Only Friends (2023)

Crazy, but Fun

Like the title of this review, Only Friends was crazy, but fun. There's a LOT of drama, but that's the whole point of the show. If you're looking for a gentle, sweet, kiss-on-the-cheek drama, check out 2gether or something like that. This show is NOT for the people wanting the innocent first love story. This show is meant for the people that want the drama that comes with boys that are capital M - messy!

Story:
I gave the storyline an 9.0 instead of a 10.0 because there were so many misunderstandings. Don't get me wrong, I love me a good misunderstanding, but it felt like there was a point where the only drama for every couple was the a misunderstanding arc. Use it once or twice, but don't keep reusing it in the same fashion for every couple. Communication is key!
I will say, the ending was pretty good and the way that the characters reacted to things was fairly understandable/reasonable for their characterization. This is to say that the reactions may not have been reasonable in a modern IRL setting for an everyday person, but for the characters and their stories, the reactions and motives were fairly on point.

Acting:
First/Khaotung were amazing as always. Their chemistry is OUTSTANDING. I loved them in The Eclipse and I loved them here. They were messy messy, but they were real in a way that I appreciate. Sand stayed firm in his boundaries and Ray learned how to see himself through Sand's eyes leading him to loving himself more than he had in the past.

Give it a go if you're looking for a far more mature series (and you're not afraid of a little mess.)

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Khaotung and First were amazing here! Sadly, the rest of the plot wasn't as good.

Only Friends presents an interesting premise, where you dive into how different people in a friend group perceive relationships, and how internal and external factors change the way they interact with other people (e.g, personality, addiction, social status, etc).
I was sad that the plot didn't meet my expectations, but there were good things too.
Namely, Khaotung, First, and Mark did an amazing job. For me, Khaotung was truly exceptional here, with the way he was able to portray so many different scenes and emotions, seemingly so effortlessly. He really brought Ray to life, and it made the show worth watching for me. First was the only possible choice to be paired up with Khaotung, since not only is he also an amazing actor, but also the two of them have incredible chemistry. For me, they could easily become next generation's offgun, but that's a personal opinion.
Mark was also amazing in his emotional scenes, especially given he doesn't have as much experience. I look forward to see him in more projects!
One thing I really disliked was Boeing's plot right at the end. It felt super rushed to me, and like an unnecessary way to quickly shove more drama into the last episodes. I can see how Boeing was this character who used Sand when they were together, and then left him for Top, but it just felt as though him coming back to screw both their relationships felt... very forced and weird. Personally not a fan.
Overall, I liked the series, and SandRay were truly an amazing ship.

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What an incredible messy but fun ride

If you've been in a an Australian/American queer group chat, you might get a little bit of a traumatic flashback while watching this series. I'm actually convinced the screenwriter just snuck into a queer gc and copied their drama as plot points.

First things first. This is messy but also a good representation of extremely liberal slash problematic queer friend groups. I'm convinced all of them should be in therapy and/or a polyamourous commune where they can just mess around with everyone. I just don't think monogamy works for some of these characters and that's fine!

Secondly, while I do agree that this is an accurate rep of the messy side of the queer community, it can be a triggering to see that many topics of cheating, emotional manipulation, privacy infringements, and violence in one drama. So please proceed with caution. It is good to get a rep of the messy aspect of being queer, but also there is mess in all communities really.

Thirdly, I love having a drama catered for nosy bitches like myself. I thoroughly enjoyed this although I do want to do the Gordon Ramsay's sandwich meme to some of these idiots. Make sure your blood pressure is controlled before watching this fr.

I still highly recommend watching this despite my above review.

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Some things were fantastic, some made no sense

My overall impression is the writers/producers/editors knew which couples were going to end up together, but not exactly how they would get there. A LOT of the show seemed improvised, which in my opinion is where First and Khaotung shine through. As much as I genuinely love Force and Book (and I adored A Boss and A Babe, I rewatch and bought the DVD), I don't think they had as much chemistry or coherence in their pairing. As they got together it felt like a competition, then a lot of declaring "I love you" without actually showing what made them fall in love? They have cute dates and cute scenes but in the end it didn't feel believable to me.
I thought the show was trying to make Neo and Mark layered characters, but in the end I don't think Neo's character had any real growth or understanding of what he was doing that alienated people. Mark was fantastic, I am begging GMMTV to give him a lead role again.

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A series ruined by toxic fans, nonsensical theories and the directors themselves

A SWEET BEGINNING: Everyone was looking forward to Only Friends. It was something new. GMMTV usually aren't brave in doing sex scenes, we usually don't even get those scenes, rather they left the spicy stuff to smaller studios like Be On Cloud (KinnPorsche) or DomundiTV (Cutie Pie, Bed Friend). But this time they allowed a new writer and talented directors to add something different. This „difference“ was evident in the first minute of the trailer. We were in complete shock! A sex scene in which everything was seen and heard? With actors who hadn't been shipped before? This new thing paid off; in just a few days, the trailer received a million views. We had everything we always wanted. Messy relationships, intrigue, cheating. The filmmakers told us we could theorize. So we did and it was fun.

It started in August. We were all excited. With each new episode came new theories and discussions. I was involved in them, and I loved talking to other fans on social media. The second episode came out, then the third one. The theories already seemed more insane. Every character was suddenly turning into an evil mastermind who "controlled" a group of normal college students. Probably the fans were watching too many horror and thriller movies. However, I still found it interesting.

TOXIC FANS AND CONTROVERSIES: Then came the turning point. The characters were made into manipulators. Fandoms fought each other on Twitter. "Your ship can't act!" - "No, your ship can't act!" It was a living hell. The directors watched it and cut some scenes, for example, because of the nonsensical hate on Top. I've never seen such unprofessional behavior. The show is supposed to have a SCRIPT, it‘s not suppose be guided by fans! They basically ruined the entire show because of these toxic opinions. I know Only Friends was supposed to be messy, but this much?

There were pointless arguments, the actress who portrayed Cheum had to apologize for making fun of a character, Force and Book were getting hate because of the characters they portrayed, everyone made Top out to be a manipulator and sociopath even though he had changed and really loved Mew...

It was a shitshow. It really could have been a perfect show, with great actors, but it became a toxic mix full of weird theories, arguments and hatred. And the directors didn't help either; they just added fuel to the fire.

CHARACTERS: Ahh, I loved the toxic characters that everyone hated. Boston? Love him. Boeing? Meow. Top? YES PLEASE. Every time someone was arguing about these characters, I was just sitting comfortably. Well.. Unless someone said something wrong about Top or Mew. They were my babies. Top had the best character development. And people hated him for that. They called him a manipulator. Lol. How embarrasing. In the end, he was greener than most of the characters. Sorry to break it to you. He deserved to be happy after all the episodes where he was looking like a sad puppy. I just can't argue with people who thinks he's the bad guy.. Because they are so fricking wrong about him. Every. Time. God dammit, because of this hate, they literally cut his scenes out!!!! WTF!!! Nah. I'll stop. TopMew defender till the end, my friends.

Other couples were okay. SandRay were good for each other. BostonNick were really hot together. That's all I can say to them. Toxic fans literally ruined my enjoyment for them.

OVERALL: A great series, with a lot of potential.. It's a shame what has become from this...

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It's pointless

I'm dropping this at episode 5, because I can't bring myself to watch this any further. For me it's pointless, and a waste of time.
When this aired, I had zero expectations. I thought it would lack a good story like so many other BLs out there, especially the more sexy ones, but I was pleasantly surprised, because there was some potential for an intriguing plot. The acting is incredible from First, Khaotung, Neo and Mark. Force and Book are almost unbearable to watch, because they aren't able to breathe some life into their characters. Better actors could have done a better job for sure. Well, not the whole cast can be stellar, so that's not the biggest issue here. I was hooked after episode 2, enjoyed episode 3, was bored by episode 4 and started skipping scenes, and now at episode 5 I will end my misery. This series reminds me of some German soap operas, where the couple gets together in a few episodes, they love each other, and you don't even know why, and then they get separated, and you have to watch endless episodes of family, friends, and the jealous ex-girlfriend plotting schemes to keep them separated until they get together in the 99th episode and marry in the 100th. Apparently this concept is very popular in Germany, and most likely all over the world, despite me to this day not knowing how something like this can even be considered an entertaining watch.
What is my point? I don't enjoy people plotting schemes and making their life miserable for no good reason. I don't enjoy the idea of love where you don't even understand why they are attracted to each other. They are all obsessed with someone, while having good potential partners around them. It's just shallow, damn shallow. You can't feel the character depths, which makes it hard to root for anyone here. I don't feel sorry for them, I don't want to see them happy, I'm just annoyed by their dirty little games and their stubbornness that makes them miserable human beings. It honestly feels strange to look at those characters who are played by great actors, some of them I really like, and just thinking: I don't care about your issues. I don't.
Still, I'm not surprised that this series is popular at all. Most people enjoy this kind of drama. I even think it's pretty realistic. We have more bad people than good people in this world, and when it comes to relationships, so many behave like lunatics.
But I personally feel too old to watch some guys f*cking around and being dramaqueens for no good reasons. I feel this is something for people in their mid 20s, especially for those who enjoy the NSFW content, which I normally do, but it cannot save this series.
To sum it up: I don't think it's a bad series. There sure is an audience for it. The acting (most of it), the music (!!) and how some of the dialogues are written isn't bad, some scenes are beautifully filmed too. But the characters are too shallow, their intrigues too dirty and pointless. So it's a no for me.

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A train wreck but in a good way

A hot damn messy is what this show is and I love every moment of it. These characters are very flawed and it shows how toxic friendships and relationships happen. They all need therapy. It's Like a Train Wreck, you know it's gonna crash and burn but you can't look away. The amount of
manipulation, lying, and narcissistic traits a lot of them have are mindblowing. They all put themselves makes you hang on the edge of your seat waiting for the other shoe to drop. Mew and Top whole relationship is built off a lie. Boston and Nick are messed up in the head. Sand and Ray both need to learn better ways to cope with these issues. Ray is using alcohol to mask his pain and it's destroying him. I can't help but think Mew knows his feelings but takes advantage of those feelings. He has other friends but you chose him to call. He made his voice sound a certain way when he called him, knowing Ray would melt. Sand masks how he feels and it's a reason he hates the way he does.

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This series is my guilty obsession

At this point (after 8 episodes) I want to say this: Sand got the best, but also the most heartbreaking lines.
Ep. 3 - "I'm not. I don't have the right to be upset with you. Besides, I think it's a good idea if we just stop at a one night stand like before."
Ep. 4 - "Don't ever do that to anyone. People have feelings. Stop dragging me around when you feel lonely. Or throwing me away when you don't need me. If you still want to be my friend, care about my feelings."
Ep. 5 - "It's like somebody presses pause on all my 24 hours. Next thing I know... I'm living my 25th hour. Ray's extra hour."
"I've always thought Rays is my 25th hour, my extra hour. But the truth is everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. And within Ray's 24 hours, I'm not a part of it. I'm not that special."
Ep. 8 - 1/4 "S: Good. You can finally end the secret crush. Such a waste of time, right?"
R: Can we still be friends?
S: Friends? You and I have never been friends from the get-go. We have nothing in common. Besides, I don't know why I should be friends with you.
R: But when I'm with you, I'm so damn happy." - then, why, Ray, why, didn't you choose him?
R: "Sand.
S: Let me go already." - my heart broke at this point.
3/4 "R: Stop fooling yourself, Sand. You like me. You love me. You can't walk away from me. You're mine no matter what.
S: I'm not your second option. Remember that." Finally, Sand. You finally set boundaries.
It's the first series where I can give a sincere 10 for music. It's amazing. From the opening song to the background songs (Sand-Ray).
The actors make a great job with their characters. The First-Khao chemistry is insane, like always.

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LOVE COCKTAIL

What a remarkable year, anyway I have jhus watched the first episode and this is a very good story, surprisingly after concluding the Chinese bl drama STAY WITH ME, Only friends has drawn a new line and I would like to give my reasons.

Firstly, they have done a good job with multiple couples. Thai bl dramas have always had the challenge of dealing with very many couples a number of times for example TOP SECRET TOGETHER but 2023 has taken a whole new level ever since MOONLIGHT CHICKEN aired earlier this year and CUTIE PIE last year, moreso, ONLY FRIENDS appears to be a more intense drama since the chemistry in every couple is not so complicated and fits perfectly right.

Secondly, I just love the character design and make up, I have always loved the trope of having a number of bl couples but more to it is each having a personality who is the polar opposite of the other, the same can be said for ONLY FRIENDS since all the main characters clearly appear to be from different worlds each with their own perception of things but somehow these differences have a way that they draw them together into developing feelings for each other and moreso understanding each other.

Thirdly, you'll certainly feel the sincerity of all emotions portrayed within the series, this is what makes a series most appealing to me, the fact that it goes from not only entertaining but also speaks to the soul, what's even better is that amidst all the drama, you can't possibly deny the love between all the main characters which stands out even in their silence and body languages.

You'll also probably be at the edge of your seat screaming since the series contains quite a number of intimate, flirty and even seductive scenes which for the record were not overdone but were captured just right.

Anyway, for me I could clearly tell from the beginning that the series and its production from the plot was well executed and not cliché, the entire thing might seem predictable but it also is full of scenes that will take you by surprise which makes it brilliant for a start.

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GmmTv really said, "let’s make everyone kiss everyone in this series".

This was such an amazing ride. I binged it in a day, and had such a blast, laughing and grinning ear to ear in every episode. After the last episode, I just wanted to go party like the characters did in the series a lot of times. Not gonna lie, I felt totally high after finishing it – high of laughter and fun. XD

Why is it so great though? Multiple reasons:
* Although it’s a college BL, it doesn’t focus that much on studying and some characters are also from different majors, so there’s some variety.
* The characters are toxic, yes, but it’s part of the plot, doesn’t get romanticized, and instead calls lots of toxic tropes out.
* Bi- and pansexuality are actually acknowledged, there’s no "I’m only gay for you" or "I was hetero but you turned me gay" trope.
* Instead of a love triangle, we have a heptagon.
* Two lesbian couples.
* There’s an age gap relationship.
* Everyone basically got to kiss everyone, so if you don’t happen to ship the endgame couples, chances are you’ll at least see some kinda make-out between your ships.
* Some of my favorite love tropes: "rivals to lovers" and "friends with benefits".
* Date variety: rollerblades, music shop, laser tag, bookstore, and some more. (Not the typical places.)
* There are actually switches – no extreme top/bottom stereotypes and everyone’s treated like a man.
* Wonderful chemistry between the actors, platonically, romantically and sexually. Sex scenes feel real, not acted, and the kisses are hot.
* Pretty much everyone is gay in one way or another, but there’s also a hetero couple I got butterflies for.
* No homophobia, as well as no coming-out-scenes; everyone knew already they’re gay/bi/pan/etc (well, except for one character later on) and no one minded that – every sexuality was normal and not highlighted. 
* Simply a chill series. 
* Also, finally a realistic representation of a bookworm/booknerd. 
* And the comedy isn't too forced/much, but actually funny.


~

College BL:
While the plot is based on the main friends’ graduation project, it doesn’t focus on college or studying too much, but rather shows the partying side of college life. There are also characters from different majors/classes, so you don’t have the whole cast from the same studying field. 

No homophobia or coming-outs:
A very famous trope in school BLs is the "finding oneself" by a guy flirting with them and them figuring out they’re gay/bi/etc. That's usually accompanied by homophobia, albeit most of the time it's the fear of homophobia, the fear of not being accepted or even bullied, especially by their own friends.
That's not the case here.
Not only because everyone already knows their sexuality, but even in public, no one is afraid of PDA or getting seen or whatever. Even their parents know which gender their kids mingle with and it’s never been a topic. No one hates themselves because of their sexuality either. 
Really, every sexuality is treated the same. It’s not highlighted in any way, not seen as something special, just chill. 
But at the same time, also, there’s no heteronormatism. When new characters don’t know the sexuality/interest of other characters, they ask, instead of assuming things. Or they lean in for a kiss right away, without worrying too much about it. 
So chill.

Gender equality:
Even though BL Dramas target more women than men and the audience is mostly women, the female characters in the dramas are usually treated very badly.
However, not in this series.
It might be genuinely the first Thai drama – no, the first asian drama –, where women aren’t treated like shit. They aren’t used as whiny characters, who want their exes back, or as flings one of the guys can make out with, to make their partner jealous, or just as "decoration" to fill the room, but essentially have no lines/voice and no saying in a matter. 
None of that crap here. They’re actually equal, are respected, aren’t whiny, have a voice and are likable characters. Just like with sexualities, the genders aren’t treated very different, have equal respect and it’s just chill.
Of course, since it’s a BL drama with 3 BL main couples, there aren’t that many female characters to begin with, but with what there is, it’s well done. 

Stereotypes:
Another "equality" this series does, is the way tops and bottoms in BL relationships are treated. Usually it’s unrealistic and not really the way actual gay relationships are, because, again, the target audience are women, and straight ones to that. And what is one thing straights can’t seem to accept? That every relationship is different, and when you say "love is love", it doesn’t mean queer relationships are just like hetero ones.
Heterosexual relationships are technically the only genre where top and bottom labels should be used, as you’ll rarely find a same-sex couple, where there is only one person doing everything. 
And this series finally acknowledges that.
Not entirely directly and there are still things to improve, but it is going into the right direction.
For example:
- two tops get a sex scene,
- multiple bottoms each have a make out scene,
- both the supposedly top or bottom are horny,
- and both have scenes where they lead the way.
While it’s not directly said they are switches, it’s not needed, when you can clearly see that the one who’s been more dominant, also enjoys it the other way round.
What it does, is, it’s acknowledging that they are both men.
The tops and bottoms stereotypes have gone so out of hand in the last years, that the bottoms in the relationship are completely treated like a girl. Studios make them usually shy, more feminine, more emotional, more "innocent", and all that crap. 
Again, not here. Both people in a relationship are men and are treated as such. The "tops" here are just as emotional or sometimes even more than the "bottom". A beautiful portrayal of this is SandRay. 

There's also an age-gap relationship (the actors aren’t that far apart, but the character should have at least 10-15 years), and while the older one was seen to take the lead and be more dominant, he wasn’t a top-stereotype, too had emotions, and they both felt equal, both were initiating things.

Oh, and another stereotype they dropped or went against, was the nerd character. While he does seem stereotypical at first (having that innocent vibe), it is actually – finally – a realistic representation of a bookworm. Yea, they might have no experience irl, but by reading a lot of books, you are quite experienced and knowledged in things.
That shows, for example, by him seeing through others more easily, details that are usually overlooked by everyone else, or when people are lying, and has more confidence with his boundaries. And he slays his villain era. 
As a bookworm myself, I cannot express how happy I am to finally get a goddamn realistic representation of us. No kidding. 

Toxicity:
By deciding against extreme stereotypes or stereotypes in general, it does already take a lot of toxicity away, at least for the relationships itself. 
However, this series is based on and revolves around the main characters being toxic, each in their own way. But the difference is that it’s not being romanticized, and the characters are called out for their behavior.
For example: consent. Even though with that much toxicity going on, every character does value consent when it comes to intimacy. There’s no sex where one is drugged (like in KinnPorsche) or where one is asleep (like in TharnType).
Especially Mew has quite a lot of scenes where he voices his boundaries and the other characters respect it without pushing or gaslighting him.
After-sex care is also a thing – no, none of the "I’ll carry you because your butt hurts", but asking if they’re okay with it being a one-night-stand or how it was. 
The toxicity in this series mostly is abut being toxic to oneself and how this impacts your relationships/surroundings. 

Comfortable actors:
The actors here are just as comfortable with intimate scenes as the ones in KinnPorsche. The kisses are hot – or cute, if the scene isn’t supposed to be hot. The sex scenes feel real and not acted. 
Maybe that’s also because the actors have acted before together in series – mostly as background characters, though – and therefore know each other quite well.
And some have acted as couples before – FirstKhao, who play SandRay, are also a couple in The Eclipse, and ForceBook (as TopMew) are also in A Boss and a Babe, so they have experience/chemistry already. I haven’t watched either of those two series, but you can see they’ve done this before. Particularly FirstKhao's chemistry slays. 

But not only the "hot" scenes are good. The actors also have wonderful chemistry with the platonic relationships they play. And romantic too, of course.

Additionally, the best way to describe this series is by saying, "everyone gets to kiss everyone". Therefore, actors don’t just stay in their bubble with that one other actor they’re playing a relationship with, but you actually get to see different actors acting together, who maybe never were seen in a scene together. Actors got to experiment and expand their chemistry. 
Also, not only actor-wise, but character-wise: chances are, that if you don’t ship the main couples and instead some random side character with an MC, it’s likely you will actually see a kiss or hook-up between them. Which is great. 
I also love this because I got disappointed in Big Dragon with the "rivals to lovers" trope, and this series kind of fulfilled it. Well, not all rivals became full-time lovers, but did have at least some kinda intimate scene. And I’m so here for it. 
Basically as if the writers said, "why let rivals fight verbally or with fists, when they could just make out with each other?" And I love them for it, lol.
Thus resulting in this series not having a love triangle, but an entire heptagon. XD

GL:
Since SOTUS had an open lesbian character, it’s becoming more common for other BL dramas to include GL as well. Although most of the time, if there is any of that, it usually is a mention of a couple with no visual "proof" – and if there are visual scenes, the two women usually seem like close friends, nothing romantic, let alone sexual. Kisses are usually on the cheek and even those are awkward (*cough* Big Dragon *cough*). Of course I’m happy we get at least *some* representation, but why are they still so shy about it in 2022+? 

When starting this series, I had no idea there even will be a lesbian character, but got surprised in the first episode when it’s confirmed the main girl has a girlfriend already, and then we actually got to see the girlfriend very soon! While they did seem a bit more distant than their BL colleagues, it was definitely better acted/directed/written than in other series. And they also got a kiss! On the lips! <3 

Before I even got used to the openness of the series, Gmmtv introduces another lesbian couple. Can you imagine?? One GL couple already is something for a BL drama, but TWO?? That was one amazing surprise.
Even better: they’re not teens, but old adults. Two moms of one of the main character, and one of them is confirmed bi. Old queer representation is also quite rare, so that’s another plus point. Love Gmmtv for doing this. <3

Hetero couple:
Yes, here too you have that "one hetero couple because they don’t want a queer-only cast" trope.
But it wasn’t actually too forced. The actors had genuine chemistry, it felt real (in a sweet sense) and it wasn't out of place. Their scenes were short, but still made an impact.
I’m quite surprised myself, but this might’ve been the first hetero couple in a queer show that I actually got butterflies for, when they hugged. 
Maybe also because they too dropped the gender stereotypes here, and it wasn’t about them being hetero, but rather just another two people in a relationship. 

Sexualities:
So, we have confirmed gays and lesbians (and heteros), but there’s more.
Bisexuality is actually a thing, and none of the tropes "I’m only gay for him" or "I was hetero but he turned me gay" exist.
There’s also a pansexual character – while it's not said explicitly, he pretty much confirms it by saying, "I’m open to all genders, appearances don’t matter to me". 
There was also a bit of hinted poly, though, again, not entirely confirmed. But one character often mentions he wouldn’t mind a threesome (I counted 4 times throughout the series) and that he can have feelings for multiple people at once.
Demisexuality also kind of was hinted, by one character pausing a make-out scene and saying they’re not ready for sex because they don’t know that person. Only when they got to know each other more, they slowly got more intimate. When that maybe-demisexual character was making out with someone else he didn’t know, he looked quite uncomfortable, compared to other people he does know. 
While it would’ve been nice if the labels had been used (like with gay and bisexuality), it’s still better than nothing and I am very happy for the diverse representation. 

Comedy:
As dramatic as a drama can be, every series will have some comedy. Some dramas have too much of it where it feels forced, others may have too little. 
Here, I found the comedy to be perfectly balanced. There weren’t really any characters who explicitly served as a comedic relief, instead, everyone got to have some funny scenes. And it was actually funny. 
Gotta add that point because most of the time I don’t really find all comedic scenes funny in dramas, even when they are technically good, but there’s always some scene I don’t like. Here, however, I don’t think there was ever a moment where I didn’t laugh. 

Generally it was a very fun series, not just during the explicitly comedic scenes.
Yes, there is drama, but it’s not overly dramatic in a sad sense. They focus more on everyday toxicity you’d find in every random person, and not make it about sexualities or genders. That doesn’t mean it’s kept overly lighthearted, because it does tackle deep issues like depression, and one character also goes to therapy because of an addiction. 
But for me, at least, it was a fun series that I could really enjoy in a positive sense and never be afraid of certain things.
For example, it’s also a meme/trend to make episode 11 in BL dramas to be full of sadness and heartbreak (because it's two straight lines), but that wasn’t the case here. The heartbreaks or sad scenes were scattered throughout the series and there wasn’t really anything "special" about ep11. 

What I didn’t like:
"Couples have to be endgame" trope. With particularly one couple (won't spoiler which one). Even though they would be better off separately, the producers feel like they couldn’t risk that much because fans would die if their OTP isn’t endgame. I personally didn’t ship them much from the beginning, and while I do see their well-developed growth character-wise, I think it would’ve been a much better lesson to let them go separate ways. 
I’m not too angry with this, because they did let one couple go their separate ways, albeit for a bit of a different reason. (Not gonna spoiler which couple.) And that was really great.
Still, though, I’m not too much of a fan of that other couple.

The crying scenes.
Some actors did a really good job with the crying scenes and I’m not annoyed by them in itself, but rather the amount of crying scenes two particular actors got. Khaotung (Ray) and Mark (Nick).
Khao already had lots of crying scenes in Tonhon Chonlatee, and, just like with Gun (another gmmtv actor), they’re kind of obsessed by his skill, so end up overusing it. At least it wasn’t in every episode and didn’t feel too forced (like Gun in Theory of Love), but maybe 1-2 crying sessions too much. (Although I'm not sure which ones should've been cut, because they are well done...) 

Overall:
Compared to everything I did like, the negative points are very minimal. Overall I enjoyed it, will now watch FMVs of my favorite couples/characters and definitely recommend it to anyone.

The entire series feels like Gmmtv simply wanted to try some new things out, without having any real "goals" or targeting a specific audience (in the BL fandom), and I really love that. It totally became my favorite series from them. I hope they do more like these or at least aren’t afraid to be more adventuresome, instead of chewing the same tropes over and over again. 

I really hope there will be a 2nd season, as it has been hinted in the last episode, but nothing confirmed yet.

-09.01.24

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