SpikedBoba

I'm totally in love with this right now and it makes my heart so happy. I love Dao and Kluen and every episode just solidifies that even more. The fact that Kluen has already been gossiping to his mom about his babe is the cutest thing on earth (I LOVE his mom btw her reaction to Gia's gift vs Dao's lmao).

I hope Joong and Dunk get a bigger project in the future but this is a perfect debut for them. All the cast has great chemistry and it's just a fun, easy watch. I think it also helps that you can feel this is the right length. This couple's story would never be able to hold a 12+ episode series, which is why I'm kind of hoping this might be an experimental way for them to see how a format like this might work for other series? I know the book is technically two stories in one, but I think this model (two short stories rather than dragging out one that should never attempt to be 12+ episodes) is totally viable! I think it would alleviate the second couple syndrome too haha. In this episode we finally met Fah and I already can't wait to see his half play out.

I'm going to miss this dearly. Haebom and Taesung were my shot of sugary sweet for the week!

So far this is adorable, the chemistry is on point (we love a good flirtatious banter), and it's all feel-good energy. I'm really hoping that this series keeps to this promising start.

I know that this is technically how the novel is split (I think), with the two stories separate but connected. But I'm actually hoping that this is an experiment to see how this type of format might work and be received. I'm sorry, but there are too many novels they're trying to fit into full-length series (11, 12, 13 episodes) that are not strong enough to carry a plot for that length of time. We end up getting so much filler and pointless plot circles it makes the pacing awful to sit through. I think some of the series released could have benefited from being shortened drastically. 6 - 8 episodes might be much a more realistic length than trying to drag out a plot beyond its capacity. If 12 - 13 episodes is the "standard" series length, why not break it up into two different stories? It could potentially also solve the forever issue of secondary couples not getting any shine. I don't know, I'm just intrigued by this idea and I hope it's something they're exploring.

This series could have benefited from being shortened into a movie. The number of unnecessary plot points and empty filler scenes made it drag so badly. Force hard carried the acting 100%, I feel bad that this was his first project because it was a total disservice to his potential. I truly could not have cared less for the spoiled self-centered brat that Theo was, my God what a disconnect from reality. He was the worst, I kept rooting for him and Akk to just fall apart, they always seemed to be on the verge of it anyway due to what an atrocious friend (let alone boyfriend) Theo was. Theo spent the whole series playing mind games instead of being an adult and just...communicating? I'll also point out that there was zero reasoning or logic behind his behavior, he just appears to enjoy torturing Akk. Add to that no romantic chemistry between them at all and you have a recipe for the tepid, uninspired attempt at whatever this was. Overall this was a snoozefest and a disappointment. The story was bad. The pacing was awful. The characters were not just unrelatable but unlikeable. The acting (aside from Force) was stilted, wooden, one-dimensional...the list goes on. Glad to say it's over and we can move on to better things.

From what I've read wrongfully arrested and imprisoned protest leaders were being transported and a blockade by protesters who didn't allow them to continue forward forced their release.

There isn't a lot of information due to the control of news and media in the country, but I would recommend searching up the pro-democracy/Free Youth Movement in Thailand as it's all connected to that. When you start reading about how the protests started, by who, and how they've played out the parallels make the show that much more poignant.

Here's a few articles:

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2021/09/amnesty-thailand-protest-leader-arrest/

https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/10/13/thailand-over-20-democracy-activists-arrested

https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/08/27/thailand-more-protest-leaders-arrested

It was disappointing that they changed that plotline for the series for sure. I'm not sure why the change was made from the OG story, that choice just made it appear so out of place because it didn't make any sense to who Gram was. As far as I know I don't think Mond does BL roles, so maybe they wanted him in the series enough to sacrifice that to not so great a result. Luckily for me that was so minimal in the grand scheme of things I was happy to completely ignore that whole plotline lol.

Agree to disagree for sure. It's not a thing towards you either, it's just how I understood your comment that I thought was aimed at discussion. Apologies if it wasn't. I'm not quite sure why you seem defensive since nothing I said was intended on being offensive, but my opinion on the series has nothing to do with me thinking it's a perfect series. It's far from perfect. Overjustifying would mean I'm stating something that is not a reality, nothing about what I said isn't a part of the plot of the show. You may not have understood it perhaps, or missed some key points? But it doesn't change that those elements are there. Like I said you definitely don't have to agree or like the show at all, I just thought you were open to discussing your issues with it based on your comment and it appears I was wrong.

Super wholesome, feel good, funny...all the good things haha.

Technically this came out first lol the description is based off the pilot episode (them meeting at the hotel) and that came out last August.

I won't respond to everything but I guess I'm kind of confused on your major points...like how you don't think Tawi did anything? He's at the center of corruption and power abuse and as the top 1% he's untouchable, which was the whole point of them wanting to catch him drug trafficking. He was doing horrible illegal things, half of which went unnoticed because he had cops and officials in his back pocket. They're talking about a much larger picture than Tawi simply being a "villain" as you put it, It's a commentary on the problems countries worldwide are dealing with where the "justice system" only serves those in power, and those without any power are consistently oppressed and abused. And it's not always in ways that are obvious, but rather it's usually in ways that are not easily apparent and it's certainly not them doing the dirty work. The gang focusing on the drug trafficking did so because it was one way they could potentially catch Tawi and expose him. Not easy to do with his influence and money, as we saw when he had them kidnapped in an attempt to make them disappear (something that happens more frequently than people realize when people start fighting back, just look into what happened to main organizers and leaders for protests in the BLM movement in the U.S. and that's just one example). Even more important is that they showed Tawi is just one snake in an infestation. He was on the phone ensuring someone he had everything under control so things could continue as normal once people got tired of protesting. That scene was so true to life, we literally just saw it happen. I also think it's important to realize this was actually quite ballsy of the production team to do considering it's not a normal easy thing to do to speak out against corruption and the government in Thailand.

The plotline for who hurt Black wasn't laid aside? They did find out who hurt him. White thought it was Tawi which gave him more incentive to try to bring Tawi down, it wasn't until Black woke up that he realized it wasn't and when that reveal happened Black took over seeking his own revenge. Black said he tried to kill Todd but couldn't, meaning he left him alive but his intention in beating him was to kill him. He felt like his justice was served that Todd ended up where he had been even if he wasn't dead.

Black and White cut their parents out of their lives due to their decision not to speak up against injustice and to continue allowing and even encouraging abuses of power due to their privilege (literally White's dad tried to use his connections to buy White's way into a position in politics). That was actually a major part of White's development and in starting to see reality. It wouldn't have made sense for them to be in the second half of the story, they aren't a part of their lives anymore. Both White and Black made that very clear?

While I agree I wish we had more backstory for Gumpa he had a pretty large role in the group since he's the reason they were together. He trained them, protected them, watched over them, and made sure they had a safe place to land when things went sideways. They needed Gumpa to keep them together or they would have fallen apart.

Definitely, you can not like to series, that is totally fair, it's not going to be for everyone haha. But I also feel like maybe there's some lack of understanding on some of the more important thematics the show was trying to get across? Not everything was spelled out, but I think that was intentional as a way to get people to think more critically about the space they occupy, what's right and what's wrong, how insidious injustice can be, and how prevalent and corrosive privilege and power can be.

10 from me. I don't really care what anyone else has to say about it. It kept me interested, invested, riveted, and on the edge of my seat the entire ride. Such a good job from the whole team, from the writers who really did their due diligence, down to the actors who did their best to portray every complex interplay of emotion. I'm so impressed all around. I truly feel a sense of loss now that I don't have this to look forward to every Sunday haha. I also want to say hats off to Gun and Off, it's really rare to see such a realistic portrayal of a relationship in BL as unfortunate as that is. It's a testament to how close they are but there was zero hesitance, not one single moment where they didn't feel naturally entwined and in love. And I think everyone has said it by now but Gun absolutely deserves special recognition his portrayal of Black/White, he really nailed it. Ugh, I'm going to miss all of them!

I'm going to carry one of the last lines with me for a long time: "The law can be a gateway to justice, but is not justice itself." May we see a future where more people recognize that.

I'm not even sure what to say about this other than that it's a mindfuck lol. I can't say I liked it but I also can't say I didn't like it? I don't really think it's meant to be an enjoyable, easy watch let's just put it that way. It's one of those cases where you're questioning what the hell you're watching but you can't stop watching because you need to know how it plays out. To break it down from my perspective a bit further:

I feel like I was the most taken in by the Ben, Sam, George triangle. That was by far the best storyline of the bunch; the best acted, and the most cohesive even if still just as chaotic (and I mean CHAOS) as the rest of the series. The pinnacle I feel like was in ep 7, what happens to George is one of the most intense, poignant scenes I've seen in a long time. The way every actor played out that scene, you felt every emotion and wanted to stop watching but just couldn't. Oh god, the mom...I also just feel like Ben and Sam really played their roles so well throughout.

I feel like the second romance that was the best portrayed was Mark and Kaloy's but that is where the story starts to deteriorate to me. I'm not sure if I just missed something but it felt like Mark, Kaloy, and Rener's relationship together was just too undefined. I couldn't quite piece together much of anything to do with who they were (other than Rener's caretakers), why they were together, what exactly happened to Rener...it just felt underdeveloped and disappointingly vague.

Tony and Ian I just wish had more meat. The both of them felt too over the top for one. There wasn't a lot of nuance between them (a lot of screaming though) and their chemistry felt stilted. Overall their whole relationship, Tony's presence in the Philippines, most of the ways they interacted all just felt odd and like an unnecessary addition. Especially because they were the only couple that didn't seem to have much of a physical relationship. And when you compare that to everyone else, it felt like one or both of the actors didn't want to play out a romantic connection, which kind of ruined their vibe because it felt glaringly disconnected from the rest of the series.

Renzo and Chris were probably the duo I liked the least (or equally least to Ian and Tony). Another couple with very little nuance and not a lot of development. It's even sadder that you don't end up knowing more about them and who they were once you realize the plot twist at the end.

Overall, some great acting, a lot of shock value, and experimental storytelling. Definitely not a cohesive story but I will say that I went back to re-watch, mainly to understand Ben, Sam, and George's story better and a lot of things were clearer watching a second time due to their use of flashbacks, hallucinations, fantasy sequences, and non-linear storytelling (no joke). It's A LOT but not unworthy of a watch if you are into darker more avant-garde film. Definitely not in the realm of "BL" as it might be traditionally defined on here so don't go in expecting anything close to a typical BL.

Exactly! I mean there was any number of ways they could have spiced things up. In the beginning, I totally thought Phupha and Natee would have an enemies to lovers arc only to have them completely waste that by giving Natee as equally a bland pairing as Theo and Akk. And I've seen Aun act and have some stellar chemistry with acting partners before so seeing him and his character have zero chemistry with Natee seems again the fault of poor writing and direction.

There was some interesting material to work with so it's unfortunate that the end result felt like a watered-down romance. Honestly, I would have taken Theo falling for any one of the pretend Enchante's over his relationship to Akk or better yet Akk falling for one of the Enchante's in his bid to protect his friend. Akk and Theo just felt like brothers to me, and not in the good friends forever kind of way, but in the yikes, relatives kind of way.

Thank you for saying this! I felt like I was in the twilight zone. Since when can people not openly express their opinion on a platform literally made for that? I get if you liked it and can't handle anyone being critical of something you enjoyed but that's a YOU problem. These people could idk just as easily not read the comment section if they're going to get so upset and worked up over people having different opinions from theirs. Maybe there's just a bunch of kids here with very little understanding of how the world works, but let's grow up a little and realize that not everybody is going to agree with us on everything and that's ok.

You could also just not read or respond to my comment too if you don't like it (shrugs) see how that works? Are people not allowed to share their opinion and criticism on an open platform for doing just that?

2Moons came first but it was like Star Hunter's way of introducing/promoting the boys for the group if that makes sense? All of SBFive participated in the first 2Moons and they were all under Star Hunter at the time (and still are). 2Moons released in (I think) July of 2017 and SBFive debuted in December.

Fun fact if you've watched Gen Y and Gen Y 2 they feature not only SBFive members but all the members of another group from the company too lol.

My biggest issue with the series is just that it's boring. I love a fluff piece as much as the next person but this being a light romance is not what the problem with this series is. The story is crap, I'm sorry but it is. I also understand that this was an acting debut for both the leads so I think being fair in expectations of their acting is warranted, however, I just don't think they have much chemistry. My main issue being with Book who just felt...flat the entire series. To be fair I don't really like Theo's character so it was hard to care about a whole story that revolved entirely around him, but it might have helped if the person playing him felt slightly more dynamic and less one-dimensional. Force being the second male lead was a lucky break as he was actually emotive and completely carried his scenes and the scenes they had together. If Force hadn't been the second male lead this would have been a disaster.

I think this is one series that could have seriously benefited from more prominent second couples or SOMETHING because the main plot and love story is too weak to hold an entire series on its own. This could have been cut by half, and you wouldn't have missed a single thing of importance. Did we really need 50 million stares that lead to almost kisses and then end in awkward fidgeting? At what point does it just get ridiculous? I get sprinkling in a few for tension, but having one every scene is just dumb and lazy. Especially when "supposedly" the characters aren't sure the other person is into them....what could possibly be a bigger indication that someone likes you than someone trying to kiss you 100 times?

That's not true, Enchante is the same in the series as it is in the novel, but you learn about it through an alternate ending. In the original ending to the novel the author left Enchante an open ending, where readers never found out who Enchante was but Theo and Akk still got together. Because readers were so upset the author changed the ending to an actual reveal of who Enchante was which received a bad reception from readers who felt it was a cop-out. So people tend to not like the decision the author made either way and I can understand why.

Yeah, I mentioned in my comment on my thoughts for the series overall that I just don't think Love Stage can ever be translated into a live action, specifically for the points you're making (and others). The manga is just too out there and honestly doesn't translate well. And in my personal opinion, some things just shouldn't be made into reality. There's a lot that's troublesome about the manga that in that context can kind of skirt the line of appropriate, but in a live action is harder to pull off. That's why I give the production and writing team a tiny bit of lee way as I think the manga is much more complicated to pull off in LA than people realize.

While I get the criticism for Anda for sure, I will just point out that's kind of how he's written lol if you haven't read the manga you're definitely missing a lot of context (which as I mentioned above is a total failure on the part of the producers/writers but I'll give them a bit of leeway in recognizing it is more complex than I think people with no understanding of the manga probably realize hah). Izumi is really tiny, he's short and skinny with soft features and looks pretty pre-pubescent. He's often mistaken as a kid or a teen in the manga, especially because of how he dresses and his obsession with, of all things, manga. He's very introverted, and has been incredibly sheltered and spoiled his whole life which makes him also come across as childish in his behavior, demeanor, and actions. So while yes, Anda does look 12 and has a primary school relationship with Ryo, he's actually pretty accurate to the character of Izumi. And I think that says a lot for Turbo as an actor as he's nothing like what he portrays here at all, completely opposite actually lol. There's a lot of suspension of disbelief that needs to happen to make the manga a reality because both Izumi and Ryo have never been in relationships or explored their sexuality (according to the source material). Being "virginal" their relationship is a lot sweeter and more exploratory than Rei and Shogo's (Jet and Tee) who have been together for a really long time.

And I will say I was pleasantly surprised because usual representations of "virginal" in BL are chaste presses of lips and the love interests acting like they don't even like each other let alone are sexually attracted to each other. I appreciated a more accurate portrayal, in that just because there is innocence and uncertainty it doesn't mean there isn't an attraction and curiosity that leads to physical manifestations of those urges and needs.