There was one character who seemed worth rooting for but they died early in the first quarter, leaving us with the bullies, the weak, the spineless, and the hapless. I never cared whether any of them lived or died, and there were points where I actively wished doom on Yoon Seo and Jun Hee. They were both aggravating for different reasons but Yoon Seo's mincing walk, slumping shoulders, and perpetually open mouth made her mere presence on screen annoying. As for Jun Hee...well, I'll just say I shouted "No!" at that moment and leave it at that.
The series finale was just obnoxious. It isn't difficult to figure out what's going on (the episodes include plenty of hints and clues) or, eventually, why, so you're basically spending the runtime hoping the story isn't going where it's so loudly telegraphing it's going—and then it gets there, and it's disappointing.
Kudos, though, to everyone who worked on this project. The cast did a good job, the cinematography was often incredibly effective, the lighting and other production design elements were nicely done, and the SFX were delightfully gruesome.
I would watch a second season only if it was a detective series because all the questions I have about the story involve criminalistics, money laundering, and who is asleep on the job over at KEPCO.
Disappointed the TulBoss thing went nowhere. That was almost nearly approaching an interesting sidestory but I suppose there wasn't enough time. Or, rather, all the available time was wasted on the nonsense of the main coupling, which was all so unnecessary.
MeenPing just do not work for me as a ship. Meen I like; he's got potential as an actor, he's demonstrated he can handle projects with range, and he has screen presence. Ping, on the other hand...well, I liked him quite a lot in his scenes with Winner. They feel like a more balanced pair.
I ultimately sped through most of the TewGuy scenes, they were so comparatively dull. Tew trying to escape the mob, Kenji (and his wig) trying to rise in the mob, Boss torn between his mob loyalties and his own heart, the mob leader having a violent emotional breakdown over his surrogate sons' shenanigans—all of that made for a truly decent plot. Unfortunately, it was constantly dragged down by the love story, which is not a great thing for a BL.
This delectably violent Chronicles of a Dynamic Duo is awarded three stars simply for having zero romance, three more stars for a lovely bromance, another star for humour, four stars for a crazy good ensemble cast, and an ever-expanding universe of stars for Woo Do Hwan, Lee Sang Yi, shirtless Woo Do Hwan, shirtless Lee Sang Yi, and shorts-shorted Woo Do Hwan and Lee Sang Yi being shirtless together.
And did I mention the violence?
The story, however...
Our Duo are simple but earnest men, genuinely decent guys just trying to survive. They're not exactly doing a bang-up job at it until they collide with Choi Tae Ho's world, at which point they become...well, the Thick-Witted Trio & their Three Dumbass Dads.
You will be frustrated beyond belief at just how stupid the good guys are, to the point where you may have a fleeting thought that the villain deserves to win merely for being competent. If reality in the series reflected actual reality, our intrepid heroes accumulated alarmingly more bodies than the bad guys. Seriously, the collateral damage was ridiculous. And they never, ever, ever learned from their mistakes.
In addition, the story was predictable. Nothing came as a surprise, big moments were loudly telegraphed, the script was rote. The story did, without fail, everything you expected it would.
And still—I would watch it again. Even though I'd seen the destination a thousand times, the journey was worth it.
(An aside: Hong Woo Jin reminds me of Jack in "H3: Trapped". The characters have similar mannerisms & looks. Not the actors, just the characters.)
This series would really have benefitted from fewer, longer episodes. Its gentle, contemplative, cozy tone just isn't faring well in this format. Best watched binged, I think, particularly on a rainy afternoon while wrapped in your softest blanket and cradling your largest tea mug.
Wouldn't that be spicy? Like the whole conflict between them is less about vying for their boss's approval or…
Obviously we need to write something on A03 and wait for Thailand to get wind of it.
I've had the same thought about Kenji. Nothing about his hatred of Tew makes sense unless it's connected to more positive feelings he has or has had about Tew. It's clear their mob boss never rated Kenji, and he's made no secret of it (everyone in that organization who doesn't work directly for Kenji seems to regard him as a laughing stock), so Kenji can't have thought he'd ever be considered to take over. Surely even he isn't THAT stupid. And Kenji's vitriol and aggression was a lot more pronounced toward Guy, to the point it came off like jealousy rather than using Guy as a bargaining chip.
I just think, overall, the story between Tew and Kenji is just more interesting, even if it's mostly our headcanon, lol.
Or maybe Tew has some sort of feeling for Kenji. There's no other explanation as to why he'll let Kenji go so…
Wouldn't that be spicy? Like the whole conflict between them is less about vying for their boss's approval or taking over the business and more about latent unbridled attraction they've been forbidden to act on because they're pseudobrothers.
And that attraction has smoldered so hot and so long it's twisted what was once a loving if strained platonic relationship into a psychosexual quagmire that can only end when both of them fuck and/or one of them is dead but they can't bring themselves to do either.
Well... I thought the NC scene was quite well done😁.
Everyone's tastes are different. Frankly, I'm happy to see BLs getting more daring with intimate scenes, in general. Watching modestly shirtless dudes flopping about like mackrel on top a well-made bed gets a bit stale.
Welcome! Would like a beverage or snack during your stay on the chaos train?
Yes! This is a show best watched with two bottles of wine and an obscenely massive bowl of assorted chocolates and the sexiest fruits. Just full on decadence.
You guys may not understand but this series represent a gay lifestyle in Thailand pretty well. Well not the cringe…
That's what's so frustrating for me. It feels very close to being genuinely good but something went wrong somewhere. It really does feel like the production was muzzled, maybe by the producers or other investors. It gives "studio meddling" vibes from time to time.
At this point, all I care about is how hot and pretty Meen looks with a gun😩.Gosh! That man is so fine... He…
If it weren't for that terrible wig, I might've crossed over to Kenji's side after that stupidity. Tew has had three opportunities to put Kenji down, despite Kenji repeatedly, actively trying to kill him. Almost makes you want Kenji to get him out of pure frustration.
The series finale was just obnoxious. It isn't difficult to figure out what's going on (the episodes include plenty of hints and clues) or, eventually, why, so you're basically spending the runtime hoping the story isn't going where it's so loudly telegraphing it's going—and then it gets there, and it's disappointing.
Kudos, though, to everyone who worked on this project. The cast did a good job, the cinematography was often incredibly effective, the lighting and other production design elements were nicely done, and the SFX were delightfully gruesome.
I would watch a second season only if it was a detective series because all the questions I have about the story involve criminalistics, money laundering, and who is asleep on the job over at KEPCO.
MeenPing just do not work for me as a ship. Meen I like; he's got potential as an actor, he's demonstrated he can handle projects with range, and he has screen presence. Ping, on the other hand...well, I liked him quite a lot in his scenes with Winner. They feel like a more balanced pair.
I ultimately sped through most of the TewGuy scenes, they were so comparatively dull. Tew trying to escape the mob, Kenji (and his wig) trying to rise in the mob, Boss torn between his mob loyalties and his own heart, the mob leader having a violent emotional breakdown over his surrogate sons' shenanigans—all of that made for a truly decent plot. Unfortunately, it was constantly dragged down by the love story, which is not a great thing for a BL.
And did I mention the violence?
The story, however...
Our Duo are simple but earnest men, genuinely decent guys just trying to survive. They're not exactly doing a bang-up job at it until they collide with Choi Tae Ho's world, at which point they become...well, the Thick-Witted Trio & their Three Dumbass Dads.
You will be frustrated beyond belief at just how stupid the good guys are, to the point where you may have a fleeting thought that the villain deserves to win merely for being competent. If reality in the series reflected actual reality, our intrepid heroes accumulated alarmingly more bodies than the bad guys. Seriously, the collateral damage was ridiculous. And they never, ever, ever learned from their mistakes.
In addition, the story was predictable. Nothing came as a surprise, big moments were loudly telegraphed, the script was rote. The story did, without fail, everything you expected it would.
And still—I would watch it again. Even though I'd seen the destination a thousand times, the journey was worth it.
(An aside: Hong Woo Jin reminds me of Jack in "H3: Trapped". The characters have similar mannerisms & looks. Not the actors, just the characters.)
That said—
I am obligated neither to mirror nor validate your cognitive paucity. Shuffle on, you're mucking up my thread.
I've had the same thought about Kenji. Nothing about his hatred of Tew makes sense unless it's connected to more positive feelings he has or has had about Tew. It's clear their mob boss never rated Kenji, and he's made no secret of it (everyone in that organization who doesn't work directly for Kenji seems to regard him as a laughing stock), so Kenji can't have thought he'd ever be considered to take over. Surely even he isn't THAT stupid. And Kenji's vitriol and aggression was a lot more pronounced toward Guy, to the point it came off like jealousy rather than using Guy as a bargaining chip.
I just think, overall, the story between Tew and Kenji is just more interesting, even if it's mostly our headcanon, lol.
And that attraction has smoldered so hot and so long it's twisted what was once a loving if strained platonic relationship into a psychosexual quagmire that can only end when both of them fuck and/or one of them is dead but they can't bring themselves to do either.
Damnit, I want to be watching THAT show.
Almost.