As Don began driving in the rain and it became heavier, I wondered if there would be a car crash, and right on cue, there was. They're becoming increasingly predictable.
One of the best romcoms ever from GMMTV - sorry, GMM Thee V - from start to finish, it was simply marvellous in every way. The entire cast, the wonderfully clever script, the beautiful production, and the song Thee sang at the end were all basically faultless. It deserves the 9 rating.
Actually, it's not bad at all, quite watchable and fairly engrossing on the whole, though Irene and co denying that Phakin wasn't who he really is most of the time began to fray one's nerves, and it even took Natee until the last moments to believe he was his childhood sweethear, despite all the indications to the contrary that he wasn't a garbage collector but a CEO worth billions, and they both had the same name. Phakin had the patience of angels to put up with all of it. Nevertheless, true love wins out in the end, and that's what matters. (FYI: the two stars of this vertical movie were the stars of a previous one, Golden Feathers, from 2025.)
I think this is going to be almost as cute and endearing as School Trip. Wataru certainly wants to be more than friends but is quashing that feeling. As for MInato, we don't hear his inner thoughts, but I think he'd respond positively to any overtures; it's doubtful he'd instigate something first. Nevertheless, when they were parting 5 years ago, I think he was tempted to kiss Wataru but suppressed the desire. Who will make the first move?
Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one who isn't fond of Teh. There's something about him I just find off most of the time, and lying to both his brother and Jimmy that he's not into Fah makes him even less endearing. Fah, who was playing hard to get, did quite the about turn with Teh, so I'm glad those two are settling in for a secretive love affair. Jimmy, I quite like. I suppose he's lying to Teh that he likes Fah as a ruse so he can pursue Toh, and at last succeeded quite easily when he casually began kissing him, and Toh responded with fervour. Despite Teh's warning that Jimmy is a playboy, he seems to be genuinely into Toh and time will prove his feelings for him are sincere. I'm looking forward to Jimmy proving to Teh that he's not a playboy.
I love Singh and Thup (Pavel and Pooh) in this even more than their starring in Pit Babe. They are so perfect together. Their chemistry, the love they show for each other, is beautiful to behold.
Thankun's powers of persuasion are quite remarkable. Pleng had decided to leave Thankun because he thought he might have killed his brother (who was his lover), but after a heartfelt speech from Thankun, they ended up kissing and then adjourned to the bedroom to have sex.
I've no problem with anything that has occurred. The four boys end up sleeping in the same room. Teh sleeps on the floor, Fah above him on the bed and next to him, Toh, with Jimmy next to him. Fah slips off the bed to sleep next to Fah, to whom he had earlier confessed and they kissed. Jimmy awakes and sees them being intimate, wakes up Toh, who asks what's wrong, Jimmy asks for a hug, is obliged and they fall asleep. All fairly innocent. Jimmy realises he has no chance with Fah as he has a crush on Teh, but he remains cautious with Toh, whom he finds very cute. The pace is slow, quiet and deliberate. Just as it should be.
Although not a BL, this was in many ways an exceptional series due to the portrayal of all the gay characters in the boys' volleyball team, some of whose individual stories of what it's like to be gay in a straight world and confronting homophobia were shown in a way that I haven't seen before and added more depth and characterisation to the story. As it progressed, one could see that there would be no romance between Uno and Jared. What we had instead was a burgeoning romance between Uno and Jarrad's cousin Farrah, and hovering in the background until the final episode, when it was finally announced to no one's surprise, was that between Jarrad and the tall, handsome Ethan. It was only recently that the series was put on YouTube, which I binge-watched over two days. The cast was uniformly good, there were no extraneous characters as in so many Pinoy series, though, of course, as it progressed, there were a lot of emotional/weepy scenes, the dialogue was realistic and flowed well, it had high production qualities and lovely cinematography, but the only weak element was the background music, which mostly needed more body to it. Overall, a great watch.
Saying that Revenged Love and To My Shore are two very different BL series is patently obvious. I enjoyed the former show a little more than this one, but both are truly excellent. Fan Xiao insinuates himself into You Shulang's life, and love quickly develops with an electric intensity, but it turns toxic due to Fan Xiao's lies and behaviour. For the last third of this series, it was all angst, anger, strong emotions, and full-on drama. You Shulang engineers the downfall of Fan Xiao, who then undergoes something of a metamorphosis. Despite everything, they can't keep away from each other. Fan Xiao wants so much to reconcile, but at the same time, vows to leave him for good, but it is not to be. You Shulang visits Fan Xiao with the express intention of making up with him, whose desire for him is still as intense as ever. It comes as no surprise that they'd once again become boyfriends. Indeed, it is inevitable. The lead-up and resolution were done just right. Chinese BL has now set a new standard that is hard to beat.
The story was a mess, at times illogical and the motivations were often unclear. I didn't like the ending. If it weren't that the two leads were attractive, it wouldn't be worth watching.
The trouble with Minato is that he's very insecure and his feelings for Shizuma fluctuate between hot and cold. Really, Shizuma is a saint for putting up with all of this, but he's head over heels in love with Minato, so he's in a bind. There's no easy answer to any of this. We'll just have to wait and see how the writers give us the expected happy ending.