A very realistic description of the gay scene... unfortunately!
Having experienced the gay scene from the inside, I can tell you that it's unfortunately just like in the show: everyone sleeps with everyone else, fidelity is a dirty word, friendship is a concept, alcohol flows freely and drugs are all too easy to come by.The series can't be faulted for its desire for hyperrealism, and in that sense it succeeds. But we're not here to watch a documentary, and Only Friends doesn't have the stature of an Oscar-winning film, so a little levity would have been welcome. The characters are in 100% toxic mode at all times, and we'd have appreciated it if this had been softened by a bit of a bitchy moment. I was expecting to watch this series all smiles with a glass of wine in hand and found myself sighing and thinking "someone get them a psychologist!".
Apart from Sand and, to a lesser extent, Nick, the characters are not really likeable: Mew is falsely candid and rather bland, Top is infuriatingly "I want to control everything", Rey is ultra-toxic, Boston is the epitome of the well-built bitch who doesn't give a damn about anything, Nick is touching but goes too far in his actions. Then there's poor Sand, in whom I kind of saw myself.
As for the acting, Neo and Mark are excellent. As for the others, it depends on the moment.
In conclusion, I'd say it's a good series, but if you have to compare it to Friendzone, which is in the same style, Only Friends is worse.
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Beautiful love stories and real moments of life
The trailer didn't really make me want to see it. I was afraid of another smooth love story in chicken sauce. Within the first few minutes, when inflation and COVID-19 were discussed, I realized I was wrong. If there are indeed love stories, they are for once shown in a realistic way. It's a far cry from "I'm not gay but" and that's a good thing. We believe in it.This series is also a real social fable: we talk about social classes, money, homosexuality, abortion, traditions. Everything is treated in a sober, well-filmed way. The emotions are perceptible, without exaggeration.
The acting is of high quality. Special mention to Khao. Without spoiling you, I can just say that in the scene where he holds back from crying, we are really touched!
I wish I had the opportunity to see more shows like this one, because here we are talking about real life of real people, and we adhere! I recommend it.
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Incredible
I'm probably writing this review a little late, but in front of such a masterpiece, I want to do it anyway.I didn't intend to watch it at the beginning, but several excerpts seen on IG (including the end) made me wonder if I wasn't missing something.
Everything is incredible: the story, the acting, the sets, the way it's filmed. The question of self-acceptance and teenage emotions are treated with sublime accuracy.
I quite identified with Oh-Aew in his attitude and the way he reacts. The two heroes often have difficulty communicating and understanding each other, and this is very well filmed and shown.
The acting is perfect. Billkin is now becoming the reference for how to cry in the right way.
Here, they don't try to be cute, they are not afraid to film the emotions in a close and credible way. The action is rather slow but it matches perfectly with the story and the context.
In short, a must see!
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A successful metaphorical ode to freedom
Let there be no mistake: reducing the scenario to the curse of an eclipse and teenage love stories would be a mistake. What is dealt with here is the right to freedom, whatever it may be, especially individual freedom. Why follow rules if they do not bring anything good? Why accept things that are bad for you? The different protest movements are all shown in a non-violent light, which makes them even more relevant. These topics were already covered in NOT ME, and it is nice to see that people are engaging with these issues in places where it is not necessarily easy to express one's personal opinion. Bravo to them!Another interesting point to raise is the way homosexuality is dealt with. For once, we have an ordinary man who comes out, whereas usually, men who have a relationship with a man define themselves by "I'm not gay but". It's not pansexual, it's just that they refuse to admit that a manly man can be homosexual, which is somehow homophobic. Here, nothing of the sort, and the subject is assumed. And on top of that, we are portrayed with parents who can handle the situation.
The acting, finally, is very good. Khao had managed to give consistency to his character in TONHON CHONLATEE, which was a real feat given the complete failure of this series. Neo and Louis had almost saved FISH UPON THE SKY from the slump in which this series was. And AJ is still doing very well in his supporting roles - we are waiting for his main role, he deserves it. So, no surprise that the acting is great.
In summary, this series is a successful and necessary ode to freedom in these times when it is regressing all over the world.
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An unpretentious and enjoyable story
First of all, the actors are all good, even those in very secondary roles. We let ourselves be taken in by this story of enemies-to-lovers rather quickly. The personality of each is well described. The story is a bit messy but I think it's voluntary because the people have a lot of pseudo-existential problems so it works.Plus, we're on a comedy and we stick with it, which is nice.
In summary: we spend a good time watching this series, carried by a great cast and a nice story. I recommend it.
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Where's the script?
The script is simple, probably too simple. We'd like the characters' secrets and their community life to be more developed, but no. It's all a pretext for gravelly allusions. A number of secondary subjects are touched on at the outset, but remain unaddressed after several episodes. The characters are also a touch pushy. It's boring, the scenes all look the same.So after 5 episodes, I'm giving up!
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Terribly insipid
We had a good subject that was different from the ordinary - this story of parallel worlds. The problem is that instead of focusing on it, the series only concentrates on an umpteenth uninventive love story drowned in countless product placements, each one longer than the next, which GMMTV has unfortunately made a specialty of (it's at the same level as in FISH UPON THE SKY, that's for sure!). The actors' performance ends up being affected: how could they be credible when they have to spend their time explaining to you how to eat KFC chicken or why you should drink Ohishi Honey Lemon 0%?The 2 characters with whom the 2 heroes are exchanged don't even get a little bit of storyline, it's a shame!
At the 9th episode, I realized that nothing better was going to happen, so I decided to give up. In short, don't waste your time with this series.
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Mixed opinion
At first, I was quite happy: good actors, a fun story and an original Japanese version that I liked. Atom and Mudmee's chaotic attitude is amusing and a good time is had by all.The problem is that the story is too simple for a 12-episode series. So after a while, the series goes round in circles and you start to get a bit bored. The countless product placements don't help matters, quite the opposite in fact!
To sum up, although I initially preferred the Thai version, I'm now leaning towards the Japanese version.
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It started out so well!
We had everything we needed to make it work. A desire to show professional life for what it really is. A romance that takes its time to understand how the heroes fall in love.The problem, which took me a long time to understand, is that Pat's character is extremely toxic. At first, we feel sorry for him and his "I overthink 24/7 and have zero self-confidence" side. But as the episodes progress, we realize that he makes no effort to adapt to others. He's always running away from the slightest problem (and with him, EVERYTHING is a problem) and he can never make a decision on his own. His ex even has to give him advice about his relationship with his other ex - the last straw! Watching the last episode, you end up getting very annoyed.
Jeng isn't perfect either. His need to control everything is problematic, but we're not on the same level as Pat. All in all, Jeng is reminiscent of that friend who spends his time getting back together with his toxic ex, despite his friends' recommendations.
As for the secondary characters, most of them serve no purpose. Jaab's story is both incomprehensible and unfinished.
In short, it's hard to enjoy this series to the end because of its unlovable main character. The very successful first episodes aren't enough.
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This review may contain spoilers
I expected worse but it could have been better
The scenario is not very dense but the series is unpretentious so it's not too embarrassing. The real problem is the slowness of the show which ruins everything. Moreover, there are too many characters and above all, the interaction between Kit and Mark is not credible for a second even if the 2 actors are at their best: their relationship is stuck in a childish beyond reality. Who is going to make us believe that 2 guys around 20 behave like 13 year old teenagers ? This modesty misplaced in the numerous (no) sex scenes does not make sense...In reality, the childishness takes too much place in all the series, too bad ! The positive point is that we want to know the continuation and especially that Thanu realizes (it's my wish, I don't know if it will come true!) that he has a real crush for Pai and for nobody else (everybody will hate me when reading this HAHAHA).
Oh, let's hope they stop in season 2 with these permanent sound effects when people talk! It's unbearable and so old-fashioned.
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Time Well Spent
This series takes on a theme similar to Lovely Writer but in a way that is certainly lighter, but it works anyway. The toxicity of fandoms in the K-Pop, T-Pop, and BL world is a real issue, and it’s good to bring it up from time to time. Blaming everything on managers who only seek to profit is a bit too easy.It talks about dreams, goals, careers, and love. It’s light but not bland. It’s an enjoyable watch. The actors seem to have good chemistry, making it easy to get invested in their stories.
An enjoyable series.
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Simple but effective
Let me start by saying that I haven’t watched the original series. In any case, drawing a comparison with a 2014 series, a time when BL was still a very niche genre and not necessarily well-regarded by authorities, would be tricky.The storyline is simple, but no one ever promised us a deep, complex narrative. And yet, a few important topics are addressed. The actors are good, and for once, they actually seem to be the right age for their characters.
In the end, this series is well-executed and will likely appeal more to a younger audience.
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Not unpleasant to watch but not unforgettable
The series depicts office life rather well. It lacks depth, but it's realistic enough. We follow the interns through everything that can happen to them, whether professional or personal. It's not ultra-captivating, but it works.As for the love story between Ryan and Jane, it takes a bit of a back seat. It's a shame, because it's hard to understand how they come to love each other.
A major problem with this series is the character of Ryan, who is absolutely unlovable: whiny, childish but above all incompetent, which is problematic for a series set in the corporate world. It's hard to understand what Jane sees in him.
As for Jane, the series takes too long to develop his character.
In short: a fairly decent series, but likely to be quickly forgotten.
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A good series but lacks rhythm
The series is interesting and deals with sensitive subjects. The protagonists are very sober in their development and the end product is endearing.The problem is that, after a while, the story stops moving forward and the episodes start to sound the same. Boredom is not far off, and that's a pity, because 8 episodes would have been more than enough and we wouldn't have had this feeling.
All in all, this series is pleasant without being exceptional. When the scenario is simple, there's no point in making too many episodes.
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A series that lacks finesse
It starts with stories about rally cars. There are big cars, espionage and mysteries. In short, it gets off to a pretty good start.But all of a sudden, this omegaverse story takes over. First of all, not everyone is familiar with it. Some explanation would have been appreciated. The problem is that the story becomes chaotic: there's a permanent lack of coherence, the dialogue is poor and our car races come and go without us really understanding how. Theoretically, there are a lot of theatrical coups, but they're so predictable that they're not. The last episode is absolutely grotesque.
The acting gets worse and worse as the series scatters off in all directions.
The innumerable sex scenes and permanent good morals are not enough to save this series.
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