CurlyFries

Here I am writing this review 3 years and 4 rewatches late. I'm not exaggerating when I say I've watched this show a minimum of 4 times; making it the Thai show that I've rewatched the most. It was also one of the earliest Thai dramas I ever tried and I don't regret it one bit. The genuinely great parts of the show coupled with the parts so absurd that they loop around into being entertaining make this show a worthy watching experience in my book.

The selling point of this show was naturally meant to be the romances, and after having rewatched as many times as I have, I'd rank them as such:

1. RamKing: 10/10. No exaggeration, I love them. What happens when you mix the dependable senior x the quiet junior? Perfection, that's what. They were each other's support in their times of need and the way they were both written inoffensively was incredibly impressive considering this was an "old gen" BL. Ram's quiet and socially awkward nature matched with King's self-assured and respected persona were delightful to see. I loved how King melted away Ram's walls he built up and ended up becoming one of his few trusted people. The way Ram started to protect him like how he'd protect his best friends was enough to make me feel butterflies because it was made so clear that he fell first. King on the other hand had his development shown more in the last few episodes. I saw someone say that they wrote him "out of character" near the end, but I disagree. He was a guy used to having control over his emotions and his composure was afforded by his simple daily routine. His daily life was then thrown off balance by budding feelings for what was probably his first ever crush, who was also a guy, and then accompanied with a splitting headache to boot. I don't blame him for feeling overwhelmed in the last few episodes. He wasn't prepared to develop feelings for a junior that he only took an initial interest in and to have said junior then treat him in a way he wasn't used to being treated. I loved the way Ram would start to look at King more romantically as their relationship developed and by the end his staring mixed with his unconscious smiles whilst looking at King were enough to make me melt away into a puddle. They also had the best comedic scenes in my opinion. There's a reason why they are the most liked couple in the fandom.

2. TharaFrong: 7.5/10. I wish I could give them a higher score, but alas I cannot due to how incomplete their story was. You could tell this season was written with the idea of a second one in mind considering how their plotline was only halfway baked at best. That being said, I did like what WAS written of them. It was shocking to me that I ended up liking them second most considering that the first two times I watched it I skipped their scenes altogether. But upon latest rewatches, I started to see the appeal of them. Frong was an unfortunate romantic that was friend zoned twice in one season topped with his mother having a cancer scare. Then he meets the peculiar senior Thara that never once snaps at his outbursts nor does he take his insults too seriously. Frong is naturally caught off guard with this reception and later realizes he was lashing out at a chill guy that keeps a lizard as a pet and has a heart of gold toward his patients. I could feel the awkwardness Frong felt when he was with him and it was certainly a show to watch how differently he acted around someone like Thara versus someone like Duen. I can't blame him for developing feelings for the guy either since I just KNOW I've would've fallen head over heels for him if I was in his position too. It was clear to me though, that Thara did not feel the same as Frong did by the end of the season, and that was sad to see. If only there was a second season to flesh out their relationship...

3. MekBoss: 5/10. I know the MekBoss fans will probably consider my score as blasphemy, but I could not glaze them in good faith. I liked them a lot less upon the latest rewatch and I think I know why. Boss never gave the vibes of feeling anything toward Mek other than platonic love. I couldn't wrap my head around him loving Mek when he was perfectly fine with trying to flirt with every girl in sight and go on dates with them in high spirits. I don't think I would be able to do that when my mega crush is right around the corner, but he somehow did. I didn't like how it felt like he magically developed feelings in the split second he was confessed to. Rewatching the show allowed me to see how much he didn't seem to like have hidden feelings for Mek whatsoever in the earlier episodes. Usually, a writer will show signs of subtle feelings, but I felt nothing when I saw him. I could 100% believe Mek's feelings; but never Boss'. I also didn't like how Fon was treated as a result of the spontaneous romance. She deserved better than she got. I honestly believe that Boss should've ended up with Fon and him and Mek should've just been best friends instead. I don't mind a friends to lovers mixed with unrequited feelings storyline, but at least make it believable and don't treat other love interests involved as trash.

4. BohnDuen: 2/10. The holy grail of terribly written BL couples. Dear lord were they insufferable to watch. If it weren't for them being the central couple, this show could've been far more recommendable for me. But of course, in regular romance fashion, the worst couple has to be the one with the most screen time. They started off fine in a comedic way, but ended atrociously. I couldn't stand how many problematic BL tropes were attached to them. The whole "top and bottom" nonsense mixed with the "wife and husband" lingo was appalling. Not to mention the alarming jealousy thrown in for cheap drama and near sexual assault at the assumption of "cheating" made me nauseous. Bohn was an awful love interest and Duen was such a pushover. I didn't like how Bohn would boast of Duen being compliant to his needs and Duen having a backbone be treated as abnormal and undesirable. The nonsense with Mild was stupid as Bohn could've just avoided him or thrown hands as he did with literally any other guy in the past. But because he's gay, he didn't??? I'm not certain if that's the reason, but I can't think of why else he wouldn't manhandle him considering he beat up tons of other dudes. It feels homophobic if that was the reason. The way the couple would flip flop with their feelings and relationship status was also headache-inducing. Like, just pick a damn struggle and be done with it. Golly.


The rest of the show was a miscellany of comedic scenes and friend group bonding. I did adore the friend groups in this show. I thought Duen's group was a safe space for him judging by their protectiveness and none of them had it out for each other even a bit. They were relaxed and only wanted the best for Duen. Ram was super protective and for good reason since Duen was wanting to date a notorious playboy that was a red flag. He deserved to beat the dog out of Bohn but of COURSE Duen just HAD to interrupt the boxing match before Ram could claim his rightful win (yes, I am 100% certain that Ram would've won and that isn't me glazing him). Ting Ting was sometimes annoying, but I mostly found her kind of funny. I died when she said she would "open her skirt" for Bohn when Duen was in the gift box arc. I liked seeing a central female character that wasn't trying to home wreck in a BL. She was also gorgeous, alongside her brother (?). Tang and Ting were the definition of supporting cast, but I still liked their inclusion in the friend group. They had some pretty funny moments. Phu was even more of a side character but he was still funny. I liked how all five of the group's personalities mixed together. Contrastingly, Bohn's group was far more on crack than theirs's was. Bohn as the hot guy-wannabe leader, Mek and Boss as the playful couple, Tee as the resident flirt and gossip, along with King as the mature and dependable one. I loved them. I couldn't help but wonder how they all became friends, though, considering how different they all were from each other. I loved how they would be so dramatic about Bohn's love life and even betted on his losing during the boxing fight. They shared the same wavelength as me in that scene. Frong betting on Bohn's side clearly didn't know what a winning horse was, unfortunately; he should've just stuck with spite and rooted on how downfall. He would've made bag if that were the case. Also if the writers weren't wussies and allowed the central love interest to get his ass kicked in front of a crowd.

Another detail that I liked was how the characters' family members were actually involved in their plotlines. I like seeing the family members in stories and in this one there were a ton that were given little cameos. Duen had his parents, little sister, and Thara as his cousin. Bohn had his little brother, Ben. Ram had his parents, little brother, and dogs. King had his mother, sister, and nephews. Frong had his mother and older brother. I think that Ting and Tang were twins, too. I just really liked seeing the inclusion of the family members, even if they only had one-off scenes together.

The crack scenes in this show also had me dying. Whether it being Duen getting hit by a car in episode one, Ram crushing a water bottle three times in replay to have an aura-off with a hobo, or Thara having a dollar tree plastic lizard in a tiny container as a pet, I ate it up like I was fine-dining. There were also the parody fujoshi girls that were chasing around the best couple, and the absurdity of a twink like Mild having enough aura to scare Bohn off. I just couldn't stop myself from loving it enough to rewatch it 4 times, even if the writing quality was drastically different for all of the couples. I seriously have a hard time believing that the same writer wrote all of them, but I guess they just wrote whatever came to mind and rolled with it; obviously, considering how out-there the comedy was.

The production was all over the place. The music started off decent, but quickly deteriorated when they kept using the same damn songs all over again in every single episode. The filter on the actors that made their skin look fuzzy white was also an eyesore; stop bleaching away the melanin of actors, I beg. Melaninated people are gorgeous just the way they are. The voiceover on Mek was so bad to the point that I actually found it funny. It wasn't a dealbreaker for me when watching, but I can definitely see why it could be for others. I don't understand why they couldn't just allow the actor to speak, even if he had an accent. Ram, Ruj, and their mother all had accents, yet they were allowed to keep their voices. I don't understand that directing choice at all. Judging from the few unedited laugh scenes of Mek's, his voice was adorable. Poor bastard didn't even get to use it properly. The acting was okay with Perth having the best scenes, and Poy having hilariously awful crying scenes. Seriously, they were so bad. The translation on Youtube was also rocky, but at least I could understand the meaning of every sentence somehow. It was so grammatically incorrect at times that I found it funny enough to add to the comedic aspect, so I guess that was a win for them?

So, in the future I can picture myself rewatching select scenes again. I didn't give the Rewatch Value a 10/10 for no reason. However, the almost definite cancellation of the second season still makes me super sad every time I am reminded of it. I don't care how poorly construed this show was; I still wanted a second season. I understand why others couldn't enjoy it, but I still loved it. Would I recommend this show? Yes, but only for RamKing, TharaFrong, and the friend group shenanigans. MekBoss are eh and BohnDuen are virtually unwatchable. I wish all the best to any that venture into it. ♡( •ॢ◡-ॢ)✧˖° ♡