FreshKicks

Yes - the extra rounds and battles put it at the next level, and I think the talent of the contestants is a bit higher. I also really like that they make a point of including international performers.

As I've watched more I have realized the special attraction that this show has. The extra rounds for the individual performers make it very special. They not only allow each boy to showcase his strengths, but they reveal how much the members of the group support one another.

The calibre of the performances is also exceptional.

Yes yes yes! And it’s all on YouTube from GMMTV with Eng subs. =)

I'm enjoying both shows. Each could improve but each is also entertaining. What I don't like about this one is they don't show complete performances for everyone. I also think having the contestants vote for each other will be a problem when the numbers dwindle. The guys will start to vote strategically to eliminate the people who do better than them.

Really horrible comment from Ning Jing (in her pastel raccoon makeup and ridiculous cowboy hat, mind you) as she said to one of the other mentors that one of the boys wasn't pretty enough.

(Hey girlfriend, I'm not even convinced you had a live mic during your performance...)

Why not just be grateful that you have both shows to watch?

This one seems to be walking right up to the line of BL ... what the heck is going on with Cdramas these days. (Not that I'm complaining.)

I love the music and visuals of the opening credits ... reminds me so much of 'He's Coming To Me.'

That scene outside Tian's house was a master class in acting! I'm so glad that they didn't go for the kiss (despite kinda wanting it while I was in the moment) because that's a more realistic depiction of how two men like that would approach each other.

I was so moved by today's episode. Earth did such a phenomenal job conveying Phupha's loneliness and yearning. Even the fact that Phu was wearing a casual shirt instead of his uniform when he went to pick up Tian in the city -- that was so touching to me. I kept thinking, 'I wonder when he would have ever worn that shirt in the past.' (Maybe it was never.) The fact that I would even speculate about such a thing tells me something about how fully realized the character is!

So, it's wonderful to see Earth seizing the opportunity to be a leading man in a BL and totally killing it. Legend status.

This series ... words fail me. I'm going to be honest, before it started I was a little skeptical that it could live up to everyone's expectations, but now I'm sure.

I have to say that I think the local boss man and his henchman are unfortunate add-ons. That element of danger really isn't necessary as a side story when the main story is so rich. It's like the author didn't trust that a reader or viewer could stay engaged without it. I wish the series had dispatched with it to make more room for the stuff we really love.

I uploaded a screen capture on the Huckleberry Friends page. It turns out the name is spelled as 'Jiang Chuan' so I think I got a little ahead of myself. :)

In the last episode of 'Huckleberry Friends', one of the current students at the high school approaches the FL, who is now an adult, to do a video interview that will be shown at a cultural festival.

The FL asks her who else she is interviewing and the names she gives include Luo Zhi and Huai Nan (as well as Jiang Chen, which is the name of the ML in the Cdrama version of 'A Love So Beautiful' ... which I don't think was set at the same high school.)

The student's list also includes the names of the leads from 'With You', which takes place in the same high school at about the same time. As a bonus, when you watch 'With You' you briefly get to meet its version of Luo Zhi and Huai Nan as actual characters.

What was funny about the guy waking up from the coma is that he asked Zhan Yan if she'd been at his bedside for all that time, but he didn't first ask what day it was or how long he'd been out. The writers were so eager to give Zhan Yan a redemption arc that they botched the details.

Ming Rui definitely deserved better. Since the woman in the series that he most connected with was Luo Zhi, it would have been nice if they'd had someone like her approach him. For me the fact that they went with a girl with a mad crush only shows they were selling the character short. He wasn't just a goofball -- he had a great outlook and treated people with respect.

The 2019 version is so superior that it makes me wonder if this version was kept on the shelf for a while in acknowledgement of that.

I think they were going for an 'artsy' finale, showing that endless footage of Huainan and Luo Zhi doing the same thing at the same time, always in sync, and repeatedly coming ridiculously close to bumping into one another. At one point I was thinking 'Alright already, we get it ...'

So, while there's no doubt that they end up together, the constant teasing in the final episode wore me out.

I don't think that Hu Yi Tian was the right guy for the Huinan role, and although the casting of Luo Zhi was better it wasn't as good as in the other version of the drama. In this one I liked all of the supporting characters, though -- especially Ming Rui.

Philippines also works

I'm with you on all three, which includes my own shallowness. :)

In Episode 7 we also see other characters facing up to their mistakes, especially Que. And we see forgiveness from Nam even though she is still feeling hurt -- and we see her encouraging Tae to be forgiving too.

(I bet I know the exact camera shot where it hit you that Tae is a real hottie haha.)

I'm generally forgiving of a low-budget production that means well and isn't just a cash grab built around slutty characters.

Nite will be back for sure. The series is named after him and there's still three episodes to go.

Finally, an episode where stuff happens.

Tae and Nam are brother and sister of the year ... such excellent siblings who support one another. Nam just about breaks my heart, though. She's such a good person and deserves happiness, yet for most of the series she's been sad or hurt.

LOL gotta hand it to GMMTV, they know how to keep milking the cash cow.

Personally I'd rather see Bright and Win in 'F4 Thailand'. Let the move on from BL and get some roles they can really sink their teeth into.

Thank you!