Laalaa17930228

Suprisingly good

I didn't go into watching this with too many expectations, since based on the trailer I got the idea that it is a romantic comedy with the whole mafia thing being just a side plot. But it was fun, even if you knew from episode one that Thee 's character is purposefully meant to appear as out touch from reality kind of a mafia/perfume company boss. I expected a lot of the humor to feel forced, but I genuinely had quite many good laughs while watching this. There was actually some growth with Thee's and Peach's character individually and as a couple. Maybe a small critique is that the story relies very heavily on Thee's character development and Peach's role a lot of times was just to support it.

The side characters were also quite enjoyable and for once we actually had in the end both parents supporting the relationship. I am bit over almost that in every BL we get at least one of the parents causing some kinds of issues, just to get something to fill out otherwise a thin story line. Thee's mom is a character (diva) of her own but I liked her a lot. And yes I am in the majority of ppl who wanted more of Rome and Mok. Fingers crossed something else with the duo will come, because after everything Mok had to do to help his boss, he deserves a happy ending.

Overall the characters carry the show trough, the plot lines are pretty predictable and aside from few scenes, this isn't a very serious mafia show. There was luckily enough plot to carry the show trough, I am happy they went with 10 episodes. If Rome and Mok as the second couple would have had more screen time, then I could have taken another episode.

In the end is this revolutionary in terms Thai BL's: heavens no!
Did it offer me surprisingly lot of joy: yes!
Would I re-watch it: maybe one more time. Not still a show I would say has a ton of re-watch value.

Read More

Good chemistry and acting, but the plot was frustrating

This was a really mixed bag for me.

On the positive side the show was a high budget, high quality production with a good casting of actors. The actors in general in the show all did very well in their roles and you cannot deny that Tee and Heng created some intense chemistry and tension together as Big Jane and Little Jane. In a dark/toxic romance series especially maintaining the suspension between the main pair plays a very important part, and this couple delivered. You really are kept nervous and questioning if Big Jane really is looking after and actually loving Little Jane or if he is actually manipulating him for his own benefit. The truth probably ending up somewhere between manipulation and obsessive love.

Unfortunately the chemistry and acting alone does not get a series trough full 12 episodes. The plot is frustratingly repetitive and without the dramatic accident and kidnapping happening in the last three episodes, the shows whole plot is basically just Little Jane going from "I can't stand him to I cannot live without him." In a toxic romance series this card can be used a few times, but not to the extent it was used majority of the show.

Second big issue I had was the lack of character development with Little Jane (okay we get some in the last ep, but it's too little too late). Almost the whole show Little Jane cannot set boundaries with the people around him, making him constantly vulnerable for not only Big Jane's manipulation, but to other people's similar behavior he comes across during the series. He's constantly the underdog and for some reason (which the series doesn't give answers to) he doesn't seem to have a concept what a healthy dating relationship should look like. When Big Jane's stalking altar room is revealed any other person should be running for the hills, but Little Jane just accepts this as something completely normal way of showing affection. There is some attempt of Little Jane trying to set limits with Big Jane's shady business practices, but even at the end that limit does not hold, because apparently love really is not only color blind, but blind in general with this series.

In conclusion yes this is a very high quality production, with some of the best actors in the industry and we get to see great chemistry and acting. However the plot is just too repetitive for a 12 episode production. If you can look pass the rather repetitive plot + three event intensive episodes at the end this is alright toxic/dark BL. Though it should be noted that the super natural element that was teased in the trailer, it doesn't exist in the show. In the end everything has "a human" explanation, so no demonic powers here. Even if Big Jane could still be described as such for everything he does during the series.

Read More

They should have left this at 8 episodes + a special ep

I think this is one of those shows that would have benefited from having less episodes, and then maybe a special ep, for those who mainly want to see some extra material from the main pair.

Up until ep 8 this was a rather solid romcom. Nothing too serious, but we had a clear story ark and a romance that went along with whole gaming theme. Generally I think the gaming aspect was integrated really well to the plot and made this stand out from other similar romcoms. The comedy in the show luckily works most of the episodes, which is not always a given since humor can be rather subjective.

Now about the main pair played by Maxky and Bas. My biggest concern was that is the main couple too similar to the roles they played as North and Johan in the Fourever you series. I am glad to say, that thanks to especially Thi's character in this show, I did not get too many moments of "I am watching the same couple again, just in another setup." Zo's character does occasionally remind a little too much about North, but most of the time is different enough for the character to feel unique to this particular series. One of the show's strong point in general is Zo's character development and how trough becoming part of the gaming team and dating Thi he gains confidence in himself.

While the show had many positives, there were also shortcomings. The biggest fail this series had was the whole disaster that ep 9 was. I got the feeling that since the main plot was pretty much covered in 8 episodes, the writers went on an overkill with the series of events happening in ep 9. The worst part of the episode was the way Ten was brought back to the team and the conflict it caused. Thi's character development was set back to the starting point by the conflict that arises from Ten's return to the team. After ep 9, ep 10 was basically rinse and repeat from the whole main plot + content that would have fitted a special episode.

Another aspect that didn't work out for the show was the second pairing between Jack and Ten. They just don't get enough relationship development during the show. Mostly throughout the whole show the pair is just shown arguing and after somehow getting together there were very few dialogue scenes between just two of them. As a second pair they feel like an afterthought, and the series could have been just fine without them. I think giving the second pair more screen time, could have given enough content for a full 10 ep show.

In conclusion, it is a good romcom if you watch until ep 8, skip ep 9 completely and skip the first part of ep 10. The show is not without it's fault and it's not going to be particularly memorable. As a one time something easy to watch it's an adequate choice.

Read More

Not an easy watch, but kept you interested to the very end

This was overall a very mixed bag for me as a series.

First the positive aspects which this series had many going for it. It's a high budget production, with well written murder plot that keeps you watching to the end and especially the actors all did a very good job with this one. In terms of just acting this might be one of the top BLs I have watched during this year. Additionally there are complex relationship arks that add depth to the main plot.

Now the negatives. First of all a general warning: this show is not for the faint hearthed. Towards the end, the plot turns quite dark and there are gore elements that could cause some people a lot of negative emotions. The show does give content warnings in the last few episodes, so check those before proceeding to watch, they are there for a reason.

Now for things that are just related to personal preferences: I liked the second couple more and considering how their story ends I already knew it was going to downgrade the show for me. I also think that Ken's and James relationship development needed bit more substance. The turn into a romantic relationship felt like it was just James deciding he wants Ken and next thing you know they are already together. The last episode felt very unbalanced with all the horrible stuff happening in the beginning, while the rest of episode felt like it dragged on for ages, until the main couple reunited. Additionally Chita's motives around for why he resulted in to doing, what he did trough the years he lived, needed more background story. Considering the severity of his actions, the one scene the show gave as the explanation didn't convince me as a viewer to feel his actions were justified or even understandable.

I'd say for a dark and horror BL fans this is a good recommendation if you can live with the content warnings related to the last few episodes of the show. I hope all the actors in this get another show, because for me the acting was the stand out from this series. With the progressively dark plot this won't be everyone's cup of tea, but as a murder/horror BL thriller it's still a very solid show. This was not perfect for me, but I know to a lot of people this will probably be a favorite.

Read More

This is an easy pass

Unfortunately with this series there were more negatives than positives. On paper the show's location and plot could have made this a decent easy to watch BL with focus on the relationship development of the couples with a simplistic plot. Unfortunately the potential was lost.

First big issue with the show is the pacing. The first 2-4 episodes are really slow, even if there is three main couples that the show focuses on. The slow start combined with only having 8 eps made especially the last two episodes to feel comical in terms of amount of things happening; there are several serious hospital related illness that get treated, one character reconnects with their mother (this is covered in a couple of scenes), there is a dept issue with a gang involved that gets resolved, a distance relationship that both start and end in the final episode, one the character leaves to his old work back to Bangkok without telling his love interest, then as quickly gets back and the relationship continue as if nothing happened. In a very odd way the show made me feel that they simultaneously didn't have enough plot for three main couples, but also that the relationship archs had to be rushed trough in the end.

The second big issue for me relates to one the couple in particular and I feel bad for the actors, bc a lot of ppl had been hoping to see them in a show together again. Dindin's and Tawan's relationship was a blast from the BL past that I wish we would just not see anymore unless the series is meant to describe a toxic dynamic and environment. Considering the general vibe of the show, having a couple showing their "love" by constantly throwing punches at each other just looked and felt unpleasant as a viewer. With the other two couples there is at least an attempt trough dialogue scenes to build believable relationship, but with Dindin and Tawan the hostility is present to the very end of the show, which really made me question the choice of them still ending up together.

In conclusion:
- I would not recommend this one, everything ends up feeling off.
- After all 8 episodes you will most likely be left with two conflicting feelings; finally it's over and the couples needed more on screen time to feel genuine.
- There is a decent effort to showcase a survivor story of someone dealing with childhood abuse trauma, how this can affect adult relationships and how to work past such trauma, but it's not enough to save the series.
- Let's please not promote punching someone as a sign of showing love, this trope needs to be left to the BL history and stay there.

Read More