kruppe92

How to rate this show?

I just finished watching this in 2025 and its one of the most unique BL I've watched. I don't even know how to rate it. I absolutely disliked the start. I hated how the ML was treated (I acknowledge he was creepy). No, I did not hate the script, I did not hate the actors, I loved the OST, I was glued to my screen the whole time, but I hated it. Call it anti-shipping, but I vehemently hoped the ML ended up with the second lead despite the foreboding.

However, when the POV switched, my ship switched too. I saw what Kiyoi saw. Honestly we cant blame him for falling in love. For all his flaws Hira was cutie and needs to be protected at all costs. Its truly magical to be seen, to be loved, to be the only one. Thats what they are to eachother.

The show is not fluffy, despite the hip OST. It is dark. Their relationship can be perceived as toxic, but its not, you'll see why if you stick with the show. They are just bad at communicating. The characters are flawed, they needed to be in therapy like yesterday. For Hira it is to help his stutter, to increase his confidence, to reduce his obsessiveness and most importantly to get rid of his imaginary gun violence. For Kiyoi it is to improve his communication.

100% recommend. My beautiful man Kiyoi is indeed the most beautiful man I've seen, but it was Hira who shone bright.

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Not recommended

I am being generous today and giving it 6 stars for the actors sake, but its below average in every other way.

Screenplay: The story had significant pacing issues (very slow in the beginning to everything moved too fast near the end). The story didnt make much sense whatsoever. Like when did Tae Seong start liking Hae Bom? He says 12 years, but how is that even possible? They are only 18 now.. So essentially they were each other's best and first friends but they stopped communicating at some point and grew apart even though they lived together? How did the mom feel about this? The reason for the lack of communication is also pretty stupid imo: I liked you, so I didnt want to be near you. What?? If you love somebody as much as Tae Seong loved Hae Bom, you would want to be around him every waking minute. Hae Bom was so awkward and uncomfortable around Tae Seong it was super hard to watch the beginning and kinda confusing why he would act that way since they live together. Hereon the plot moved quite fast and I completely detest the non-con scene that came soon after. There was no excuse for that and I also didnt like the follow up: "Is liking me too much to ask?" Yes, it is. This dialogue was essentially forcing our already weak ML into being forced into a relationship out of misplaced sense of friendship and loyalty. At this point even us viewers are unclear if Hae Bom has romantic feelings for Tae Seong which would bring the non-con scene look more like assault than momentary passion. The mom sees this and does nothing, thats so weird. I am not sure if its the bad editing or bad story telling, but what parent witnesses the assault and just does nothing about it? They are both your sons, ma'am. Further down the line, the mom becomes alcoholic somehow and starts having a strained relationship with her own son (is this because of the assault? is this because he took help from her ex-husband? is this because she saw the leads kiss? none of this is clearly explained). I am at least happy Tae Seong regretted his actions and Hae Bom confessed he truly loves Tae Seong between all this mess. 2/10

Production: extremely bad camera work (shaky, blair witch angles) and editing was so bad that makes scene transitions seem very choppy and not smooth. There were some scenes that didnt make any sense at all and doesnt contribute to the story. Like why did Hae Bom randomly enter the bathroom where Tae Seong was showering? The sets and scenary was quite good. Many low budget Korean BLs just takes place in a single bedroom apartment or a park, but this one had multiple settings and a beautiful house & apartment. 2/10

Acting: Not bad. Either the actors were extremely uncomfortable with each other in the beginning or it was just them acting that way for their roles, it was clear their "relationship" became comfortable as the series progressed. Still not the best acting, but I loved how much they grew during the series. I could believe they were a couple by the end of the show, considering how awkward they were initially. 8/10

OST: Lots of english songs, prefer Korean ones. I didnt care for it much, average, nothing memorable. 5/10

Overall: 6/10, but should be 4/10. There are better BLs out there and I wish these actors got a better script.

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7/8 episodes were great

Issues:

- Finale was problematic, did not like how they handled mental health issue. This was a blemish to an otherwise beautiful story. Luckily the acting and plot was extremely enjoyable for the most part, so I didnt think I should dock a lot of points. I wish they gave a happy ending for the poor kid Song Yi Heon, that would have been truly life changing for him, since the story was all about second chances.
- Deducted points for casting a rapist. He seemed important to Duek Pal, but I skipped all his scenes anyway since I cant bear the sight of that guy.
- I am a BL aficionado, but I was okay with this adaptation being straight-washed, I do enjoy all sorts of dramas. However, the affection between Yi Heon and Se Kyung appeared to be more than friends, like a crush. I doubt any teenager would write "I wish I could be friends with xyz" like it was the only good thing in his life, especially considering they weren't even all that close when Yi Heon was alive. There was also suggestive jealousy from Se Kyung when they girls were flirting with Deuk Pal. IDK, unnecessary vibes, imo like the show wanted to queer bait. Either give me BL or bromance, none of this wishy washy BS.
- Need bad things to happen to Se Kyung's Prosecutor father.

The positives of the show is one too many to list. I would recommend watching it.

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Cute in Parts

The show was definitely entertaining, I was able to get through the end, though not without some massive skipping.

Pros:
1. Unique premise. I love a BL arranged marriage trope, so unique and open minded by the families + the secret identity (Kuea's duality) trope.
2. Speaks about LGBTQ+ rights and Equality, wonderful stuff.
3. Comedy. Especially between Kuea and his friends + the wonderful secretaries of Liam and Yi.
4. Yim. And Tutor.
5. Loved the relationship between Nuea and his friends. They supported each other but also established clear boundaries.

Cons:
1. Constant lying and manipulation by the leads.
2. Kuea and Diao were both kinda immature and acted their age. Their partners were unfortunately way older and controlling such that their "romance" was abusive and toxic. The relationship was giving me parent-child vibe more so than lovers. Kuea and Diao were actually fearing their partners at some point and the relationship only gets slightly better towards the end; its still massively imbalanced.
3. Acting. Most of them were passable or good, except Lian and Nat. Lian's expression makes me want to punch his face. He was a bit stiff or was made to pretend he didnt love Kuea for the most part, while Kuea was very open about his feelings for him. Idk if its the acting or the directing, either way that chemistry was weird in the beginning. Nat was acting like an immature puppy/child, just like Kuea. Atleast Kuea had some bad ass side gigs that showcased the duality in acting.

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Just watch it

I can't believe I am rating this quite high. Why? Because I randomly stumbled across this one and Ive never heard anyone talk about this in the BL community. I don't even know any of the actors in this drama.

I promised I wont watch a show set in a Thai university again. I hate undeveloped NC scenes or love at first sight kinda romance. I dont watch love triangles or polyamory, im more of a soulmate kinda girl. This drama had ALL my peeves and I still loved it. I didn't even skip anything. Go watch it, it was that perfect.

Shout out to the actors for doing aerial acrobatics! I am hoping to see these guys again someday!

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WHY are you kissing or being intimate with your sick partner? Is that supposed to be romantic?
WHY are you stalking someone you like instead of confessing and asking them out. Is that supposed to be romantic?
WHY does Mame only write toxic and pitiable relationships? Is that supposed to be romantic?

I'll confess, the first 3 episodes were really fun trying to understand this parallel universe concept, but things started going downhill soonafter. The writing is cringe, even in the first 3 episodes. Noeul's character, Phu was portrayed as extremely naive and childish, like which uni kid throws a tantrum over underwear colors? Thankfully his interactions with Boss made it more tolerable since it bought some seriousness to the "plot". Speaking of the plot, I understand this is fiction and toxic characters exist irl and easier to accept when not grounded in reality, but are we supposed to empathize with Cir, really? He cares only abt Phu and nobody else, not his brother, not his friends, no one. Phu is too naive, forget calling the police on this stalker, you apologized to him and tell him what he did was acceptable because its for LOVE?? Too creepy, stalkery, cant even relate to these characters who are completely one dimensional. There was chemistry between the main leads thankfully, but here's hoping Noeul could improve on his acting a tad bit more and choose better roles for his next project, something that is more mature and outside of school/uni setting and not written by Mame (I think she needs psych help). Didnt care for side characters other that Ozone and Jin, even their acting can do better.

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Prefer if Max was paired with someone else

I can't watch Nat, he's not a very good actor. I skipped his scenes in cutie pie but I hoped it was because I didnt like the dynamics of his relationship, so I wanted to give this series a chance. Even when delivering emotional scenes, like in ep 2 where he says he has no house, no friends in this world, he appears to be smiling and happy saying it. Too off-putting when delivering sad lines. Tai and Phupha on the other hand were gorgeous and good. Didn't care for the side couple. The plot was too cheesy and I hate that Kram keeps falling on Tai every episode and that he's a damsel that needed constant rescuing. I also don't get the setting of the world they live in. Some people walk around well-dressed, driving fancy cars, busy playing a President/Heir of a large company or what not while his love interest, Kram lives in the middle of a Jungle dressed in rags, so where is this place? The back and forth flashbacks and non-linear story-telling is also unnecessarily confusing. Its too bad that the plot had so much potential, but turned out to be another mess like || 4 minutes ||

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It was slow-burn, but slow-burn romance it was not

Only watched 6 episodes and FF the remaining at 3x speed. Initially I liked the story because of awesome cinematography and good acting by the leads, not to mention I am a sucker for a good step brother romance story. However, the plot meandered too much because of all the side characters and plots. I can't really tell if the leads are attracted to each other or just affectionate and heal each other's trauma. There was a kiss scene but it was too premature and didnt feel right. It was not a kiss of love, but rather a kiss to make a point. The ending didnt satisfy me either and I am left just as confused as I was in the beginning. Heard season 2 isnt happening, so I won't be recommending this show to anyone.

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cute, but why the hype?

Full disclaimer: I watched it in 2025. It was one my first watched thai Bls, after Laws of Attraction and Until We Meet Again.

I am an Asian, so this type of enemies to lovers story is not new in this part of the world, its been done so many times. Heck, its Romeo and Juliet minus the tragedy. To me this story wasn't novel, the uni scenes were standard college interaction, the romance wasn't heated, I felt bored mid-way and skipped some scenes, yet I persevered through to understand what the hype was all about. And.. I just don't get it. It was by no means bad, pretty decent for BL standards, but it didnt meet the expectation I had for this BL. The actors looked great but their acting left much to be desired. UWMA on the other hand is older and the story was much more impactful than this one.
This show feels dated, but even for 2021. I remember watching this type of family enemies to lovers concept in the 90s television.

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Impression upto episode 10

7/10 stats, only watched for the leads chemistry.

Positives:

1. Acting was generally good, esp the leads

2.Plot thus far has built a lot of angst and tension between the characters but also gave us some heartwarming moments.

3. Loved the intense friendship between the leads and the loyal friendship between the leads and other minor characters.

Negatives:

1. Repetitive plot. Every episode starts like this: homeroom scene, fight ensues, saint apologizing to shin (aka being a doormat), fight ensues, saint getting beaten/insulted, saint apologizing/beaten/sacrificing, teachers (s)hitting on each other or on their students. Scenes are repetitive even within the same episode, I ended up skipping after a while.

2. Leads hog 90% of the screen time, 5% by the TB thug trifecta and all minor characters fill the other 5%. A lot of the minor characters are underdeveloped, including the teachers, who are supposed to be mains. Though I loved the leads, this was problematic because Saint was mostly apologizing or getting beaten by Shin which got ridiculously repetitive. Saint, Shin needs his space and time to heal, piss off elsewhere please.

3. The story is riddled with plot holes. The personalities of the leads in the flashback and in the present is so different. Saint was a thug, but is now a doormat. Shin was a peaceful dude, but is now happy to hit others at the slightest provocation. I guess their past made them evolve this way but these personality changes are nevertheless very drastic. Who starts a gang at 16 and decide to hit their bf (best friend who they claim to love) to smithereens because they wanted to leave for a better future? Not a friend who loves him surely, but that was our doormat Saint you say? I'll let it slide since they were teenagers after all. Saint going completely off the radar of Shin, who was once his bf to now where he constantly pressurizes Shin to be his friend again doesn't make sense in hindsight. Did seeing Shin after 3 years open up all the floodgate of emotions? If he truly loved his friend he would not have ran away from him, but then again why not do it again now? How does Shin end up in the same school as Saint anyway? Was that ever explained? AFAIK Saint took a 2 year break to run away from his friendship and joins TB, while Shin was recuperating from his injuries during this time and joined UP to continue his education and made some friends. But how did they end up in the same year though? Isnt Saint supposed to start schooling where he dropped off? Especially since the merge happened on the first day of school, how did Saint even make friends with those TB girls? I'm hoping this gap is addressed in the later episodes. I'm also not sold on why Shin who claims to hate Saint agreed to go to the gas station to convince Saint to come back to school. Isn't he supposed to hate seeing his face at school everyday? Isnt that what he wanted? Are there no other schools in this area where Saint can go to continue his education? Shin was so reluctant to make up with his bf for 8 episodes, then bam, they hang out with eachother's family and have ice cream. I would have loved to see a gradual melting of Shin's icy heart instead of a forced event.

4. Plot holes aside, the screenplay stuck to its repetitive script for most of the episodes until every now and then some other characters were introduced for maximum drama like Saint's dad, Shin's mom, principal, mafia gang etc. These characters and their storyline don't wrap up well before the next minor character is introduced and we are left hanging with with that thread almost forgetting they existed until they were brought back. Point being, the screenplay felt disjointed at times and was quite predictable, losing its grip on me. Even the big reveal on how Saint and Shin divorced, I mean unfriended, was not super surprising since they showed a lot of their fall out in snippets so I didn't feel emotionally tense when it was finally revealed.

5. Teachers were utterly useless. Yes, it includes the homeroom ones too. They were all ignoring the actual problem with class 2 and instead focused on issues pertaining the main leads. The school looks super empty, not many characters had screentime, nor other subjects were explored. So far, the Thai teacher tried to teach a lesson, English teacher never spoke a single word in English nor taught a class, the other subject teachers were almost non existent, but there was a fine PE teacher to save the school from complete embarrassment seen hanging around basketball courts.

6. Queer Bait. For the record I went into the show with skepticism after reading the reviews that said this was closeted BL than a bromance. I did think people were probably too quick to judge intense friendship and went delulu mode thinking there was anything more to it. But they're right, there was something more about this Bromance, more so than those BL censored to Bromance adaptations from China. There wasn't explicit physical intimacy like holding hands or kisses, but a more subtle tones of two closeted best friends in love with each other but are too afraid to confess. Those love confessions every episode, those lingering glances, that need to be around each other all the time, goes beyond the friendship line. Heck Saint even made a ridiculous gang policy just to prevent his bf from ever leaving him. I mean if you truly care for his future, you would have let him go so he could play soccer and live his dreams, but nah you were completely overwhelmed by the thought of separating from your bf that you couldn't control your aggression and seriously injured him for life. No heterosexual love interest for either mains so far which is hella sus. Its hard to believe these two can develop romantic relationship outside of eachother. Heck their teenage hormones must be raging rn. I hate being baited like that.

I'm thinking of dropping this drama on epi 10 since the leads kinda got together, but I want to low key see a resolution to the mafia story, which was the most interesting sub plot threads imo.

PS. Mark Pakin was perfect as always and shone in all of his 5% screentime on this show. He was the best actor in this show for me, followed by Nani, then Sky.

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