This review may contain spoilers
Phi the Unimpressive
Not a fan of KristSingto, their previous work nor this reunion series of theirs I’ll be brief: the show left me mostly indifferent, with positives and negatives balancing each other out.
On the plus side:
1/ a slight diversion from typical BL storytelling, with main characters re-discovering they’re in love (instead of falling in love) and most obstacles for them becoming a couple stemming from their troubled past (instead of current events),
2/ most of Singto’s performance and Krist’s performance in ep. 9-10,
3/ the show (mostly) focusing on Phi’s and Tam’s story and properly intertwining the romantic and professional aspects of their relationship,
4/ most of ep. 9-10 (except the time jump),
5/ cameo of Mix as a vet (watch "Vice Versa" for his another appearance in that capacity).
On the minus side:
1/ Phi in ep. 1-8,
2/ underdeveloped side plots involving supporting cast, none of which lead anywhere,
3/ Tam’s mom and almost everything about that character, which felt added only to fill ep. 8 with content and create drama/uncertainty in ep. 10,
4/ time jump in ep. 10 (like with almost all time jumps in GMMTV’s BL – utterly pointless storywise, changed nothing and served no purpose),
5/ some story aspects which made little to no sense (why would an investigative journalist consider becoming a weather presenter to be a promotion or upgrade of any kind?).
My main issue with the story is Phi. He was written for ep. 1-8 as a whiny douchebag who undergoes almost no character development and then – all of the sudden, at the very end of ep. 8 – becomes a different person. While I understand that the character was meant to be hurt, embittered, egoistic and arrogant, he comes across as genuinely unlikeable, his flaws being inexcusable. Even in the flashbacks to his student years Phi appears to be full of himself – and I had to wonder why Tam (or anyone else, like Paul) would fall for that guy in the first place. I felt no sympathy towards Phi in ep. 1 nor later and can’t understand why a character written like that was a protagonist in a BL. Once ep. 8 ends, however, Phi is a changed man (and changed in an instant, I might add, as almost nothing prior to ep. 8 end signals or indicates that Phi is undergoing a change). The show became much better and more entertaining in ep. 9 and 10, even going a bit bonkers ("Ossan’s Love" style) – none of which would be possible with Phi being his old self.
On the plus side:
1/ a slight diversion from typical BL storytelling, with main characters re-discovering they’re in love (instead of falling in love) and most obstacles for them becoming a couple stemming from their troubled past (instead of current events),
2/ most of Singto’s performance and Krist’s performance in ep. 9-10,
3/ the show (mostly) focusing on Phi’s and Tam’s story and properly intertwining the romantic and professional aspects of their relationship,
4/ most of ep. 9-10 (except the time jump),
5/ cameo of Mix as a vet (watch "Vice Versa" for his another appearance in that capacity).
On the minus side:
1/ Phi in ep. 1-8,
2/ underdeveloped side plots involving supporting cast, none of which lead anywhere,
3/ Tam’s mom and almost everything about that character, which felt added only to fill ep. 8 with content and create drama/uncertainty in ep. 10,
4/ time jump in ep. 10 (like with almost all time jumps in GMMTV’s BL – utterly pointless storywise, changed nothing and served no purpose),
5/ some story aspects which made little to no sense (why would an investigative journalist consider becoming a weather presenter to be a promotion or upgrade of any kind?).
My main issue with the story is Phi. He was written for ep. 1-8 as a whiny douchebag who undergoes almost no character development and then – all of the sudden, at the very end of ep. 8 – becomes a different person. While I understand that the character was meant to be hurt, embittered, egoistic and arrogant, he comes across as genuinely unlikeable, his flaws being inexcusable. Even in the flashbacks to his student years Phi appears to be full of himself – and I had to wonder why Tam (or anyone else, like Paul) would fall for that guy in the first place. I felt no sympathy towards Phi in ep. 1 nor later and can’t understand why a character written like that was a protagonist in a BL. Once ep. 8 ends, however, Phi is a changed man (and changed in an instant, I might add, as almost nothing prior to ep. 8 end signals or indicates that Phi is undergoing a change). The show became much better and more entertaining in ep. 9 and 10, even going a bit bonkers ("Ossan’s Love" style) – none of which would be possible with Phi being his old self.
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