Step by Step: Uncut Version

One Step At A Time

Step By Step is one of those dramas that I feel you either love it or hate it. I found it to be different from most standard BLs with it's office setting and focusing on the office dynamics and work relationships as well as the romantic ones. It was initially pleasant that the leads' relationship wasn't rushed and had time to develop, but I do feel that it lost it's way towards the end. It's not a perfect drama by any means, it didn't always seem to know what to do with it's side characters, there were plot lines that popped up out of nowhere and others that were simply ghosted, there weren't always good explanations for why characters reacted the way that they did, etc. Still, I personally enjoyed it and thought it was a pleasant diversion.

The plot is nothing fancy, essentially an office romance between a boss and his subordinate, which of course is going to cause drama. What I liked about it though was the attention to detail in regards to that office setting. We actually get to see the characters working, going to meetings, presenting, and so on. Maybe because I'm at the ripe age of 32, I didn't find it boring, but I can understand those who did. Personally it felt like a slice of life drama with an office focus, but more realistic than others I've seen. Yes, there's the ridiculous and over the top moments and things that would never happen in actual office, but I enjoyed that quality of peeking into a world I'm not at all familiar with fictional though it may be. It did feel like the story started to lose steam a little over halfway through and didn't seem to know where to go from there. And then there at the end there was a lot of drama thrown in which, besides being unnecessary, felt rushed. And I have to say that the ending, while cute, was rather anti-climatic. Despite it's length, it still felt like there were unanswered questions.

The pacing was a mess. Most of the drama and actual issues with our leads' relationship were relegated to the last three episodes and that's because they didn't actually get together until Episode 10. I have no issues with a slow burn which this definitely was, but I think the story could have been better spread out, allowing them to get together sooner and actually have some time as a couple before the drama started and then showing them handling those issues as a couple or delving into their characters more to show why things ended between them the way that they did prior to the time jump. Time in general was a struggle with this drama as it was hard to tell how much time had passed. It didn't feel like much time had passed, but then things like Ae's pregnancy would make me realize that a lot more time had gone by than I thought. Especially in an office setting, it felt like they should have been able to more clearly show that time progression. There was also the issue with the side couples/story lines not getting the attention they deserved which, again, could have been rectified if the pacing and story planning had been better. As it was, we were left with a very unsatisfying ending for Jaab and Jen who essentially just disappeared as the story progressed, Ae, Khanun and Beam were also shuffled off to the side and only showed up on occasion after a while, Chot and his boyfriend were thrown in at random times, and there were other parts that just needed better planning.

One of the biggest things I felt was lacking was insight into the characters' thoughts and the reasoning behind their reactions. Two examples would be Jaab's sudden rejection of Jane and Pat's reaction to finding out Jeng was gay. Jane was a fairly minor character throughout the series, so I can understand to an extent not going in depth with his emotions and mental state, but given that we are given the impression that he is in a happy, committed relationship, I do think there needed to be more insight into why he was so swayed by Jaab. With Jaab, he's liked Jane for a while, so why when Jane reveals that he and his boyfriend broke up, does he say they should just be friends? They shared a kiss, it was obvious Jaab still had feelings for Jane so what was with that? There was no explanation, no reasoning, nothing as to why he didn't want to give a relationship with Jane a shot. Similarly, Pat's reaction to finding out Jeng was gay seemed over the top and unnecessary. Why was he so shocked and put off by that revelation? Pat's reactions to things involving Jeng didn't always make sense, but this one and his decision to ghost Jeng for two years felt like taking things to the extreme. There needed to be more explanation as to why Pat reacted the way that he did for me to understand and sympathize with him.

The characters ranged from good to mediocre. There were a couple of gems in there, but most of them didn't leave much, if any, of an impression. Overall, I found the way characters were treated to be a bit disappointing just because it was so all over the place. Some characters had great character development and others were left stagnant.
-Pat was definitely more on the mediocre side for me. His childishness, tantrums and changeability made him a hard character for me to really get on board with. More insight into his character, why he was the way that he was, would have been helpful. As it stands, he really did just come across as immature and there were times that I really struggled to understand what Jeng saw him in aside from that he is a cute kid. Jeng talked about how smart he was and that's something that should have been shown and utilized more because while he did seem intelligent, it didn't seem like he was extraordinarily so. There also needed to be more insight into his feelings for Jeng. While initially he was obviously attracted to Jeng before realizing that he was his boss, once that revelation came about, his interest seemed to cool. Afterwards, there were a few hints that maybe he was developing feelings for Jeng, but when he went back to Put, it put those feelings in question. Regarding Put, that conflict felt like it resolved far too quickly. We went from Pat not wanting to see him, speak to him, anything, to, what felt like in a very short time span, being willing to start a relationship with him again. And then Pat goes from crying over their breakup to confessing he has feelings for Jeng. I almost felt like I had whiplash with the way Pat's feelings seemed to keep jumping around. I also wanted to explore more as to why Pat didn't believe that Jeng's feelings for him were real and why he didn't feel like he deserved Jeng initially. I was frankly a bit disappointed in Pat's character growth. He talks at one point about he's grown so much and is no longer as emotional, but I didn't really see that a whole lot. He still seemed overemotional and overreactive to the end.
-Jeng was definitely one of the best characters. He was very interesting to watch, especially as his feelings for Pat developed which I felt was well done. His feelings were clearly built up, starting from polite interest which then grew into romantic feelings. There was never any doubt regarding his feelings for Pat. I wish they had done as well with Pat and his feelings. I also appreciated his character growth from no nonsense, perfectionist boss to someone who was able to let loose a bit. Part of what also appealing about him was that he wanted to change for the better and he made an effort to do so. There's the element that Pat did inspire those changes, but he made the conscious decision to change on his own. His maturity especially in contrast to Pat was refreshing especially when it came to things like Pat blaming him for essentially not being a mind reader. Pat seemed to think that he should be able to change with a snap of his fingers, not realizing that change does take time, and I was very impressed with Jeng's patience. I would have liked a little more time spent on his background and his relationship with his parents, especially his father. A lot of that was just skimmed over and there at the end, it didn't really feel like things had been resolved between him and his father. Still, I felt that he was overall a decently well-rounded character and I really liked him.
-I didn't have particularly strong feelings about most of the remaining characters save for a few. I found Jaab to be a weird combination of interesting and boring. He had moments where I was invested in him, but there were a lot of other moments where I almost wanted to skip his scenes because he wasn't doing anything for me. Once his relationship with Jane petered out, I really lost interest in him. I did like some of his interactions with Jeng though and the support he was willing to provide eventually. Jane could have been a much better character if he was fleshed out more. As it was, there just wasn't much too him and that made it difficult to relate to him or really feel anything strongly about his character. I was disappointed with that because I did like his relationship with Jaab and I wanted to see more of it's development. I really liked Ae and I wish there had been a bit more of her. Her confidence was awesome as was her obvious love for her friends. She was always ready to go to bat for them and she was just in general an awesome character. I like strong female characters and I feel like they tend to be lacking in a lot of BLs so she was a pleasant surprise. I did find the revelation that Beam had been in love with her to be a bit out of the blue since I hadn't gotten that impression earlier on and it just felt unnecessary. Chot was another gem, I loved that he had a well balanced personality. He had just the right amount of over the top without it being grating. Plus he was just a sweetheart in general, always there to listen and be supportive, an understanding friend and lover, and just an all around lovely person. I could use someone like him in my life. The last character I want to mention is Jeng's father. He was too much of an enigma for me to really appreciate his character and he definitely needed a bit more fleshing out. His actions and thought process were left very ambiguous which works sometimes, but not here. I wanted to understand his treatment of Jeng and Pat as it felt more than a disapproval of his son being gay and getting involved with one of his subordinates.

As for the acting, can I just start off by saying how refreshing it was to see them cast an age appropriate actor for Jeng's role. I couldn't help but thinking about like Moonlight Chicken and how they tried to convince us that Earth could pass for an almost 40 year old. Hair, makeup and clothes can only go so far and trying to make actors look and act older than they are really does not work. Man was perfect because he both looked and acted the part. He gave a certain maturity to the role that someone much younger simply can't. I enjoyed the nuance of his performance and thought he played the part perfectly. This was Ben's first acting role and it showed. He wasn't bad per se, just compared to Man, he felt green. His expressions didn't vary a whole lot and some of the emotional scenes felt forced. I do think if he'd had more experience, he could have better conveyed some of the emotions and thought processes of his character. I was pleased that they cast two actors who are clearly comfortable speaking English since the fluency matched both of their backstories. I've seen far too many dramas where they give their characters backstories of having grown up in the US or spent a lot of time there and are supposed to be fluent, but the actor is clearly not comfortable with the language. I completely understand that learning another language is a challenge, so no disrespect to those actors, it just personally pulls me out of the story when it's clear that they're not as comfortable with the language as the story is trying to make them seen. Both Man and Ben were articulate and clearly understandable and delivered their lines effortlessly.

Despite it's flaws, I overall enjoyed Step By Step. It's not perfect by any means and could have been better with some tweaks, but for what it is, I found it entertaining for the most part. The build up of the characters' relationship, the setting, and the characters themselves had a different feel from other BLs I've watched recently and I liked that. It felt distinctive in it's own way. As I said before, I think this drama is rather polarizing in that you will either love it or hate it without a whole lot in between. If you go in without any major expectations and understand that it is flawed, I think that can stave off the disappointment that some might feel. For my part, I wouldn't discourage anyone from watching it, just be aware that it's not for everyone.

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BL version of a Korean romcom drama

The year 2023 is the season of office bls. Last year we had an abundance of sports and mafia series and the year before, 2021, cooking was most prominent theme while 2020 was the school centered bl year. Step By Step is one of the better office romcoms if not the best.

So there are two versions released: the uncut version has episodes 20 to 50 min longer than the 45 min/ep TV version. Usually when we talk about uncut version of a BL, viewers think that the steamy scenes had been cut. Considering that there are the grand total of two hot scenes in all of the uncut version of the series, I do not think it is the case. Probably just plenty of regular scenes though I do not understand what they managed to cut since there is not one single unnecessary scene . The flow of the story is steady without idle time and in spite of it being a slow burn romance and full of usual tropes, I was not bored for a minute.

Story is a rather simple office romance about Pat and Jeng. Pat is the youngest member of the marketing team and is regularly asked to do chores for his coworkers. One day while carrying coffee cups, he bumps into Jeng and the connection is immediate. They accidentally meet like that a few more times and it seems like they really like each other. Until it turns out that Jeng is Pat's new boss and the developing feelings need to be put on a back burner because Jeng as a boss is a completely different person, so much so that Pat is scared of him and gets to be very insecure and emotional. Jeng on the other hand proves to be rigid, controlling, micromanaging and inflexible.

The love story develops slowly over 10 episodes, step by step while they are learning about each other and changing and mostly because of the boss/employee relationship which makes any other kind of relationship a very risky business. When they eventually get together, the whole hell breaks loose and they split only to get back together two years later (trope).

There are a few side stories involving Pat's ex, who wants to try again, of course (trope), Jeng's father doing everything to discredit Pat (trope), a straight couple getting pregnant (trope), a long term gay couple (fem gay trope), and Jaab, Jeng's rebellious younger brother having a crush on a taken coworker (trope).

Main couple is comprised of a tsundere Jeng and doormat Pat. And while Jeng is perfection, I never managed to understand what could have possibly attracted him in Pat. He is short, too emotional, ugly, weak of character (can't say NO to anyone), too sensitive, not particularly smart and very unlikable (this last is due to the poor choice of actor: he is so wrong for this role!). I watched this Man, who played Jeng wonderfully well. I believed him to be in love even though the chemistry with Ben (who played Pat) was minimal almost non existent. Man literally carried the whole drama all by himself, he's the one who made the drama worth watching to the end! Ben cannot act nor is he cute, casting director made a huge mistake there!

The writing was on the spot because they managed to show us over time (the first 11 episodes take place over about a year) the slow , step by step progression of their relationship, how they get to know each other better and go beyond boss/employee relationship fully understanding the problems that that may cause (which of course happened!). I was also surprised by an almost total absence of misunderstandings: they regularly talked when problems arose and when they didn't, it caused major rifts between them. So the writers learned the lesson of communication being important and managed to find other issues to create drama about.

Another actor who actually stole the show is Saint who plays Jaab, Jeng's younger brother who decided to stay away from his rich family and their big corporation. Jeng is a heir to the company but when he needed to choose, he chose happiness. Jaab is the same: pursuing happiness. Though his relationship with Jane is not resolved, they keep dancing around each other for a long time with Jaab trying not to cross the line since Jane was dating someone already. Their relationship also grows slowly, step by step through misunderstandings and lack of courage.

A special shout out to the costume designer. The clothes were nicely color coded for characters and all were in light dull colours: Pat was always wearing oversized shirts in stripy and beige while Jeng was in slim mustard coloured suits at work or jeans at home! The rest of the characters were similarly dresses: Put, Pat's ex was always in black etc.

Few miscellaneous notes:
- supportive friends you can call any time: they were fun to watch!
- why are drunk people considered cute? Because they tend to talk without a filter so you get to find out their secrets?
- at a usual mid-series beach escape(trope), a room was missing in a hotel so Jeng asks Pat to share his room not his own brother? Smooth!
- this is the second series (after La Pluie) where an adult has a meltdown because the parents divorced though here it was solved in an evening by talking about it.
- the most horrible scene that i have ever seen in an asian drama: a woman was giving birth on a bus and the other passengers were filming her while the Police was standing on the side and only the threat of a lawsuit had them lower their phones. These smartphones have created monsters out of all of us!
- we never really got the answer to Jeng's mysterious departure from the company two years before the beginning of the series
- and of course a totally unnecessary two years later time jump: they could have sorted everything out two months later or even better two days later when everyone has cooled off.

This is not so much a BL as it is a regular romcom. It is on the same level as the ordinary korean rom coms: cute couple, hot ML, great group of friends, awful ex who tries to butt in,a horrible rich parent, understanding middle class parents, supportive fem gay friend (no screaming trans characters, yey!!!!), final fight and a time jump until the honeymoon happy ending.

I want to see Man in something else. Stat!

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Poor Acting, Writing and Execution of a Very Common Plot.

If I am not watching “Step by Step” due to the Clown Challenge, I would have dropped it within the first 1-2 episodes. The general plot is nothing special and we’ve seen many similar boss/subordinate relationships before. If the plot doesn’t stand out, then the acting, writing and execution must. Unfortunately, I don’t think this drama delivers. I also question if I should have watched the regular version, instead of the uncut version.

The first thing that bugs me about this drama is the poor acting of the male lead, Pat. I understand that this is Ben’s first acting gig and it really shows. The character he plays, Pat, is already not a super likable character. He’s childish and whines way too much. Unfortunately, Ben’s portrayal makes it even more intolerable. His angry, frustrated, and sad faces are all the same. When he cries (and he cries way too much), there are no tears. When he pouts, I find him annoying instead of cute. Aside from him, Saint (who plays Jaab) is just as bad. This is also his first role and his acting is so unnatural that the supposedly cool guy Jaab acts like a lovesick teenager.

I also really dislike the annoying and loud coworkers. The first few episodes are really hard to digest when Ying can’t stop screaming and Prem can’t stop being nosy. Both of the characters are so inappropriate in so many aspects. Luckily, there are also a few fun and good supporting characters. Ae and Chot save the show. They are fun, bossy, flamboyant and the life of the party. The actors did a great job in making these characters come to life and not annoying.

I am not sure if I should categorize the romance to be slow-burn or delayed. But the development is not written well. There are some indications that Jeng likes Pat from mid-drama on. Not much comes from Pat when he seems to respect and fear Jeng as his boss, after the initial attraction when they were strangers was gone. Their interactions before they become a couple are not fluffy or heartwarming. The introduction of a love rival definitely delays their romance. I waited for 10 episodes for them to finally get together. Then within 3 episodes, their relationship goes through a roller coaster ride. Everything feels rushed in regards to their romance in the last episodes, as well as the final business arc in the drama. I wish their romance had started sooner, like in ep 7 or so, to allow their relationship to develop at a much better pace. I also didn’t find closure with the Jaab/Jane arc.

Am I the only one who didn’t find Jeng to be that bad of a supervisor? I found his ‘demands’ reasonable as a boss expecting good quality work from his subordinates. At least he is respectful when pointing out mistakes. I must have watched too many mean bosses in Chinese and Korean dramas. Does Jeng warrant all that criticism and talk behind his back about how evil he is? I guess we need Jeng to have some flaws and a character development plot. Otherwise, he’s just too perfect of a character and too handsome. I was just writing down on my notes how perfect he is (+ a hot body) when the troubles of episode 11 happened and he didn’t want to talk about the issues when he should have.

If I watched the regular version instead of the uncut, will the extended product placement and filler be reduced? There's so much screen time spent on actors just holding a bottle of sugar free green tea and other products, describing how good they are. I chose the uncut version because I wanted all the kisses and intimate scenes. But what I get are boring bits.

The only positive things about this drama are the kiss scenes and the intimate scenes. Unfortunately, they are mostly jam packed into ep 10, instead of spread throughout the drama. At least, we have two participating actors who are not shy in going at it. The intimate scenes are also done well without feeling cringey.

I would not recommend this drama unless you really like the actors. If you are a fan of Man (who played Jen) and his handsome good looks and hot body, then go ahead. I also enjoy seeing Up (who played Put) again after watching him in “Lovely Writer”. This is a very different role and I quite like him here. I am giving this a 6.5 rating, which is quite low on my personal rating scale. But given the fact that this does not seem like a big budget production, with two actors in their first roles, and some good kiss scenes, I am not going to rate this any lower.


Completed: 2/25/2024 - Review #408

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Romance de bureau éloignée du BL standard...

Au départ, Step by Step ne m'avait pas donné envie de m'y attarder. Les grandes lignes ne me vendaient pas de rêve. En fin de compte, et malgré ses défauts, j'y ai passé un moment sympa sans être mémorable.

Une partie des gens l'ont catalogué comme mauvais pour des raisons discutables. Certains avaient des attentes différentes de ce qu'ils ont obtenu et cela est venu impacter les notes. Est-il excellent ? Non. Vaut-il absolument le coup d'œil ? Non. Est-il si mauvais que ça ? Non.

Avant le visionnage, il faut savoir à quoi s'attendre. L'histoire s'intéresse à l'évolution professionnelle de deux personnages : Jeng et Pat. Il s'agit de la thématique principale, car elle prend plus de 80% de la place. Le reste se retrouve dispatché dans les sous-intrigues, dont la romance. Cette dernière n'est que secondaire. De ce fait, si vous vous attendez à ce que Step by Step soit un BL classique, il est possible qu'il vous déplaise et que vous soyez déçu, car vous aurez été mal aiguillé dès le départ.

Et c'est un dès problèmes majeurs aujourd'hui. Lorsque les gens entendent "BL", ils n'attendent que ça. Parce qu'on est habitué à consommer du BL pour du BL. Avec la montée et la popularisation du genre, de nouveaux scénarios sont arrivés. Comme un film étiqueté LGBT, la trame, le style, l'ambiance, tout est différent. Le fait d'être dans un contexte professionnel change complètement la dynamique de l'histoire. Malheureusement, avec l'étiquette du BL, cela a fait souffrir le drama, car les attentes du public ont été différentes.

Maintenant que ceci est dit, je peux sortir ma boîte de clous, parce que j'attaque avec l'un des personnages principaux, mais aussi le plus gros défaut de ce Step by Step. Et je ne vais pas être tendre avec lui.

Pat (Ben Bunyapol Likhitamnuayporn) ne parvient pas à être attachant ou mignon, peu importe combien il essaie de minauder. Il n'est jamais montré à son avantage, apparaissant souvent comme un jeune homme capricieux et immature. Son unique qualité pourrait être son amabilité lorsqu'elle ne donne pas l'impression d'être fausse, car mal jouée. Au bout du 9ème épisode, c'est franchement devenu pénible de le regarder. De tous les acteurs de Dee Hup House, il n'y avait pas meilleur choix ? Ben Bunyapol Likhitamnuayporn ne partage rien avec le spectateur. Il a cette manie de grimacer chaque fois qu'il parle ou qu'il doit montrer une émotion. Son sourire sonne faux la plupart du temps. Il fronce les sourcils toutes les sept secondes pour donner l'impression de réfléchir. Quant à sa gestuelle, il ne bouge que lorsqu'il y pense, et le problème, c'est qu'on le voit y penser ! Son inexpérience est flagrante plus d'une fois au point de finir par être mal à l'aise pour lui. Et cela ne fait que se renforcer lorsqu'il est entouré d'autres acteurs qui jouent avec naturel, tandis que Ben est seulement mauvais.

Depuis plusieurs années, la Thaïlande a conscience du marché juteux du BL. Il pourrait y avoir un effort sur les castings, notamment les rôles principaux. J'ai beau essayer de tourner les choses dans le bon sens, je ne comprends pas ce qui a convaincu le directeur de casting de choisir Ben Bunyapol Likhitamnuayporn pour ce rôle. Oui, tous les pays ont leur style, mais qu'on ne vienne pas me dire qu'il sait jouer et qu'il est brillant dans son rôle. Il était mauvais ! Pour finir (sur une note purement superficielle (que j'assume)), Ae veut que son bébé ait un visage mignon comme celui de Pat, à défaut de celui plus sombre et beau de Prem… Rien ne va dans cette phrase, mais ok. J'avais un dernier clou à enfoncer.

Passons à l'homme de ce drama, Jeng (Man Trisanu Soranun). Jeng est le fils du PDG, futur repreneur de l'entreprise et actuellement directeur du service marketing. C'est un homme qui aime son travail, mais qui se retrouve incapable de déléguer. Man Trisanu Soranun est excellent dans son rôle, d'autant plus que l'acteur correspond au personnage. La plupart du temps, les directeurs sont des minets tout droit sortis d'un shooting de mode auxquels on ne croit pas, peu importe combien on prétend vouloir faire illusion. Ici, on nous présente un bel homme (j'insiste sur le terme homme, dans le sens adulte et mature) qui porte divinement les costumes et possède un charme fou. Man Trisanu Soranun est élégant, sérieux et professionnel, mais aussi charismatique avec cette touche sexy. De plus, il ne se comporte jamais comme un lourdaud jaloux, un harceleur dérangé ou un boss ténébreux de pacotille. Je ne connaissais pas l'acteur, mais je suis heureuse de ma découverte, d'autant plus qu'il possède un sourire ravissant (et oui, Fan2Dramas, des jambes interminables aussi, pfiouh !).

La romance prend son temps. J'ai même envie de dire qu'elle est en retard pour un tel format (12 épisodes d'une moyenne d'une heure chacun, et presque le double pour le dernier). J'ignore les différences entre la version TV et uncut, cependant, je peux comprendre la frustration d'attendre la romance et de la voir arriver si tard. D'autant plus que la romance reste un mystère pour moi… Que Pat tombe amoureux de Jeng n'est pas une surprise. L'homme possède un tel charme, mon propre cœur à papillonner quelques fois entre deux sourires. En revanche, l'inverse m'échappe. J'ai été incapable de comprendre à quel moment Pat a fait vibrer le cœur de Jeng. Pour moi, Pat n'a jamais été séduire, encore moins lorsqu'il était ivre (c'était encore une fois une très mauvaise scène dans un BL). Malgré tout, le flirt est léger avec des baisers sympathiques. Jeng guide les scènes, Pat suit le mouvement, et tant mieux. Cependant, Man éclipse complètement Ben, tant dans le contexte professionnel que la romance.

Au sujet du couple secondaire (Jaab/Jane), je regrette la façon dont les scénaristes ont balayé leur histoire sous le tapis. Ce couple avait tout autant d'intérêt, si ce n'est plus que le premier. Il aurait été facile (et agréable) de retirer des scènes de bureau pour se concentrer sur eux. À la place, ça s'est terminé en queue de poisson, laissant le spectateur avec sa frustration.

Quant aux autres personnages, la relation entre Jeng et Jaab était intéressante et mignonne, mais elle manquait de matière. Up Poompat Iam-samang (Put) avec une veste en cuir était cool. À part un ou deux cameo, je ne l'avais plus revu depuis Lovely Writer. Bruce Sirikorn Kananuruk (Chot) est un acteur qui s'améliore au fil de son travail bien que la majorité de ses personnages ne m'intéresse pas. Je regrette qu'on lui colle toujours la même caricature (à moins que l'acteur ne veuille pas jouer autre chose ?). Zorzo Natharuetai Akkharakitwattanakul (Ae) était magnifique. Tout comme Hymnnae (Prem) qui méritait un peu plus d'attention. C'est un personnage qu'on voyait peu, mais avec des émotions profondes. Un personnage sous-estimé, malheureusement. Pour finir, Kong (Bigg Thanakorn Kuljarassombat) était seulement un élément perturbateur inutile de son entrée à sa sortie. Quant au reste des collègues de boulot, rien de bien folichon avec des caricatures classiques.

En bref, Step by Step est un drama long et frustrant, notamment si le seul intérêt est la romance. Bien que la partie professionnelle soit intégrante de l'histoire, elle traîne souvent et rallonge inutilement les épisodes. S'il est difficile de passer outre le personnage de Pat, cela vaut clairement le coup pour Jeng. Notez seulement que Step by Step n'est pas votre BL habituel et vous serez plus à même de l'apprécier.

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Un bon BL, hélas sous-évalué

Il y a déjà un bon nombre de critiques de ce drama sur la fiche MDL de la version standard, mais comme j'ai directement visionné la version Uncut il est plus logique de poster ma review ici, quoique j'ignore s'il y a vraiment des différences entre les deux versions.

Alors bon, soyons clairs : ce n'est pas forcément le drama du siècle mais j'ai trouvé qu'il se démarquait pas mal des habituels BL Thaï, et dans le bon sens. C'est pourquoi je ne comprends pas trop pourquoi il a eu de si mauvaises évaluations et critiques dans le forum, mais tous les goûts sont dans la nature. C'est sûr qu'ici, le héros n'est pas un neuneu coincé tête-à-claques qu'il faut sauver toutes les deux minutes, et qui se fait manipuler comme un idiot par le bad boy dominateur du campus qui gère déjà 15 sociétés alors qu'il a à peine 21 ans et qui est une star pilote de course par dessus le marché. Si ce résumé crétin vous rappelle Love In The Air c'est voulu. Maintenant qu'on sait ce que le drama n'est pas, voyons ce qu'il est.

Le héros Pat est un employé récent dans le service marketing d'un grand groupe, dont ses collègues profitent aisément parce qu'il est nouveau et qu'il n'ose pas dire non. Son nouveau manager M. Jeng est le fils du PDG du Groupe Jiang, appelé à lui succéder un jour, et il dispose d'une année pour prouver à son père que le service est rentable, car ce dernier préférerait fermer ledit service marketing pour externaliser cette compétence. Malgré ses dehors parfaits, Jeng n'est pas très apprécié des membres de son service, notamment parce qu'il semble manquer de souplesse et a du mal à déléguer (et aussi parce qu'il est le fils du patron, on ne va pas se mentir). Petit à petit Pat va apprendre à se faire confiance, à dire non et à prendre des responsabilités, quant à Jeng il va apprendre à déléguer et chercher à s'améliorer pour se faire apprécier de son équipe. Ils vont se rapprocher et tomber amoureux. Il est vrai que la romance met du temps à s'installer et c'est une des principales critiques qu'en ont fait les spectateurs. Même si on comprend assez vite que Jeng est tombé sous le charme de son subordonné, leur histoire d'amour ne commence réellement que dans le 10ème épisode, ce qui a pu frustrer une partie de l'audience l'ayant visionné au rythme de sa diffusion hebdomadaire. Pour les autres qui, comme moi, auraient décidé de le regarder à la suite une fois la diffusion terminée, l'impatience n'a pas vraiment lieu d'être car il se passe quand même pas mal de choses et ce BL ne se résume pas à sa seule romance. D'une part parce que l'intrigue se déroule dans un contexte professionnel, on voit l'équipe bosser sur des projets et s'impliquer au quotidien, d'autre part parce que l'histoire détaille un minimum ses personnages secondaires en leur offrant des motivations, personnalités et enjeux qui, même s'ils ne sont pas super développés, suffisent à donner de l'épaisseur à ce drama, contrairement à plein d'autres bouses que je ne citerai pas. Ae l'amie du héros se questionne sur la maternité et le mariage, Chot son collègue qui vit une relation depuis plusieurs années avec son boyfriend, souffre que ce dernier n'aie pas encore osé avouer son homosexualité à ses parents, Jaab le frère de Jeng ne sait pas trop où il en est de ses sentiments pour son collègue Jen... Quant aux protagonistes, ce n'est pas parfait dès le départ, ils font des erreurs et ils vont aussi devoir faire face à leurs défauts pour évoluer dans le bon sens. En somme, une galerie de personnages assez fouillés et attachants pour la plupart. Enfin, pour revenir sur la lenteur avec laquelle la romance se développe, j'ajouterai que ce n'est pas un défaut pour moi dans la mesure où elle prend le temps de s'installer de façon logique, tout comme la confiance entre les personnages. Le titre est donc bien choisi.

Les musiques sont sympathiques et rarement répétitives, les décors sont agréables et on voit qu'il y a du budget, tant dans le cadre professionnel que les demeures ou décors extérieurs. L'intrigue et les dialogues sont généralement intelligents et adultes, les sentiments et hésitations qu'ils ressentent sont crédibles (sauf Pat et j'y reviendrai plus tard). J'ai également apprécié la longueur des épisodes qui avoisinent 1h15, à l'exception du premier qui dure une cinquantaine de minutes et le dernier qui s'approche de 1h45. Je ne me suis pas ennuyée parce qu'il se passait toujours quelque chose, ce n'était pas vraiment répétitif et on voyait quand même l'évolution des sentiments entre les personnages et leurs doutes, même si c'était présenté de manière subtile. On note aussi des références régulières au monde du BL (recrutement d'un couple célèbre pour interpréter le film promotionnel du projet qu'on vient de confier à l'équipe, certains acteurs déjà vus dans Lovely Writer...). L'utilisation des réseaux sociaux pour promouvoir une marque, si elle n'est pas spécialement originale car déjà vue dans d'autres dramas, est ici bien développée et reste intéressante notamment pour les spectateurs qui ne viennent pas d'un domaine commercial ou marketing. Enfin, le jeu des acteurs est généralement bon, à quelques exceptions près.

Et c'est justement là que le drama a quelques manques pour moi, car si le personnage de Jeng a une attitude assez sobre, posée, et un jeu intériorisé qui parvient vraiment à nous émouvoir à certains moments (et je rajoute que l'acteur a une classe folle... et des jambes aussi interminables que sexy !), le jeu de Pat aussi bien que son personnage ne m'ont pas réellement convaincue. C'est vrai que pour la plupart, ils sont tous relativement débutants surtout notre héros, et j'ai trouvé qu'il manquait souvent de naturel. D'autre part il lui arrive régulièrement d'être puéril dans ses réactions et il m'a assez vite agacée, d'autant qu'on le voit souvent pleurnicher dès que les choses ne vont pas comme il veut ou qu'il ne sait pas comment les gérer. Je trouve énervante cette manie de différencier les "seme" des "uke" en montrant ces derniers comme des pleureuses infatigables, pas besoin de les rendre émotifs au moindre problème pour les rendre attachants ou pour que l'audience féminine se projette plus facilement. Personnellement, je ne me reconnais pas dans ce genre de personnages, d'autant que ses réactions sont parfois trop directes au risque de couper net une relation qui aurait mérité un minimum de discussion. Bref je l'ai trouvé cucul, mais comme son attitude évolue et qu'il prend conscience de ses erreurs, je dirai qu'au moins sur ce point il y a une amélioration bienvenue au fur et à mesure, et que ça rattrape un peu son personnage. En outre, même s'il est nouveau dans l'industrie du BL, les scènes intimes qu'il partage avec Jeng sont relativement naturelles (quoi que soft sur le plan sexuel, c'est davantage suggéré que montré) et leurs baisers sont plutôt sympathiques. En gros on attend longtemps qu'ils se bécotent, mais quand ça arrive enfin, on n'est pas déçu. Enfin, les personnages sont à l'aise avec leur homosexualité et le drama évite le cliché énervant du "gay for you".

Comme autres points négatifs, je citerai également le placement de produits qui manque parfois de subtilité, et la frustration que j'ai ressentie à ne pas voir la relation de Jaab et de Jen aboutir à quelque chose de concret, déjà à la base leur histoire n'est pas passionnante et elle se termine en queue de poisson (peut-être y'a-t-il un projet de spin-off les concernant ?) donc on nous donne un peu l'eau à la bouche pour rien. Mais l'acteur interprétant Jaab a beaucoup de charisme, j'espère le revoir dans d'autres productions (petit détail au passage : sa ressemblance avec Vegas dans KinnPorsche m'a carrément frappée). Toutefois ces défauts que j'ai relevés ne m'ont pas empêchée de beaucoup apprécier ce drama et j'avoue que j'ai enchaîné les épisodes sans problème.

En résumé, c'est un BL construit intelligemment, qui nous offre un contexte et des personnages fouillés capables de chercher des solutions aux problèmes qu'ils rencontrent et qui ont l'occasion d'évoluer, l'histoire d'amour est tendre, romantique et pas neuneu, elle se construit avec logique et surtout, elle est relativement mature. Malgré le personnage de Pat qui m'a un peu déçue, j'ai passé un super moment devant ce drama qui prend le temps de poser des situations présentant un minimum d'enjeux et de complexité, et de travailler ses personnages secondaires. C'est vrai que le format hebdomadaire peut frustrer une audience impatiente de voir la romance se concrétiser, donc c'est le genre de BL à conseiller surtout aux spectateurs patients qui ne craignent pas d'attendre la fin de sa diffusion pour savourer cette histoire dans son entièreté.

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