This review may contain spoilers
When the sides are better than the main
Let's get into this. This series suffered the same fate as Fourever You. Placing popular actors as the main draw who then become the most forgettable. The series as a whole dealt with various issues of love, abandonment, becoming self accepting, true friendship and maturity.
ArcArm.
Their arc lasted the longest and had it not been determination to see it through to the end, it would have been dropped. Friends, close friends, should not act as lovers on film. I stand by this deduction after enduring numerous episodes of tantrums, bad acting and no chemistry whatsoever. The usual enemies to lovers fell very flat and tedious to endure. I will say aging Arc out of the school environment was a good move and allowed the passage of time to develop the other characters.
YothaGun.
This is where the series gains traction and moves in the right direction. Yotha a hot head introvert had a lot to overcome and with the help of Gun does this almost realistically. I say almost because I can not believe a child emotionally and physically stifled for love from a parent can so readily accept and embrace said parent with no residual ill will. Gun shows up and continues to forgive his bad behavior all in the name of love. With the help of Arm, he begs forgiveness and is basically forgiven within the same episode. Let's not forget Gun's parents said "he is the sunshine of the world". The difference between the two feelings can be easily felt. There is a radiance that emits from Gun when he's happy. Gun/Beagle is as loyal as they come. Though the over the top theatrics when he is in beagle mode could have done with a little dimming.
FaiWine
This is the healthiest relationship of all but again with its own drawbacks. Fai being used by a pawn feels emotionally forgotten within the entire family unit. This transfers into being a people pleaser. Wine, who recently became self aware of his sexual preference, becomes his favorite person. Fai offers to teach Wine about love and romance as he believes Wine is still in love with his previous crush. They are drawn to each other, though it it Wine that orchestrates their continued meeting. The notebook is purposely left at the dorm, thereby ensuring the lessons continue without and end in sight. Here Fai learns the meaning of special. While communication is key to a healthy relationship there is a thing as too much talking. The step by step discussion of every detail of their coming together weighed a little heavy at times. This is off set by Fai's ability to make a funny comment to either diffuse a bad situation or hide his feelings. They are perfectly matched and Wine fills the gap left by a cruel mother. She is again forgiven too easily. Fai's nature would not allow otherwise.
PondSand
They met. They felt the attraction. They got together. They stayed together. No drama. No issues. What was the purpose of them being here? Don't get me wrong. I love them as a couple. I love that Pond made Sand feel special with his dumb bunny thoughts. Not everyone can be in a relationship that is intellectually mismatched and this could have been explored more. The only hindrance with this pairing is that Marc has a standoffish way of acting with limited facial reactions. This is the closest I've seen him with anyone as he always comes across as a bro and not a lover. If they can bridge this gap, I'd love to see more as Poon is a delightful character on and off the screen.
KlaoWarit
The side couple who stole the show. This couple is the meat of the series and shows the most growth throughout. The anger, frustration, devotion, reconcilliation, maturity and eventually proposal was what tied the entire series together. Their interactions are as real as can be. Klao, a hot head jealous idiot at the beginning, turned his life around for love. Warit with the patience of a saint held on and was rewarded with a love that matched his. Klao also proved to be a friend worth having. Without knowing the reason of a fight that Gun was in, jumps in without a second thought even though at the time they were arch enemies. The passion between KlaoWarit surpassed all the others and realistically displayed with every look. As an onscreen couple for many years, their bond can be felt almost immediately on meeting. The proposal made my eyes moist when I took into consideration all that they endured to reach to this point.
On viewing the bonding between Yotha and Faifah at the end, I'm a little sad that Newton wasn't included. Though older, he too must have felt hurt. Watching this as a whole, it was not bad at the ending. The final scene ended perfectly. The series was not perfect by any means. How many times is Arc is going to tell Arm he wants him in every aspect of his life? How many times characters are cute? How many times over the top asinine behaviors unbecoming a young adult is displayed? Does Arm speak on shout or only with Arc? Irritating. While the actions of Yotha and Faifah were a direct result of past trauma by their mother, this was dealt with superficially and all is forgiven and well again. The extras were used like a pop up service. Except AouBoom, they all kissed like their lips have castity belts on.
It is worth the watch and for the most part entertaining. Re-watch no. Thai productions can be shortened and still be fun. Something that eludes their production team. Suggestion: Watch the first 10 episodes at 2x speed, nothing will be missed and be more enjoyable. Lesson learned the hard way.
ArcArm.
Their arc lasted the longest and had it not been determination to see it through to the end, it would have been dropped. Friends, close friends, should not act as lovers on film. I stand by this deduction after enduring numerous episodes of tantrums, bad acting and no chemistry whatsoever. The usual enemies to lovers fell very flat and tedious to endure. I will say aging Arc out of the school environment was a good move and allowed the passage of time to develop the other characters.
YothaGun.
This is where the series gains traction and moves in the right direction. Yotha a hot head introvert had a lot to overcome and with the help of Gun does this almost realistically. I say almost because I can not believe a child emotionally and physically stifled for love from a parent can so readily accept and embrace said parent with no residual ill will. Gun shows up and continues to forgive his bad behavior all in the name of love. With the help of Arm, he begs forgiveness and is basically forgiven within the same episode. Let's not forget Gun's parents said "he is the sunshine of the world". The difference between the two feelings can be easily felt. There is a radiance that emits from Gun when he's happy. Gun/Beagle is as loyal as they come. Though the over the top theatrics when he is in beagle mode could have done with a little dimming.
FaiWine
This is the healthiest relationship of all but again with its own drawbacks. Fai being used by a pawn feels emotionally forgotten within the entire family unit. This transfers into being a people pleaser. Wine, who recently became self aware of his sexual preference, becomes his favorite person. Fai offers to teach Wine about love and romance as he believes Wine is still in love with his previous crush. They are drawn to each other, though it it Wine that orchestrates their continued meeting. The notebook is purposely left at the dorm, thereby ensuring the lessons continue without and end in sight. Here Fai learns the meaning of special. While communication is key to a healthy relationship there is a thing as too much talking. The step by step discussion of every detail of their coming together weighed a little heavy at times. This is off set by Fai's ability to make a funny comment to either diffuse a bad situation or hide his feelings. They are perfectly matched and Wine fills the gap left by a cruel mother. She is again forgiven too easily. Fai's nature would not allow otherwise.
PondSand
They met. They felt the attraction. They got together. They stayed together. No drama. No issues. What was the purpose of them being here? Don't get me wrong. I love them as a couple. I love that Pond made Sand feel special with his dumb bunny thoughts. Not everyone can be in a relationship that is intellectually mismatched and this could have been explored more. The only hindrance with this pairing is that Marc has a standoffish way of acting with limited facial reactions. This is the closest I've seen him with anyone as he always comes across as a bro and not a lover. If they can bridge this gap, I'd love to see more as Poon is a delightful character on and off the screen.
KlaoWarit
The side couple who stole the show. This couple is the meat of the series and shows the most growth throughout. The anger, frustration, devotion, reconcilliation, maturity and eventually proposal was what tied the entire series together. Their interactions are as real as can be. Klao, a hot head jealous idiot at the beginning, turned his life around for love. Warit with the patience of a saint held on and was rewarded with a love that matched his. Klao also proved to be a friend worth having. Without knowing the reason of a fight that Gun was in, jumps in without a second thought even though at the time they were arch enemies. The passion between KlaoWarit surpassed all the others and realistically displayed with every look. As an onscreen couple for many years, their bond can be felt almost immediately on meeting. The proposal made my eyes moist when I took into consideration all that they endured to reach to this point.
On viewing the bonding between Yotha and Faifah at the end, I'm a little sad that Newton wasn't included. Though older, he too must have felt hurt. Watching this as a whole, it was not bad at the ending. The final scene ended perfectly. The series was not perfect by any means. How many times is Arc is going to tell Arm he wants him in every aspect of his life? How many times characters are cute? How many times over the top asinine behaviors unbecoming a young adult is displayed? Does Arm speak on shout or only with Arc? Irritating. While the actions of Yotha and Faifah were a direct result of past trauma by their mother, this was dealt with superficially and all is forgiven and well again. The extras were used like a pop up service. Except AouBoom, they all kissed like their lips have castity belts on.
It is worth the watch and for the most part entertaining. Re-watch no. Thai productions can be shortened and still be fun. Something that eludes their production team. Suggestion: Watch the first 10 episodes at 2x speed, nothing will be missed and be more enjoyable. Lesson learned the hard way.
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