The Hidden Moon (Uncut Ver.) (2024)

8/10 ABL Ghost, Time Travel And Reincarnation In One Story

I honestly didn't expect much from this series at first, but it turned out to be pretty decent. The first episode felt kind of vague and confusing, but things started to make sense around episode two, and that's when the thrill kicked in.
The Hidden Moon follows five friends who stay in an old house in Chiang Mai for work but mysteriously can't find their way back to Bangkok. It's the only ghost BL series I've seen so far that actually gave me chills, most others either lean into comedy or end up being overly dramatic. I really liked how the story blends modern-day elements with the old era.
Mas, the main character, has a confusing love-hate dynamic with Khen in the early episodes. At first, he literally tries to kill him, then suddenly starts treating him kindly. His character can be a bit hard to read, and what's even more puzzling is how Khen just quietly goes along with everything. I've seen some people bashing Bing's character, but honestly, I think he's just looking out for his friends and trying to break them out of the loop they're stuck in. He's just expressive and always thinks about their well-being, and I appreciate that. I kind of predicted the plot twist early on, especially when I noticed how Khen couldn't be seen by Mas' friends or family.
As for the chemistry between the leads, it is okay, not super fiery, but not bad either. One of the actors feels a little stiff in some scenes, but this is their first series, so 1 get it.
There's definitely potential there. The pacing is a bit slow in some parts, but I stayed hooked because I'm a sucker for anything historical and supernatural with a touch of romance.
There are a lot of twists in the story, which sometimes felt a bit overwhelming. The subplot involving Khampuan adds to the creepy vibe, but it didn't feel fully connected to the main plot.
The visuals are gorgeous, it has this nostalgic, old-film aesthetic that I really loved. The cinematography actually reminded me of I Feel You Linger in the Air. And the OST?
Chef's kiss. It fits the tone of the series perfectly.
What blew my mind is how the series managed to weave together a ghost story, time travel, and even reincarnation by the end in one story. The Hidden Moon definitely has promise. Some scenes could've been executed better, and a few parts were confusing, but overall, it's a solid watch for me.

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The Hidden/Slow Plot (uncut version)

Overall: the first episode made me intrigued but it devolved into a non thrilling/confusing mess. Aired 10 episodes about 45 minutes each on WeTV https://wetv.vip/en/play/17g7rz51mczkxkf-The%20Hidden%20Moon/a4100mvcw5u-EP01A%3A%20The%20Hidden%20Moon (uncut episodes were about 10 minutes longer)

Content Warnings: death, attempted suicide, sexual assault/rape?, self harm, scary images, violence, blood, mental health struggles, choking

Watch Suggestions (suggest watching the cut version except where noted, this focuses on sweet moments between the leads)
- watch episode 1
- episode 3 watch part 2 beginning-3; part 3 beginning-1:15, all of part 4
- episode 4 watch all of part 1; part 2 start at 7:12; part 3 beginning-4 and all of part 4
- watch episode 5 part 1 4:30-end
- watch all of episode 6 uncut, they cut out kissing/implied sex
- episode 7 watch part 1 16-end, part 3 3:40-end and can watch all of part 4
- episode 8 watch part 1 before the credits for a quick kiss (uncut version has a longer kiss but it's more of a dead fish lip press) and 12:20-13:15
- skip episode 9
- watch episode 10 uncut from 40:20-43

What I Liked
- intriguing premise with mystery/horror/supernatural elements
- at least they asked why the ghost sensitive one wasn't seeing them
- sweet moments especially in episode 6
- supportive mom
- some of the production value* (the off key music at the end and then the music at the end was especially fitting)

Room For Improvement
- *choppy at times (even in the uncut version it felt a little choppy)
- confusing and slow plot
- Khen and a friend had several moments that made me ship them which was especially bad because the other ML wasn't introduced until the very end of ep 1 (this was less an issue in the cut version)
- odd that a character went from trying to kill another character to suddenly liking him and then back to hating him, did not feel chemistry between the leads
- did not care at all about the drama in the past and it was confusing because a character made it sound like she didn't want something but then she seemed to want that when she talked to her friend later
- I was going to give this a 7 but the very confusing/rushed finale/dead fish lip press dropped it to a 5 (the uncut adds 9 minutes at the end but it basically shows Mas and Khen almost meeting and how Khen was recruited to join the rest of the group and go to that house, they aren't together)
- the idea that Mas would watch reincarnated Khen grow up and then get together with him when he was 40 and Khen was 20 was icky (this is how the cut version ended)

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