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A Literal Emotional Rollercoaster
Wow. I genuinely need to lock in for a moment and gather all my thoughts before writing this review because this series has been one HELL of a rollercoaster. And I mean that quite literally.
**ACTING**
Let's start with the acting because, good God, the performances were genuinely impressive. Both Boom and Smart are incredibly talented, but I especially want to give Boom some praise. His performance was phenomenal, particularly when it came to portraying complex emotions. Granted, he has more experience, so that level of performance isn't entirely surprising, but the fact that IRL and his character are similar is pretty cool!!!
The way he conveyed pain, vulnerability, and emotional distress felt remarkably authentic. And don't even get me started on the crying scenes. There is something about an actor who can make you genuinely feel their character's suffering rather than simply watch them perform it, and Boom did exactly that. His expressions and delivery made those emotional moments feel real, which made the story's heavier scenes that much more effective.
**VISUALS & CINEMATOGRAPHY**
Visually, this series was a treat. From the cinematography to the cast's overall appearance, everything was aesthetically pleasing. I wouldn't necessarily call the cinematography groundbreaking, but it was solid and did its job without taking me out of the story.
The cast's visuals, on the other hand? TOP TIER. Everyone looked gorgeous, and I absolutely loved the styling, outfits, makeup, and overall character aesthetics. I especially loved Smart and Boom with their longer hairstyles covering their eyes. Whoever was responsible for those looks deserves a raise because GOOD LORD. They looked ridiculously attractive.
**STORY & ROMANCE**
Now, the story. WOW. When I said this series was a rollercoaster, I was not exaggerating. It genuinely felt like these characters were incapable of enjoying a peaceful moment for more than 5 minutes before the ominous background music started playing and Akin inevitably found himself caught up in yet another concerning situation. Like, can this man PLEASE catch a break?
And, of course, Jin was always right there beside him, experiencing the emotional turmoil alongside him and supporting him through everything. Their relationship was one of my favorite aspects of the series because their love felt genuine. They weren't simply together for the sake of the romance, they consistently showed up for one another, especially when things became difficult. Their willingness to stand by each other made their relationship feel relatively healthy compared to some of the other BL relationships I've encountered. Even if at times it looked like they actually had broken up.
The chemistry was also pretty good, and those NC scenes? EXCUSE ME. They were genuinely erotic, especially the infamous honey scene. However, I honestly wasn't expecting that scene to take place during their first time together. I had assumed it would happen later, once they'd officially gotten together and become more comfortable with each other. Instead, we got a scene that felt straight out of Fifty Shades of Grey. Not complaining, obviously, but I was definitely caught off guard.
As for the pacing, I actually think the series handled it pretty well. Anyone who knows me knows I have the attention span of a fruit fly, and longer series, particularly Thai BLs, can sometimes be a struggle for me to finish. This is especially true when the plot becomes repetitive, the conflicts are predictable, or the story starts dragging out situations that could have been resolved much sooner.
However, I found this series genuinely engaging, and I think the constant shifts between emotionally intense, tense, and relatively peaceful moments played a significant role in that. Just when I thought I could finally relax, something else would happen. The story kept me emotionally invested because it rarely allowed me to settle into one feeling for too long. It was exhausting in the best possible way.
Honestly, if I didn't have a job and occasionally feel the need to step away from BLs and do literally anything else, I probably could've finished this series in a single day. Unfortunately, real life kept interrupting my viewing experience, and somewhere around episode nine, I started losing some of my motivation to continue.
However, I don't necessarily blame the series for that. I've mentioned this before in other reviews, but I tend to experience a similar slump with shows that have around 11–12 episodes. By episode 8 or 9, the main conflict has often been resolved, the leads have gotten together, and the remaining episodes focus primarily on them being a couple. While I enjoy seeing characters finally get their happy ending, sometimes the story starts feeling like it's running on borrowed time, with filler scenes or unnecessary last-minute conflicts introduced simply to keep things moving.
Fortunately, I felt this series maintained a relatively good balance. It gave the relationship room to develop without making the overall experience feel excessively repetitive. My occasional loss of motivation is more of a personal viewing habit than a reflection of the show's quality.
**JOHNNY & NARU... AM I TWEAKING?**
Okay, but can we talk about Johnny and Naru for a second? Because am I imagining things, or was there some kind of implication that these two could potentially become something in the future?
If this series ever gets a second season, which I'm not entirely ruling out considering the way things ended, and the fact we never met the person who Jade loved, I could genuinely see the possibility of them being paired together. And, to be clear, I don't have an issue with that pairing in itself. My concern is Naru's age.
I don't remember exactly how old he's supposed to be in the series, but he looks incredibly young, almost like a middle schooler, which makes the possibility of a romantic storyline between them a little concerning. I would need some clarification regarding his actual age before I could feel comfortable making any assumptions about where that relationship might go.
And we absolutely CANNOT ignore Johnny's behavior. Because WHAT was that man doing?! He was bordering on sexual assault, and the whole situation was incredibly uncomfortable to watch. Thankfully, things didn't escalate further, but that doesn't make his behavior any less disturbing. It genuinely caught me off guard, and not in a good way. There's a difference between a character being morally questionable and a scene crossing boundaries that make the audience uncomfortable, and Johnny definitely had me questioning what the writers were trying to accomplish there.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, I had a pretty enjoyable experience with this series. It wasn't necessarily perfect, but it gave me an engaging story, compelling emotional performances, attractive visuals, good chemistry, and enough twists and turns to keep me invested.
I'm genuinely glad I gave it a chance, especially because longer BLs can be quite hit-or-miss for me. I'm still searching for that elusive series that completely satisfies me from beginning to end, the kind that leaves me thinking about it long after I've finished watching. I miss the feeling of finding a BL that hits every single one of my expectations, but I'm not giving up on finding another one.
For now, though, I think I'm going to take a little break from longer series and watch some shorter BLs. As much as I enjoyed this one, committing to a long series can be mentally exhausting, especially when I'm balancing work and everything else going on in my life. LOL.
That being said, if you haven't watched this series yet, even though it's been out for about a year, I'd still recommend giving it a chance. If you're looking for a BL with emotional intensity, a relationship that feels relatively healthy, attractive leads, and a plot that keeps you on your toes, this one might be worth adding to your watchlist.
Overall: 8/10
**ACTING**
Let's start with the acting because, good God, the performances were genuinely impressive. Both Boom and Smart are incredibly talented, but I especially want to give Boom some praise. His performance was phenomenal, particularly when it came to portraying complex emotions. Granted, he has more experience, so that level of performance isn't entirely surprising, but the fact that IRL and his character are similar is pretty cool!!!
The way he conveyed pain, vulnerability, and emotional distress felt remarkably authentic. And don't even get me started on the crying scenes. There is something about an actor who can make you genuinely feel their character's suffering rather than simply watch them perform it, and Boom did exactly that. His expressions and delivery made those emotional moments feel real, which made the story's heavier scenes that much more effective.
**VISUALS & CINEMATOGRAPHY**
Visually, this series was a treat. From the cinematography to the cast's overall appearance, everything was aesthetically pleasing. I wouldn't necessarily call the cinematography groundbreaking, but it was solid and did its job without taking me out of the story.
The cast's visuals, on the other hand? TOP TIER. Everyone looked gorgeous, and I absolutely loved the styling, outfits, makeup, and overall character aesthetics. I especially loved Smart and Boom with their longer hairstyles covering their eyes. Whoever was responsible for those looks deserves a raise because GOOD LORD. They looked ridiculously attractive.
**STORY & ROMANCE**
Now, the story. WOW. When I said this series was a rollercoaster, I was not exaggerating. It genuinely felt like these characters were incapable of enjoying a peaceful moment for more than 5 minutes before the ominous background music started playing and Akin inevitably found himself caught up in yet another concerning situation. Like, can this man PLEASE catch a break?
And, of course, Jin was always right there beside him, experiencing the emotional turmoil alongside him and supporting him through everything. Their relationship was one of my favorite aspects of the series because their love felt genuine. They weren't simply together for the sake of the romance, they consistently showed up for one another, especially when things became difficult. Their willingness to stand by each other made their relationship feel relatively healthy compared to some of the other BL relationships I've encountered. Even if at times it looked like they actually had broken up.
The chemistry was also pretty good, and those NC scenes? EXCUSE ME. They were genuinely erotic, especially the infamous honey scene. However, I honestly wasn't expecting that scene to take place during their first time together. I had assumed it would happen later, once they'd officially gotten together and become more comfortable with each other. Instead, we got a scene that felt straight out of Fifty Shades of Grey. Not complaining, obviously, but I was definitely caught off guard.
As for the pacing, I actually think the series handled it pretty well. Anyone who knows me knows I have the attention span of a fruit fly, and longer series, particularly Thai BLs, can sometimes be a struggle for me to finish. This is especially true when the plot becomes repetitive, the conflicts are predictable, or the story starts dragging out situations that could have been resolved much sooner.
However, I found this series genuinely engaging, and I think the constant shifts between emotionally intense, tense, and relatively peaceful moments played a significant role in that. Just when I thought I could finally relax, something else would happen. The story kept me emotionally invested because it rarely allowed me to settle into one feeling for too long. It was exhausting in the best possible way.
Honestly, if I didn't have a job and occasionally feel the need to step away from BLs and do literally anything else, I probably could've finished this series in a single day. Unfortunately, real life kept interrupting my viewing experience, and somewhere around episode nine, I started losing some of my motivation to continue.
However, I don't necessarily blame the series for that. I've mentioned this before in other reviews, but I tend to experience a similar slump with shows that have around 11–12 episodes. By episode 8 or 9, the main conflict has often been resolved, the leads have gotten together, and the remaining episodes focus primarily on them being a couple. While I enjoy seeing characters finally get their happy ending, sometimes the story starts feeling like it's running on borrowed time, with filler scenes or unnecessary last-minute conflicts introduced simply to keep things moving.
Fortunately, I felt this series maintained a relatively good balance. It gave the relationship room to develop without making the overall experience feel excessively repetitive. My occasional loss of motivation is more of a personal viewing habit than a reflection of the show's quality.
**JOHNNY & NARU... AM I TWEAKING?**
Okay, but can we talk about Johnny and Naru for a second? Because am I imagining things, or was there some kind of implication that these two could potentially become something in the future?
If this series ever gets a second season, which I'm not entirely ruling out considering the way things ended, and the fact we never met the person who Jade loved, I could genuinely see the possibility of them being paired together. And, to be clear, I don't have an issue with that pairing in itself. My concern is Naru's age.
I don't remember exactly how old he's supposed to be in the series, but he looks incredibly young, almost like a middle schooler, which makes the possibility of a romantic storyline between them a little concerning. I would need some clarification regarding his actual age before I could feel comfortable making any assumptions about where that relationship might go.
And we absolutely CANNOT ignore Johnny's behavior. Because WHAT was that man doing?! He was bordering on sexual assault, and the whole situation was incredibly uncomfortable to watch. Thankfully, things didn't escalate further, but that doesn't make his behavior any less disturbing. It genuinely caught me off guard, and not in a good way. There's a difference between a character being morally questionable and a scene crossing boundaries that make the audience uncomfortable, and Johnny definitely had me questioning what the writers were trying to accomplish there.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, I had a pretty enjoyable experience with this series. It wasn't necessarily perfect, but it gave me an engaging story, compelling emotional performances, attractive visuals, good chemistry, and enough twists and turns to keep me invested.
I'm genuinely glad I gave it a chance, especially because longer BLs can be quite hit-or-miss for me. I'm still searching for that elusive series that completely satisfies me from beginning to end, the kind that leaves me thinking about it long after I've finished watching. I miss the feeling of finding a BL that hits every single one of my expectations, but I'm not giving up on finding another one.
For now, though, I think I'm going to take a little break from longer series and watch some shorter BLs. As much as I enjoyed this one, committing to a long series can be mentally exhausting, especially when I'm balancing work and everything else going on in my life. LOL.
That being said, if you haven't watched this series yet, even though it's been out for about a year, I'd still recommend giving it a chance. If you're looking for a BL with emotional intensity, a relationship that feels relatively healthy, attractive leads, and a plot that keeps you on your toes, this one might be worth adding to your watchlist.
Overall: 8/10
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