This is such a good analysis of the drama and the characters. Tan/oil’s relationship is what drew me to this…
This is the nicest response to a post that I've ever gotten. Thank you so much!
I saw in Episode 5 (and one of the Episode 5 Director's Cuts) that Voice's approach in dealing with It's temperamental nature is quite patient and sensitive. I think their pairing might also end up surprising us by going deeper than usual.
I like your review! I honestly wonder if people would still praise this show as they do if it didn’t include…
Thank you, and you're right!
There's also a posse of people who are promoting Pinoy series in general so this one benefits from their support as well. I've gotten on their bad side with my opinions.
The explosion of Pinoy BL series is a welcome phenomenon but for me this one is unwatchable.
I just read the confession scene in the book and let me tell you, if the series is able to put even half of that on the screen it will be one of the most touching confessions in any series.
So, stick with it, fam! There might be some wonderful rewards ahead.
The timing for the subs on the first segment of Ep 11 is non-existent, so they start coming at you in rapidfire as soon as the opening credits start to roll. Hopefully they'll fix it soon.
The first segment can be summed up as: when North's mom went to his dorm room and confronted him, he got so stressed that he passed out. The doctor told his mom that he can't afford to have that happen anymore or they might lose him forever (which I took to mean that North would be in a coma for the rest of his life.)
Later on in the episode they show a flashback of what happened in the dorm room.
I liked this week's episode (8). Yeah, there were spme parts that were draggy, but now we see the reason for thier…
It was very eventful. I'm wondering if Itt came out of it looking too petty and mean. That scene on the rooftop was just ugly. What he said and did to Pai was cruel.
What can account for such seething anger over that silly club room? And why would Itt be surprised that Pai would need to be enticed to tutor him? At the time it started their two clubs were at each other's throats and Itt was in his full 'hater' mode (which is looking more and more like his default personality, unfortunately.)
Sometimes I skip all reviews and just watch the drama I want to watch. In the case of Good Morning Call: Our Campus…
I appreciate your appreciation of Natsume. For me he was the most complex and interesting character in the entire season. Like you said, he tried hard to resist his feelings for Nao, and to his credit when he finally decided to go for it he was honest with Uehara and told him of his intentions straight up.
I liked this season a lot more than Season 1. The character Natsume is a big part of it, but I also thought that Uehara was more grounded and believable. And the bromance between Uehara and Natsume was nice.
It's funny how at the beginning of this season and the first one, during the early episodes the girls are all screaming over Uehara -- chasing him around campus and the like. Then all of sudden without explanation it stops happening. Aren't there better (i.e. more realistic) ways to convey how handsome he is?
Ep 5 was cute, I like Teo acting, he have a tough role , I think it's better drama than for example "like in the…
The people who financed the series might have wanted exclusive broadcast rights to start with. The people who produced it, on the other hand, probably wish they could make it more accessible to international fans. Maybe their hands are tied for now.
The YouTube clips of the "Director's Cut" scenes all begin with a note to international fans saying that subs will be available eventually. It's not clear how long that will be though.
One thing that strikes me about this series is the difference in tone between the two main storylines (Tan/Oil and Sea/Tin). It's almost as if each was scripted by a different screenwriter.
Part of the reason might be that one story (Tan/Oil) deals with two people who are already in love but who haven't faced it yet, while the other is about one boy pursuing another out of an attraction which, by comparison, is based mainly on superficialities.
With Tan and Oil's story there is a lot that depends on sensing what's happening with them internally in addition to watching how they behave. In their scenes together you can feel the hope and fear that permeates their every word and gesture, and in such an electric atmosphere even a silence between them can become heavy with meaning. As a result, in each one of these scenes you worry a little over how things will turn out.
This makes a simple act like Tan placing one shrimp after another into Oil's bowl before Oil has come to the dinner table take on more meaning than just showing that Tan 'likes' him. By this point we know that Tan has been struggling with his attraction to Oil since they were both adolescents, in addition to dealing with grief over the loss of his mother and the hurt he felt during the two years when Oil was out of his life (almost all of which time Tan was entirely alone in his house, since his mother's death came only two months after Oil moved away.)
In another series, Tan's sharing of food would be just one more detail among others revealing that one character has feelings for another. It might even take place off-handedly and go unnoticed. With Tan, though, he's alone on screen and the placing of shrimp is the only action occuring, making this simple act the centerpiece of the moment. As a result we know it signifies a step forward for Tan that carries a profound meaning all its own, and as we watch we can't help but to feel a bit thrilled by it.
While Tan and Oil's story isn't entirely lacking in humor, it has been filled with moments that carry similar emotional weight, each leading up to a feeling that the two boys are getting ever closer to finally admitting their romantic love for one another.
In contrast, the Sea/Tin story is more typical of a BL. It's enjoyable in its own way, but much of the enjoyment comes precisely from how familiar it is.
You know you can take the Sea/Tin story a little less seriously because it includes the kind of preposterous plot elements that many BL series have. For instance, we're expected to believe that Sea would not only get invited into an elite school based on a video of him playing guitar and singing on the sidewalk, but that the school would go to the trouble of tracking him down and giving him a full scholarship, all without ever speaking with him! It's actually endearing how silly it is.
Tin happens to be the one who recorded the video of Sea, and in that instant he became smitten. This fact informs everything he does relating to Sea. And, even though Sea's motivation in accepting Tin's friendship is to become more like Tin so that Sea's childhood crush (a female) will finally notice him, we feel like we already know every twist and turn that this story is going to take on the way to the hither-to 'straight' Sea awakening to his bisexual within and returning Tin's affection.
Whether Sea's gay epiphany will require actor Bank Nuttawatt to deliver a more 'interior' performance has yet to be seen, but even if it doesn't it shouldn't surprise or disappoint anyone. Many side couples in BL series have intentionally lighter plotlines to balance the more seriously grounded main couple. (Take, for example, 'Why R U's Saifah and Zon as the counterparts of Fighter and Tutor.)
In 'Friends Forever', another familiar BL trope is the bullying behavior from It. In a BL series, a bully like It is almost always suppressing a desire to be with the boy he's bullying. That's not exactly what's going on here (It's eventual pairing seems to be with Voice, a friend from It's little gang of ruffians) but we learn that his acting-out behavior all began after he received an anonymous love note from one of the other boys at the school.
With It's homophobia on full display, by the end of the series BL tradition dictates that he should be happily paired in a loving relationship with another boy. For the experienced BL viewer this will come as no surprise, nor should it -- rather, the fun will be in seeing how this particular series makes that transformation happen.
By comparing the Tan/Oil story to those for Sea/Tin and It/Voice I don't mean to say that the latter ones are inferior or should not have been included. My guess is that the contrast between them is intentional. The more conventional stories of Sea/Tin and It/Voice provide the viewer with a break from the more unusual and emotional story of Tan and Oil. Whenever the action returns to the school we know we can relax and 'recharge' for the next round of emotions with Tan and Oil.
I've only been able to find English subs for the first four episodes of 'Friends Forever', so it's possible that MDL members who've seen the later episodes will know I'm wrong about some things. One thing for sure, this series has captured my attention in a way I never expected. The performances by Leo and Tai as Tan and Oil are extraordinary, and it's amazing to think that this is their first time with leading roles in a drama. I can't wait to see where their story goes.
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I saw in Episode 5 (and one of the Episode 5 Director's Cuts) that Voice's approach in dealing with It's temperamental nature is quite patient and sensitive. I think their pairing might also end up surprising us by going deeper than usual.
There's also a posse of people who are promoting Pinoy series in general so this one benefits from their support as well. I've gotten on their bad side with my opinions.
The explosion of Pinoy BL series is a welcome phenomenon but for me this one is unwatchable.
So, stick with it, fam! There might be some wonderful rewards ahead.
This episode is almost 100% North and Ongsah, but the fifth segment ... well, all I'll say is: make sure you watch that too. ;)
The first segment can be summed up as: when North's mom went to his dorm room and confronted him, he got so stressed that he passed out. The doctor told his mom that he can't afford to have that happen anymore or they might lose him forever (which I took to mean that North would be in a coma for the rest of his life.)
Later on in the episode they show a flashback of what happened in the dorm room.
And the preview for the next episode makes it seem like those two dudes better not get married yet haha.
What can account for such seething anger over that silly club room? And why would Itt be surprised that Pai would need to be enticed to tutor him? At the time it started their two clubs were at each other's throats and Itt was in his full 'hater' mode (which is looking more and more like his default personality, unfortunately.)
I wonder if there'd be as many complaints if they'd presented the story as one continuous timeline, starting in high school and going to college.
It's funny how at the beginning of this season and the first one, during the early episodes the girls are all screaming over Uehara -- chasing him around campus and the like. Then all of sudden without explanation it stops happening. Aren't there better (i.e. more realistic) ways to convey how handsome he is?
The YouTube clips of the "Director's Cut" scenes all begin with a note to international fans saying that subs will be available eventually. It's not clear how long that will be though.
One thing that strikes me about this series is the difference in tone between the two main storylines (Tan/Oil and Sea/Tin). It's almost as if each was scripted by a different screenwriter.
Part of the reason might be that one story (Tan/Oil) deals with two people who are already in love but who haven't faced it yet, while the other is about one boy pursuing another out of an attraction which, by comparison, is based mainly on superficialities.
With Tan and Oil's story there is a lot that depends on sensing what's happening with them internally in addition to watching how they behave. In their scenes together you can feel the hope and fear that permeates their every word and gesture, and in such an electric atmosphere even a silence between them can become heavy with meaning. As a result, in each one of these scenes you worry a little over how things will turn out.
This makes a simple act like Tan placing one shrimp after another into Oil's bowl before Oil has come to the dinner table take on more meaning than just showing that Tan 'likes' him. By this point we know that Tan has been struggling with his attraction to Oil since they were both adolescents, in addition to dealing with grief over the loss of his mother and the hurt he felt during the two years when Oil was out of his life (almost all of which time Tan was entirely alone in his house, since his mother's death came only two months after Oil moved away.)
In another series, Tan's sharing of food would be just one more detail among others revealing that one character has feelings for another. It might even take place off-handedly and go unnoticed. With Tan, though, he's alone on screen and the placing of shrimp is the only action occuring, making this simple act the centerpiece of the moment. As a result we know it signifies a step forward for Tan that carries a profound meaning all its own, and as we watch we can't help but to feel a bit thrilled by it.
While Tan and Oil's story isn't entirely lacking in humor, it has been filled with moments that carry similar emotional weight, each leading up to a feeling that the two boys are getting ever closer to finally admitting their romantic love for one another.
In contrast, the Sea/Tin story is more typical of a BL. It's enjoyable in its own way, but much of the enjoyment comes precisely from how familiar it is.
You know you can take the Sea/Tin story a little less seriously because it includes the kind of preposterous plot elements that many BL series have. For instance, we're expected to believe that Sea would not only get invited into an elite school based on a video of him playing guitar and singing on the sidewalk, but that the school would go to the trouble of tracking him down and giving him a full scholarship, all without ever speaking with him! It's actually endearing how silly it is.
Tin happens to be the one who recorded the video of Sea, and in that instant he became smitten. This fact informs everything he does relating to Sea. And, even though Sea's motivation in accepting Tin's friendship is to become more like Tin so that Sea's childhood crush (a female) will finally notice him, we feel like we already know every twist and turn that this story is going to take on the way to the hither-to 'straight' Sea awakening to his bisexual within and returning Tin's affection.
Whether Sea's gay epiphany will require actor Bank Nuttawatt to deliver a more 'interior' performance has yet to be seen, but even if it doesn't it shouldn't surprise or disappoint anyone. Many side couples in BL series have intentionally lighter plotlines to balance the more seriously grounded main couple. (Take, for example, 'Why R U's Saifah and Zon as the counterparts of Fighter and Tutor.)
In 'Friends Forever', another familiar BL trope is the bullying behavior from It. In a BL series, a bully like It is almost always suppressing a desire to be with the boy he's bullying. That's not exactly what's going on here (It's eventual pairing seems to be with Voice, a friend from It's little gang of ruffians) but we learn that his acting-out behavior all began after he received an anonymous love note from one of the other boys at the school.
With It's homophobia on full display, by the end of the series BL tradition dictates that he should be happily paired in a loving relationship with another boy. For the experienced BL viewer this will come as no surprise, nor should it -- rather, the fun will be in seeing how this particular series makes that transformation happen.
By comparing the Tan/Oil story to those for Sea/Tin and It/Voice I don't mean to say that the latter ones are inferior or should not have been included. My guess is that the contrast between them is intentional. The more conventional stories of Sea/Tin and It/Voice provide the viewer with a break from the more unusual and emotional story of Tan and Oil. Whenever the action returns to the school we know we can relax and 'recharge' for the next round of emotions with Tan and Oil.
I've only been able to find English subs for the first four episodes of 'Friends Forever', so it's possible that MDL members who've seen the later episodes will know I'm wrong about some things. One thing for sure, this series has captured my attention in a way I never expected. The performances by Leo and Tai as Tan and Oil are extraordinary, and it's amazing to think that this is their first time with leading roles in a drama. I can't wait to see where their story goes.