liked this show so much because the relationships were so intricately thought out.

The characters in Only Friends illustrate different aspects of self-destruction and how the utter lack of self control can lead to awful consequences.

It also hints at redemption - maybe, just maybe, even those capable of the most f***ed up behaviour are capable of change.

Full review here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2023/11/01/only-friends-2023-bl-review/

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A good BL that won't leave a lasting impression

Coming straight to points let me jot down the positive points first:
1. It had excellent entertainment value. I mean for people who enjoy chaotic drama, this was good.
2. It was realistic most of the time starting from how friendship and relationships can be in university days, especially amongst teens in 2023.
3. With so many actors, the drama could have major execution issues as all of the characters were linked to each other. They did a good job making it a hot mess that landed pretty well.
4. Love the fact that they were using "gay" and "bi" terms instead of making straight characters gay just like that. They also showed how difficult understanding sexuality can be and people at times mess up when they're understanding themselves.
5. I love the fact that Ton doesn't change in the end and atleast Nick accepts him how he is and moves on. Shows that some people should be alone while some should move on and never lower their bar.
6. The actor playing Ton did an awesome job cuz we all hated Ton to the core and as far as I know, the actor is a very cute and decent person in real life.
Now comes the negative points why it won't be remembered in the long run:
1. Chaos is good but there was nothing to learn from this drama. No message no nothing. Just chaos.
2. Anyone who's not studying in university will hardly relate to the characters cuz this infact is more like a sandwich of Queer UK webseries and any US teen drama. The concept itself is immaturity, so relating to the characters was difficult.
3. Some characters are too detestable and no backstory is provided so that we as audience atleast sympathize with them. Top and Ton being central characters are not detestable cuz they did the deed but the way they felt the remorse. I mean Top has a really shitty attitude and was too confident about himself althroughout flaunting dad's money whenever he could. No backstory about why he is what he is. Ton is rather down to earth but truly backstabbing and shameless which became irritating at times. Same no backstory.
4. The revenge sub plots fell short cuz nothing eventually happened. It was always nipped at the bud to add more melodrama.
5. I didn't like TopMew coupling. I don't know why it didn't work probably there wasn't much chemistry. Instead, I think SandRay were the star of the show. They need to have their own sequel.
All in all it was a good watch but I am unsure if I will recommending it to my friends. I had very high expectations and I guess that's why I am left a little unsatisfied.

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Bunch of horny adults doing shïtty things to make their life more miserable, which made sense!

5 reasons why I liked Only friends-

1. Characters were complex AF!
2. They were imperfect
3. They knew they were imperfect and tried to make things better
4. Not everyone got their desired happy endings cuz it's natural this way.
5. The characters weren't dumb they had their priorities sorted.

Character Analysis:
Ray: The cocky b@stard who is ready to chang himself for the sake of himself only.

Mew: Mentally sorted person still made some shitty decisions for himself.

Boston: The ACTUAL b@stard who knows how to füçk up his own life by his own hands and make others life miserable as well.

Cheum: Relatively blind person who judges people too quickly.

Top: Troublemaker Playboy at the beginning but found the "one" to take him out of his man-made gutter.

Sand: Lover boy romantist who falls in love with trouble easily but never loses his self-worth! The most responsible adult out of all.

Nick: Timid little guy who did terrible things to terrible people for the sake of love which didn't even exist :|

It's been quite a hectic journey with some heartbreaks, shït days and blood boiling mistakes but we made peace with the imperfect characters in a most imperfect way possible. Happy endings do exist and is very subjective but do not exist for everyone, regardless of their wrongdoings or good deeds.

My rating: 8.5/10!

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