MaintainingMama

So I do not have a simplistic view of emotional journeys, nor do I misunderstand human emotions. Got 2 degrees in human emotions or better stated, psychology and counseling. So I get people and their feelings as well as their traumas. The point of my post was to express, how I felt that the direction, acting, production, and most importantly the writing could have done a much better job of expressing those emotions. I absolutely understand fight, flight, freeze or fawn. Kant didn't do any of these on the boat. I would have appreciated the scene more if he had frozen, refusing to get off the boat juxtaposed to flashbacks of his trauma with his parents death in the water. That would have made better sense. He literally starts to explain and then stops and says nothing. But let's not forget that we are watching a romance. One that, so far, has had very little romance in it. You mentioned Kant the bowling alley break in date and all that Kant has done to get the information. The writing and directing has done very little to show Kant feeling guilty about what he has to do. Do they show some, absolutely, contrary to your statement that I wasn't paying attention, I am watching, I am in fact enjoying the series. I literally state that I was let down by this particular episode because I could see where it could have been so much better, especially based on what they have already shown us, specifically last week, which was an episode I loved for the most part.
I did not misunderstand why Keen was there, it was, in my opinion, a poorly written scene that would have been better and made better sense if done the way I suggested (not that I think my suggestion is the best, but it fits better based on what the HAVE said about Keen, his character and his agenda) than to have him aim into a crowd of people to maybe hit two people who are also armed and obviously better at shooting in a place that has cameras everywhere without a mask or anything to hid his identity. Yes, I agree he was there to confirm they were dating, which is why I suggested it would have been a better scene if he had recorded the bathroom conversation between Fadel and Style and take it back to Mother. And again, I don't want to assume that much in a story that could have used a few words or actions to show me his intentions.
As for Style being turned on, again that wasn't what I felt was displayed in the acting or the writing, at least not clearly. Style and Fadel get off on public sex, that is something they have shown before. And they even spoke about it clearly, so it isn't something I have to assume. At no point does Style ever indicate that he likes Fadel being scary and murder-y. Again, I shouldn't have to guess what a story is trying to tell me. At least not in this type of drama. This isn't some art piece where the story is open for interpretation. It's a BL based off of a Shakespeare play. Despite your statement, this story is really not that deep. Could it have some deep moments sure, but like every other drama consumed for entertainment, how these characters are feeling should be clearly displayed through direction, acting, writing/dialogue and I didn't get that from Style in the car. Maybe I'll be proven wrong next week, if they say so, but for now, I don't see it.
As for Fadel's arm, they said it was broken, it's in a cast and a sling. Either way, he could not have lifted a grown unconscious man with his freshly injured arm, let alone done it in a way to get past all those police or even passerby's in a hospital.

Lastly, I'm going to assume you meant no offense, but you can state your opinion without insulting people. In both my review as well as this reply I have almost exclusively used "I" statements. I scroll through countless comments and read opinions and then sometimes I create my own like this to offer my opinion. I am also open to differing opinions, which is why I scroll and read before I post my thoughts. I don't, however, go on anyone's post and tell them they are "simplistic" and "misunderstanding" the story as if to say I'm too stupid to understand this deep story. Again, even if I find a differing opinion than my own, to the point that I need to comment, I exclusively use "I" statements and I never tell someone they are wrong for their opinion. I may say I disagree and then elaborate with details, but I'm not going out of my way to be disrespectful to the people I engage with on this website. You could have shared all of your thoughts as you did above without calling into question my intelligence, which essentially what you did. A bit of unsolicited advice, think carefully before you post a comment. You may love this show, and that is your right, but you don't have a right to try and make someone feel bad because you don't agree with what they wrote. I didn't tear this show down, I didn't disparage what they was created. I offered a criticism based on my expectation of any show, but especially a show done by GMMTV and with actors who I think are amazing. I wanted a better show, was disappointed, wrote about it and what could have made it better, that is all. Doesn't make me stupid or simple minded. In fact, I'll argue it makes me intelligent because I don't just like a show because of who is in it or how hot the guys are. But that is just me.

Gross statement. You obviously are biased and therefore impossible to speak to about.... well literally anything. Best of luck. Hope you broaden your mindset as it seems your current mindset prevents you from enjoy, understanding and appreciating the world and all it brings to art. Please refrain from further commenting.

This was a disappointing episode for me. So much wasted potential after the great episode last week was.
So many parts didn't make sense or could have just been soooo much better.
Why was Keen at the bowling ally to kill Bison and/or Fadel when it would better serve his goals to video/audio tape that convo in the bathroom as well as them in the bowling alley to then take back to Crazy Mama?
What was the purpose of Fadel and Bison's plan to take one singular day to "make them love us and then kill them" only to give up and reveal the plan just cause Bison was hurt and then not do a single thing to Style even though now Style knows the jig is up. Why didn't Style turn right around after Fadel told him basically, I know and I'm planning on killing you and go tell Kant? You mean to tell me , he couldn't figure out that Fadel knew and that Kant needed to know before Bison woke up WHEN Fadel told him but had to wait until much later.
Bison heard how heartbroken Kant was and that, at the very least, should have given him pause on the whole kill Kant because he betrayed me goal. But okay, I'll allow for rage and being stabbed and running from the police make you not think clearly. But what about on the boat. He had all that time to think and instead, he just got super pissed and stopped thinking?! Speaking of not thinking, Kant wakes up and sees that he has been found out and instead of speed confessing, or doing literally anything that would at least make Bison slow down and listen, he just says let's get to dry land. I also took into account his fear of the water. But once Bison started screaming jump off the boat, him explaining how he was forced by the police and threatened with his future as well as the future of his brother, a short and easy sentence that at minimum would have had a regular person at least ask for elaboration, stalling your time in the sea you don't want to be in and possibly getting you onto dry land. But nope, just lots of feet shots no one asked for. And a Bison who was stunned that Kant did the thing he was told to do because a gun was pointed at him...
Then you have the most stupid scene. Fadel with a freshly broken arm single handedly not only knocking out Style, but then some how, again literally single handedly, getting a lifeless body of a grown man with out any help and surrounded by police, out of the hospital undetected. Then striping him bare and some how propping him up on a swimming board so that his lifeless body would just naturally sit up straight until he woke up.
Like WHAT?!
But okay, baring that what upset me the most was all the wasted potential to redeem these scenes and these couples.
The one thing I wondered was how were they going to make us, the audience, believe that these two couple will love each other in the end, an ending I'm assuming at this point, but I figured that was the outcome of this show. It's a pretty hard task, as they have set these characters relationships to be impossible to work out. First because Fadel and Bison are literal murderers. Do they do it for the good of man, so Mama says, but who knows at this point she could have her own agenda that hasn't been reveal yet. But either way, a murderer is a murderer. We can act like Kant's past is equally as bad, in fact Style even said so this episode, but stealing cars and multiple homicides are absolutely not the same level of crime. So we, the audience, have to suspend belief that Kant and Style fall in love with two hitmen, okay, I watched the trailer, I know what I signed up for, but I expected (I know foolish at this point) the writers to help me believe that. We, the audience, also have to believe that both Fadel and Bison experience betrayal from two people they finally allowed themselves to love for the first time and some how forgive them. Not impossible to do, again, I know what I signed up for and apparently next week, all is forgiven. So today's episode should have helped me see how that can even remotely be possible next week.
I will admit that one thing almost helped, which was First's phenomenal acting in the hospital psuedo-confessing. It was a very touching and emotional scene, that could have literally been made even better by maybe showing Bison breaking down when Kant left the room. Or when he had to drug him to get him out of the hospital. I just needed to see more of Bison's struggle with his emotions, especially after he heard Kant's confession. Not necessarily forgiving Kant right away, but some confusion about what to do, conflicted about his feeling for Kant but also his feeling of betrayal and guilt for dragging Fadel into this mess.
I think the boat scene would have been a million percent better, if as Bison is demanding Kant jump off, they had had Kant confessing, begging for forgiveness, and most importantly, declaring his love for Bison. Imagine how much better that scene would have been, if Kant was walking slowly toward the edge, confessing his love for Bison the whole way, crying, begging for forgiveness as well as those scenes of his parent's death and fear of the ocean, juxtaposed with Bison breaking down, screaming, threatening with the gun. Both of them warring with their feeling, but overall, you have Kant letting Bison know that even though it is ending like that, he needed Bison to know that he loved him. That way, when Kant jumps and immediately disappears in the water and Bison is alarmed and terrified right away, us the audience understand why. His immediate regret would have so much more sense.
Same with Fadel and Style. Style should have confessed the whole thing as well. Lying and saying he didn't know why Kant did this made no sense. He should have said, man, I know that what we did was wrong, but Kant was forced by the chief and he dragged me in with out telling me. I didn't know who you were or what you did before, I hit on you for fun at first but by the time I found out the real plan, I was already in love with you. Once again, they needed to show Style being all the way serious about Fadel, for me to believe that he loved and cared for Fadel. That he loved Fadel enough to not be afraid of him, even with him pointing a gun at him. No begging for his life, just him begging Fadel for forgiveness.
I keep seeing people say Style was turned on by Fadel and his gun, but I don't think so. I think after Fadel didn't kill him then and there, he knew that Fadel was never going to kill him and that Fadel loved him too much to do it. I think that was smug Style, not turned on Style.
The last stupid thing is Fadel holding a gun to Style's head, while driving in an open vehicle while the drive down a highway, surrounded by a million cars/witnesses. Like who wrote that scene.
Ah the wasted potential for this series as well as for these actors. Disappointed.

I loved My Old Fashioned Cupcake although, I don't feel like it is on the same level as this. I felt it could have been longer and told more of their story, it left me wanting a lot more. And while I wanted more with this series as well it was more due to the fact that it was so good, I didn't want it to end. And how I can even possibly compare this show with the ones I listed is simple. These are my favorite Thai and Taiwanese BL's based on the same criteria I would use for any show/series I watch. I compared them based on cinematography, direction, acting, story/plot, writing, as well as the OST/music used in the series. I didn't have any questions when they were over, I felt moved by their human experiences while the story unfolded. I was stunned by the visuals on the screen. The music wasn't a distraction but rather an enhancement during the experience of watching.
While I love JBL, I don't think one country over another is any better than the other, so I feel comfortable comparing the shows I mentioned with this one simply based on the fact that they are my favorites and now this one has become a favorite. This is simply my opinion.

Thank you for letting me know

This was the best JBL to date for me. And I mean of all time. It was heartbreaking and achingly beautiful. The cinematography was amazing, the soundtrack the acting and directing. Just when my only complaint was the pathetic weak lipped Japanese kissing, here comes episode 11 with a passionate display of their love for one another.
Zero notes. This is going in my top ten list of best BLs of all time. It might seriously go under ITSAY and MODC (only to half way ep.9, we don't acknowledge the rest) as my favorites.
This was a wonderful example of "every body has a story and you never know what someone is going through". What Hirakawa went through all by himself even with Minase around was traumaing. He endured so much, more than any human being should have to. And watching Minastize wanting to do something to fix it but being powerless because of his age, his socioeconomic status, his parents as well as his own real life trauma was just as traumatizing.
I loved that we go to see them grow up and see each stage of their relationship. Am I sad that in the end, they couldn't come out, they had to hid what they are to each other, even from the people who are in their lives, absolutely. This is also super realistic. Especially when you consider how hard they both worked to get "normal" lives. Minase choosing a boring day job to please the mother who was barely in his life, even into adulthood, just so he could have a stable life. He surrounded himself with friends, that he never seemed to actually like, just so he wasn't alone. And he kept them into adult. That is trauma. Abandoned by both parents, then by his one true person. Just gah.
Don't get me started on my baby Hirakawa. The fact that he never told his mother, not even after his dad passed away, simply because his mother "started over". I cannot. And watching his mother say, " A mother knows" while looking at his face beat bloody broke my heart and pissed me off all at the same time. A mother does know, but she wasn't a mother, cause what kind of mother abandons her child, never visiting him in his home to make sure he is doing okay, nor having him visit her. The fact that she had to wait for her new husband to leave town to invite her son into her is just GAH!!!! I do wish they had gone more into why that was, but also screw her. Especially watching her fawn all over the new baby and protect her. I cannot.
Anyway, I loved it. It was dang near perfect. And the way they ended it, they could continue on. I would love a coming out episode, and finally a getting married episode. Cause they deserve to live in their truth and to get their happily ever after.

This episode! First, how is Gun resisting all that rizz that Yotha is throwing at him, cause I literally cannot and he isn't even directing it at me. Like I would be a puddle on the ground every time he talked. Also, Gun is slow cause Yotha could not be clearer about what he wants. Second, that cliffhanger. I need to see the fight that happens, cause when Yotha stood up, he was definitely about that business. And lastly, the preview for next week! Gun admits to himself that he likes Yotha and Yotha finds out! Already!? How am I supposed to wait until next week!?

I wasn't as into this show as everyone at first. I was more into the story of the group dynamics and back story then the romance. Added to that William's voice, singing, but especially speaking and I was content to see where this show was going to take me. Then came today's episode and that ending! First, the scene in the storage room when they were hiding, was beautifully shot and well acted. Est/Po constantly swallowing and all that delicious eye contact. Then came the ending and once again the way it was filmed was amazing. The little snippets of conversations juxtaposed to them just doing cozy home type things, once again filmed beautifully. I LOVED that they showed them truly getting to know each other, in a real way. Don't get me wrong, I love a good, love at first sight or even a we fell in to bed and love came later. But realistically, usually, especially for long lasting relationships, you just talk to some one and get to know them. You talk about "meaningless" things first and then, if you really like them or you are enjoying your time talking and listening to them, before you know it hours go by. The hallmark of any true friendship is being able to talk about anything and everything comfortably and in my opinion true friendship is the basis of every great relationship. Watching Thame and Po become friends was a brilliant way to get the audience to "believe" their relationship. Especially after the comment from Jun saying Thame wouldn't like Po back.
Then to end it with Thame singing the song that Po mentioned as a song he liked! And watching Po melt in to a puddle at how SWEET that was to do, especially after falling asleep on him. Realizing he had to have stayed up after Po fell asleep practicing the song he said he could quite learn. OMG!
Yep, I'm hooked!
Now I can't wait for next week, especially cause we get my bias, Lego finally getting a bunch of screen time.
Amazing episode.

This was an adorable episode. My only complaint was the scene where North goes from being fine, to sneezing, to fainting, to fever, to making out. Like HUH?! And it didn't just the random Thai series that spring out of no where or caused by rain or having sex. This one actually was a real one, with chills and all. So why make out? Fevers are a wonderful indicators of being contagious. Did Johan have exams and his big trip to Boston. Why risk it? And it wasn't even about being like in the moment or anything. North went from being really sick to waking up to say he feels vaguely better to full make out session, complete with straddling legs, kissing lessons and hair pulling. It was just so clunky and out of place. Also, North saying he didn't know how to kiss...I thought he was saying he didn't know how to have sex, which would have made better sense in this scene (even though it really wouldn't with North being on his death bed and everything), but we've seen North and Johan make out. Like alot. So North didn't really need a "lesson". That part felt thrown in or out of sync with the rest of the show.
Otherwise, it was cute. Hill and Ter at the beginning just being happy was cute. I only wish they would do away with the virginal, "why is my boyfriend kissing me" shy "bottom" bit, not just in this series but in all series. It's ridiculous and annoying. Maybe if they were in high school and it was their first relationship ever. But come on, ya'll are college students, you know people kiss when they are in love AND most importantly, you have already kissed before. The shyness, the avoiding any sort of physical touch is just weird at this point.
Okay, rant over. Looking forward to more Johan and North next week. I hope these two couples gets special after their part is over.

I'll be honest. The star of this series was the resort. I would LOVE to stay there, it was beautiful. Now the series...was a thing that happened. It wasn't the worst (Fahlanruk still holds that title along with Dinosaur Love), but it could have been so much better. To have 2 hours, which is a decent length of a movie to tell a complete story and to then waste it on a random drink mixing scene, drunken walking up steps, sponge baths and a random fever (I know Thai series loves a good fever and a sponge bath, but seriously their was zero reason to have a fever!). There was not much that made sense about the plot. The writer goes to the resort to write about the owner's, who he has never met, relationship which he knows nothing about. And even though the resort is closed for renovations, he insists upon staying there but there is literally no reason he insists upon staying. They spend very little time together, but the owner feels betrayed because the writer wrote something, of which it's unclear, but he used his pretend name, which we never find out why he gives him a fake name. But he is hoping mad, enough to kick writer boy out. Except...never mind, you have a blown tire, come back in, lets talk, confess, have sex in the shower and a tub that is magically full of milk and flowers (WTF!?). And then wake up to writer boy having second thoughts about literally everything all of a sudden. He MUST walk away...except, sike! I'm still here, let's be together. The End. Oops, we needed another random NC scene, so let's throw that in before the credits.....now its the end.
The would be story had some potential and the setting was amazing. The soundtrack was good. But who ever wrote this was alot like the writer in this series. Just randomly throwing thoughts around, sprinkling in some out of pocket pseudo BDSM scene and calling it a story.
Welp, let me rewatch a comfort BL. Happy New Year, ya'll!

That's what sparked the idea. Watching Gun and PP being their true sassy selves made me think of them in a series. Added to that, they are style icons and some of my favorite fashion shoots, come from them. Add in Earth who has his own style, which I love and can match them for sass, it would be amazing to see.

I thought this was cute. It was basically what we always ask for in these BLs, just a bunch of cute moments where we get to finally see them be happy.
Did I love the colorism stuff, nope. I hadn't seen it in a while in these shows, so it came as a bit of surprise. But I guess I shouldn't be, which is sad.
Overall, I thought it was good. I will admitting to skipping the GL story line, but that was because I disliked these characters in the series as well, so I did not care to see their story line. It's crazy though, I liked the bestie relationship with Vie and Rak. But whiny clueless Mook was annoying 100% of the time and then you add Vie being pushy and manipulative with her... just nope, I'll pass. I loved the GL couple in The Wedding Plan, but these girls are not it for me.

This month, it's the soft voices that are doing it for me. Between Pond/Hill's voice in Fourever You and Thame/William's voice in ThamePo, I am riveted!
Outside of that, I'm liking how they are building the back story to not just include the romance, but also giving us the smallest glimpse of the attraction they have for each other. That number memorizing scene was simple and not really much of anything. But add in Thame's soft eyes and voice and Po standing there mesmerized by him. It was lovely.
I kind of wish I had waited to binge this, cause man the waiting is hard. Especially when it feels like each section is shorter than other shows.

It has been my dream for YEARS to see Earth, PP Krit, Gun Atp in a rom com. I have since added Nunew and Lego to this rom com with a side of YachtSammy. They would be fashion magazine executives and high jinx would ensue. I just know it would be amazing. I was so excited when he mentioned that. I would also love to see him play a psychopath. I think he would be amazing.

I guess I'm the opposite of everyone. I don't mind the HillTer story line. Do I want more of Johan and North, especially after last weeks episode, absolutely. But I like the softness of Hill and Ter. I don't hate Earth playing cute, cause he does it well and to be honest, this is the first series I've seen him (his character) in, where he isn't suffering most of the series, so it's a nice change. I think all the couples stories are going to bleed into each other and in season 2 we are going to get more of Johan and North, or so I hope. I do think for this story to be told they way they seem to want to tell it, it actually needs more episodes, as crazy as that seems. Or less side stories, like cutting out all of Ger and his pairing. They spent a lot of time this episode, even though I enjoy them, showing them, when it could have been more Johan and North. Same for the music show in the rain, I'm not sure what that was all about either.
But overall, I'm not dissatisfied with the continued showing of HillTer. Watching Hill meet Ter and fall in love was sweet. I will admit, I would like to see less shy Ter, at least when they are alone. Like the couch scene. It would have been cute if after a little fussing, Ter grabbed Hill and pulled him down into a big kiss. I will admit that it's a pet peeve of mine in not just this series, but in all of them where they have the shy behavior AFTER they already have done some stuff together, especially in private. I get not wanting to be affectionate in public. But when it's just the two of them and they have already kissed lots of times...come on. Just go for it!
But overall, I still look forward to both couples. I have feeling that next week is going to be primarily Johan and North, with him leaving for a long time, so that should be good.

My heart aches for all of them. Even though Kant betrayed Bison, he wasn't left with any choices. I think he would have chosen jail if it wasn't for his brother who he was still taking care of. Although his brother is close to being grown, this is kind of the time Babe needs Kant the most, at least to get through school. And when he started, he literally was doing it to help catch killers, so I can see where morally, there is no argument for him, either he goes to jail or he helps put killers in jail. Falling in love is almost never the plan, and I think he resisted as much as he could even up to the breaking into their place. But I mean, who wouldn't fall in love with cutie Khao.
Same for Style and Fadel. Fadel was simply a challenge for Style, but breaking down Fadel's walls changed something in Style. Seeing Fadel open up and chose to be with him was nothing short of a miracle, so of course Style fell hard. That ending with Fadel holding Style so close and the tear coming down. Ahhhh!!! Emotional Damage! Same with Bison's face seeing that Kant was the snitch. Although, technically, Kant can explain that away. That chief won't leave him alone about his own case, so that could be what he is meeting about.
It's all so heart breaking and I have zero clue how they get out of it.
I also think that Mother is doing this to "get the bad guys". I think she making money moves and is manipulating the boys who were vulnerable at one point.
Waiting a week is going to be painful!

I loved this. They did such an amazing job of blending the original with the modern take. I think what I loved the most was that each character mostly felt the same. And the ones who didn't I liked the change. Except for Ohm, who I liked the original way his character was presented. It was more evident that he liked Mick and struggled with that new feeling. I loved that they changed Per and Win's story. I disliked Per in the original because he made Win suffer so much. But this time, he admitted his feelings and remained honest with his feelings, unlike the original. I loved that the new Yuri still said "Noh" the same, kind of whiny way. It was always endearing to me, especially because Yuri was a green flag female character.
The only thing I'm a smidge peeved at is the lack of the kiss. And the only reason it bothers me is because I had understood it to be because Progress is a baby at 15 we were going to get camera angles and interrupted kisses. And I was cool with that. I wasn't even bothered when they had Earn and Noh have an accidental kiss, because for some reason I assumed Krit was the same age and it was only because Almond was legally an adult that no kisses could happen. Then I looked at his age and I don't know how that kiss happened but zero times did Phun and Noh get a tiny smooch.
I mean, I'm not really that put out, because I thought the glass kiss was cute and they had lots of beautiful moments with out any kissing, so I was happy. But I was just a teeny tiny bit put out by it.
The only other thing I was a little disappointed in, was not getting a cameo with Captain and White. They didn't have to return together in a scene necessarily, although it would have been nice if they had been camp counselors together. They got together and did the look back after 10 years with Sing, so why not the remake?! It would have been the cherry on top of this amazing remake.
I liked this so much though. I hope Almond and Progress get lots more opportunities together as I loved their chemistry. It will be interesting to see them grow up either way.

I'm still here for both story lines. I wanted more of JohanNorth, but then it felt like we got it....well North did, but we'll get to that.
I get why it took Hill and Ter so long to get together and most importantly why Ter was so hesitant until Hill officially asked him to be together. After their previous experience, having feeling for each other did not matter, confessing those feelings didn't matter, kissing each other did not matter, because in the long run they weren't even together and were easily torn apart. Ter needed the simple reassurance of officially being Hill's boyfriend, especially after he disappeared again. They each needed to build back trust within their relationship before they could move on to the next step.
As for JoNorth, Boy, oh, Boy! Both of those kisses were hot and unexpected. I see alot of comments about being weirded out that Johan is buying up all the places that North works, but I think its the only way he knows how to protect what he loves. I think with all the money he has, he must be used to losing out in major ways, and so for him, to ensure that North is safe, he made himself North's boss to protect him. Would it be amazing if Johan would communicate his thoughts and motives, absolutely, but he doesn't seem the type to express himself that way. When you have that kind of money, you can get used to just making decisions and seeing those decisions being followed quickly. Anyway, I'm excited for more Johan and North, especially finally seeing why Johan is so into North.

So I rewatched cause maybe I missed Fadel's expression in the kitchen scene. But looking at it again, he looks like, "look at this idiot, thinking I'm going to do him on my kitchen counter." And then he says it. He looked bored and annoyed, which fair, I would expect both in that scene to begin with. But I'll maintain my stance that that scene would have been better if it was longer, with a part showing Fadel kind of start to fall and have to restrain himself from actually having sex with Style in that moment. It would help ease the rush of him getting together with him in the end, imo.

The confession scene....so the Thai version was better in terms of the heaviness of the scene, and therefore the impact it had. And Fort was sooooo good acting wise. Now I have always said this, even when LITA first aired, Peat's acting left much to be desired, in my opinion, simply because in that scene he was supposed to be crying and he just...wasn't. His acting in that scene lessoned the impact it was meant to have. That being said, it was still better than the Japanese version, imo, except for Kai. Even with it being an unbelievably rushed scene and therefore losing most of it's appeal, the actor playing Kai was able to deliver the desperation that Sky/Kai felt at being "found out" and also the grief he felt thinking he would not get to be with the one he loved. I felt what I wanted Peat to give.
Out of all the other episodes, this one felt the most rushed. Because they are skipping so much of the audience seeing Fuma making an effort to win Kai over, like we got with LITA, when Kai jumps on Fuma, it's so abrupt and out of context. The reason it works in the original is that we SEE Prapai spend the whole day cleaning Sky's room, expecting nothing, just happy to be with Sky. And Sky watching Prapai do literally everything he asked of him, with no complaining. Without that, it loses the meaning about why what follows is so important to the series. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't just like that scene because it's a NC scene and admittedly hot. No, I like it because 1) you have Prapai admitting that although he would love to make love to Sky, he wasn't there for that, confirming for Sky that he does love him or at least cares for him. 2) Because you finally see Sky let down his walls and beg Prapai not to hurt him, internally. When you run through it, it loses meaning and impact.
I didn't mind the speeded up part of Arashi and Rei's story, as their story wasn't as deep as Fuma and Kai's, but this version of their story is a no for me.
1) Fuma isn't very Prapai like. Not just physically, but charismatic wise as well. Fort oozed boyish charm in that role and it was necessary to win over Sky. The actor who plays Fuma appears to be aiming for Fort's smugness with in the role, but imo isn't acting cute/charming to make me root for him wining Kai's heart.
2) The actor playing Kai is a big dude and it seems they have directed him to make himself as small as possible to appear dainty/vulnerable next to Fuma, but also as Kai, who is supposed to be somewhat fragile. But all he looks like is he's hunched over all the time, hiding his face. And for me, it's disracting. I want to stay, "stand up straight! You're ruining your posture!" 🤣🤣 Admittedly, Peat is the same size as Fort, maybe a hair smaller. And he also kind of shrunk himself at times, but again, Fort's/Prapai's presence always seems bigger, in charge, so it wasn't as distracting or noticeable.
Again, this is just my opinion, but I don't think this adaptation was done well. I really wanted to enjoy it, because Jbl's bring something special to the genre. But the way this was done, isn't it for me. I'll finish it out, cause I ain't no quitter, but this whole series was pretty meh for me.