Shine (Orchestric Ver.)

Dare to be Different

One of the most anticipated BLs of the year, the comeback series of ApoMile. Visually, it did not disappoint. The cinematography was absolutely stunning, every frame felt like it was pulled straight from a high-fashion editorial. The production design was rich, layered, and clearly expensive—like, you could feel the budget in every scene. It had that glossy, cinematic sheen that made it stand out from the usual BL fare. What really set it apart was how bold it was. It felt more like an art film than a typical BL series. You could tell the creators wanted to push boundaries and elevate the genre. That said… the storytelling didn’t quite match the visual ambition. Some scenes dragged on way longer than they needed to, and the emotional beats—while intense—sometimes tipped into melodrama. There were moments where I found myself wishing for tighter pacing or more dynamic dialogue to keep things moving. It’s like the show was so focused on being beautiful that it forgot to be engaging in parts. Still, it’s a solid watch. ApoMile’s chemistry is undeniable, and the ambition behind the project deserves props. I’d give it a respectable 3.5 out of 5 stars—worth watching, but not quite the masterpiece it could’ve been.

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Well written storyline and Krailert as character

Incredible series until the last scene where it falls down. The storyline was so well written and the characters as well, Krailert was by far the best written one. His growth as a characters is beautiful and how he gained courage after years of hiding in the shadows avoiding conflicts. That last episode when he stood in front of those journalists i just know which path he chose. It was such a privilege to see him on my screen.

As for his wife... I have never seen someone that selfish and that manipulative, it's actually sickening especially because she knew what she was getting into. She was not supposed to be a villain, but they just had to add a plot twist and ruin a relationship that was supposed to be. If anyone should have gotten together it was Krailert and Naran. Both if them deserved a happy ending together even if they had to stay hidden in the shadows. Big part of me wished he just ran away...

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Another Masterpiece done by BOC

This tackled some heavy topics that caught me off guard. It’s not just about romance – it actually shows struggles that feel real, and that makes the story hit harder. Mile and Apo did such a great job – their chemistry carried the whole series and made even the simple moments shine. I didn’t expect to enjoy Son and Euro this much, but they honestly shocked me with how natural and engaging their performances were.
And the ending… wow. It was shocking and not at all what I expected. It left me thinking long after the final episode. Definitely not a fluffy series, but if you’re ready for something with weight and emotions, this one is worth watching

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Brilliant but Heartbreaking

This was such a great watch! I honestly regret not watching it when it first came out, but that’s adult life, I guess! 😂

Anyway, the storyline, character development, plot, and acting were all amazing. You definitely have to give it a chance, though—the first episode starts off quite confusing, but trust me, it gets SO good!

I loved all the characters. I mean, I came for Trin and Tawan, but my heart was completely stolen by Nara and the Colonel! And honestly, even the villains were incredibly well done.

I also loved the film music and, oh my god, the costumes! The clothes they chose for each character were unbelievably good-looking and fit the characters so well. The whole visual style of the series was just beautiful.

There were, however, a few things I didn’t like. I feel like Nara and the Colonel were done dirty, and I’m still not over it. 😭 But at the same time, the wife as the true villain was phenomenal. I was crying and completely in awe at the same time!

One other thing that bothered me was the amount of smoking. For some reason, literally everyone seemed to be a smoker! 😂 I know the story takes place in the 60s and that smoking was very common back then, but the sheer amount of cigarettes felt like a bit too much.

All in all, this was a really great watch! Brilliant, emotional, beautifully acted, and absolutely heartbreaking. Definitely a series I’m glad I finally watched!

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Left me feeling broken. /Switch representation / Mature love

I seldom write reviews, but I had to for this series. It was absolutely brilliant in every way, the acting was out of this world. The chemistry was so natural and beautiful between the couples. The story was complex and thrilling.
The last three episodes devastated me and my friends so much though that some of us were crying and all of us agreed we could not watch the series again. It's a testament to how heavy it felt, how much this series managed to make us care about it and it's characters.
(If you watch this, make sure you're in the right mental state to do so!)

I think it's worth pointing out that this series has showed us something that should be commonplace, but isn't in this type of media - a couple that switches positions in bed. This is the reality a big chunk of the queer community practices and it's high time we got to see it in screen.

//Slight spoiler//
I'm also a big fan of the fact that they let a fixed pair like MileApo switch top/bottom positions in this series. Another way in which they broke those tired tropes open.
I'm very thankful they made this series.

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phew, this was a doozy.

i do not know how others felt about this title but this was sort of a bittersweet ending for me, leaning toward bitter. this was my first watch after the edge of horizon and the themes are basically the same. i reviewed the former, and if you read it, you may know that this story had the power to trigger me as well. i truly felt moved by the desires of the students and their vigor.
with the current socioeconomic state of the world, we need a global revolution especially for those who have been fighting for their rights for decades. one preface is, i do not fall into the excuse that, "it was a different time", to justify immoral behavior.

anyway, i watched this for mile and apo but became less interested in them once the second set of romantic interests were introduced. tanwa and trin were beautiful together and i am glad they also ended up together. unfortunately, their two year separation ruined the immersion, for me. timeskips will always disrupt my experience and likely piss me off. there is no realistic way they had a two year no contact period and still loved / like each other. i liked that there were twists. i thought tanwa selfishly kept trin away from the last protest that caused fatalities but it was because of a promise. the promise almost is nonsensical because i feel certain tanwa would have kept trin away anyway for his own personal interest. tanwa was not going to do the right thing since he had no reason to.

krailert and naran are what have me feeling bitter about this title. these two captured my attention immediately and i wanted to see them more. their ending was tragic. however, it was also deserved which bothers the heck out of me. why were they written to be empathized with? they both cheated on their longterm partners, one married and one not, with each other. luckily, it does not seem to be that they were engaging with their partners sexually so thank goodness for that. i also loved that, in the end, both women were very "girlboss" about the path forward. i truly desire this cheating trope to die a vicious death in BL. the cheating is what ruined their entire relationship for me. these two were clearly wild for each other and they could have had their forbidden love without the immoral garbage. krailert was already well established trash before he started cheating on his wife but then he made it worse. his former lover was murdered due to their associations and he never changed a shade. he may have vindicated himself by telling the truth but then he ended up having to pay the consequences of his actions, still. naran is similar. he fought on the right side of history but cheating on his partner and treating her like a roommate dumping ground was something else. in the end, they both diverged and viewers never saw them again.

i want to speak about the partners of krailert and naran too. dao and dhevi were both upperclass women who did not have to think about the political state of their area. for the time period and their roles in society, they were decent women. dao deserved better than naran and i am glad he told her the truth. her abusive reaction, by hitting him with her heel, felt satisfying. she clearly cared a lot about him despite wanting to mold him to be suitable for their future. she should have dumped him ages prior to the start of the story. now, dhevi is a different case. she was decent until the blackmail at the end. she did not directly threaten her husband with naran's death but she alluded to it. she was privy to krailert's former partner's demise and kept it hidden for years. she KNEW he was gay, potentially even when she proposed she marry krailert, and still proceeded forth. she knew he could never love her as a wife / women but she continued anyway. as i type this, i realize she was a devious person. she got everything she wanted at the cost of a real marriage and an innocent child which makes me believe she was mentally unstable. one could even presume she caused the death of general pracha, which is impressive but more so terrifying. under other circumstances, i would hype up a women like her in a time like this but what she did to krailert was evil and unforgivable.

some random bits to mention for me are: i liked that tanwa and his father seemingly rekindled through the writings of his mother. i liked that this was probably the therapy he needed to accept her passing and move on from the depression he felt as of result of the heartbreak. his father, for once, truly started acting like an actual father. one redeeming quality of the father was that he clearly loved his wife immensely and well after her passing. trin running to france was a strange choice, to me. he had nothing left there [and apo's french was horrendous-sounding]. perhaps it was to start over and escape what transpired with victor. speaking of, victor and veera's murders were a miserable experience to witness. they deserved better. moira's character was the MVP in this; everything about her was a ten out of ten. whoever dressed her character when meeting with krailert, at his presumed release, knew what they were doing. i noticed that all the women in this were beautiful and that astounded me. the jump to present day with tanwa and trin was not satisfying for me - it meant that there would be no season two and we would not get to experience them rekindling their love.

the intimacy in this was incredible. all the kissing and most of the sex scenes were truly scenes to be admired. the chemistry between mile and apo will probably never falter in anything. i was not completely sold on the chemistry between son and euro despite preferring their pairing. regardless, the four did so well. the acting from mile, apo, euro, nok, fuiaz, mio, & jt really struck me. be on cloud has access to some unprecedented talent and delivers engaging storylines. i hope they do not continue to waste time and lose what is left of their talent pool.

i noticed some goofs, period inaccuracies, cringe moments, and questionable decisions made but this story was enough to circumvent those issues. i may return to this review to type out those observations. to conclude, shine was executed well and made it onto my ranked list.

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Another BOC ending

BOC delivered an excellent show overall, though the final episode’s pacing was a noticeable drawback. As is often the case with BOC productions, the conclusion felt somewhat rushed and left several threads unresolved. That said, the acting, soundtrack, storyline, and episode-by-episode pacing were all engaging and well executed. A significant amount of screen time focused on the emotional growth of the main couple, which was well done, but it might have been even more impactful to see greater attention given to the grief of family and friends, a clearer resolution for Krailiernt and Naran, and perhaps justice served to the newspaper leader who persistently suppressed the truth.

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It was good serie

I enjoyed this drama alot, from ep 1 to ep 7 it was so perfect and consistent, ep 8 didnt meet the level of previous episodes, i didnt like how it went
What i like about this serie :acting, storyline, music, cinematography
What i didnt like: ep 8. The final, miltrary issue solved so quickly, the evil dhivra!?!? The explanation of victor telling tanwa to not let trin come meanwhile we didn't need that, tanwa is not responsible for victor death even without that part and victor was so happy and proud that trin saw his speech so there is disconnection imo

Krailet and naran storyline was so captivating, the tension was crasy, we witnessed their love light up like fire and burn into aches. I expected sad ending for them since begenning but how they went with their seperation was underwhelming for such build up.

I liked Trin and tanwa, they were the opposite yet they completed eo, and glad they had happy endings, mileapo outstanding acting performance deserve to be mentioned.

Victor, the one who wished to see sky elsewhere but ended up being part of it, such lovely endearing and irritating sometimes character but i couldn't help but get attached to him, he was written so well, represented the voice of youth, the hope of freedom and young love, he become a centric character at some point and his death changed the dynamics of all relationships in the serie, definitely a character ill remember for long and love it the most.
Anyway this is definitely a serie worth the watch.

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set kk slider's wig on fire: an ode to apo part 2

it is i, the niel.

first, i have to acknowledge that it's a well-written, well-made, well-acted show. objectively, it is good. i appreciate how be on cloud consistently creates mature characters with mature storylines, which i often enjoy. i really liked victor's actor, and i hope to see him in something else. also, there were artistic elements of the show, the characters' styling was great, the sets were thorough, and the scenes looked good.

however, the characters were some of the most frustrating, irritating, and insufferable characters i've seen in a show. with a cast this large, i'm impressed with how many characters i frankly disliked. the acting delivered, and the actors did a fantastic job. the writers just made some odd choices with the motivations and backstories for these characters that made me dislike most of them by the end. it's difficult to fully enjoy a show when you're not rooting for or care about the characters having a happy ending.

i watched the first seven episodes back to back, but it took me a bit to get around to the last one. i left the show feeling annoyed, and the last episode dragged on forever. they could have ended at 45 minutes and i would've felt fine. i really did not like the ending, and it did not fit the tone of the show, or align with the prior actions of trin's character. tanwa's character was the worst of the bunch. i could not feel sympathy for tanwa's character, regardless of how much they wanted me to. even during the last episode, i did not change my view of him and his previous actions. i wanted to set that wig on fire.

it is worth watching, but be prepared to feel a wide range of emotions. i can respect the craft, but by the end i was losing my mind. still, i keep coming back to their shows. au revoir!

best,

the niel.

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Great acting, cinematography but lack of execution

While the first episode was a little slow, this drama quickly found its footing and became genuinely engaging. The moment it moved past the initial setup, I was completely hooked. Much of this immediate draw is thanks to the stunning cinematography, which beautifully captured the atmosphere of 1970s Thailand. The visual appeal and the quality of the acting were consistently top-tier throughout the series.

The central relationship between Trin and Tanwa was intended to be the focus, but the script had noticeable weaknesses here. The drama missed an opportunity to explore their individual traumas and internal conflicts in greater detail. Furthermore, Trin's unexplained decision to leave felt like a plot hole, and despite events like what happened with Victor, the narrative failed to show him truly fighting for justice, which felt like an unfinished arc. Critically, if the filmmakers intended the political situation to be a main theme, they failed to explore the historical context properly and execute the political storyline with the required depth, leaving it feeling underdeveloped and incomplete.

However, the undeniable stars of the show were the second couple, Krailert and Naran. They completely stole the spotlight. Their unconventional communication, particularly their heartfelt communication with letters, highlighted the strength and depth of their bond. This storyline culminates in Krailert's heartbreaking sacrifice—a choice he makes to accept responsibility for his life, captured in the devastating quote: "Choose the life you want and live it on my behalf." Watching him compose the music, his pain evident, powerfully illustrates the cost of a life lived under duress.

The drama offers a clear reflection on the dichotomy of the human experience: the choice to hide or to live. Knowing the story was set against the backdrop of a military-ruled Thailand meant you knew things wouldn't end happily for everyone. Despite the narrative inconsistencies with the main couple, the finale still managed to be incredibly impactful. That closing scene, especially, was a stunning moment that delivered a powerful punch. Overall, the drama features great story potential, amazing acting, and fantastic chemistry across the board, but is ultimately hampered by its lack of focus on its core leads and the proper execution of its political themes.

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Incredible raw with beautiful lighting

Wow... Where should I start?

First Veera.
I think, this was the first time I couldn't watch a scene.
My body involuntery moved away from the screen, my eyes tightly closed and the tears quelling over. I sobbed so hard, even my dogs worried about me.
He didn't deserve any of that!

Second Dhevi
BITCH!!!!

This was amazing! The writing, the lighting, the cinematography!
I didn't like a few actors (Just personel prefference, they all did an amazing job!) and, please don't stone me for this, but I didn't like Victor (the character)... He was a typical young adult, too full of himself, well acted, but gosh, he pulled my strings and not the good way -.- That said, his death was a great plot point and moved things from the old path toward the future.

The scene after the first protest in the warehouse was Apo's moment. That scene had me in a chokehold, my eyes were glued on the screen, the emotions made my heart race! It was an incredible acting job!

Tawan was the catalyst for Trin, one moment and everything changed and yet still the same. The character was believable and well portrayed.

Naran and Krailert... my heart!
I can't describe how much my heart hurt for them from the first moment they appeard on screen. They had that sad aura from the beginning and after we learned about Krailerts first love (I could choke that bitch!!!) I knew it was all doomed.
The longing, the secret, the passion and love between them were just too raw to not be felt through the screen! The way they looked eyes over all those reporters, the way Naran followed alongside when Krailert spoke the truth and got escorted, the quiet acceptance after Trin brought the air ticket...
I guess I got hit with the second couple syndrome... I liked the main, too, but Naran and Krailert? It was just too painfull to witness to not be fully invested.

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