ShanTeaTime

Another Engineering BL...But I'll Let It Slide

Another engineering show lol. But this one is actually probably one of the best you'll get in that genre. Way better than many of the engineering BL's like "Nitiman" recently which was trash or even "Sotus" season 1 which was boring to me. What a weird premise though with the roses. It worked out though! Bohn and Duean were really cute at the beginning, this changes some later on but they were pretty solid in the first half of the series.

As first I was actually still confused as to if Bohn actually liked Duean from the beginning, or if it was just him messing around initially. ? However, the vibe from all the sweet stares and fawning over made me change my mind. Yep totally checking him out and upfront about wanting to pursue him! We love being honest and open. The problems with them stemmed from their lack of communication and jealousy. That s*** started to get annoying by the end and I hope season 2 doesn't continue with that nonsense..

Mek and Boss were strange. Mek's character is so freaking sweet. Though the dubbing of Mek's character was a dumb decision. It's so distracting and they could've just let his character speak Mandarin! Who cares just have him be an exchange student or something. Boss was kind of an airhead throughout this, but they were alright together.

Immediately, I was the most interested in seeing where King and Ram were going story-wise. I like those 2 actors a lot. They did serve with the sweetness and I want more from them in season 2! Ram deserves all the rights, and to talk more hopefully. King needs to embrace his feelings more for sure. Also stop hitting your head sir, you'll get brain damage lol. Btw their first kiss in the tent was tops.

One thing. Ugh get past the whole "I dont like boys only him" thing that's a load of crap. Sure a single person can bring out sexual curiosity but a single person cannot change your sexuality. That was in there all along dude. That trope needs to go FAST! We also need to use our WORDS when something happens. Bohn did not kiss another dude, he was forced upon and innocent! Sure he's got some anger issues he needs to work out but dude isn't a cheater. That was hella frustrating. Please stop getting delayed season 2 so we can get some things resolved! Also notice how I didn't mention Frong or Dr.Thara...well there's a reason for that. I couldn't care less about them lol sorry.

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This Series Ran, But Jogged By The End

So imma start by saying this series was overall so lovely and enjoyable! It had a lot in it that was so important and new to be seen in a K-Drama, and a lot to satisfy average K-Drama viewers who are looking for some more tropey stuff. I think it kinda faltered by the end but I would say definitely watch it because we need more of this within K-Dramas!


Now onto a more detailed review. The running part/theme of this made me think of "Mr Heart" lol. I immediately loved our lead girl Mi Joo. She's fierce, outspoken, gamer girl who wants to be a translator for films/interpreter for clients . My queen, also super pretty. Crushing for sure! She had a "Psycho" poster on her bathroom door. Twas love. She's also a badass shot and packs a mean punch. Basically I'm so happy that a main female lead in a K-Drama was packed with personality and wasn't dependent on a relationship at all! She was established and interesting, while also just being in a relationship by the end.

Next is Seon Gyeom, our lead male. He was at first kinda boring for me, but that's kinda the point. He's so closed off that you can't see any of his personality until a little later on. But once you do he's great, very layered and I loved seeing his development. I started to see glimmers when he punched that d-bag for beating up the kid Woo Sik. That was such a good plotline and needed to be seen! Seeing Woo Sik speak his truth over time and being backed up by Seon Gyeom, ugh my heart! Sweet baby boy. So together, our leads are quite strong. Very natural feeling and I was not expecting a first kiss in episode 2! We didn't have to wait super long guys for once lol! And like I mentioned before, these 2 don't rely on each other to be good characters. Which is so important! Also that bed kiss was LEGIT, one of the best in a K-Drama I've seen.

Moving on to my favorite character by the end, Yeong Hwa. He was incredible. A vulenerable painter with a lot of heart and a smile that could light up any room. This actor, whom I've never seen is great. He also has very pretty eyes and great fashion. I also have to mention real quick...the contact lens moment. Stop playing with my emotions show! This is not a gay romance, though we lowkey kinda hoped it would be lol but its okay that its not because I do like our lead couple. What a tease though, tf. So I have to say too, I still think after finishing this that Yeong Hwa deserved better than Dan Ah. She's not likable during much of this series, and even by the end I didn't feel enough redemption from her. Their ending was also very open. Idk was kinda disappointing and Yeong Hwa would've been better off as a gay side character. Because the fact that the cafe guy with the homophobic mom loved Yeong Hwa the entire time still haunts me! Or have Dan Ah actually be a lesbian lol. Piggy backing off of that. This series felt a lot more progressive than other kdramas. Talking about sexuality (terms like asexual, lesbian, gay couple James and Bruno) and gender roles. Love it.

The movie set stuff was so much fun to watch. So was the translating stuff, it was cool to see Mi Joo speak both Korean and English. Though that director was not a good actor in this series lol dude was pretty bad. Overall the movie stuff got me and the character archs. By the end I can say I loved the mom getting a divorce was evil dad and our main couples ending was pretty satisfying. The other stuff though was meh.

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True Love At It's Ugliest And Also Most Beautiful

I had watched the original version of this film wayyyy before watching this, so I basically had forgotten much of the plot. I remembered loving the idea of 2 lovers finding each other in a cute quirky way, which is walking on a streetline trying to avoid something "below" that they imagined. This is still such a unique, funny and adorable way of introducing our two main leads. It literally feels straight out of an anime/manga but adapted into real life which I loved. Though I wish they had visually represented their imagination during this sequences more, because the shark one was fantastic!

There's this real childlike innocence to Yuuki that attracts Akira from the start. Though this becomes a semi-issue later on, it carries on throughout the entirety of the story. Into their growth, sex-lives, careers. We see the story progression done so beautifully with the time jumps and it works really well! Better than I've probably seen done ever. We get so much of their lives, yet so little at the same time. It's perfection. You really grow attached to them together and individually. So when they start having their own issues, it really hurts. It's also now a fast growing apart, its rather slow and realistic. You understand why Akira kinda puts up with Yuuki's difficulties in the relationship and vice-versa because they both have so much love for each other. It's evident and people do things in their own ways to show love and affection. Like with Yuuki searching for the lighter in the dead of night.

Many watch this and become very angry or frustrated with Akira's character. But I totally understood where he was coming from at least. He grew up with a mother who engrained in his head the idea of "normalcy" or heteronormative lifestyle being the basis of livelihood. It's not easy to just unteach that, so he had to kinda live that in order to realize it wasn't what he wanted at all. He wanted Yuuki and luckily he was there waiting for him after the whole mess. It's ugly at times, but the beauty comes out as well. I loved getting to see everything and felt so proud of Akira after he stands up to his mother and fights for Yuuki. They get married, he sees his ex-wife with a new family so they both found happiness apart. It's all amazing. Then...we get to the added ending. Which WRECKED ME. It adds more to their love story and its good. However, the tears I had running down my face were so embarrassing lol. I wasn't expecting to see Akira dead in their 70s and Yuuki in the hospital waiting to die basically so they could be reunited again. Their love is forever and they walk the line again in the end to each other. Really heavy stuff and I suggest being prepared emotionally! Because damn its intense.

Love, love, loved this so much. Please watch it! Also thank you director for adding in the MODC (Make Our Days Count) cameo. That healed my soul from that series a little bit! <3

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Second Chance Needs A Third Chance

So "Second Chance" both exceeded my expectations and fumbled in its execution. I don't know how that's possible lol but it happened with this! Some things were done extremely well, like if they had carried on with those things this could've been top tier material! But there's crap in between that kinda needs to be skipped while viewing and that's never a good sign.

For example. Every scene with those 3 girls made me want to scratch my eyes out and skip. They were so annoying! I don't know why they were even necessary at all. That time could've been used to further develop the couples! The 2 leads (Paper & Sky) were so freaking sweet and the side couples were adorable. Though the amount that I hated that his name was Paper....my lord lol. Also if you're trying to make me think Paper is in high school it ain't happening lol. I like the actor a lot but he does not look like a highschooler lol. Dudes literally almost 30. He is the best actor though in the series! He's such a good emotional actor and who would've known! TharnType didn't give him too much to work with.

I liked the whole idea of the one brother (Near) not knowing its his cafe boss who he's going out on a date with. That was interesting. The 2 brothers were hard af to distinguish sometimes I swear. I thought they were the same character for a hot minute. Especially because I don't think they share one single scene together until the very end! Which is weird.

The other couple are from TharnType too (Chris & Jeno), along with Paper's actor. That was funny to see them actually do couple things and be actually really upfront! Rather than play characters that are offbeat roommates. I liked the kinda plot twist of the bully being the ex. Some super internalized homophobia there. Though the bully didn't need a redemption tbh, there wasn't enough time in the show for that.

Moving onto the chemistry. I appreciate an actual kiss! A really good one from Paper and Sky! Lowkey was expecting to be a peck or some crap. The breathing was A LOT too, like hello close-ups. Their second kiss was just as good too, loved it. The secondary couples kiss during the dance was good too! I wish we had more time to develop stuff! If I've learned anything from BL's its that many of them either don't utilize time well enough or lack episode length. There are few that successfully developed everything 100%, ITSAY included. So I hope series take a page from that. Pretty music in this, like really pretty! I need the soundtrack. Again too short though, 6 eps isn't enough to get super invested. Such a good ending to this, in the acting and set up. The underwater scenes at the end were really nice too. Check this out but don't expect anything too crazy!

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Korean BL's....We Need To Talk. This Was A Joy

I continue to have a bone to pick with Korean BL's or LGBTQ content. IT'S NOT LONG ENOUGH!!! Why dude, why you gotta dangle this stuff in front of our faces for literally 15 minute episodes!? That's not okay and it needs to change. These series are worth it! However, a slight solution to this is that they also released it in film version. Which is 2 hours long all together, so it actually works better as the film! Totally recommend watching it that way instead of being broken up.

Moving on. This didn't feel cheaply done at all. Sometimes you can tell BL's or lgbtq stories aren't done with much of a budget. This was shot nicely and has a lot of scenic shots of Seoul. The couple we get is a case of opposites attract, which is funny to watch and interesting. I liked their back and forth a lot! We see them start to bond more, where Ji Woo even starts to get protective over Seo Joon. I find it funny too that both these actors were in "Tale of the Nine Tailed", one as a supporting role and the other occasional cameo.

I liked seeing Seo Joon's struggle with losing fame. You can tell he's kinda lost, but still trying to keep up the luxurious happy persona. I wish we would've gotten even more of that to be fleshed out, because you can go so far with that alone. We got some of the drawbacks on screen of fame, but not enough! I also appreciated his characters confidence in himself. There's no question whom he's attracted to and he's not afraid of showing it. Though he will protect Ji Woo's privacy if needed, which I also appreciated seeing. Ji Woo was an interesting character. He's actually quite cruel with his words at certain parts of this series/film. To where you really feel bad for Seo Joon! However, he does it because he's so walled up emotionally and used to being alone. Literally doesn't know how to communicate with people very well, its totally understandable and he grows so much! Seeing him at the end, I felt so proud of him and happy that he finally had things to smile about in his life.

The whole plot with the controversy (like I briefly mentioned) was so Korea. Meaning that Korea specifically tends to take controversies (big or small) and run with them, potentially ruining reputations. It was done really well and when you find out the cafe owner was also a betrayer, it hurts! The price of fame is very large. I liked watching it all play out. Finally, hello last episode/end scene chemistry! Like dang lol but I wish it wasn't held off until literally the last part of this and especially during the last like 5 minutes! That whole couple exchange was so good and I was holding my breath. I think that might be the most I've seen from a Korean drama series thus far, let alone a BL concerning real sexual intimacy ("You Make Me Dance" was another one that showed more). Even if it was just some rolling around and flirtatious discussion about things. I know this probably won't get another season...but please give it another season/film! XD

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The Best HIStory To Date

You wanna talk about me being blindsided by a series? Well this one DID THAT! I did not expect it to be so heartfelt, addicting and very VERY steamy. I had seen "HIStory 3: Trapped" before this one and I really liked it, but this one I prefer over that one, even though both are great. Why? Well this story I was more invested in I think overall concerning each individual character, I mean the show made me cry multiple times. Also the 2 couples we have are equally likable but very different. Where in Trapped though I loved the couples in that too, they were very similar so less variation.

Enough about Trapped though, in this series they (the couples) have some great chemistry, which leads to some very passionate scenes that had me gasping out loud. I just didn't think the show would go there, but it did lol. I have to give a huge shout out to the actors in this series, not only did they all nail the seriousness of the drama but also the hilarious humor that cuts the tension at times and it was fantastic. My personal favorite actors were Wayne Song as Hao Ting, he was so freaking charismatic, sensual, adorable and charming in this once he figures his crap out and hilarious. I'm not gonna lie I was extremely attracted to him throughout the show lol, he's so freaking tall too wth and the dimples! Moving on past the thirst, I really liked Wilson Liu as Sun as well, whose surprisingly a newcomer and really really good! My god this guy is funny and sweet. I also really liked Thomas Chang as Zhi Gang, he was super sweet and attractive as hell. Huang Juan Zhi as Xi Gu will break your heart and he was great as well. Very rarely do you get a solid cast of mains so cutos!

Many people either dismiss or dislike this series because of simply its ending, which tbh you can't blame the series on because it's just going off of the source material. However, I understand why. Sun and Zhi got there happy ending and I was very satisfied with it! However, Hao and Xi Gu didn't in this. Which totally sucks because there's so much buildup to making their lives better and then BAM Xi Gu just dies randomly. In the same way his parents did!? Like come on, his character didn't deserve that disrespect. You can't have a character go through all those hardships just to kill them off like that, of course the audience will be disappointed unless it has intended purpose. Which to be honest, this really didn't for the most part so I'm glad the author supposedly added an extra chapter to the novel. However as much as that last episode wasn't optimal for me in how it ended, damn it was still done well. Again Wayne Song as Hao Ting, best actor in the show. He tore my heart to shreds. Seriously I cried for that entire 50-whatever minutes it was. He was fantastic and I appreciated him and Sun's 2 conversations in the episode. Both really well done, written and acted, especially that final scene. I do have an issue with Zhi Gang's lack of response to Xi Gu's death though, I wanted to see his reaction to it as well since they were so close.

Also yes I did see the cameo in "Life Senjou No Bokura", it doesn't really change my thoughts on the original ending. However, it was nice and I hope the actors work together in a full series again. Either way, the show is still great and you should watch it! I've watched it through so many times now and it still makes me giddy every time. We also have to support a female director and screenwriter for this series, yay!

Update: A sequel series was announced! YES! So I'm hoping we finally get a happy ending for Hao Ting and Xi Gu <3 more than likely that will happen because every main actor was recast.

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Frustration The Series

So this was a very complicated series for me. Some choices made in it I loathed, where others I quite liked. It was literally like a seesaw, going back and forth between lows and highs. One of the most significant problems with this show was in fact the pacing of it. It was sooooo bad. There was so much unnecessary filler that could've been scrapped all together because it didn't influence the plot or characters at all. It was mostly done (I think) for fan service or comedy? But it didn't land. We didn't need so little of progression and then in 1 episode BAM everything gets going at full speed. It was a weird choice and could've been fixed fairly easily.

When the show started I was into the premise. I loved that we got a solid cast of side characters. Ai and Ni were great, but what else do I expect from Mike & Toptap lol. They had so many good moments in this show together as a steady couple, they were so much fun to watch. You better smack your mans ass on the dance floor lmao! I also really liked How Chon, Na and Pang were a trio. Like he had a good support system backing him up the entire time. Chon's mom and Miriam were also great, what sassy queens they were! Then we get into Ton himself, which is where a huge chunk of my problems with this show surface from as well. I absolutely hated him for 95% of this show straight up (the character obviously not the actor, him I love). His dialogue for awhile heavily consists of homophobic and sexist speech, while also being way too abrasive/handsy. He was rude and super disrespectful at times to people around him including Chon. He also became very VERY possessive and violent which we don't vibe with. Jealousy can bring out stupidity, however Ton had literally zero say over who Chon associated with/dated and his toxic attitude got on my nerves. I understand a lot of it can be chalked up to internalized homophobia, the homophobic dad putting pressure on him and lack of coping skills when it comes to his emotions. But even with that in mind it was too much and I didn't like him. Sure I didn't like other characters too like the ex girlfriend, but she's meant to be hated throughout.

There were serious times where I said out loud I would've preferred Chon having ended up with Na instead. It started with him taking the drinks from Chon that were being forced on him. Super sweet. Na's character actually ended up becoming my favorite! At first he was kinda obnoxious, but in a funny way. Then we see him develop into a kinder person, who gives out food to people in need. He uses the "rich" thing as a way to try and make friends and be wanted. Which I freaking called from the start! Honestly, Na deserved better in this series. He got the 2 leads together with his speech, he got his heart broken for the sake of his also best friend, and he's a pansexual king. We stan. Like I said before, Ton I still didn't like by literally episode 7. Dude was an airhead pouty b****, but like I said before there's an episode where it literally goes from 0 to 100 so quickly and that's when Ton and Chon actually get together. So that happens very quickly, which wasn't the worst. However, Ton's character does a literal 180 and it bothered me. He becomes super cutesy and extra, I didn't like that all of a sudden were supposed to root for him. I needed more time to warm up to the idea of forgiving him for everything else. It doesn't just go away once love "blossoms" or whatever.

So because there's so much filler in this series, I literally have to skip so much unnecessary trash and get to the finale. In few words, it sucked really badly. It was weird, confusing and uncomfortable to watch. We all of a sudden are supposed to accept that a surrogacy is happening with Ton's baby. What in the actual f***? It's literally done to "appease" Ton's disgusting father. Like it literally made my skin crawl. And what's worse is Miriam is the one chosen to do this. We literally get a flash forward of 3 years and she's pregnant. This is done like she was kinda forced upon it by the father and I hated it so much. The situation with the heir was messed up to begin with and the fact that it takes THAT for the father to accept them. While also not even considering if Ton wants to be a father at all! Or how he basically shoves the "responsibility" of grandkids onto his daughter too. Gross. I especially hated that because as a woman who doesn't ever want children it's infuriating to see it play out like this. None of this was acceptable and its played off like it was such an easy solution. Then THEN the father has a stroke and apologizes? Like wtf 100 to 0 real quick and it just didn't make any sense at all. He's unforgivable, period. The only good parts about that finale was Na getting a manz and Chon's mom wanting to whoop Ton's fathers ass.

I also wanted to mention another huge issue that I had with this series. So we had a great discussion about why it was wrong for Chon to kiss Ton while he was asleep. It was brought up and the mom set it straight. However, then we also get in this series a literal scene of Chon getting assaulted in the bathroom by an upperclassmen. And nothing happens from it. They just gloss over it and move on. NO, absolutely not. There should've been repercussions and that character is seen again so it's not like it's just a random plot device (which is also wrong). How frustrating this series was. Like I said some things I enjoyed, most of them being the lighter hearted stuff. But the heavier subjects were handled awfully and I don't think I can just look past them. I will leave with a quote though from the show that I liked.

"Being different isn't disgusting, but the one who hates the one who is different is the one who is disgusting."

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This Was All Over The Place

This second season improved on some things from the first season, I found it more investing and it didn't necessarily drag as much. Also the music is much better and the actors have improved as well with their roles. However, this second season structurally was a freaking mess holy crap. They stuffed WAY too much into it, there was literally no room to breathe. I even forgot certain major plot points because too much was going on! They made some character changes that I absolutely hated overall. Let's get into it.

So, again there's of course more of the drama from first season but continued. As well as some needed background flashback information, which I enjoyed even more than the current day stuff in the show that was happening for awhile. Again (like before) I was most interested in Earth/Sam's story, as well as Stud's intertwining. It felt like half the season was recapping stuff that happened and just repetitious plot points we already went over. Then there's this huge shift in character "development" if you can even call it that. It happened so out of nowhere that I was sat stunned like wtf? Earth's character specifically. He didn't have a slow boil, sure he was hurt clearly but becoming this weird completely out of character mentally snapped person was out of place. Some things he was doing I could understand, like making Stud an emotional punching bag. Or even semi taking advantage of Sam's overkindness. But he became just literally an ass**** and I didn't like it. Not because I like his character from before, but because it made ZERO SENSE. If they had taken more time in the season to go that route I would've been like okay! I get it. Earth and Stud sleeping together too out of nowhere was a dumb move that went nowhere as well. I'm sure those shippers are pissed by the end, which I understand. It was kind of just a tossed out plot point for a thumbnail clickbait tbh.

Speaking of Stud's character change however I enjoyed that, we get more into his mind and he ended up being my favorite by the end! He actually does love deeply but needed to care about how he was treated too instead of disposable. Moving onto Bew, she had me hooked at first, but then got annoying after awhile. She's just not a likable character at all for a hot minute and were supposed to sympathize I think? But I just didn't. Did she get some redemption? Not really since she just used suicide as an abusive tactic to trap people, but then she kind of just disappeared so I guess it didn't matter. There's also a lot of relationship toxicity in this constantly and I didn't dig that. Some couples worked through it and others kinda just looked past it. I need the writers to be more consistent with that stuff because its important. Like Amm and Chris. First of all, yaaas lesbian couple representation but nooo mental health discussion done in a way where it was kinda misinformative about bipolar disorder. They really should've had a specialist go over this stuff with them first because I can kinda tell they didn't. Yes I have a close family member who deals with BPD and no I am not an expert but I do have first-hand experience.

Basically this season was fun to watch overall, but just had things that I couldn't overlook for the sake of the fun of it. I'm sure they'll do a third season and I hope they improve even further. Let's take these important discussions and really discuss them right! Also please give us a better ending because this wasn't it. I'm fine with open endings, but this was just dry. Again sorry Earth X Stud shippers, I feel you and the writers kind of stabbed you in the heart by the end. RIP

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The Best Zombie Film To Date

I was recommended to watch this film by a close friend of mine, he knows I love horror/drama films and the fact that it's a Korean based film is even more up my alley. Then I found out this was on Netflix, so I finally got to watch it! I can honestly say this is the strongest zombie film I've ever seen, I know that's a huge statement to make since some U.S. based zombie films are well regarded. However I have my reasons, which I will get into.

First of all whatever cameras they used to film this movie I would kill to play around with! This movie was beautiful and so crystal clear in picture. There are fantastic shots done in this film and I really appreciate it for that. Also the special effects themselves were top of the line, that deer at the beginning looked fantastic. Seeing hoards of zombies running and falling over each other like a tidal wave was horrifying, there is so much great tension in this film. Also, the actors they got to play the zombies were fantastic in the way they moved and contorted. The movie also didn't need to use disgusting visuals to get it's point across, which zombie films/series do quite often. Sure there's some of that, but its not overly grotesque.

Every character had personality. I don't personally know any of the actors in this film (update: now I do lol!), but they made a lasting impact on me! Everyone was great, but the 2 that stood out the most to me were the dad (Seok-woo) played by Yoo Gong and Yong-guk played by Woo-sik Choi (update: who's my boy now haha). Both played emotion with such expression and guttural tones that I felt their performances were the most noteworthy. Also... Woo-sik Choi is very cute, so I'll be checking him out in "Parasite" as well (update: lmao sorry for the updates, but I did see him in Parasite and he's even better there!)

When characters die throughout this movie, you feel the loss. Which is the greatest compliment you can give a film like this. Seriously though I never in a million years thought a zombie film would make me cry, this one did that to me TWICE. Holy crap what a tear jerker, I won't spoil it but be prepared to have your heart broken. The action and drama flowed very well together, even when the scenes were slower paced I was still completely invested. Definitely check this one out and give foreign films a chance! Don't use reading subtitles as an excuse to skip fantastic movies like this one, it just makes you look lazy!

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BL Has Evolved So Much Thanks To SOTUS

Another BL that many consider god-tier status. Though I appreciate that this series doesn't go for some problematic tropes it's got its fair share of non-problematic tropes for me to foresee how "SOTUS" influenced other series I've seen thus far. Since this was made in 2016, so it's considered quite old in BL standards. I was surprised to find this series on Netflix, because here in the states Thai BL's aren't really on streaming services, except for Viki sometimes. I guess that also attributes to it's status!

Let me start with what I liked. I enjoy both of our leads, whom both started their acting careers from this show I think. As well as some of the side characters actors as well. Arthit really got on my nerves at the beginning of this show, but his character softens a lot so by the end he was okay. Kongpop (played by the lovely Singto) was my favorite, of course seeing as I love him in other shows. But his character was also the most well-rounded and kindest out of anyone in the show. I also liked Aim, but again I knew that actor and I liked him prior anyways. The entire college initiation was interesting (for awhile) and I did really want to see how Arthit and Kongpop became a thing. So for the base level stuff in the show, it was fine!

Moving onto what I disliked. The show got kinda boring after awhile, I wanted the orientation stuff to be over and desperately wanted something else to happen. Eventually we moved on, but it was too late into the series and I wish it would've happened sooner. Also we could've gotten more couple development. Most of it was saved until the last 2-3 eps I'm pretty sure, well minus "longing" glances and obvious tension. I wanted concrete evidence that things were progressing, but I guess that's what the sequel series is for which I am going to watch! I have a feeling I'll like it more than this show, but again I appreciate what this show did for future BL.

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Pretty Solid Follow-Up To TharnType The Series

This movie actually tied up some loose ends from the series which I loved! I was asking myself "how did Type's parents feel about his and Tharns relationship" and "wait did Type patch things up with his childhood friend?" Luckily this movie addressed both of these and gave us more cute moments. It felt more like an extra long episode, not really cinematic but that's okay. Also they kept Type's character development the same THANK GOD. Definitely would recommend for fans of the series. It also really made me want the second season even more since apparently it's a flashforward sequence, so that'll be interesting to see what they do with the characters for that.

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Why R U Is Enough For Fans To Hang Onto

So 'Why R U' is considered by many to be the BL golden child of television and I can see why to a point. It's clearly got a bigger budget shown by its multiple sets, good camerawork and pretty large cast. This show did surprise me in some ways and disappoint me in others. It's not perfect, but it was enjoyable enough to watch! The overall plot is a tad confusing at first with the whole "are we in an actual BL novel?" plot, though it kinda just straightens out after awhile. We have a meh main couple (and strong side couple) whom do have a lot of chemistry, especially later on in the season dear god. Which I kinda appreciate because they didn't shy away from the obvious tension that was built up between our main characters.

The story itself was pretty good, I liked that the girl character wasn't used as just a sort-of boundary between Tutor and Fighter. She actually had a story-line and ends up happy which was cute. Also Tutor is an interesting character enough on his own, though Fighter was super meh or eww to me. Either frustrating or boring at first to be honest because he got very little depth given to him. However, I actually ended up preferring our side/secondary couple Zon/Sai over the main though! They were so adorable and so freaking funny, like holy crap I was in tears at their scenes the panic was real! We also must discuss that first kiss scene and the scene of their first time because it got me, both were really raw and emotional loved it. It totally sucks that they had their scenes cut short, BUT we get a side series of them to compensate so yay! Fighter's character again though I also had major issues with later on in the series, you probably know what scene I'm talking about already so by the end I disliked him completely. He's got this victim blaming attitude tbh by the end claiming Tutor is "making him crazy" or whatever and basically starting to assault him. He stops, but its super triggering and not okay at all. So that lessened my appeal for Tutor/Fighter overall even though it was already lacking.

Though I don't think the overall plot was as solid as one like TharnType that actually had me super emotionally invested, this one was enough for what it was worth. It could've done without some of the tropes that TharnType also had (to an extent) but weren't so dragged out and made more sense in that narrative where in this it was misplaced. We also didn't need the repeated clips of things happening and constant close-ups of abs lol. Finally, I wanted to say Tutor's sister in this stole my heart and I wanted to marry her straight up, also the bakery owner was amazing! Like literally just give me the Saifah X Zon scenes, scenes with the bakery owner and scenes with Tutors sister and best friend, the TharnType cameos then cut out everything else and we'll be golden for me XD

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TharnType Will Keep You Very Interested!

One of my favorite BL series hands-down. What I love it that it doesn't deter from difficult topics, they are quite sensitive so be careful if you're sensitive to that stuff. They include flashbacks of sexual assault, as well as discussions about this as well. It's very upsetting stuff, however it makes for a believable character in Type. Whom is very unlikable at the beginning of this show, he's homophobic and quite cruel to Tharn at the beginning. However, when its pieced together why it makes sense. Usually I hate the hater-to-lover trope in any show, but in this series it makes sense. Type has internalized homophobia, built up anger from suppressing those feelings of fear and disgust, and difficulty accepting Tharn as anything but a monster because that's all the interactions he's had with gay men his entire life. That one experience can change a person completely and the show really captured that. Now I'm not saying it's not problematic, because in certain scenes it is. However, they are understandable to the plot so its made up for by that fact.

This show has great acting and chemistry between the leads Mew (swoon) & Gulf (like dang it's believable) and actually shows a couple go from pretty toxic/not great to really healthy and sweet. Definitely some of the best character development I've seen in a show in Type. It's presented well in the flash forward scene, as well as in the special movie that came out after the series ended! Type became a completely different character (with some feisteniss still in him of course) and that's why the series worked. If he had stayed the same and didn't grow, I wouldn't of liked it so much. I found myself not being able to stop and had to keep watching because the story is so captivating. It's paced very well and doesn't leave room to breathe. I literally cried at the twist plotline towards the end with Lhong, wow was that some good acting. Some of the best I've actually seen in television I think! It was heart wrenching, what a great antagonistic character to shock the viewers with. Whom I was told has no backstory in the novel, so good job writers! I felt so badly for Tharn dude, that guy didn't deserve to be hurt by his best friend like that over and over again. Also poor Tar too of course!

Other than Lhong, we also get other great side characters, especially in Techno (love him so much) and Tharn's brother Thorn (cutie). The music for the show was also better than a lot of other BL series romances I've watched. It's catchy af and of course having Mew sing in the series definitely was a plus, though Kao (Lhong) is a really good singer as well! Can't wait to see what season 2 has to offer!

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Moonlight Chicken? More like Moonlight Chicken Nugget

I was very excited for this series since the trailer dropped. So let me get into why it was overhyped from the start.

This show definitely has more budget than other GMMTV BL's have. Our main leads (Earth and Mix) are of course great, but i mean they are dating irl so not a surprise and both are solid actors. They definitely were the main pull for this series, however they weren't why I kept watching. The overall plot was fine, though it kind of got stale after a little bit. Though the kind of almost twist of Mix having just gotten out of a relationship was interesting.

The main reason why I kept watching was Heart and Li Ming. They were adorable and had the added inclusion of Heart's deafness. That's great. I definitely was way more invested in them than Jim and Wen's fling, turned almost, to side thing, to almost again and then finally a couple thing.

The storyline of Jim's character being cheated on was good. Yeah that'll mess up relationships forever so it made me a tad less irritated with him. However, LOL though when the ferry accident happened I was like oh his ex is missing!? He's fine! But then they showed a dead body XD and I was like ohhhh never mind. I feel like Earth keeps getting sacked with these lead roles of characters that are either initially unlikable or turn unlikable. It happened in "ATOATS" and it happened in this.

Other side notes. What are these smash cuts!? They were so sloppy editing-wise and the implied romance between Wen's ex and Kaipa was rushed af and could've actually been something. Also soooo many mommy issues ugghhhh. That is all.

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