labcat

Be patient with this one

It is easy to give up on Home School halfway through. After all, we may not really care much about most of the characters at the start. The teachers at Home School are either cold or creepy (often both, actually). And the students can be pretty unlikable too. But I guess the creators took a bit of a gamble here. The characters do become more interesting and likable apart from the one who turns out to be the main villain of the series.

It is unfortunately very easy to be frustrated with the series if you start off with the assumption that Home School and its teachers are part of an unrevealed dark conspiracy. This is because of the ambivalent way in which they are portrayed. They seem every bit like the bad guys who have tricked parents into enrolling their children in a school that ends up abusing the children and cut off the children's contact with the outside world. However, some of the "lessons" the teachers try to teach seem to have values even though the teaching methods are highly unconventional and manipulative to say the least. There were times when I was left incredulous, thinking that the writers have made the teachers laughable villains. At times, the teachers seem to place emphasis on conventionally good things like love and trust for one another; at other times, they seem to be cruelly teaching the students about the ugliness of the world. The ambivalence in the portrayal of the school does, however, have a purpose. There are early hints about this and it becomes increasingly clear to us--the school has not always been what we think it is like.

To be honest, the ethicality of the tactics employed by Home School to educate the young people remain questionable all the way even though a twist in the story makes us focus more on the main villain or the mastermind behind the villainy. Regardless of what Home School aims to do, I can imagine how emotionally scarring it can be for a young person to go through the school, especially for someone like Pennhung who appears to be a character with unspecified special needs. This is one of the weaknesses of the story, making the plot twists less convincing than they could have been.

At times, I also wished that the writers had written in more interesting lessons. Some of them are just too predictable. Take for example the game in which the students are made to play a musical-chairs game. They are told to find a place to sit down before the music stops--the number of chairs keep decreasing, but those who fail to find a place to sit down will be punished. Of course, it turns out that the students did not have to sit on a chair. They could literally sit anywhere. In another game, they students are made to play a game in which they have to identify the lizard, who can order anyone of them around. Of course none of the students turns out to be the lizard. The atmosphere would be different if there had been more interesting "lessons" written into the script.

Despite the flaws of the series, there is enough in the series to keep me watching. The strong performance by many of the actors and the good story pacing contribute to making the series more watchable. There are holes here, but the story is quite good

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Even 2 suns can't heat this one up

Characters exist, characters inexplicably fall in love. And some possible, muddled ships. That's about it to this BL.

The storytelling is rather incoherent. Sun is sent to collect a debt from Athit--Sun is part of some debt collection company (it seems) and somehow Sun's own father engages the company's services, which sends Sun to collect the debt. (Weird.) And Sun is a debt collector who never manages to collect any debts--it is not clear why; it is not as though his colleagues have superior debt collection tactics, but I digress like the series keeps doing.

Anyway, it turns out that Athit does not even owe Sun's father anything. In fact, it's the other way round. So what purpose does it even serve to get Sun to collect a debt? Boun and Prem are the leads playing Athit and Sun respectively, and the acting is understandably weak because ... how are they supposed to act with such randomness? It is not like there's any nuance or depth of character to bring out.

Another couple, Ashing and Mangkorn, has an even thinner storyline (if you can call it one). It seems that Mangkorn is basically enslaved because of a debt his father owes (Ashing's father is the boss of the aforementioned debt collection agency). They don't get along well at first but suddenly fall in love.

Then there is an assortment of characters whose behaviors are often inexplicable. One vaguely sees some possible ships here and there, but everything ends up being quite confusing.

The storytelling style makes things worse. One quirk of this series is the use of flashbacks to show how what is happening in a scene happens to begin with. This style is most of the time purposeless and does not enhance our engagement or appreciation of the story.

The only really entertaining thing in this series is the ending. And I don't even mean the happy ending for the two couples. It's how the boyfriend of Athit's brother (a terrible person) is left stranded on an island, with everyone forgetting he's there. Initially, I thought that the careless scriptwriters simply did not realize that they had left him on the island. Perhaps they did, but it is funny how they made use of it at the end so generate some humor.

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Quite lovable, but one support character could have been fleshed out more

I love both the main couple and the side couple in this BL. I wonder, though, if it might be better to make the side couple the main couple instead.

The main couple, Tae Joon and Won Young, have a rather solid if predictable story. I think much of the credit goes to the development of Tae Joon's character. I can understand how he has trust issues after being betrayed by his ex-boyfriend, so I can empathize with him when he finds it very difficult to simply forgive and make up with Won Young after he finds out that Won Young has been originally tasked to try to persuade him to come out of hiding and exhibit his works. Won Young is, on the other hand, also in a predicament we can sympathize with--he is suspended from his job through no fault of his own and can be in serious debt (also not really his own fault) if he does not get back his job. (It's unfortunate that the series seems to neglect the serious problems Won Young is facing after the initial exposition. Some timely reminders would perhaps have been good.)

The side couple, Dong Hee and Ho Tae, are quite economically portrayed. There is so much potential for fleshing out Dong Hee's back story. From the start, we are given hints that Dong Hee is in love with Ho Tae, but when the latter (who keeps changing girlfriends) shows an interest in him, he refuses to accept the love. Dong Hee's main explanation is that Ho Tae is the son of his mother's friend, but one wonders why. This is revealed later in the series in a flashback with Dong Hee suffering from abuse from his parents because of his sexuality and Ho Tae's mother being the only one who comforts him. Why Dong Hee does not accept Ho Tae's courtship because of Ho Tae's mother is less clear. Is he afraid that Ho Tae's mother might blame him if she is unable to accept it if her own son is gay--and she is someone he owes something to? Has he internalized homophobia in some way and thinks that Ho Tae and his family will be better of if Ho Tae goes on dating women? In some ways, Dong Hee can make for a more compelling main character than Tae Joon. The abuse he has suffered and the years of quiet one-sided love for Ho Tae make him the most emotionally complex character in the series. If only he were a more fleshed out side character or the main character!

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I confess to bingeing this one, but it isn't really great

My first response to this series was: "Another tyrannical-boss-and-quirky-subordinate story?" The story relies on several familiar tropes, including a disapproving mother towards the end. Nonetheless, I did find it fairly watchable. It is rather stress-free watching because we more or less know how the story will develop and end. And the BL couple is fairly likable.

Be warned, however, that there are several poor transitional points. First of all, although we know that Xia Shangzhou (the tyrannical General Manager) takes a liking to his new secretary (Yao Shunyu), it strikes me as a little too sudden when Xia frantically rushes to the rescue of a kidnapped Yao. Clearly, there weren't enough scenes to show that Xia had already fallen so hard for Yao. Other poor transitions include Yao's own struggles with his own emotions. Yao goes through several stages:

1. he notices Xia's interest in him and freaks out;
2. he struggles with his own sexuality but eventually comes to terms with the fact that he is in love with a man;
3. he struggles with being uncertain if he is just a fling to Xia despite being in love with Xia and accepting it;
4. he realizes that Xia really loves him but decides not to accept Xia so that Xia can avoid being embroiled in a scandal.

Although things cannot possibly be entirely clear-cut, the shifts from one stage of Yao to another is a little too muddled to be truly moving.

Despite the flaws, I did enjoy some comic moments in the series. Unfortunately some of these moments also fall flat despite having potential. A case in point is when Yao is given the task of sabotaging Xia's blind date (arranged by Xia's mother). Somehow, Yao ends up buying a whole lot of condoms, causing the woman who was arranged to go on a date with Xia to think that Xia is a pervert. (Erm.... excuse me, first, Yao shouts to Xia "You are mine" but the woman mistakenly thinks that he is speaking to her. Then the condoms fall out ... and the woman thinks Xia is a pervert even though all Xia does is to help Yao, who is slipping. ????)

Somehow another Taiwanese BL, Stay by My Side, is listed as Related Content in MDL. I'm not sure about the links, but Stay by My Side is overall much better. Despite the cliches and predictability, I think You Are Mine had the potential to be much better than it has turned out to be. It is somewhat enjoyable, but nowadays, there are probably better BLs to watch.

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Likable main couple, decent BL with significant flaws

The story of the main couple is fairly decent, with Sailom and Kanghan taking a familiar enemies-to-lovers route. There is some awkwardness in the transition though. Kanghan and his gang's bullying of Sailom and his friends is really malicious, but quite abruptly Kanghan saves Sailom from actual gang members while he's on a quest to intimidate him.

It may or may not be a good thing that the story can be a little unpredictable. Just when things get really serious, the plot takes a markedly light-hearted turn. Then just as things seem to be pretty light-hearted, the situations suddenly become serious again, such as when Saifah (Sailom's brother) is arrested for allegedly shooting Kanghan's father. Even the characters vacillate: we see Kanghan promising to stand by Sailom no matter what happens, and the next moment, we see Kanghan telling Sailom to leave because Saifah has confessed (falsely) to shooting Kanghan's father. He even makes a totally unwarranted remark about poor people to his grandmother. Then almost just as suddenly, Kanghan is helping Sailom again.

There are certainly commendable attempts to show the changes in Kanghan's character, but the explanations are not really compelling. It is true that he changes after his mother's death, but it does not seem convincing that the problems he faces would cause a reasonable person to become a nasty bully. Ultimately, the story seems torn between giving us BL fluff and dealing with more serious themes, and the two impulses are not juggled well.

One thing that is done quite nicely at first is the presentation of inequality in society. This is clearly represented in the uniforms worn by the students. The poorer students' uniforms look yellowed and washed out. Together with how even the authority figures in school blatantly favor the wealthy students when it is obvious that Kanghan, a wealthy student with an influential father, is viciously bullying others. Unfortunately, the issue of the rich-poor divide is not developed well in the course of the story. While the story starts off by pointing out the gross injustice that exists, it eventually glosses over things by presenting the wealthy characters as good people. In fact, problems are ultimately solved by the benevolent wealthy. Kanghan's grandmother intervenes when there is injustice in the school.

When Sailom is engaged as Kanghan's tutor by the latter's grandmother, it is not even just a matter of the wealthy helping to solve problems. Sailom is fired after Kanghan fails a subject despite showing improvement in his grades. I was hoping that it would be revealed that the grandmother can tell how much Kanghan cares about Sailom and has come up with a ploy to make him ask for Sailom to be his tutor again. However, there is no such revelation, which also makes the characterization of the grandmother a little uneven. It seems to show that the wealthy can ultimately be callous if they wish to. Kanghan manages to get his grandmother to let Sailom be his tutor again, and the debt that Sailom's family owes will be paid off if he manages to help Kanghan do well enough to get into the university. Perhaps unintentionally, this shows that the wealthy have the power to make or break the lives of the poor. There could have been some strong social critique here, but somehow things are glossed over. Eventually, the lives or Sailom and his brother are improved because of the benevolent wealthy. This is symbolized by how Kanghan's grandmother takes the trouble to get a medication for Saifah. (Yes, there's that unevenness in characterization. She is generally a reasonable and kind person, and the way she fires Sailom is off-character.)

I do like the series simply as BL. Apart from how Kanghan's bullying of Sailom is too over the top, the couple dynamics are actually great. However, the stories of other (potential) couples are underdeveloped. The series spends a fair bit of time showcasing the tension between Guy and Nawa and not enough time on their romance. A couple of flashback scenes in the last two episodes show how they noticed each other in the past but these flashbacks do not complement the hostility they show each other. There are also hints of romantic interest between Saifah and his friend, Name. However, Name only appears in the series when he is needed in the main plot, and there is barely any attempt to show their relationship further. Why bother with these other couples then?

I did enjoy this series, but it has some flaws that make it less than great.

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Engaging if you can bear with the shifts

I was expecting a fun/funny time-travel drama in which the protagonist accidentally gets transported from the modern world to the Tang Dynasty, Initially, the story went very much as expected, and this may or may not be a great thing. On the one hand, I do enjoy the time-travel part of the drama, with the protagonist using his modern knowledge to get his way around in the past. On the other hand, when things fall within expectations, there is hardly any surprise.

But the series comes with some surprises. And this may or may not be a good thing once again. For about half the series, we see the more innocent side of the main characters. The Crown Prince whom the protagonist meets is a reasonable and righteous person, and we have typical rom-com vibes with two couples. However, after we have gotten used to the general rom-com trajectory of the story and characterisation, the series takes a dark turn. It makes some of the important characters more nuanced and rounded, showing a more realistic picture of political figures. Yet, the viewer has not been watching a drama about political intrigue for about half the series, so the shift becomes hard to swallow.

On their own, the two parts of the series are quite well done and engaging. Nevertheless, it doesn't work out that well when put together. Then there is the rushed and clumsy ending with (spoiler coming .........) the protagonist sustaining a fatal injury, This part was unnecessary. To make matters worse, he is transported back to the modern world seemingly because of the fatal injury (apparently it is impossible for him to die in the past) ... and his physical injuries disappear when he finds himself back in the modern world. (??!!) And while he does not magically get dressed in Tang-dynasty dressing when he travels to the past, his Tang dressing and fake hair conveniently get replaced by modern clothes and his original hairstyle when he returns to the modern era. I was almost expecting the series to end with some silly "it was all a dream" nonsense.

There is an additional 5-minute segment for the finale that seems to have been released separately from the final episode. This is where we get a happy ending, with the protagonist time-traveling back (we don't know how) to the Tang Dynasty and reuniting with his lover. (Time travel gets rid of fatal injuries?)

The drama is overall an interesting watch, and there is a lot to like about it. However, I wish the story had been steered back from its darker turn, which will make it more coherent as a whole.

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Accomplishment? What accomplishment?

Yes, there's a fudanshi bartender, but what accomplishment does he have besides fantasizing about his colleagues and customers? Perhaps the way he perseveres despite reality disrupting his fantasies is an accomplishment? We only have two episodes, and the two episodes seem like the beginning of something that has a chance of becoming interesting in a quirky way. However, unfortunately, the two episodes are everything we get. In the end, we are just left wondering what the point of it all is.

If the fudanshi's fantasies are particularly interesting, it would at least be something. Unfortunately, it seems more like we are supposed to laugh at him and his fantasies rather than to indulge in them together with him. I think most fujoshis and fudanshis are better off fantasizing on their own. It's not as if we could get much vicarious enjoyment from his fantasies. All in all, a rather weird two episodes, and not in a good way.

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Likable series with a lot of wasted potential

I really enjoyed about two-thirds of this series and was just ok with the last one-third or so.

At first, the series is a nice balance between being light-hearted and serious. Bai Lang's psychological issues and the dentist Jin Xun An's growing concern and attraction for him is sweet without being banal. The back story of Xun An's previous relationship is also nicely done (at first).

Unfortunately, at some point in the series, something goes wrong. I think it starts being somewhat perplexing when Bai Lang (who wants to reject Xun An's love at first because of his own psychological issues) starts behaving as though he does not know whether Xun An likes him.

I also think the series becomes much less interesting about the time the main couple become a couple. First, we have the strange objection of Bai Lang's sister to the relationship and then her change of heart, which is almost as sudden. Then we have the objection of Xun An's father--taken on its own, it doesn't seem to bad, but it feels out of place in the series. It feels as though the story is continued for the sake of being continued.

I also don't know why there seems to be a compulsion to squeeze in as many couples as possible when there is obviously not going to be time to give the other couples enough attention. In the end, we have two other BL couples and one straight couple thrown without contributing much to the series.

There are moments I like, such as how the story veers dangerously close to clichés but doesn't degenerate into clichés. At one point, I was thinking that Xun An's ex, in telling Bai Lang about the foods that Xun An does not eat, would cause Bai Lang to be so insecure that it causes a break-up, but it doesn't happen. I was also half expecting Bai Lang to see Xun An together with his ex (of sorts) and misunderstand Xun An. Thankfully, it doesn't happen either. And yet, I'm not sure whether to give credit to the writer(s) for this. Perhaps there is simply an aversion to heightening the tension in the story further. All too often, things get serious but then fizzle out quickly. In a way, this is both the strength and the weakness of the series.

With a better focus on the main couple and a greater willingness to delve into how Bai Lang's psychological issues could pose a problem in the relationship, the story would have been much stronger. Sure, some of the light-heartedness would be lost, but it would still be possible to have the same happy ending while making the story more moving.

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Cute, funny at times, but needs something that shines

Roommates of Poongduck 304 is generally lighthearted, so lighthearted that the emotional ups and downs seem to have been deliberately compressed. The BL couple, Ho Joon and Jae Yoon, is cute and likable. Despite having something like an enemies-to-lovers plot (actually more like enemies-to-friends-to-lovers), the "enemies" part of the story seems slightly muted, like many other things in the story. This may well be a good thing because the two characters are, ultimately, not awful people. The "enemies" part of the story isn't exaggerated, so the characters' behaviors are not really toxic either. They are bother rather lovable without being ridiculously nice people.

Yet, there are a lot of emotions on the part of the characters that seem somewhat muted. Jae Yoon, for instance, has been in love with a friend who is merely out to exploit him. Eventually Jae Yoon finds out that this "friend" of his not only regards him as an fool but has also told others about him and saved his contact on his phone as Fool. Of course, Jae Yoon is devastated--but the emotions did not seem to have been the focus. There isn't even a scene in which Ho Joon finds out about this and tries to comfort him. And then Jae Yoon seems to get over it quickly. Sure, he is probably already in love with Ho Joon. (But notice that I said "probably"? There isn't that much clarity here, and if he has been already in love with Ho Joon, why does he still seem so concerned about his crush?)

Sometimes the lack of in-your-face depictions of relationships is really good. For instance, we know early on that Jae Yoon is in love with his "friend" because of how possessive he is of the chocolates given to him by this "friend". We also see that Ho Joon finds out that Jae Yoon is in love with that awful friend (because he is offered the same chocolates, supposedly very special, by the same person). I like how Ho Joon doesn't use the secret or the fact that Jae Yoon is gay against him even when they are in the "enemies" stage of their relationship. It shows something about his fundamental goodness. And despite being one of those straight-man-who-falls-in-love-with-a-guy characters in BL, at least Ho Joon doesn't have a moment of exaggerated gay panic. He seems to be in denial when a friend of his suggests that he is in love, but he doesn't assert his heterosexuality or claim that it's not true simply because Jae Yoon is a man.

Given a few more episodes, perhaps the series would have been even better, with more space for the emotional ups and downs of the characters. There could have been more time spent on the progress of their relationship before Jae Yoon finds out about that Ho Joon is actually the son of the President of the company they are working in and decides to leave him. The ending feels a little hurried although it is rather well made given the limitations.

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Enjoyable watch but not the most riveting story

At the beginning of the first episode, the protagonist says that one of the three people he is photographing is his first love. That's a nice introduction to the series because it is all about who the "first love" is--and since there is a "first love," is there also a second one?

The one who the protagonist will end up with becomes rather easy to guess quite early on (even if one is really unable to guess, one could just look at the list of actors and make a guess). And yet, the story quite deftly maintains the possibility that it's possible for the first love to be the other person.

Yes, there is a love triangle, but I'm glad it's hard to simply hate one of the three guys in the love triangle. The four main male characters are each lovable in his own way, and the main source of tension comes from, what else but a jealous girl. Then again, the girl doesn't turn out to be that bad. In fact, no one turns out to be that bad, which is either good or bad for the story, depending on whether you prefer fluff or a more realistic storyline.

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Better than expected

There are so many things that can go wrong with this series, but thankfully it ends up being quite nicely put together despite having some flaws.

The first time the protagonist, Q, meets X (in a toilet), it's obvious that X has a crush on him. But the flaws with the series also start here. Given that X is quite obviously interested in Q, why does he purposely do things to antagonize Q (including making fun of his penis size)? And then Q's behavior is also potentially toxic: because X challenges him to try to get Mook, a female schoolmate, to invite him (Q) to an event, Q has to pretend to be a fan of Mook's and feign interest in her online. He even delegates this pretense of interest to his friends since no one can tell that someone is posting stuff on his behalf. In a way, Q and his friends are lying to Mook and trying to manipulate her feelings. (It is thus rather ironic that later, in a misunderstanding, Q thinks that X and Mook are in cahoots to lie to him/toy with his feelings.)

Yet, X and Q manage to be fairly likable. Q doesn't really mean any harm, and he also doesn't really care that much about winning the bet with X. I like how the X and Q romance doesn't follow an enemies-to-lovers plot. Q just naturally falls in love as he spends more time with X.

Oddly enough, Q's mother and uncle (who are side characters) are the ones who are portrayed with some level of complexity. Q's mother, who gives the impression of being fine with gay people since she has no issues with her gay brother, turns out to have concerns that her son is gay. Yet, she isn't entirely homophobic either, and her brother is able to persuade her to be more accepting. Q's uncle, who initially seems to be a bad joke (he's "Uncle Man" but he isn't exactly manly, haha), doesn't end up being a flat character created simply for the sake of humor. He can be serious too, and in many ways, he's the most sensible person in the whole series, giving sound advice to others despite his personal problems (like his father's inability to accept him for being gay).

The interactions between X and Q are cute and sweet without being cloying. Although the misunderstanding in the final episode seems a little forced (like the predictable break-up scene that happens in the penultimate episodes of many series), the way the misunderstanding is cleared up is quite nicely done. In the end, we can forgive a lot of flaws because X and Q are characters who are easy to like, and the two actors look good together.

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Not a very ambitious BL, but it offers a lot of sweetness

If you are going to make a BL and you aren't too ambitious about breaking new ground but just want to make something cute and sweet, you make something like this.

The Kim/Mek story isn't all that impressive. In fact, I thought the series would end in Episode 6 as I was watching it. The turns in the story after that seem a little forced, but I'm not really here for a great story to begin with. Although a lot of people don't seem to like the way the series starts, I find the first six episodes more energetic and coherent. This fujoshi university chancellor (or whatever her position is) practically abuses her power to make Kim/Mek create BL content. There is some parody of BL scenarios, but the series itself is full of such scenarios anyway (like the couple falling down and kissing each other as a result). After Episode 6, the story remains lighthearted but seems to take a different turn. Nevertheless, the second half of the series isn't really bad either, especially if the main characters have grown on you.

Although I do like Kim/Mek, my favorite of the four couples is Park/Lee. Apart from one or two parts of the story when they have a silly misunderstanding, they are sweet and supportive of each other. There is a back story of how they met and why they keep their relationship a secret. For a large part of the story, they are the most mature of the couples.

It seems like a lot to have four couples in the story, but I think this is handled pretty well. Each pair is quite distinct and their lives are not so separate that you feel the jump when the story moves from one couple to another. This makes the series better than most series that feature so many couples. There is nothing truly exceptional about this series, but there is always a place for such a lighthearted, generally stress-free BL series.

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Average BL despite the cute leads

The one thing that got my attention throughout the series: Why does Kaownah look so different from the time he was in Tharntype? Is it the filter, the fact that he buffed up somewhat or is it that he has gone under the knife? He looks great here, but I practically can't recognize him (and I actually prefer the way he looked back then).

That said, the Kaownah/Turbo (Ryou/Anda in the story) pairing in this series is rather nice, but the story isn't very strong. The story is fairly predictable, and while I think the actress playing Ryou's ex-manager is quite good, she is over-the-top evil with a comic effect. I think she's told to act this way, but somehow it doesn't gel with the rest of the series.

I don't know how faithful the portrayal of Anda's parents is to the original source. But it looks as though the writers can't decide whether they are terrible parents or understanding parents, and has simply to make them both, but at different points. On the one hand, they try to force Anda to join the entertainment industry when he obviously doesn't want to. The father even goes to the extent of tearing out a kissing scene from the script of an ad so that Anda would go along with the filming without knowing it. On the other hand, they seem to accept their children's relationship choices (not just the fact that they are in same-sex relationships). So I don't know....

Relatively minor problems like this mar the quality of the production, as does the rather weak story. In the end, although the leads are likeable, there is a certain ceiling preventing the series from going beyond the two cute leads. I like how there is a side couple that contrasts with the main couple. I like how the main couple decide to make their relationship public, the side couple does not--the message is that, ultimately, the choice should be made by them and nobody can decide what the right choice is.

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Cookie Cutter BL

While this isn't exactly a series that leaves you wanting to smash your screens in frustration, it isn't much good. Standard Thai BL fare that is somewhat passable compared to the most poorly made BLs, but there is much better stuff nowadays.

The enemies-to-lovers plot is definitely nothing new, but delivery is everything. Sometimes it turns out funny and cute, but not this time. This is partly because the characters are not very well written or developed. They merely change when the time comes for them to change. Arthip, for instance, seems truly obnoxious at the start. He's not just an awful, uncompassionate boss to work for but also quite unpleasant in general, such as when he almost knocks down someone. And yet, when the time comes for enemies to start becoming lovers, he seems very much a different person. Arthip's love interest, Poon, is also somewhat inconsistent, vacillating between being headstrong and vulnerable. The changes in him are more explainable, but a lot of it is done hurriedly.

The side couple, Teng Nueng and Mayom, is a little better. There is also the same enemies-to-lovers plot for them, but the transitions seem better. The strange part about this couple, however, is in the fact that Teng Nueng is attached when he first meets Mayom, and we are as surprised as Mayom when he reveals it. The thing is, Teng Nueng has no intention at all to cheat on his boyfriend, and yet the way he behaves with Mayom before telling Mayom that he has a boyfriend easily gives one the wrong idea. If you ask me, it's really because there is a preoccupation with showing BL-ish moments at the expense of sensible characterization.

The woman, Amy, who is in love with Arthip is another character that is a tell-tale sign of a poorly written script. When she's supposed to be the main character's rival in love, she's a nasty, almost universally hated person. And it's not just the way she behaves towards her rival. Her affected behavior, her elitism, her superficiality were all evident. And then when it's time in the story for her to stop being the love rival, she becomes quite a different person, though no less comical.

I'm actually not too averse to cookie-cutter BLs. There are some that end up being pretty decent, but this one can afford to do better. Use the cookie cutter by all means, but the cookie needs a better mix of ingredients.

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Much more focused than Season 1

Season 2 is much more focused than Season 1. A couple of the urban teens from Season 1 do not appear in Season 2. Whether this is a deliberate move or due to the unavailability of the actors or even a lack of budget, it has an unintended positive effect of helping the series become more focused.

In Country Boy 2, the story is much more focused on the romance between Keptawan and Nubdao. There are fewer distractions although they only actually confess their feelings quite late. The acting of the two main actors isn't perfect but it is decent, and they are certainly putting in effort to immerse themselves in their roles. Their awkwardness, shyness and their worries are adequately conveyed, making the story more engaging.

As with Season 1, however, the plight of the country boy (Keptawan) gets a touch-and-go sort of treatment. Keptawan works at his uncle's cafe in Chiang Mai for a month. From the start, he isn't particularly welcome and because he is prone to making mistakes, he is often scolded and insulted. The discrimination towards the person from the countryside is obvious, and the series shows this. Unfortunately, there is a lack of thematic development. Just like how the country boy's financial woes are a tad too easily overcome in Season 1, his plight does not get the attention it deserves. In fact, he simply becomes better at his job and gains the recognition of both customers at his uncle's cafe and his uncle himself. If there isn't going to be development on the theme of discrimination against the country boy, I would rather do away with it altogether and use the space freed up to make Country Boy 2 a better BL.

There is room for improvement, but Country Boy 2 is an improvement from Country Boy 1.

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