Pretty sure the reason I ever thought this series had redeeming qualities is that four years ago I was entirely new to BL, so blown away that this genre and its subject matter even existed, and so thrilled to be watching gay-themed/coming out stories that my standards for the category were nonexistent.
Well, that was four years ago. I now have standards, and this show meets almost none of them. When the blocking/direction/acting in a show's pivotal/violent/traumatic scene elicits giggles rather than horror, you know things are not going well.
As bad as the writing, direction, acting, blocking, and cheesiness all are, the WORST thing is the freaking PACING. I had forgotten how in this series, as in so many other Thai BLs, the director asked the actors to pause at least three seconds between each and every line. The dialogue, even in intense, confrontational scenes, CRRRRAAAAAWWWWWLLLLLLSSSSS at the speed of a special-needs snail.
Two glowing aspects of The Effect save it from a rating lower than I'd otherwise give it: 1.The character of Bright, and the actor who created him. That smile and shock of hair! 2.The blossoming love between B & P.
During my four years as a fujanshi, I have also learned how many clueless people stagger the hallways of MDL. Many of them are in these comments, and believe that Shin is straight and that he does not love Keng.
Bingo. Season 2 is on my worst bls of all time list.
My guess is a great many MDLers see a dark, endlessly depressing, dull storyline and assume it must be "deep," and thus of good quality. lol By extolling its alleged virtues, they too become "deep." :)
Hell, I don't know...but they sure as shit overlook the bad writing and plotting in which we are repeatedly faced with behaviors and choices from the MLs that make no sense or come out of nowhere, the biggest one being WHY the idol is so freaking hung up on the psycho chef, who is not only depressed, but also an asshole. I might have been OK with more of the plot if I was ever told WHY it was happening.
And then, at the end of season 2, the chef turns on a dime and it's all good.
BTW, BOTH seasons are on my worst BLs of all time list now.
Damn. Im over here thinking whether i should watch it or not because of the comments. I dont know if I'm ready…
Watch it. It is excellent.
MDL is full of babies who are afraid of challenging material in dramas and movies. Taking on challenging material is how we grow artistically and intellectually. This is not a new concept, rather it's about 5,000 years old.
People who watch only shows within their comfort zones are artistically/intellectually lazy and...boring. :)
After seeing eps. 1-3, there's no doubt this is a far above-average BL. Excellent acting/chemistry/direction/vibes. Once again goes to show what can be done by talented people with very little money. In comparison to this type of show, I always think of all the $$$ being pumped into the Thai BL factory, and how awful 99% of what comes out the butt-end of it is.
I'm loving the subtlety of the acting these two are delivering. Several times, I have spontaneously teared up with overwhelming feels evoked by small gestures, body language, eye contact, that type of thing. When the tall one came back to the short one's door after their argument at the end of episode 2, he stood looking at his new crush and I cried.
Not embarrassed to say so, either. :D
This isn't as good as the best Strongberry efforts, but it leans heavily in that direction.
To those of you stressing over the low rating, don't be bothered. This is MDL. A low rating is a badge of honor on this platform. Then too, I don't ascribe to the idea that 7.6 is all that low anyway. To me, it's a C+, not an F. I'll be giving this at least a 9/10 unless episode 4 goes completely to shit.
You know it's meant to have supernatural elements, right? What parts did you not find plausible?
Yes, I am well aware of the "supernatural" (stupid-natural?) vibe this show is supposed to have. I had no problem accepting that somehow the dude was made to become pregnant. The implausibles I'm whining about are much more mundane; mostly the reactions of other students, faculty, the doctor, the parents, pretty much everybody.
But then, we also got incredibly sloppy moments like when the baby was presented to its dad, him still laying on the operating table. His abdomen was still completely inflated, as though the "baby" were still inside him, there was no sign of a c-section surgery, nor was his butt split wide open, so how did the baby get out of him?
It was at that point that the episode also became a fanatical, ham-handed, anti-choice, anti-abortion dumpster fire. "If you want to kill this baby, you'll have to do it yourself, says the doctor." lol I thought for a moment maybe the doc was supposed to represent a member of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Anyway, stupid, stupid, stupid, I've watched three eps from season 1, one ep from season 2, and I won't be watching anymore. Writing and direction are sooo sophomoric.
But then, there wouldn't be a story to tell, now would there?
Curious: Do you only watch stories in which all characters behave in ways you approve, from beginning to end of the show? If so, doesn't that mean not watching any dramas or dramatic films at all? Heck, even in children's cartoons, some characters are going to behave, at least initially, in less-than-perfect ways. Do you skip cartoons as well?
Release Cho was released on December 12, 2020.[26] He returned to Ansan to live with his wife less than 1 km away from the victim's house. Na-young's father has said that he would be willing to take out a loan to give money to Cho so Cho can leave Ansan.[14] Cho said "I am sorry for my crimes, and if I am released, I will live quietly without causing controversy." He will have to wear an ankle monitor and will be under constant surveillance on probation for 7 years. His probation officer will also be able to make random visits to his home.[24] Despite wearing an electronic ankle bracelet there have been cases of criminals in Korea who were able to escape the country. Security cameras would be placed around Ansan for the safety of residents who fear Cho's release.
On May 20, 2021, South Korean Ministry of Justice and Ansan city's government announced that the tracking and monitoring of Cho has cost over 200 million KRW during the first four months.[29]
On March 20, 2024, Cho received a three-month prison sentence term for wandering outside past his 9 p.m. curfew for 40 minutes in December 2023
///
CANNOT BELIEVE NO ONE HAS KIDNAPPED/TORTURED, OR KILLED THIS F**KER. I say this as a person who is extremely anti-capital punishment. But this kind of shit is the opposite extreme of stupidity and lax punishment. It's nigh unbelievable. Come to think of it, I'm surprised Cho wasn't murdered in prison; something that happens frequently to child-rapists in the U.S. I don't think that's a good thing, but it's a fact.
Korea is fascinating in a not-so-good way. In many ways its society is extremely conservative, to the point of psycho-ville, but I've read of many instances in which perpetrators of horrendous crimes are treated with bizarre leniency. I don't get it.
Like many others, I held off for a long time after putting this on my plan-to-watch list before viewing it. Reading comments and the synopsis here were the reasons for that. However, I came away with a different feeling than many: While the horrific nature of the crime and its immediate and permanent aftermath cannot be overstated, the positive, joyful, beautiful human responses of Hope's parents, therapist, schoolmates, teachers, parents' friends, police, community, etc. outweighed the negative trauma.
The wall of greetings left for Hope on the glass storefront by her classmates. (I gasped, even though I knew it was coming.) The devotion of Hope's big-faced, future boyfriend. Hope's dad relieving that boy's sense of guilt. Her sweet little trio of post-incident bodyguards who walked her to and from school. The loving support of Hope's mom's BF. The loving support of Hope's dad's boss and friend. The therapist (one of my fave Korean actresses) and her care of Hope. The opportunity for the therapist to continue her life-long act of love, through treating Hope, as balm for her own open wounds. Best of all, Dad in the costume, a lovely example of unconditional love that asks for nothing in return. I've left out a hundred other positive aspects of this film.
I mean this only in the sense of being a viewer of the film's story, NOT that somehow what happened to the real Hope was outweighed by the response. I don't think that's possible. She was failed only by the idiot judge, as far as I can remember.
Mild spoilers: Which brings me to why my rating isn't going to be as high as most people's. The cheesy melodrama of the final trial scene, especially AFTER Hope's testimony, trashed a good deal of the credibility the film had built for itself to that point. The cliche outbursts by the court audience would never be tolerated, nor the defendant's outburst to the judge, nor Hope's mother bursting into the courtroom to deliver her dressing down of the judge, and especially not court security's failure to stop Hope's dad from leaping over the railing to grab a makeshift weapon and come at the defendant...all leading to the courtroom's final, cheesy melodramatic moment. I mean, come on, we ALL knew that when Hope did what she did, dad's hand would stop mid-air, right? Nah...that's not what happens IRL once you've started the action of striking a blow like that.
All of that bad writing cheapened and lessened the impact of what went before. I don't get where it came from either; up to that point I would have given this at least a 9/10.
So, 90% of the film gets a 9.5/10, 10% gets a 4/10, so I'll call it an overall 8/10.
As much entertainment as there is to be found in reading immature MDLers shrieking "PEDOPHILE!" when they don't understand the word and there are no pedophiles in sight, I dropped this show for reasons having nothing to do with any faux outrage in response to the age-gap relationship at its core.
It's simply that my plan-to-watch list is heavily loaded, and I don't have time to waste watching anything unworthy of my time. Already in episode 1 the show began to take on that cheap look of a straight-to-video, low budget TV drama, which it is, but then came the moment when the teacher encountered the hot 15-year-old student in the hall. She spoke to him kindly as he looked at her sullenly. She said, "you can come talk to me any time you need to." He reached out and SLAPPED HER, then grabbed her by the shoulders. I repeat: he slapped his teacher across the face.
Next, came the really stupid part. He walked away, and SHE DID NOTHING ABOUT IT. The teacher did not report him to the office for discipline, she did not march after him to make it clear what he just did was unacceptable by any stretch of the imagination and that he'd be hearing from the principal, she didn't tell him to go to the principal's office immediately, no...this stupid young woman leaned against the wall, looking dreamy and wondering "....WHY did he hit me?"
She's not in love with him yet, he's just some large, athletic young man who just HIT HIS FUCKING TEACHER. He walks away, flustered, and she does nothing. I'm not outraged that this occurred in the plot, I'm outraged at how stupid the writing is. I can't take this young woman seriously from this point on. She's clearly neurotic. Maybe she LIKED the slap, who knows? What I do know is I don't care to waste my time on badly-written melodrama that makes no sense, so I'm out.
I’m not sure if I could enjoy this drama. I just finished ep 1. He’s 15. 15!! How could she fall for a child?…
Typical MDL brain-free, mini-rant. Fifteen is NOT a child. A "child," by definition, is a human being who has NOT gone through puberty. The young MAN in this story is very clearly, in all his masculine glory, well beyond puberty and childhood. He is a MINOR, not a CHILD, but like so many other ignorant MDLers, ever-eager to scream "PEDOPHILE," you find the definition of that word inconvenient, so you go ahead and use it anyway.
Did you know that love is what we call a "feeling?" Did you know that, by definition, our feelings are spontaneous and uncontrollable; they occur of their own accord. We can't control our feelings, but we can control how we ACT in response to them, and that is where things get interesting and complicated, and what this show is all about.
You are obviously not mature enough for a story like this. I hope you moved on and watched something more in keeping with your developmental level on the Disney Channel.
this person is a hater, they are always slandering JBLs with every reason they can think of like a loser having…
Dearest Olivia, EIGHT of the BLS on my favorite 30 list are Japanese. Guess I only "slander" (lol) the shitty ones, eh?
oooh, "hater," "loser," such original and deeply thought-out insults. Did you make those up on your own? It took me about three minutes to write the above comment but yeah, I have nothing else to do. lol And here you are, with nothing else to do but reply to comments left by people with nothing else to do.
News 
2 
1 
Well, that was four years ago. I now have standards, and this show meets almost none of them. When the blocking/direction/acting in a show's pivotal/violent/traumatic scene elicits giggles rather than horror, you know things are not going well.
As bad as the writing, direction, acting, blocking, and cheesiness all are, the WORST thing is the freaking PACING. I had forgotten how in this series, as in so many other Thai BLs, the director asked the actors to pause at least three seconds between each and every line. The dialogue, even in intense, confrontational scenes, CRRRRAAAAAWWWWWLLLLLLSSSSS at the speed of a special-needs snail.
Two glowing aspects of The Effect save it from a rating lower than I'd otherwise give it:
1.The character of Bright, and the actor who created him. That smile and shock of hair!
2.The blossoming love between B & P.
During my four years as a fujanshi, I have also learned how many clueless people stagger the hallways of MDL. Many of them are in these comments, and believe that Shin is straight and that he does not love Keng.
Not recommended.
6/10
Hell, I don't know...but they sure as shit overlook the bad writing and plotting in which we are repeatedly faced with behaviors and choices from the MLs that make no sense or come out of nowhere, the biggest one being WHY the idol is so freaking hung up on the psycho chef, who is not only depressed, but also an asshole. I might have been OK with more of the plot if I was ever told WHY it was happening.
And then, at the end of season 2, the chef turns on a dime and it's all good.
BTW, BOTH seasons are on my worst BLs of all time list now.
Who are you referencing with "...if the person isn't gay...?"
MDL is full of babies who are afraid of challenging material in dramas and movies. Taking on challenging material is how we grow artistically and intellectually. This is not a new concept, rather it's about 5,000 years old.
People who watch only shows within their comfort zones are artistically/intellectually lazy and...boring. :)
Excellent acting/chemistry/direction/vibes.
Once again goes to show what can be done by talented people with very little money.
In comparison to this type of show, I always think of all the $$$ being pumped into the Thai BL factory, and how awful 99% of what comes out the butt-end of it is.
I'm loving the subtlety of the acting these two are delivering. Several times, I have spontaneously teared up with overwhelming feels evoked by small gestures, body language, eye contact, that type of thing. When the tall one came back to the short one's door after their argument at the end of episode 2, he stood looking at his new crush and I cried.
Not embarrassed to say so, either. :D
This isn't as good as the best Strongberry efforts, but it leans heavily in that direction.
To those of you stressing over the low rating, don't be bothered. This is MDL. A low rating is a badge of honor on this platform. Then too, I don't ascribe to the idea that 7.6 is all that low anyway. To me, it's a C+, not an F. I'll be giving this at least a 9/10 unless episode 4 goes completely to shit.
But then, we also got incredibly sloppy moments like when the baby was presented to its dad, him still laying on the operating table. His abdomen was still completely inflated, as though the "baby" were still inside him, there was no sign of a c-section surgery, nor was his butt split wide open, so how did the baby get out of him?
It was at that point that the episode also became a fanatical, ham-handed, anti-choice, anti-abortion dumpster fire. "If you want to kill this baby, you'll have to do it yourself, says the doctor." lol I thought for a moment maybe the doc was supposed to represent a member of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Anyway, stupid, stupid, stupid, I've watched three eps from season 1, one ep from season 2, and I won't be watching anymore. Writing and direction are sooo sophomoric.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cho_Doo-soon_case#Release
///
Release
Cho was released on December 12, 2020.[26] He returned to Ansan to live with his wife less than 1 km away from the victim's house. Na-young's father has said that he would be willing to take out a loan to give money to Cho so Cho can leave Ansan.[14] Cho said "I am sorry for my crimes, and if I am released, I will live quietly without causing controversy." He will have to wear an ankle monitor and will be under constant surveillance on probation for 7 years. His probation officer will also be able to make random visits to his home.[24] Despite wearing an electronic ankle bracelet there have been cases of criminals in Korea who were able to escape the country. Security cameras would be placed around Ansan for the safety of residents who fear Cho's release.
On May 20, 2021, South Korean Ministry of Justice and Ansan city's government announced that the tracking and monitoring of Cho has cost over 200 million KRW during the first four months.[29]
On March 20, 2024, Cho received a three-month prison sentence term for wandering outside past his 9 p.m. curfew for 40 minutes in December 2023
///
CANNOT BELIEVE NO ONE HAS KIDNAPPED/TORTURED, OR KILLED THIS F**KER.
I say this as a person who is extremely anti-capital punishment. But this kind of shit is the opposite extreme of stupidity and lax punishment. It's nigh unbelievable. Come to think of it, I'm surprised Cho wasn't murdered in prison; something that happens frequently to child-rapists in the U.S. I don't think that's a good thing, but it's a fact.
Korea is fascinating in a not-so-good way. In many ways its society is extremely conservative, to the point of psycho-ville, but I've read of many instances in which perpetrators of horrendous crimes are treated with bizarre leniency. I don't get it.
The wall of greetings left for Hope on the glass storefront by her classmates. (I gasped, even though I knew it was coming.)
The devotion of Hope's big-faced, future boyfriend.
Hope's dad relieving that boy's sense of guilt.
Her sweet little trio of post-incident bodyguards who walked her to and from school.
The loving support of Hope's mom's BF.
The loving support of Hope's dad's boss and friend.
The therapist (one of my fave Korean actresses) and her care of Hope.
The opportunity for the therapist to continue her life-long act of love, through treating Hope, as balm for her own open wounds.
Best of all, Dad in the costume, a lovely example of unconditional love that asks for nothing in return.
I've left out a hundred other positive aspects of this film.
I mean this only in the sense of being a viewer of the film's story, NOT that somehow what happened to the real Hope was outweighed by the response. I don't think that's possible. She was failed only by the idiot judge, as far as I can remember.
Mild spoilers:
Which brings me to why my rating isn't going to be as high as most people's. The cheesy melodrama of the final trial scene, especially AFTER Hope's testimony, trashed a good deal of the credibility the film had built for itself to that point. The cliche outbursts by the court audience would never be tolerated, nor the defendant's outburst to the judge, nor Hope's mother bursting into the courtroom to deliver her dressing down of the judge, and especially not court security's failure to stop Hope's dad from leaping over the railing to grab a makeshift weapon and come at the defendant...all leading to the courtroom's final, cheesy melodramatic moment. I mean, come on, we ALL knew that when Hope did what she did, dad's hand would stop mid-air, right? Nah...that's not what happens IRL once you've started the action of striking a blow like that.
All of that bad writing cheapened and lessened the impact of what went before. I don't get where it came from either; up to that point I would have given this at least a 9/10.
So, 90% of the film gets a 9.5/10, 10% gets a 4/10, so I'll call it an overall 8/10.
Recommended.
It's simply that my plan-to-watch list is heavily loaded, and I don't have time to waste watching anything unworthy of my time. Already in episode 1 the show began to take on that cheap look of a straight-to-video, low budget TV drama, which it is, but then came the moment when the teacher encountered the hot 15-year-old student in the hall. She spoke to him kindly as he looked at her sullenly. She said, "you can come talk to me any time you need to." He reached out and SLAPPED HER, then grabbed her by the shoulders. I repeat: he slapped his teacher across the face.
Next, came the really stupid part. He walked away, and SHE DID NOTHING ABOUT IT. The teacher did not report him to the office for discipline, she did not march after him to make it clear what he just did was unacceptable by any stretch of the imagination and that he'd be hearing from the principal, she didn't tell him to go to the principal's office immediately, no...this stupid young woman leaned against the wall, looking dreamy and wondering "....WHY did he hit me?"
She's not in love with him yet, he's just some large, athletic young man who just HIT HIS FUCKING TEACHER. He walks away, flustered, and she does nothing. I'm not outraged that this occurred in the plot, I'm outraged at how stupid the writing is. I can't take this young woman seriously from this point on. She's clearly neurotic. Maybe she LIKED the slap, who knows? What I do know is I don't care to waste my time on badly-written melodrama that makes no sense, so I'm out.
Dropped. 1/10
Fifteen is NOT a child. A "child," by definition, is a human being who has NOT gone through puberty. The young MAN in this story is very clearly, in all his masculine glory, well beyond puberty and childhood. He is a MINOR, not a CHILD, but like so many other ignorant MDLers, ever-eager to scream "PEDOPHILE," you find the definition of that word inconvenient, so you go ahead and use it anyway.
Did you know that love is what we call a "feeling?" Did you know that, by definition, our feelings are spontaneous and uncontrollable; they occur of their own accord. We can't control our feelings, but we can control how we ACT in response to them, and that is where things get interesting and complicated, and what this show is all about.
You are obviously not mature enough for a story like this. I hope you moved on and watched something more in keeping with your developmental level on the Disney Channel.
oooh, "hater," "loser," such original and deeply thought-out insults. Did you make those up on your own? It took me about three minutes to write the above comment but yeah, I have nothing else to do. lol And here you are, with nothing else to do but reply to comments left by people with nothing else to do.