best gmmtv series no joke
DO NOT TAKE THE SKYNANI PILLthis review title isn’t even glaze like it’s true! this series is so perfect in my eyes and what would’ve made it even more perfect if saintshin kissed ! i lowkey pray for the day gmm gets money hungry enough to make an enemies to lovers bl starring skynani 😅
i literally did not expect to like this more than i did. seeing saint yearn for shin when he gave him nothing really awakened something in me. gosh any time they looked at eachother i just NEEDED for them to kiss. VIEWJUNE TOO. god i miss them, maybe im behind on the lore on why they’re not a pairing anymore but a gl couple would’ve been nice too 💔
the way the whole cast pmo when they fought with each other rlly goes to show how great the actors are. especially ken and the twins like it was so hard to sympathize with them at times. ging too omg thank goodness for her limited screen time, i really wanted to pull the braids out her head 😅😅 loved mark, both of them LMFOAOAOOA no but seriously what an amazing cast like the chemistry was overflowing through the screen
seeing beautiful men sad and emotional towards each other should be enough of a reason for you to start the greatest non-bl bl ever!
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MUST WATCH I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE
I originally watched this drama because of the high ratings and reviews it had on MDL, but boy I was NOT expecting it to be the literal MASTERPIECE that it is.Like I've only felt this level of heart-wrenching, soul-shattering obsession once before and that was with MDZS. I've literally put off important things in my life to spend time obsessing over this drama.
The story of High School Frenemy is about Saint and Shin, two boys who used to be best friends but then ended up breaking off their friendship for reasons that watchers find out as the drama unfolds.
...Well, I call them best friends, but I use that term a bit loosely. The truth of the matter is that what Saint and Shin have goes far beyond friendship. Hell, I don't think anyone would be able to justify it as just friendship no matter how they try. The dynamic between the two of them gets showcased every single episode and it's so beyond-friendship-coded I don't even know where to begin.
The phrases that constantly cross the friendship line, Shin's supposed "hate" that we never truly believe is hate, and most of all the stares oh my god the STARES. 10 seconds of Saint and Shin just looking into each other's eyes with all of the love and conflict and devotion in the world. Actors Sky (Saint) and Nani (Shin) really outdid themselves. The chemistry between these two was absolutely phenomenal, a transcendental kind of love that goes beyond labels.
HSF is a wonderful exploration of intimacy between two people who have had conflict, but ultimately cannot live without each other. Yes, mistakes were made, but with Saint and Shin, they would spend any amount of time to mend their bond because life without each other is simply inconceivable.
It was such a pleasure watching the two of them reconcile. I know I'm being repetitive, but what they have is a world-breaking kind of love, and that is one of my favorite things to watch on screen.
While the relationship between Saint and Shin is undoubtedly a central theme of the drama, a lot more is also addressed, including school/gang violence, the expectations of overbearing parents, wonderful representation of characters on the spectrum (through Chadjen), found family (Class 2), etc.
Promise by SkyNani is also a wonderful song. It's been on repeat ever since I watched this drama.
I can't wait for WU to come out soon! So hyped for Niran and Pete to serve that red string of fate kind of connection!!!
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not romance but bromance
I watched this and I loved it and I watch bl and I hide it from my parents and this was one that I could watch around my mom because it was bromance but there was some times that I was scared because it was heavy bromance but other than that it was a really good show and I would rewatch itWas this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Impression upto episode 10
7/10 stats, only watched for the leads chemistry.Positives:
1. Acting was generally good, esp the leads
2.Plot thus far has built a lot of angst and tension between the characters but also gave us some heartwarming moments.
3. Loved the intense friendship between the leads and the loyal friendship between the leads and other minor characters.
Negatives:
1. Repetitive plot. Every episode starts like this: homeroom scene, fight ensues, saint apologizing to shin (aka being a doormat), fight ensues, saint getting beaten/insulted, saint apologizing/beaten/sacrificing, teachers (s)hitting on each other or on their students. Scenes are repetitive even within the same episode, I ended up skipping after a while.
2. Leads hog 90% of the screen time, 5% by the TB thug trifecta and all minor characters fill the other 5%. A lot of the minor characters are underdeveloped, including the teachers, who are supposed to be mains. Though I loved the leads, this was problematic because Saint was mostly apologizing or getting beaten by Shin which got ridiculously repetitive. Saint, Shin needs his space and time to heal, piss off elsewhere please.
3. The story is riddled with plot holes. The personalities of the leads in the flashback and in the present is so different. Saint was a thug, but is now a doormat. Shin was a peaceful dude, but is now happy to hit others at the slightest provocation. I guess their past made them evolve this way but these personality changes are nevertheless very drastic. Who starts a gang at 16 and decide to hit their bf (best friend who they claim to love) to smithereens because they wanted to leave for a better future? Not a friend who loves him surely, but that was our doormat Saint you say? I'll let it slide since they were teenagers after all. Saint going completely off the radar of Shin, who was once his bf to now where he constantly pressurizes Shin to be his friend again doesn't make sense in hindsight. Did seeing Shin after 3 years open up all the floodgate of emotions? If he truly loved his friend he would not have ran away from him, but then again why not do it again now? How does Shin end up in the same school as Saint anyway? Was that ever explained? AFAIK Saint took a 2 year break to run away from his friendship and joins TB, while Shin was recuperating from his injuries during this time and joined UP to continue his education and made some friends. But how did they end up in the same year though? Isnt Saint supposed to start schooling where he dropped off? Especially since the merge happened on the first day of school, how did Saint even make friends with those TB girls? I'm hoping this gap is addressed in the later episodes. I'm also not sold on why Shin who claims to hate Saint agreed to go to the gas station to convince Saint to come back to school. Isn't he supposed to hate seeing his face at school everyday? Isnt that what he wanted? Are there no other schools in this area where Saint can go to continue his education? Shin was so reluctant to make up with his bf for 8 episodes, then bam, they hang out with eachother's family and have ice cream. I would have loved to see a gradual melting of Shin's icy heart instead of a forced event.
4. Plot holes aside, the screenplay stuck to its repetitive script for most of the episodes until every now and then some other characters were introduced for maximum drama like Saint's dad, Shin's mom, principal, mafia gang etc. These characters and their storyline don't wrap up well before the next minor character is introduced and we are left hanging with with that thread almost forgetting they existed until they were brought back. Point being, the screenplay felt disjointed at times and was quite predictable, losing its grip on me. Even the big reveal on how Saint and Shin divorced, I mean unfriended, was not super surprising since they showed a lot of their fall out in snippets so I didn't feel emotionally tense when it was finally revealed.
5. Teachers were utterly useless. Yes, it includes the homeroom ones too. They were all ignoring the actual problem with class 2 and instead focused on issues pertaining the main leads. The school looks super empty, not many characters had screentime, nor other subjects were explored. So far, the Thai teacher tried to teach a lesson, English teacher never spoke a single word in English nor taught a class, the other subject teachers were almost non existent, but there was a fine PE teacher to save the school from complete embarrassment seen hanging around basketball courts.
6. Queer Bait. For the record I went into the show with skepticism after reading the reviews that said this was closeted BL than a bromance. I did think people were probably too quick to judge intense friendship and went delulu mode thinking there was anything more to it. But they're right, there was something more about this Bromance, more so than those BL censored to Bromance adaptations from China. There wasn't explicit physical intimacy like holding hands or kisses, but a more subtle tones of two closeted best friends in love with each other but are too afraid to confess. Those love confessions every episode, those lingering glances, that need to be around each other all the time, goes beyond the friendship line. Heck Saint even made a ridiculous gang policy just to prevent his bf from ever leaving him. I mean if you truly care for his future, you would have let him go so he could play soccer and live his dreams, but nah you were completely overwhelmed by the thought of separating from your bf that you couldn't control your aggression and seriously injured him for life. No heterosexual love interest for either mains so far which is hella sus. Its hard to believe these two can develop romantic relationship outside of eachother. Heck their teenage hormones must be raging rn. I hate being baited like that.
I'm thinking of dropping this drama on epi 10 since the leads kinda got together, but I want to low key see a resolution to the mafia story, which was the most interesting sub plot threads imo.
PS. Mark Pakin was perfect as always and shone in all of his 5% screentime on this show. He was the best actor in this show for me, followed by Nani, then Sky.
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VERY GOOD series... but something is misssing... :)))
I really think this is the great series, good acting, I like, no I LOVE, the main "couple", they are awsome together, I'd like to see them in the real BL series, it could be a continuation of this one I think. :)) Sky and Nani are so natural together, the way they look at each other gives me a goosbumps... and Nani's eyes... OMG!!! He could tell everything with his eyes, this was really incredible. And though it wasn't a BL series, the tension and chemistry between them was like in classic BL, only some romantic scenes were missing. So maybe someone made a mistake calling this series a Bromance?.... Sometimes in real BL we can't see such a fantastic bond and chemistry between actors in the main couple... I hope we'll see them soon in a fantastic series as a REAL couple, if not it would be a waste of talent and unique chemistry. So GMMTV PLEASE consider it. :)))I also must admit that Mark Pakin as a Chatjen did a fantastic job!!! I know him from other series where he was aslo great, but here his acting was really something. He played a quiet boy who at first glance seems a bit withdrawn and strange, as if autistic or slightly mentally limited. At the same time, incredibly sensitive and almost physically feeling the pain of other people, especially his friends. His observations and ideas are very accurate and mature. Mark was really great, he played brilliantly. The other supporting actors also were very good, so the series is really WORTH WATCHING!
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Another POV
In contrast to what others wrote, I will highlight some things I thought while watching this1. Forgiveness
Forgiveness is not simple. This drama clearly shows how easily trust can be broken. Years of friendship gone in just a second of wrong discernment. It is astounding to me how much effort it takes to get to know someone, to gain their trust, to make memories, to share happiness and sorrow. And yet, everything just vaporises within a moment of disappointment and betrayal.
2. Empathy
I noticed many people emphasised with Shin. I found myself emphasising with Saint. Let me explain: I know the feeling of crossing a line in the heat of action and I would dare to say everybody does. It is very easy to be caught up in emotion. It might be during a conversation at some point there might be a misunderstanding and suddenly you said something you regret later. Or it might be during a playful fight until someone really gets hurt and cries (happens to little kids often) and you find yourself shocked at how quickly things escalated. What I'm saying is this: Yes, Saint did something terrible. And no, I do not want him to be easily forgiven. But yet, he was caught in the heat of his emotion. He did not want to lose his best friend. He was angry that Shin would not go the same path as him and not be on his side anymore. Nonetheless, he did not purposefully intend to destroy Shin's dream. Saint was shocked at himself after the incident and immediately regretful. He felt the weight of guilt so heavily upon his shoulders that he couldn't face his friend. Seriously, the worst feeling is knowing you did wrong but being utterly helpless in changing anything. Even if Saint were to crush his own legs as compensation, this wouldn't turn back time and make things undone. Can you imagine how regretful and terrible Saint must have felt? However, he came to the resolve that something like this must never happen again and that he doesn't want to hurt anyone else anymore. In contrast, Shin remained firm and bitter all this time. Saint wanted to change and make amends.
3. Dedication
Then, after 3 years (!), Saint plucks up all his courage to see Shin again. As if that wasn't hard enough, he humiliates himself and is ready to be pushed around and beaten by everyone. Shin watches him heartlessly. I tell you, it's not easy to continuesly turn the other cheek. To be beaten again and again. Especially when you could actually fight back. I was LONGING for them to reconcile! It hurt me to see Saint suffer and always being told that every effort is useless. I would have given up, but he remained firm in his resolve.
So, as an ending mark I would say that we shouldn't be unforgiving. We should try to understand that everyone has their reasons and in most cases, if we were in their shoes, we would have done the same. Also, we should not easily give up on each other. Lastly, we should never try to hurt those who are dear to us, especially if we know their weaknesses.
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The whole premise is just.....wrong.
The series is good for a young and teenage audience, but for me it borders ridiculous.If I ask for forgiveness and you choose not to forgive me, I'll just move on and never bother you again. If I tell you I do not want to see you because you hurt me in the past, please stop bothering me and forcing me to forgive you. It gives off childish and immature vibes.
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one of best series ever i see
Honestly, school themes are not my favorite genre. Initially I watched this series just to see Sky, where I was already impressed with his previous acting in series such as Project S, Ambulance, Film Omg etc.the first half, the plot was very annoying... but the further the plot went on, the better it got and it was beyond my expectations, every episode moved me.
This series teaches us about points of view towards other people, about not judging other people, about responsibility. about how everyone has their own difficult sides and trials in life. Since the beginning of the episode you will really hate Ken's character, but in the end you will really sympathize with him compared to the others.
everyone played their characters very well, don't ask Sky anymore. My other favorite is Chadjen, he is so funny, so adorable.
I'm grateful this isn't a BL series, even so the bromance is very strong ha ha I hope Sky never plays the BL series, if it's for Bromance it's ok.
That's all I can say. The point is, you must watch this series at least once in your life.
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il valore dell'amicizia
una parola ECCELLENTE. sinceramente ero solo curiosa 🤔ero più centrata nel vedere Nani recitare di nuovo perché non lo vedevo da F4 Thailandia. Lho guardato con tanta attenzione,mi ha fatto emozionare in diversi contesti,sono riuscita ad apprezzare tutti gli attori,spero davvero di beccare un'altro dramma che tratta sull'importanza dell'amicizia. da oggi in poi andrò a recuperare i Bromance persi 😂 Fino a prova contraria questa farà parte della mia top 10⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Detto ciò Imina skynani 😂💙
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Meilleure surprise de l'année
J'ai commencé cette série sans aucune attente, juste parce que je n'avais rien à regarder les lundis et mardis. Dès le premier épisode, j'étais sous le charme et plus les épisodes avançaient, plus mon intérêt grandissait ! Les acteurs sont excellents, Sky et Nani en tête. Ils fonctionnent d'ailleurs tellement bien ensemble qu'ils vont avoir une nouvelle série en 2025, ce qui n'était pas prévu.L'histoire est bien ficelée et les musiques sont excellentes. Il y a beaucoup de violence par contre, à prendre en considération avant de commencer la série ^^
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excelente
eu sei que é até triste dizer isso porque é uma empresa que vive de fazer Bls, como as pessoas devem saber é o boys love 2 homens de protagonistas gays, mas esse ano essa série que é um romance forte é a série que eu mais gostei da GMMTV, sim infelizmente ou felizmente é isso ela é um remake de uma série excelente da Coreia o School 2013, ás atuações são magníficas não só dos protagonistas, é tão raro ver alguém atuando de uma forma emocionante nessa empresa é nota 10 com certeza e pretendo ver mais vezes, acho que não atoa Sky e nani encantaram tantas pessoas mas nem em Bls, vemos tanta emoção.Was this review helpful to you?
