Eliot_Rulez

not a BL, thank you!

What a powerful story. While it may be confusing at times, everything will get clear the closer to the finale you get.
The acting and cinematography was top notch, the story could be a bit more clear for the viewers even when you will understand it at the end.

This is not a BL, it's a drama, with gay characters. One who denies his past and his pain and the other one who is trying to help his love even when that not always works out as intended. They deliver an emotinal rollercoaster which makes you shed some tears but also depicts how hard a relationsship can be because of all the baggage you have collected in your past and how to communicate to clear the air, to solve misunderstandings, to overcome your faults and your past and make it so you will truly understand each other.

After "Love in the Big City" and "Gray Shelter" we have the third Korean series not fitting in the BL catagory. While BLs can be fun, I personally like realistic, complicated, sometimes painful gay dramas a lot more because they also educate the viewers, that nothing is black and white but shades of gray and that relationsships are complicated and not easy to do especially when your emotional baggage is huge and the world was never kind to you.

This is a must watch for everyone who can cope with painful stories and is willing to give a real drama a chance.

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Better than expected, less cringe than expected and some fluff...

With WeTV it's always a gamble, either we get crap or we get medicore and only sometimes we get something good. In this case I would say it was "good". While the first two episodes did not catch me it got better with every episode after but of course the finale did disappoint me. Not because it was very bad, it was just lazy writing. Solving conflicts with drama and of course the bad guy had to die and lots of fanservice. This could have been resolved in a better way.

In this case I won't be too tough on them, because besides some cringe, they depicted the characters very well, all of them grow throughout the series and there were even subtle moments which I like the most. If facial expression and eye contact can tell a story without words, it's perfect for me. Compared to "Monster Next Door" this was lighyears ahead. Both actors excelled in their roles and they felt so much more into it too. The side-couple was the secret star of this show, because while they had not so much screentime, they did the best with it and the "cat and mouse game" was funny to watch.

Other reviews will depict all the ins and out, but I'm quite busy today so I will keep this short. Cinematography, music, settings, props and so on was top notch. I felt entertained and storywise they put some thought into it. The only shortcoming is the finale which felt rushed in the drama-department, because they needed time for the fanservice. But overall worth a watch.

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I do not like trashy soap opera style BLs....

This series has the same problem as "Love in the Moonlight", with the exception that it was not painful to watch, just cringe. The overdramatized bad guys/gals and the excessive pathos was still the same. And what also obvious, they can't do action right. While it looks nicely coreographed especially in the beginning, you see that the punches do not connect in the slightest. I won't write about the shooting scenes which were just embarrassing.

The only positive I have to say is that DaouOffroad are very good when they act alone or in a serious setting, their chemistry just works. Also the other actors were not bad, but I don't like the overacting and over-dramatization. They could have done this in a serious more thriller-like setting and then the story would have had much more impact, But no, they went the thai way which in this case is bad way.

Spoiler:
The finale was also bad: Pheen has a plan and of course he does not tell his husband. We all know, he can't die, because a BL has to have a happy end (very few exeptions), so he left for a long time, hurting Than again (and again). The reason: Because he needed to change his name, so he can disappear. WTF? Is that, because he don't want to face the consequences of his actions? And he was already married, so he could have taken the name of his husband. And of course everyone dies, so there are no real consquences, no court session to exploit all the bad things the characters did. It's a lazy and cheap way of story-telling.
Edit: Of course the whole inheritance arc did not make any sense, because: if Pheem was decleared dead Than would have inherited the whole company with all the hospitals. Because he was the last legal heir before any uncles and cousins. So Pheem changing his name would not let him get away from his family background because his man would own EVERYTHING. And would be richer than he alone was. And because Than would then be famous Pheem could not be with him. So the writers had no clue what they wrote about and this makes no sense whatsoever.
End of Spoiler

So considering everything, this is not even a medicore show and I know many will hate me because I think so. But that's what I felt when I watched this and sadly this is also one of the shows I will never watch again, because it's a waste of my time.

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standard 08/15 BL stuff...

After At 25:00 in Akasaka - Season 2 - this is the episode most of the girls will prefer. It's just 08/15 stuff, quite cute, not that deep and what's worse, it's the story of the fictional couple of the fictional BL.

How nice would it have been if they were not the fictional couple but the fictional actors having a story and of course much more than just one episode. That would have been much more interesting, but we can't have it all.

I can't write much because it's quite underwhelming compared to the series. We don't have any character development and just 22 minutes is not much time to add depth to a story. So it's just a nice watch and you can escape your troubles for 22 minutes :)

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Not a BL

The most positive thing I can say is, it does speak about LBGQT issues but only very superficial without much depth. The show was not a BL nor does it include much of any romance. While the struggling of Idol trainees included some entertainment, overall it was very bland.

This show only makes the point that excessive alcohol abuse is a bad thing, but nobody needs a show to know this. And maybe that friends do things for their friends even if they don't like to? I am a bit confused about that. If someone is forced to do something he doesn't want and has an emotinal outbreak about it, but then decides to do it anyways because of his friends, I don't get it. Yes friends are important, but to self-sacrifice himself for his friends is not a good solution either and does not lead to his happyness overall.

As a BL fan u can skip this show for sure and for anyone else it does not offer much besides light entertaiment, but you won't miss a thing if you have skipped it.

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It's raw, it's dark, it's light, it's depressive, it's happy, it's sad - it's the full spectrum.

As usual I went into this "blind" - I did not watch trailers or read about it, I just knew it's playing in a tumult time for Thailand. Of course this is a drama and it does not represent historical accuracy, but it depicted quite accurate what the gist was. There were protests, there was political killings and there was a revolution (a bit later). Thailands military still has more power over it's goverment than any democracy should have.

This series is partly hard to watch. Not because it's bad, because it's so acurate, because the acting is so good and of course because it's so sad - in a good way. The company said this is not a BL, it's a gay story - and it mostly is. They did not disappoint in their description. There is only some fluff but mostly it felt really realistic.

Tanwa (played by Mile) is a typical end of 1960ties free spirit (they would have said hippie at the time), but without a direction. Trin (played by Apo) is more or less the opposite, he knows what he wants and he knows what he stands for. This two worlds clashes and after the traumatic events where Victor (played by Peter Deriy) died, Tanwa find the courage to move on by his mothers unreleased book (given by his father he was at odds). Then we have a second couple, the colonel and the journalist - a poetic love which could not be fullfilled, because the colonel decided to protect his love and sacrifices himself for it. I have read comments that say Dhevi is the villain, but of course she is not. The colonel used her (and her family) to advance his career and he had to pay the price for his decision. This also saved the live of his love the journalist. Is it nice? Of course not, but such were and are (sometimes) the realities we live in. It was quid quo pro - he gained social status which made him go through the ranks of the military into a powerful position and she gained just the man she loved even knowing he has no feelings for her. And in contrast to most BLs: She got not furious and made no scene. It's just realistic.

All the cast were really amazing. When you know that Tencent in the form of WeTV financed this project it's absolutly stunning that they did all that what they can't do in China with such a controversial story. Of course this is a hurtful story, this is not the typical BL fluff you may expect. This is raw, brutal, repulsive, sad but also poetic, happy and beautiful.

For me this is a 10, because besides the realistic approach, a good story and the production quality, it's the right step for Thai's entertainment industry to not just cater to the fangirls. The story is the star of this show and not just some fan-favorite actors. So, if you have not seen it, it's a must watch for me!

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A coming of age story for grown ups.

This season is the most unusual continuation of a series I have seen for a long time. One of the first scenes describes the series perfectly when the director of "Daydream" said: "A love story that continues after two people get together is, in my opinion, quite difficult to portray. Because the most exciting part of the drama is the moment they fall for each other. However, real love doesn't end the moment when they get together. After that, both of them will have many more important moments to come. [... this is] something I hope to portray with care and nuance." - And that's exactly what the series is about and what they did.

I know this is not the kind of series that will get most acclaim, because it's so outside of "normal" BL series. Yes they have their tropes, Shirasaki-kuns inferior complex and Asami-sans unpleasant past, but the care they put into the characters is not seen very often. This is not entertainment you watch just to escape your troubles, this is a story which confronts you with new troubles and which can't be watched alongside doing something else. I'm late with my review, because I binge-watched the entire series again, because to have the most impact, to wait for a week does this series not justice.

In the context of japanese culture, children are thought to not show emotions and even surpress them for the sake of your career and/or family or to just "save face". This series does the opposite by showing the process of getting actors into a mindset of the character they are playing, where they have to show emotions. And both of them apply the learnings in doing so for their own persons, to reflect on themselves and to battle their inner "demons". And so they both grow as persons and they grow as a couple. And they feel and know when their partner is struggeling and they talk about it. And that just got me. That portrayal was so nuanced and so great to watch, if left me stunned for some time processing all the emotions they got into me.

While I understand that such a series will not click with many, for me it's a masterpiece. A series really focused on the characters and still having also the little things in it, the affection for each other and the longing for each other. Of course I have to recommand this series, but you need a clear head and you should not take a break watching it. I can't express how much I like this series, because it's so different and so mature and so well made.

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highly overrated

First, I don't like that every couple in a BL has to be BL couple... How stupid is that?
Second, the last two episodes are extremly rushed. While 8-parters are nice to binch-watch, they do nothing if the story does not fit.
I did not read the webtoon, so I can only review what I saw.
And the story is a mess and unbelievable. Only Ji Ho Geun and Kim Jung Ha made me believe in their characters. From bully to lover was unblievable as well in just one episode and to cast an idol for a main role was just a financial decision.
The last two episodes where rushed as f, for a better understanding at least four episodes have been needed,.

While the premise of the show started strong, the story falls of a cliff. The kisses shown were mostly just touching lips which is lame. "Song Joo Ha" could have kissed on the cheek to convey his feelings. A kiss on the lips would have not been needed, but maybe the director/writers thought the do need fan-service.. Also Han Tae Yi forcing himself was a stupid thing to do, especially when he does have feelings for Seo Do Yoon. While the first six episodes are ok, the last two are a total mess. Song Han Gyeom looks "gay" -(but which idol doesn't?), he does not fit his role at all. Sometimes you can feel he tries but his own personality is in stark contrast to his role and he does not manage to do it. With all the 10 ratings of several people I think they are fans of eyecandy but not thinking about the story which is maybe because our world gets more and more superficial. And to make all couples gay in a BL, is not what a good story needs. If they had only focused on only one couple the eight episodes might have fit. For me this series is disappointing especially because the first two episodes are the best and the last two are the worst.

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A weak manga improved but it could not reach "the proper way"

The story starts as revenge story, but even half way through the series we all know it's not about revenge anymore. It's about the struggles and misunderstandings of Hiro who has to come to terms of his feelings. It's more a coming of age story then anything else. In contrast Natsou always was clear in his feelings but he did most things wrong to the person he already loved in school. Not only by peer pressure but he could not express his feelings at all.

The original manga was just a side story and a very short one at that. It did not really explain a lot or had a big scope to go on. So this series struggles a bit to fill in the gaps. It seems that Hiros only changed his appearance to be another person, but he also changed to be more outgoing and to be able to talk to people. That's why I think he choose to be a hairstylist/hairdresser because he has to interact with people. He emanates confidence in his job but he is still struggeling outside of it.

While we got two episodes per week for 1 through 6, we had to wait a week for the finale. At least the finale did boost this show in the end and the NC scene was more than unexpected from a JBL. No dead fish kisses was refreshing after some shows lately, which failed to go "the extra mile". A special bonus for me is that the height difference and characters impressions were reversed for the top/bottom expectation. That was a nice touch.

Production was well done, acting was very good even when I thought Natsou looked a bit old compared to his partner even when they are the same age in real life (The story plays out 4 years after graduation, so they should be around 22). Or the other way around, Hiro was the more believeable character in looks and acting. The story struggeled a bit doing a good job, because Natsou seems a bit too dumb not to catch on early and also the pacing is sometimes choppy in some episodes. The struggles for Hiro were very well expressed. Overall an enjoyable show which did not do the stereotypical BL things and even when you could count it as "enemies to lovers" tropé. It tried very hard not to go in any clichés. For me it feels more realistic compared to other shows and that's why it's worth a watch.

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A slow burn with a happy but unfinished finale...

While this is a short series, it started extremly slow to pick up pace in episode three. Then in culminated in drama, miscommunication, non-communication, angst and fear. The Finale is slow as well. For reasons unknown, the obvious side-couple don't get an happy end - would it have hurt to add an episode more or extend the finale by ten minutes? So, I'm a bit disappointed that they left that open even when everyone knows what is obvious...

In typical KBL tradition, this was filmed really well, the actors did a superb job and made this an excellent series. They even have a quite long NC scene which is untypical for KBLs. Of course many of you will get frustrated with Jiwon who suffers from a traumatic past, which we only get to know about in passing. He does not talk to anyone about this and that makes him so hesistant to form a relationsship for three episodes that some may have questioned his motives. But being a "star" in Korea with a "scandal" about his harsh training and mental/verbal abuse by his trainer and the public itself, did leave a deep scar. So I get it why it's so hard for him, why he thinks about Jeongu and his carrer and why some of the viewers will not be that happy about the storyline. For me all that makes sense even when it slows down the progression.

Overall, it was a nice series with great acting, trying to be more realistic and not in fairytale land. If you have not watched this yet, you should, because it's one of the best this year had to offer.

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Impressive political drama with some romance

First of all this review is for the uncut version, where every episode has a runtime of about one hour. On youtube you see a very cut version which runs only about 45 minutes per episode. Also this series is not a BL. It's just a drama where the main protagonists happen to be gay, one open and the second one not so open. There is a romance part in it but not in the typical fluffy BL style. We see that Vee does admire Nong from the start and he warm ups to him very early. Nong is a grumpy type and very stubborn and it takes time to "warm up" to Vee.

The star of this show of course is the story and the superb acting. Every character has his flaws, some have more, some have less, but nobody is perfect. They depict the backstabbing and horse-trading in any politics, but they focused on actual events in Thailand which is a novum. While the series is more a slowburn, there are so many characters to keep track of that I'm happy we had the time to do so.

And the final episode was also atypical to any BL. This season ends on negative and positive notes but they clearly aimed to have a second season because the story is not finished with only eight episodes. So there is hope, we get another eight episodes to get a real happy end.

Because this is not GMMTV, we get a realistic story, with a great cast, good production design and overall an amazing series. If you are only in the fluffy stuff, this series is not for you. If you liked "Shine" you will like this series also.

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The biggest disappointment in BL history....

While this show was not only overhyped and we all expected greatness, the script of this show was worse than I could ever have imagined. As usual this series started strong in the first two episodes to declined at a steady pace *till episode 12, where the jumped of the cliff and landed on the belly.

Everyone reading the novel can agree, that the novel did not need to be spiced up with the SM part for example. If the book is already good, you should not change it into something it never was. The pacing is all over the place and the side couples are mostly just extras where their stories are wasted and not explored in depth. But we see scene after scene of the ML which did nothing for the story.

Episode 12 culminates in the trash script this was, with one cliché after the next. Nobody can fault the actors who all did a very good job with what there were given. And of course costumes, most of the staging and cinematography was impeccable, The music with an real orchestra was great - if they had used it everywhere and not used some music from a library which again was completely unnecessary. The few minutes in every episode could have been handled by the composer as well. Of course I could nitpick about the "english" natives and the "London underground station" and so on. And don't forget all the ads slapped directly into our faces. And don't forget the miraculous healing power of Chakri, who was serving again after being shot (which was not a stray shot in the arm or so).

All in all, this was overhyped and did not deliver. Aof said, he did the best he could. If that's the best, I don't see a future for Domundi. But of course the fangirls will overrate this show again, will not understand how weak that story was and that the drama was forced. And they will write glowing reviews (hello CRPH & thanks for blocking) not having a shroud of integrity to write about the flaws this show has. Normally this show would rate even lower, but I can't deny the acting performance (oh daddy Ramil you were the perfect asshole through out the series), the cinematography, costums and most of the staging and most of the music. But the script was trash. As I have written all of that - the conclusion is: This show is a waste of your time.

Oh, I forgot: The cut version should not exist, because they even cut STORY elements. Which makes no sense at all, especially in the first episode.

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Very strong beginning, but the tension between the characters was lost...

While the main-couple was one of the most appealing we have seen this year, their tension and kissing was not appropriate to the story they told. You will remember "My Personal Weatherman" where the longing for each other where the central point of the story, so they did kiss with passion and at this time this JBL shocked many with their NC scenes. Again, they were necessary for the story. And here is the fundamental flaw in this series. The physical attraction to each other is one of the driving forces of the story and neither the script nor the actors could deliver on it.

In episode 3 they are in that booked hotel and in the manga there is of course a sex scene and here it was refused. I think in this case, that was a bad decision, because during the sex scene Shizuma confesses which makes Minato even more split, which increases tension between the characters.

The resolve of the "bet" was also over in a heartbeat. I think the second half of the series generally did not live up to expectations. While I understand why Minato is struggeling, the series can't keep the tension between the characters high enough and it's doing just ok.

It's not a bad show, it's just that the longing for each other could not be delivered and that's the central point of the story. It's irrelevant if the actors where shy or not, they all knew which material they put into a series. They should have had either a workshop and/or an kissing instructors (yes, they exist) and if they can't do it, then they should not have taken the roles. The side couple was dull most of the time, they acted like brothers not lovers.

The only highlight of this series was the production quality, which was top notch. So overall, this is an ok show which had higher expectations but could not deliver. And again, even the most handsome couple can't elevate a flawed delievery.

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More disappointing as expected and as overrated as expected

Cherry Magic (Thai) was bad enough, but it can get worse with this remake.
I don't get the forced comedy with it's stupid soundeffects and the over-acting. This series has the charm of a bulldozer. The most annoying thing was the overall childish acting in most scenes. There are only some scenes where you can think, this could have been a good show, but sadly it wasn't.

I don't need to compare to the japanese "original" verison, because on it's own merrit this show is not good, but fangirls are fangirls and they overrate as hell because of two actors they like. I also bet my review will be downrated, as it happened with Cherry Magic (Thai), but I could not care less.

Objectively this show is not good, the characters are mostly one-dimensional and childish. The actors had no script to work with which couldn't challenge them in their acting. Besides that, also the chemistry between the MLs was nothing to write home about. "My School President" had a good story, good acting, good chemistry and an grandious OST and all the other things a good BL should have. This series had only lot's of advertisments up your face (again). I don't get it, why they need to do that. Are the actors that expensive or are japanese rights much more expensive compared to thai novels? Even compared to Cherry Magic (Thai) the production quality was not top notch, so I guess it's just maximizing profits.

Other reviews will depict the show in more detail but I'm too lazy for that. It was a grand disappointment and I would wish the fangirls would objectively rate such shows, because as long it is upvoted that high, such crap will be produced again which is sad to the whole industry and unnecessarily lowers the quality of such shows. You should skip it and watch "Only Boo" instead which is not brilliant on the acting but makes up with cuteness and also a very good OST.

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Cuteness overload...

How to begin this review? I'm a bit overwhelmed with positives and negatives of this show. First of all, The workshop/rehearsals they all did payed off very well. But I still don't like the representation of Japans society. The first irk was the question of the girl on the end of episode 2 "By the way, why are you so protective of Hioki?" - no-one in Japan would ask the question, if they are not really, really close or family. This does not happen. And then we have Morisaki brother. First the prank in the car was really of very bad taste and would have earned him a beating in my book. But then pushing Watarai would also never ever happen. The four friends only spoke for about four months at that time, which means Watarai may have seen Morisakis brother but does not have any connection to him whatsoever. This is the typical fantasy land most BLs are in and we could have done without that.

One the other hand, this couple is one of the cutest we ever have to get to know. Hiokis actor protrayed his character to perfection. I only wish his scream was much much much longer. 🤣Yes he is shy, but on the other hand he is direct, asks what's on his mind and is not wishywashy at all which was very refreshing. Watarai's actor plays the cool one, but he is shy himself but covers it up most of the time. Both characters grow with each other and in the finale Hioki is the leading man. Perfect!

Production quality was also top notch! Cinematography, costumes, editing and the audio were all perfect as well. So this was very enjoyable and cute and of course I have to recommand that show. Also we get the treat of two special episodes airing consecutively next week and the week after. And both of them on a spring break trip is something I look forward. 🤣

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