meaghen

I just watched all 4 episodes of Century of Love these past few days and I'm in LOVE too!! But yes lol our intrigue was similar! EarthMix will always be the 'one,' paired couple in dramaland and overall that I really adore, but I hadn't come across DaouOffroad, and I was so happy I did too. I do think they're not as well-known as some of the other ships people usually think of in Thai BL, of course, but I hope more people continue to appreciate them. I know COL was trending on Thailand's Netflix and many of their moments have gone viral on TT, so I just hope more people tune into their series and projects more than just their 'couple aura' because yes, they've been unique so far and their acting is so natural -and they're so hard working for their craft.

And me too! I saw some clips of COL and I was like I hope it's not too campy, but the production is incredibly well-done. I appreciate the balance the show has -it doesn't feel rushed, but at the same time the plot is progressing and isn't being dragged which I liked. Usually I'm one to say 'wrap it up please,' but I would have watched COL if it had 20+ episodes and probably still have craved more lol. There's just so much they could explore with the backstories and overall the ways they could venture off into different plot ideas. I'm probably going to gush starting this week when the newest episodes release soon. I totally know what you mean!

The cheek kiss was adorable! Yes, I think there will be an on-screen kiss, but I do think a lot will be concealed, but I'm cool with anything either way. It's definitely a must watch! As a danmei novel fan, this is a dream come true.

For people complaining about this being 'censored' so far in terms of the nc scenes and kisses -it's NOT a 'BL' story that's been adapted into a bromance -this IS a budding, complex romance between two men. Xiao Bao and Huaien's relationship may be ambiguous right now because XB wants HE to 'fall for him,' so he can kick him to the curb (although we know that's a farce, boy is obviously falling for HE romantically), and HE (even if he is oblivious to his feelings -whether or not he can understand them considering his upbringing and current status) is letting his guard down ever so slightly around XB (not in ways that show vulnerability -but cracks in that mask he wears, especially since this recent episode we saw him smile and laugh because of XB).

I am of the opinion, of whether or not we see them kiss on-screen (I have seen some people say that we will get them eventually based on their interviews, but I digress), that this is still a HUGE step for Chinese actors in a joint production with Taiwan and Thailand, to have an eventual happily ever after because we know BL's are censored entirely in China and that whatever stories we do get, the bromance is heavy or it's implied but it never comes to fruition even slightly on-screen (although I love the Untamed, and a few others who have managed to be sneaky to get things from their original novels into the series which show that their relationship is FAR from platonic). I know that was a vent, but even up until a decade ago, many Thai series wouldn't have lead couples kiss -we'd get some skinship and maybe a peck, but that never takes away from the story. I think many of us are so used to the steamy scenes that we have come to expect them -and yes, I love queer intimacy being shown too! But that doesn't make a connection any less 'real,' if they aren't sucking face.

I'm so genuinely in love with their chemistry (their behind the scenes are so cute too!), and the fact that we ARE very much getting the 'yes, they messed around,' because of the way their scenes are filmed (and very well, I might add -I like how the director continues to emphasize their touch and recently their smiles this time around too while they held hands). I appreciate that there isn't a 'think with your imagination.' We know they have done it twice and have kissed. So please, it's not censored. Concealed, but not censored.

I started watching this because I was looking for new BL's to watch (I go in-between reading manga/manhwa and dramas here and there, as always, so sometimes I'm awol here lol) and I saw Century of Love was currently airing and I was curious about the pairing, only to go into a mini Daou and Offroad rabbit hole. Their chemistry is off the charts, and you can tell they really adore and care for each other. I also learned recently that they don't 'do' fan service so everything you see from them off-camera is how they are with each other -comfortable and naturally intimate and playful, which I think is SO sweet. There's a few BL couples I really have loved over the years -EarthMix, BounPrem, and ForceBook (I have to watch more of their dramas, but I love their on and off-screen dynamics too) because of how they radiate in each other's presence. And let me tell you -Daou and Offroad are really actors to look out for. I know they have been active for a few years now, so this could be old news to people who have been along their journey (I also know they have quite a big fanbase, I don't mean to say they are underrated -I just hope more and more people learn about them). I'll be watching their newest drama soon, and for those thinking about watching this -please do! This deserves WAY more than an 8. It's such a refreshing drama -an 'ordinary' and truly beautiful love story from 'enemies' (sort of? lol) to lovers.

Thank you :) I saw some of the posts before I watched the latest episode, and I had my reservations at first, but just like every week since I caught up to this drama a few weeks ago, I watched with an open mind as usual, and I was pleasantly surprised. I'm enjoying this drama quite a bit. And yes, Nara is far from perfect, but she's not toxic and she backed off almost immediately when she heard Phat found his soulmate/was in a relationship with him.

Ohh amazing! I'll accept the request in a moment. I was busy these past few days, so my apologies for only replying now. And that's cool haha, and yes I've known about skz since their pre-debut years, but I didn't start getting into them until officially their Thunderous era. And I have been a writer seemingly forever. That's cool we have these things in common.

I absolutely agree, I echo those sentiments too. I also like how different that scene was, because we often see this quite overused as a trope in drama's (not just BL's) where the lead sees their prospective partner/person they're into 'kissing,' someone else in a way that was a misunderstanding. In these cases, they usually 'chase,' after them and tension lasts or there's a break between them. Not that in any of those cases, I don't blame the person drawing a boundary even with the misunderstanding, I just find the fact that they talked about it after and were not only able to find common ground, but they were able to understand each other's feelings. I also loved the way it was handled, and thank you so much for sharing this here too. I was relieved Tai saw that Phat really cares and loves him, and that he didn't need to go atop the mountain range to 'see,' that, so to speak. I also agree, and although I'm not sure how they're wrap up the last handful of episodes, I have been enjoying this series in many ways. Especially the camera angling and overall ambiance created with the rain, their intimate moments, and scenery. I also hope they'll handle the Lomfon issue well and that even if there's some tension ahead, Lomfon comes to some sort of realization (which I earlier wrote about, I'm thinking he's not 'in love,' with Tai, I just think he's infatuated with him because of their common interests and perhaps platonically loves him too). But in any case, we shall see :)

I absolutely agree, I echo those sentiments too. I also like how different that scene was, because we often see this quite overused as a trope in drama's (not just BL's) where the lead sees their prospective partner/person they're into 'kissing,' someone else in a way that was a misunderstanding. In these cases, they usually 'chase,' after them and tension lasts or there's a break between them. Not that in any of those cases, I don't blame the person drawing a boundary even with the misunderstanding, I just find the fact that they talked about it after and were not only able to find common ground, but they were able to understand each other's feelings. I also loved the way it was handled, and thank you so much for sharing this here too. I was relieved Tai saw that Phat really cares and loves him, and that he didn't need to go atop the mountain range to 'see,' that, so to speak. I also agree, and although I'm not sure how they're wrap up the last handful of episodes, I have been enjoying this series in many ways. Especially the camera angling and over ambiance created with the rain, their intimate moments, and overall. I also hope they'll handle the Lomfon issue well and that even if there's some tension ahead, Lomfon comes to some sort of realization (which I earlier wrote about, I'm thinking he's not 'in love,' with Tai, I just think he's infatuated with him because of their common interests and perhaps platonically loves him too). But in any case, we shall see :)

I know there are some mixed opinions about what happened during episode 8, all are totally understandable, and I just wanted to add in my two cents for what it's worth (and as always, no one has to agree with me, but these are some of the things I've thought up as of today's episode).

1) So I feel like because Phat felt guilty for not making things MUCH clearer with Nara even up until recently, that although Phat could have definitely had a freeze response to Nara kissing him, I also feel like he wanted to give her closure by letting her do that (hence his lack of reaction generally speaking -and the way he spoke to her afterwards too)? Especially since they broke up precisely because of the feelings Nara had unresolved with Phat being able to connect with his soulmate. In a way, I think that kiss was a final 'goodbye,' and telling he did tell her after he found his soulmate and that he's with him now was a way to close that door so to speak. No one would have to agree with this, either way if this was the case, but it was something I considered.

2) Albeit I don't agree with Nara kissing Phat, I have sympathy for her. She wanted to make amends and genuinely get back together with Phat. No human being is perfect and I think Nara taking accountability by saying she regrets the way she ended things, in my opinion at least (and although doesn't make up for the past), and wanted to try again as opposed to just pick things up where they left off, as not the evilest of things to do especially since she didn't know Phat was with his soulmate/a partner. Also the fact that Nara told Phat to go after Tai after realizing that his soulmate was in danger, speaks to her grace and integrity as a person, so I respect her even if I think kissing him abruptly like that was wrong. She's also not the worst 'ex' in BL land I've seen, and I don't think (as I said previously) she will try to draw a wedge between them the way it looks like Lomfon will.

3) I really appreciate the mature conversation that Tai and Phat had at the foot of the hill together. The fact that Phat made it clear that regardless of whether or not Tai was his soulmate, he'd still fall in love with him/want to be with him -which I think, after everything Tai has been through (especially with his parents divorce), is that his connection to Phat goes beyond them just being able to talk to each other when it rains (and with the plot twist with Lomfon, and I am sure there is more to this soulmate thing too), that they found one another in a very fated way (and at a time they most needed one another), and fell for each other not just because of their soulmate 'status.' I also appreciated the fact that Phat finally asked Tai to be his boyfriend -I think we were all waiting for that one to officially happen.

4) Although the search and rescue literally took the entire episode, I really appreciated the clarity we got on a few things. I also applaud Nara, Tai, and Thian's acting. You could see an array of emotions through their facial expressions and gestures on-screen and it was just incredible. As an actor, Pakpai (Nara) was exceptional during her scene when she realized that Phat found his soulmate and then afterwards, I was highly impressed. I haven't seen her in any other projects, but so far she's really amazing. I also wanted to say as a side note that Bow and Kung are ADORABLE together, and the fact they were holding hands during one video/photo op scene was cute.

I know it's all going to get messier before it gets clearer, I just hope that the misunderstandings ahead don't linger too long, but we shall see....

So based on one of the trailer's, this is the main conflict we were arriving to, and the next episode will probably cover the scene where Tai gets lost in the woods and hurts himself, and is found by Phat (most likely?) So I don't think the misunderstanding will last based on the trailer. I'm just trying to piece together what we've seen so far, because if the scene where Tai and Phat are sitting beside one another by the cliff and kissing in the trailer is after Phat finds him? (unless I'm wrong of course).

I'm only glad that this is happening now and not episode 9 or 10 and is dragged out until the end. I also haven't read the novel, but I'm curious about what the hell was going through Phat's mind when he let Nara kiss him -I'll play devil's advocate for a second and maybe it wasn't a super long kiss and was only drawn out for tension for the end of this episode, or maybe he was just in shock, but nevertheless, I'm still frustrated, especially after Tai opened up to him about his trauma because of what happened with his parents who were supposed to be soulmates but divorced. I can't imagine how much of a scar this will leave on him and why he went off in a daze after. That poor guy.

I also am still quite confused by Lomfon's character. On one hand he's the 'logical realist,' when it comes to romance, but considered someone who saved his life (that he never saw) his first love, is seemingly aware of but is consciously denying his attraction to Thian, and with whom likes Tai (but probably not in a romantic way -but more of a platonic soul mate kind of vibe -because they have a lot in common, and I think he's not used to having people around him to share his interests with). His motivations seem inconsistent and messy, but I suppose we will find out in the next handful of episodes because it does seem like he manipulates Tai, and I am NOT looking forward to seeing that.

I am sure the next episode will provide a bit more clarity, but until then, I'm hoping Phat takes accountability for what happened and tells Nara he's not interested in getting back with her/doesn't love her like that anymore because he was the one not being clear about it, and I can't fault her for that moment at the end of episode 6. I know we'll have an emotional scene with Nara saying she regrets leaving him, but I don't think she's going to draw a wedge between them based on the trailer's we have gotten.

In any case, a part from how this episode ended today, just like a few people noted, I'm glad we weren't bombarded with huge flashbacks (except for the one).

Based on the full trailer I know we're in for some tension and drama ahead, but I really love how well-crafted this story is so far. The 'hearing your soulmate when it rains,' is quite lovely, and I'm enjoying the pace and chemistry of the leads.

Sometimes I take MDL ratings with a grain of salt, and in this case, I would say at this moment this series is WAY more than a 7.9 (although I know some would consider this a high rating). I don't know if that will change (in terms of my perspective), but there's a great balance so far. I just REALLY HOPE that the misunderstandings don't linger for a long time when they do arise. All in all, I'm liking this drama!!

I waited until this week's episodes to watch it, and it helped a little bit in terms of viewing it as though it was a 'film,' rather than waiting weekly for 20 minute episodes, and it flowed a bit better. I also understand what you mean, sometimes I check into what people are saying about a series and then make a call to watch it or not closer to the finale, but for this one, I started getting a bit annoyed by some of the comments here. Ha Ram is by far not perfect, but he's not the way some people were making him out to be. I definitely see that the standard is impossibly high with A LOT of BL's/GL's/queer shows, generally speaking -so yes! I absolutely agree and it's a double standard. The amount of times I have seen people overlook some male leads in popular dramas (the one's where he's grabbing onto her, holding her wrist and pulling her away, or gaslighting her, it's seen as 'romantically possessive.' I could go on and on forever about that one for sure and it's problematic. Although a lot has changed (thankfully).

I was expecting Ha Ram to be a literal stalker before I started watching this, and when I started watching this a few days ago -I have a few thoughts I wanted to share as someone who has been watching K-Dramas since 2013.

If you're going to hold the same energy for Ha Ram's actions of getting 'too close,' to Lee Jun in ways that are 'invasive,' then please don't forgot about the dozens of straight couples with this same exact trope we've gotten over the past few decades. One's that are immensely popular and that aren't nearly called out for toxic male leads. I know things have changed since Boys Over Flowers and even Heirs days, but Ha Ram's actions, albeit in some circumstances I would argue are problematic -are no where near what I've seen straight men do in K-drama land (and drama's I had to drop because of it).

So yes, there are some questionable things Ha Ram does (like the bus scenes when he wouldn't let go when Lee Jun asked him to), which you can be critical of (I was/still am). But overall, Ha Ram isn't being abu*ive and vio*ent towards Lee Jun. And I hate putting it into perspective like this, because pushy male leads are gross, but I truly was expecting Ha Ram to be vile (to the point I wasn't going to watch this), and when I did I wondered why people were making it out like he was Jun Pyo. It's actually A LOT more fluffier and cuter than I expected.

It's not The Eighth Sense or Unintentional Love Story where we had nearly 40 minutes of plot and character development for up to 10 episodes, so I can understand why some things are rushed/aren't 'perfect,' but it's doing cliche story line well, and the chemistry is nice as well (plus their communication after sharing their feelings/thoughts is VERY healthy). I wish there were some elements taken out and that it could have been a little longer per episode, but so far, the disdain that this series is getting in some respects doesn't make sense to me. And if you drop it/don't like it, that's totally cool and understandable, Love Mate won't be everyone's cup of tea. There were just a few things I wanted to talk about.

I waited VERY patiently for a handful of episodes to release before I started watching this (which was last week) and MY GOODNESS this is the most gentle, wholesome, sweet, and most lovely drama I've seen in a while. It's like suddenly being wrapped up in a warm blanket every time you watch each episode.

The pacing is also so soothing too. I don't know how to describe it? Every movement and transition is meaningful and it just pulls you in, and before you realize it the episode is ending.

The writing is also just amazing (although I know this is based on a manga). There's a lot of larger metaphors about life, family, love, and connection here -and I think all the actors are portraying this incredibly well. You can see it through their gestures, tone, and in their eyes -it's just, everything about this series is gem worthy -and if you're thinking about watching it, I hope you do. It's got me giggling, crying, and smiling like a fool. I love this SO much and I don't want to say goodbye to this series because it's just this beautiful.

I also hope this series wins awards. It deserves SO MUCH recognition in many respects!!

Thank you so much for the clarity. I couldn't recall reading a comment about this a while ago here because I wanted to see how people were feeling about the development of the drama. I may watch it now, thanks!!

Is this 8 or 10 episodes? Viki says 10. Sorry if this has been asked before. I'm on the fence to watch it, but wasn't sure if it was 8 or 10.

?? It seems pretty obvious. You don't have to read too deeply into the lines to see how much emotional scaring would be from something like that. Even though it's been a "simple romcom" the serious elements, like Cher's past started less than half way into the series so I don't understand why it's too much to expect from anyone, especially when we've had Cher break down a few times.

So ahead are just my thoughts/opinions about this...

I have a bit more sympathy for Thoop now that I know his story. I can imagine what it would feel like to having been literally powerless against an abus*ve stepfather for years and not being able to help the one person who loved him dearly -Tian, his sister, when she was experiencing that horrific amount of violence. Psychologically, even after telling Tian she should tell Cher (with whom she did actually love, as revealed, and didn't want him to view her negatively -even though it was never her fault/Cher would never think that way); imagine the toll that would take on Thoop emotionally. Having to keep that secret for such a long time because it was his sister's wish, but also because he had no one else to tell or talk to about it. Maybe resentment, anger, and frustration (considering his age too), built up and he projected quite a bit. I don't think he ever wanted to be an asshole to Cher, I just think he was in so much pain, understandably. Does that excuse his behaviour? No. But he took accountability for his actions and apologized to Cher and to Gun. He definitely should see a therapist because losing a loved one is always a traumatizing experience (plus EVERYTHING that was involved his sister unaliving herself), and I am sure, deep down, he also blamed himself for not being able to help her too, so what he was doing was quite literally running away from it all, and Cher -the one person who just wouldn't keep checking in on him was ironically one of the only reasons why he probably didn't fall deeper into a worst state. So rather than saying it was fully explained, I think there's just a psychological/emotional layer to this.

Sometimes I read the comments on BL's here and have to honestly press pause for a moment because the criticism for certain aspects of the show sometimes come out of left field. I wanted to point out a few things I noticed and offer my perspective just because I like this series so far.

1) Someone commented about how cliche/essentially immature it was for them splashing water on each other in their clothes in the most recent episode. Of which, I wanted to point out that they accidentally fell asleep on the beach and were wearing work clothes, so if they were to randomly start taking their CLOTHES off, wouldn't that be awkward? It wasn't like it was a smexy scene at night where they were getting into the water together, it was spontaneous and meant to be fun considering the heartfelt conversation they had with each other the previous night.

2) The relationship between Cher and Boss; now,I know this one sparked a conversation here after Jack got involved (in this case, the direction of writing in this context was a bit off to me considering, Jack and the rest of his friends already knew they were 'closer,' than anyone else in the office, but I digress). And ultimately yes, I can agree there are obvious imbalanced power dynamics and a definite inappropriateness of a Boss dating an intern or fellow employee that is working for them, but I also want to point out this is not the FIRST time a drama, regardless of sexual orientation, where this popular trope appears (Boss and Me, even recently GAP, Coffee Prince, Her Private Life, She Was Pretty, like the list goes on ENDLESSLY), so if you want to have the same energy for A Boss and a Babe about it being weird that an intern is dating/is interested in the Boss (and vice versa), then make sure to come with all the other dramas that have done this. Because if their relationship started off in ways that were non-consensual, overbearing, and overall invasive then I would have an issue with it -but Gun has NEVER put Cher in a situation where he was making Cher feel like he HAD to be with him romantically. It's one of the most healthiest depictions I have seen in this trope, and trust I have seen a ton and some of them are awful. I also wanted to point out here that Boss told Cher that he knew him through his ASMR channel like literally right as soon as he figured it out -a green light to me, instead of hiding it and dragging it out unnecessarily. I find it refreshing and rare that they have been so open with each other, have respected one another's boundaries, and communicated. The only thing, yes, would be the power dynamics absolutely, but I do believe that Gun and Cher have done A LOT of work to ensure that they're supportive pillars for each other and that their relationship was founded on mutual care and that each doesn't have more influence over the other, because everything between them has been fair. That was a vent, and sorry for that. Albeit that's my opinion, but this storyline is literally about:

Cher healing from his past, and being open to love again in a way that doesn't just cover over the wounds that were made with his first love/the trauma he had during the time she passed away. Then, with Gun, who didn't trust basically anyone because of what happened with his previous friend/co-worker, and who eventually opened up with Cher because of Cher's genuine personality.

I can understand people who say it's being dragged out (yes, it could have easily been 8-10 episodes), but I do think it's a sweet drama, and it has very endearing moments. It may not be perfect, but I do believe some folks need to cut some of details here some slack, given the context. Not everyone has to agree with me, but I just needed the space to speak my peace.

Before the new episode is released in less than a day, I just wanted to say this has become such a comfort BL for me. I hesitated to watch this because of the mixed reviews in the comment section here, but I decided to catch up as of last week and I was so glad I did. I LOVE Force and Book's chemistry and everything about this drama so far. There's a wonderful balance between silliness, seriousness, sweetness, and everything in-between. There doesn't have to be constant conflict for any drama to be good, and aside from what I sense ahead with those that have been watching know what I mean, I just hope we continue seeing our leads fall further in love with one another. It's been such a lovely drama.

This drama could have easily been compelling as just a psychological/suspense/melodrama without romance, generally speaking (and I say this as someone who has been watching BL's for over a decade now). The premise behind this series is unique, but there is a consistent lackluster behind the main leads 'love,' interest in one another as the story progresses that it just feels randomly inserted into this series and therefore feels out of place, to be frank. Now, I am totally convinced by Tae Young's crush on Jung Woo, but at the very least, if they were 'end game,' it shouldn't have felt as choppy as it did. I don't know how else to explain it. This series could have had an edge to it, considering it's not a story we have seen a lot, especially in the BL world, but it falls shorts in so many ways and initially I rated this pretty high (an 8), but after finally watching the end (after a LONG delay), I ended with a 7-and that's because I still appreciated the cinematography, and the unique story line at face value. Especially on Jung Hyun's end, because despite him being problematic he redeemed himself a lot in the end. Happy Ending Romance wasn't 100% terrible, but it should have been so much more than it was.