Not sure how spoiler-y this post is, but it is relatively so I think. Be warned... Anyways, I wanted to write a post as I wanted to pen down some thoughts I had about these series and life in general (I'm going through one of those pesky existential crises now...) Hope you enjoy!
I am a pretty forgetful person when it comes to series I've watched. But, upon seeing the comparisons between ITSAY and IPYTM recently after this show ended, I wanted to take a look back. So, I began by watching the first few scenes of the first episode of ITSAY, and something hit really hard.
Say what you want about how much you liked some parts of the plot of this series. However, the foreshadowing and connection between the two series is really something. In those first few scenes, as Oh-aew and Teh become best friends, they share their ambitions. Teh has a deep desire to be a famous actor. Oh-aew is a more go-with-the-flow guy and says that he really doesn't have any strong aspirations at the time. Neither is wrong in their views on careers; they're just different. However, as is common in life, a twist occurs when Oh-aew gets chosen for acting in the school play that Teh would have wanted. With their bond as best friends, the two get through these awkward events with Teh supporting his best friend. However, Oh-aew begins to develop a natural liking for acting as he is praised by those around him. A fight ensues between the now friend-turned-"rivals", and it ends with Teh saying: "You will probably quit anyway." A hurtful thing to say, but we're all human and mean words are exchanged in fights. Much later, in IPYTM, we see this foreshadowed event occur.
If only Teh had it in his mind that Oh-aew could one day drift away from acting, and if Oh-aew realized how much acting means to Teh, things might have turned out differently from the beginning with an honest talk as these feelings come to pass. I'm not sure how much people changing can affect relationships as there is a more fundamental question of why one likes another person. However, at least in this case, the fact that they end up together is perhaps evidence that a simple talk could have fixed things from the beginning.
Along the same lines and more related to the juicy controversial bits about the ending of IPYTM, I think there is another philosophical question to be pondered: Can people actually change? I think the answer to this question is key to how you view this series. If you believe people cannot change, Teh cheating (or whatever you call what he did with Jai) is probably too much to forgive. On the other hand, if you think that people can change, you can see how it is possible that Oh-aew and Teh getting back together is okay.
Now, a strange personal anecdote followed by my view. My dad cheated on my mom, so I resented and was quite rude to him for the longest time. However, my mom forgave him and told me to be nice to my father. I still sometimes wonder how she could do all that after hearing her crying. But, at the end of the day, it's her choice. Having laid down my strange familial past, I can definitely understand the perspective of not being able to forget and hence forgive a person for something they've done. I can also understand how one should at least always forgive but never forget (if only to be free from those nasty negative emotions). But, I think there is a deeply pessimistic view to believing people can't change as I too would like to change many things about myself as I'm sure others might also. So, while it pains me a bit to admit, I think I am on the side of believing people can change and hence am okay with how things ended. ( As you probably can guess, I loved both series... tehee XD )
With all that said, circumstances differ and I don't condone doing terrible things to your fellow human beings. Or, when you do (as everyone does a few times), apologize profusely and understand that what comes next is unpredictable, and you may not like it. However, don't be too hard on yourself.
If you got till here on this long meandering post, thanks! Hope you not only love yourself and those around you but also that you can make the changes you want (if any) to be your best self! Have a splendid life!
I am a pretty forgetful person when it comes to series I've watched. But, upon seeing the comparisons between ITSAY and IPYTM recently after this show ended, I wanted to take a look back. So, I began by watching the first few scenes of the first episode of ITSAY, and something hit really hard.
Say what you want about how much you liked some parts of the plot of this series. However, the foreshadowing and connection between the two series is really something. In those first few scenes, as Oh-aew and Teh become best friends, they share their ambitions. Teh has a deep desire to be a famous actor. Oh-aew is a more go-with-the-flow guy and says that he really doesn't have any strong aspirations at the time. Neither is wrong in their views on careers; they're just different. However, as is common in life, a twist occurs when Oh-aew gets chosen for acting in the school play that Teh would have wanted. With their bond as best friends, the two get through these awkward events with Teh supporting his best friend. However, Oh-aew begins to develop a natural liking for acting as he is praised by those around him. A fight ensues between the now friend-turned-"rivals", and it ends with Teh saying: "You will probably quit anyway." A hurtful thing to say, but we're all human and mean words are exchanged in fights. Much later, in IPYTM, we see this foreshadowed event occur.
If only Teh had it in his mind that Oh-aew could one day drift away from acting, and if Oh-aew realized how much acting means to Teh, things might have turned out differently from the beginning with an honest talk as these feelings come to pass. I'm not sure how much people changing can affect relationships as there is a more fundamental question of why one likes another person. However, at least in this case, the fact that they end up together is perhaps evidence that a simple talk could have fixed things from the beginning.
Along the same lines and more related to the juicy controversial bits about the ending of IPYTM, I think there is another philosophical question to be pondered: Can people actually change? I think the answer to this question is key to how you view this series. If you believe people cannot change, Teh cheating (or whatever you call what he did with Jai) is probably too much to forgive. On the other hand, if you think that people can change, you can see how it is possible that Oh-aew and Teh getting back together is okay.
Now, a strange personal anecdote followed by my view. My dad cheated on my mom, so I resented and was quite rude to him for the longest time. However, my mom forgave him and told me to be nice to my father. I still sometimes wonder how she could do all that after hearing her crying. But, at the end of the day, it's her choice. Having laid down my strange familial past, I can definitely understand the perspective of not being able to forget and hence forgive a person for something they've done. I can also understand how one should at least always forgive but never forget (if only to be free from those nasty negative emotions). But, I think there is a deeply pessimistic view to believing people can't change as I too would like to change many things about myself as I'm sure others might also. So, while it pains me a bit to admit, I think I am on the side of believing people can change and hence am okay with how things ended. ( As you probably can guess, I loved both series... tehee XD )
With all that said, circumstances differ and I don't condone doing terrible things to your fellow human beings. Or, when you do (as everyone does a few times), apologize profusely and understand that what comes next is unpredictable, and you may not like it. However, don't be too hard on yourself.
If you got till here on this long meandering post, thanks! Hope you not only love yourself and those around you but also that you can make the changes you want (if any) to be your best self! Have a splendid life!