12
74
2
Campy rom-com & deeply flawed storytelling: frustrating writing issues despite loving the cast
Watching this series is like driving on a bumpy road : there are so many elements I disliked for a good chunk of the drama but at the same time, I cannot deny the fact that it remained all along quite entertaining. I must also admit that I have mixed feelings because the overall series never really matched my expectations : I wanted a dark and gritty thriller when I should have settled for a campy rom-com with clunky action scenes. There were also a lot of writing issues that frustrated me : even actors with amazing chemistry could not salvage completely the messy plot.
Against all odds, it was almost impossible for me to root for the romance of one of my fave duo of actors in Thai BL drama (First and Khaotung). I strongly disliked the character of Kant (played by First) and found his growth arc really unrealistic, preventing me to adhere to the romance for most of the series. I'm fully blaming the script and not the actors because First and Khaotung chemistry was very good and their acting was on point. Especially Khaotung who played Bison: he had some incredible emotional scenes that once again impressed me so much ! He is definitely an acting force the world need to recognize even more !
Next to this iconic pair of actors, the drama gave me the opportunity to discover a new duo : Joong and Dunk . My opinion on their acting and their romance (as Fadel and Style) is quite the opposite as the one mentioned above. I supported so much more their love story : it was very compelling and made sense. It was my first time watching those two and I will be looking forward to their next series despite the imbalance in acting skills. Indeed, if Joong fully convinced me, I still have reserve regarding Dunk acting which felt a bit too green. He played my fave character of the series (Style) but he was sometimes so unconvincing that it felt parodic to me (in particular in the most dramatic scenes). However, I felt he had improved by the end of the show.
Surprisingly enough, despite my expectations having been tampered quite a lot by the deeply flawed storytelling, I enjoyed the ending. Indeed, I expected to keep disliking one of the main relationship until the end but in some way the script managed to get me onboard at the last minute. It still feels like "too little too late" because it is pretty dumb to have one of the central romance only make sense at the end while it remained totally unconvincing for almost the full duration of the show.
Regarding the production value, there are also some high and lows. Despite me wishing for a darker and grittier story, I loved the colorful set, the costumes and the campy vibe. It felt very stylish and purposeful. I also found the sexy moments and the intimate scenes very well done for most part. I quite enjoyed the OST (especially the opening song by Khaotung) and the opening/ending generic design. It felt camp and over-the-top but in the best way. However, the actions scenes were ridiculous and the editing was maladroit and all over-the-place. The music layout on the scenes was also done in a too awkward and abrupt manner.
I would recommend the series mainly for the cast. Despite all the flaws I point out, the biggest being the writing, I still feel it is an entertaining watch. It frustrated me a lot at some point but ended on a right note. It is a bit of a shame that one of the romance felt totally unconvincing for most part of the series despite being played by very good actors with amazing chemistry. I want to scream at the writers/director/editors for that! If you watch it with the right expectations (as a campy light rom-com rather than as a dark story featuring carefully crafted characters), you will enjoy it more for sure.
Against all odds, it was almost impossible for me to root for the romance of one of my fave duo of actors in Thai BL drama (First and Khaotung). I strongly disliked the character of Kant (played by First) and found his growth arc really unrealistic, preventing me to adhere to the romance for most of the series. I'm fully blaming the script and not the actors because First and Khaotung chemistry was very good and their acting was on point. Especially Khaotung who played Bison: he had some incredible emotional scenes that once again impressed me so much ! He is definitely an acting force the world need to recognize even more !
Next to this iconic pair of actors, the drama gave me the opportunity to discover a new duo : Joong and Dunk . My opinion on their acting and their romance (as Fadel and Style) is quite the opposite as the one mentioned above. I supported so much more their love story : it was very compelling and made sense. It was my first time watching those two and I will be looking forward to their next series despite the imbalance in acting skills. Indeed, if Joong fully convinced me, I still have reserve regarding Dunk acting which felt a bit too green. He played my fave character of the series (Style) but he was sometimes so unconvincing that it felt parodic to me (in particular in the most dramatic scenes). However, I felt he had improved by the end of the show.
Surprisingly enough, despite my expectations having been tampered quite a lot by the deeply flawed storytelling, I enjoyed the ending. Indeed, I expected to keep disliking one of the main relationship until the end but in some way the script managed to get me onboard at the last minute. It still feels like "too little too late" because it is pretty dumb to have one of the central romance only make sense at the end while it remained totally unconvincing for almost the full duration of the show.
Regarding the production value, there are also some high and lows. Despite me wishing for a darker and grittier story, I loved the colorful set, the costumes and the campy vibe. It felt very stylish and purposeful. I also found the sexy moments and the intimate scenes very well done for most part. I quite enjoyed the OST (especially the opening song by Khaotung) and the opening/ending generic design. It felt camp and over-the-top but in the best way. However, the actions scenes were ridiculous and the editing was maladroit and all over-the-place. The music layout on the scenes was also done in a too awkward and abrupt manner.
I would recommend the series mainly for the cast. Despite all the flaws I point out, the biggest being the writing, I still feel it is an entertaining watch. It frustrated me a lot at some point but ended on a right note. It is a bit of a shame that one of the romance felt totally unconvincing for most part of the series despite being played by very good actors with amazing chemistry. I want to scream at the writers/director/editors for that! If you watch it with the right expectations (as a campy light rom-com rather than as a dark story featuring carefully crafted characters), you will enjoy it more for sure.
Was this review helpful to you?
