CynicalMonkey

I wouldn't presume what people's ages are in these forums. I'm nowhere near 17, trust me. And I have faced plenty of the issues they depicted - and more...

It's not a question of whether it was a mature series, it's a question of whether it was a well written series.

And half the screen time was spent on the teeny boppers Li/Heart.

I think you misunderstood what I was trying to get at. Too much time was spent on the high school couple which meant that the adult storyline(s) suffered as a result. Why they focused so much on those two is a debate for another day.

Poor Earth was terribly miscast in this and will face criticism for his part even though it's not his fault. The casting agents, writers, directors should have seen this early and either changed the actor or rewrite the character. This basically boiled down to the fact they wanted the EarthMix combo at all costs - including sacrificing the end result of the series itself.

It's another rushed series by GMMTV where they have played it safe. They're oftentimes desperate to capitalise on the popularity of couples at the expense of the quality of the series.

That's a very interesting analysis. I would definitely put that in a review if I were you. I felt the storyline was too overengineered. Half the stuff that happened did not to happen. And whilst the Heart Li-Ming story was cute, it was another soppy schoolboy love story that took up a lot of time which could be better used.

I've seen a lot of reviews give it a 10. I mean, a 10? Really? The PERFECT series? Come on guys, be realistic when you review and rate. I personally ignore any review that has awarded a 10.

I’m always high-fiving my boyfriend 🤣

Yes, that has been the case with BL and its formulae. I'm glad to say that this has shifted more recently, though you still get plenty of series with the old trope.

However, in the case of THIS particular series, I don't think that is its main issue. It's simpler than that. It's just crap.

How it has managed to reach such heights of fame and propel the leads to stardom across Asia is one of those obscure enigmas and unsolved mysteries, possibly left unsolved for generations to come until someone, somewhere comes along in the far distant future with vast intelligence and manages to crack the enigma, finally getting to the core of the mystery.

I know, they tried to make Alan the bad guy and Wen the good guy but Wen is the one that comes across as the douche bag! 😂

I really hope Jojo does a better job with Only Friends. Certainly his recent work with the warp gives me hope (it wasn't perfect but it was well written and executed). And we have more episodes so that's something. The acting talent is there, but the writing has to be there as well.

This series was way too overengineered. I mean, take the example of this property development project they talked about and spent so much time on. You kept thinking okay where's this going? Jim was going around trying to get a title deed to get a loan. What for? If the landlord has decided to sell the property to a developer to tear it down, and your lease is up, what do you need a loan for? Wen working for this company didn't seem to bother him either? "Oh don't worry love, I know you and your employer are trying to destroy my livelihood, but I'll shag you anyway. As long as we don't complicate things". Wouldn't you say Wen's involvement in the project is a wee bit of a complication...?

But in the end nothing came out of that project anyway. Nada. Despite spending so much time on it, none of it had any impact whatsoever on the outcome of the storyline. The developer, title deed, loan attempts etc, all in vain. Jim simply walked away from the restaurant for completely different personal reasons. Right.

There was lots of unnecessary drama just for the sake of it. We have Alan being in an accident, leaving him nigh on disabled. Why? Gaipa's mum dying. Again, what was the point? For him to get some insurance money? Which wouldn't have happened anyway as his mum had a precondition so she wouldn't be able to get insurance in the first place! As an excuse for him to meet Alan? Gaipa obviously couldn't just visit the bank to open a savings account and bump into him!

And finally let's not forget Jim's ex boyfriend drowning in a fiery boat accident... I mean, that really wins the ultimate prize of fake drama! I actually ended up laughing when I saw that.

Just keep it simple and effective.

Hit a nerve did I...? Also, you realise you confirmed I was right when you said I wasn't lying...?

I ain't lying though am I? 😊

The only episode I felt was worth watching is episode 5 (and parts of 4) with the breakdown of Alan and Wen's relationship. First is excellent in it and it's the only episode where Mix's acting is good. Fourth basically is a sulky teenager as he's only about 17 in real life so not sure that tells us much, plus all the time spent on his storyline with Gemini just made this another version of my school president (or whatever it's called). What was the point in saying we'd get an "adult" series and then spend so much time on them? My suspicion is it was pushed by the GMMTV leadership. Earth is very miscast in this and for that reason does not pull off the role.

The reason I think you feel it needed more episodes is because it was all over the place with too many arcs - most of them not properly developed. The storyline is not cohesive, believable and drags on. The result is that as a viewer you feel a disconnect, like you don't quite understand what's going on.

What was this series actually about: Was it a love triangle? Being poor? Homophobia? Being working class? Growing old? Cheating? Relationships? Growing up? Teen angst? Coming of age? Sadness and loss? Unrequited love? It's almost like they tried to fit all of it in and it fell flat. The storyline was way overengineered and had more holes than a Swiss cheese. It was rushed and poorly executed.

They should have picked a story to focus on and developed it properly. In my view that should have been the love triangle between Alan, Wen and Jim. There was no need for a love story between Heart & Li Ming, have Gaipa follow Jim around like a puppy or Saleng knocking up his girlfriend (were we supposed to feel sorry for him?).

Oh I agree, I think a lot of people think the streets are paved with gold. Reality us that a lot of the times you're better off staying put then moving to the US or another country.

Speaking of rants: don’t get me started on the whole life insurance thing from Gaipa’s mum. Anyone with half a brain who has ever dealt with life insurances knows full well that to sign up to one you have to spend days filling out forms and providing all kinds of medical certificates, notes and details about your life and lifestyle - especially at the age Gaipa's mum is supposed to be. You have to disclose any medical preconditions that you are aware of and your family history. A mere whiff of her suffering from hypertension and the insurance companies wouldn’t touch her with a barge pole.

Are we supposed to believe that she took out a life insurance for him because she knew she was dying? Even if she through some miracle had managed to get one, the moment they found out she suffered from hypertension and knew about it but hadn't disclosed it, her insurance would be invalidated. Null and void. The only reason Alan would be at the funeral would be to tell Gaipa he’d be getting diddly squat, and that his mum wasted all that money paying for that insurance. Is this the best the writers could come up with to get Alan and Gaipa to meet? Come on. Never mind the fact that no normal adult would go to a FUNERAL to tell someone about paperwork!

It’s such lazy writing for what is supposedly an adult storyline. Others will say oh it's just minor details, but it's the attention to details that make a series great, and that includes factual details - especially for a series that is supposed to be about real life and real adults.

A supposedly adult storyline which spent half its time dealing with a couple of soppy high school teenagers drinking boba tea in a mall 🙄 all to satisfy the teeny bopper fandom. The agenda strikes again. I wonder what this series would have actually been like if the original premise had been followed.

2000 baht is about $58 dollars in today's exchange rate. That is not necessarily an unusual tip depending on the size of meal, number of people, city and venue.

I'm not American or live in the US but have been there many times and have US colleagues - my understanding is that people in the US working in the services sector (e.g. waiters, taxi drivers, cleaners etc) many times do not get the usual minimum wage (depending on state, city etc) and are expected to make up the difference in tips. This policy is justified as being an incentive for people working in this sector to provide "better service". I personally disagree - I think you get better service if you pay people properly. But that's a debate for another day.

This is why tipping culture is so big in the US - a lot of people who work in this sector basically cannot afford to live on their salary unless it's topped up by tips. A 20%-25% tip is pretty standard unless you're really unhappy with the service, but can be higher depending on city and venue. If you give less it's not unusual for the manager to come round and ask what was wrong with the service to warrant not tipping enough... Even though tipping - technically - is optional.

If a group of customers (4-5 people) eat at a restaurant for say $300 then they're supposed to tip about $70-75. That won't necessarily all go to that particular waiter, it might be split amongst the staff (incl. kitchen). So yes, $30-$50 tips are probably quite common, however, you have to factor in the fact that your minimum wage can be as low as $2.13 an hour... So those tips albeit "high" will mostly just make up for lost income from the lower minimum wage.

And don't get me started about the cost of living vs Thailand. In any city where you could potentially get that amount in tips you're looking at huge costs of living. And I'm not even talking about downtown Manhattan here, we're talking New Jersey at the most - if that! Anywhere nice in Manhattan will set you back $3000-4000 a month for a tiny apartment (unless you want to be in the slums of Harlem - and even there it's really expensive nowadays). Forget 2-3 bedrooms. Don't be fooled by "friends" the sitcom, that's just a fantasy.

Some staff in US restaurants are less than pleased when they get non US customers, since tourists generally do not always understand the tipping culture and the need for tips leading to reduced tips. An understandable reaction when you're so reliant on tips to make up your salary. For that reason if you are travelling to the US please do your research. Don't be afraid to ask either, e.g. at hotel reception, when, and how much to tip. Don't be that tourist who thinks: "oh who cares it's not like I'm gonna see them again next week..."

But the sad reality is Li Ming would never be able to move to the US to work unless:

1) He won the green card lottery (which he may not even be eligible for)
2) Was sponsored by a company as part of employment (something not easily achieved and highly unlikely in his case as he's only about 18)
3) Possibly had a very close relative already living there (e.g. a parent) who is a US citizen. And even then he would need to be minor to qualify...
4) Entered the US illegally

As it stands he wouldn't even get a tourist visa to the US due to lack of means, let alone a visa to move and work there. Last I checked Thai nationals do not get visa-free travel to the US.

On the series it seems as if he's going over there to study? But again, this would not be possible for someone like him with such limited financial means considering the cost of living and studying there - unless he was awarded some sort of scholarship, however, it didn't seem like he had made any significant academic achievements or applied for a scholarship programme. Not to mention his English language skills would have to be on a high level.

I know, I know I'm ranting! This is all fiction at the end the day, and it doesn't really matter but it does give the impression of some lazy writing behind the scenes (no pun intended)... Also, you are giving the impression to young people that you can just turn up at a stand in a shopping mall, sign a piece of paper handed to you (by someone speaking very dodgy English), and off you go to America to seek your fortunes! Yeah.... No.

No.

See comment further down from adramalover.

This ranks very high up with some of the most disgusting 🤮 comments I’ve read on these comment boards. You need to have a serious word with yourself.

Yeah it’s quite shocking really isn’t it. Some people really need to have a word with themselves. Some pretty disgusting 🤮 comments.

Yeah I’m a First fan as well. Definitely one of the top acting talents.

You assume that the wider general public (especially online) possesses and applies a basic understanding of life and reality. They do not.