Great Disappointment
The show began with a strong opening episode that was interesting, sophisticated, and intriguing. But after just a few episodes, the plot stagnated into what felt like a mediocre university BL drama, with unremarkable side characters and little substance. By the time the story circles back to the main plot, it feels weak, inconsistent, and disappointingly predictable. Even the supposed plot twists come off as dull.
The central vampire storyline is mostly present in name only. There’s no real exploration of the concept, and the whole vampire theme, especially the idea of “Golden Blood”, adds little to no value. Very little is said or done with these elements. Instead, the series focuses almost entirely on Mark and Ton’s love story, which unfolds like any other typical university BL, complete with the cliché beach trip.
What’s especially disappointing is the lack of development for the two prominent side characters. Tonkla (played by Neo) is a wasted opportunity, his character has no depth, no personality, and no meaningful role in the story. He simply appears at the right moments to be manipulated and drive the plot forward, only to be discarded or forgotten in the next episode. There is no evolution or growth whatsoever. I genuinely feel bad for Neo, this role gave him nothing to work with, not even a proper love arc.
Nakan, on the other hand, is positioned as a manipulative, cruel villain, but he barely appears. When he does, he feels more like a cartoon villain than a real threat. Later, it’s revealed that he has an emotional motivation behind his actions, but that storyline is never developed. Most viewers likely missed that his “special one” was also a Golden Blood victim, and we don’t even get a flashback or memory to support that plot point.
One thing that stood out to me is that neither Nakan nor Tonkla had a romantic arc. I wonder whether they were originally meant to be the second couple, and that storyline was later scrapped or rewritten, which would explain the lack of cohesion and depth, wich both characters share. After all, both actors were heavily featured in the promotional posters, which doesn’t reflect their minor and underdeveloped roles in the series. Just a theory.
In the end, I found myself dragging through each episode, just trying to finish the series, but it honestly wasn’t worth it. I would have preferred something like Kidnap, where even though the plot goes off track, the acting and character development keep you engaged. Unfortunately, this seems to be becoming a pattern with GMM shows: great trailers, promising casts, strong first episodes, and then everything falls apart. I really hope they improve the quality of storytelling and narrative in future projects.
The central vampire storyline is mostly present in name only. There’s no real exploration of the concept, and the whole vampire theme, especially the idea of “Golden Blood”, adds little to no value. Very little is said or done with these elements. Instead, the series focuses almost entirely on Mark and Ton’s love story, which unfolds like any other typical university BL, complete with the cliché beach trip.
What’s especially disappointing is the lack of development for the two prominent side characters. Tonkla (played by Neo) is a wasted opportunity, his character has no depth, no personality, and no meaningful role in the story. He simply appears at the right moments to be manipulated and drive the plot forward, only to be discarded or forgotten in the next episode. There is no evolution or growth whatsoever. I genuinely feel bad for Neo, this role gave him nothing to work with, not even a proper love arc.
Nakan, on the other hand, is positioned as a manipulative, cruel villain, but he barely appears. When he does, he feels more like a cartoon villain than a real threat. Later, it’s revealed that he has an emotional motivation behind his actions, but that storyline is never developed. Most viewers likely missed that his “special one” was also a Golden Blood victim, and we don’t even get a flashback or memory to support that plot point.
One thing that stood out to me is that neither Nakan nor Tonkla had a romantic arc. I wonder whether they were originally meant to be the second couple, and that storyline was later scrapped or rewritten, which would explain the lack of cohesion and depth, wich both characters share. After all, both actors were heavily featured in the promotional posters, which doesn’t reflect their minor and underdeveloped roles in the series. Just a theory.
In the end, I found myself dragging through each episode, just trying to finish the series, but it honestly wasn’t worth it. I would have preferred something like Kidnap, where even though the plot goes off track, the acting and character development keep you engaged. Unfortunately, this seems to be becoming a pattern with GMM shows: great trailers, promising casts, strong first episodes, and then everything falls apart. I really hope they improve the quality of storytelling and narrative in future projects.
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