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When you do not expect anything it's better than you could imagine...
The first thing I need to write is, they brought up a many sensitive topics including "aphenphosmphobia" in a sensible way. Even the doctor did the right thing, because he was interested in the patient, so he delegated the therapy to another doctor - as it should be. On the other hand, this show tried too much. There are too many stories in a very short series so the depth of them is very limited. In this case more episodes would have been better.The actors did all a good job, especially the Doctor and "his" patient. For me they are the ML of the series. All other couples are only 2nd fiddle to them. While having a heavy topic for all couples, there's also some comedy done to let you breath a bit easier. And of course Mom is the best :)
So, while I did not expect anything out of this series, it was much better compared what Domundi and GMMTV produced and I bet with less than half the budget. I would suggest you should watch this first before turning to the bemeoths of BLs.
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Wish I Could Like It More
Three brothers. Six Issues. All dealt with. So what were the drawbacks? The acting. The serious nature of the topics and how it was handled. The script. The unrealistic resolutions. This felt like an after school special.Sailom refusing treatment unless he got the doctor he had a crush on.
Sailom instantaneous healing.
Sky's facial expressions that never held the gravity of the situation even when he was going through it.
Their 'perfect' mother.
The kidnapping.
Nava situation stretched but Tawan's resolved in fifteen minutes at the end like an afterthought.
Nabnueng still felt and spoke like a doctor to Sailom instead of lover.
The entire thing felt too superficial. I do like that topics usually bypassed were highlighted. There were some nice couple moments. I truly appreciated Nabnueng being direct with his ex girlfriend and that was handled appropriately. The reconciliation of Tawan and Dindin.
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honestly I’m here for it
I remember this being announced a while back and I’m just happy we are finally getting this drama. so far I’m loving it. despite the chaos nature this is one of the dramas that I just love watching right now especially since most of the other dramas I’m watching right now are going through its angst part and this drama just cheers me up. it’s so cute/ cahotic at times and I truly love the casting of this drama so far. I love how we were set up with the main characters and all the couples in this story so far. I’m literally obsessed with the two main leads like they look so good together 🤭. I’m loving the other two couples as well and can’t wait for their stories to unfold.Was this review helpful to you?
Pattaya, pop psych, real psych, pastries, planes, and bike pedals--lots of bikes to pedal
This series swirls around three adoptive brothers. One is a psychologist. One is a former pilot suffering from PTSD after an accident. Now he works as as a bike mechanic. The third brother works at a host bar, where he sells his companionship to the highest bidder each night. The family, which also includes their mother and a much younger sister, operates a combination bike shop and cafe. The brothers' love interests turn out to be an exchange student suffering from PTSD related to childhood trauma. A baker so deeply in debt that he will take any job at all. And a client at the host bar harboring a secret. The series makes good use of its setting in the beachfront city of Pattaya--in fact, it makes such good use of scenic overlooks and city beaches that one surmises that the Pattaya tourism office helped underwrite the production. Not a complaint, since that is how BLs get produced in Thailand, but the city promotion was quite noticeable here. In nearly episode, after all, one or more characters spends the episode biking around the city and its environs.Somehow, the psychologist fails even to notice his brother's PTSD, but he induces his new acquaintance the exchange student into therapy by episode 3. Then, he promptly passes the new patient off to another doctor in the same practice. Unfortunately, it takes until the finale before the student realizes the doctor punted on his treatment for ethical reasons, even though everyone in the audience twitted to that reality almost immediately. On the bright side, let us cheer a Thai BL production that acknowledges professional medical ethics so directly instead of building a fantasy romance around a psychologist dating his own patient. Will eight episodes be enough to cure the patient's PTSD? You've seen BL before. Guess for yourself.
Meanwhile baker and bike mechanic enter into a tempestuous relationship. (The story drops the pilot angle after e 2, until it abruptly resurfaces in the finale. Silly me. I had forgotten it existed at all.) Ostensibly, this duo manifest an enemies-to-lovers story frame, but the enmity comes across as artificial, even forced. Their early interactions consist of throwing punches, then fucking. Naturally, true love will not be far behind. The debtor's financial situation drives the most dramatic scenes in the eight episodes, as the whole family deploys familial solidarity to defeat the cruel debt collectors. Does any of it make sense? Shh. We are watching BL, and all that matters in the end is the good guys win. Oh, and that baker and bike mechanic grow closer because of the crisis. That matters, too. But they will still throw punches in the finale, just for the nostalgic callback value.
Finally, we have the host and his owner--err, his client. I don't have much to say about this plot, as it is the least compelling of the three and least impactful on the other characters. In keeping with the rest of the series, this couple's sublot also features a serious problem that requires fixing. Like all other problems in this series, the solution arrives too easily, too prettily, and with too much reliance on a convenient deus ex machina. The result proves less than completely satisfying. But it's nice they went through the motions.
In short, Love Like a Bike ranks as a below average BL. Not terrible, but in the end, the final result lacks the complexity in execution that the ambition of its multi-faceted storylines would suggest. To its credit, the series manages to feel different from most of Thai BL, whether by escaping the environs of Bangkok or by focusing primarily on adult non-students. I would not dismiss it out of hand as a complete waste of anyone's time. Well, unless you have important things that need doing. But if you're looking for a brainless lark while on holiday or just want an excuse to procrastinate, you could do a lot worse than this one.
One other note: Netflix has suddenly decided to grace North America with proper BL series. That gives an additional motivation to watch this series--so they keep giving us more. Sooner or later, they're bound to buy an excellent one, right?
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First impression: not particularly memorable so far, but it’s also an easy watch
The opening episodes of Love Like a Bike deliver exactly the kind of experience you’d expect from a more easygoing BL: a mix of romance, exaggeration, and narrative chaos that doesn’t always work, but also doesn’t fully push you away. The series starts with an intriguing premise, even if it’s built on a not-so-convincing foundation, using an unlikely encounter between the leads as its starting point. It’s not the strongest opening, but it does a good job of setting the light and slightly absurd tone that guides the story.The writing, however, is quite uneven. There’s a clear reliance on genre clichés, and many of them aren’t handled with much care. Transitions between conflict and romance happen too quickly, making some scenes feel rushed or underdeveloped. At the same time, the series doesn’t fall apart completely, working better when it leans into this faster pace and doesn’t try too hard to take itself seriously.
When it comes to character development, the results are just as inconsistent. Sailom stands out as a central figure, but his portrayal shifts between moments of genuine vulnerability and others where the exaggeration takes over. The attempt to explore heavier themes, like trauma, adds an interesting layer, but it isn’t always well integrated into the rest of the narrative, creating a tonal contrast that can feel a bit jarring at times.
The presence of multiple couples brings some variety, but it also highlights the lack of depth. With limited screen time for each storyline, many relationships end up feeling either rushed or surface-level. Still, there are small moments of chemistry that work and help keep things engaging, especially when the series slows down and lets interactions breathe a little more.
Overall, Love Like a Bike starts off as a fairly average drama, with clear issues in structure and pacing, but still manages to be entertaining within its own scope. It’s not particularly memorable so far, but it’s also an easy watch, especially for viewers already familiar with the genre’s usual excesses and conventions.
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Plot contrivences with no emotional payoff
Love Like a Bike ultimately stalls out as a narrative failure, offering a "Trauma Festival" that lacks the structural integrity to justify its own weight. The central conceit is immediately undermined by a total lack of familial chemistry; the three adopted brothers are so physically and temperamentally dissimilar that they feel like a script convenience rather than a lived-in reality. This lack of believability extends to the show's core romances, which operate almost exclusively within a minefield of serious ethical violations—blurring the lines between doctor/patient, employer/employee, and sex worker/client. These problematic power dynamics are never handled with the necessary nuance to make them compelling; instead, they contribute to a wearying atmosphere that offers no emotional payoff.Was this review helpful to you?
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Three Couples - One outstanding
So, there's three couples, but only one of those was convincing. DinDin and Tawan were fabulous together - I loved the fisty cuffs before the kissing - so funny.However, with the other couples, Sky was great, but 'Nava' was a bit weak - sure he had cancer, and maybe the script didn't help, but 'Sky' was definitely the one to watch.
And, OMG, Nabneung and Sailom! 'Sailom' was a total dweeb - he acted way too childishly for his age, even with the trauma of his childhood.
Overall, it was a good show, with some touchy subjects dealt with well, I just found the relationships unconvincing ( not Din and Tawan).
The little girl, who played the sister (*why doesn't MDL have her name in the credits?*) was so good, and, at times, held the show together.
So - Ta Nannakun and Us Nititorn stole the show.
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Mixed feelings about everyone!
Where do we start?First, Nubnueng/Sailom is creepy... thought it was just me, but on other platforms it seems I'm not the minority. Honestly, I think NN/Sailom story could have been a secondary storyline with more emphasis on either of the other two couples.
Sky/Nava's story would have been a great story to build off of! Especially since Sky is Swiss-Thai, it would have been interesting to see why he was adopted, etc... Nava probably has more to add as well.
Dindin/Tawan's story also would have been really good if it was developed a tad more, with a bit more emotional depth written in.
Sailom's sudden recovery is NOT realistic, nor his sudden comfortableness with sex, regardless of it being with Nubnueng.
Overall, not a bad series but I won't watch it again, which is rare since I often rewatch BLs at least twice.
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Was okay series. Think the flying through the air after getting hit by a bike was more meant to be like comedy maybe??Also hitting someone and them dong the deed right there in the open.
What gets me is the time lapse.
It doesnt state how long Sailom went away. How long was Tawan gone to become a pilot again etc.
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6 traumatized people overcoming it and finding love
Love like my bike was one of my favorites when it came out the drama was pretty good until episode 5 but then episode 6 and 7 made me go WTH but the final episode made up for that.I really liked all 3 couples NabnuengSailom, TawanDindin and NavaSky with NabnuengSailom being my favorite. I felt if they just divided the episodes for the 3 couples it'd have been much better. Also they picked up too many topics to cover in 8 eps
When it comes to NNSailom story the plot was going in a pretty good flow with Sailom recovering from his trauma. Everything was pretty realistic although i kinda was expecting Sailom opening up to NN about his past about his past to be more emotional like LITA but that didn't happen. Also i didn't like the exes respawn at the end although it did make sense why she did in the last episode it was cz Sailom was gonna go back to America. Also i felt NN mother's arc was totally not needed.
Coming to TawanDindin all they did was kiss slap till the end😆😆 i was expecting a bit more on the romance side from them and the pilot issue gradually being fixed throughout the show instead of the end.
NavaSky these 2 made me cry ugly 😭😭 i was least interested in their story until the Nava's problem was revealed. Thankfully they got a happy ending.
I feel instead of the fillers they added in ep 6 and 7 they could have just worked on the main plot and added more dept so that's the reason i removed 2 points. Overall it's good although not as good as LITA and bed friend. It's good in it's own way
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It needed more time to tell this many stories well
Overall I liked it and I was invested in the characters. But there were some ham handed elements and places where it felt rushed. All drama is setup, tension, resolution (repeat). But there were so many story lines and so little time. It got garbled up.One of the highlights for me was anytime the family came together to support or just enjoy each other.
The main couple is good, but I wanted them to grow more. Theres a lot of trauma, which they lay out but then dont exactly work through. (Honestly, they might want a trigger warning because as someone who is NOT an SA survivor I still felt some kinda way about seeing all that pain.) Sailom stays a little more doe eyed than I wanted. Pi Doc is the greenest green flag and I loved that.
Tawan and Dindin are my babies. And in a lot of ways thats the story I enjoyed the most. But there were a few ridiculous plot lines that I could have done without. I really could have watched a lot more content with the two of them. I liked the actors' chemistry the best of all the couples (with the mains as a very close second).
Sky and Nava had a somewhat tortured story arc. I like them a lot too, but some weird unearned moments happened with their story.
The daughter and the mom! Yes please! Loved them both. More substance from them would have made me happy. I really like kids and family storylines in bl. It changes the dynamic.
Thanks for dealing with the mental health issue even if not entirely to my satisfaction. And thanks for making this about grown men! (Anyone who reads my reviews knows I appreciate seeing mature adults in bl series.)
Overall it needed more depth and finesse. The writing could have been better, and some of the director decisions were questionable to me. There was a lot to work with and they missed some opportunities and blew others. That said I'm not mad I watched it. I'd even say I enjoyed it!
But there's a lot of bl out there, especially in Thailand. And, again, Khemjira is making y'all work for it!
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Emotional but cute
This show is interesting for a few reasons. The most explicit one being that the 3 couples are so different from each other. While that is a normal thing irl, it's not common in an ensemble bl. We have a Psychiatrist/Patient, a Host/Client and a Baker/Bike repairman. All 6 have their own adult issues and all of these are dealt with in a very sensitive and emotionally mature way (except for DindinTawan who keep punching eachother before they kiss. Idiots.)This is by far the best Netflix Original BL at the moment. It's emotional, cute, sexy and funny.
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