Eliot_Rulez

OMG, they ruined the story....

While the first four episodes were entertaining and interesting it falls apart in the fifth and sixth.

Why did they need to do a timejump? I don't get it, especially if the actor is looking more or less the same. Secondly could they not have adapted the original story so they timejump would have been shorter so it would make more sense. Or if the timejump had to be that large, they would need an other actor and four episodes to explain if Aksorn a) recognizes Songjam and b) can love a twice as old person.

So for me, they ruined the series and I don't get a 10 review at all. Also even a 7.7 which is the rating now while I'm writing this is much too high. I can't understand why a director and screenwriter does not make the effort to keep that part of the story as realistic as possible and I also don't understand why the producer does not say "stop it, that does not make sense". I have to say, I'm really pissed that they wrecked this show which had so much potential.

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An unpopular opinion: I hate this!

What a overblown rating again... The story is sooooooooo trashy, I can not find other words for it. It's like one of the 1000 episodes telenovelas. The story is just melodramatic and with excessive pathos. Everything is either black or white without any shadows. Everyone who is bad is absolutly bad in a two-dimensional way, with no nuance to their characters at all. The father may have some nuances but of course he is right and his son is wrong. But the finale is just ridicilous....

I can't fault the series with the production quality, besides some rare audio problems. Costumes were fine, staging was good, music was good and even the acting was good in the way what the script & director wanted them to do.

So for me, it's on the same level as The Next Prince. Differently bad, but bad. It's a real pain to watch this.

Update: This review is only valid for the UNCUT version, not the crap ONE31 (GMMTV) puts out on their Youtube channel which even cuts story elements which makes every show much worse. MDL does not have a policy to ALWAYS put uncut and cut versions on the page, sometimes it's done and most of the time it's not for unknown reasons. If you watch a series only on youtube, don't bother with reviewing them because you don't get the full experience.

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a real chinese BL, an emotinal rollercoaster

After the first four episodes:

While I am not a fan that this show starts with the ending in the first scene, it's ok when the story makes up for it.
The dynamics of the characters is interesting, including marginalized people like a nearly deaf boy is also a plus.
While the story may not be as polished as I prefer it, it is much much better compared to all the Thai crap we get now. We get a serious mature story with some funny and fluffy moments as well. Acting is also good and cinematography is also well done. The only downside is a still one-dimensional abusive father.

So far this show is a must watch and done very well.

Update:

First, we were lucky to get this BL completed, after the snafu after 4 episodes. Why they need to get censored so heavily while all the thai shows are shown in China without censorship is beyond me.

Second, the only flaw of this show is that Tan is able to speaks too fast and too easily after getting his hearing aid. If you have not been able to hear, it would not be that easy to learn to speak.

After watching the first four episodes I thought we got the outcome of this show in the first episode, but that's not the case. It was just a flash forward to happy times but this show is mostly not happy at all. All leads did an incredible job conveying their characters and emotions to give this BL a realistic feel.

It was an emotional rollercoaster with lot's of very sad moments, especially the disgusting Father of Qi Lu who is abusive and such an disgusting asshole that words can't describe him. Both couples are leads here and both couples had their own story and neither was an add-on like in some other shows. The final left a bit to be desired story-wise and it is a bit confusing to know what really happend to Qi Lu if you don't read the text AFTER the credits. I would have wished they would have altered Tan for the final scenes, because he looks the same. The first couple sacrifices for their partner and the second couple have their happy end a bit earlier after overcoming some traumatic past of Liu Ming Yang.

Overall this show was a must see and due to the acting I rated it with the highest rating even when story-wise it was not perfect. Regardless the show was well thought out, well scripted, amazingly acted and with great execution, cinematography, OST and casting. I also appreciate the inclusion of a handicapped character, who is a minorty of a minority.

If you have not seen it yet, I highly recommend it even if you need some tissues over the course of the twelve episodes.

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fun to watch, but a lot of cliché

The weakest point of this series is the storyline. The pacing is off most of the time. Either it's too slow or it's too rushed, espeically in the finale. Also the stereotypes are not my cup of tea. We have a "model" who does not like anything besides eating and earning money with least effort as possible. The chef who looks stern and unapproachable but can cook exceptional well. There is an ultra-capitalist who thinks everything can be bought with money and a physio-therapist who thinks helping others is his call even when he is annoyed with his lazy friend.

These characters are ingredients for a show full of cliché and little character growth. What is nice about this show, it's not overly silly or over-acting comedy. But there are scenes where you ask yourself "WTF?", like kicking a competitor out because the kitchen is not clean enough but five minutes later fucking in the same kitchen (Did anyone clean afterwards?).

While it would have been nice if we could see characters with more nuances and more depth, it was overall fun to watch. First eat before watching, otherwise you will get hungry for sure, because all the dishes they serve look really amazing. Then turn your brain off and just enjoy the ride and the drama. At least the characters all had a variety of emotions and could act on them. Also the chemestry of all couples was top notch, even when sniffing your partner may be a bit cringe, but who am I to judge? 🤣 One bonus point goes to the OST, because I think they did better than most shows and not used "canned" music for the background and the songs were nice as well (6->7). Overall, better than I would have expected, but not good enough for a really good show, but it was entertaining at least.

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Not an redemption arc!

While I am happy that "Up" had a chance to play a different character (and we all did really hate him), I'm disapointed in the story. Ming understands what he did was wrong, but he did not change his character that much. I can believe that he now really tries hard to be a better partner, but we have no idea if his control and power issues has been dealt with and I doubt it.
There were scenes where he was lying on the floor not eating, just drinking and not doing much, but this did not help to change his narcisistic flaws which are still present in the finale. I guess the screenwriter are contradicting the character because they wanted an redemption arc.

I also would have wished, they used "Winner" for the first part of the show and only "Poom" for the second half. This would of course complicated filming, because both actors would have to learn the same mannerisms for their characters which would have made the story more interesting and the immersion in the story more believeable. That the same person plays both characters irked me a bit.

I'm not happy with Mings character development and the same for Joe. Joe is always Joe not standing up for himself, not understanding when to say no. I can understand you love whom you love but there should be a moment when your brain says "enough is enough!". This show had so much potential, the first four episodes had me hooked and I thought about how they will solve the redemption. And because of the lack of a real redemption arc this show fails. For me the finale was especially lackluster because everyone is now "happy", all is good and even Mike got Mings secretary as future BF (They should have expanded that arc as well), because most of the later episodes is a repeat of the first ones without the violence and lack of self-reflection on Mings part but he forces Joe once again repeating the same mistake again.

So overall the show is still above average even when the story-writing falls of a cliff. It did at least try to do something different in the sea of average shows, it did try to give us a mature story in the sea of university settings. And Up as Ming was really great!

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Typical GMMTV show with many spicey scenes but not much substance

After the first three episodes I did expect a more mature story with dark streaks and interesting twist. But as usual when watching a GMMTV show in most cases you get disapointed. The lead couple at least compensated with great chemestry and some sensual moments which really were done well.

Would it not have been for the lazy writing this show could have been actually good. It seems like for GMMTV BLs are just a mass market product where the focus is pleasing aesthetics (actors and filming) and a shallow story which does not require much brainpower. The most annoying thing is, all characters are really flat, there is no character development at all, there are always some clichés involved and there is always a bit of sillyness or childish behaviour, unnecessary story elements or elements not explored enough.

The first BL side couple was of course cute but Fluke was a bit stiff at times. The second BL side couples did not really have a story at all, it just "happened". And then is Dr. Ter, first rejecting Dr. Wandee, then forcing him and then he finds a girl - WTF?
The conflict between Yoryak and his fathers felt strange, because if you hold a deep resentment against a family member both would struggle to solve it. Most of the time the characters are not overly mature, so to have a nice ten minutes chat and it's solved is a bit unbelievable. Also the nightmares of Yoryak were not explored deep enough, we did not see any therapy session and so his resolves feels out of place for me, As I said, lazy writing.

Overall it's not a bad show, but it lacks in story-telling.

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As usual disappointing....

There is an introvert with serious personality issues meeting an exrtrovert who is a musican. After that it does drag on.... In reality I doubt that many humans would have the patience for such a partner. Especially if one of them has a traumatic experience and is not talking about it. Of course that does not help at all. The chemistry between the MLs was partially akward. As usual lazy writing, because the side couples have limited screen time and there stories are not fully explored especially Game & Biu and they are missing mostly in the finale. The other couple felt rushed.

For a show where a band has a leading focus, there were not much songs in it. In the finale God says he is writing music, but of course we did not get to expierence that. The band was not that great imho. Also in the finale Diew overcame all his issues which is also rushed for me. Humans don't change that fast,.

This show had the ingredientience to be a good show but as expected it was medicore at best. All the fluff moments and the high production value do not save this show. A very very big minus is the turtle imprisoned in a little box. In many countries this would count as animal cruelty. So, there is nothing special about this show and I would recommand other shows.

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Why is it sooo bad?

Oh my god, that script.
I can't help it but thinking this is script has nothing to do with real gay life.

A man confessed to a boy (just visually, not implying the boy is not a man) and the man get a confession from a girl and then decided to date her even when he is loving that boy. Where does that happen? In a heterosexual woman writers fantasy? Then all the drama with the ex who is just an asshole happens and it felt sooooooo forced. And then they cut kissing scenes especially in the finale where the kiss is part of the story. While I have no problem with cutting fan-service, it's a no go if it is relevant to the story.

So overall I feel sad for the actors who did their best, even if they are inexperienced and felt a bit stiff at times. We can only hope the next series will be more realistic and not just fantasy. It's not the worst show this year but still bad alone from the storytelling. If you have not seen it, you can safely skip it.

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Still wholesome...

Many reviews complain, that season 2 is really close to season 1. Because there is not a timeskip you should not expect that Minato will change so soon. He is still childish, overthinking, overreacting, anxious, frightened, timid and overly shy. Yes, for western cultures this is annoying, but you should see the context and that japanse culture is different. At least I think in the finale he realizes that he can't be all that anymore and has to make a step forward.

To have the "side couple" play a more active role is also a positive for me and and at least here the adult steps out of his confort zone and he's trying.

So for me, this was really a very good BL and I hope they will continue with another season where we would see a more grown up "Minato-san" and how his life changes with Shin.

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What an action firework...

While this series has sci-fi elements, it's more a spy thriller with suspense, Who betrays who is the question. James Bond would search for a superweapon, they search for a supermutagen which turns a human into an nearly invincible superhuman,

The story is interesting, the plot-twists not always expected and good acting. This series has outstanding cinematogrpahy, VFX and action/fighting sequences. I have not seen such good VFX and fighting scenes in a series, but I guess it was expensive as hell, so we get only four episodes. That's the reason this got a 10 from me.

If you dig action but expect an interesting story as well, this is for you!

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Nice blend of comedy, fluff and drama.

I have not much to say, just I was very entertained with this series.

The story is of course not the best, but the acting is top notch. The only downfall is the kissing of MLs which, in typical traditional japanse style, is a dead fish kiss. When you can overlook this point, you get a nice blend of comedy and serious elements, solid story telling and some fluffy scenes. Production quality was top notch, intro & outro song fitted also very well and overall it's really entertaining.

So, if you have not watched it and you need something more on the light side, this is for you!

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Much better compared to Middleman's Love, but stil lazy writing

Some positives first: chemistry, costumes, and the better episodes later in the series, not romantising to try kissing a sleeping person and calling it out, sensible intimate moments, some fluff, making the writing in a book play out.
Some negatives: Cringe, forced funny moments which were not funny, weak writing and no "battle" at all, bad adlib for the chinese actor, weak ending.

Maybe it's my guilty pleasure but I personally found it not that bad compared to other shows and they outdid themselves with the visual presentation. Lazy writing still prevails in Thai shows, so that was a given, but an improvement of the last show for the MLs.

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Slowly paced, cute and different

As usual, japanese BL offer something different.
Boy's (Taishin) bird died and because he had him since school, he is endlessly sad and cries in the woods. There a tourist (Takara) comes by and conforts sad boy. Sometimes later Taishin comes to the same university where Takara studies...
In the next seven episodes we see Taishin coming to grips with his feeling, each episode is a step forward for him. Because (?) Taishin is from a rual area he is incredible naive and innocent and does not know much about life. On the other hand Takara is the opposite, he is disenchanted and does not expect much from life. But Taishin opens his heart nearly instantly and while a "selfish bastard" (his words in the finale), he really does care about him and wants to protect Taishin, because he also can't believe how naive Taishin is...

The mellow pace and the story focus just for one couple was a nice difference after many shows with two or more couples and rapidly switching from one couple to the next. Both actors did a really good job of portraying their characters and the vibe of the series was mostly relaxed with some dark spots espiecally for Takara. While the pace was slow I felt never bored with any episode. The only letdown (as of many JBLs) are the lack of real kissing. But maybe we get more with the "spin off". Artstyle, camera, scenery, lighting was top notch.

Overall I can recommand this show especially if you have a stressful life, because it will calm you down. Besides that you get a sweet, sometimes fluffy story which was sensible crafted.

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