Moonshadow

EB did not deserve this

I genuinely started this expecting so much more cuz US was literally one of my most favourite GL's ever. I was sooo disappointed watching this. Honestly speaking, if someone were to ask me what this show is about i cant even explain it properly without it sounding terrible itself. These roles were too out of both of their personalities in general. I dont think they fit such characters. Ig this was just done to attract the audience and stuff showing them in roles which are no way similar to the previous ones. The music also was much better in US and any other GL other than this made by GMMTV. Genuinely super disappointed with GMMTV like i genuinely expected better.

The characters didnt even have chemistry. Like it felt so stiff with no emotional depth whatsoever. I hate that they had to make everything so fast-paced like the marriage was not even necessary. There were sooo many scenes which felt so uncessary like the mom and all getting involved. I hope they get better projects than this lowkey

Read More

A Pretty Package With No Story Underneath

At this point, I genuinely think a ten-minute mini-drama could give us a better story.
I went into this drama with HIGH expectations for EmiBonnie. The pilot trailer genuinely made me hopeful, and the first episode looked aesthetically pleasing and eye-catching. Unfortunately, pretty cinematography can only do so much when the story itself has very little to offer.
Two girls fighting over one person? Seriously? Is that all we have? "The Story"
My biggest issue with this drama is its storytelling. The plot feels unnecessarily dragged out across ten episodes, and the characters' decisions rarely make sense. The suicide of Key's mother, Key's sudden disappearance, and Chan eventually finding her felt like familiar melodramatic tropes rather than meaningful developments. The problem isn't that these themes cannot work; it's that the execution didn't make me emotionally invested in them.

Key has supposedly loved Chan for years, yet after they finally get together, she suddenly disappears. Where is the emotional progression? Where is the logic? And Chan often gives the impression that she is ready to leave the relationship rather than actually work through its problems.

EmiBonnie
I'm sorry, but the acting did not live up to my expectations. Emi's portrayal of Chan felt stiff, and I struggled to connect with her character. One moment, Chan seems unable to move on from her ex or fully trust Key, and the next, she's suddenly in love. The transition felt rushed and unconvincing.
Bonnie's portrayal of Key also didn't quite work for me. The attempts to make Key cute, attractive, and depressed didn't feel natural enough to make the character convincing.
For those who have read the novel, the changes to the original story are particularly disappointing. The characters had better chemistry in the book, and I wish the adaptation had preserved more of what made their relationship compelling.

Film, Namtan, and the Supporting Cast-
Honestly, Film as J did a better job than both leads for me. And once Namtan appeared, my attention shifted almost entirely to Namtan and Film. Their chemistry felt much more compelling, and I found myself more interested in their scenes than in the central romance.

AJ's role was another disappointment. With so little screen time and barely anything meaningful to do, the character felt wasted. Not every actor needs to be given a leading role, but supporting characters should have a purpose beyond simply standing in the background.

Final Thoughts
The background music, looks and costumes (Emi's Office looks) were easily the strongest aspect of the drama, earning an 8/10 from me. Everything else was a letdown compared with the expectations created by the pilot.
GMMTV, please remember that casting talented actors is only part of the job. Give them a good script, believable characters, and meaningful roles. A GL or BL label alone cannot carry an entire drama.
After ten episodes, I was left wondering what the story had actually accomplished. The potential was there, but the writing and character development failed to deliver.

Read More

A shoddy, bland GL!

This has to be one of the most shoddy and abysmal GL series I have ever watched. I officially wanted to drop it right after the first episode when it aired, and I wasn't even interested from the pilot. However, in the hope that there might be some improvement, I forced myself to finish it just to see where it was going. But the script is just meh, and the writing is awful. The entire plot boils down to a generic 'two girls fighting over one girl' trope involving a sugar baby—not to forget the 'no kissing on the lips' concept. A plot like this could have been executed so much better without feeling 'just that' or incredibly corny.

The actors weren't able to nail their characters either. It felt as though these roles weren't meant for this cast; the characters felt distant and poorly suited to the actors. Consequently, the acting wasn't very good. There was no room for Chan's character to shine, and I never felt like she was truly highlighted in the series; most of the time, she was just sort of there. Meanwhile, Bonnie gave me the ick with her constant hair flips. Even though her character had a traumatic backstory, the series just looked more shabby. To be frank, there was absolutely no chemistry among the characters or the actors themselves—not even between Chan and Key, or Chan and Jay. Giving Bonnie's character a guitar, a pet, and the ability to sing feels unnatural and overly routine at this point. Now, it's not that I dislike it, and I acknowledge that here her character, Key, is a young singer herself, so of course she sings. However, I think it would be much more unique and interesting to see her play characters with no similarities in her future works.

The same issue applies to Film. Her character, Jay, is supposed to be meddling and annoying, and she certainly was. But maybe I am thoroughly done with seeing Film cry all the time in most of her projects, or maybe I am just tired and annoyed by the excessive crying of main leads used to force us to empathise with them; it is too vexing atp. (Though, with the utmost respect, the actors are remarkably excellent at executing those crying scenes.)

Coming back to the series, it was horrible and completely unacceptable to let it pass that Jay entered Chan’s room multiple times and Chan didn't even change the keycard? I understand that Chan isn't fully over Jay or is still figuring things out, but seeing Jay just trespass and act all bossy felt uncanny. It wasn't until a few episodes later that Chan finally announced that what Jay was doing was "illegal". It just highlights how unrealistic and impractical most of the scenes and these characters were. All the episodes felt repetitive and overly dramatic. Honestly, Chan and Key's relationship didn't feel like it had blossomed with depth or true love due to their superficial flirting and a rushed script, even when Key had supposedly been in love with Chan for years. The only thing that made this monotonous and tedious series lively was, of course, Namtan. She made at least every scene she was in quite quirky.

Furthermore, I don't understand the GL genre's obsession with toxic, overbearing parents. It was unnecessary to already have the never-ending drama of Chan and Jay's status, only to also throw in a dictatorial mother. At this point, Um is ruling mother roles that feature narcissistic control, emotional manipulation, and class-based elitism as their core personality traits. I am just so done with it.

The sweetest and genuinely better element in this series is that Jay and Key are not overly toxic to one another, despite loving the same person. Their dynamic was bearable because of how they portrayed their complexity through a respectful yet high-tension rivalry. However, the ending was low-key bland. Why did they feel the need to show a wedding with such a high-paced transition? Not every GL has to end in a wedding, especially not a rushed one like this.

Anyway, I had no fun watching this series. I just hope that Emi and Bonnie's next project together is actually good.

Read More

Nothing Burger

So, after 10 episodes, I can tell you one thing: I absolutely do not believe in Chan and Key's relationship.

Honestly, I know both characters have experienced trauma, but the way their backstories were introduced was so poorly handled that it's almost impossible to feel any empathy for either of them. I couldn't get attached to Chan or Key, and I honestly couldn't bring myself to care about their problems. I'm sorry, but their relationship just wasn't convincing at all.

And don't even get me started on that whole sugar baby storyline! Honestly, it was a complete mess. I'm sorry, but I really didn't understand what that plotline was supposed to add to the series. Well, actually, I did understand the point, but it was just badly executed.

The only character I genuinely found interesting was Jay. And we seriously need to talk about Film's performance because she was absolutely amazing! She managed to bring depth and complexity to her character, making her genuinely interesting to watch. For me, she easily delivered the best performance in the entire series.

But other than that, honestly, NOTHING HAPPENS! The episodes just keep going without the story ever feeling like it's actually moving forward. There's no real tension, no compelling stakes, and most importantly, nothing that makes you want to emotionally invest in these characters or their relationships.

I'm sorry, but I was bored. After 10 episodes, I still couldn't connect with the main characters or believe in their love story. And when a series is primarily built around that relationship, that's a pretty big problem.

Read More

Flirting and Facing Monsters

Upon its first announcement, I thought this drama would be good, but damn, it was actually fine as hell! From the cinematography and soundtrack to the siren eyes and darkness haunting Key, the icy allure and secretly caring side of Chan, the moving love triangle, the wardrobe, and, of course, the sultry looks, honeyed words, and steamy chemistry between the FLs! Everything was not only quality but designed to entice!

I blushed! And blushed! And by the time I'd just barely recovered, I was back to blushing like a damn fool again! As a viewer, I felt like I was being aggressively flirted with at every angle, and I was not clever enough to stutter out a response to this level of flirting! Your girl has weak knees and can only handle so much! So more often than not, I was staring at my screen, dumbfounded.

I adored EmiBonnie in "Us" and thought they were deadly charming there, but dear Lord, they must have put something in the water to make them serve SO hard here!!!

*aggressively fans self*

But beyond the flirting was a story of overcoming opposition, guilt, and bad memories. Finding a partner that is ready and willing to stay and face the monsters under the bed, even if they never fully go away.

This was a couple that, once they got together, mapped out their future. And what a lovely, grey-haired destination it appeared to be.

If I have to critique it, I'd say that, given the intimidating presence that Chan's mother was, I think more could have been done with her near the end. And it wouldn't have hurt to have given Jay more screen time, her being so terribly compelling, but she did play a very important part in the story already and even had her own personal growth arc, so maybe that would just be me being greedy. Lol.

But, really, this drama had so much to offer. It's hard for me to find things to complain about!

Read More

A Huge Disappointment

Honestly I really wanted to like Moonshadow, especially because I love EB and I genuinely enjoyed their last GL. I went into this series with pretty high expectations so imagine my disappointment when it turned out to be this underwhelming. I kept waiting for the story to get better for the characters to become more interesting, for something to happen that would make me understand the hype, but nope. By the end, I was just trying to get through the episodes so I could finally be done with it...

The plot felt weak the pacing was all over the place and there were way too many unnecessary scenes that added absolutely nothing to the story or the characters. Instead of making me more invested in the relationship, the series kept dragging things out without giving me enough reasons to care. There were moments when I genuinely wondered what the point of certain scenes was because they weren't moving the plot forward or adding anything meaningful.
And then there's Jay. I'm sorry but this character was SO annoying! I understand that characters are allowed to have flaws, make mistakes, and go through complicated situations, but there's a difference between a flawed character and a character who makes watching the show feel like a chore. For me she genuinely contributed to ruining the whole experience lol.

And don't even get me started on the mother. Because apparently we still haven't moved past the good old GL trope where the mother refuses to accept her daughter's girlfriend for most of the series creates unnecessary drama and then magically accepts the relationship in the final episode. Like BRUHHH are we really still doing this? 😭 It's becoming so predictable that I could practically see the last episode reconciliation coming from a mile away. There's barely any room for a meaningful resolution when the show waits until the very end to deal with something that could have been developed properly throughout the story. It felt less like genuine character development and more like the writers suddenly remembered they needed to wrap everything up before the credits rolled.

What makes this even more disappointing is that I KNOW EB can deliver something better. That's probably why I was so frustrated with Moonshadow in the first place. I enjoyed US so I expected this project to give me something memorable something with good chemistry an engaging storyline and characters I would actually care about. Instead Moonshadow didn't even come close to meeting those expectations. And the problem isnt EB themselves. It's the material they were given and the way the story was handled. Good actors can only do so much when the writing isn't doing them any favors.
Overall, the series felt bland, forgettable, and honestly pretty boring. I struggled to finish it, and that's never a good sign, especially for a GL I'm supposed to be excited about..Watching a series shouldn't feel like completing an assignment I forgot I had due.

And honestly, I'm starting to get seriously disappointed with GMMTV's GL.. There are so many talented actresses and so much potential in these projects, yet the writing and storytelling keep letting them down. How do you have all these ingredients and still end up serving something this bland? It's getting ridiculous.

I really wanted to love Moonshadow but I can't pretend I did just because I like EB..Loving the actresses doesn't mean I have to praise every project they're in and this one simply didn't work for me, sorry.

Read More

Disappointing Casting and Character Portrayal

The casting felt unsuitable for the characters, particularly Emi and Bonnie. They seemed to be pushed into more mature roles that did not align with their original personalities, which weakened their chemistry and made their interactions feel less natural.

Emi's portrayal also felt overly exaggerated. The luxurious lifestyle, such as driving an expensive sports car and holding a high-ranking career position, did not feel convincing or consistent with her character. Rather than adding depth to the story, these choices made her performance feel forced.

Overall, the casting and character development lacked authenticity, and the chemistry between Emi and Bonnie was noticeably lost. Better casting and a more natural portrayal of their characters would have made the drama much more engaging.

Read More

Max 8 episodes would have sufficed. Lacked story.

Emi Bonnie deserved better. So does Film and this should have been max 8 episodes.

Emi Bonnie fan here but this show was disappointing. There was practically no world building in it, the side characters were basically non existent except for Film’s Jay. None of the characters had real depth and a lot of the show was just the same “story” on loop, making it boring.

Emi did well as Chan and Sun but Chan as a character was so 2D, she had no real character development throughout the show, making her not an interesting character to be leading a show.
Bonnie portrayed Key very well, one of her best performances. But Key’s trauma was dealt with so quickly it made no sense. Key deserved more actual character development too.
Film’s Jay was the most interesting character and portrayal in this show. The character basically seemed to have only one thought (like what?) but Film was so captivating, it made Jay interesting despite being very poorly written. Film is truly a fantastic actress for giving depth to (yet another) 2D character like Jay.

Many characters were unexplored. Emi’s Sun, Jamie as Key’s sister and even Chan’s best friend Phu. Namtan’s cameo got more story line than any of these characters.

What makes Moonshadow fall is because the side characters were practically missing, there was no world building and sadly even the main characters’ storylines fell flat. It failed to explore the relationship dynamic of Chan and Key, it insinuated the closeness but failed to show it and thereby failed to make the audiences root for them.

Apart from the OST, not much worked. And it was too drawn out. There’s only story for 6-8 episodes at max, and 10 episodes feels painfully long.
Truly hope their next project will be much better, so that they can shine like they are meant to.

Read More

Good acting, but the show is just way too slow and repetitive

I really love the cast and the acting is good, but this show is getting hard to watch. The first episode was also very slow...only the last 10-15 minutes was meaningful, now every episode feels like the same exact storyline over and over again.

The main couple barely has any real conversations, always flirting...so it is hard to feel any real depth or chemistry between them. Instead, we keep getting stuck with the same old tired drama, like the overbearing parents interfering, without anything actually moving forward. On top of that, the whole show feels very depressing with almost zero lighter moments or fun to balance it out.

Honestly, the side character like Jay and their backstories feel way more interesting than the main romance at this point. When Namtan appeared i cheered so much. Unless you are just a massive fan of the lead actors, it is really tough to sit through. A huge disappointment given how much talent is in this show.

Read More

The show has too much emptiness and stagnation

Much needed preface so no one comes for me: I love EB to the moon and back. NTF is my bias.
The cinematography throughout is gorgeous, they play with lights, angles, colors and all that. no notes
the music is well chosen and boy do they also make us of silence
the acting couldn't be more stellar by everyone.
Key's angst scenes were great.
they gave my girl Film burnout.

the writing is the problem, unfortunately.
to use harsh terms, in the first few episodes maybe almost to ep 6 Chan is a wet towel and Key a doormat, Jay is a mess, Phu a broken record until the end and no one develops in any direction.
nicer words: I LOVE the idea to shake up a typical gl dynamic or formula by focusing on three characters instead of two. Jay's time felt well earned. we never find out why Chan and Jay were in love but we know they were. we are also meant to believe that Chan and Key are in love. well, i love a show that keeps me guessing and makes me think and expects interpretation. i don't need to be spoon fed, but I do need something to process and the show is lacking that. we never know how much time passes. if we use Jay's arc then maybe a few weeks pass, if we follow ChanKey it would make sense that it is months. which one is it? cause either Jay is truly stuck with no development and no other lines than "i want you back" for months OR ChanKey go from "I'll be your servant to your girlfriend" in too short amount of time. Chan says Key is only allowed in her bed for special occasions, we never see that pan out. ok maybe i missed it. but for many many episodes she rarely speaks. it's tiring.
I believe if there had been less episodes the show would have been better.
ElleJay as of ep 9 have about 20 minutes of screentime, and their relationship is better fleshed out. the writers had to include visual cues to make the time count, like the sleepshirt to pajamas...
If this had been 7 episodes we wouldn't have gotten so many repetitive scenes and empty space. it's a shame. this could have been a masterpiece. I'm probably not gonna rewatch.

Read More