This review may contain spoilers
Stalking is not love, its obsession
Tw: stalking
Discalmer: hope everything make sense, sorry for the tone 😭
Alright, let’s get into this mess.
The series was bad. Like, not just bad. Actually painful. But, to be fair, it had some good elements (which are the only reason I didn’t rate it lower than the actual bottom-tier trash I’ve suffered through). To be fair it started strong. Had me locked in until episode 4. Then? Nothing. Happened. For way too long. The pacing collapsed on itself, the characters got ruined completely, and it got so boring and unbearable that by the end I was watching at 2x
Now let's actually start: THE PLOT
Concept? Intriguing. Simple but intresting. A guy named Phu (Phukan) opens his door one day, and there stands Cir (Cirrus), a fellow uni student who basically says, “Hey, in a parallel universe, we’re a couple, so I’m here to be your boyfriend.” And Phu’s like, “Sounds legit.” (Mind you the fact that Cir had just been in an accident should have raised some highbrow, but still.) So Phu lets him hang around, behaving like a substitute boyfriend for the “other Phu” from another world.
Sounds fun, right? Well, plot twist (the most called plot twist ever, seeing it coming from episode 1): Cir isn’t actually from a parallel world. He made the whole thing up after STALKING PHU FOR FIVE YEARS. (Yeah. Let that sink in.) The whole parallel world thing was bullshit. Or actually, parallel universes might be real, but who gives a shit? That’s not the story we got. They don't influence the story in basically any way sooo.
Also, there's a second couple, made of Phu’s bestie Jin and Cir’s bestie Wim, who are the actual saving element of this show. But we’ll get to them later.
The plots suffered immensely from the lenght of the series. Or even better; it’s like the writers forgot they only had 10 episodes. The first few? Decent buildup. It kept u entratained I guess. Middle section? Radio silence. Absolutely nothing happens. Then suddenly, in the LAST EPISODE, they speed-run the entire climax. How do you dedicate 8 episodes to NOTHING and then convey the main conflict into 30 minutes? I mean I guess it's a talent as well
The magical stuff was handled so badly I actually feel scammed. Parallel worlds? Barely explained. Barely present. Barely useful. Mind reading? Randomly exists, then poof, gone the moment love enters the chat. There was potential for something cool, but instead, we got vague nonsense with no real rules or depth. No backstory on how Jin got his power or why love made them disappear. The whole “Cir and Phu are destined across universes” thing? Okay, and??? The lack of explanation and better view of the parallel world thing made Cir look like a schizofrenic for the longest time.
Now onto the main character
Cir – the actual protagonist, he stole the show, for the besf od the worst. And by protagonist, I mean psychopath. He’s like Payu if you took away all the charisma and left behind a creep with the personality of a can. If you asked me to describe Payu, I could. Cir? Not really. "He’s obsessed with Phu". That’s it. He has zero character beyond that. Every single interaction he has somehow circles back to Phu.
Phu – The human equivalent of watching paint dry. He has no personality. None. Nada. His entire existence revolves around being a very nice guy (thats apparently how they call a victim in this universe). Even his trauma (his dad’s death) is just a lazy plot device to get him closer to Cir. I’d say more, but there’s literally nothing else to say about him.
But their Relationship dynamic is where things get really bad. Setting aside the whole “do you believe in parallel world?” question, Cir and Phu’s relationship is built on a massive lie. Cir lied about being from another world, stalked Phu for five years, moved into the apartment below him, learned his house code, set his own house password to Phu’s birthday, spied on him while he was changing, and had his friends befriend him to gather more information.
AND THIS, THIS WAS ROMANTICIZED.
Like, in the last episode, Phu finds out everything , he gets angry for a couple of days (not even that) and still goes, “Aww, you were taking care of me all this time? So sweet 🥰.” WHAT THE FUCK??? And it gets even worst?!? Cir at a certain point says that he got involved in the first accident (beginning of the show) backup he was trying to stop robber from taking Phu's car. So Phu APOLOGIZED?? HE FELT GUILTY??? No man, i mena its bad that ur car was getting stole, but in no circumstances u should feel bad for a stalker own decision. STALKING IS NOT LOVE, IT’S OBSESSION. And Cir does not love Phu. He’s obsessed with him. This entire relationship is a red flag factory. Phu justified every single shit Cir did. And their dialogue? Corny asf . Every time they spoke, i rolled my eyes
There are ofc other characters but it's jot like they are much bettef
Achi damn. This clown knew Phu’s stalker ex-fiancée was dangerous but still set them up to meet. She literally tried to slap Phu the day before, but Achi still went, “Maybe she’s changed 🤡. She was misanderstood” Then when she does slap Phu? No apology. Just, “Oh no, Tee is gonna kill me.” Bro, what?? Not a single though for the public humiliation u made ur bestie sit through? No repercussions??
Oh, Jin. My flop king. Like, how the fuck do you have a whole-ass mind-reading superpower and STILL manage to be not use it. when it actually counts?? Man really sat there, fully aware that Cir was a stalker, a liar, and just went, “hmm 🤔 maybe I should just… not say anything.” For what, exactly?? Because he was scared Phu wouldn’t believe him?? BRO. Phu bought the parallel universe lie with zero hesitation. You could’ve told him Cir was actually a reincarnated alien with a Phu-tracking microchip in his ass, and he still would’ve nodded along like, “ah yeah, that makes sense.”
Wim was not thwt better on this point. At least I expected nothing from him. I mean, let’s get this straight. He actively helped Cir. Bro really stood there and befriended Phu just for Cir. That's a new level of dedication I guess,
And the final straw? Cir sold out his own best friend for jelousy. Jin was like, “cir, help me trick Wim into having a date at the cinema with me or else ill go with Phu" and cir was like said, “Sure" WHAT. “Betrayal” doesn’t even cover it. If I were wim and I found out my best friend sold me I would do so much wors
You know what? If I were Jin or Wim, I wouldn’t have just told Phu the truth. I would’ve made it a fucking event. Press conference. Billboards. Skywriting. A full TED Talk. “CIR: The Documentary.” Because clearly, every single person in this show had the IQ of a wet sock, and they needed a wake-up call.
The Cir Family Circus (aka What The Actual Fuck)
Oh boy. Cir’s mother was the villain, and not in a fun, dramatic way, just in a batshit crazy way. She ruined women’s lives out of spite, pushed a teacher to suicide, and literally held her own son hostage for years. And how does this whole mess get resolved? A literal human swap deal. The story closes with Cir’s brother, Ozone, that trades places with him and goes to live with their psycho mom, while Cir finally gets freedom.
And everyone just… accepts this??? HELLO??? No consequences, no justice. And Cir’s reaction? Goes home and has sex. Yep. That’s it. His brother just sacrificed himself, he gave up on his freedom, he is probably gonna be forced to marry someone he doesn't love and Cir’s priority is to get laid. This show is insane.
And now, onto the good parts, and the things that I liked:
• Consent: Yeah, I know it's the bare minimum. But u can never take it for granted in a Mame series. , I was genuinely happy that Cir asked for Phu’s consent multiple times. Respect is hot. Basic human decency is hot. More of this, please.
• The concept: Parallel worlds? Love the idea. Interesting. Fresh. Cool. I mean it's true the execution was a complete trainwreck, but damn the concept was interesting. With a better execution this could have easily been a top tier series.
• Small nice touches: there were a few. For example I love how they made Phu very superstitious from the start, it kinda justify why he believed so easily in the whole " i come from a parallel world" thing. It show some thought behind it.
• The actors: I went in expecting “good series, bad actors" but instead I got was “bad series, surprisingly solid actors”. And I mean, i’ve never been a huge fan of their acting (LITA), but the improvement was undeniable. Boss, in particular, really stepped up his game. Noeul did well too, but Phu just annoyed me too much for me to care. (Cir was annoying as well, but I couldn’t stop looking at Boss. Sorry not sorry.)
• Chemestry: Off the charts. Crazy. Not many active BL couples can deliver the way Boss and Noeul do. The tension, the eye contact, the body language, the NC scenes—everything hit just right. It's exactly how it's supposed to be
• Boss: Yeah, I think i fell in love. The man is stunning, one of the hottest in the genre and that haircut was the best choice he ever made in his life. I swear that as much as I hated Cir, I just couldn't stop watching Boss. Handsome asf
• The direction and aesthetic: Possibly the best part. Give a raise to whoever directed the show case some scenes were genuinely beautiful. The "brain room" where the two Cirs meet? Stunning. The apartment cup-phone scene? Absolute masterpiece. The way Phu’s apartment had warm yellowish lighting while Cir’s was cold and blue? Symbolism! Even though I’m not usually a fan of this coloring style, too fresh and white, the cinematography was strong enough to make me forgive it.
• Music: Pretty dcent. Not the best, not the worst. The english songs in the ost? Surprisingly solid. Cir’s own songs? Let’s just pretend they don’t exist.
So, in conclusion. As many flaws as I've found it was not the worst series I've seen. It needed "adjustements". Compared to others it had good premises, and even an actual good start in the series, and it eventually deteriorated completely mid way through. But, it's still a series I wouldn't recommend. Especially if u are someone who gets very defensive or gets angry a lot when talking about sensitive topics that stop yourself. No accountability towards the mother, no accountability towards the stalking. No accountability towards no important topic. If u are someone who loves sci-fi don't put yourself through this. Its a university bl with a side of paranormal. And especially, if u hate slow paced series, STOP YOURSELF RIGHF HERE. don't to that.
Ps. Thank whoever put Boss in those tight ass jeans/trousers/pants case he is thicc. Literally, he had *that * cake. Like if u crode
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Second time the charm
When I first watched SIMM I didn't like it for some reason i still cannot understand. I remember watching it more for the sake of watching a bl (i was 16 at the time ikik) than for understanding the story. Or maybe its because the plot hit way too close to home for my own comfort and I didnt like how the character behaved cause of what was happening in my life at that time. Regardless of the answer I decided to give it a rewatch and a second change and to be fair, I'm glad I did so.Rewatching it make me realize that, beside definetly not being a masterpiece, it was very enjoyable and very cute. The funniest part is that the show would have ended ep.1 if just Kluen was able to express his feelings like a normal person. No like, fr. The whole thing happened because Kluen was not able to talk (he'd rather leave the room than answer a question that requires some emotional though) and Nuea that was like "yeah but I don't love him anymore" while still very much loving him. And unfortunately for me, I'm a big fan of this trope. Even tho I really think they scratched the limit a bit too much with Kluen like he was really getting annoying to watch at a certain point cause like please SPEAK pls. Really.
The story was simple. It had elements that I liked and elements that I didnt like. For example, oh god, I absolutely hate when a series reference the school being "shippers" like the whole #kluennuea or #nueaklun was geniunly painful to hear cause in no case ever anybody behaved like this omg no need really. I also highly disliked Typhoon character, like, brother, Nuea very much told you very clearly that he has a problem with rejecting people, that it pains him and he is not able and what do you do? Keep asking him out untill he gives in because that's literally his trauma. I found it so distasteful and I wanted for it to be addressed more, like, made clear that personal limits exist and Phoon was CLEARLY stepping over them.
I remember not liking the acting but I kinda need to change my mind. OK, its not exactly oscar worthy, nor a "once in a lifetime" performance, but I gotta say that both of them did their job well enough to get me into the story. Side characters as well. The story is, if you are young, pretty emotional but if you rationally think of it its nothing groundbreaking so of course they didnt exactly have that much to work on, its actually pretty simple and straightforward.
The aesthetic was absolutely non existent, not found not even searched to begin with I guess. I might be a hater on this point but damn. No color grading, some cuts between scenes I could have done better with capcut. The only scene I liked was the one at night at the beach. Still not how I would have executed it but I think the closest this show ever gets to it. Oh, and stop putting music anywhere. Sometimes is way better to just listen to the natural sounds trust me.
Rewatch value was actually very high, cause it was the rewatch that made me like this show. I feel like its one of those shows that, since its being referred to a younger audience, it really changes when you watch it and your older. Kinda nostalgic.
Ps. Joong the prettiest cryer I've ever seen
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it somehow worked even with all its flaws
So... I know I’m about to sound mad hypocritical in this review. I rated the series pretty “high” (especially considering the overall quality) even though I’m about to list a series of flaws. So let’s get that out of the way first: despite tripping all over itself, making zero sense half the time, and leaving gigantic plot holes, this show still managed to be enjoyable. It made me laugh, it made me hit "next episode" with intrest every single time, it even made me tear up a few times. And honestly? That’s the main thing I ask from a series, to make me feel something.
That being said... I'm not gonna sit here and pretend this was a well-made show production-wise.
The plot was plotting. San, our main protagonist, performs a ritual and gets 100 years to find the reincarnation of his dead lover, Wat (or Wad? Whatever, I'm calling her Wat). She was killed by her fiancé in a classic arranged marriage tragedy. On the 100th year, thanks to Sensei Tao's research, they finally track her down, or more accurately, him down. Here the beginning of San and Vee's relationship. And lemme tell you, they go through a lot (like, a LOT) just to get their happily ever after.
Some people complained that the series sidelined the BL plot in favor of action, family drama, rituals, and endless flashbacks. And honestly, I'm very much into this kind of BLs that are a little more grounded and less in their own "bubble". But here? The BL part got sidelined so much that when it resurfaced it felt awkward and super unnatural.
The relationship moved way too fast. San went from “I hate you and everything you are” to “I love you and would die for you” after Vee went to the hospital. O get that near death experience scares u, bit this was too much. Like... where was the buildup?? Two minutes of bonding in four episodes isn’t exactly “soulmate” material. If they'd just given them more time to actually be with each other, everything would’ve hit harder.
They have a confession, a date, and immediately the plot push the romance out the window again in favor of action scenes. So by the time they're kissing in episode 10, it just felt awkward (??).
(Also, who thought it was a good idea to have a love scene while one of them was basically half-dead and they were sobbing? Romantic.)
Speaking of plot holes... why was the reincarnation mystery never solved. You don’t know if Watfah or Vee is the real reincarnation. Like, the whole story hinges on this, and they just decided to shrug and give a speech about “the past being in the past”. Clever way to get rid of every thought they would have to put to solve the mess they created (If you’re curious: if they said Vee, they'd have to explain why Watfah looks identical to Wat and why the stone glowed near her; if they said Watfah, they'd have to explain why Vee was the one easing San's pain, and why the math added up to him. Basically, they wrote themselves into a corner and then ghosted.)
Another thing that gave me major ick was the timing of everything. Coincidences were off the charts. One convenient thing? Fine. Two? Eyebrow raise. Three? I’m rolling my eyes. It was like the universe was just serving them plot points on a silver platter. Example: the magic stone that glows when San’s soulmate is near just so happens to light up the moment they check it. Not before, not after: right when they are in the room. Or during a fight scene, random bad guys get “accidentally” offed to tidy up the story. Like... okay. Totally not lazy writing or anything.
Vee and San as protagonists? Solid.
Vee was annoying at first, very "man-child energy", but he grew on me. I liked that his decisions, even when dumb, actually made sense for his character. Same for San. He was more bearable overall, but I feel like they wasted a huge opportunity with him. Instead of doing a lazy 180 on accepting Vee's gender, they could’ve actually explored his internalized homophobia, especially considering he’s basically a dude from the early 1900s. Missed opportunity.
The side characters hineslty chef’s kiss.
Ju and Third were my favs. Third was suspicious at first (being the reincarnation of the prince who killed Wat will do that), but he turned out to be one of the few people with functioning brain cells at the end. And Ju? Girlboss supreme. Funny, independent, and finally a woman NOT reduced to a homewrecker trope. Love that
The villain tho? Cartoon-level evil. Zero backstory, zero nuance. They popped in, did evil things, died (twice). Look, I like unapologetic villains, but this was just lazy.
Fortunately, the actors carried the whole mess on their backs.
Especially Vee and San (Offroad and Daou): every emotional scene hit like a truck because they sold it. I even teared up during episode 10 (which almost never happens for me), so major props to the cast.
The only casting choice I was a little "eh" about was the actress for Wat/Watfah. She was gorgeous and looked perfect for the role, but she was just too sweet-looking to sell Watfah’s mean-girl energy. Every time she tried to look evil, my brain was just like "Aww cutie."
Now, the production...
Yeah. No.
I’m not gonna roast the video quality too hard because maybe that was just the site I watched it on. But the cinematography? Almost nonexistent. No "wow" scenes. Which is normal for those kind of series but for some reason this season completely lacked them
The color grading was the real crime. They were clearly trying for a red-orange palette (temples, the goddess, posters, yada yada), but everything else looked so dull. Even the reds were sad. So many scenes could’ve popped more with better colors.
And the slow-mo. The slow-mo.
It was giving Indian soap opera levels of dramatic zoom-ins and slo-mo, and I was CACKLING.
(Side note: not trying to be offensive, it’s just genuinely the first thing that came to mind.)
Special effects? Meh. They looked fake, but they didn’t make me cringe, so whatever. Stayed in their lane.
And finally: the thing I hated most. The music.
Not the songs themselves, some of them were actually really pretty, but their placement. They played that anxiety inducing violin instrumental during chill scenes, they played the same chill song under happy and gut wrecking scene . Why, just why
All in all, yeah, this series was a hot mess. Bad script and sloppy production.
But somehow? I still recommend watching it.
Turn your brain off a little, stop questioning every logic fail, and just feel it. Cause even with all its flaws, this show made me laugh, made me cry, and made me care. And sometimes... that’s enough.
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GMMTV new starting point (with its good and its flaws)
I have only one thing to say: finally! Looking at their latest work (basically 90% of the series in the 2024 lineup that are out) I was so afraid that this would have been another bad series, with bad writing, bad timing, bad actors, bad execution (u name it) but they actually worked, pretty well. And it really made me even more exited for next year series (who all seem way more promising than anything proposed last year)Now, I want to give a small disclamer: I don't think that this series it's perfect. It has some flaws (some bigger than other) but it was such a good series for me that I was able to overlook them (and for me to do so, u know ur doing a good job).
And as I said, I hope this is just a new beginning for GMMTV, to start taking notes from their own work (like they should have done back in the days with Bad Buddy) and improve from here on, so that the flaws of this series will not appear anymore.
The plot it's very very simple, but it still works very well. We got a group, medium popularity, on the brick of disbandment because one of their member, Thame, have to leave for South Korea. Po starts working on the disbandment/Farewell documentary that is going to be shown at their last show and by doing so he get to know the member of the group, specifically Thame, with whom he falls in love. And from here on we see the development of their story. And it's honestly so cute, like a geniunly good love story. Now, before anybody says anything (cause I saw the most out of pocket critique for this show) this is a SLOW BURN. It's supposed to be slow, to create a long buildup for the character to get together. It makes u frustrated and in an endless wait, but it's a GENRE. It's not "slow pacing" it's not "it took them too long". It's literally how it's supposed to work. And I geniunly love slowburn so much because they actually take time to characterize and build the relationship between the two lead instead of like "oh let's fck/ ok/ ily/ ily2" or the worst "u helped me carring books once/now i love you" Damn those are so unrealistic, so that's the main reason I love love love slowburn. U can feel and understand why Thame and Po fell in love with eachother.
The writing, especially the dialogues among characters were so cute and funny and natural (which is another thing that is almost completely missing in some older bl). I do get and I completely agree that the silences while they were talking were a little too much and a little too long. But either way, when they spoke they seemed like actual person speaking, not like Shakespearean character from 1600. Especially Po with his "uhm?" was so ME CODED. Thanks god someone who speak like an actual human being. And ofc, the dialogues between Nano, Dylan and Jun were the funniest. I loved Mars (and I love LYNK) so kudos to that as well.
ALSO the sentence "aren't u tired? Mhm?" in the history book of saddest bl quotes cause damn?!?
And talking about it, another thing (which I think I was the only one that really loved it) is the fact that Po's mever said "ily" back to Thame. It might feel like it's bad, but Po's always showed his love for Thame in literally EVERYTHING HE DID. They were the literal description of "Words of affirmation (Thame) & Act of service (Po)". It's amazing how they were able to showcase both type of love (and if I had to go through a traumatic love experience like Po's one with Earn I would find saying ILY pretty difficult as well but)
And how their relationship progressed? oh good aaaaaa!! They weren't the typical didascalic couple "ily/ily/let's be tght/ok". They were holding hands, kissing, having this type of mutual strong crush on one another.. everything develoed really naturally but idk, the way it was all made was just so realistic, at least for my experience. I was feeling called out by them
One thing I wasn't really the fondest about was the "attempt" (? Idk how to call it??) of a love triangle in the middle section of the show. Completely unnecessary. Or better, they could have kept literally EVERYTHING, without including that Jun developed romantic feelings. It was completely non relevant, and honestly useless. I think they could have been best friends, like when Jun and Thame clarified Jun could have told him something like "oh but I dont like him, he is an annoying man, he is my bestfriend" or Smith like that. But I moved on pretty quickly (exactly like Jun did?!?!?)
The acting was good. Est is a good actor and Thame was on pair (taking into account that it was his first acting gig, and he was playing the protagonist). I especially loved their kissing scenes, natural and very intimate (lately I've found myself thanking God every single time two bl actors kiss like normal people and not mannequins) The rest of the LYNK member did pretty well (Lego u have a future in the acting industry, just so u know).
And the character they were playing were pretty itnresting and fun. Everyone had their own characterization (which made them very funny to look at) and I've liked majority of them. I've especially liked Po's charcter. FINALLY A NON CANONIC BL PROTAGONIST. finally someone who knows what's going on around him, that is actually capable of thinking by himself, that is reasonable and takes his own decision. And I loved the whole "having a dream" concept at the end. It felt very personal. It was a breath of fresh air having a character that was not chasing a dream, but was OK with normality, with simplicity, with an easy life. He took a bold decision and he doesn't regret it. I really loved and connected with him, he is just that guy. Especially counting that he was persuing his dream mainly to get back to his ex.
One thing that I didn't like, the only big flaw of the series, was the sudden and not even explained redemption of the CEO at the last episode. Not needed. But I mean, if u have a character that is basically the embodiment of GMMTV wrong doings ofc ur going to glorify her at the end. It was frustrating because for once they were actually able to handle correctly the whole "being famous/having a private life", by showcasing all sides, what the idol and the partner have to go though in a very realistic way. The way hate got to Gam, the way she felt like an impediment (both her and Po). The way fan felt and regretted how they acted (baifern best character, literally my girl). U did a good job, and u have to overshadow it with ur "oh but the Villain of the series was actually good" becaude u the company font want to pass as the villain. Ridiculous.
Aesthetic/visual wise I feel very conflicted. On one hand this series gave us some extremely good scene (the kiss in ep 13, on stage, the hug behind the stage in one of the previous ep, and the bus scene in ep 6 i think and oh the arcade). But in general it wasn't really a masterpiece of visuals. It played a LOT on soft colors, like so freaking much. Specially among very light colors (Po's palette) and very dark colors (Thame's palette). We could spend ages talking about it but whatever. Not my favoruite coloring to be fair, but still looked pretty good. The guys had a very specific styling which is always a thing that I like but they had like three outfit each which okkkkk cheap kings I seeee (they kept all the budget for the ending concert).
Music was OK. I mean, it was like mainly the group music, so yeah it wasn't bad. And, ehm, I did find the LARGE use of kpop terminology (pak, maknae ?!?) pretty cringe at times but then again I remember thay this show is based on a novel (that I honestly didn't read) but I would be surprised if the inspo for the original was a Kpop group, which justified the terminology. Whatever, it was such a big part of the show (especially the PAK part), so ofc they wouldn't be able to change it without having to re-write some major part of the story.
So, this is a very good series. It has its pros and cons, it's slower, it keeps u waiting and wanting for more. Longing for more. The character are realistic and ull bond with them in no time. They had some genius move in the show (especially publicity wise) so the cringe is WAY LESS than a lot of other series I saw. If u want something that makes u think while enjoying a lighthearted romance than this is your place.
Ps. Some of yall moved the most nonsensical critiques towards this show. Yeah, William (as much as Thame) is an adult. Yeah, adults kiss each other. There is absolutely nothing scandalous in them kissing (or the hint of a NC scenes they had, which was the cutest one I've ever seen). If yall haven't kissed anybody in 19 years it's not the show problem; and it's not morally wrong to have sex at 19 (always protected and consensual ofc, feel like i need to leave it there) I rest my case.
Pps. Whoever chose the name of the episodes, u have my whole earth, absolute cinema
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If GMMTV wants GMMTV can
This is what happens when u actually put some money and thoughts into a project. Gmmtv delivered in a way I've geniunly haven't seen in a LOOOONG time.The plot is extremely basic: a normal, almost "boring" photographer, Peach, meets a very "peculiar" mafia boss, obsessed over soap operas and with a clear lack of social awareness, and very simply they fall in love even through their substantial differences.
That's basically it. I know some people were disappointed in this, cause to be honest, there is no actual plot beside two people falling in love. No drama. No fight. No risks. However I think that, if done well, even no plot is a good plot. A great one even. And this is the case. Its just to people falling in love and building a life together, solving problems and misunderstandings, having to deal with their background and their own personal struggles to really love each other. I found that beautiful and very much needed. There was no unnecessary break up between them, no secrets. And I found that beautiful.
If there was one thing that I found highly useless was the whole Tatsuya storyline. He was there for... nothing? Usually those type of character serve some sort of growth for the protagonists but in this case it was not even that. I dont know what was the purpose fr. They could have just completely cut him out, and spend those time to better develope some plot
For example, they could have spent more time on TawanAran. Giving them the actual attention they deserved. I found their storyline so underrated, and that could have been WAY more. You know what I love more than a realistic depiction of a toxic relationship? THE TOXIC PART BEING ADDRESSED AND CONDEMNED. I know that gmmtv loves disney endings, and i am not against them going back together. Toxic relationships work exactly like this. But i wished they explained it better. They rushed their reconciliation so much that it left me mad. No person can change that much in so little time. Not even after what happened to Tawan. He never once apologized properly for how he treated Aran, which was the MAIN person he had to apologize to. If they gave the tatsuya storyline time to them it would have worked so good. BTW, I would have very much liked if they did NOT get back together, cause Tawan as a boyfriend was unbearable. OH! And i want to be honest. For everybody that said "yeah but Aran offering his body to Thee for Tawan is so out of charactert". NO ITS NOT. It just shows that him, the same person that was so adamant about his body and his self respect would go to such extreme lenght like selling himself for the person that besides everything he keeps loving, maybe even more than he loves himself.
On the contrary, unlike the absurd amount of people, I never complained nor seen a problem with RomeMohk lack of screentime. Honesty im glad they even got some. As much as people were hoping, nobody really knew if William was actually going to appear as Rome and the fact that he did was enought. I dont know if they will continue foward with a RomeMohk series (which would link perfectly with this one) but regardless i love how they left room for more and just gave me some more WilliamEst, for scientific reasons.
Peach and Thee were geniunly the two best main character I've seen in a while now.
If i see a single Peach hater im gonna lose my shit. Finally a character that is normal, like everyone. Finally a character that act and answer like I would. Everybody be making fun on Thee's speaking and his soap operas way of speaking when some bl character are even worst and more unrealistic. FINALLY SOMEONE PUTTING A "GET A GRIP" TO IT. Like, finally. He behave exactly like he should. I love him, I geniunly think he is the best BL character in history, like just goat material. Thee on the other hand is a complete scene stealer. Every single time he is in a scene you are just drawn to his extravagant mannerism, and you laugh. I really loved how over the top he was in comparison to how grounded was Peach. Complete opposite in that department. And maybe that's why they work so well as a couple, they make the other qualities shines. I just wanna point out the scene on the beach after their first kiss when Peach says "what you did- no what we did" cause honestly it left me flabbergasted how mature he sounded. Yeah
They, and all the character would have benefited from ONE and i mean just ONE more episode. Idk what happened to GMMtv and their absolute inability to choose which show needs 12 episodes and what can have just 10 episodes. With all due respect, they made We Are 16 episodes long (could have very much summarized in 10 ep) and made Me and Thee 10 ep when they clearly needed at least one more. Oh god.
Regardless. THE ACTOR CHOICE WAS TOP NOTCH. I was kinda skeptical, cause honestly PPW in we are were.... em.... not it, but they redeemed themselves so hard in this one. Someone said that Peach doesn't really show love or doesn't really look in love. Oh SHUT UP! the hell u expect for someone who had such a traumatic childhood. And Phuwin portrayed Peach so well. No I geniunly believe that those were the best performances from PondPhuwin. And I strongly believe that Phuwin needs more of those character cause he slays them so much, the quiet and very mature type. And their kisses were SO better than We Are, beside maybe the boat kiss, which i cannot really pin on them given how uncomfortable the setting was (even if it was BEAUTIFUL).
But the one that i really wanna give my flowers to is the production crew. You can tell they put MONEY in this project. One thing that let me geniunly shocked was how good the sound was. If u ever watched a single gmmtv show you will know that they have serious sound problems with their mic, especially in like water or beaches scenes, yet here they did so good. It never bothered me.
The soundtrack was good, but kinda repetitive. I feel like there were only like five songs on repeat, which is not bad, but maybe a bigger variety could have helped the vibe to set in a little better.
Visual wise it was very good. Not top tier level good, not "never let me go" level good, but good enough to be enjoyable and sometimes mesmerizing enough. I liked it, and honestly the colour scheme was very good (im very keen on color grading ecc ecc). The contrast between red and blue scenes throuout the show were geniunly good and i loved it. I loved how they dressed and gave a character through everyone style. They made them look AMAZING in the show, like LITERALLY AMAZING. I loved it.
There were some small but, well, everlasting, mistakes in the editing phase, which we are not major or bad like in other series, but they sometimes made the fluidity and continuity disappear, which is the only bad rhing production wise
Rewatch value to the sky, given that I've already rewatched it like more then once I keep rewatching its becoming embarrassing.
In conclusion: watch it. Or give it a try. Its a beautiful show, well produced, well acted, maybe a little rushed, given the amount of episodes they had but indeed amazing and funny, a good show that makes you unplug your brain for a bit and just enjoy love.
Ps. To whoever did pondphuwin makeup: come here and let me kiss u, I hope both sides of ur pillow are cold exactly like you want them, I hope the sun will always shine when you need it and everyone will have luck and health in ur life. I love you more than words can describe.
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School Trip: Joined a Group I’m Not Close To
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JBL cliches always works
I love jbl. I love clichés. I love the same storyline repeated over and over. I love seeing the same trope. And you know why? Cause they always make masterpieces.So the story was very simple but very good. Hioki is a guy with no friends, that while creating groups for a school trip, gets invited into this group of four guys, the most popular guys at school. He create a special bond especially with Watarai, who cares a lot for him and seems to always be around. If u wonder, yes, of course he liked him before and of course he was the one suggesting to invite Hioki with them for the school trip. He fell in love with him cause he was the first person that ever saw him for who he was and not for how he looked like.
The story, given how SHORT it is, its full of small moments of jealousy, insecurity and their bond getting deeper.
Very cliche, right? Well I unfortunately could not give less of a fck. It was SO good. REALLY good. I'd always eat those series up. It was sweet. Really sweet. It made me want to fall in love and get into a relationship. I so wished it happened to me, so many times. The character were all green flags, Watarai I love you so much he was so nice throughout the whole show and ge was clearly so in love. Hioki was so cute and he looked soooooo good in the maid dress ep.9
The acting was good, I always love how Japanese act, and of course, I love how the script works. They were so cute, and honestly all the guys did very very well. Even if they got like two minutes screentime I think that the group was soo cute and I so wished we just got to see more, cause I geniunly believe that they could give so much more.
The vibe was immaculate, whatever filter they put in this show to make it that magical 1000% worked, it gave that "nostalgia of places I've never been" typa feeling and it made the show so much better under so many aspects.
Its a pity that it was so short (10 ep/23 minutes each + 1 special ep) cause I feel like they always cut short the part where they date, which it was longer and wish they gave more insight.
Overall it was such a fun and cute series that I cannot really find the bad in it, and its a suggestion for wveryone tjat needs a cute series to kinda just fall in love again and again.
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Pluto was an experience
Its been a while since i wanted to start pluto and finally i got to watch it. And it definetly was something. I dont even know how to describe it.i liked it. A LOT. but it was SOOO more heavy than i though
first of all, the plot was really good. it felt fresh and very intresting. Im always up for some twin drama (big love for not me). And guys, like all those mysteries, trying to discover link, learning how all the character basically are linked to each other without even knowing each other basically. Not getting into a lot of details on the plot cause yeah.
I really REALLY loved the pacing of this series, one of the best, if not the best, among recent gmmtv series. I feel like usually they are very slow at the beginning and end up rushing completely, while here it was extremely well paced, the plot unraveled among the different episodes in an intresting way that geniunly kept me entertained and kept me wanting for more.
The topics tho... guys I swear I remember watching the trailer and though "its gonna be a cute and intresting show". I did NOT expect to be emotionally wrecked after literally EVERY episode. Oh my like. I really love heavy topics in series but I expected it to be more lighthearted, while at the end it really got me crying way more than I would want to admit. I think that beside Ben and Paul (arguably) every single other chacter had some good and some bad to it. There were no completely positive and negative people. No black or white. Just real life.
If I had to say something that i didnt really like is how they handled a couple of things: firstly, how conveniently the dad changed idea and became a good person randomly at the end of the last episode. I hate GMMTV and their need to have those ugly ahh perfect ending. A shitty man like May father DOES NOT CHANGE THIS RAPIDLY, nor with such convinent timing. Regardless.
Another thing is how fast and easily Aioon literally skipped over the fact that May was Batman attorney. I get that you are in love with her, and I get that you know that she is not an evil person. I get that she might have her reason. But Ben is you best friend since u were a fetus and you just discovered that your girlfriend was the attorney that made Ben live on a wheelchair WITHOUT HIS MOM? Like maybe at least put some hatred I'm BEGGIN (loved how May showed her guilt, it was such beautiful scenes)
The cast was all up to the test. No like, really. I wasn't familiar with Film but she was the one that surprised me the most. Like. Completely. The scene in episode 11 when she cries when Aioon chooses her sister was... gutwretching to say the least. In general, she performer the role very well and she is able to convey all the emotion. It made me cry so freaking hard. Namtan having to cover two roles that requires acting emotional scenes TOGETHER and still killing it. My favorite scene acting wise from Namtan was the one when May wakes up after the incident and has her first meeting with Oboom. I loved how it changed entirely vibe based on if it was May remembering or Oboom. I was so like 😯😯😯 Omg don't you love when a series actually cast talented people that can do their job? Cause if ur searching for good acting Pluto is PERFECT. Im not entering the details, but even the other actors killed it. Props to Thor specifically cause I geniunly think he us SOO expressive and beside having such little lines he was able to really give it off like yas king.
Cinematography wise I like it. I love series with a specific vibe and color grading. This was very "purple" and "dark" which I enjoyed given the vibe of the show. It was kinda too dark in some moment but I really liked it. LOVED MAY HOME. Kinda dream house if u ask me.
To be honest, as much as I liked it, I would still NOT suggest a rewatch. I think its more of a "watch it and get it once" rather than "keep rewarching it". Maybe its because of the emotional train wreck it was the first time , maybe its because of the intense emotions that were like... a LOT to take in or maybe it was the fact that plot like this are better the first time you watch them. Idk, but I don't think I will rewatch this show for a long time.
In conclusion: watch this. If u hadn't yet. Its beautiful, really.
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A mystery/romance series done well (finally ?)
BE CAREFULL THERE ARE SPOILERS HERE!!
IVE FINALLY MADE IT. I've watched this series after basically delaying it for YEARS. (If u wonder why is just that I've heard only good thing and I didn't want to get disappointed, if it was bad, or set my expectation too high if it was good). But it was worth the wait, and I'm honestly glad I've watched when I was more mature and able to understand better this world, cause it was a very intresting and honestly good series. I've enjoyed every minute of it, it left me speechless in some part and made me feel like a genius in other.
So, imma start with a short synopsis: after a guy, called Bun come back to his hometown a series of death start happening in the town, and since he is a doctor he has to conduct the autopsies. While everybody firmly believes that it was a suicide, Bun is fully convinced that there is something behind and decide to start investigating, helped by this mysterious guy called Tan (a colleague and friend of one of the victim, and a very suspicious person indeed, at least at the beginning).
From here on they descover a sick world made by human trafficking, prostitution (of even m1nors) and a very dark and twisted system that involves some of the most powerful people of the city.
Now, I am an absolute sucker for investigations, Thriller and everything that involves some kind of mysteries, so u can understand how exited I was watching this series after just the first ep. And honestly call me nostradamus cause I was able to get a couple of person whom I found very suspicious actually being involved.
Even if I understood them it's still very true that the show is PACKED with plot Twist, discoveries, new suspicious people at literally every new episode. U just never get to rest in this huh? And it's good cause one of the main problems in Thai bl is their slow pacing while this show was able to keep me entertained for the entirety of the runtime. And this is honestly the show (among those with more mature theme) that was able to balance romance and action the best. As much as I have loved other shows, they either focus too much of the action or, way worst, on the romance. This series was able to find a good balance that I quite enjoyed tbf.
If I gotta say one thing that didn't make sense to me was... what happened to Natty? And to Nam?? It was kind of s plot hole... I mean, why would they have syringes punctures? It made sense with Jane and the way she died but the other??? Was just to show they assumed drugs I guess?? Idk, it was never confirmed and we will live with the doubt.
After finishing the series I was honestly so angry with like half of the character in the show. The absolute ability of this show to make me hate almost everybody was buffering. I especially hated Rung (Jane's sister) and Gun (the second police man) + the police officer I completely forgot the name of, glad he is in prison. At least I can say that the character were complex, not just one faced, and they were very human, in a lot of thing they did, even in their mistakes. There were not only "morally white/morally black character" like some series love to write. All of them made at least one mistake that made u think "he is human"... some were just pure assholes tho.
And the series was full of small details that just made it all 100% better. Like when the inspector before killing Gun says to him that he chose to follow the wrong people (the same words Gun told him before attempting to killing him).. or, my personal favoruite of the entire series, when Rung was talking about how Pued "killed" Jane she explained everything she did, everything she said and just pretended that this was a convo between Jane and Pued. And it makes so much sense cause a lot of time killer projects into other the murder they made and it was honest so impactful. Even Pued last word "you know Jane loved you so much" in the confession Rung pretended that she was the one who told them to Pued instead... so good.
The main couple was great. I felt the chemistry and I understood what made them fall in love with each other (which is not something u can tell about s lot of series). I think Bun was a little too forgiving at times tho. Your man basically handcuffed you to the staircase so that u could escape from the house for TWO FULL DAYS and not even a "fck you" or being s little angry? OK.. or even at the proposal like damn I would kill tan if he proposed to me this way. However they were cute, so I'll let it pass
Acting wise the series was OK. Some actor really had it in them. Some had some amazing microespression that just made everything more believable. Jane's actor deserve the mvp, cause filming your death scene three times is not joke. Max and Tul were OK. My main problem was that every single time the camera panned to Tul he resembled so much Bright (don't ask me why idk) that I just kept seeing Bright and kept getting distracted. But he was way better than Bright in terms of acting (even if they both overuse the smirk a little too much).
And honestly, when the writers are able to give u a good script for your character your job is way easier, and I gotta be honest, this series had some of the best script I've seen in a long time. Things felt natural for once.
The direction also killed it. It's true, there weren't that many imagoneries in the show but the couple that were present were absolutely gorgeous (I'm talking about the cliff above the lake where Bun pretended to die or the view of the mountains at the very end of the last episode. Great job of playing it all on the green (intelligent use of the place u were in)
As for the music i really liked it. And u know why? Cause it wasnt even there. Like fcking finally, honestly. Like I'm so tired of watching a series, getting very investe in a romantic scene and right when they are about to kiss a random Thai man start singing in my ears, volume +3000 comparred to the series (i seriously get scared every single time) and it completely take away the momentum. Also, call me horny if u want, but when a kiss scene roll around id rather ear them kiss than just hearing random song roll around. And I'm so glad that this series was made with some thought into it. Also, I love the opening: simple, straight to the point (plus the pictures of all the character were very hot)
SO... if u are someone who likes those typa series, with a mystery to solve, morally ambiguous characters and a good romance this show it's absolutely for you. It will make u doubt of everyone while still getting so attached to the main character
Ps. I thanked at every episode whoever chose to put great in such a tight police uniform. We thank u for your hard work.
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A good series that could have been more
Imma start by saying that i STRONGLY belive that the biggest problem of this series relies in its shortness.Its a typical lenght of a Taiwanese drama (13 ep of 25/30 minutes each) but this one seems to want to fit way more than its actually possible in those 13 episodes.
There are multiple plots going on: the main story, the most important one is between Jiang Shaopeng (we gonna call him Peng) and Yang Zixiang/ Sean. Sean its a rich heir, but he is considered a loser cause he seems to not care about the work he have to do, the girl he has to marry, the whole agency he will get to manage in the future. Peng is a deaf guy, who is desperately searching for a job in the health department but can seem to find one (he gets heavely discriminated because of his deafness). They eventually meed and Sean insist on having Peng as a caregiver (since he is injured). Peng goes living in Sean's house and their relationship starts developing from here on.
God i wish this was the only plot. It was already complicated enough, to deal with all the insecurities that a deaf person and his family and all the insecurities that a rich kid who cannot be free has to go through. But no.
They had to add a mafia/killing plot. I wish i could stay here to talk to u in details about this, but i feel like i genuinely didnt understand shit cause it was treated so casually and fastly that i got completely lost halfway through. Like at first the mafia is up Sean's ass, they kinda want to get rid of him to get his lands. But then the focus switched to the "evil"(?) brother/cousin of Sean. I strongly believe the whole intent behind the "mafia plot" was to introduce a character for the second couple (composed by Cheng Feng Jie/Jonathan, Sean's bodyguard/ assistant, and Wang Xin Jia, one of the guy who tried to kill Sean). However, since there was this drastic change in plots it really didnt made sense at the end.
Also like, the beginning of ep 13 left me speechless. Tf u need those gun for??? What??? Whyy????
And as if it was not enough we have two women in the show, one is in love with Peng, the other is Sean's future wife. Like i get the point of throwing them in, but since they teased us with a possible follow up of their relationship i wish we could have seen more from them, but they were kinda left hanging as if it was nothing.
The show itself wasnt bad. It was kinda cool as well. The actors all did an amazing job (surprised a lot by the main couple, if im not wrong they are both rookie actor, or at least Peng's actor is a rookie, and managed to portait deathness well) so like they did a very good job for what concerned them. The main plot (and even the second couple) are so cute when they are not dealing with that mafia bullshit, and the moments were very cute and pure (chemestry was chemestring).
So, if this series was a bit longer they could have conveyed all the plots better, and not negligent one in favour of the other, but the desire to throw everything in this series kinda made it worst.
Overall tho a nice and fast watch, give it a try:>
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Straight out of the 2018/19 BL's hell
DISCLAMER: i fully watched only the first three episode, then skimmed and skipped untill the end of episode nine. I also skipped on majority of the side couple (they were treated like garbage by the production as well)So... already two episode into the series and I was already about to throw my ipad. It was clear since episode one that this series would have been a cliché after a cliché, but I still had hope for it, and ofc, I was disappointed.
Dont get me wrong. Clichés are literally everywhere. In every single series there is a cliché; HOWEVER!!! this series is just a compilation of those, thrown all together, with much more cringe and bad editing (plus mediocre acting, but we'll get there in a bit)
Since I have a shit tons of problem with this series imma list them to make it more clear:
#PROBLEM N.1: STRAIGHT OUT OF 2018
Oh, this show was released in 2024? If someone had told me it was from 2018, I would have completely believed them. Justifuing whatever i was watching with “Ah, a product of its time.” But no, this was intentionally made in the present day.
And let’s be real, this is a clear desperate attempt to ride the ThomasKong hype train, securing a fanbase in Thailand (where, apparently, BL trends are still stuck in 2019). Which, honestly? I hope that’s the reason. Because if they actually gain founds&fans they are now able to diverse their genre and do other things (let's pray)
Now, onto the trainwreck itself. The plot? THE cliché of all clichés. Teerak (Rak, for short) is being harassed by a walking red flag, so Meunfah (Fah, for short) swoops, pretend to be Raks boyfriend and save him on the spot, just to agree later on to become fake boyfriends (guess whats gonna happen??? Ull never guess it totally never happened before). Sound familiar? Yeah, because 2gether already milked this trope dry. But, of course, if a show makes money, why not copy-paste it with even more 🚩🚩🚩 and downright disturbing behavior that the script conveniently refuses to acknowledge? Innovation is overrated anyway.
#PROBLEM 2: JUSTIFICATION AND DISMISSAL OF OH'S BEHAVIOUR
Oh tricked Rak and his friend into drinking at his party. Brought them shots, swore multiple times they were alcohol-free—guess what? They weren’t. All so Rak would be drunk enough to not reject him and his friend too wasted to step in. And the worst part? It worked. But did anyone ever call him out on it? Nope. Not a single soul questioned this absolute psychopath move. The next day nobody was blamed.
And THEN, as if that wasn’t enough, Oh tried to sexually harass Rak, and the show just… downplayed it. I swear, I almost threw up. Biggest letdown of the series happened in episode ONE. Not only does he get him drunk to make him more vulnerable, but he publicly asks him out, knowing damn well Rak can’t say no, then tries to kiss him while he’s literally fighting to get away. And the consequences? Non existent. Did anybody address this? A half-assed “Oh, if my sister knew, she’d kill him” from Rak a couple of days later (which she didn’t, but okkkk), and then Oh just disappears from the plot.
Was he stupid? He spent the whole show refusing to take a hint, but the second Rak finally says “I don’t love you,” he just vanishes? Not when Rak was already in a fake relationship to get rid of him? Not when he tried to ruin Fah? But now? Intresting is an understatement. And the show has the audacity to try and shove some weak-ass sympathy down our throats :oh no, his parents only cared about their image!" Yeah? And? Explanations are not justifications. We do not need to feel bad for someone this messed up. And the fact that he was rewarded with a new boy that he meets at the end.. poor Oh! His childhood was so sad!!!! But whatever, moving on from this shit.
#3: PORTRAY OF GAY CHACTERS
One trope that makes me want to punch a wall is the absolutely deranged way gay people are portrayed in these shows. Episode one, Rak & Co. need to wash off a coffee stain (yeah another cliché oh god), so they end up at some place where the owner, whether they were supposed to be a "fashonable" gay man or a trans woman, who knows (they just throw in people who seems gay, *for comedy*), was basically depicted as a horny creep.
Why is it that, aside from the protagonists, every other gay character is either evil or a hyper-stereotypical caricature? Like, do they think the queer community is made up of nothing but predators and walking memes? Not to sound weird, but the way they push these tired-ass, damaging stereotypes is actually insane.
#4: THE OBNOXIOUS CHARACTERS
The biggest problem with this show? The characters were fucking unbearable. Especially Rak. I know a lot of people liked him, but I genuinely couldn’t watch his scenes without experiencing severe secondhand embarrassment. I love naive characters, but this? This is an eight-year-old in a university. I have never met a single human being, like ever who acts like this. It’s beyond childish. It’s annoyingly immature. And when a main character feels like they belong in a kindergarten, enjoying the series becomes physically impossible.
And, of course, that means most of his choices are absolute garbage. If I can’t even begin to understand the logic behind a character’s actions, they instantly lose all appeal for me. And Rak? Rak is that character. It almost made the NC scenes feel off cause how does a character this pure have NC scenes this early in the relationship? And let’s be real, the whole lik“no” one day and “yes” the next ? Yeah, that was weird as hell.
Then we have Fah, aka Mr. Zero-Personality. His entire character is “I love Rak.” That’s it. No interests, no depth,just smiles, and Rak obsession. And don’t even get me started on the scene where he snaps and beats the shit out of Oh (which, deserved). How the fuck was Rak not scared? The moment Rak opened his mouth and said “I was scared you was getting hurt” instead of, I don’t know, being terrified of his aggressive boyfriend, I mentally checked out. The absurd choices, the ignored red flags, the completely out-of-pocket characterization. Even if I was just skimming, i knew i reached my limit
Also, their ages made no fucking sense. They’re university students, yet Rak acts like a literal toddler while Fah is somehow a secret bar owner or some shit?? Like… isn’t he 20?
#5: HORRIBLE WRITING. IN EVERYTHING.
Why is the writing in this series so fucking terrible? Like did they even try? Or did they just sit there, nodding like“Yes this totally makes sense”—because, spoiler alert, it absolutely does not. I swear. They weren't able to keep anything cohesive for more than five minutes. It reminds me of that one scene when Fah calls Lee (while he was at uni with Rak&Co), asking him to go to the airport and Rak decided to follow him like one minute after Lee left. Yet Lee was able to arrive at the airport FULLY CHANGED, with a big ass suitcase ready while Rak arrived LATE??? Make it make sense.
The dialogues are painfully unnatural. The number of times I had to hear "P’Fah" come out of Rak’s mouth is an insult to my patience. And let’s talk about how no human being on this planet talks the way these characters do. If someone spoke to me like that in real life, I swear I would just laugh in their face. And I wouldn't be sorry
And don’t even get me started on the endless, pointless exposition. Every little thing had to be explained. Everything is just painfully didascalic Like, calm down, you’re not a football commentator, you don’t have to narrate every single move out loud. It just makes the whole thing feel even more unnatural and ridiculous.
#6: BAD COLORING, BAD AESTHETIC, BAD EDITING
I hate hate hate this coloring. It’s the most boring and lifeless filter I’ve ever seen, and for some reason, it only ever shows up in BLs (or the occasional K-drama in korea they just love whitewashing). This pale-ass filter literally bleaches the melanin out of them, making everyone look like damn ghosts. Whyyyy?? I thought we collectively agreed to leave this 2019-ass aesthetic in the past.
And the editing?? A joke. I’ve seen Indian reels with better editing than this. Where’s the suspense? The visual appeal? They barely even tried to create any memorable imagery. Only the beach was pretty. That’s it.
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.
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--> THE ACTORS
The actors themselves were definitely not the issue. I mean, the protagonists did a good job with what they were given, which was... wait.. oh right! that was absolutely nothing! Honestly, I can't even blame them. Thomas had to either smile or make the biggest dead fish face for most of the time (because that's the full range of emotions Fah has). And then there's Kong, who was just a bit too much with those ridiculously over-the-top cute expressions. The rest of the cast? They did an a job, considering they were working with a script that barely existed.
WHAT I LIKED:
-- Lee. And his actor. Honestly, this dude was serving character and visuals like he was on a mission, and he only had like three scenes
-- The chemistry, the kiss, and the NC scenes? Oh, they were done pretty well. chemistry was chemistrying pretty hard.
-- Rak's friend group. they felt very real. especially the girl.
-- Rak and his sister relationship, super cute
In conclusion... if you’re one of those super nostalgic folks for 2019 Thai BL, then by all means, dive in. Im just convinced that no series like this should be made in the big 2024. We moved on from this mess. This tropes. This.
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YinWar did it again!!
This series is an absolute gem that somehow managed to mesmerize me in ep1 and keep the momentum up untill episode 12. There are so many good things in this series, I don't even know where to start for this.So I want to start by really complimenting Yin and War's acting. Actually everybody did an amazing job, but u can't stress enough how well the main protagonists did. War is an extremely talented guy (is there anything that man can't do?). Joke/Joker are the same person, but feels like two different characters. And If it wasn't enough, Joker keeps changing his appearance and plays different role himself. War really had to play so many different character and he slayed ALL of them, from the guilty Joke to the makeup artist. He really showcased a plethora of character and personalities with his acting and it made me weirdly proud to see him getting his deserved kudos. Yin as well did an impressive job at his role, specially giving the complexity of his emotions and the numerous betrayal he goes through in the series. Plus, very out of context, but I'm so surpries on how he managed to look two completely different age just by having a different hairstyle like damn, he could still play the highschooler if he wanted.
The story is extremely intresting and it keeps u hooked for its entirety. I live for the fact that never painted a character completely white or completely black. All of them have their goods and their bads (even the protagonists) and no bads are ever romanticized. I especially loved how they treated Tattoo character. He felt so human. He lives in poverty and he would take every opportunity to actually come out of the situation. I found his betraying to be extremely understandable, and human, which is the thing I loved so much of this series. Those are all humans.
If there is one thing that I didn't understand about the plot is why tf would boss (imma call him like this idgaf about his name) actually believe that a ring would somehow change the balances of the elite of Thailand, like I wish they would have given a better reasoning for it.. cause it felt like the easiest plot device they could find to fck things up against between Jack and Joker without actually entering in detail of everything and without trying to make sense.
Plus, one thing I actually strongly wished for was one more episode. Since the story its not only a romance but also a crime/Thriller a lot of the time is taken by all the actions. I just wish they would have given us some more romance and cute moments between the protagonists. I finished the series literally CRAVING for more. And even like the seconf "couple" .. it was left wandering in still angry. Fortunately there is a special episode coming out and it seems like it will answer my desired and give a proper closure to the story.
The series is a perfect balance between humor, romance and crime. It's a Rollercoaster of emotion (get ready to cry) and it's really something everyone should watch
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This review may contain spoilers
Chat GPT could have written this better
Oh my god. Where do i even start?I went into this with sky-high expectations (first mistake). The hype was insane, people were going crazy over it, JD (mostly Dunk) had allegedly leveled up their acting, and by some review the story was supposed to be intriguing, hot, and absolutely mind-blowing. So, I watched it. Or rather, I started watching it, then promptly decided to save myself from premature aging and just skim through the key moments after episode two. Because, honestly, watching those first two episodes felt like self-inflicted torture, and I’m not a masochist (unlike some characters in this show).
Let’s talk about the story. The premise? Very fcking good. Two brothers, Bison and Fadel, work as hitmen for some illegal organization (under their own mother, because why not), and they fall in love with two guys, Kant and Style, who initially get involved with them for purely selfish reasons—one to erase his criminal record, the other for his dad’s car (yes. A car). Now, a good writer would have played completely on the psychological aspect of killing people/having a relationship with a killer, right? Not here. The entire psychological aspect is non-existent, and the result is absolutely laughable.
For example, at a certain point Kant reveal to Style that he had set him up with a serial killer, an hitman, and what does Style do? He gets a little scarred for not even one full episode, while still hanging out with Fadel, and then everything goes back to normal, as if he didn't just descover that the guy he got close with for a CAR, kill people on a daily basis. U should feel terrified by the fact that whoever is next to u can do that to you. It's the feeling of disgust that Style should feel by knowing that Fadel takes people's life as if it doesn't even matter to him. It's the feeling of scare and pity knowing that the guy he is woth became numb to blood and death, it's the sadness of wondering what made him become like that. I get that the people who Fadel and Bison kills are evil(actually we cannot even be sure of it, there are no proof we can only base this on trust), but neither Style nor Kant know that at the beginning and nobody, not even the two brother, can be sure of that, as they are basically machines who kills whoever they are told to kill. And those who got killed are still person u know? So like wtf??? Even the simple feeling of disgust that Style could have felt towards himself, when even after knowing everything that Fadel did he still cannot forget him, still wants him.
And if u don't have an actor that is able to convey all of those emotions then try to make them understandable, give them some character development. No. Style was afraid for a couple of "dates" then came back to normal.
And the problem is that the series is filled with those unreasonable reaction/decision.
And speaking of hitmen, let’s talk about the non-existent realism around them. These guys go around murdering people with no gloves, no caution, just pure vibes. I think they were meant to be portrayed as infallible assassins, but in reality, they just come off as stupid teenagers. And don’t get me started on their punishment: five years in prison. FIVE. For being serial killers. (I mean im no expert on Thai laws but i think that two guys who killed god knows how many people in their lives shoudl get life in prison, especially since they would be treated as nations criminal) and they spent those five years in a facility with the security level of my kindergarten, where they apparently have zero trouble kissing and having sex. (No, really, how is that even possible in a prison setting?)
The plot is filled with unnecessary filler (which I mercifully skipped) and characters that range from obnoxious to completely void. Bison wants freedom from his job but is also a full-blown psycho. Kant is a blank slate. He has no personality. Style has too much personality (so much that he loops back around to being unbearable, then somehow redeems himself and become funny). Fadel is the only one with some intelligence, but the writing completely sabotages him. As for the couples? FadelStyle was at least somewhat engaging, mostly because KantBison were a kind of snoozefest (taking away their steamy scenes)
Now i need a minute to talk about the director and the absurd choices for the series.
Jojo, honey. Sweetie. What’s going on? What happened?I get that you’re trying to revolutionize the genre, moving from soft, fluffy BLs to absolute chaotic madness (Only Friends walked so this show could sprint straight off a cliff). But this isn’t a revolution. This is just swinging wildly from one extreme to the other. There’s unrealistic Wattpad fluff, and then there’s this, where everything revolves around sex, making it just as fake and unrealistic as the sugar-coated stuff.
It ruins the character (the only personality traid Kant and Bison seem to have is "i want to fck")
No need to incude sex in every intimate scene, after every kiss or every deep talk. No need to add BDSM, especially since Kant seems to be so uncomfortable.
And visually? Where did the budget go? While i was watching i wasnt able to bring myself to believe that the same man who is directing thk directed Never Let Me Go. The coloring is dull asf, with some attempt of playing it on red/yellow/blue but failing. The island setting (an island, which should be beautiful without even trying) was so ugly it physically hurt me. The water in Fadel and Style’s scene looked so dirty I felt like I needed a shower just from watching it. Most locations felt painfully empty, but honestly, I was grateful—no human being deserves to witness some of these cringeworthy moments in person.
Costume wise they deserve one point for dressing Kant (First). Everybody in general (im always in for a series where the character have dofferent styling) but First and his cunty glasses made the show for me. The man looked great. But the fake tattoos? Atrocious. If your character is a tattoo artist, either hire an actor with real tattoos or at least try to make them look semi-realistic. These looked like they were slapped on two minutes before the recording started.
While for it concern the acting; First and Khao? No surprise, they did well, but even they felt held back by the writing (i think that even Angelina Jolie would have been hold back if this was the level of the script). Kant had no personality, Bison was a little too crazy (and not in a good way), but when they needed to deliver, they did. Joong was THE standout. Cold, distant, emotionally wrecked? He nailed it. Dunk? Well… he’s improved. But please, for the love of God, close your eyes when you kiss. I beg you.
Music? Absolute banger. Jojo never fails when it comes to OSTs. And the opening? Fantastic. Kudos to Khaotung for giving us yet another amazing BL opening, the only good thing i will bring with me after the end of the show.
So yeah. If you want to watch this, go in with zero expectations. No, forget that: go in completely brain-empty. If you don’t care about realism and just want hot actors doing hot things, you’ll probably have fun. If you want anything to make sense… well, prepare to be just as confused and embarrassed as I was.
P.S. The white guy playing the police captain - if u want me im here
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