Kai

I sorta get your point, but blond isn’t the problem. Blond Asians can eat (not my personal preference either, but if it's done correctly it can look very decent).
This is just a bad bleach job, coloring & styling that hates the actor. It's honestly kinda tragic. For some reason it happens a lot in BL. Must be the lower budget.

Ah yes, your respect for other people’s opinions is really showing.
With how judgmental you sound, I’m low-key shocked you’re watching BL at all. Thought you’d be calling LGBTQ+ trash by now.

I’m dropping it because every character is annoying as hell. The ML especially - dude’s always whining and acting miserable. Not exactly the vibe I’m trying to end my day with.
But if you get a kick out of calling me crazy for not wanting to marinate in someone else’s bad mood, then yeah, sure. Be my guest, if that makes you feel better lol

Every single character in this series is annoying, including the ML. Enough with the sour face Win, I get enough of that irl, no need to watch a show to see yours lol. I guess that means dropping it...🙄

PondPhuwin never disappoint. Great start to what seems to be a hilarious show.

Interesting concept, but a bit all over the place and drags needlessly

Ongsa’s got the best face card out of all BL debuts this year fr. The only one who can compete is Keng, but he’s not technically a rookie, just hasn’t been in a lead before.

Also, the sound designer for this show must be deaf 💀 Or it's their first job and they don't know what they're doing just yet. Either way, my poor ears.

This show’s rotting my brain, but it’s entertaining af
Haven’t wanted to endure a full episode of a Thai BL like this - scene by scene, no ffwd - in forever. Probably since The Heart Killers.

Pin’s absolutely gone. Delulu era 🙄 Dad is so lost it's borderline tragic. Watching Inthra the secondhand embarrassment is real, but somehow I respect the commitment. Grandma acts holier than thou and she’s been testing my patience across several time zones. Sankaew - dude cries like it’s sponsored content, i don't even remember when i last saw him with dry eyes 💀 The face card is ok, I guess, but the acting’s a bit too stiff for my taste, and every time he tries to kiss I can hear Windows error sounds.

I'm saying all this and still genuinely enjoy the show. That's an accomplishment in itself.

Sasin, though. That man’s a very fine problem - and I do like problems I can handle 😏 The type you clock once and think “yeah, that one's not leaving my bed tonight”.

No worries man. If they really are good they will get to debut one way or the other. Nobody sleeps on developed talent in Korea. It's easy money.
That's why MNET will do everything to debut Lee Sang Won and Lee Leo. Big Hit has put all that time and money into them, and nobody's gonna sleep on that.

Neither. I’m just looking at it from all angles. If the truth feels heavy, maybe that’s on you, not me 💀

How deep are you actually in the industry to claim, with full confidence, that the editing doesn’t show talent? Yeah, the cuts lean into characters and side plots , but are you saying the show doesn’t showcase the contestants with skills? You 100% sure you’ve got the authority to decide who’s got skills and who doesn’t?

Not saying favoritism or connections don’t exist, but I’d be way more careful throwing out takes like “only visuals or average skills get pushed.” Who has business in pushing average skills lol? You might not like who gets the spotlight, fair - but that’s still just your opinion. Doesn’t make it the objective truth about who’s talented and who’s not.

He's a great choreographer and a very good dancer. But he's not idol material. Charisma and stage presence are not it. Vocal skills are debatable at best. Also, somehow imo he doesn't fit what I think the final lineup might be (in any of the potential versions).
But I see how MNET could potentially like him. Imagine he does debut - free choreo for the group for life from a top choreographer and MNET can say "the band is not produced, they do it all by themselves". He doesn't really have to be given many lines either. Sounds like killing two birds with one stone to me - that's a strategy. But I'm still not a fan of this idea.

Yeah, MNET's strategy for running this show sucks for the voters, I get that. But at the end of the day this is business. MNET’s not running a charity - they’re building a boy group. That takes money, and they want to make sure the investment pays off.
The "voting" thing is basically the best promo strategy they could ask for: fans get hooked early, feel like they’re part of it, and boom - instant fanbase before the group even debuts.

But if they’re spending all that cash, they’re gonna make sure the final lineup checks the boxes:
1. Fits the concept they already planned (trust they’ve not only got a name, but a concept, and maybe even songs ready).
2. Works as a whole - no point in stacking five rappers in a soft-romance concept or five vocalists without a center/dancer.
3. Has actual talent.

So yeah, viewers have “freedom,” but MNET’s steering the ship so the end result doesn’t flop. And honestly, that’s smart. Let’s be real, and I'm saying this with all due respect, at least half the voters are very young girls voting for who’s cutest/most handsome, not who can actually hold the lineup together.

From a business POV, it’s the only way this makes sense.

I'm not saying they haven't caught your eye, or anyone else's. I'm saying that the others' performances didn't stand out enough to make them memorable IMO. Or they just don't make a memorable fit for the concept I think MNET is going for. Remember the lineup has to make sense as a whole, not individually.

You’re the one making it sound like eyelid surgery is a bad thing. I never said that. Tons of Chinese, Koreans, etc. get it. Not trying to be mean - just calling it like I see it. The surgeon just did him a little dirty, imo.
And I literally said I thought he was good at what he does, so this has nothing to do with my opinion of him as an artist.

Well, what can I say - I'm a busy guy, you have to have IT in order to have me pay attention to you 😏 I see lots of singers on an everyday basis, so yeah...they need to stand out if they want to be noticed. When I say they haven't registered it's not that I haven't seen them, it's that their performances weren't memorable enough to peek my interest. But also: you don't have to like it, but it is MY opinion.

FYI 5 out of 16 is 31.25%, not 50% 😉

A couple words on every finalist (rank order):

1. Sang Won - Dude’s got it all: chops, stage presence, center energy. 100% top 1 material. Honestly feels like he threw his KP audition on purpose so people would stop whining about him always getting the part. Peacekeeper vibes. Still, undisputed number one.
2. Zhou An Xin - Bro’s got the face card, some talent, and charisma. He’s got the Never Been 2 Heaven look, but compared to Sang Won his performance was mid. Still, top 2 or 3 is fair. Low-key deserves it.
3. Lee Leo - Good voice, stage presence, seems smart. Claims he can compose - if that’s true, I’m sold. Top 2 for me. Funny thing: he seems to have ditched Bad Attitude to follow Sang Won into NB2H. Definitely wants to debut with him, which is understandable. Respect.
4. Kim Geon Woo - Honestly didn’t notice him until the finals. Sorry man.
5. Zhang Jia Hao - I'd truly not seen him before the two last episodes aired. Not trying to be mean, but someone went way too heavy-handed with his eyelid surgery. Looks uncanny. Still, solid dancer, decent vocal. Not mad at him being here.
6. He Xin Long - All charisma. Raps well too. Doubt rappers are popular enough on this show to get him into the final lineup, but he deserves it. Top 8 material.
7. Kim Jun Seo - Fine. Not offensive. Just… there. I'll be ok if he's in.
8. Chung Sang Hyeon - Same as above. Okay, but forgettable.
9. Yumeki - Sorry not sorry: great choreographer, great dancer, terrible idol. Singing is tragic. Keep him behind the stage, not on it.
10. Chuei Li Yu - I’m sorry… who?
11. Yoo Kang Min - One determined dude. A bit unhinged, but entertaining. He just needs to keep his attitude in check and he'll be fine.
12. Chen Kai Wen - Never registered.
13. Kim Jun Min - Stage presence - check. Dancing - check. Singing - check. Easily top 8 for me. Not sure if he can actually make it, but he should.
14. Park Dong Gyu - Better than decent. Won’t complain if he sneaks in.
15. Jun Lee Jeong - Watched all episodes and still have no idea who this is.
16. Kang Woo Jin - Forgettable.

My Top 8:
1. Sang Won
2. Lee Leo
3. Zhou An Xin
4. He Xin Long
5. Kim Jun Min
6. Park Dong Gyu
7. Yoo Kang Min
8. Zhang Jia Hao

I'm ok with you disagreeing lol 😁

Was it even watchable? Artistically speaking, the NC scene was the highlight of this series lol 💀 I'm not even kidding.

What did I just watch hahahahaha. The AI dude was creepy af. But I'm really not surprised at all somebody in Korea decided on this storyline. The NC was kinda ok. It somewhat felt like the rest of the series was just an excuse to film that NC tho💀

tbh, I prefer Victor to Tanwa, but that's just my personal opinion. A very good show nonetheless.