Head 2 Head

A pretty enjoyable watch, so long as you suspend disbelief

I went into the drama with no expectations - I had enjoyed “Only Boo!” last year, was not entirely convinced about Sea’s acting, but the plot was entertaining enough to keep me hooked. However, I initially didn’t have “Head 2 Head” on my radar and only picked it up because I was craving a lighthearted show, one of these where the more you think about the plot, the less it makes sense. And oh boy, did “Head 2 Head” deliver in this aspect (but to my surprise - not in a bad way).

Let’s talk about the main couple first: J and Jinn ended up having my entire heart. I really enjoyed watching the progression of their relationship throughout the show - fast-paced, but also not too rushed. We got enough time to see them grow closer, fonder of each other AND handle hardships together as a team. If we ignore J’s inner struggles, I also think they communicated pretty well and cleared up conflicts quickly enough, which is always great to see in a BL. My only grapple with J and Jinn is that I think the show could’ve gone way deeper with their back stories and development as individual characters. From one point onwards, it felt like their lives merged and they didn’t have much going on apart from their relationship. Which may be logical given J’s traumatic visions, but I wish it weren’t the case. Either way, I think Sea and Keen did a great job with what they had to work with. Keen was phenomenal as always, and even though I felt like Sea couldn’t really deliver during some of the more emotional scenes, his acting has drastically improved since “Only Boo!” (and a cocky character is a GREAT fit for him).

I also liked the direction they took J’s visions in. The way I understood it, they were a supernatural ability to an extent (otherwise how would you explain the notebook scene?), but one could also interpret them as a non-magical product of J’s worries about the future, or even as obsessive intrusive thoughts. Even if this wasn’t the intention of the show, I appreciate that they filmed the scenes and explained the visions in a way which allows the viewer to make their own conclusions. I also liked the way this plotline was wrapped up - there weren’t any last-minute explanations of how this ability actually works; J just basically makes peace with the fact that the future is uncertain, and that even if he might not always be able to protect Jinn, he can at least love him.

With regard to the family dynamics, there is a lot of room for growth in my opinion (and I don’t only allude to the tendency to forgive neglectful parents in Thai dramas). I found Jinn’s relationship with his mom very interesting and would’ve loved to see more of it besides the very open displays of affection and praise. I similarly wish the show would’ve focused more on how the absence of Jinn’s dad affected his childhood. I loved the scenes in which Jinn expressed his unfiltered anger (Keen did amazing in those!), but they also ended up feeling a bit empty when all we were otherwise shown as an audience was the moment the dad left. Like, a couple of throwback scenes where Jinn and his mom are portrayed struggling on their own would’ve been perfect! Likewise, I wish they also showed us how the father took care of the mother behind the scenes, as well as a more detailed explanation WHY they chose to keep Jinn in the dark; the big reveal that he was always there felt out of nowhere, as if they wanted to quickly redeem him so that the viewers have less of an issue with Jinn forgiving him (and with this being yet another show where a bad parent faces no consequences).

Last but not least: if I have to be honest, I was a bit indifferent towards Van and Farm. I did not like Van until the very end (although he admittedly underwent character growth) and I didn’t really understand why Farm had a crush on him to begin with. Especially at the point where Van’s wrongdoings had piled up, I found myself wondering how Farm’s feelings remained so strong when he was shown to be someone aware of his worth and not willing to tolerate bullshit. I am, however, relatively happy with how their storyline played out, and episode 10 when the two of them were the focus (rather than the main couple) actually became my favourite. Not because they were granted more screen time, but because we could see the friend group’s dynamics in a new light through Farm and Van's conflict.

Rereading my review up until this point, it sounds like I wasn't all that enthusiastic about the show. But that can't be furhter from the truth - because what surprised me the most regarding it is the excitement with which I was anticipating the new episode each Sunday. Not many shows have had such an effect on me, so I will be looking back on this one with warmth in my heart. Is it a masterpiece? No, not really! But it did deliver on being a lighthearted, entertaining watch, and that’s sometimes all you need. Might not be rewatch-worthy (while waiting for new episodes of “Head 2 Head”, I unfortunately found out as much about “Only Boo!”), but as long as you take off your critical glasses, I am sure you will find something for yourself in it.

(Oh, and maybe they could’ve spared us a couple of hospital visits - it gets to a point! I cheered after finishing episode 10 and there being none! Maybe that's actually why it's my favourite episode, lol)

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It's good but feels half done. Have a lot of questions

I watched this drama with high expectations cz of the hype so my review could be a bit on the picky side but i really feel the drama was half done. My review is from someone who has not read the novel.

Lot of our questions are kinda unanswered. Usually in such dramas (like marry my husband etc) all the questions are answered and loose ends are tied up but here that was not the case. We will never know why or how jerome and jin fell in love in the original world or timeline. This was something i really wanted to know. I'm kinda confused if this is a parallel universe or time travel. I'm guessing it's parallel universe only cz of the last episode bridge scene where jerome is talking to his future self. Also I'm kinda confused if there were just 2 worlds or more than 2 cz jin died multiple times in multiple ways🤔. I get that his birthday wish was the reason he could save Jin but idk that didn't feel like a very good reason. Also about Farm's family, he does say its complicated. I was expecting a followup on that but they left it at that. These are few things i feel were not there. They're probably in the novel.

I'd have preferred a chronological flashback even if they kept switching back n forth. They did what they did it's not bad but not the best time travel or parallel universe BL.

Mid series i just lost interest in the main couple cz their story was pretty much it. Jerome was having flashbacks and both were taking turn in the hospital or they were just all in love and pure fluff. I feel FarmVan saved the 2nd half of the show. I was more into their story. I loved their story except for the part where Van kisses the girl. Cheating is just not my thing.

All the actors were really amazing. Couldn't tell they were all new. They were all serving visual but my favorite would be FarmVan or SurfJava😅❤️ . I just loved them a lot.

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Found it boring.

i dont know if it was just me who thought it was quite boring. also, i liked farm and van’s story better than jerome and jinn’s story. it was quite basic, but i felt jerome & jinn got together too fast. farm & van had better pacing, and also they were just more interesting in my opinion. i know you’re thinking “how can they be more interesting, jerome literally had powers!” i full honesty just found it kinda boring, romance wise. i kinda liked the way some things backfired on him when trying to protect jinn though. but that’s kinda it. i liked the end, and found it kinda interesting. but if im being even more honest, i wasnt a big fan of their acting either. dont know if its just me who doesn’t really like it. i thought surfjava’s acting was good, but theres just something about seakeen’s acting that throws me off. even though its kinda boring its still quite good.

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Came for SurfJava, stayed for their storyline — skipped the rest

I'll be upfront: I watched this almost entirely for SurfJava. After Love Me If You Swear I just wanted to see them together again, and from what I understand this is actually the series where they started as a pairing — which made it feel like essential viewing. I skipped the second couple almost entirely and followed only their storyline, so take my perspective on the overall series with that in mind.
What I genuinely liked about their arc is the honesty of it. Friends falling for each other and then discovering that wanting a relationship and being good at one are two very different things — that felt real to me. But it also quietly broke my heart a little to watch them not be good for each other in those early stages, risking a friendship that clearly mattered for something neither of them quite knew how to handle yet.
The ending is sweet, and I was glad to get it. It just felt slightly rushed to me personally — like the writing suddenly remembered it needed to wrap up and squeezed the resolution into less space than it deserved. A little more room to breathe at the end would have gone a long way.
Still, SurfJava delivered. That's what I came for.

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Enjoyed it!

I enjoyed this drama, the only thing i didn't like is the over acting to make it comedy.
The story was good.

I love Keen and Sea, they have such great dynamics and chemistry. And it isn't the most romantic chemistry and the kisses are not great, but i just saw they are only 20 years old, so i understand. And to be honest, in the real world not every couple has extreme romantic or sexual energy. Lots of couples have just more of a best friends chemistry. So i am not mad at it, i just like this pairing a lot.

Surf and Java had good chemistry, also not the greatest, but they too are still young. You can see Surf is a bit older, his acting is more mature and his chemistry and kisses are better.

Visuals were great and the music is good.

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A Fresh University Story Elevated by Two Beautiful Relationships

Finally something different!
Yes, it's true, we're still at university, because it matches the age of the actors, but at least it's not the usual engineering. The story between J and Jinn is magnificent, and the one between Farm and Van is no less so, but J and Jinn were something else! I hope to see them again in Our Sky, and maybe mixed together with My Magic Prophecy, that would be fantastic! If I had to find a flaw, it would be the conclusion, which seemed rushed to me, and the fact about the track and the races. I would have explored those two things in more depth.

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Is Jerome really ok ?

I just finished watching this series, and I can't stop thinking that the story wasn't really fair to Jerome. In the end, he's the only one who will remain traumatized by the past, carrying all those memories, feelings of loss, and regrets, while everyone else gets to move on with their lives normally. I just can't get that idea out of my head.

Overall, though, it was a fun and a watchable series. I'm still not sure about the acting. I feel like Sea can't really act that well, and in many scenes Keen was carrying the emotional weight for both of them. On the other hand, Java's acting was incredibly good. I cried a lot during his scenes, and he was definitely one of the highlights of the series for me.

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Sometimes love appears where you least expect it. This series explores friendship, love, and family relationships.

Considering how young they are, and that this is only Sea and Keen’s second series in leading roles, they did a really good job. In the BL world, it often takes time to get your own series, and many actors start out as the second couple in other shows before getting a lead role.

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Heads slowly

The concept of the show started off promising with the mystery of how two people who can't stand each other, but are constantly drawn together nonetheless by their family, but mostly by each of their respective obsession with one another that they interpret as hate before some kind of supernatural force intervenes.

The reveal that Jinn confessed to Jerome when they were very little kids and the latter handled it with bullying Jinn from elementary school till current day in college and worse Jinn's crush still hadn't gone away in the 10 years since is so sad. Every time Jinn tried to move on in the interim with different boyfriends, Jerome kept stealing them. It took supernatural intervention of visions from his dating alternate future for Jerome to realize his extremely weird fixation on Jinn is something else. Alternate because it seems to be a world where he didn't have these visions and still organically started dating Jinn at some point. It's weird that Jerome is so not immediately more concerned about his visions more since they literally take over his vision and senses into crashing his car.

I love Jerome's speech to Jinn that it took a life endangerment to realize his feelings and that Jinn can take all the time he needs since he's still not used to them being loving to each other and even if it means that they don't end up together in the end, at least they don't hate each other. It seemed like Jerome had a plan revealing his future seeing to Jinn's mom, but they they decide to do it in a traumatizing way of driving Jinn up to the boutique to see his dad there instead of just having her talk to him like an adult, maybe with Jerome present. It didn't really resolve with any kind of communication, it just does when Jinn calms down. I did like that non of the parents are surprised or care that they're dating.

There was a scene where the director wanted to angle their faces to be visible to the camera during the hug, but there was like a cavern between their faces. The angle for the Van and Farm kisses are weird too. Despite the weird angles, I do think the kiss scenes in general between the two leads is a slight improvement at times from their previous projects, though definitely still needs more direction to look organic. The actors in the same age range in other shows are about the same. It also depends on the individuals, experience, good direction and perhaps some coaching from intimacy coordinators if there are any.

Mai has been a one man comedy show from beginning to end. Van is big walking red flag, but I do like that he's taking it slow and just gradually changing for the better with how he treats Farm without instantly just asking him to date before he can be a proper boyfriend that Farm deserves. I love that his friends call him out early and often to treat Farm right. Farm finally learning Van's parents have both passed on and Van's living a lonely life with no commitments to any of his relationships though relying on them to take care of him until he betrays the relationship somehow.

The pacing really grinded down towards the end.

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