My heart skip a beat in ways I didn’t expect.
I finally get it now why so many people have fallen head over heels for this series and even ranked it as their top BL of 2024. At first, I honestly didn’t see the hype, especially with some reviews that seemed a little too over-proud of it. As time went by, I have to admit, this show really does feel different from other GMMTV productions. When I started watching, I had zero expectations. In fact, during the first three episodes I was convinced I would drop it and never look back. But then I realized something, Est’s acting completely pulled me in. He gave such a layered, emotional performance that I couldn’t stop watching until the very end. Considering he’s mostly been in supporting roles before, seeing him shine in the lead felt long overdue and incredibly rewarding. This series proves he has what it takes to carry a story on his shoulders, and I really hope this is just the start of more main roles for him.Of course, no series is perfect, and this one has its ups and downs. For me, the weakest point was the breakup arc. It didn’t land emotionally the way I think it was meant to, it felt undercooked, and I never really bought into the pain of it. Both couples in the show struggled to make that moment hit hard, and it kind of took me out of the story for a bit. On the flip side, I loved the way music and performance were woven into the narrative. The songs might not be as catchy as Demon Hunter (still stuck in my head, by the way 😅), but the dancing blew me away. For a TV series, the choreography was seriously impressive. You could tell the cast put in a lot of practice, and it paid off because those stage scenes felt authentic, not just filler.
What really sets this series apart for me is its balance. It’s not just another “idol romance” drama, it takes the usual formula and grounds it in something more human. The way it explored the struggles of fame, favoritism within groups, and the toll of public scrutiny gave it an emotional depth I wasn’t expecting. At the same time, it never lost its softer, romantic core. Thame and Po’s relationship, though not perfect, had a natural build-up that made their small moments together feel genuine. Their connection didn’t need flashy grand gestures and it thrived in quiet, thoughtful interactions that felt real.
So, in conclusion, I understand why fans love it so much. It manages to balance entertainment with sincerity, giving us a story that feels refreshing in the BL landscape. For me, Est’s breakout performance is the highlight, the dancing sequences are a fun bonus, and even with a breakup arc that missed the mark, this series is still worth the watch. Maybe it’s not reinventing the wheel, but it definitely made my heart skip a beat in ways I didn’t expect.
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It’s clear that GMM made an effort to steer this series away from being a BL series, yet they cleverly added moments that make fans scream in excitement. I love it! Having followed Tay and New long before their iconic kissing scene, it was a joy to see them come together in this refreshing theme.
The production team truly put in significant effort to make this blend of horror and comedy stand out, and the addition of great supporting actors, especially in Episode 7, elevated the series further. Honestly, I’ve never been a huge fan of their previous series. I mean I watched them, but none truly resonated with me. Even Only Friends, which I liked, didn’t move me emotionally like their appearance in this show. However, just one single episode of this series made me fall in love with them all over again.
I’m really hoping this Tay and New series will continue and feature even more talented supporting actors from GMM. The anticipation for what’s next is almost unbearable. I simply can’t wait!
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Despite their ages, both actors actually did a great job, as expected. My first issue with the series, however, was the short duration—it was too brief! This limited runtime really affected the quality of the story. There were many things that needed more development, like Dong Hui's feelings toward Ho Tae. We know he likes him from the very first episode, but his reasons for hiding his true feelings were never really explored. It would have been better if they had provided a bit of background on how Dong Hui fell in love with Ho Tae and why he acts so guarded. I wouldn’t mind watching some extra episodes just to get answers to these questions.
Another thing worth mentioning is the lack of supporting characters to enhance the story. For example, we don’t learn much about Dong Hui’s father, who might actually influence his behavior.
Aside from these two major concerns, this series isn’t bad—especially compared to other Korean BL dramas this year.
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I will try to be as objective as possible. Lol.
First of all, I kind of knew this theme from another Japanese movie back in 2017, yet I don't mind repeating the same concept all over again in a series. One thing I like about the story is that the conflict between Kohei and Taichi was honestly heavier than I thought it would be. As a college student, I know exactly how hard it is to save money for college while working part-time elsewhere. I actually had the same thoughts as Taichi; I considered dropping out of college to keep working since I already had a stable job back then.
However, I had some expectations regarding Kohei's condition. But I guess the Japanese are not ready to portray a "bad guy" like the Taiwanese do. Lol.
I don't really mind the lack of (real) kissing scenes throughout the show, since kissing is not really a big deal in Japanese BL. However, I felt Motoki's performance could have been better. In comparison with Kobayashi, he seemed a bit mediocre. Kobayashi really did a good job as Taichi; I fell in love with his character, especially when he was trying to be cute but manly at the same time.
Now, I guess I need to find another series after my upcoming exam. Lol.
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At first, I thought this series would be about reincarnation, a theme we see from Thailand every year. However, I was surprised by how they steered the story into something more cultural (or religious) rather than just reincarnation. I wish I could understand more about this concept, but even though I didn't fully grasp it, I still enjoyed the series very much!
Daou's acting was great! This is the first time I’ve seen him in a series. Does anyone know more about him? I skipped Love in Translation last year, so I didn’t have any expectations for him. Nevertheless, Offroad really needs improvement, which is one of the reasons I couldn’t give this show a higher rating.
I might say this is the best Thai series of the year so far! I hope there will be another Thai series that shines this year.
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Bahasa Indonesia:
Pengennya sih bisa bisa bilang hal yang sama tentang serial ini (seperti yang aku ulas pada serial Unintentionally Love Story). Aku bersemangat penuh dalam 5 episode pertama. Namun mendekati akhir-akhir episode, Kok ratingnya tiba2 turun ya perlahan-lahan? dari 8komaan hingga sekarang hampir menyentuh angka 7.5. Tapi sekarang, Saya tahu betapa kecewanya saya sama 2 episode terakhir. Kayaknya karena ekspektasi saya yang berlebihan kah?
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In Indonesian:
Akhir-akhir ini BL Jepang bener-bener memuaskan. Gila banget sih sama kisah-kisah mereka yang sangat kuat! Baru kali ini pertama kalinya banyak series dari jepang yang kutonton secara bersamaan dan kesemuanya kusuka. Dan series ini adalah puncaknya! Bravo!
Kelemahan utama dari series ini hanyalah satu, durasi! Series ini hanya ditamatkan dengan 5 episode saja. Benar-benar membuatku sakit hati rasanya. Kenapa series-series bagus hanya memiliki durasi yang amat pendek :(
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Honestly, the strength of this series was starting in the early episodes that made me finish several episodes in one shot. But in the middle of the journey, their story seemed to stumble then finally extinguished at the finale.
Actually, I fell in love with the those two cute main characters, but on the one other hand, their senseless stupidities made all their love became incomprehensible. I don't have any clue what's going on, but I guess it just lacked of writing or directing. However, from beginning to end I've been deeply in love with the soundtrack of this series.
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Although this time the tears that I experienced were different (from The Best Story), but still they both made me fall in love with Love Mechanics (one more time).
The extension of the mini series En of Love is not only an extension of the duration from 4 episodes to 10 episodes, but they also improved the quality of (almost) all aspects. The most obvious thing is the acting quality of those two actors, which now looks more mature and professional compared to their previous series.
A love story that we already know (for those who follow the mini series), but packaged more interestingly with an extension of the conflict that is also made not excessively (aka just right). At first, I kept thinking about what conflicts would be present on this series to achieve 10 episodes, because through only 4 episodes this series has become one of my favorite series in 2020.
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I watched first episode on the first week of April but I just finished today lol. The story of this series made me bored at first, I was even thinking about dropping this series, then I got nothing to watch so I decided to resumed this show, there were 6 episodes left at that time (I know, its a lot, lol). Swap-bodies is actually one of the "common" genres in bl drama, that's why the first 3 episodes made me decide to take a break for a moment (actually 3 months lol).
Another reason is, I'm not a MixEarth's fan. lol
Those two handsome actors are the combination that I am least waiting for (after OffGun lol). However, I have to admit that after watching several Earth series, his appearance in this series is my most favorite one. Contrary to 1000 stars, I don't really like Mix's performance here. There are many scenes that I think he pretty seems redundant, even for people who don't like Earth, his appearance on this series really helps their chemistry.
The reason why I was able to finish this series (finally), is because the last three episodes were really something that I've never expected. I had a thought about the family's conflict that disappeared in episodes 8 and 9, and turns out that they save "the conflict" at the finale.
And yes, thank you for those who have given positive (but not excessive) reviews for this series, which has influenced me (a lot) to give this series a chance.
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A Man Who Defies the World of BL Season 2
0 people found this review helpful
I kinda miss this show actually so when I knew this series complete released, I put aside every other series that I've been watching since month ago. Even though I know this series is a BL Comedy, but I expected something bigger (at least in a comedy part). If I compared this season to the previous one, it quite decreased from many aspects. I'm pretty upset to say this, but I'm gonna waiting for new season!
Like Season 1, I fond of the way how they ended this series. It feels like, they made us to wait for this series finished intentionally.
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This series is the first 2022 series that has a musical taste so far, I fond of their soundtrack as my spotify playlist everyday.
Honestly, I have a question to everyone who watched this series. So, before an extra scene in every episode there were some kind of commercial about the show and Hulu related. What was that actually? I've been trying to look for on Hulu, but I couldn't find anything. Is it the same series? or movie? or side story? or what else? I don't get it.
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With a very interesting music and (of course) a brilliant themes, this series absolutely become one of my favorite series of this year.
But for me It's really a shame, it actually could be more explored and extended the story. Somehow I feel something missing :(
In Indonesian:
Pertama-tama saya mau bilang kalau saya sungguh jatuh cinta dengan soundtracknya, seperti jatuh cinta pada pendengaran pertama lol
Dengan musik yang menarik dan tema yang briliiant, tentu saja series ini menjadi salah satu serial yang masuk jajaran favorit saya tahun ini.
Sayang saja, kalau dapat digali dan diperpanjang kisahnya. Series ini mungkin bisa jadi salah satu series terbaik. Entah kenapa saya masih merasa ada yang kurang :(
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With a combination of Japan & Taiwan, this series is even more interesting to follow than the other series which combined Korean and Thailand *oops*
In Indonesian:
Sebelumnya saya sudah underestimate sama series ini mengingat tema yang diangkat sama seperti gameboys, akan tetapi ternyata setelah ditonton beberapa episode series ini memiliki daya tariknya tersendiri yang berbeda dari series lainnya yang sedang tayang.
Dengan perpaduan Japan & Taiwan, series ini justru lebih menarik untuk diikuti dari pada series sebelah yang mempertemukan Korea dengan Thailand *ups*
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First of all, I'd like to say that I fell in love with all of actors of this series especially Alex and Kokoy. They really are great actors, and now I am in love with them. The chemistry amongst them was one of aspect of this show that blew my mind. Many show tried to "erect" the duration with some bullshits, but this series took a "short-cut" to finish beautifully.
And the soundtrack! Oh my god! I F**king love it!
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