FreshKicks

I like how they've introduced the core crisis in the middle of the series instead of right at the end. And I like that Ton is showing that he is open to changing himself. Both Toptap and Mike are such welcome additions. Mike can make me laugh just from his reaction shots. You can tell both of those guys are having a lot of fun with their roles.

I don't hate Ton. He's been raised poorly by a bigoted father, and it's starting to look like he's open to changing. It takes courage to face your faults and try to come to terms with them. That is what the core story of this series is about.

Well, at least they didn't wait until the next-to-last episode to introduce the main crisis. That's what many people always complain about.

It sounds like satirical humor just isn't your thing. You probably should drop it.

It's a satire. Everything is exaggerated to make its point. I know my words are just bullshitting to you but I stand by this.

As you say, of course nobody would be cured of homophobia in a matter of weeks, and the list of absurdities could go on and on. But it's a satire, not a docudrama. The fact that you think people like me believe it depicts real life says more about you than anyone else.

I love it too.

Since the fate of Sea and Tin's relationship at the end of the series seems up for debate, I thought I'd make this separate post about why I think their status at the end is romantic.

During Sea's phone call with Tan, he tells Tan that he has 'just fallen in love.' Meaning, it is a recent occurrence. He resists explaining anything to Tan but the only logical person he could be referring to is Tin.

Early in the episode, Tin tells Sea that he broke up with his girlfriend. He's now available for hitting on lol. Sea, of course, was dumped by his childhood crush so his status is already single.

When Sea and the others ask Tin if he's okay post-breakup, Tin says he will be fine as long as 'you' stay with him. In the subtitled version that I watched on YouTube, the subber says that 'you' refers to the group, however in answer to this it is only Sea who takes Tin's hand and leads him away from the others. Sea is the only one who 'stays' with him.

Sea takes Tin to the place where they first met and they reenact their introductory handshake. Sea says he wants to ask Tin a question. Like everyone else, I'm hoping the question will be 'Will you be my boyfriend?', but it's not -- Sea asks Tin if Tin thinks he is finally a true GFC student. Tin warily asks Sea why he is asking (possibly because it reminds him of Sea's childhood crush, who Sea tried to impress by attending GFC.) Sea says because he wants to be at someone's level, and that someone is Tin. To emphasize the importance of this statement, the soundtrack music comes to a halt. Also, throughout the conversation Sea is gazing into Tin's eyes intensely. (I don't know about you, but that kind of stare isn't something I do with my friends lol.)

In reply, Tin emotionally tells Sea that he is like music to him, where every note is Sea. (The background music starts again.) Sea steps closer to Tin and says that Tin is one of his songs. In reply Tin ventures (a little sadly) to say the song would be one about friendship. Sea laughs -- and through my biased eyes I view that as Sea telling Tin that such a thought would be silly, because what he feels is more than friendship.

Then comes the song about best friends. They both start to cry as Sea sings about remembering everything his best friend did for him. 'Did' -- as in past tense. I think this is referring to everything that Tin did to get Sea out of his depression after his girl rejected him. Again, through my bias I feel that in the song Sea is using the past tense because his feelings for Tin have moved beyond friendship.

At this point the other boys come running in and everyone sings about friendship.

Then we're taken to the final scene with all of the main cast gathered together.

Sea and Tin are holding hands. Sea thanks all of the boys _except_ Tin for being such wonderful friends. Then he turns to Tin and calls him his 'special someone'. Tin gives Sea a ring. They don't even let go of holding hands when Tin puts it on Sea's finger.

So, the only indication that Sea and Tin are _not_ a couple at the end is Tin saying that he is a friendship song for Sea, and then the song that Sea sings to him about friendship. And I've rationalized how those aren't necessarily negating factors.

Since Sea tells Tan that he's newly in love and later refers to Tin as his special someone, it seems clear to me that he's in love with Tin, and that Tin signals that he feels the same by giving Sea the ring.

If Bank (who plays Sea) wasn't age 17 then maybe there would have been a kiss.

To touch briefly on the other pairs:

Tan and Oil are obviously boyfriends.

It and Voice's relationship is the most ambiguous of all. It does tell Voice that he's 'not afraid anymore', but that could be referring to a fear of loving another boy or a fear of simply being hit on by another boy. I guess we'll never know.

Sea and Tin are a couple at the end. Unless you are unhappy with the fact that we don't see the transition happen on-screen and get only the boyfriend-ish behavior in the finale -- and I am with you on that.

When Sea tells Tan that he has 'just' fallen in love, there's no way he is referring to that girl from his childhood. That was old news. He's talking about Tin, of course. And he is saying he's in love, not that he's made a new best friend. (If he was talking just about friendship then they're be no need to confide in Tan and struggle with it.)

While holding his hand Sea brings Tin to the place where they first met and tells Tin that he wants to be a true GFC student so that he can be at Tin's level. (And the soundtrack music suddenly stops after he says this.) Then Tin tells Sea that to him, Sea is music -- 'because every note is you.' Tin says that bit about them being friends because I think he is checking to make sure he has understood correctly.

Later on, Sea addresses all of the _other_ boys as 'friends' and then turns to declar that Tin is his 'special someone.' Eventually Tin gives Sea a ring and the two are holding hands as the boys are all standing together.

The only indicator of 'friendship' is that song everybody sings, and that is more about the entire cast than Sea and Tin specifically. I think all of the other evidence weighs much more in favor of there being a relationship between Sea and Tin.

If Bank (who plays Sea) wasn't just 17 then maybe Sea and Tin would have kissed, but instead we get a big hug where they're both crying. I'm happy with the way they piled on as many hints as possible that the two of them are a couple, even without a kiss.

Hmm. Well, if a boy tells a friend that he has just fallen in love, hugs and cries with a boy as a way of thanking him for being in his life, accepts a ring from the boy, holds that boy's hand while standing together with their friends, and declares that that boy is his 'special someone', then I think your standard for what constitutes friendship is very different from mine. ;)

Those two are a couple at the end. I don't know what else anyone would need in order to see that. Yes, they use the term 'best friend' in the subtitles but what people do counts more than what they say, and what those two do only screams 'boyfriends'. And there's nobody else who Sea could have 'just' fallen in love with other than Tin.

In some ways 'Friends Forever' was a disaster, but with a series like this I rate on a curve and am more forgiving then I am with something from, say, GMMTV.

Even so, the finale was a little strange. During the scenes where Tan was trying to get Oil to come home with him, Tan's clothes changed three times and the continuity was bad in other ways too. For example, at one point Oil is leaving with Tan, then suddenly he's sitting and sharing a cold drink with Khun.

The 'director's cut' scene of Tan's confession and Tan and Oil kissing has been uploaded to YouTube and it is a must-see. Leo actually has a lot of potential as an actor. It doesn't hurt that he has a kind of 'bad boy' charisma too -- that especially comes through on his Instagram. When he did one of his live videos on Instagram I'm pretty sure he was stoned. :)

The It-Voice situation was bungled. In fact, I wish they'd spent less time with Tan chasing after Oil and given more time to It and Voice, because it was actually pretty funny that It suddenly showed up with the rest of the boys at the end, thanking Voice to helping him to change.

It's interesting that so many people think that Sea and Tin didn't end up as a couple. I'm not so sure about that. :) Yes, the English subs say 'best friend' but every other aspect of their interaction in the finale screamed 'boyfriend'. Sea tells Tan that the has fallen in love, then he and Tin hugged and cried, Tin gave Sea a ring, and they're holding hands in that final scene where the main cast is standing together.

What more do people want? I don't think a kiss would have been feasible since Bank (Sea) is only 17.

I've made a separate post to micro-analyze the finale and make my case that at the end Sea and Tin are a couple.

This page is why it can be a lot of fun to watch a series as it airs, as frustrating as it can be to wait every week for new episodes. The comment section is overflowing with enthusiasm and gives the feeling that you're watching the series with several hundred of your friends, even if you don't comment a lot yourself.

Does anyone have a link to the song in the third segment of Episode 3? Or know the title?

Thanks!

I agree. You know, part of me wonders if the delay in seeing the last episode was so that the production company could re-edit it and address concerns that were being voiced here and on YouTube, worrying that there wouldn't be closure for the Tin/Sea or It/Voice couples. Both of their endings were rushed, and like you say, It's transformation was inexplicable. Not only did he mellow out, but he *asked* for a hug from another boy.

If the actor wasn't underage then It might have asked Voice for a kiss instead of a hug - which would have been stranger still! haha

That said, the original version of the last episode might not have even included that much.

I think Voice also kissed It on the belly. I wonder if that was improvised because I can't imagine the director telling him to do that.

I'm going to guess that Soojin and Seojun are endgame. She seems like the only woman who could truly tame him haha.

Yeah her mother is trash.

You say it better than I could, but I feel the same. I didn't expect a lot from this series but it's turned out to be a highlight of my week. It delivers on every level.

Enough of Wayu and Pha ... please! It's gotten to where these interruptions just disrupt the series. When it comes to Pha, NOBODY CARES. I get the joke of not showing his face, but it's been done to death now -- time to move on.

This is a really, really charming series, provided they ditch the Pha-Wayu angst.

Exactly. All he could see was that she was wearing glasses. Her mystique is intact, but now Seojun will start getting close to her just to annoy Suho, and then start to fall for her for real. A favorite trope of mine if there ever was one.

Well, at least it's not six days .. which will be our fate tomorrow :(