gela

Gun hard carried

Short review:

This used to be my top watched series when I first got into Thai BLs, but it has not hold up.

Good stuff: insane ost, cohesive theme throughout, Gun's acting, cinematography.

Needs improvement: fleshing out of the platonic relationships, characterisation, pacing, dynamics of side relationships.

The biggest kudos have to be given to the editing team and Gun. They really hard carried the show. When rewatching this, I'm just very captivated by Gun everytime he shows up on screen. He delivered an absolutely magnetic performance as Third and it's not just because he looks pretty while crying.

My biggest issue with this series, however, is how underdeveloped the characters are as people. They are so two dimensional - their identity is hugely centred around their love lives and not much else. I also don't understand how Third even developed a crush on Khai because this guy is an absolute ass who isn't even a good friend. I also am not bought on the side couples at all which sucks because they took up quite a bit of screentime.

This was a good series when it first came out and when we had no better Asian queer media options. Luckily, we now have tons of better options to choose from.

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Good as a standalone

If you don't come in with the expectation of this series being a perfect remake of the manga, you'll like this (or at least won't hate it).

This drama falls into the lukewarm territory between great and average for me. I really enjoyed both characters individually and I enjoyed their story but I think there is a little bit of a pacing issue when it comes to their relationship development. I wish we had a more fleshed out one sided rivalry phase and a gradual change to the love interest phase. Despite that, this series still managed to get me invested in the main characters because they are both just so lovable.

I do hate the way they tried to trivialize the whole selling actresses to the porn industry thing though - it was not meant to be simplified into the whole "he's doing it for love" trope.

I still do think this is worth a watch if you're not too deeply attached to the manga. I personally would rewatch this a couple more times.

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Waste of time

I'm half convinced the reviewers here who gave this series above 9 are involved in an elaborate prank because I get how this may appeal to certain people but there is no world where this should be rated that high.

My biggest issue is with Thi. I agree that he's probably not capable of manipulating Noey but that in itself is a huge character flaw. He was fully in uni and still couldn't even avoid getting into sticky situation with a literal 15/16 y.o. I'd understand if this was a footballer whose had tons of concussions but this is a dude who is supposed to be smart? But there he is, getting picked up at uni by his love interest who is still wearing his school uniform. I know they delayed the kiss until Noey graduated, but how the hell did he even get himself into being courted by a minor when he is a full grown adult. The fact that they delayed the kiss means that they know that the age gap is problematic.

This also led to my second point - the casting itself is hugely problematic. Why would you cast actors that have 9 years age difference (with one being a minor still) as each other's love interest? It's actually horrifying seeing how they treat the age gap as a non-issue.

This was the first series where I actively root against the main characters getting together. I should've dropped this drama but I trusted the reviews that said that it gets good after 7 episodes and by that point I might as well finish this. The only good thing about this drama is Noey's character. He is so earnest and he will make you want to root for him. If only he had an age appropriate love interest.

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Fun Imperfect Series

I'm actually very late to this series so I had the pleasure to binge this in one go. It's not perfect by any means and I can think of a couple of tweaks that could've been made to the script but it was a fun watch that got me kicking my feet a little bit.

Let's start with the good:
1. Fun premise and plot, especially in the beginning.
To my surprise, they really nailed the initial world building and set up in my eyes. It's not easy to create an accessible romance set up in a multiverse, but I really liked how they introduced the two characters and created a space where they could fall in love believably.

2. The chemistry really did it for me. This might be controversial but I really enjoyed the chemistry between Jimmy and Sea. I didn't expect this to be their debut series because of how comfortable they looked with each other on screen. They really nailed the casual intimacy with the casual hugs, hand holding, and cheek kisses.

3. P'Dol is hot.

4. The romance was romance-ing hard. I'm a sucker for good romantic stories and honestly I was a guaranteed audience for this series just based off the whole "I will find you in any universe" theme. There's also something intensely romantic about Jimmy's gaze and I think it's his lashes. I kinda fell in love.

5. Product placement was so obvious that it's kind of funny. It did make me crave KFC for a hot 5 minutes so mission accomplished I guess?

6. Friendship group + AouBoom's cute. I love found family so again, they really found an audience in me.

7. Music was gorgeous.

Now unto the bad:
1. Pacing is bad. This is a common problem with GMMTV series except for a select few, but this one annoyed me because how they put a pivotal plot point in the last ep which was really jarring. GMMTV needs to do better fr.

2. They kind of lost the plot in the middle of the series, then jumped back on the multiverse ship in the last quarter. It's a shame that they wasted half of the episodes not really touching on the interesting part of the plot which is the multiverse aspect of things. The whole movie making thing and rediscovering your passion should have been linked better with the multiverse theme because the flow of the series was seriously stalled in the middle.

3. There were a few plot holes such in the switching back part. I think the fiction part of the writing got a bit lazy and dependent on the romance.

4. Missed opportunity on having double main leads. This was literally the best series to have two main couples but they just didn't elaborate on the OhmNon story and honestly made Tess sounds like a horrible person. There were so many unanswered questions that it led me to think that maybe they were intending to make a sequel.

All in all, fun watch for me. Wouldn't recommend this for someone who can't turn off their logical side of the brain a little bit but if you can mindlessly watch things, you'll love this as much as I do.

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Not horrible but not good either

There is not much that can be said about this drama - it is unfortunately one of the most mediocre series I've watched. I don't feel enough to hate it and I don't feel enough to like it either.

If you're watching for the plot or acting, you've come to the wrong place. There are so many areas for improvement in terms of acting and writing. Pacing feels very off, there were a lot of plot points that needed to be fleshed out more and some that needs to be shortened. Acting is subpar, which is a huge shame because this isn't their first rodeo. I don't think being able to cry well is a huge ask in the acting world but the emotional performances in this series really fell flat and felt amateurish.

If you're looking for eye candies, however, this drama might be it for you. Meen looks especially good in this so my 5.5 rating is mostly off the fact that he's hot. Also I've gotta say, the guy playing Whal kind of stole the show for me. I was full on rooting for him and Guy to get together instead because he kinda nailed the internalized homophobia, pining, and hesitance look.

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Side characters stole the show

This had to be said - this series would be a forgettable mess if it weren't for the side plots.

To be honest, the main plot is so unfocused which did not allow proper emotional investment from the viewers at all. Jim's running a chicken shop - and then there is the problem of his business not being profitable enough, his landlord wanting to sell the building, Wuen being a part of the project that wants to demolish the building, and then all the unresolved issues with their exes. None of these issues were properly fleshed out and discussed and their plot just feels so unfinished and messy which I did not appreciate. I just wished they had a more focused issue that they fully focus and not just handpick a bunch of drama cliches they could add as a conflict point.

HOWEVER, the silver lining of this movie is the excellent excellent side couples and characters. Gemini and Fourth is becoming two of my favourite emerging actors - they delivered a stellar and emotional performance as two youths trying to find their own paths in life, while also building each other up. Their struggles, emotions, and connection feels so raw and real which is so engaging to the viewers.

Another standout is Khaotung's performance as Gaipa. I might not always buy into his performances (especially where he plays the "bad boy") but he was absolutely excellent here. The emotion he managed to evoke out of me was insane - and not only once but he is just so consistently emotionally transparent which allows us to really sympathize with him. Khaotung as Gaipa and First as Alan is glorious and I wish we had more of them on the screen.

Lastly, the soundtrack is actually tear-jerking. The nostalgia of this song while also having the song played at the most pivotal emotional moment in the series really is a genius move because now I can't stop crying whenever I hear 月亮代表我的心. Not to mention I was obsessed with Teresa Teng as a child so this was an excellent song choice by them.

I have to give this a 7.5 overall because of how forgettable the main couple's plot is, but it's more of a writing problem than anything else. If the main couple were even half as engaging as the side couples, I would've given this an easy 8.5 at least.

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100 cliches forced into one show

I wanted to like this drama so bad because ep 1 was such a strong start. However, this is the polar opposite to Light on Me where the drama gets better with each episode - this one gets progressively worse as time goes. I have to give it to the actors, this would have been way more unwatchable if the actors were slightly less competent. Choi Jun's flirting skills saved the drama, but even then this drama is what I would expect a story written by a teenage girl with a fetish for gay man would look like. The regular misgendering of Lee Jun, the forced love quadruple thing (I will never be convinced that Simon ever liked Jun), fake fiancee that added literally nothing to the plot, they irk me to no end. I can't see myself ever rewatching this.

edit on 16/09/24: so I rewatched this because of a clip I saw on tiktok. I have gotta say, all my points from above still stands except for the part about the rewatch value. Because this relied so much on vibes and chemistry, it gets better on your second and third watch because you already know the plot is not going to give you much. However, the chemistry and vibes really shone when rewatching. I found myself highly enjoying every interaction 2Jun have with each other. So if you watched this once and did not like it, I reckon you should give it a second try because my second experience was much more enjoyable than my first one.

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Character study at its best

I've just finished this series and wow. I'm completely shattered. This review is not going to be objective because this series resonates too much for me that I just could not put on a critical lens whilst watching.

Wang might be one of my favourite characters ever in a BL. He is passionate, deeply empathetic (to a fault), incredibly selfless despite being told otherwise, and just a very kind person. He has a youthful energy that the other characters in the show label as immaturity and disobedience, but he is so much more emotionally mature than his mom or In. He is stuck with a narcissistic mom and found solace in a person whom his dad had loved, who loved him because of his resemblance to his dad. Despite that, he still manages to be loving until the end because he truly believed that self sacrifice is the only way to minimize the pain on his loved ones. His mom is emotionally manipulative and abusive towards everyone in the film, and this highly resonates with me because it is incredibly hard to break a relationship with an abusive person, especially if it is your family. I feel for Wang and by the end of the series I am just grateful that he got to learn about his dad through a lens that hasn't been clouded by his mother. Even if he couldn't break the relationship with his mother, I am glad he found a better sense of self.

The relationship between In and Wang is complicated to say the least. In sees Siam in Wang and this created so much mixed signals that a love starved Wang just had no chance of resisting even if he tried. What this show does so well is that underneath all the sensuality and tension between Wang and In, there was always an underlying feeling of unease. I found the writing of the almost kiss incredible because that I was never rooting for the kiss to happen because they were literally talking about In meeting Wang as a baby. They crossed so many emotional lines but I am so glad that every time a physical line was about to be crossed, they slip in dialogues on how their relationship would be creepy. This is not usually done very well in age gap stories.

I feel for In, I really do. I would have been extremely devastated if this was a story between Siam, In, and Mol. I am glad that this series explored the aftermath of Siam's death and how Wang helped In with the emotional baggage he had been carrying all these years. This was never meant to be a love story between In and Wang, this was supposed to be the conclusion of Siam and In's love story. I don't think In ever got that message even until the very end, but I hope that the glass ball from Siam/Wang can provide him solace.

I can't do a character analysis on Mol because her manipulation and emotional abuse just hits too close to home.

This series broke me in the best way possible and I just have to commend everyone in the cast for portraying the roles so exceptionally well. Please do watch this with caution however, I found some of the scenes with Mol very triggering.

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Excellent Production with amazing leads

I will have to edit this review for a more coherent thought because I am just so emotional right now but this series is an absolute gem . This reminds me of peak K-Drama eras but with BL which is my absolute jam. I'm just gonna outline my pros and cons with this drama so I don't lose my current train of thoughts, but I am highly biased so cons are little, with a lot of pros:

1. Amazing production. I don't say this a lot with GMMTV series but I can't fault much production wise. Every scene feels full and purposeful, cinematography always on point. sound is also amazing. They don't shy away from utilizing silence to truly make a scene feel realistic and I highly appreciate this.
2. Soundtrack is on point. I still don't like the raps but I am not repulsed by the rap scenes as opposed to other BL series (or even songs with shit rapper). Using "Good Times" as one of the pivotal moment in their love story is genius writing and I will never get over that scene.
3. Thame and Po are perfectly cast. Holy shit. I can't believe these two actors - one a rookie and one is a first time male lead - outacted 90% of GMMTV actors. Est has one of the most expressive eyes I have had the pleasure to gaze upon. Every acting choice he made was great - he never attempted to perform beyond his current skill level but he truly managed to utilize what he excels in to make every scene great. William - I can't believe this is his first acting role. He is still green but holy shit, the potential that he has. His face acting is so good already. Honestly if he did slightly better than this I would be flying to thailand to BEG gmmtv to use whoever his acting coach is on literally all other actors.
4. ThamePo's chemistry - so I never base chemistry on things that happens off screen because some of the flirtiest BL couples do not translate their chemistry well on camera. I personally think ThamePo's excellent chemistry is because of the 10/10 direction and WilliamEst liking each other and them being so invested in their roles. I can't say the same for a lot of other dramas.
5. Love the storyline. But it's 2am and I have to wake up in 5 hours so I'll save this for tomorrow.

Now onto the bad:
1. Rest of the cast can improve on their acting. They're not horrible! But with such an excellent series, anything less than good is very jarring.
2. This is just a personal pet peeve of mine: I do like main characters who has more of a balance between career and romantic ambition. I absolutely love Po as a character and I do understand that not everyone's dream is to climb up the corporate ladder or whatever but I personally do prefer characters who has a passion for something that is not centralized around their lover.

I'll edit this when I'm less delirious but I adore this series and I will be patiently waiting for WilliamEst's next project!

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I'll Vouch For These Two BAs

This drama gives me fluttery feelings and no anxiety which is a huge win in my books. It is not a perfect drama by any stretch, but it serves its purpose of being entertaining.

Let's start with the bad, because there aren't too many:
- Sahashi's eyebrows. He has such nice eyebrows in real life, I can't figure out why they made it so dark in the series. I have such a huge hatred for his overdrawn brows that this has to go at number one for the "bad" list.
- Some plot points were not properly fleshed out. There were a couple of things that I wish they just don't introduce because they end up not properly resolving it (family stuff and work stuff mainly).
- Okuno So as Mamiya is too beautiful and amazing at his job for the whole lack of confidence thing to be fully believable. Yes, hot and talented people can be insecure too but it seems like external people don't really compliment his looks which is incomprehensible to me because he is just too damn gorgeous.
- I do think they could up the intimacy a little bit. I don't mean sex - but casual touches, close proximity to each other, and stolen glances. I just don't think they do these enough for me to fully buy into their chemistry.

Now onto the good:
- Gorgeous gorgeous men on my screen. I'm sorry that this is my first point on the good list but Okuno So is just ethereal. He is like the combination of TVXQ's Changmin and ZB1's Gyuvin in the best way possible. I am utterly in love.
- Actual character growth! Both characters have their own flaws but the conflicts in this series actually helped develop their characters and relationship. It is refreshing to actually see conflicts used as a personal development moment and not just as a way to progress the plot.
- They are actually decent people. Mamiya is genuinely one of the kindest people I have seen on screen. He is so selfless and genuine, almost to a fault. Sahashi has a prickly exterior but he is never malicious on purpose, which I appreciate.
- Internal/relationship conflicts handled promptly, which is awesome for people who are prone to anxiety like me. I hate misunderstandings and miscommunication - thankfully there aren't a lot of those here. If there are, they are usually handled quite promptly.
- Most side characters add value to the show!

Overall the good heavily outweighs the bad in my eyes and I would recommend if you like mindless workplace fluff.

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Would be an amazing prequel

This would not be everyone's cup of tea but this sure is mine. I think the biggest issue with this series is that this is not a fully fleshed-out story, this feels more like a set-up to a really amazing story.

Let's start out with the really good - because the good are so good:
- Tension between the two leads are amazing.
- The complexity and background of the story is fleshed out very organically - they peeled each layer one by one and not presented as a huge exposition monologue.
- Acting is so so so superb, both actors are so good with micro-expressions.
- All scenes are made with intention and contributes to the story. No scenes felt like a filler to me.
- A lot of impactful shots that are incredibly memorable such as the typhoon laundry scene, the curry scene, and the bed sheet scene.
- Well written characters and increasingly complex dimension to each character as we continue to watch.
- Cinematography is kind of excellent to me.
- Actors are both beautiful. I just have to put this out there.

Now moving on the the good, but can be improved:
- Depiction of the BDSM relationship: by the end of the series, we can clearly see that this relationship is not as toxic as what was initially presented, and that they are in some sort of a BDSM relationship agreement. However, there is a huge room for improvement because they should work towards communicating on a clearer relationship contract so there is no ambiguity on what is still within their role as a dom and a sub. I am assuming that Dayo is a bratty sub who loves to push Segasaki's buttons and Segasaki is a brat tamer but even in the end I feel like both of them are still unsure of their limits. This would be acceptable if this is only a prequel but if this is a standalone drama, then this is a huge room for improvement.
- Dayo and Segasaki are very complex characters. Dayo in this still has a huge level of self-acceptance that he needs to do - we see how much internalized homophobia he has and his reluctance to make BL comics even though his strength (as mentioned by the editor) is not in ero-manga. There is a huge storyline they could have developed out of his journey of self-acceptance and the simultaneous finding who he is as a mangaka. Segasaki is someone who masks so much in social situations and builds up such a high wall. Eventhough he said that he doesn't have his walls up with Dayo, he is also unconscious of his lack of communication. There is so much character development that is needed because for a BDSM relationship to be successful, both parties need to be good at communicating their needs and limits, but these two are a bit of a trainwreck at the moment. As I have said multiple times in this review, this series is an amazing set-up, but now we need more.

Unto the bad (there's only one):
The whole series feels like a set-up for another follow-up series. The story does not go anywhere far because the whole thing just does not feel finished. They have set up a conflict, built characters, established the current relationship dynamics, but there has not been any climax or resolution at all. I think this is the main reason people's opinions are so divided on this. Because there is no confirmed sequel, I have to rate the story on the lower end because there isn't much of a story here.


I need a sequel to this. There is so much potential to the story that they could make as a sequel, because we still have so many unresolved conflict. I want to know more about Dayo's future as a mangaka, their relationship evolution, and character development. All in all though, I absolutely adore this series for what it is and I will continue to rewatch because all in all, the good really trumps the bad.

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The Perfect Highschool RomCom

This is a belated review - I have watched this series around 6x now. I must say, this series really holds up even now that it's a couple of years since it's first released.

As someone in their mid twenties, I didn't expect to have a series in a highschool setting to be my biggest comfort series ever. It somehow has the capacity to be relatable to someone who can't even remember their highschool days, which is kind of magical. The writing is consistent and almost every scene feels intentional. The humor is not understated but it is also not too outlandish, which worked really well for me.

The premise is not special - it is a regular highschool one sided enemies to lovers, with a side of band life. We all have seen this formula before, but where MSP excels is the purposeful writing and excellent cast. It subverts a lot of normal tropes and fixes a lot of common issues the exists in regular highschool romance. I love how the series focuses on both platonic and romantic relationship as those things are equally important in my eyes. I hugely enjoy found family tropes and this one nailed it. I also love how the story progresses so smoothly - there is a clear climax (hot wave competition) but also there are smaller conflicts throughout that all contributes to build up the climax. I love how all small conflicts are resolved which left us with not much hanging questions. It is also incredibly refreshing to see well developed, multi-dimensional characters. Tinn and Gun is more well written than most and it is clear that they have identity aside from liking each other - this is more than I can say about a lot of other series. I also love how they are just both really good people. I have never understood people who have crushes with horrible personality (a very regular occurrence in the BL world) but with TinnGun I could fully understand why they would like each other. It wasn't merely one moment of kindness followed with tons of assholery, Gun is consistently kind throughout. I could continue to rant about how good this series is but I'll end this section with: how good is Fourth's voice? I wish he never stops singing.

Of course there are room for improvement still and the editing of the last couple of episodes are the biggest one for me. I enjoy them using clips of "imagination" but those weren't the most well placed in the last couple of episodes. I also would love it if we could have had more buildup between the ThiwPor side couple as I can feel that they have cut off pivotal ThiwPor scenes. Something was missing in the middle which didn't provide the smoothest transition of their relationship. I'm also not the biggest believer of the WinSound relationship, but that's more of a me problem more than anything.

This will continue to be my comfort series for a long time. I can't recommend this series enough and I just have to say that this is an insane debut series for Gemini and Fourth as a main couple.

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