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Food and Good Looking Guys! Can't Beat That!
This is such an interesting BL series, but it honestly left me feeling satisfied, bored, and very sad. I just did not know what its intent was. It is not exactly a love story; or is it? It started out great but then got lost or overwhelmed by its own story. It was also obvious that there was a lag between the first half and the second half of the series. Whether it was due to the pandemic or not, there is a noticeable difference in the production and even the acting. The first half was charming, cute, and sort of drew you into their lives and I liked it. The second half felt ‘different’ and it had a sense of sadness to it that almost engulfed it. This series is a worthy series because of the superb and I do mean superb acting of Jeff and Gameplay. The bantering between these two, the laughing, the touching, the glancing and yes even the eating all seemed so natural real and unrehearsed. The story is slow and the production in places stinks, but to watch these two together makes up for any negativities in this series.Was this review helpful to you?
Really, a Gay Love Story
This an incredibly enjoyable short BL series that literally is only between the two guys. I found it to be quite refreshing and a moment in the lives of these two men that reflects who they are. It was wonderfully done and very succinct. These two guys are just so charming and awfully cute. They have a chemistry with each other that is immediately seen. Plus, each of them has a way at staring and looking at each other that makes what they are doing so real. It is charming, sensitive, and shows caring. Too often these stories, while longer, never really get into gay relationships with any kind of personal intensity. This one does; not a lot but it still does. My full review of this cute story is at ppbongi.medium.com.Was this review helpful to you?
Yawn. Snooze. Boring
This is a slow walk to Nowheresville. All these guys are so adorable, handsome, and incredibly attractive. And, for the most part, can act, if given half the chance. Yes, this is a very short series that in my opinion was a pre-cursor to things to come in LOVE BY CHANCE (which I disliked for the most part). Briefly, this story is about 3 couples who misunderstand and misinterpret what at least one of the partners in each relationship is doing. One of the actors in thiw series is Tanapon Sukhumpatanasan (Perth). I shall admit upfront that I am biased and smitten by Perth. He can act, although he is not given much in this short series to work with. There is something about his presence on screen that just suspends me into believing him. What makes him so authentic for me is that I can see the commitment and passion in his eyes when he gets into the role, no matter how small or insignificant it is. This is a basic throw-away series that simply goes nowhere. Unfortunately, because you do have some good actors here but they are never given the opportunity to show their skills or their craft. Give them something with intensity and I think they would all shine.Was this review helpful to you?
Where do I begin with this series!
Its production is simply lousy. The editing is awful. The sound is sporadic and uneven in a lot of places. The support characters are superficial and stereotypical. The main actors are at times have a flat affect about them and lack depth and suffered from someone not being able to give them good acting directions. The story meanders a lot and at times was hard to follow. But God, I LOVED IT! I honestly felt for these characters. It is just a stunning series of human reactions, of love, and of human pain yet filled with totally unrealistic characters that should NOT have worked. But did! There is nothing pretentious about this series. It is satirical but serious. It is over the top but never over acted. What makes this series so memorably brilliant (and I do mean brilliant) is the screenplay. This story is so in your face that it is hard to describe fully. There are mass amounts of symbolisms in this series that are just too numerous to mention but nonetheless add so much to the understanding of this story, sometimes with humor and sometimes very serious. I am aware of the issues surrounding the director but I am judging this series as to its merits. You can read my full review of this series at ppbongi.medium.com. I have a lot more to say there.Was this review helpful to you?
Brokenhearted
Intense, and softly romantic with much sadness throughout life. This is a short BL series about two students who meet in school and develop a friendship which eventually leads to a more intense interest in each other. It is a profoundly melancholic story that is undoubtedly too familiar in many people’s lives. The acting here is first rate, and they downplay the intensity which it should because the relationship never really developed outwardly. It is all internal. I liked this series a lot. It is well written, well-acted, and tells a good solid story. I wish there were a bit more character development and a greater understanding of how they got together when they are adults.Was this review helpful to you?
Stunning, Sad, and Profoundly Moving
This BL series has a ‘sad’ feeling about it from the very beginning. Nothing feels like it quite belongs. This is a slice of live series with no happy ending yet not really sad but so real. This is an enormously tragic story for all couples involved. In the end, the world must be righted and the only way to do that is to have no one win. So, this ends up maudlin, melancholic, and everyone being alone. It is a beautifully told story with realistic outcomes. Perhaps not the way we wanted it to be, but fate and destiny have other plans. There are no winners here but plenty of losers and those who paid the ultimate price of falling in love with them. You can read my full review of this sad but very moving series at ppbongi.medium.com.Was this review helpful to you?
A Profoundly Poignant Story
This is a beautiful and stunning (short) BL series. Of course, there are some flaws with its story and production, but they did not decrease from its overall theme or intensity of the story. It is a story about a friendship that happens by serendipitous (extraordinary if you will) means. That is the point to this story, really. So, this story resonated deeply with me as an intense love story that was never meant to be fulfilled in its corporeal form. In every sense of the word, they were a couple deeply in love, no matter how short their time together was. Whether this was the message or not, I was deeply and profoundly moved by this story that I was left in tears. (My husband had to console me). Those who did not find this story to their liking or gave it poor ratings, did not see its big picture or its impact. It indeed captured love for a different realm. You can read my full review of this profoundly moving series at ppbongi.medium.com.Was this review helpful to you?
A REALLY Good Series
This series is way more interesting then perhaps it is given credit for and in my opinion one of the best series out there. While the BL aspect may be thin, it is full of profound love and connection. There is really only one BL relationship somewhat going on. But there is so much more going on for it. I just need to state that this is one of THE handsomest ensemble casts I have ever seen. These guys are stunningly handsome and that can not be overlooked. The female leads are also extremely beautiful but none of that matters in this story. This is just extraordinarily good story telling. Each of these characters had charm, growth, and all developed a sense of purpose, responsibility, and commitment and perhaps, and most importantly, lifelong friendships. Each also had to come to terms with that they did to negatively manipulate others to fall and learn to forgive themselves and admit to their errors. If you want to read my full review of this series, please visit my (free) blog site at ppbongi.medium.com.Was this review helpful to you?
Intense
It is very intense and full of assault, violence, deceit, and passiveness, closely bordering on abuse. I for one did not see this as others saw it. Yes, there is violence but not abuse. It seems either the positive path or negative path, it will lead to the same outcome. While it seems destiny is written, there are clues that somehow things are different and the story is not the same, even though the path might be the same. Yes, I do understand why some disliked this series as it is driven by a person’s irrational and negative obsession for another. BUT, that person is not totally powerless to stop it. He just cannot. It may not be the story of redemption that is based on a path of understanding, but it is one based on great pain, wrongs, and toxic behaviors. I thought it was raw, intense, painful to watch, and in every sense of the word, real. Some relationships are based on emotionally painful and toxic journeys before a deeper appreciation and understanding of each other can be attained.Was this review helpful to you?
Only One Reason to Watch .....Perth
Romantic, angst, but misses the mark. This series is a bit better than 'Love by Chance 2' but again, there just is too much of a good thing. Way too many characters and way too many very serious issues that are dealt with so cavalierly. This series tried to do too much with too many people with too many overlapping situations. Sometimes, simple stories work best but this was overly busy and filled with a lot of very unnecessary individuals. Had this story focused on one or even 2 relationships, it would have been tighter, leaning, and a more watchable series. Digressing for a moment, this series does have the one thing in it that would want me to rewatch it. Actually, the only reason. And that is Perth as Ae. He is simply outstanding. He is by far my most favorite actor in any series. He is just a joy to watch. You can read my full review of this series at ppbongi.medium.com. Leave comments if you like.Was this review helpful to you?
Romantic, Beautiful, and Quirky
I really liked this series, although everything in my being at the beginning said that I should not. The first episode is simply awful if not terrible. The acting was bad, and the production value was amateurish at best. You must get through the first episode and some of the second before this story will grab you and it surely did me. What made it interesting is it centered around a boy band’s difficulties in interacting with each other with an odd over the top band manager to guide them. It is so obvious from the beginning that they guys are new and very much inexperienced in acting but yet the story intrigued me, and the dialogue hooked me to watch more and I am so glad I did. The acting, the story, the characters got much better as they became more comfortable in their roles. They let loose and it became a surprisingly interesting and entertaining series. One final word about these actors. In some sense, I found this ensemble of characters interesting, dynamic, and honestly one of the best in a BL series. If you want to review my full review of this quirky series, see it at ppbongi.medium.com. Enjoy!Was this review helpful to you?
In Between (Sa Pagitan ng Kamusta at Paalam)
1 people found this review helpful
Never Reaches Its Full Potential
This is a very romantic story with solid performances and a very nice flow to it. However, it does have its issues. The biggest one is the not quite believable love between the two main characters. While there was some chemistry, there was no spark, no passion, and no real connection between the two. They ‘played’ the parts well and made a beautiful couple, but there just was something about the sincerity of the attachment I found missing and lacking. But that did not totally negate the overall positivity of this series. Everyone here is certainly likeable and all did a good job of acting. However, some I liked more than others. If you want to read my full review of this series, please go to ppbongi.medium.com. I have more to say there and also about the 'Pangs'.Was this review helpful to you?
Tender and Beautiful
This series is superb! I loved it. One of the finest acting BL series I have seen. It is just joyous, funny, poignant, and intensely real. It is a simple story of a student who is paired with a ‘jock’ for a school project to benefit both. The screenplay is simply brilliant. There are no gimmicks or artificial dramas here. You see the characters flawed but each of them grows not episodically but by slow moving connections. It is the little things that they do for each other that lead to profound changes. They did a much better job of showing the raw emotions of the characters and the beautiful split screen shots that made them look like they were actually together than other series which used the same techniques. If you want to read my full review of this wonderful series, go to ppbongi.medium.com.Was this review helpful to you?
Emotional pain is the focal point to this series
It is a story about two guys essentially stuck in a condo because of the Covid pandemic. They do not know each other which makes for interesting dynamics. The dialogue between these two is nothing short of brilliant. This story grows on you because of two things. The acting becomes sincere and believable and the dialogue is superb and top notch. There are such deep meaningful dialogues almost too many to catch in one setting. The screenplay centering around the conversations they had between each other is one of the finest of any BL series. If you want to read my full review of this short but very interesting series, please go to ppbongi.medium.com.Was this review helpful to you?
Profoundly Realistic
This series is hard to describe. It starts out with a comedic flair to it and it is funny to a point. The screenplay for this series is one of the best. It captures in a very profound esoteric way the pain of coming out and how individualized it all is. Some are never able to make that transition while others make it almost instantly while others suffer through it perhaps in a torturous state , sometimes for years. The ending may put you into a deep funk but yet it is so realistic for many, many individuals who are trying to grapple with being gay. My full review of this very likeable and realistic story is at ppbongi.medium.com.Was this review helpful to you?
