That Summer

Frustrating, Unlikeable Characters

Take this review with a grain of salt because in general, I don't enjoy memory loss tropes. Because it was Winny and Satang's first show as the main leads though, I really wanted to see how they would do. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed in this show. I found Winny's character to be infuriating, the plot was horribly rushed at the end, and the lack of character development with Satang's character for most of the show just made it really hard for me to enjoy it.

Prince Davin (Satang) sneaks away from the palace with his friend Victor to enjoy a last grab at freedom before he has to train to take the throne. Instead of partying it up, he ends up washed up unconscious on the beach, where Lava (Winny) saves him. However, Davin has lost all memory of who he was or where he came from. He works for Lava and Lava's uncle who he's staying with, and while Lava learns how to be a responsible adult, Davin (or Wave, as he is called after the memory loss) learns how to be a normal person. The two grow closer over the course of the summer, but the summer can't last forever.

Lava was genuinely so annoying to watch. How are you going to find a man clearly traumatized from memory loss and head injury and then almost immediately want to hook up with him? That's so weird and predatory! It also got really annoying that Wave couldn't remember ANYTHING for SO LONG. We got ONE flashback where it seemed like he was going to start remembering things and that went nowhere?? And then towards the very end, they had to try to wrap up the royalty drama plot, the regaining memory problems, the relationship issues that come with being a commoner x prince, etc. etc. and they just did NOT have the time to do all of that. The pacing of this show was totally off, the characters were mediocre at their best and genuinely unlikeable at their worst. Maybe if you like memory loss you'd enjoy this more than I did, but just liking WinnySatang was not enough to make me enjoy this show.

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Almost That Summer

This is a series where you must believe that everything that could go right, does. It is filled with fairy-tale Edenic bliss. Surprisingly, a lot of it works and if they had tightened up the story and made it more plausible, it would have been a great melodrama. Instead, it simply ended up just another good drama, but merely becoming an addition to a long-line of throw-away BLs that have a cookie-cutter premise having a wildly Pollyanna ending. It is not bad; just disappointing. One must really suspend one’s perspectives with this story. The story itself was surprisingly strong most of the time. It is hard to sustain an ‘amnesia’ theme, and this tended to get a bit long-in-the-tooth, as the expression goes. This story was presented way too simplistically and hurriedly to be fully believable or acceptable. Yet, it did make for a cute story. It is an entertaining series to be sure with a stronger than usual BL component than your run-of-the-mill trite Thai BL story.

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That Cute Summer

It was a perfect series to watch in the summer (even though we watched it in the fall). It was a simple story, with a touch of summer, sea, and freedom. It gave me the same unique feeling I felt when I saw Call me by your name.

It was my joy every Friday. I just relaxed and lived with Lava&Wave and the other people on the island. It was wonderful and I'm a little sad that it's over.

I liked that there wasn't too much drama and that the story followed a simple line. It was like a break from reality. And there were so many good moments, I have whole pages of lines from this series.

Satang was great as Wave/Darin. He fits the sassy personality. After Style (THK), he's my favorite from the "sassy" category. And... Gosh, he is so damn beautiful. He served faces the entire series.

Winny was wonderful. He was clearly in his element as Lava. He served both faces and bodie, and a tanned skin suits him very well.
My only complaint: he needs to improve his skills when it comes to strong emotions. He didn't convey anything to me when he was supposed to be in pain, it was just an empty expression.

It was a pleasure to see Neo again, and I'm glad he played with his girlfriend, Mint. Mond&Ryu were so sweet in Pheng&Wut shoes.

My second (and last) complaint: Winny and Satang need kissing lessons. They were okaysh, but they need improvement. They are too rushed, aggressive and repetitive. And it reminds me too much of the move we do when we lick an ice cream.🤣 I'm not saying it was bad, but it could definitely be better, slower, with more emotion.

That's it. Adios! 💜

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It's okay but.....

When this series began I was greatly entertained by the storyline and the actors. The actors were refreshing and it was interesting to see how this would evolve. A prince being betrayed by a close friend, losing his memory and starting afresh. The first few episodes were blunt and deliciously funny. Winny in the role of Lava was down to earth without pretense and on meeting Wave (Satang) continued to rub against the grain and irritated everyone. Then in true Gmmtv style it began to feel like a constant throbbing ache until the end. The unnecessary elongation of a script with nothing spectacular. Disappointment set in somewhere around ep 6. Then boredom took over. Episode 10 did some recovery and made it a better viewing.

From the night of the election campaign and most things after, there were numerous sighs being emitted. With all the money Gmmtv has, couldn't the baby bump actually look like a baby bump. Who smilingly gives up their newborn like they're distributing christmas gifts? Like no private conversation. Just blurt it out infront of everyone. Putting the couple on the spot. At this point, I'll bypass the diversion of Winny to help the shopkeeper, whose druggie son decides to inflict revenge. At least, make it look more credible.

Mond can get a pass but most and I do mean most can do with serious acting lessons. I'm left wondering if Neo is regressing. Gawin can not speak without his eyebrows constantly rising as he verbalizes. Ryu is trying but still has some way to go. Winny was a little too expressionless at times.

Personally, if I'm spending money on a project, it should be good. Gmmtv seems to be greenlighting projects to keep the actors names relevant but they should look into making them memorable. I will love to see Winny and Satang in another project because they are decent together. The ending did uplift it and was a nice touch to bring the romance to the fore and cute beach scene. I especially liked that Davin / Wave took some time apart to face his parents and choose the life he wanted. Both their characters showed growth at the end. Its not unwatchable but with a tighter script it might have been much better.

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The Best Narrative, Cinematography and Visual of 2025

I would say I usually have a issue with Thai BL's narrative flow, especially those which tend to dumb all everything in the final two episodes. That Summer is relatively in a good pace (although a slight tendency in squeezing plots in ep 9 and 10), and surprisingly it contains a good narrative callback which makes the story a circular and complete work. For those who have made to the end (ep 9 and 10), you will be surprised that some of the exact terms have been mentioned very early in the show (like ep 3). Take one example without too much spoiler, Lava and Wave discusses about the presence and future after their first intimate scene. When Lava (still a fuck boy at the time) says that the present moment is much treasuring and he would not think about the future (neither the past, as implied), later in ep 9 when he "lost" Wave, he was indulged in the past and Davin asks him, "to focus on your presence". I found this a very deep and insightful discussion of Queer time, which is rare in many popular dramas, and I have to say Director Jo executed this very well.
I would also give some credit to Winny's acting, as he truly portrayed a young boy's growth in a complex form. Growing-up is not a rare theme in Thai BL series, but Lava deals with more complicated questions. One example without further spoiler again: after learning the true identity of Wave, Lava's changes do not only stem from the fact of class difference, but also their relationships on this island. What does an island boyfriend mean? Is it as temporary and illusive as the "presence" he used to indulge in? I think Winny shows some deeper concerns in his micro-acting, especially in the dancing scene.
Another thing is just Jo's strength at all time: cinematography and all other visuals. Some fans may be disappointed to see Winny got so tan and sometimes even seeing his dark spots in some close up shots, but I think that with all the beautiful mise en scene is what a lovely island in Thailand looks like. The color tone of the drama, especially the night scene, made reference to well known Thai directors such as Apichatpong in his slow cinema. Besides, the careful use of camera angle throughout the show aptly show the change of characters, especially in terms of their relationships and personal growth.
Some people may not like this show because the trope is a bit dated (or is it?), but I would say in terms of its overall production, That Summer deserves to be regarded as one of the top. I am very grateful for WinnySatang and their first lead series.

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Better than expected

I kept my expectations very low when I started this, mainly because i can't seem to remember anything I watched for the main couple, and basically Mond was what had pulled me in to start it.

so I didn't know what to expect tbh~
That's why I enjoyed it despite being really slow burn with nothing going on and a very rushed end.

Story is nice, kinda expected but still the main couple were great, Lava had some character development that was enjoyable to watch, Wave on the other hand, despite being really nice characters, the whole memory loss thing is a bit too much, I think WaveXDavin should have a slight difference in character, like to have the same soul but slightly different, I don't know how to explain it in words but I couldn't believe the whole amnesia since I couldn't see any difference in behaviour, be that as it may, I loved Satang's performance.

What I didn't like is actually the pace, it was slow with literally just day to day life of the cast with things happening in the background, ignoring the main story or the main focus of it which is Wave's family and amnesia and what actually happened to him, still they had a fair amount of time showing their relationship in a slow burn way which - surprisingly - not boring at all.

But I wish they would include them in a scene or two showing what is happening with his family, to show that they are concerning about their child or at least searching for him, he is a prince for goodness sake, he is much important than they showed us, and that wouldn't necessarily be a problem, hadn't they show us the whole "you are the future of our family" sh!t at the last ep, and that he must gain people's trust and bla bla bla.

Another thing was how they squeezed everything in the last ep as if they didn't have a whole 9 episodes full of nothing to expand the last ep through.

Generally speaking, it was good drama, but if we looks into the details, this failed to show the whole potential of the very simple and predictable story that doesn't even require much thinking ~

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A nice feelgood series

This series was good, i liked it a lot. I just wish they gave us a bit more background story of Victor and Dawin and of the hostile coup.
The visuals and music were beautiful. The intro song was ok, but not great.

For me the couple Mond/Ryu was a big masmatch, their dynamics do not work and there is no chemistry. Not to blame Mond, he was trying so hard to make it work.
I liked the dynamics between Neo and Mint.
And i love Winny and Satang, their dynamics and chemistry just work. It isn't the most charismatic couple in the industry, but that's just like real life. Not every couple is extremely charismatic, some coupes are just less expressive and that is fine!

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Feels like a summer dream

That Summer is a mix of a light and unpretentious script, beautiful cinematography that manages to capture the island's beauty exceptionally well, and a couple with great chemistry and fluid development.

I didn't expect this series to be so good, and it was a great surprise. The story manages to balance well without becoming repetitive or too childish.

It's not a profound script, but the direction and photography really elevate the series to a level where everything becomes poetic and like a summer dream.

The secondary couple, despite their rapid development, works very well. However, the entire plot involving the coup in Arantha is absurdly poorly developed.

In addition, the final conflict, besides being rushed, is very cliché. Again, GMM-TV resorts to the same pattern of series finales with a time jump and a forced wedding.

However, this doesn't spoil the greatness of this series. It's an easy series to watch and has so many interesting moments that you simply fall in love with it.

A great success and without a doubt, one of the best cinematographies that gmm-tv has ever delivered in a BL.

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muito bom… até os três episódios finais

O título da review diz tudo. É um drama muito bem produzido, com atuações convincentes e detalhes técnicos impecáveis, uma prova de como os bl se consolidam cada vez mais em indústria, e uma de peso. O problema, para mim, se dá no final: todos os clichês possíveis foram utilizados, mas não se aprofundou o suficiente nas consequências desses clichês de modo a tornar possível um real aproveitamento por parte da história. Um exemplo: Darvin e Lava ficam um ano sem contato, e, quando se reúnem, parece que nada mudou, e a relação deles avança imediatamente. O roteiro tinha tudo na mão para fazer desse clichê horrendo e desnecessário em algo verdadeiramente interessante. Poderiam explorar as mágoas e incertezas dessa separação, poderiam mostrar o esforço do Davin em reconquistar o Lava (ao invés de fazer o otario ser largado por um ano e ainda pedir em casamento… ugh), e fazer o episódio girar mais em torno deles se amarem apesar de tudo. Tentaram criar ao máximo a angústia para proporcionar uma grande catarse, e terminaram por desperdiçar o final em clichês batidos que podem até servir para emocionar no momento, mas que em nada contribuem para tornar o drama memorável e alvo de revisitas

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