SeanTeaTime

What Sharp Teeth You Have Mr Mark

WATCH THIS SERIES. Okay so thats the very condensed review, let me get more in depth. This series was fantastic. I adore vampires and sadly vampire romances have been pretty lackluster for me. This was finally what I needed out of one. We have solid chemistry, great story-telling, solid action and gore. Joss and Gawin are really good together, like one of my new favorite couples in BL. I always very much enjoyed seeing so much of Joss, because he is a fineeee specimen of a man. But he's also improving so much as an actor, as is Gawin! Super excited to see more from them, though I'll miss the vampires.

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We'll Call This A Half-Success

I knew not much going into this. I had seen the trailer of this series and was interested immediately. A show calling out the BL industries darker side? Much like K-pop, its not all glamor and fun. There are many toxic elements in any entertainment industry! What we get is a showing of unhealthy practices in the BL world. Kinda like "Lovely Writer" but shown in a more serious sense. Unhealthy dieting. beauty standards, Labeling as "tops" and "bottoms" rather than character names or actors names. No cell phones, the agencies posting for their actors. Total control over their lives during unhealthy contract sentencings. This is important stuff to discuss and apparently this show is based on true events? Which we will get into more later.

One thing I take issue with is the power dynamic between James and the one actor Ait. Love or not that's abuse of power and just wait until after working together. I understand they are both adults, but I guess the original idea was to actually show that uneven power dynamic and how problematic that is. I wish they would've stuck with that because its so relevant. Another negative was the green screen while there driving scenes. It was so bad! Like it was distractingly bad lol. I get this was probably really low budget because what advertisers wanna work with a show calling out other shows? But if it's that much of a problem just don't have scenes in moving cars. Keep it to stationary locations, even simply having it so the car is parked! Simple fix.

Moving onto the background of this show. It is (supposedly) heavily based on the "2Moons2" controversies which I looked into. First hint: in the show the company is "Motivation Village" where the actual company is "Motive Village" that's enough for me already lol. But their past controversies speak for themselves. Even with the lead actor Earth dropping out of the 3rd season, which who knows how that'll work! If they recast again that's ridiculous. The show within this show being called "2 Nights" very similar to "2 Moons". Talking about how the previous cast was fired, like with the entire recasting that apparently kept the old cast out of the loop. New actors claim indirectly that the studio Motive Village played favorites and left them jobless while being contractually bound. Company responds with claiming they were "imagining things". As well as the dietary issue with Pavel, mention of it in show. It's a lot and makes me glad I never liked the "2Moons2" franchise in the first place if the management and owner are this toxic and trash!


So where does this show shine? Pretty much all in the actor who played Bas. He's fantastic. His descent into depression and suicidal thoughts from trauma was done really well. Building it up and him brushing it off until the end. Tees sexual abuse, disgusting! Like I wanted to hug Bas so badly! Marco being a supportive dude was also really nice. These elements were key to my investment in the story, because this is something to be heard! The actor did such an amazing job with the emotion and I really teared up for him.

I'm lowkey surprised they got an actual actor from "2Moons2" Kaprao to play himself basically. I mean I think he's going to be in season 3 so shocked about that. There are also heavy implications at the after credits scene that there will be a season 2. I'm not sure how much they can really do with that, other than Tee getting what he deserves. JAIL. But I would watch it if it happens! I wanna see more growth from this series. Let's go even further into this stuff and give it the spotlight it deserves!

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Slow And Dull The Series

Honestly this was one of the most boring BL's I've ever seen. We started off pretty slow and it never really sped up. Not gonna lie I had to watch this sped up lol or else I would've never gotten through it. We're back in the engineering genre, which is okay I don't mind those too much. I liked seeing Lhong from TharnType in another series! Bbom was cute and a badie with the drum kit. I would say episode 3 things kinda started to happen, but lord it took too long . There was way too much unutilized time that could be developing characters or plot wasted on scenes with eating, drinking alcohol, sleeping or just a bunch of nothing. This was this series downfall and it never stood a chance.

Other things that bugged me was why there gotta be crazy BL fans or whatever in these shows!? Like know your audience,that's just stalking. As well as, Jin is kinda a user throughout the series, and just a lame character. He knows Bbom likes him and he's using him for food and transportation which isn't cool. At least by ep 5 after the kiss Jin is admitting he has some type of feelings going on but he just doesn't know what he wants to do with them. Dude hit the jackpot having Bbom in his bed all the time but is too dumb to realize it. He also gets hurt playing soccer multiple times lookin like a fool. And I didn't like that he lead on that one girl on either, she liked him and he's so not into it. At least he told her eventually but it should've been before the date

Keam and Ball seem hella cute. But again, these men need to stop leading women on in this! They also didn't really pan out at all so what a waste.Continuing on. I swear to god if I had to hear Jin say one more time that he doesn't know his own feelings Imma scream! Dude cut the crap, and then 2 seconds later he's like "I'LL DATE YOU!" Then we get cutesy stuff and then cut to them spooning half naked in bed. Wtf the whiplash. Why would anybody put up with Jin for so long? I'm honestly curious lol because he's so boring and indecisive. There's no emotional benefit to the relationship for Bbom and sure as hell isn't a physical aspect to it. So why?

Okay another thing. I don't know what kind of f***** up friends Bbom has but you don't dose someones drink EVER and what makes it worse is that they pressure him to finish it before he's about to drive. Awful AND if that's not enough they slip a condom into his pocket, implying he should "get laid" while hes going to be clearly not sober. I did not enjoy this show very much at all lol and I don't know how anyone did. The best parts of this are literally the theme song and some of the other music. As well as, Bbom as a character was good. Skip this one or just watch his scenes.

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A Perfect Conclusion

First thing to say is powerful acting like holy hell. It's no surprise the great chemistry our leads have in this like before. I liked that each character is very nuanced in their own ways. We saw bits of that in the Pornographer but in this is so powerful. We get a real deep dive into Kijima's character which is exactly what I wanted! The romance aspect is messy but love it. It's not sugar coated at all and shows the issues at hand up, close and personal. So this movie isn't exactly just a romance all the way through. Much of it is the characters needing to grow separated in order to come back together. However, Kuzumi is the only person that could handle this situation. Its game over if not. So when we get that happy ending with a legit love confession FINALLY from Kijima its intense! Dude breaks down and everything! I don't wanna spoil everything in this movie though because you really have to see it for the full experience.

The ending I think is meant to be long distance again for the time being but with trust embedded now. Technically this ends in a way where it doesn't need the final added epilogue they put out. But that's nice that they did, basically a bookmark for even more context if desired! So watch everything in sequence and experience the beautiful craziness that is this series!

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So Close!

I appreciate the attempt at adding suspense, drama and thriller elements into this because it feels more like a show and not just a BL. However, the writing in this was not it for the most part lol. Especially with the medical part of it. That's so inaccurate and from what I understand the author of the book is a medical professional? So why not consult with them on the accuracy? Or hire someone from a medical field to come onto set and help? Total missed opportunity. The chemistry between the leads is top tier but what else is new with MaxTul. The mystery actually didn't have me fully grasped at first but they kept adding more and more to keep it interesting enough. It got hella confusing sometimes with the names and lack of character screen time to attach those names to people, but overall it wrapped up alright. With more care added into the accuracy and more time to really flesh out some of the characters, this could've been up there on my list! It didn't get there, but I would say watch it if you want something different and Max & Tul always are fun to watch.

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For what it is, its aight

Most of this is just recapping Leo & Fiat's story from TharnType season 2. There is some added stuff though which is pretty damn good! Like what happened right after the kidnapping/threatening scene which I still cannot take seriously lol. We see these two get it on for the first time and explain more why they didn't divulge to each other their feelings sooner.

So, this was just a lead up to "Don't Say No" the series after all. Don't expect too much! This is also coming from someone who hated their story arch within TharnType, but as a separate entity it's much better

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The Best of The Best Wrapped in a Red Ribbon

Watch this show. Let me repeat that again, WATCH THIS SHOW. Give it love, because it's amazing. I don't even know where to begin with this. I guess the plot? So "Until We Meet Again" has a really interesting premise, super sad and sweet rolled into 1. It comes from the same director of "Love by Chance" which totally makes sense. I thought this was literally an LBC reunion show for a second because we literally see 3 actors from it, like Perth whose acting in this was short but really really powerful. That guy has some major chops and had me heartbroken. Wanted to throw in BISEXUALITY VISIBILITY YES and its upfront, FINALLY! And a safe sex discussion, hell yeah!

I loved the LBC series as well, but this one took the cake. I have never seen a drama series with 3 couples that I equally loved! First and foremost, this show deals with very dark themes. Like suicide, abuse, mourning and depression, etc. So be prepared for that, because it gets very heavy. I ugly cried many times throughout this, especially with the final 2 episodes. Going onto specificites, I loved the incorporation of the gun shot wounds on both Pharm and Dean. Also the other parallels with the cooking and confidence changes, we (the viewers) got to see two different perspectives and that was awesome. In and Korn's characters were just as interesting as Pharm and Dean. Both relationships were so healthy, no crap and all preciousness. Seriously I would die for In and Korn, ugh we love them and wanted better for them. In became my favorite character, he had this ferocity to him and tenderness too whenever he was on screen. I adore that actor (Earth). Korn (Kao) was a really interesting and tragic character. He actually was kind of the catalyst for all of the events to come and you feel for him deeply but also become frustrated with him. Not in a bad way, but in the way you should as a viewer intentionally! I was also shocked that the series dove into topics like Korn's depression and the repercussions of not only the families grieving over In and his death then and years later, but also In having to watch his love kill himself before him. That came up and I'm so glad it did, because it made for a damn heartbreaking scene with Pharm later on that had me ugly crying. Like that entire sequence with Pharm and the gun was one of the best tv emotional acting I've ever seen, bravo to the actor portraying Pharm (Fluke) because damn I was shook. Also doing things for the past selves of In and Korn while also trying to maintain Pharm and Deans self in the present and having individual identity, as well as the relationship between them being there's and not just influenced. Damn dude so many layers.

The only plot devices that I would've tweaked or changed was saving the reveal of the Romeo-Juliet esque suicide until more towards the end instead of right at the beginning. Have it be more of a twist and knife to the heart revelation! We could've learned with Pharm and Dean by piecing it together with the flashbacks and the red-string reveal. Also I wish the past time was signified more with the clothing choices (since its set in the 70s) and even the film gradient so we can tell immediately when were in the past other than seeing certain characters. The switching of the families in the next lives was a little confusing and concerning at first, but since we're dealing with reincarnation it's not that deep I guess. The best parts of this series are the first half and last half, some of the middle episodes dragged on too long and the scenes didn't need to be as long as they were. But I also understand that the director wanted to capture more genuine emotions. I also wanted Alyx's character to stick around longer, he kinda disappears and though I didn't want him to continue trying to get Pharm I wanted to see his relationship with Del blossom. Also Mean is just gorgeous so...there's that. Finally, I wanted more screen time with Win (whose also really attractive btw, those tats and piercings though) and Team. I loved them too as a pairing, though apparently they are getting their own series so....there's that!

This review is long I know, but there's so much to discuss. First of all, any scene with In & Korn was perfectly done in pacing, acting and emotion period. Moving on lol, some of the other things/scenes that I really loved were the first face-to-face meeting of Pharm and Dean's. Pharms crying got me though, Many emotions all around from his overly expressive eyes. The scene with Pharm struggling to breathe in bed after a dream, very well acted and heartbreaking. As well as the aforementioned gun scene towards the end. Also the first kiss was AMAZING with the cute curtain moment. Dean's actor (Ohm) did a good job with portraying softness around Pharm, while maining a distance from others. The swimming side of Dean was cool to watch, made me think of the anime "Free!" lol. One random thing I noticed was the choice of having the actors (ie. Pharm and Dean) in the same room basically acting out the text message exchange early on rather than just showing them on the screen with voiceover like normally done. I really really liked that and it was smart and way more interesting to watch as a first legit interaction. Cool artistic choice! The show also has a really nice orchestral soundtrack which I fell in love with and downloaded.

Well shot. Really well acted. Heartbreaking while also endearing, wrapped up in a red bow. Slam dunk that hit different than other series I've watched. I'll leave off with 2 quotes from the show that I enjoyed.

"You might like something that is not similar to others. But that doesn't make you different from everyone else. Your life belongs to you."

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"If the past memories come back to me. I will choose to remember the good ones. So there will be only the beauty of tomorrow."

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Underrated Series Please Watch!

This series blew me away! I went in with zero expectations, I didn't even know it was a sequel series (yes I went back and watched all of Pete and Kao's scenes from the other show, though I don't think it was entirely necessary) so I went in knowing nothing. First off, the intro sequence is everything. Such drama, such vampire realness with their dark suits, blue lighting and wanting stares. I was immediately brought in by the adorable pool scene between Pete and Kao, so cute and I must say those 2 actors somehow got WAY more attractive in this series than the other one. So did Sun, thank god.

The show tackles the struggles of coming out to a parent and friends, which was fantastic. We also get great pacing and respect between our couples which is much needed in these series. None of the tension felt unwarranted from either side during arguments which is great. I actually could identify with every party going through various struggles. The show also made some really really sweet realistic moments and I was HERE FOR IT. There's a discussion of gay marriage not being legalized in Thailand yet, which impressed me that they talked about. Also the discussion of becoming a better person for your significant other. Really well done.

Now obviously I think Pete and Kao were great, but they did have more development because of the other series. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I really enjoyed Sun and Mork's story too. We get a best friends brother scenario which was interesting and those actors had great chemistry as well. We don't need steamy scenes every episode to drive forward a plot, actually it gets in the way a lot of the time so this show didn't do that and I was relieved. There's solid side characters in Pete's dad (only supportive dad figure I've seen thus far), Kao's mom (sweetheart), Kitty (beautiful and says she likes girls which is HUGE), etc etc. Honestly 95% of the characters I loved, aside from 1 of the friends from the "gang" and Non. But obviously you aren't supposed to like Non, I wish we would've gotten a better conclusion to his arch but maybe that'll happen in a sequel? Other than that great cinematography, like really good and solid music. WATCH THIS SERIES!!!

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2Gether Could've Been So Much More

This had a cute story at the beginning, with some really adorable moments sprinkled in there between our two main actors. Though the side actors are actually the highlights of this show (like Mike as Man for example), without them it would've been a total disaster. Especially the actor who plays Green, he's hilarious and super adorable what an icon! I want to see him in more stuff because I love him so much! However, even with the side characters the story dragged on wayyyy too long and should've sped up some at the beginning. Every romance has to have buildup, but too much buildup can create a problem with the payoff and I feel like that's what happened with this series. There just wasn't much between the two mains for me to fully buy them as a couple. They just seemed like friends who were roomates that kissed twice unexpectedly. Maybe the actors were uncomfortable with it? But then again you're actors lol get over it! Though I did find Tine's character to be super adorable (his outfits too were so cute!) even if he was thick-headed in the show. The side-couples were meh too in this because nothing much happens with them, though I kinda started to get into Man/Type's relationship by the end. It was just introduced too late properly and rushed, the two actors have great chemistry though I can tell! Better than the leads even.

I would say watch the first half of the series until the note and bottle scene happens. Then dip out because once they (Sarawat/Tine) move into that apartment it's a rapid decline after all that goes down, though the condom bouquet was a nice touch lmao, the moving in montage was adorable and I liked Tine coming out to his brother. Also I will rewatch strictly for some of the really funny scenes, including all of the Green scenes, though again parts of the main plot I did really like. Also also I really liked the music in this series, a lot more than I usually do in BL's! The intro I never skipped and it introduced me to SCRUBB who I know love.

Update: The sequel series fixed pretty much all of the problems I had with this first season! Yay! Definitely give that one as much love as this one has gotten!

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Tears in My Eyes for Last Twilight

To start. I think this is a great show. Its incredibly sweet, very heartfelt and the leads do a great job especially Sea playing Day which is not an easy role to play. However, I don't think the show did a strong enough job in representing the visually impaired community. Considering Day's lack of sight plays such a vital part in the plot. To clarify, blind individuals don't wear sunglasses all the time. Though this was somewhat rectified as the series went on. Touching faces isn't really a thing either. Though they get away with it somewhat since Day only really does it majorly with his lover. The fact that he doesn't utilize a cane or guide dog of any kind is definitely not believable. I get Mhok guides him a lot but I guess that feeds into his character trait of not wanting to accept his impairment and his moms smothering. So again it could make sense in context of the show. Overall not terrible with representation in media...until the last episode. Now yes Cornea transplants are a thing, I don't know the ins and outs of them but they are a thing. However, we spent so much time showing Day's growth in independence owning a little book store (which I love btw) and accepting himself, for him to get the transplant the last 30 minutes of the show. That was not the move. It even semi felt ableist for a second, though I don't think genuinely the writers meant it in that way. The transplant was mentioned at the beginning of the show so it wasn't just a plot device. Either way Day's character changed for the better, I just would've been fine with him remaining visually impaired and maybe had some progress back in his vision. So then it didn't feel so off. Also I will say, I don't get some posts I've seen about Day and Mhok's relationship being toxic? Have you seen other BL's? Or other queer content!? There was literally nothing toxic about them really, except maybe a little codependence but thats totally understandable in context to the show! Day breaking it off so quickly wasn't his finest hour, and I don't think the 3 years later really needed to happen. But toxic? Nah, these two are so sweet and the growth of both the characters is really well done. Apart and together I loved their characters.

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Masterfully Artistic, What I Wish The "BL" Genre Had More Of

Watch this series. There's literally no reason not to. It's short (only 5 episodes), beautiful in every way possible. The story is captivating, the actors are believable, I could go on and on...so I will. During this quarantining process I've watched A LOT of dramas and BL's. From all over the world. When it comes to Thai BL's or dramas a lot of the time they are lower budget and can be very tropey. What I mean by that is they stick to a similar plot thread, that can border on or completely glorify/sugarcoat the lgbtq experience. To the point where many of them are completely unrealistic and I cannot take them seriously at all. Not that that's necessarily always a bad thing, since these are just shows after all. Some of my favorite series could potentially fall into that category! Though I always try to avoid toxicity within these shows, because that's a problem that needs to end. What I'm trying to get at though, is that other Thai BL's specifically cannot compare to art like this. Yes, I said art. I'm a film student, at heart too so I live for series or films done like this as compared to those other shows. I'll dive more into detail of why this I consider "art" comparably, but if you stop reading here just do yourself a favor and give this series love. The sequel too when it comes out! Trust me, we want more of this.

So, onto the film student side of me being fully unleashed. This series is shot differently (aka. a lot nicer) than a lot of other shows labelled "BL's". Within the first 10 minutes I could tell you that. The colours are so vibrant in this and the cinematography was very well done. There were pan shots, tracking shots, clever ways of framing scenes, wide-angles that showcased scenic moments/sets in the show. Seriously there are a lot of shots in this that I want to print and frame. Shots of gorgeous beaches, mountainous landscapes. It made me want to travel to Thailand so badly! One shot that really stuck out to me was the shot with Teh as a child acting out the play from behind the curtain. You see the shadows of the performers on the other side and it was gorgeous. Such a smart way of showing so much about a characters passion and determination, while also having just a beautiful looking shot. You can tell this was done by a crew that wanted to make something that could be potentially submitted into film festivals. It was that good. Very "Call me by your name" in nature, which is one of my top films of all time. I loved the cultural music utilized in this, since even though its a Thai BL its heavily centered around Chinese culture and language. They used piano a lot in the score too which was beautiful and again gave me "CMBYN" vibes.

Moving onto the characters and plot. Teh and Oh-aew, what a duo they were. Both characters are equally layered and nuanced, which is incredible to watch unfold. Together right off the bat the friendship is so sweet. We see Teh helping Oh out during the play with the cards. So when there's a misunderstanding and harsh words are said which leads to ending of communication for awhile, it sucks. Words can cause problems if they really cut deep and that's what happened. The screenwriters did a good job of laying breadcrumbs for us to follow as to how that fight led to problems even in their teens. Like Oh's thought process of "you'll always quit and never stick with something" making him continuously want to prove Teh wrong which made him miserable in life. Or Teh feeling inferior and letting jealousy control his life, both with Oh by trying to copy him with the instagram followers and with his older brother being the "favorite" of their mother. Great writing, really enjoyed that. So when Teh and Oh communicate again and hash it out, it hurts to see it. Seriously Oh's actor (PP/Krit) was fantastic (and very beautiful too my god), when Teh hurt him again in front of their friends you could visibly see the hurt on his face. It's not easy to show great facial-acting, but this dude did that throughout this. Teh's actor (Billkin) was of course also stellar, he broke my heart many times. We get to the beach scene where the characters finally reconcile and it was heart wrenching. This was all in the first episode and so much is packed into these that I couldn't look away. I knew this series was special then on.

So speaking about character believability again, I loved that there's initial hesitance from Oh about jumping back into a best friendship with Teh. Anybody would be after being hurt like that! The show surprised me with that, since much of the time to save time within the series they would just make up immediately. So using the tutoring as a way to establish a connection again, very smart ("Why R U" could never lol). There was this shot during the studying montage of showing the lettering book flip from the "rival" page to "intimate" page as a transition of their closeness. *chefs kisses, so freaking good. Another storytelling choice that I loved (count how many times I say love hehe) was when Oh tells Teh that he likes Bas, whom is a guy. There's no initial shock, no acting out badly. It's just natural and there's no weight to it being a "gay crush" which was refreshing. Teh is actually excited for him (at first) and its super sweet. Just chatting about their respective crushes and this is how it should be no matter sexuality or gender. Then there's Teh trying to help Oh out with said crush, oh lord when he put himself out there for Oh's sake to see if his crush liked him back. Dude...tears. Of course jealousy kicks in later on, but it was heartfelt.

Wow this is long...oh well lol. So we fast forward to the group trip. Where literally Oh is jumping between 2 guys, you better decide between them at once lol. Which leads to the hammock scene with the flowers, ah how I loved that scene. So little said, but so powerful and very intimate. What a great display of young adolescent love. There's more bonding that borders on dating, like going through the blocked off shrine again like before when Oh was running away from Teh because of the grade embarrassment. To now being together. Then the singing translation on the mountain, wtf is this show doing to my heart at this point? Wrecking it. The chemistry between the leads is so real, like I can believe they are very much into each other because it feels natural. There's no fantasy world fake feeling even in this show, not even once. So of course we have conflicts, Teh's confused feelings hold him back and that's completely understandable. He doesn't want to lose a very important friendship, but obviously he feels more for Oh than just that. I mean you wouldn't touch your friends in those ways if you didn't want them as more. That's why the scene with his "almost girlfriend" was so interesting. Because it was basically her seeing what coloured pencil he would choose to draw in the flower (a call back to Oh btw, yes I noticed the colour was the same as the flowers they had in the hammock) to see if he looked at her in the same way. So SMART. Callback after callback, such good screenwriting! Another scene that shocked me was with Oh and the bra. So self exploration is not new, sexuality and sex/gender are 2 separate things. At first I thought maybe he was deep down wanting to present or maybe even transition into a woman? Which is an important discussion on its own, but then I realized that's not what the script was going for. It was him trying to envision/ wish for Teh's approval in a way sexually. Since he had a thing with grabbing Oh's chest, which clearly bothered him. When he posted that picture of himself I literally was like "oh...baby" I was devastated for him because I knew people would see it. I felt protective of Oh's character in this series and exploration of yourself is perfectly natural, but don't try and change yourself for someone you love. You can't without being miserable and I'm glad he figured that out.

So some of the last plot points I wanted to discuss were Teh's brother. Thank you for not making him a "villian" in this. Seriously THANK YOU! He actually was the start of Teh's acceptance of himself after that talk they had. Since some of the "problems" Teh dealt with trying to live in his shadow, these other insecurities stemmed from that. So having the brother be his first person to talk to was beautiful. I always wanted to say, Bas was such a good character. Seriously, he could've been an antagonist but he definitely wasn't. He brought Oh to see Teh when he knew that's what they both needed, saying it's okay not to be ready yet when Oh didn't want to see Teh sad. Solid, really solid and I'm glad there was no animosity at the end. So finally, the ending. Phew it took awhile to get here but we made it! I thought it was 99% perfection. We got the promise of running from Teh's house to campus and then the sunset mountain (which is where the shows title comes from). We got them making up and really talking it through. We got Oh admitting he doesn't care how Teh stays in his life, he just doesn't want him to disappear again after the resignation fiasco. Then finally we get Teh saying he wants a relationship, a real one. Fantastic. The only minuscule thing I wish they would've done is end with a kiss or some type of affection. Since it felt like it was leading up to that for awhile. Sure we got the underwater scene, but I wanted one to seal the deal. I know we'll get more in the sequel, but it's just what I envisioned as the perfect ending. Either way, 99% is still damn good. Please PLEASE watch this series. It's made its way onto my top lists for LGBTQ shows and dramas, and into my heart.

P:S- Download the entire soundtrack to this series. Including the multiple versions of the title track, it's all stunning.

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What Even Was This?

So let's just all agree paying for this was asinine. Cool? Cool. This special episode was completely pointless except for seeing more of Fiat & Leo. Which those were even just okay, though spicier which is appreciated I guess lol. Were set 3 years into the future which is really stupid. Like why did we have to jump that far into the future?! Leon & Pob are still broken up and the entire episode is just of them almost crossing paths but always missing each other in the dumbest ways. What a tease and not in a good way! This should've just been them reconnecting, but no. I'm guessing there will be a second season for them? Not sure, but don't buy this it's seriously not worth it. No progression of the plot to be seen.

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What A Side-Story Can Be And Should Be

A lot of what I said about "I Told Sunset About You" can also be said about this side story. Beautiful breathtaking shots, seriously whoever is working on these projects needs recognition. Using bright colors that carry meaning with them (blue and red, as well as mixing the two together). Incredible acting and chemistry from our leads, they melt your heart. Music and tone that will make you crumble. It's all so freaking solid!

This takes place after ITSAY season one and in between season two where Ohm is about to go off to college. Were seeing how he's handling that change and Teh wants to give him a last great day where they are. Sweet and simple, while also effective. Of course I wanted more but we gotta wait for season two soon! Can't be too greedy lol. I think if you're going to do a side-story for this show this is the only way to do it well. We don't really need anything else before the second season, so bravo!

I loved how this story had Teh saying "I love you" for the first time to Ohm. That was really nice. There's definitely some growth already showing in characters. There's also use of no sun anymore as the day ends, so now it's looking at the moon. Nice transition into second season. So many callbacks and look forwards. Can't wait until season two!

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A BL That Subverts Expectations

So I won't lie. The first episode of this series I was like... this is okay? However, by the fourth episode I knew this was a special show. Full of subverting expectations, really important lessons, such sweet moments it made my face hurt. A heavy emphasis on consent in this which we STAN. It's got a lot of really really amazing stuff in it. Though I think episodes 11 and 12 kind of took it down in rating for me. But we'll get into that more.

So lets start with how much I love the love scenesssss lol. There was so much skinship in this and passionate kissing that I lost track. Like the intro song says at the beginning "I wanna kiss you!"They weren't lying lol. I think also the director wanted to poke fun at other series lacking on that aspect in their shows? Or showing subpar kissing? That's what it felt like anyway. Kao as Nubsib was gorgeous and the best you can get in a man literally. He did such a good job playing the ideal role and yes I got sucked in. I've loved him since UWMA and I shall continue to love him in anything he does! Up as Gene was really good too. Though his character frustrated me later on, the acting was great. Gene is such a mess sometimes and awkward, Up did a really good show portraying that appropriately. Then put these 2 together and you have some of the most solid chemistry I've ever seen in LGBTQ content let alone BL content.

The story doesn't really start going until Nubsib actually moves in and they start "practicing' for material in Gene's book and Sib's acting role. That stuff was hilarious and a great gateway into exploration between them. That entire scene with Gene being drunk off his a** and Sib rescuing him from the bar was stellar. Not only in acting, but in representation of consent dude! So important to show that even if Gene appears to really want Nubsib in that moment, he cannot consent if he's that drunk ya'll and Sib knows that and respects it. I freaking loved that scene. Moving onto Sib and Gene having a history. I thought it was fine, though the child actors don't look the ages they are meant to portray. Which confused me, but it was well done. Gene didn't have to get so angry, but I get Nubsib was technically lying to him about stuff. However, trying to understand goes a longgggg way.

Fast Forward to them FINALLY getting together. Which was...lit lol. The interaction with coming out to the family was something else! So proud of Gene and his brother for sticking up to the dad. Acceptance from the family is what matters most. You don't need it but it's so important. So I for the most part was okay with how it was represented. Though Nubsib's family talk I'm conflicted about. It wasn't very "accepting" to me since the dad clearly cares more about reputation than his son or else he wouldn't of brought that up. Also wtf does his son being in a gay relationship have to do with reputation? Its annoying and I wanted so badly to be in that room and set him straight. Damn right you can't stop him from being an adult and living his life stupid. It works out in the end but that kinda irked me.

Before we get to the slight downfall of this series, I wanted to talk about side stuff. Aoey's character was interesting to say the least. I'll talk about his demise at the end, but his character was so interesting and I wanted to see more of his backstory danggit! Hin I didn't care for at all. He was annoying at the beginning, gets slightly better because he has less screen time and just doesn't do much. Tum and Tiffy were cute, however I don't understand why Tiffy straight up assumed he was gay? Wtf was that about? That was some stereotyping if I've ever seen it and she of all people should know better! She's a bada** girl who doesn't give a crap about labels and she's gonna do that? Unless I missed something. Didn't vibe, but together they were okay.

Time to move on, to the dreaded 11th episode f*** up. First thought. They couldn't chill secretly until the end of the series shooting!? Gene had to end it!? I get he thinks doing it for Nubsib's career or whatever. But what a load of crap. You know that's not what he wants! Why have this show make fun of cliches and then do one that sucks this late into it!? So hear me out and let me elaborate. Legally Sib's company CANNOT under any circumstances force their actors to do anything in their personal relationships. Unless it's part of a contract, which its made clear its not they will catch a lawsuit! Nubsib and Gene are not slaves to the system. So that entire boardroom scene was nonsensical. Look at this from an outsider perspective too. It reeks of homophobia without the context of it being for a BL show. So that wouldn't fly either! Then followed up with Gene wimping out again got me aggravated to say the least. This show should've not done the obvious thing and had them fight it together. Because a breakup is cliche at this point. You can't dictate who people date and Tum's sister is the biggest b**** ever. By then Aeoy was cancelled too because he escalated the situation by garnering sympathy from fans during the livestream. Really bad move dude. Very reminiscent of a real-life situation that happened between 2 BL actors...if you know you know.

Immediately I was like Nubsib better cancel his contract with these people. I would've on the spot, however if he doesn't after he's nuts. These people are unethical and how disrespectful you have to be to try and decide for an actor of yours how important his relationship is to him. With his partner RIGHT THERE!!! Holy crap I wanted to throw that woman out the window! It's not for his benefit girl, its for yours don't lie. The reporters too, why do you feel the right to dig into someone's private life like that? Though realistic I suppose, that's none of your business and disgusting. I live for the scene of Nubsib hugging Aoey though out of nowhere and being like "see? I can act too" oof that was a win.

Past all that nonsense. We get to more nonsense lmao. The show becomes the butterfly effect for a hot minute, with Gene living through his memories again. It seemed like they were gonna have him live in the past unhealthily for material and I was like really? That's what we're doing!? Then out of literally NOWHERE Nubsib shows up at the house and kisses him like THAT. All is forgiven? WHAT!? I appreciate the cuteness and that skinship scene with Gene afterwards had me in a flutter. But me and my friend watching this thought it had to be a dream because of how outlandish it was. But nope! It actually was happening! No resolution or talk about it. No redemption of Gene bailing out after lying. No big stick it to the man scene of them coming out as a real couple to crappy stans. NOTHING. What a disappointment. I guess at least Tum said screw you to his sister and made his own management company. That was nice. I can also say Aoey's ending was surprisingly dark though and I'm 50/50 about it. He's left with noone, Tiffy abandons him and his love interest moves on. All he has is gifts from fans and their support online. I feel like he even ate a flower from the bouquet at one point (fact check me) because he's lost it completely and is finding validation from consumption. Dark stuff and idk how I feel about it. I appreciate the thought process behind it, but I think he deserved redemption too. Maybe in another season? I doubt it heavily but damn.

As lackluster as those last 2 eps were. The role-playing genderbend recreations of Snow White, Cinderella and Romeo & Juliet were funny and cute! I didn't need to see another lover die on top of Kao via a gunshot wound, but those scenes were cute. We get a wink fourth-wall-break at the end that was clever, which ends with a kiss of course. The ending meta thing with the author of the books we didn't need and it was hella confusing. This series overall was still fantastic! Idk what it is though with series failing during the last few eps. We need to figure out how to fix that guys! Watch this though, you won't be overall disappointed with the results!

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