This review may contain spoilers
The Stalker Next World
One thing that I admire about MAME is how masterful they are in colouring something green when it was clearly neon red. Not many can do that. But the fact they were able to do it in both the stories that got adapted is a talent. Art majors are crying in the corner. Artists wish they could colour as well as her.And what's even more masterful, is how people actually fall for it. It's amazing. Truly. I wish I could gaslight my audience into thinking a creep is the most wholesome sad boi ever. Actually jealous of MAME.
Now, let's break down this series as I understood it and see what went wrong.
Cir got in an accident one day, and after waking up from his coma he immediately finds Phu and believes he's his boyfriend. Then, he claims that he is from a parallel universe where they were boyfriends. However, we later find out that parallel universes don't exist and Cir was lying because when he was in a coma he saw a dream that he and Phu were together (and according to him felt so real) that he decided to make the executive decision to lie about it and convince Phu he truly is from another universe. Keeping up so far? No? Okay, great, because plot twist, parallel universes actually do exist and the "dream" that Cir was having wasn't actually a dream, but him teleporting into the body of another Cirrus from the universe before his and living that life for a while. Then plot twist again (which isn't really a plot twist, but whatever), the reason why Cir knew everything about Phu (down to his ROOM PASSCODE!!!) was because he has been watching Phu since high school. Then we get a bit of angst, some amnesia plot line, a confession in the middle of the road because these two fucking idiots haven't learnt their lesson after Cir got hit by a car TWICE, some family drama and finally a happy ending.
Got all of that? Great! Now let's discuss.
Let's start with PHUKAN by asking the most obvious question first. Why is Phu, a grown-ass adult, acting like a child? Why BLs can't move away from making their bottoms absolutely childlike is weird to me. It's like a weird fetish they all have. You can make your characters sunshine-y, but that doesn't immediately equate them to children. Take North for example from Fourever You. He's a sunshine character, and most definitely NOT acting like a fucking child. Just stop. Enough.
Many have said this before, and I completely agree with them, this is just Rain 2.0 but less of a brat and more naïve. Because how the fuck did Cir manage to make him believe in PARALLEL UNIVERSES??? I'm sorry, but this is the most unrealistic part of the show. If someone came up to you and claimed to be your boyfriend and proceeded to list EVERYTHING they knew about you INCLUDING YOUR FUCKING DOOR PASSWORD, you'd think he's fucking delusional and out to murder you, not that HE'S FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSE! The entire premise of the show falls on the shoulders of Phu's naivety and that's downright stupid. You genuinely can't expect me to believe this whole ass 20 year old didn't realise Cir basically stalking him since high school. And that no one around him thought it was weird either.
And let's not forget how whiny he is. My dear lord give me strength because I was about to lose it within the first five minutes of the first episode and the show didn't even start. I don't know if it was Noeul's acting or if it was Phu's character, but whatever it was, it made wanna bash a brick against his head. And this constant whining coupled up with everyone around him babying him was not helping. Yes, his dad died. Yes, his mother loves his dad more than she does her own child and refuses to come back to Thailand. And yes, that can explain his naivety, but for some reason, the writers equate that naivety to him being childlike. You can be naïve but still be mature. You can be naïve but still have bloody common sense. Phu being naïve is not the problem, it's the writers using his naivety to make him a child and using it to explain his lack of thinking that's the problem.
The show already shows us that Phu has the tendency to always put others first, and I really liked that for his character. It added more than him being childlike. Now, they could have easily used that as the driving force of the show instead of making him fucking stupid. He thinks Cir is goddamn bonkers, agrees to go along with his ramblings of them being boyfies until he finds out what is actually wrong with him, then falls for Cir along the way. Done. Not so hard. But of course, the writers want you to believe someone who has developed their frontal lobe will believe a crazy guy who legit appeared are their doorstep after running away from the hospital. Yes, of course. So realistic.
And speaking of realistic... *cough cough* CIRRUS, come here my boy. Take a seat on that chair. Yes, that one by the wall. *Whacks him with a frying pan*
Listen, I'm all for tops that are completely enamoured by their bottoms. Really, I am. Nothing gets my feet kicking more than a man who is totally obsessed with you while being the greenest fucking flag possible.
What I do have a problem with is when that said man blatantly disregards their friends, your friends and his family. I don't find that hot. I find that disgusting. I don't like men who are jealous of their own family and friends when they get close to their partner. And whose entire personality is their partner. Like, I can't tell you a single thing this man likes doing except that he likes Phu. He doesn't work. Basically doesn't even attend his classes. Is always where Phu is and is constantly giving Phu's friend the death glare. And is so overbearing to the point where I'm uncomfortable. Honestly, if that works for Phu and he still loves the man, then great on him. At least he's not abusive.
But I'll tell you what he is though. A FUCKING STALKER!! Yes, you heard me and I'll say it again, he is a STALKER!! And not just any old stalker, but a class-A stalker. I'm not joking. Cirrus is EVERYWHERE. Like, everywhere. Phu could move to America without telling a soul and Cirrus would pop up in front of him in the middle of butt fuck nowhere. There is nothing cute about this. It's downright creepy. If he were to watch Phu from a distance in the places where they are together (like in class, the playground, the canteen...) fine, whatever, everyone does that when they have a crush. BUT TO ACTIVELY FIND OUT WHERE PHU'S DORM IS, WHERE HE BASICALLY IS AT EVERY MOMENT OF THE DAY, AND HIS PASSCODE??? Yeah, fuck off. That's fucking weird no matter how nicely you treat someone after getting together. And to top it all off he has evidence of his stalking by keeping a pile of pictures he secretly took inside a book he keeps out in the open. He's a weirdo and stupid. At least they address this problem with Toh in Secret Crush on You (and this dude had it worse), but no one here points out how weird this shit is. In fact, they all brush past it and glamorise it as him being so in love and boohoo isn't he so pitiful sad emoji sad emoji. Yeah, no. Shut up.
The genres of this show are Thriller, Romance and Fantasy. At first, I was so confused on why this was labelled as thriller when there were no thriller elements, but then I realised it's for the stalking. Should have been labelled as horror if I'm being honest.
And I haven't even gotten to the part where his reasoning for all of this isn't just cuz he was in love with Phu and is a coward to make a move, but also because he wants to keep Phu safe from his mother. And you know, the easiest fucking solution is to stay ten feet away and not move into the same apartment complex that your crush lives on. But what would I know? I've never been in love.
But this whole side-plot is so stupid. He traded away his freedom for four years of university, and after getting his degree he's basically not allowed to do anything out of his own free will. So why? Why the fuck would he start a relationship with Phu??? What was the plan here? Fuck around then ditch him? Because before the whole pep talk about Cir finally putting his foot down from Wim, he was still planning to uphold the rules/orders from his mother. And even in the end, before Phu finally got his shit together, he was still under his mother's palm. AND HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO SHOW HE WAS GOING TO BE HIS OWN PERSON!! This entire plot point of Cir finding his own freedom and getting out of his mother's clutches is so inconsequential to the whole plot of the show, and it basically went nowhere BECAUSE HIS OWN BROTHER TOOK HIS PLACE. WHO CIR HAPPILY FORGOT ABOUT!! We had a whole thing about how Cir would never let his brother take his place as his mother's property, but in the end, he just walks out hand in hand with Phu and never once looks back?? Be so fucking for real now.
And now onto the parallel worlds because I'm tired of typing about these two.
I haven't read the source material, but we do know that there weren't any parallel universes in it, and that Cir was making all of that shit up. And here is where the show did something good. Because if they just kept it as the original, then Cir wouldn't just be a creepy stalker, but downright delusional, manipulative, gaslighter and basically psychopath levels of get a restraining order against him. And while he is all of these already in the show, it's all mellowed out (apart from the stalking) by the fact that they included parallel worlds. Until the introduction of this, the pacing had been terrible and the romance just kept dragging with unnecessary plot beats to fill in the space. And it was because of this addition that I was finally invested in this show because something interesting was happening. Even if that investment came after 9 episodes.
HOWEVER. And yall know there was going to be a however. By making this addition, the writers shot themselves in the foot because they didn't know what else to do with it. They brought in such an interesting concept, only to fumble it in the end. The snippets of all the different universes that we could have possibly explored were amazing. And the lore that they were giving us was genuinely interesting. Until it just brought on more questions.
Why is Cir the only one who goes through parallel universes? Why did he travel into the body of another Cir while in a coma? And why did the other Cir travel into his? Is there a time limit? What makes them return to the original body? Is this a paradox? Because from my understanding, all these Cirs start making moves onto their Phus after finding out how amazingly they were loved by him and how wonderful their love was. So from this information it begs the question, who is the original Cir? Is there even an original Cir? Are they reincarnations of each other or are they separate entities? And the Cir dressed in black, the one from the previous universe, insinuated that none of the parallel universes had happy endings. Why? What happened? Why is this world special? Why did this Cir, the one that lied, stalked and manipulated Phu because he was a goddamn coward, get his happy ending, but not the Cirs that didn't lie and actually had a backbone? And these are just a few.
It's honestly just a shame that they didn't focus more on this part of the plot and only introduced it to add more drama into the story. It could have been such a good sci-fi mystery, but nope, we just stick to heavy handed romance instead.
Special mentions:
- Jin is my favourite character. Why does he have mind-reading powers? Fuck knows. When did he get them? Not a clue. Is he the only one with supernatural abilities? Couldn't say. For a second, I thought maybe we could be doing a supernatural children harvesting cult plot with Jin and his mind reading and Cir with his parallel universe jumping, but I guess that's too much of a plot. He was my favourite simply because I love the "I know everything but I'm just gonna smile, give out cryptic messages and watch the chaos ensue" characters. They're honestly my favourite.
- Wim was amazing, I wanted more off him. Just wish he didn't shout so much. It got annoying really quick. He deserved so much better than Cir as a friend. Dude does so much for Cir only to get nothing back.
- The mum. Fucking horrid. I don't see the point in her if they weren't even gonna try to give her a redemption arc or put her behind bars. This whole bullshit of, my children are my property and I'm using one of them to get back at my husband was ridiculous. We know nothing about her and everyone expects me to believe she's scary and powerful.
- Ozone. He needs to ditch his brother and find a better one. The fact that he got stuck in that household by taking his brother's place and no one even mentions him again is foul.
- The fiancé was so unnecessary. When are going to stop villainising exes and fiancés? Stop making them the scum of the earth who lust after the ML for the sake of drama! It's 2025, we need to stop this bs already.
- While I extensively complained about Phu's naivety/stupidity I loved when he actually stood up for himself when he needed to. He can get his praises for that.
- Boss as the Cir dressed in black was my favourite. There was something sinister about him and I whished we got more.
- Boss and Noeul definitely improved since Love in the Air. Noeul with black hair was so pretty and should keep that for his next series as well.
- The amnesia plot line. Why? Just why? Why are we bringing this trope back? Let it die in the trenches where it belongs. It was unnecessary and ridiculous.
This was a fun show for what it was, especially if you don't look too deeply into it. The characters are fun when you look past their glaring flaws, and the romance is quite cute if you decide to ignore the blatant elephant in the room. It's a MAME story so my expectations weren't that high to start with, and I knew coming in that Cir wasn't the green flag everyone portrayed him to be hence why my rating isn't lower. Set the bar low and go into it, and if don't like stalking your crush and then lying to them about it trope, then this will probably make you mad lmao.
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The happy ending we needed after the sad-fest that was 2024 c-dramas!
This is a late review, and it's been sitting in my notes for a while after the last ep dropped, so I thought I might as well post it.The way I knew this was going to be that show then moment I laid eyes on that trailer is actually insanity. I saw that trailer and I counted down for this release date and I was checking these comments and watching the edits like no one else. And the moment their marriage ep dropped? I was up at 10 am in the morning every day watching this as it aired. This was the first c-drama that I kept up with daily, and no fucking regrets at all. It had everything I wanted in terms of romance and more. Grey hair and that horse kiss was all I needed to sell me on this show, and it fucking DELIVERED!!!
2024 was nothing but sad dramas, and I went on a binge to watch as many sad endings as possible. Honestly, I was ready to sacrifice the happy ending for Song Mo to get his grey hair back, but I guess a happy ending will do after the devastating year that was 2024 c-dramas. And the fact that we got a proper wedding scene??? WE NEED MORE OF THEM!!! It's so annoying that we don't proper ones while the couple are in love. It's always arranged or forced and it's so jarring. So props to the director. But damn tho, Duke Ying and the Emperor... sheesh... there was a little somthin' somethin' going on there. I just kept side eying the two can't lie.
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I live and breath KangMoo
When I first started watching this I thought it was going to be a cute, feel-good show. Moo was everything I love in a character — adorable, honest to a fault, dorky, funny and the confidence in his love for Kang. That was what attracted me to the show and made me finally give into watching it week-by-week. It's so rare to get characters that expresses their emotions so openly like him, and I wish we got more characters like that. And for P'Kang. I love him as well. The sassy, savage and sarcastic to Moo's dorkiness was everything I needed and more. We seriously need more dynamics like this. The love they had for each was pure, sweet, and everything that comes with first love. It was a breath of fresh air from all these other relationships that had like ten billion other things going on.But then came the cursed ep. An episode too early may I add. I physically could not breathe through that break up, and even now just thinking about it pains me. I'm never getting over that. I knew it was coming, but it still had me in a state of physical and mental distress.
"How can you ask me not to choose you? Who could do that? I love you so much. I love you so much it feel like I'm dying." — These words are going to forever haunt me, and seeing them cry made me lose it. And don't even get me started on the Kai Palo. ONE YEAR!! HE KEPT IT FROZEN FOR ONE YEAR!! JUST TAKE MY HEART AND LET ME REST!! Never have I regretted watching a show week by week so much. The pain they were going through, how much they missed each other, how Moo kept looking for Kang... ugh, pain. Just fucking pain.
Then you bring out the blank letters?! Have you not hurt me enough??? HUH?!!?!? Why would you bring that out now? The fact that Kang has been sending Moo blank letters for a WHOLE YEAR and Moo didn't know about it and kept thinking he didn't miss him just ended me. WTF GMMTV?! YOU BETTER BE PAYING FOR MY THERAPY YOU MOFOS!!
And Potae and Payos... Why on earth was their story line so messy? I thought it was going to be a simple friends to lovers story line, but nope -_- Istg this show was a master of subverting expectations. No one saw any of this pain coming their way.
Was this the best script of all time? No. Did it have the most consistent of story? No. But the actors were great, the feelings were portrayed, and the story touched upon one of the most prevalent issues idols face everyday. I'm just glad that KangMoon got their happy ending, cuz if they didn't I'd be storming that GMMTV building.
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I will go to war for these boys!
This show was the only thing single handily keeping me while alive for the month. The way I didn't even wait for it to be uploaded to an illegal website and started fighting vpn. Sheng Wang and Jiang Tian are my babies, anyone hurts them its on sight. Like, they're the most adorable pieces of fluff to ever fluff. Watching them go from this enemies, to friends, to being absolutely unreplaceable in each others lives was most amazing, heart-felt and masterful thing I've ever seen."From now on, I’ll eat lunch with you, I’ll live with you, and you better not regret it."
"To hell with regret." -- It started with this, and the build up to it was so well done I can't even express it. These two actors fucking carried and put their whole backs into it. And them as individual people were portrayed so well I could actually cry.
"I didn't pack my bag. It's been there all this time." -- At first, I didn't know what that meant. But then you hit me with this shit; "He started wondering about. He lived in whichever home had room. I often saw him carrying his luggage, staying here or there for a little while, never able to get close to anyone. No one could have him for long." -- I fucking cried man. Jiang Tian didn't deserve any of it. He was just looking for a place to stay, and something or someone to call his home. Then he meets Sheng Wang and his whole life orbits out of trajectory. He found what he was looking for, and he was going to keep it all cost even by hiding away his feelings.
"Because then it'll really become a place that belongs to you. Don't you think so? It's what you want, right? So I'll go with you!" -- I just know that is the exact moment when Jiang thought Sheng was his home. There were no need for words from him, you could just from his facial expressions and eyes alone that Sheng Wang is whole world and beyond. And when he finally found his home? I fucking screamed okay? SCREAMED!! "You're home. Welcome home." The way I actually bawled during this scene is not even funny. Frankly, it was embarrassing, but did I care???? NO! CUZ JIANG TIAN CRIED AND SO DID I. HE FOUND HIS HOME AND I WAS GOING TO SHED ALL THE TEARS NEEDED.
And Sheng Wang, his boy is a bundle of clouds. I wanna hug and aggressively shake him at the same time. The abandonment issues really stuck with this kid and shaped his whole being. And he used studying as his whole thing, keeping it as a shield because it's the only thing that will not disappoint him. Then Jiang Tian came into his life and boom! Everything fell apart and come back together perfectly. This boy is so deep in love with Tian and he doesn't even know it yet. I just know he'd physically be uncapable of surviving without him. "When I thought I was abandoned by the whole world, when I thought it was useless to work heard, I actually forgot that someone who had nowhere to go home to, was still making an effort for me, giving his best and his all to protect me..." -- Yall hear that? Yeah, that's the sound of me screaming, crying, throwing up. Sheng Wang you fucking precious child. I'm just so happy him and Tian found each other man.
And then comes the cavate of the show. Them being brothers. Like damn, this show was so wholesome I completely forget how they were brothers man. I went fucking feral when Wang called Tian "Ge." FERAL, I TELL YOU. I replayed that scene so many times it's unhealthy. Everyone and their blind grandma can see Tian is head over heels with Wang. Boy, when Wang said; "But... if my dad's proposal is accepted, we'll become real brothers. Will you be unhappy?" -- you can just see what's going in Jiang's mind. Boy does not want to be brothers bruv.
But then. BUT THEN. If that wasn't enough. THEY ENDED THIS SHOW IN THE MOST HEART-BREAKING ENDING EVER. People out here being like "they just changed classes, blah, blah, blah." BUT NO. THEY DIDN'T JUST CHANGE CLASSES. WERE YOU NOT WATCHING THE SHOW?????? Tian knew Wang intentionally fucked up the test, and thought he was leaving him on purpose. The home he so desperately searched for was leaving him intentionally. And then, on top of that, Wang lied to him about. The abandonment issues, the lying... bro, it was all resurfacing. This last episode broke me in ways I didn't think possible. And I'm still not over it. And to end it with this monologue?
"To be secretly in love is one's personal turmoil. Because I like you so much, I feel like I've been overly cautious, like walking on thin ice, to the point where I nearly forgot that I'm 17 years old. At this age, the whole world is mine. I don't have to hesitate, and I don't need to consider things. There's no obstacle I can't overcome, and nothing I can't do." This is a cruel and unusual punishment. Wang tried so hard to stay away, but bro, he cannot live out without his mans.
And season two being confirmed was the best thing my ears have been subjected to in the year of 2024!! IF THEY DON'T GET THEIR HAPPY ENDING I WILL FUCKING RIOT. I WILL NOT HAVE ANOTHER "STAY WITH ME", YOU HEAR ME?????
Now as to why this didn't get a 10 like it should have. First the ending. That automatically reduced the rating for me. And the main reason? The fucking teachers. The way I was using my skip button for them was insane. I did not give two hoots about them and I still don't. I honestly thought the two male teachers were dating, but apparently not??? I was just confused man. Their story line takes up more space then it actually needs to. Unnecessary, irrelevant, couldn't care less.
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Tragic property. Emotional property. HEARTBREAK property! WHERE IS MY THERAPY PROPERTY?!
I'm going to miss this show so much. Coming home to watch this nonsense of a show and laughing my head off for the first half only to be depressed for the second half was another kind of happiness. Watching this group of unlikely people coming together and becoming the best found family ever was something I never knew I needed, but want to keep watching unfold forever. They were each others family, friends and home. I NEED A SEASON TWO.But real talk tho. These motherfuckers out here telling me it's not BL, but was it casual when Home called Peach his home? Was it casual when Peach cried like that for Home? "Would it be right for me to tell him I don't want him to go? Would it be right to say I want him to stay with me, that it'd be just us, ghost-hunting?" WAS IT CASUAL WHEN HOME SAID THIS ABOUT PEACH???? WAS IT????
Like, these people are so adamant, yet, simultaneously feeding my delulu like no one else. "Why would I go back there for when my dream is here?" -- I lost my fucking shit okay. The way my breathing just stopped. At this point they're just playing into it. Peach out here giving up his dream job and saying it's cuz the ghosts will speak Chiang Mai dialect. Brother, who you trying to fool??? You can't hear ghosts you mofo, why you capping!!! Like PangPang was the biggest shipper and wasn't even trying to hide it. They're in love your honour, they're married you're honour. If this is me being delulu, then I shall forever be delulu!!
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Stupid but fun
This is 100% the best MeenPing drama. You can truly see their acting shine compared to whatever Ai Long Nhai was. I'm glad we got as many basketball games as possible, which I did not expect. Ryu as a character was interesting, and I do think Meen pulled it off. Zen on the other hand did get lowkey annoying at times, but I loved our captain so its fine.BUT ATOM. BOY OH BOY, ATOM. NOTHING CAN MAKE ME LIKE THIS BITCH. I know we tried to make him seem understanding and sweet, but he just came off as creepy and weird. Like boy, back the fuck up.
But Q? He was such a complex character, and wanted to see more of him. At first, he was a weirdo, and I thought he was going to be dodgy as fuck. But then you see how much he cares for Ryu and how he'd sacrifice himself for the guy he loves, and I'M NOT CRYING YOU ARE-- THIS MAN DESERVES SO MUCH MORE THAN HE WAS GIVEN!!
This is in no way a serious show. It's stupid, it's ridiculous, no plot cohesion. If you are looking for something that makes sense and is serious, then don't bother. The best way I can describe this is that it's anime coded to its core. The team bonding scenes, the problems that they faced (cuz what do you mean we have murder??) and the games. Like ain't no way they didn't get inspiration from Kuroko's Basket or something. It was so dramatic at times for no reason, and maybe that was why I enjoyed it more than I should have. It was so stupid it was good.
If you're looking for something silly and turn your brain off, then this is the show.
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What you get when two people are allergic to happy endings.
These two motherfuckers are really allergic to happy endings, huh? Not a single one of their dramas that I have completed had a happy ending. But that's not to say I didn't choose this upon myself. I've been digging sad endings recently, and this was added to my list of to be watched immediately. And the thing that made drop everything and watch this? THE FACT THAT THE ML WAS A RED FLAG.Honestly, I forgot how fun it was being absolutely colour blind. This man isn't even red, he's full on black. And the kicker? I was fully supporting and crying for him. Istg, something about the reds and blacks man, they have a way to play with my emotions. And lets not forgot how pretty Allen is with that pony tail.
I just loved how everyone was so smart in this. There was no dumb characters, no damsels in distresses, and no motivations that seemed flawed. I thought Jiang Ci was going to be someone I didn't like because she seemed naïve, BUT I'M SO GLAD SHE PROVED ME WRONG. I just loved how she was a no bullshit, no nonsense girl. And that slowly, she started to see the ML's side, but still stuck to her own views and morals. Writers usually fuck up these kinds of characters. but they did a fantastic job with her.
And did I fucking cry a river when everyone was more than willing to sacrifice themselves for Wei Zhao? 1010%. Every single one of those scenes made me sob. And no matter how much they wished for his happiness, it was always in his fate to die. I swear, the way I could hear my heart breaking when they showed the marriage sealing from both their POVs. And that ending? "Your father's been waiting for us at home." — Yeah, I did this to myself and now I have to forever live with the consequences. We didn't get enough of their love story, and I will never forgive the writers for that. THEY DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER!!
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Came here for Pond, stayed for Bass and now JohanNorth have me in a choke hold.
Was this the most mind-blowing thing to be put to page? Fuck no. But I can tell you right now this sure had more going on then We Are the series and that focused on four couples and while this focused on two (while the next two will be out in part 2).It was honestly to my own detriment that Pond's first work that I watched was 180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us. This man is a phenomenal actor, and I knew I would watch him in any BL from that moment forward. So when I found out he was gonna be in this, I immediately jumped on board.
HOWEVER. And I mean this however in the nicest way possible -- the execution of HillTer's story totally killed it. There was something there, there honestly was. We had such great potential for angst, yearning, tension (emotional and sexual), and yet, it all fell flat. It wasn't the actors fault, but the way their story was written. It was so damn confusing, from start to end. Ter and Hill were a thing before, they knew each other before, HAD A WHOLE PAST!! And despite all that, none of that translated well to their university life where their story began again. If they just kept it at, "yes, they had a crushes on each other, but nothing happened," then everything would have been fine. But they kissed. They were almost about to have sex. THEY WERE CAUGHT HALF NAKED MAKING OUT!! Now please, I implore you to watch their story WITHOUT watching any of their flashback scenes. Trust me, not a single one of you would be able to convince me you actually think they did any of that. And I thought I just being dumb, so I legit went back and rewatched, but nope, don't make sense. So I went and watched the uncut version to see if I missed something. AND GOD, YES. There are so many bits missing that added to their past, but it still didn't make sense.
Like the whole "does Hill like Christ thing." Ummm?? You two made out? Hill called you his?? And that's Ter's entire inner conflict?? And not only that, but also that Hill might like that Mind girl?? So after Easter finds out Hill doesn't Mind, he processed to think Hill might like his sister? Bro. Come on.
And then the tearjerkering moment of them splitting apart. When did that happen?? I honestly tried to piece that part into the timeline but it made no sense. Because it couldn't have been before, since Hill's gramps didn't know about them, but it couldn't have been after either cuz Ter's dad didn't let them see each other. Did Hill sneak in? If so, how, when, where????
And it's these two pieces that don't fit into the puzzle that make this whole back story fall short. Don't get me started into the whole repetitiveness of the "will Ter finally agree to be Hill's boyfriend" thing. They act like a married couple, know they like each other, but being boyfriends is where we need to take a step back and think things through? It was so stupid. They actually has such great potential, but they fumbled the bag so hard it's not even funny.
But JohanNorth on the other hand... These two made the show. They WERE the show.
I remember when 2moons was coming out back when I was in high school. I remember waiting every week impatiently just so I could watch an episode. And I fell in love with Bas. He was my absolute favourite. And when I found out he wasn't going to be in the second season of 2moons I was devastated. Then I didn't hear about him or see him in any other BL shows and by then I sorta fell out of my BL phase for a while. So when I was coming back to watching BL there were many actors I wanted to back on my screen, and he was still one of them. So imagine my surprise when I see the trailer of this on my feed and I see Bas on my screen after so many years? I screamed. I think I did and I'm no ashamed to admit it. There are only two BL series that made me read the source material (novel), and that was 2moons and this one, JohanNorth's story. Bas has that much power.
Now that I've sung my admirations for this man, let's get on with this. Bas ABSOLUTELY killed it as North.
If there is one word to describe Johan and North, it's patience. Because that is what these two are. Patient.
There love story wasn't dramatic, it wasn't showstopping or phenomenal, but it didn't have to be. It was emotional, sweet, funny. It was patient. It was real. These two showed us that love can wait for someone. Johan waited years for North, and North waited for the right person. And Maxky and Bas showed us how chemistry and acting can bring these characters to life and make everyone fall for them more than the actual couple. They embodied the characters, they were the Johan and North. I honestly couldn't even tell you what it is about their love story that made me rewatched all their eps like five times already, but it was just the way they were *it* for each other. North was the chaos to Johan's calm. The dorkiness to Johan's stress. Johan doesn't talk much around North, and North understands, loves him regardless. He's always working and studying, always tired and exhausted, and North doesn't mind, he'll just stay by his side to support him. When North said he was a sabai-sabai guy, you could see it. He didn't stress, went about life his own way, if he loved someone then he loved with all his heart, didn't care about rumours or other people's opinion. He was kind, hilarious, strong-minded. He's just honest, wore his heart on his sleeve. And to see Johan's three-year unrequited love be fulfilled by someone like that just made me so happy.
And don't even get me started with the way North's eyes would instantly soften when he looked at Johan. Once boy realised he was in love, he was all in. Those were the eyes of love. The fact that North is a carefree guy but genuinely couldn't function without Johan around him? Yeah, you could tell this boy was just as in love with Johan as Johan is with him. These two were so intense for each other in the best way possible, and I loved it every single second of it.
And the way Johan just grabs North's neck when kissing. I have an obsession. I think I rewatched the café kiss scene an unhealthy amount of time. Johan is so hot man, words can't even capture it. They may have toned down his red-flagness from the novel, and he might not be fully green, but if North doesn't care, then why should I? These two were made for each other, and when North cried after hearing about Johan's three-years of pining, I cried as well. I did not expect them to become my comfort couple, but they did. And their reasons for loving each other were simple that I loved it even more. Johan because North didn't see rich people as stuck up assholes when everyone saw Johan like that, and North because Johan took care of him when North is always taking care of everyone else. They're just adorable man and I really hope we get to see more of them in Part 2 because this will probably be the last time we see Maxky and Bas together.
I'm all for actors changing partners, because some of my favourite BLs are the ones with pairing I never expected to see together on my screen, but THESE TWO NEED MORE SHOWS TOGETHER. PLEASE!! I BEG! MY LIFE IS THEIRS IF THEY MAKE THIS HAPPEN!! *sighs* I guess I will stick to writing fics about them instead to fill in the emptiness in my heart now that this has ended...
This would have defo been rated higher if it was just JohanNorth. It's still funny to me that the producers didn't think they'd be so popular and had to calm the fans by releasing this ep. Makes me wonder what they were gonna do with the extra content. Just bin it?
Special mentions:
1. TigerNao were fucking hilarious. They were just that crackhead couple for me. I really wish we see their relationship develop more in the next part.
2. The friendship groups. My god I loved the friendship groups to death. My favourite parts about ensemble group series are the friendships. The way Johan and Hill became unrequited love besties and Arthit and Fah just watching them. The doctor gang were so fucking funny. And Arthit 100% stole the show. I need more of him and can't wait for his story and chaoticness. I just love how supportive they are off each other. And the way Ter was the captain of the JohanNorth ship was amazing. He was the fandom. And Hill always there with a proud but "guys, pls stop" look killed me every time. And Johan Arthit friendship. We needed more of this. These two were so fucking hilarious man. The way they were always insulting each other but so ready to gang up on Hill was the highlight of any episode. And the Ter, Phoon, North and Dao combo. Powerful. We NEED to have a scene with all four couples on the last ep of Part 2. I'm rioting if that doesn't happen.
3. FahPhoon. These two need to stop being so depressed around each other and get their shit together. Can't wait for their story.
4. Editing. I know this is New so this isn't anything new, but damn man, the editing/pacing of this could really use some work. I already talked about the writing and editing issues with HillTer, but some of the sound effects need work. And that one JohanNorth kiss when North was sick, I can't be the only one that thought that editing there was weird af.
5. The family meetings. I loved them, but you could tell we were just moving from one scene to another. It was just this family, then cut to this family. Oh, now this one, then this one. Bro, Ter and Hill's whole family need one ep itself cuz there was so much to unpack there, not 15 minutes. And Johan's whole fam... we only knew about his grandma, and know his mum enrolled him into the medical course without asking him so he needed to do it while his dad only wanted him to take over the business. Maybe it was just me letting my imagination run free, but lovey-dovey fam was not what I was expecting. And yes, I read the novel, but we didn't meet the dad there so ig my opinion still stands. Idk, that was just weird, but I probs did that to myself. I loved North's mum tho. She da best! The way she kept outing North to Johan was my absolute favourite, and kept telling him to scold North was amazing lmao.
Anywhoooo, I can't believe we have come to an end of this journey already. I'm going to miss this cast, and I'm going to be devastated now that I don't have JohanNorth on my screen every week. They became my comfort couple so quickly it's not even funny. Now all I have is ThamePo and YothaGun to keep me sane.
Once again, was this show-stopping? No. There are so many other better series out there with better pacing, plot, writing and editing. But this was cute, it was fun, and the chemistry between Maxky and Bas was to die for. Reviews are not gonna help you decide whether to watch this, you need to watch it yourself and decide. If you don't like HillTer, then skip through them to get a overall feel of the show and character dynamics until you reach JohanNorth. If you don't vibe with them either, then that's totally fine as well. This show isn't for every one, and that's okay!
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Definition of power couple
When I say power couple, I MEAN POWER COUPLE. And that's exactly what these two are. They are ride or die. I'll burn the world for you. This is the kind of romance I want on my screen. Two strong-minded people that trust and depend on each other, know what the other is thinking, rely on each other, and love each other unconditionally."Don't come close to me. Whenever I see you, my heart thumps and I feel thirsty."
"Me too. Because I like you." — When I tell you I fucking screamed. I Couldn't. I waited for the confession, and it delivered. Not a single scene felt wasted, and the emotions were delivered to perfection.
"Tell the world it'll have to wait. I have to see Yi-hyun. If I lose him... my world may really collapse." — MORE FLs LIKE THIS WHERE??? Sae Bom is the fucking standard, and we need more people like her.
But real talk, for a drama that is called happiness, it sure stressed and angered the fuck out of me. Every person in that complex apart from the weird dude and the kid need to burn in the fires of hell. The amount of satisfaction I got when Yi Hyun kept teaching that glasses bastard a lesson was indescribable. Park Hyung Sik is one of my favourite actors, and him in this role had me squealing. He would honestly rock a more darker role, and I would be so down bad for him.
And the ending. OMFG THE ENDING. Istg I had the biggest heart attack when the ending happened. I was in tears. I couldn't breathe. I thought someone just shot the earth and we were crumbling to pieces. Am I being dramatic? Maybe. But IDC BECAUSE HOW DARE YOU PLAY WITH MY FEELINGS LIKE THAT?!?!
Yes, there were some glaring flaws with the show, hence the lower rating, and some unanswered questions, but I want to keep thinking about the good. So that's what I will do. I WANT MORE COUPLE DYNAMICS LIKE THIS!! KOREA, PLS!!!
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Passion in the hate I have for this show
Nothing, and I mean nothing, could make me like this. This show. On god, this show infuriates me every time I think about it. The plot progression was meh to alright at best. The characters were alright as well. (We were so robbed of a BL side plot.) But when I say I never had second lead syndrome, but this drama changed it for me. And this isn't even cuz the second lead was better looking or better personality/ likes the FL more. Most seconds are already like that. No, it's cuz I couldn't stand the ML. I don't even remember what he did, but just thinking about him gets me so triggered.And let's not even talk about the last three eps, cuz oh my lord in heaven do I have words. What do you mean you give us a 10 min long make-out scene only to have them break up in the next ep? What do you mean they broke up over the most stupidest thing ever that had nothing to do with the guy but the FL still made it his problem? What do you mean we get a whole useless ep only for them to get back together in the last ten mins?
This show infuriated me, and the more I think about it the angrier I get.
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I tried. I really tried.
This show. This fucking show. I don't get the girlies who like it, I'll never get the girlies who like, and I don't want to get the girlies who like it. But unfortunately, I can sort of see where the appeal is. It's pure trashy toxic romance drama that you eat up in one sitting. And its the kind of shit I would devour without a second thought. I love me some toxic relationships, love freaks who match each others freaks, I love Red flags. But this wasn't toxic, this was just Stockholm Syndrome: the series.Every couple (minus one) here was just suffering from Stockholm syndrome and yall cant convince me otherwise. There is nothing toxically romantic about falling for ur rapist. There just isn't. And while I did turn that part of my brain off so I can watch this in peace and harmony, I still did not enjoy. I felt like I forcing myself to watch it, hoping that I would understand why people found this appealing.
I love toxic fictional men as much as the next person, but Day was not a character I liked one bit. I'll admit there were some flash back scenes where I giggled, but that giddiness was immediately ruined cuz of Day in present scenes. There was nothing attractive, dominating or powerful about this guy. He's just a crazy person. There was nothing hot or sexy about how he became destructive of everyone. He was just a whinny, annoying, tantrum thrower. And him being lowkey shorter than Frank does not help.
Them not showing us how Day went from the sadistic psychopath to the loving boyfriend prior to memory loss was detriment to the show in my opinion. And then the memory loss happened than there was nothing redeeming about him. And no, I'm not saying he should have been a green flag, cuz him being red is the appealing thing about him, but I couldn't like Day for the life of me. Every character around him kept mentioning how he needed to talk nicer or act nicely. And if the characters in the show have to point out how unreasonable one is, then that's something else entirely. He was insufferable. Couldn't make his mind up for one second, acted like he cared for one minute then switches up the next. He wasn't a red flag, he was a "I'm a child and I woke up on the wrong side of the bed and that's everyones problem but mine" flag. I can list ten different red flag characters that are so much better and well executed, none of which are pissy tantrum throwers. No joke, if I had to watch this man materialise a problem out of thin air and change up and blame Itt for something that wasn't his fault one more time, I would go into the screen and run a car over him. Then reserve and repeat this ten times.
"You don't remember, that you said you'll never lay yours hands on me." — Truly, the bar is in 9th circle of hell with this relationship. Itt is so indoctrinated its actually sad to watch. And Day didn't even apologise when he found out about the video. NOT A SINGLE APOLOGY. NOT EVEN HALF-ASSED. I just know even all the red flags are disgusted.
AND ON TOP OF THAT... they get married!??!?! Like what??? And that proposal?? Bitch what fuck was that?! I was so bored and speed running this show that I didn't even realise. I had to rewind and watch it twice cuz i thought i was going crazy. Itt genuinely has no self-respect or dignity for himself cuz how do say yes to that?
This show was a snooze, fighting for my life to finish it, couldn't care less about it.
But Nik is my baby. He was the only light at the end of the tunnel. The only one brave enough to say the right thing to Day's fucking face without pussying out. I love him, and anyone who touches him is catching hands.
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Story? What story? Just cute boys falling in love!
PhumPeem:They were the slow burners of the show, and were they slow bruningggg. I loved watching them grow as people, especially Phum. Loved watching him go from a cocky bastard to someone who started to care about and understand Peem. I loved how they became each other's safe place, and when one was in trouble or in need, they'd just go to each other for comfort. The scene where Phum finally spoke to his dad nearly made me tear up. The love they hold for each other was honestly so beautiful. It was disgustingly sweet. Bleh.
QToey:
The reason why I started this show 6 weeks in. Worst and best idea of my life I must say. And they fucking delivered. WhinnySatang are so underrated it hurts. I didn't even realise how many shows I've seen them in, and mainly remember them from MSP, but they can fucking act! THEY NEED THEIR OWN SERIES ASAP!! That crying scene? Bruh, the reason wasn't even that serious, but bloody hell they gave their whole backs for that performance. I still have chills thinking about it. Toey is just so baby girl coded I love it with my entire being. And Q being the sassy, sarcastic, tsundere bestie is everything. This kind of dynamic is my religion. Fucking fight me. I like vanilla too, okay, Helen? Watching the entire gang go with the random shenanigans just to get Q to admit his feelings was hilarious. Watching him warm up to Toey and Toey slowly not being scared of Q was just endearing.
TanFang:
I ended up enjoying this couple more than I thought I would. They are legit each others soulmates in every drama series. SO WHY DON'T THEY HAVE THEIR OWN SERIES YET?! HUH, GMMTV?! These two kill it every time, no matter in what role or dynamic they are put in. They can act, they got chemistry, SO CAN WE STOP PUTTING THEM AS BG COUPLE??? I know they got together pretty quickly, but the lack of screen time was annoying. I wanna see more lovely dovey Fang behind close doors. I know boy is a sassy motherfucker who be dropping bombs every where he goes, but I need to see him with Tan at home. I wanna see the soft side he only shows him. I will forever be a Fang defender, and any who thinks he don't like Tan, get glasses. Rewatch the show. Do. Better.
ChainPun:
If PhumPeem where the slow burners of the show, then these two were oven turned off. Ship not even sailed cuz captain forgot to give the order to go. PhumPeem walked so they could crawl. Pun being so fucking oblivious when the whole world and their dead grandma knew about Chain's feelings was fucking hilarious. And that kiss? I have never screamed and cried and been so shook in my life. I deadass did not expect any of that. And then Pun went in for a second one?? They knew the fans were hungry, so they devoured and delivered.
Other stuff:
Overall, the friendship of this whole group was what carried the show. If one is looking for plot, there is none, look the other way. All conflicts are mostly internal. Its basically them figuring out their feelings and emotions for their partners, and growing as individuals. But after they get together? There is no conflict what so ever. And I'm a slow burn lover. I love it to my core when it's done correctly. But this was just slow burn with no substance. If there is no plot to carry so many eps, then it just feels like it's dragging. And that's what PhumPeem felt like to me. "I only know that I love you" — 13 episodes. 13?! Yeah, that's too much. But it had me squealing so whatever.
There were a few eps in here that added nothing to the story overall, and honestly could have been taken out of the show and be substituted for something else. Add conflict, add some drama that feels relevant. And no, no misunderstanding or miscommunication. But like the whole shtick with Phum's dad that we could have done. TanFang having some issues that they had to resolve instead of them being the diabetes of the show. Phum and Fang's family are RIGHT there. We could have had that. We could have had Peem's background problems, or added more to ChainPun. I don't see why the directors changed them to be a couple, only to have them in the last ep.
Matt needs more appreciation in this show. Man was single-handedly carrying most of the comical scenes. "You always order me to do this and that ... I'll convince Toey to date someone else." The shit this man does and says is amazing. And the little somethin' somethin' they were doing with him and Mick was... well, bombastic side eye.
In conclusion, I'm a Fang defender to my dying breath, Tan best boi, Q is my spirit animal, Satang needs more baby girl roles, and glad Phum and Peen finally decided to grow brain cells and talk about their feelings.
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What got me into fantasy dramas
I told myself I wouldn't watch another bromance after Stay With Me, especially a fantasy. But guess what? HERE I AM!! I folded okay. I was weak and gave in. I just wanted to know why people were screaming about how this managed to pass censorship. And god fucking damn it, I agree with the people. I am the people. Curiosity might have killed the cat, but god damn did satisfaction bring it back alright.These two are literally in love your honour, and anyone with a single brain cell and working eyes could see it. Nay, even a blind bat could tell they're in love. Straight off the bat I knew I was going to love the dynamic between WKX and ZZS, the dude who couldn't give to flying fucks and our flirtatious king. Like, the way WKX looks and spits our the flirt bars has me dead. There was nothing heterosexual about that.
ZZS, or A Xu, off-- this man. Boy just wanted to die in peace while drinking alcohol and got a flirty husband, an annoying daughter and a cute son instead. I fucking loved the family dynamic, and watching A Xu and WKX go on a killing speer for their child Cheng Ling was the best thing I have ever watched. And there's WKX, who bullies the shit out his kids, but the moment they are in danger or being pursued by someone he's all Ghost King on them and I'm howling with laughter. Man is so possessive and it's hilarious cuz people keep messing with his people and don't know who they're pissing off.
Now, ZZS. The character development of this man. I could be here all day screaming about it and I'll still have so much to say. I am so enamoured by this guy, and if weren't for WKX, I would take him. The way he slowly went from someone who couldn't give two fucks about WKX, to slowly joining in his banter, flirting back at him, letting him touch him, letting himself fall in love and love him wholeheartedly. MY HEART COULDN'T TAKE IT. He's so fucking pretty as well, so it didn't help. "The world is not important. What's important is finding a soulmate." -- LIKE, YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHEN THEY LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AFTER ZHOU SAID THIS IT WAS PLATONIC. THERE IS ACTUALLY NO WAY. The him saying; "If it weren't for the fact that I don't have much time left, wouldn't it be great to find a soulmate to roam the martial arts world, and spend the rest of my life like the Four Sages of Anji?" This was legit the start of when he slowly started to fall in love with WKX. He didn't care about it before, just wanted to go off and die somewhere, but after meeting WKX, he started to think about this again.
And then after the revelation when he said: "I really thought he was my soulmate." -- TEARS. JUST TEARS. He could have left at that and not gone back to WKX. But brother just couldn't, he fell as deeply in love with WKX as WKX had with him. He opened up to WKX, fell for him, and even after breaking that trust, he still tried to get to know WKX because he knew there was something more. Something that WKX was hiding from him. And the scene where they called out to each other three times? That was the confession. No one can convince me otherwise. That was the turning point, and it was at that moment that ZZS was in deep with no roads back. He stayed faithful and waited for WKX to talk to him. "Lao wen, there's nothing between us that we can't discuss." -- the fucking patience this man has. I could never. And even after finding out his identity ZZS didn't leave him. Instead, what did he say? "My long lost 2nd Junior and my soulmate." -- I SCREAMED. DO YOU HEAR ME SCREAMING. I FUCKING SCREAMED AND SCREAMED SOME MORE. HE FULL OUT DECLARED HIS LOVE FOR WKX. HE HAVE LOST HIM.
And if that wasn't enough, we get further proof when he tries to end his life. "The world is not important, but my soulmate is. Since my soulmate is gone, death is nothing to fear." -- LIKE, WHAT IN THE ROMEO AND JULIET IS THIS?!?! THE FACT THAT WKX BECAME HIS LIFE, AND THE WAY HE WAS WILLING TO FIGHT ALL OF THE MARTIAL ARTS WORLD WITH WKX AND JUMP OF THE CLIFF WITH HIM-- UGHHHH. I CAN'T. THIS MAN IS WHIPPED, GONE, BESSOTTED.
But that doesn't even get started with Wen Ke Xing. THIS MAN. THIS BLOODY MAN. I AM IN LOVE WITH HIM. This guy is what you call a perfect onion character. A perfect sympathetic villain. The amount of layers this man had was fucking insane. More insane than he was in the series. Everyone knew this man was sus from the start, but watching him peel back layers of himself as the show went on was the perfect case of characterisation so many BL shows miss. The fear and terror hidden behind the cockiness. The shame and guilt hidden behind his ideals. The anger and resentment hidden behind his laughs and confidence. Everything was so masterfully done that I couldn't hate him for a single second. Even when half the world was going to shit cuz of him.
But then, despite all the tragedy that befell him, he still found love. He found someone to call a soulmate, someone who was willing to sacrifice himself for him. "As a wanderer in this world, all I need is you." -- He might have been interested or fascinated by ZZS when they first meat, but you could tell that he genuinely started to fall in love with the man after getting to know him. And his confession??? "The moon looks beautiful tonight." -- Yeah, these Chinese producers knew what they were doing to pass that fucking censorship ban. And when ZZS said; "Lao Wen. I used to think that you were pretending to be crazy and dumb. I didn't realise that you're actually crazy." -- THE BETRAYAL IN HIS EYES. BRO, LOA WEN WAS DESTROYED. HE WENT CRAZY, THE RED EYE LINER WAS BACK. THAT'S WHEN YOU KNOW SHIT WAS ABOUT TO GET REAL. I just love how their "breakups" progressively got smaller as the show went on. That was probs the funniest thing about this series.
Gu Xiang -- This girl. Honestly, I don't know how I feel about her. I don't hate her, but I don't love her either. She just got on my nerves most the times and that's putting it lightly. But her relationship with WKX was so heart-warming and funny to watch. The father-daughter dynamic they had going on was hands down the best part of the series. BUT THEN. BUT THENNNN. I was a sobbing mess okay. I had tears in my eyes and they were everywhere on my face. It was river of tears and I had nothing more to give. BECAUSE HOW COULD YOU?! HOW FUCKING COULD YOU?! HER AND WEI NING DEVERSED EVERYTHING AND MORE. WEI NING DESERVED THE UNIVERSE AND MORE. THAT SCENE SINGLE HANDEDLY BROKE ME TO FUCKING PIECES AND I'M NEVER GETTING OVER THAT.
Also, give my baby Cheng Ling a break. Boy's back must be broken from carrying so many sects on his back.
Censorship was 1010% sleeping when they greenlit this show. And most of the kudos have to go to the script writers. The way they used poems and double meaning phrases and the word soulmates instead of lovers was a fucking genius move on their half. Ain't no Chinese government sticking their nose in that and smelling the homoerotic undertones despite how pungent it was.
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Either you like this show, or you won't.
I never expected to enjoy this show so much. This was 100% my 2024 surprise BL. It had me screaming, laughing, squealing, crying and giggling like no other. The comedy in this was perfect, and the visuals and cinematography were amazing. Maybe it's because of the phase I'm in my life, maybe that's why I enjoyed this show so much. Cuz Ryan is genuinely my spirit animal. I am Ryan, and Ryan is me. Introverts, can't speak up, makes stupid mistakes, didn't have friends at uni and only went for lectures, and has no idea what to do with life. "Unlike me, who just shows up to study and goes home." -- Never met someone that spoke to my soul like that . Every time this boy did something or said something, I felt so called out. This show was so realistic sometimes to point where it was scary. P'Baimon said; "You want to be porridge with side dishes?... Something plain and bland, but goes well with everything." — I died. I was sold. I knew I was going to love this show.Now, let's get onto my favourite part of the show -- P'Jane. This man is hands down one my favourite characters in all of BL. There is no questions. I fucking love him. At first, I thought we were getting a cold-hearted guy who's only soft for the main lead. But boy, was I wrong. I knew this guy was going to be it for me the moment he first complimented Ryan. "You didn't score a goal or find the extra, but at least you got my printer working today." -- I should be embarrassed that this got me smiling like a fool. He has a hard exterior but a soft interior. Man is so over worked, no wonder he's so stressed and gets annoyed/angry at everyone. Legit, when Rayn makes mistakes, I get so fucking stressed for the boy cuz you know he is in for a scolding. When Ryan cried after that scamming fiasco I started tearing up. I was stressed. Ryan is legit me, but more capable. But then Jane had to go and say this; "Actually, you're not a bad assistant." -- And I was down bad for P'Jane like Ryan was. Sue me.
I don't care what anyone says, I will forever be a P'Jane defender. He's such a good mentor, harsh, but gives praise when praise needs to be given. And you can just tell how much he cares for his staff despite them badmouthing him all the time. You don't understand the amount of times I watched the scene of him defending Pie. Screaming, crying , throwing up. That was so hot of him. And it was this moment when this man got solidified as my fav BL character; "All they can do it criticise me. I know my intentions." -- This was hands down the the moment I officially lost the battle and was on my knees for this man. I am not even ashamed of myself. And lets not even get started on this man's character development. Oof-- him tackling the insecurities and learning how to better himself to pursue his dreams was just... chef's kiss. I wish we had more of that, it more interesting then Judy and Ba-Mhee.
And the way Jane and Ryan's relationship developed??? Screaminggg. Yes, I would have liked more scenes with them, but honestly, I wasn't even that mad. I was eating up everything they gave me, and I lived for all their interactions. "Why are you mad at Phi?"
"Can you call yourself Phi with me forever?" -- SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP. YOU CAN'T JUST SAY THAT!! AND IF THAT WASN'T ENOUGH, THEY GO HEAD AND DO THIS;
Ryan: "What kind of feelings do you have for me?"
Jane: "Behave yourself and I'll tell you" -- LEGIT DYING THROUGH THIS WHOLE INTREACTION. DIED AND LEFT THIS EARTH. The way these two always solve all their misunderstandings in one day and it never drags out to the next ep is just amazing. The communication, the reassurance, the maturity from Jane -- UGH, I WANT HIM.
Now, let's talk about the other plot. I honestly didn't think the Ba-Mhee/Tae and Judy plotline would drag out for this long. And while I appreciated the time it took to flesh out the whole thing, the overall conclusion made the whole drama pointless. I enjoyed, but I didn't really care at the same time. You could tell that Ba-Mhee was holding onto someone that showed her the affection and attention she was lacking from Tae, and the whole thing was very realistic in the way's portrayed. But having her getting back with Tae made all her inner turmoil useless, and the GL bait quiet jarring to say the least. But also appreciate that they didn't just rush through it. I'm just annoyed about the execution of it all. If the conclusion wasn't her getting back with Tae, it would have been such a good plot. But in the end, it amounted to nothing really.
But the who situation did a very good job at showing that both sides weren't wrong. Tae wasn't there for her, didn't show affection and give his time and kept brushing her off. While Ba-Mhee cheated on him despite her having more or so convincing reasons. It wasn't all black or white, and I really appreciated that. Honestly, the main thing I got out of this, Pah is the best friend everyone needs. Man was not playing around and fired shoots left, right and centre. And I loved him for every second of it. And Tae. My poor boy. The way he pretended to be fine but then broke down when he was alone. OOF. "Without you to remind me , how will i live ?" -- TAE CRIED AND I CRIED WITH HIM. Boy finally realised just how much Ba-Mhee does for him, and it was about time he got that wake up call. Only if they just left it at that made them come to terms with the break up. And Ba-Mhee. This girl. I really don't know how I feel about. But one thing I do know, she needs to stop fucking crying. Istg, she shed one more tear and I was going to go rip her new one. But I couldn't hate her either. And it mainly because the show did a really good job at making you sympathise with her position/feelings.
I just overall love how all the characters had equal amounts of screen time. The show is called "The Trainee" for a reason. We got to explore and develop the whole cast, and I loved that so much about the show. "Whenever i feel like I lack talent, I tend to blame it on these things without realising it" -- Pah being the most relatable character next to Ryan was not something I expected, and us getting nearly an ep to explore him was something I really liked.
And special shout out to my girl Pie. Watching her go from this stoic hard-ass to someone who joins in the fun and is soft was amazing. I love Pie, and her friendship with Pah was something to die for.
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