That’s it?
The story had real potential, and some serious topics were on the table: homophobia in sports, pressure on celebrities in South Korea… but unfortunately, everything is barely touched on. The real issue is that the series just doesn’t feel finished. The main relationship can’t stay as it is, and the two secondary characters haven’t resolved anything in their storyline.It really leaves you hanging. Good acting alone isn't enough. Kind of a letdown.
Was this review helpful to you?
Boring
This had all the ingredients for a good series: talented actors, a big budget, beautiful sets. And yet, I was bored out of my mind the whole time. Everything feels bland, flat, and far too predictable.Even though Emmaly is a fictional country, it could still have had some history or cultural depth — instead, it's reduced to four colors and a handful of natural resources. Every scene feels the same, whether it’s a love confession, a protest, or a fight. It’s all too polished, too clean. I don’t even remember seeing any blood during the fight scenes.
And the pacing — it drags on forever. Scenes feel endless and completely lack rhythm. The NC scenes are long and very explicit, but completely devoid of passion. Honestly, the opposite would have worked much better.
That said, it’s not all bad. The acting is solid overall, the cinematography is good, and there is an actual storyline with a political idea behind it. But it’s just not enough to save a series where everything feels so surface-level.
In short, I’d say it’s more of a miss than a disaster. Not terrible, but not really worth watching either.
Was this review helpful to you?
A pretty lazy series
We were all here for Krist and Singto’s comeback, hoping for a fun romantic comedy. Unfortunately, the plot is paper-thin and nothing much happens. Even they don’t seem to believe in it themselves. The episodes all feel the same, the storylines are resolved in unconvincing ways, and the side characters are completely useless.The second-to-last episode is ridiculous, and the finale can be watched on fast-forward.
Honestly, I think only die-hard fans of this pairing will enjoy it. Personally, I’ll have forgotten this series in five minutes.
Was this review helpful to you?
Very enjoyable
The story is simple but well told. It's admittedly sweet and childlike, but not excessively so.The actors are actually the age of their teenage characters, which really adds to the credibility. Plus the acting is solid.
The plot is fairly light but still manages to touch on deeper themes from time to time.
You never get bored. A perfect feel-good Sunday watch!
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
Very bad at the beginning, much better afterwards but an unexceptional ending
It gets off to a very bad start: messy, excessive, directionless and, frankly, not very well acted (these actors generally have trouble with intense scenes). I almost gave up.Then the story takes a step backwards, and the story becomes more interesting. The whole is much more coherent and we begin to understand. There's a desire to get away from the traditional Manichean schema, and this complexity is welcome. Karma plays its part, which is logical for a Thai series.
But the last episode ruins it a little. The aftermath should be more developed and - without wishing to spoil anything - the very end is rushed through with more questions than answers. I'm okay with an open ending, but this one's just too confusing.
In short, this could have been a great show; in the end, it's just okay.
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
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!
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
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!
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
A successful series
The plot is original and well executed. The story is well told, although there are a few slow parts or moments that lack creativity. The twist in the final episode is unexpected — whether it's believable is another question, but it definitely caught me off guard.A major downside: Bom, who plays Thiwthit, delivers a very poor performance. I'm genuinely surprised to see such mediocre acting alongside strong actors in what is likely a big production. His final scene is downright cringeworthy.
All in all, a solid 2025 release.
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
