Sakura_Falling

Approved By The School President

Slice of life type dramas can be hit or miss. Too close to reality and they can stray into dangerously mundane territory, too far from reality and they run the risk of the story becoming ridiculous. My School President manages to toe that line very well, staying pretty well within the lines of reality while delivering a heartwarming story.

The main focus of the story is on characters Tinn and Gun. Due to some unfortunate circumstances the previous year, Gun's Music Club is at risk of being cancelled. In order to save it, Tinn, who has harbored a two year crush on Gun, runs for and succeeds at becoming school president. There are two problems though: Tinn is the principal's son who is leading the charge to cancel the Music Club and Gun has no idea that Tinn is on his side. With the help of his friend Tiw and his own brains (it also helps that Gun and his friends are not the sharpest knives in the drawer), Tinn succeeds in convincing Gun that he is on his club's side so that they can bring glory to their school by winning the Hot Wave music contest. And what started as a reluctant partnership start to develop into something more.

Part of what I really enjoyed about this drama is that while it is most certainly a BL, that is not the sole focus. Friendship and family also play huge roles throughout. I really appreciated the realism of the boys' friendship. Like any group of friends going through high stress situations, they had their ups and downs, but in the end they always made up. Despite their differences in personality, they meshed together really well, and I really loved their friendship, how they were there for each other and how supportive they were. I also enjoyed their comedic side which could be a bit over the top and overdone at times, but for the most part I liked it. Gun and Tinn's families played a large role in their lives and it was so interesting to see the difference in parenting styles. Both families obviously loved their sons tremendously, but the more freewheeling style of parenting the Gun's mother had with him meant that their relationship was much more open. Unlike Tinn who was terrified of his mother finding out about their relationship, Gun was able to calmly tell him mom about it and it really wasn't a big deal. For her, his happiness was most important. Tinn's mom obviously loved him as well, but had more of the focus of him having a stable future and was more concerned about how he would be perceived and what trials he might face with his sexual orientation. It becomes clear that she's not homophobic, it just never crossed her mind that her son might be gay, and, again, she's afraid of how the world is going to treat him. The way she defends him and Kajorn with the homophobic teacher though was positively glorious. Seriously, dude, never screw with a kid in front of his mom, big mistake!

Every part of the pacing of this drama was well done from the story itself to the romance. I didn't feel like there was any lag, there were no filler episodes, it all just flowed really well. And again, I have to point out the realism of this drama. I feel like some BLs cater a little too much to everything must be rainbows and unicorns and I really liked that the characters had to deal with real life trials and disappointments. I was really up in the air on whether I wanted them to win the Hot Wave contest. On the one hand, I do like happy endings and I honestly wouldn't have minded if they did win because they had obviously worked their butts off for it, but on the other hand, realistically, in a final competition, the other bands were going to be pretty dang good as well. And I appreciated that they didn't just bounce back after their loss like it was nothing. Again the realism there. Some people are capable of just moving on, but others aren't and I liked that it was explored a little more. The development of the romance felt pretty natural. I liked that while Gun obviously thought and hoped he was the one Tinn liked, he didn't just blurt that out. Once again, I found that realistic. You want to believe that you're the one, but the fear of voicing it because what if you're wrong? My one complaint was the constant blocked kisses got a little bit old after a while. It was kind of cute initially, but after the third or fourth time it felt like it was time to move on. I enjoyed the side couple of Win and Sound. I felt their relationship was pretty well developed and I liked the way their characters interacted. They weren't this picture perfect couple, they were both a bit hot headed, but, in the end, they did care about each other. On the other hand, Tiw and Por was a sideish couple that I felt came out of nowhere right there toward the end. I honestly was not a fan of them because I didn't feel like there was any buildup. It really felt like they were just thrown in there out of the blue. I think they could have been cute, but I needed more time to see their relationship developing.

The music is definitely the highlight of this drama. These are some seriously talented kids. While the music isn't original, and they're all covers, they still brought their own flavor and style and there wasn't a song that I didn't enjoy. There were a couple that I actually enjoyed more than the originals frankly. The songs fit well within the story and, in general, were just well chosen.

For a bunch of newbie actors, I was pretty impressed. There were definitely moments that it was obvious they're still pretty green, but for the most part, they delivered! Gemini and Fourth had really great chemistry together, they seemed comfortable, their interactions were natural and not forced at all. Separately, they could both be a bit hit or miss in some of the more emotional scenes. Fourth has great facial expressions, he really emotes, and he has expressive eyes. Gemini's emotions didn't always reach to his eyes, I noticed, but I thought he made good use of his body language. Again, for baby actors all around, they did great and I can't wait to see them in future projects.

I honestly cannot recommend this drama enough. It is just so well done on every level. We are treated to healthy relationships, both romantic and otherwise. There is none of the husband/wife nonsense, they are just boyfriends which is so refreshing. Despite having a relatively large cast, the characters are well developed and nuanced. Even the more minor characters are well done and have a purpose. It has a plot that it sticks to and carries out well. There is just so much that it does right and so little that it gets wrong. This is definitely not a drama you want to miss.

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Bad Chemistry

Going into this final stretch of Our Skyy 2, I find myself with conflicting feelings. I was not expecting to see Bad Buddy and A Tale of Thousand Stars combined. None of the other stories were connected and I'm wondering why they decided to do so here. It's not bad, but I feel like the focus is more with the Thousand Stars story and Bad Buddy is the side piece. Like many other viewers, the Bad Buddy and Tale of a Thousand Stars episodes were the ones I was looking forward to most. They're the two oldest and so the nostalgia is stronger with them since it's been a couple years since we've seen these characters. As much as I anticipated these episodes, I'm finding that they fall a bit flat unfortunately.

When it comes to Bad Buddy, I'm not sure how much of a fan I am in going back in time a bit to just after Pat and Pran pretend to break up. I feel like a lot of the plot in that first episode is a rinse and repeat of what we've already seen. I would have preferred if it was a continuation from the end of the series after they graduated. We'd seen the rift between their parents starting to heal and things had reached a point where they weren't going to need to hide their relationship. Going on from there, continuing to show that healing, the novelty that they could be together openly, all would have made for a great conclusion to their story and would have focused solely on them.

Their relationship, while very similar to how it was in the series, does have its differences here. There was a good balance in Bad Buddy of mischievous/playful and sweet moments between them. I liked that it was a series where both leads were strong minded young men. It gave a whole different dynamic that worked very well. In these episodes though the sweet moments are few and far between and the mischievous/playful moments take precedence. And those few sweet moments are by and large initiated by Pat at which point Pran pushes him away or something interrupts them. It's been a while since I watched it, but I felt like they were on more of an even keel in the series. That's not to say there aren't some sweet moments between them, there are, it just overall doesn't feel quite in harmony with the series. And I was expecting a lot more of those sweet moments once they were away from their friends and parents since they wouldn't have to pretend anymore, but they're still few and far between. As a side note, Pran's reaction to up and leave without Pat because of Pat's comment felt over the top. Since they were pretending to still be enemies, it would make sense that Pat would be bad mouthing him or making himself out to be superior. Considering that Pran typically came across as relatively level-headed previously, his taking that comment to heart and deciding to abandon Pat didn't seem to quite fit with his character.

There were a couple of other things that just didn't quite work. Pat and Pran are supposed to be broken up and back to being enemies at this point. However, they don't act like it at all. They're constantly together in public without showing a bit of animosity and yet we're supposed to believe that their friends are in the dark. Yes, they're questioning it to some degree, but seriously, those two are so obvious a blind man could see they're still together. Besides that, it also appears that they're living together. Living across the hall from each other and sneaking into each other's rooms is one thing, but how on earth does them living together work? Do they just not have any friends who aren't in on their secret over? What about their parents? The other part that didn't work for me was how little time they spend together. With the first episode they spend a good portion of it together, but once the second episode hits and they're in the village, they're pretty effectively separated for much of it. I would have preferred to see more of them working together rather than their divide and conquer strategy.

Ohm and Nanon are both very talented actors and two of my favorites. Their chemistry together in Bad Buddy was phenomenal and their interactions were just very natural. I've heard rumors of some kind of conflict between them, it's not something that I've looked into, but after watching these two episodes, I do have to wonder if there is something going on between them. The spark they had previously just wasn't quite there. I can't put my finger on it, but something felt a bit off.

A Tale of Thousand Stars was a series that I really enjoyed. I liked the story which I felt was overall well done as well as the characters and acting. I was very excited to see Tian, Phupha and the rest of the characters from their story again and I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed at how few of the characters were brought back. For their story, I was hoping for a continuation from the end of the series focusing on Tian getting reacquainted with the village and villagers and settling back in with them and into his relationship with Phupha. I was not hoping for angsty, teenage drama between two grown men.

The inconsistencies between the series and Our Skyy 2 are grating. Phupha seems to have undergone a personality transplant because he's just coming across as an unreasonable jerk here. He was a serious character in Thousand Stars, but he wasn't totally unbending and there was a tenderness about him whenever he was with Tian that was very endearing. That's just gone. Their conflict feels very contrived. In the series they generally came across as two reasonable adults, now though they feel more like sulky teenagers. I hope we get a better explanation for why Phupha doesn't want to accompany Tian than he doesn't like crowds. Which, that reasoning just seems like BS since we saw him at at least two gatherings in the series. Sticking with Phupha for a moment, his fainting just as he meets Pran also felt off. This is a man who very rarely showed any kind of weakness, so to see him keel over because he hadn't had breakfast seemed out of character. There was also Tian acting like he didn't know how to get to Pha Pun Dao when he went there alone, in the dark previously. And besides that time, he'd gone at least two other times, if not more, so his uncertainty of how to get there didn't make sense. There are a few other minor details that don't quite jive with the series which is more just annoying than causing any actual issues.

Similar to Ohm and Nanon, Earth and Mix don't have quite the same spark between them as they did in the series. Even when they were in conflict, you could feel that magnetic pull between them. Maybe because their bickering here just feels petty more than anything, that pull doesn't seem to be as present. That being said, Earth and Mix are great actors and there is chemistry between them, just not as strong as what they had in the series.

Having these two series combined did create some interesting and entertaining moments. Pat and Phupha waking up and panicking about what they may have done together was a particularly funny scene. Also the fact that Phupha offering Pat his shirt was a direct call back to a scene from Thousand Stars. I am enjoying the friendship springing up between Pran and Tian as well as the competitive camaraderie between Pat and Phupha.

While I love both Bad Buddy and A Tale of Thousand Stars, I don't know as I love them combined. At this point, I feel like we're being robbed of Pat and Pran's story in favor of one centered on Phupha and Tian. And I think with both stories, they're just missing the brilliance of the originals. I hope they find their way before the end, but right now I'm just disappointed at how this is turning out. I'll update after next week when the final episodes air.

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My Dear Mediocre Oppa

One of these days I will stop anticipating that any kind of mafia drama will reach the same pinnacle as KinnPorsche, but it is not this day. While I wasn't expecting My Dear Gangster Oppa to reach that caliber, I was anticipating something sexy and gritty, albeit more lighthearted. And while the first couple of episodes were actually pretty decent, it quickly went downhill bogged down by a weak villain, pointless characters, and poor development. It had the makings of something interesting and unique but ultimately just ended up being painfully mediocre.

The plot was interesting if not well-developed. There more than a few plot holes that marred it. But the concept of two guys meeting through a game and falling in love with the catch being that one of them is a gangster is not your run of the mill mafia story. The first couple episodes did a decent enough job of building on that plot and I was intrigued. However, once Thiu left the mafia, it felt like it lost it's way. A fair amount of unnecessary drama was introduced and the plot no longer felt as cohesive. One element that I quickly found frustrating was the lack of risk. Nothing really felt at stake. At no point did I find it believable that any of the characters were truly in any danger. That was likely in large part due to the fact that the characters' various enemies seemed incredibly inept. Particularly in Episode 8 when Thiu and Tul take on a house full of gangsters and Tul ends up with a relatively minor injury and Thiu is perfectly fine. That's not realistic and it really took away from the experience for me. The action scenes in general were a bit of a low point. The gaming element was a good addition, if a majorly underutilized one. Considering that's what brought Thiu and Guy together, I would have liked to see it play a larger role. In particular, that CGI scene of them playing in, I believe, the first episode was very cool, but we never get another like it. There needed to be a greater balance between the mafia aspect and their day to day lives. It is fairly trope heavy, particularly towards the beginning. Lots of accidental slips and falls that leave characters in each other's arms or in compromising positions. It got old fast. The pacing started out steady but then deteriorated as the drama progressed. The last episode to two episodes felt very rushed.

At only eight episodes long, it struggled with its characters and paying proper attention to the characters who should have been focused on like the leads and paying too much attention to side characters who contributed little to nothing. In shorter dramas like this, I already anticipate that it's not going to have the level of character background and development that I would typically like and it was only made worse by that distraction. Characters like Wal and Kenji took up far too much screen time that should have been devoted to building on Thiu and Guy's relationship. And other characters like Tul and Boss could have used a little more screen time to build up their relationship. I was actually impressed that they went as in depth with Thiu and Guy's backgrounds as they did. Frankly, they could have cut them down a bit to just focus on the relevant parts.

While Thiu had the dressing like a gangster down pat, his demeanor and actions did not fit the role. Obviously time mellowed him out from the revenge driven young man who joined up, but I would have expected him to be more ruthless and less merciful than he was. And while it's not specified how long he was a gangster, it was long enough that it seemed like sticking to the rules and keeping your promises should have held more weight than they did. Aspects like promising Guy he wouldn't return to his boss all while fully intending to break that promise did not sit well with me. I feel like that could have been a fairly simple conversation of if Kenji's in power, he will come after them again and won't stop until one of them is dead so this is not something that can be avoided. I do think Thiu's immediate trust in Guy and essentially falling for him at first sight could have been better explored and explained. Where Thiu was not the most trusting person, Guy was pretty willing to open himself up if someone gave him the opportunity. I found him to be cute at times and wildly annoying at others. His actions didn't always make sense and he came off as needy and childish at times. Even so, there were moments when I appreciated him like in the last episode when he got Boss to go after their guys. He wasn't just a damsel in distress, he actually did take action from time to time if not the most well thought out action. I did feel like he fell for Thiu unrealistically fast. He's been in love with his best friend for years and then someone new pops up and he's almost instantly in love. I understand the shorter run time meant they couldn't build up the relationship a whole lot, but I do think more could have been done to show that attraction growing over a longer period of time. Still, despite his and Thiu's differences, they didn't feel wildly unmatched and made for a fairly decent couple.

Wal was an incredibly frustrating character and he got far too much screen time. He just wasn't that interesting of a character and his sudden conflict of feelings was misplaced and unnecessary. It felt like a continuation of the gay for you trope, except that he maybe met someone there at the end. Still, I wasn't a fan. His pursuit of Guy too right after Guy and Thiu had broken up felt borderline manipulative.

Kenji was just painful to watch every time he was onscreen. Everything about him was over the top and cartoonish and not in a way that was funny or worked. It was just very cringey. He didn't feel like a real threat, mostly because his actions didn't match his mannerisms. If he was truly deranged, he would be acting first and asking questions later. But he was constantly giving Thiu chances like when he went to save Guy. If he really wanted to hurt Thiu, he would have killed Guy then tried to kill Thiu as well. Win or lose, he'd have done the damage. Honestly, he could have been a really interesting character if they'd really leaned into the deranged behaviour, but instead he just came across as impotent. The background given to explain his actions was very weak and really explained and added nothing.

Tom, Phai, and Muffin as Thiu and Guy's gaming friends were fun additions and were actually relatively well done. There was enough to them that they had substance to serve as supporting characters, but there wasn't an excess of information about them either. Their banter and camaraderie was well displayed and most scenes they were in were fairly entertaining. Tul and Boss lacked the screen time to be any kind of believable side couple. I did appreciate Tul's loyalty to Thiu, but would have liked to know a little more about what made him tick and why he was so loyal. Boss's fluctuating loyalty between Tul and Kenji was largely swept under the rug and his loyalty to Kenji was not particularly well explained other than Kenji had saved his life. I think they could have made an interesting couple, but there were just hints and not a whole lot of actual development.

The acting was pretty mediocre. Meen and Ping weren't bad as a couple, but I wasn't getting fireworks either. They didn't have the natural chemistry that some couples do and as such there were times when it was better and times when it really fizzled. Ping seemed to struggle with the more emotional scenes. The tears and emotions felt more forced than natural. Meen could have been more expressive. I get playing the serious gangster, but a little more depth would have helped him seem less wooden at certain points. As much as I did not like his portrayal of Kenji, I will chalk a portion of that up to the writing and direction, Tommy could have done worse. It was a challenging role for his debut and I hope he has further opportunities to showcase his talents.

My Dear Gangster Oppa left me feeling disappointed. I wasn't expecting anything amazing going into it, but I did think it would be better put together than it was. As it stands, I can't really recommend watching it. There's no aspect about it that's good enough to warrant sitting through it. There are other, better dramas currently airing or that have recently concluded that I would watch first.

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Sky's the Limit

I had high expectations for Our Skyy 2, too high, it turns out. I was looking forward to a continuation of stories I had come to love or at least tolerate. Unfortunately, the powers that be decided to get creative or lazy, depending on the case, with a number of these stories and those mostly failed to deliver. It's not all bad, there are some that are absolute gems, but it's not what I was hoping for and I am a bit disappointed in how it turned out.

Episodes 1 & 2 - Never Let Me Go - 5.5 Stars
Of the dramas being continued with Our Skyy 2, Never Let Me Go is my least favorite. I didn't think it was a great drama to begin with and it's one that seemed to have a pretty conclusive ending that didn't need any further embellishment so I didn't have high hopes for these two episodes. That turned out to be a very good thing as they were completely underwhelming and frankly, quite tedious to watch.

The story just seemed ridiculous. To go from the more serious tone of Never Let Me Go with being hunted down and trying to survive to these two episodes where we suddenly have fortune tellers and magical bracelets and curses and jumping through time, it was incredibly jarring. There are far too many plot holes, too many questions left unanswered and not nearly enough time to properly flesh everything out.

The few things that I liked were that Palm and Nueng did communicate. Not necessarily well all the time, but they made the effort. It was certainly an improvement over their almost total lack of communication in NLMG. Despite not feeling like it really fit with the drama, I was intrigued by the historical setting. If the special had fit in better with the original drama, I think I could have liked it. The power swap was interesting with Palm suddenly being the rich and powerful one and Nueng as a servant. It created a different dynamic between them at times though I think it could have been played with to a greater extent. I liked the side couples of Phum/Petch and Kan/Kla. I found them more compelling than Palm and Nueng, particularly as Petch and Kla. And while they couldn't be together due to the time they lived in, it was gratifying to see their descendants able to be together without fear.

These two episodes were just a mess. They didn't add anything of value to the story and just felt really out there and disconnected from the drama. If you're like me and not a fan of Never Let Me Go, don't waste your time on these episodes, you won't be missing anything.

Episodes 3 & 4 - Star In My Mind - 7.0 stars
Between Star in My Mind and Sky in Your Heart, I much preferred Sky in Your Heart. So going into watching these two episodes, I didn't have high expectations. Imagine my surprise when I found that I actually overall enjoyed them and found them equal parts funny and endearing.

These two episodes are essentially just fluff without a whole lot of substance. Nothing dramatic happens, it's basically just Khabkluen and Daonuea being in love and telling each other how much they love the other. I liked that what was showcased was a healthy relationship. They actually communicate with each other and when things turn romantic, Khabkluen makes sure that Daonuea is okay with what is happening.

Their friends were entertaining. Their antics and the way they teased their two friends was amusing. I also liked the way Typhoon was handled. They could have made him sad or bitter, unable to move on from Daonuea, but instead they not only showed him moving on but even revealed that he was able to be friends with Daonuea.

These two episodes exceeded my expectations which, to be fair, wasn't hard since they were pretty low. Still, they made me laugh and smile and delivered some good moments. I think they demonstrated how to write a romance without the need of a lot of skinship to distract from the substandard plot or characters. I would recommend these episodes as they just tell a feelgood story.

Episodes 5 & 6 - The Eclipse - 8.5 stars
The Eclipse is one of my favorite BL dramas and I was really looking forward to these two episodes. I found what they did interesting and creative and even though it wasn't a hit with every scene, the characters are what really made these two extra episodes special. It was the characters that I fell in love with in the drama and they are what made me really enjoy this continuation of their stories.

Of the episodes that have aired thus far, I felt these two had the best combination of story and fluff. I thought going with a continuation of Wat's moviemaking was a unique choice since it played a relatively minor role in the original, but a good one. The scenes with the characters imagining themselves in various movies was incredibly cheesy, but also somewhat entertaining. It does feel a bit rushed at times, but with just two episodes, they didn't have a ton of time to fully flesh out the story and it's still good as is.

I did like that there was a clear progression in the characters' growth. They were not exactly the same as they were in the original. I liked that Akk and Aye were shown as having to actually work at their relationship. They were always a study in opposites, but with the drama from the series behind them, that comes to the fore, and they need to learn to communicate and compromise. I do wish there was more of a focus on them learning to communicate. Akk keeps things bottled up and there's no way for Aye to learn from or try to rectify the problem when he's being tight lipped. Kisses are great, but they don't solve the problem. On the flip side, I liked that Thua did communicate his feelings to Kan. There was still the element there that kisses solve problems, but I felt it was a better progression than with Akk and Aye.

I love the friendships here, especially between Akk, Wat, and Kan. The way they support each other is just so wholesome and I really love that even though Akk and Kan aren't into the indie movies that Wat is, they are still willing to encourage and support him in his dream.

My biggest qualm, honestly, was Aye pretending not to remember it was Akk's birthday. I know he was trying to surprise him, but every time I see that come up in dramas, I can't help but think it's just a recipe for disaster as it nearly always leads to issues.

I really enjoyed this special. Some of the lines from it just really hit home, like when Aye talks about the difference between "place" and "space". I think its safe to say that The Eclipse and many of these other dramas became a space for a lot of us where we feel warmth and love and I think that is just beautiful. This was a wonderful addition to The Eclipse story that you don't want to miss.

Episodes 7 & 8 - Vice Versa - 8.5 stars
Of the stories told thus far, this was the most wholesome and the most well done. It had twists and turns that were fairly well done and entertaining, good character development, good music and generally just told a very endearing story. I wasn't sure what I would think of this one based off the trailer but it completely surpassed my expectations.

I loved that the story didn't go where I thought it would. I honestly thought it was going to revolve around Tess or Pakorn's love child and Talay and Puen left having to raise the kid. And that's certainly the initial impression. But then there's the twist that he is actually Tup's nephew and he and Tou had the brilliant idea of having the kid pretend to be Talay and Puen's son to help them reconnect since work has been pulling them apart. And then there's an added twist when it comes out that Puen is in on it and a further twist when Talay overhears Puen, Tup, and Tou's conversation and puts the pieces together. He and Jigsaw plotting together was the cutest thing ever. Though I would have loved to know how Tup convinced his sister to let him kidnap her kid for who knows how long.

Again, everything about this special was so wholesome. I appreciated that Talay and Puen recognized that there was a problem and actively sought to fix it. Focusing too much on work and neglecting a partner is a fairly common issue, I feel, and I liked that it was addressed. I loved the creativity of the calendar and giving each day of the month a theme of sorts. And then when Jigsaw landed in their laps, they pretty much took it in stride. They worked together to take care of him and even when he went missing at the zoo, they really didn't blame each other. Things weren't blown out of proportion, they each took responsibility for the fact that they got distracted and apologized to Jigsaw for neglecting him.

I was impressed with the character growth of Talay and Puen. It's nothing astronomic, but it's there and with such a limited time frame, it was well done. I appreciated that they communicated with each other and had an actually healthy relationship. I loved getting to see more of Tup and Tou in this universe. They added a good dose of entertainment.

This was an excellent follow-up to the drama. I really did enjoy every moment of it and any complaints I might have are miniscule. I loved the relationships both romantic and platonic, the family dynamic between Talay, Puen, and Jigsaw, the realistic challenges faced, and the way that the characters interacted. This is one that I may come back to in the future.

Episodes 9 & 10 - My School President - 7.0 stars
There is one reason and one reason only these two episodes are getting as high a rating as they are and that is solely because of the cast. I had serious concerns after seeing the trailer for MSP and those concerns were absolutely valid. This special could have been so much more than it was and I'm truly sad at the lost opportunity.

I cannot even begin to explain how lazy the premise of this felt. They could have jumped to them in college or after college, though age wise that would have been a stretch, or, heck, the summer after they graduate. Just about anything else they could have come up with would have been more interesting and creative than what we got. It's not a word for word or scene for scene copy, but it's close enough that I struggled to stay invested because it's already been done.

Everything felt rushed, probably because they were trying to fit a 12 episode drama into 2 episodes. It also felt choppy for that same reason. The continuity was lacking and it just felt like we were jumping from one scene to the next. There needed to be a bit more filler to join everything together. I also felt like the quality was just lower. The music was pretty decent, but there were multiple times where the instrumental parts overwhelmed the vocals to the point they were very hard to hear. There was also the ballroom dance exam scene which dragged on far too long and it was painfully clear they hadn't had nearly enough time to practice because their movements were so stiff and clunky.

Now when I say the cast was the one saving grace, I am not even kidding. They were literally the only reason I persisted through both episodes. They are all so charismatic and they do have that ability to draw you in. But even they seemed to be lacking the energy that was present in the drama. Everything just felt subdued. I think I really noticed that with Sound and Win. They were such firecracker characters in MSP and it felt like the fire had gone out of them and they were a shadow of their alter universe egos. Same with Tinn and Gun to an extent. They just didn't have that same spark. I did like the Tiwson and Por got to be realized as a fully fledged couple. Their interactions were adorable and I'm happy they got more screen time. I do think trying to throw in Khajorn and Phat as another couple, albeit more of just a suggested one, was unnecessary.

The one other aspect that I actually quite enjoyed was the inclusion of other BLs in their MV there at the end. I thought that was cute and clever.

These episodes have some cute and funny/cheesy moments. They do change some things up so it's not a carbon copy of MSP, but if they wanted to go with an alternate universe story, there were so many more creative ways they could have gone about it. I didn't hate it, but neither did I love it and I think I'll always be left thinking of what could have been.

Episodes 11 & 12 - A Boss and a Babe - 7.5 stars
Starting this drama, I had a moment of dread thinking they were going with a body swap story or even another alternate universe a la MSP. However, I was pleasantly surprised when that was not the case. Considering that I wasn't a huge fan of the drama, I wasn't sure what to expect from this, but it was worth watching.

One of the biggest problems I had with the drama was the almost complete lack of sensical plot. Here, there was a more clearly defined plot and it worked pretty well. The focus on getting Gun to understand that he didn't have to be so overbearing and harsh towards his employees and that work is for work hours allowed us to get to know the characters better, Gun especially. It also allowed for some genuinely comedic moments with Cher acting as the boss and Gun as the intern.

Character wise, I liked getting to know Gun better, his way of thinking and perceiving people and actions. I also appreciated getting to know Cher more. He's more perceptive than you would think and sometimes his antics can make one forget that he's actually pretty smart. While that's not shown extensively here, he does have his moments to show that intelligence. And the length he went to both to help Gun destress and show him that he needed to be more attuned to his employees feelings and needs showed how much he cared. It was very wholesome to see. And of course he got to have fun bossing his boyfriend around and getting to be the boss for a day, but it's pretty clear Gun doesn't really mind. I also enjoyed the return of Cher's friends, especially Three and Zo. That scene with them pretending to fight was pretty entertaining. The group's friendship was one of the positives from the drama and it remained so here. The fact that they were so supportive of Cher, even agreeing to his ridiculous plan, just showcased that they're the kind of friends everyone should have.

I think this addition to My Skyy 2 is my favorite thus far. It was pretty much what I was hoping for from the entirety of the series and I have my fingers crossed that they won't annihilate Bad Buddy or Thousand Stars and will stick to this formula. I enjoyed the fact that these episodes were more than just pure fluff, they actually had some depth to them. It was a good way to conclude their story and it seems fitting that they're sent off with a dash of humor.

Episodes 13 to 16 - Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars - 8.5 stars
As these two stories were so tightly intertwined, I'm going to rate them together as it's difficult if not impossible to separate them. As every series previously had their own two episodes, I was not expecting the combining of these two and while there are aspects that I ended up liking, in the end, I do feel it was unnecessary and I don't understand why it was done.

These are two of my favorite BL dramas, so I was very much looking forward to the continuation of them. However, I found myself in many ways disappointed, particularly with the continuation of Bad Buddy. Rather than continuing where the drama left off, it decided to pick up after Pat and Pran pretend to break up. With all that goes on, it didn't really make sense from the stand point of them having to hide their relationship because they don't really seem to be trying that hard to hide it. And then trying to combine their story with that of Tian and Phupha's felt forced. There didn't seem to be a purpose for combining these two stories which made it harder for me to get on board with. After Episode 13 which was focused on Pat and Pran, the remaining three episodes felt much more focused on Tian and Phupha which means we didn't get to see as much of Pat and Pran as I would have liked. There also felt like there were multiple discrepancies between A Tale of Thousand Stars and these episodes which really pulled me out of the moment. The disagreements between Tian and Phupha felt poorly developed, ridiculous and not really in line with their characters.

Episodes 15 and 16 are where things picked up and I started to enjoy it more with Episode 16 giving us a solid ending. The story got a bit repetitive at times with them getting lost, but once that part was over, we started getting some of the sweet scenes that were generally lacking in the first two episodes. Episode 16 was my favorite both due to the play, which was very fun to watch and made me weirdly emotional, I don't know why, as well as Phupha giving Tian their thousandth star which was incredibly romantic. I also found it entertaining the nods to they gave to Bad Buddy between Tian and Phupha with Phupha asking Tian to rate his "performance" and the ending which was a combination of the endings from both Bad Buddy and Tale of Thousand Stars.

Character development felt a bit slim with all parties. Bad Buddy mostly because they didn't really have any way to grow since we already know how things end between them so it left them a bit stuck. I also didn't feel it much with Tale of Thousand Stars since I didn't feel like the characters were quite the same as they were in the series so there was a bit of a disconnect for me.

This joint venture started on a bit of a low note, but managed to end on a high note and served as a fitting conclusion for Bad Buddy/Tale of Thousand Stars and for Our Skyy 2 as a whole.

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Eternally Mine

My Beautiful Man: Eternal serves as a solid continuation and conclusion to the story of Hira and Kiyoi. It gave a more introspective view into Kiyoi as a character and also allowed Hira to bloom and grow. By the end, though there is still that master/servant undertone to their relationship, it feels like they understand each other better and are on more even footing. The cinematography mixes grounding tones with more ethereal ones that suit the characters and story. It's nothing groundbreaking, but I found it thoroughly enjoyable and sweet.

The movie is a pretty direct continuation of Season 2. Very little if any time has passed between the two. Kiyoi is still working on his drama and Hira is working as an assistant to Noguchi. There's a decent amount of focus on the two of them, on where their relationship is going and how it's changed over time and also how, despite those changes, some things never change. We're also allowed a glimpse into Kiyoi's thoughts, giving a better understanding of him as a person and his feelings for Hira. Hira continues to battle with his self-confidence and giving voice to what he wants, to be the only one who photographs Kiyoi. There's also the sweet friendship between Kiyoi and Anna which, while not explored too deeply, was still an aspect that I appreciated. Kiyoi being kidnapped by Shitara was something that I think most were anticipating, if not quite to that degree, then certainly expecting something to happen. It, combined with Anna's scandal, allowed the movie to explore a little more the dangers of social media and the frenzy and damage it can cause as well as the dangers of idolizing those in the entertainment industry to an unhealthy degree. Hira explains it very succinctly when he states, "Once you start imposing your will on her, you are no longer her fan."

I appreciated the growing equality between Kiyoi and Hira. As I stated previously, there is still very much that master/servant bond between them, but it grows to feel less of an obstacle to their love and more just a part of who they are and they accept that. Hira's subservience does lead to a few more understandings with Kiyoi, but it seems that overall Kiyoi has become accustomed to it and finds it less objectionable. Through Noguchi he comes to understand Hira a bit better as well as misunderstanding him again, but that scene does show that he wants to know and understand Hira. Kiyoi's kidnapping allowed Hira to show that he was still the Hira who had defended Kiyoi in high school. He was willing to kill or be killed protecting him. But what that scene also highlighted was that Hira's need is not one sided, Kiyoi needs him just as much, even if he doesn't express it as much. I liked that Anna was brought back. I appreciated her strength of character and the friendship that she had developed with Kiyoi. The way they could talk to each other easily was very sweet and wholesome. I also appreciated that she knew what she wanted. She wanted both to be with Kiriya and be an actress. The fact that she didn't shrink away from stating such and that she wasn't willing to give up either was refreshing.

Hagiwara has been fantastic as Hira from Season 1. His eyes are deeply expressive and he brought so much to the character of Hira. The scene where Anna calls him to tell him about Kiyoi is a testament to his acting skills. The change wrought in him is simultaneously subtle and dramatic, because no one messes with his Kiyoi. Yagi has steadily improved over both seasons and again in the movie. His acting style feels more nuanced and natural and he was more expressive with both his face and eyes. That growth really helped to give more depth to the character of Kiyoi.

The cinematography was gorgeous. There are some truly stunning scenes. Again, that scene where Hira gets the call, I loved the lighting change. It gave a whole other dimension to the scene. I also generally liked the music choices. Particularly the song used when Shitara and Hira were fighting, it was unconventional, but also worked very well. The ending with them at the school was really lovely. The way they incorporated the flash backs with the present was well done and simultaneously sweet and entertaining.

My Beautiful Man: Eternal is not perfect. It sometimes feels a bit cluttered with plot lines and there are a few holes, but ultimately I found that none of that really affected my enjoyment of it. It wrapped up Hira and Kioyi's story fairly neatly with the promise that, despite the uncertainty of the future, they will remain together. If you've watched Season 1 and 2 of My Beautiful Man, I think you'll enjoy this conclusion. And if you haven't, there's enough background given that you don't strictly need to have seen the first two seasons. You'll just have missed out on the a lot of the character growth and more details on how the two came together. This will certainly be a movie that I'll come back to in the future.

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An Eternal Nightmare

After watching Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms when it first streamed, I was very excited to watch Eternal Love of Dream despite the change in story. However, I was very disappointed in it and found it hard to watch. It took me several months to get through it which rarely happens.

Pros:
- Bringing back Vengo Gao and Dilraba Dilmurat was the best part of the show and frankly the only reason I persisted through it till the end. Their chemistry, as before, was flawless and their acting was on point. No complaints there!
- The cinematography was lovely and I found the sets to overall be more realistic than in TMOPB.
- As always the OST was beautiful.
- Costuming, again, was perfect. I appreciated how each tribe had their own general but unique style without all looking the same.

Cons:
-This may seem minor or petty, but I was not fond of some of the recasts, Cheng Yu in particular. The new actress appears significantly younger and some of her scenes with Lian Song just didn't work for me with the obvious age difference, she just seems too young for him. The actress in TMOPB seemed to be a more comparable age and the two actors played off each other much better, in my opinion.
-The plot positively dragged for me. The constant misunderstandings between Feng Jiu and Dong Hua from the very beginning to quite literally the very end got exhausting after a while. The fact that neither seemed to learn from past mistakes was also frustrating and that more than a few of their misunderstandings seemed very forced, that if they had just used some common sense there wouldn't even be an issue, just compounded the issue. A'Lanruo's Dream was a particular challenge to get through. There were aspects that were not explained well and it got confusing at times with what was going on and who was who and what their relationships were. Most of it got ironed out in the end, but in the moment it was confusing and frustrating. I also never got a very clear picture of why A'Lanruo was hated so much by everyone or why she was abandoned as a child. There were hints, but nothing definitive so the blanks within her life were another source of frustration.
- I very much liked Feng Jiu in TMOPB, but I realized very soon after starting this drama that part of that was because she was seen in small doses overall. With her as the lead in this drama, I definitely found her to be a little more over the top and annoying at times. When she's a fox towards the beginning was particularly cringy and a challenge to watch. I would have really liked to see her character develop and mature and mellow from the childishness to a more measured level.
- The side characters were a mixed bunch. Ji Heng in particular annoyed the crap out of me. She was a basically pointless character whose only purpose was to sow discord between Feng Jiu and Dong Hua. Xiao Yan deserved so much better than her whininess. Xiao Yan on the other hand was a lot of fun and I enjoyed seeing Lian Song and Si Ming back. Chong Li was a welcome addition as was Qing Ti. As a side note, I found the dismissal of the deaths of Meng Shao and his family more than a little irritating. I came to really like Meng Shao and appreciate his character development so the fact that his death was barely mentioned and even then just in passing as part of the royal family was off-putting. He wasn't a main character, but he had enough of a part to deserve a little more recognition.
-The villains were okay but not particularly impressive. Miao Luo's obnoxious evil laugh got old real fast and I never found her to be particularly threatening or interesting. It could be that I'm just forgetting, but I didn't get a real sense for why she was evil or what her motivation was other than because of how she was created. At least with Nie Chuyin his motivation was clearly power and the desire to rule. I honestly would have found it more interesting to have him as the main villain as he was far more compelling and interesting to watch.
- As with pretty much every drama I've watched, the CGI definitely leaves more than a little to be desired. The episodes with Feng Jiu in her fox form were a bit painful to watch, in more ways than one. The bad effects and her behavior combined made those some tough episodes to get through.
-A relatively minor issue, but I always get frustrated with these fantasy dramas and how unclear they make the passage of time. You watch a few episodes and think a few days or months have gone by only to find out that nope, its been a few hundred years. I feel like they could make that a little more clear.

In the end, did I hate it? No. Did I love it? Also no. It wasn't a bad drama, but it wasn't a particularly good one either. It pales hugely in comparison to TMOPB in pretty much all aspects. It's certainly not one that I'll ever have the desire to rewatch but I also don't necessarily regret watching it either. It simply wasn't quite my cup of tea.

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No Love Lost

I was not expecting greatness from Love Syndrome III. I had watched Unforgotten Night which was pretty much trash, but I actually liked the characters of Day and Itt, so I was interested to see a drama with them at the center. I knew they were going to be different from the characters in Unforgotten Night since it was a different production company, but I was not expecting the characters to be essentially polar opposites with nothing in common. I was unprepared for the extreme toxicity that permeated almost every relationship in this drama and left me with a sour taste in my mouth. This is not a drama worth watching.

Again, I came into this because I liked Day and Itt in Unforgotten Night. They are absolutely unbearable here though. Itt is a man child throwing temper tantrums and stomping his feet, obsessing over cake like a two year old and Day is his mother indulging him one second and then scolding him the next. What the heck kind of relationship is this? They scream toxicity from almost the second they are together on screen. They are both extremely jealous and possessive. After two years together there should be a degree of security in the relationship and there is none.

Following Day's accident, Itt becomes more bearable as he takes on more responsibility and becomes less selfish, but it's Day's turn to become a raging asshole. We're treated to multiple episodes of him taking Itt for granted and using and abusing him basically seeing how far he can push him before Itt throws in the towel. His asshole level slowly goes down as he begins to regain pieces of his memory and then just to spice things up a bit more because this drama isn't ridiculous enough, we have a random villain from Day and Itt's past return. Of course everything turns out fine and we end things with a wedding. It's a ride to say the least.

The biggest issue with this drama is the toxicity. Essentially every relationship is toxic in one way or another.
-Itt and Day are toxic in pretty much every way possible. Their relationship is toxic at its very core. It began because Day wanted to get revenge on Itt for masterminding a plan to have his friend Gear rape his brother Night. I mean, it's essentially a case of Stockholm Syndrome. They are both possessive of each other to an unhealthy degree. If anyone even glances at the other, they get jealous to the point that they're ready to throw punches and they get angry at each other. Also, things like Day pretending not to remember Itt again to punish him is unimaginably cruel and not something I could ever imagine doing to someone I professed to love. They're communication is yelling at each other and fighting. There's no, let's sit down and have a reasonable conversation. It seems at the end like maybe they've progressed to that point, but certainly not at the beginning or while Day's lost his memory. The biggest concern is that there's this underlying sense that their relationship is something to aspire to, that having a boyfriend who is both fiercely loving and possessive is desirable, and tries to sweep the ugly parts under the rug out of sight.
-Gear and Night have a toxic beginning, but at the time of the drama actually seem to have a very healthy relationship. They are very much the exception. Very little is given regarding their background aside from the fact that Gear did rape Night and then somehow or other they did move forward from that to a relationship. I have mixed feelings regarding that. I don't think it's realistic and I think there are connotations with that that could be damaging, but within the context of this drama, there is also part of me that's glad that there is one relationship that isn't drowning in problems.
-Nik and Neil are the other couple that seem relatively healthy. On the one hand, you do have Nik who likes to flirt apparently to get Neil's attention, but I think Neil does mention that there's a reason for his behaviour and they do seem to overall be a happy and solid couple and I do adore how Nik sticks up for Itt against Day.
-Mac and Nan, okay, this one is the most disturbing to me. It is heavily implied that Nan has been holding Mac against his will for some time, not allowing him to go home, presumably keeping him as essentially a sexual prisoner and really no one bats an eye. Itt clearly doesn't like it and he does protest it, but he also doesn't really do anything about it. And it turns out that Nan has been blackmailing Mac with a fake video. He does eventually let him go home, but then Mac comes back to him? Like what? We have another Stockholm case? It was just so messed up I could barely comprehend it.

One thing that really bugged me was the inconsistency with Day's recovery of his memory and his behaviour. It felt all over the place. There were some scenes like the one at his cast removal party between he and Itt that felt far too intimate for where they were at the time with getting to know each other again. They just ran hot and cold and I felt like I was getting whiplash sometimes. Flashbacks were heavily used which were useful to some degree but quickly became repetitive when the same scenes were shown multiple times. Practically every guy they met was in love with Itt which was unrealistic and weird. I mean seriously, he had four or five guys falling for him. Please, he's cute, but he's not that good looking.

Throwing a villain in towards the end was pointless, particularly such a weak villain. There was absolutely nothing threatening about P. He was cartoonish with his maniacal laugh and the camera angles used. He was just boring. Literally the only purpose he served was to give Day the bonk on the head he needed to get his memories back. That whole plot line was so nonsensical, particularly their plan to get P to surrender. Did they actually think Itt was just going to sit back if he thought Day was in danger? Did they not consider that maybe if they explained their plan, that maybe he could help out? They literally only had themselves to blame for it all going south.

The acting wasn't as good as it could have been. I was disappointed in Frank. I've seen him in other dramas and thought he was a pretty decent actor but he seemed to struggle here, especially with the more emotional scenes. His crying was painful to watch, very forced and fake. I first saw Lee in Tin Tem Jai, another terrible drama, and I think he's a good actor who has yet to be given a role where he can really stretch his wings. He didn't have a whole lot to work with here, but he made do with it and I think he did a decent enough job. The chemistry between Lee and Frank was hit or miss, sometimes I could feel it, sometimes it felt contrived, but they have another upcoming project so hopefully with continuing to work with each other, that will all come together. I hadn't seen Kokliang since his turn as Tar in TharnType and I actually really enjoyed him as Nik. He was so sassy and fun and one of the few positives in this drama. I loved him standing up to Day for Itt. The others were decent in their roles but no real standouts.

This was just an all around toxic drama (I know I've said that word a lot, it's justified) that's not worth your time. There is really nothing redeemable about it, in my opinion. Evidently they're supposed to be dramatizing the other web novels as well. I sincerely hope they don't because it sounds like the story only gets worse. Unless you like garbage dramas, I would recommend watching something of a higher quality.

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I'll Follow You Till The End

I didn't really have any expectations going into The End of the World With You. I never read the manga so I was going in blind. The premise made me think it could either be really interesting or just full of straight up NSFW scenes. The beginning left me thinking it was going to be the latter which I was not particularly impressed with. But I continued watching and discovered an absolute gem of a drama. It takes a rare drama for me to rate it a 10. I originally rated this a 9.5. But when I couldn't get it out of my head, when I found myself coming back to certain lines and scenes I realized that it deserved that honor. The story is heartfelt and while the romance is there, it doesn't dominate instead often focusing on the family unit the characters create and their dynamics. The characters are flawed but they are layered and relatable. There are reasons for their flaws and you come to understand them. It's a beautifully woven tale and it really does leave you wondering a bit, if the world was ending, how would you spend your final days?

The plot isn't particularly original, it's your run of the mill disaster story of a giant meteor's going to crash into earth and nothing can stop it. The kicker comes when Masumi, who up until this point hasn't really been living his life, goes to the library to spend his final days there reading and runs into his former lover Ritsu. Their relationship ended poorly when Ritsu cheated on Masumi leaving him traumatized and heartbroken. Now some ten years later, they're thrown together again. But even at the end of the world, life has some twists and it comes in the form of a teenage boy named Yuma. Their mission becomes getting Yuma back home. Along the way they add another person to their group, Meguru, also trying to get home. Together they create their own little family and through their various adventures and mishaps, Ritsu and Masumi slowly begin to reconcile.

The first two or episodes are deceptive in that they don't reveal the depth of this drama. These episodes are mostly flashbacks that reveal Masumi and Ritsu's history. It's important information that's necessary to understand their characters and especially to see how they've grown and changed since. But, it's also where a number of those NSFW scenes come in and it can make you question what you're watching. But once you get past those first couple episodes, you start getting drawn in because this drama isn't afraid to delve into some hard topics. Suicide is one that comes up repeatedly. Ritsu initially gets Masumi to come with him with the lure of a euthanasia pill if he'll help him dispose of a body. The body turns out to be that of a high school student who Ritsu assisted in committing suicide, except, surprise, he's not dead. This leads to a discussion on why the kid, Yuma, wanted to commit suicide in the first place which then leads to a conversation on perspectives and thinking things through. The guy bullying him will graduate soon, he basically has his whole life to look forward to, new people to meet, new experiences, etc. and suddenly Yuma realizes he doesn't want to die, he wants to live. Of course, there's a meteor headed towards earth so that's a bit of a problem. Then there's Ritsu who also planned to take one with Yuma but didn't, presumably because he wanted to see Masumi one last time and then does actually try to take one later on. It's also revealed in a flashback that he's been borderline suicidal at least once before and likely more than that.

There's one scene though that really resonated with me. In a flashback, Madoka, a friend of Ritsu's and Yuma's idol, depressed and suicidal after her lover gets a boyfriend and her reputation goes up in flames, has gone to see Ritsu. She asks him if he's ever considered suicide to which he says no and she says she hasn't either, she was just asking. She's too scared to go through with it anyway. But as she walks away, she turns back and points to her neck and tells him that if there was button there that if pressed would end everything, she would press it. It's one of those lines that I think anyone who has ever had depression or has been suicidal could absolutely relate to. It's heartbreaking but true. Life is challenging, that's part of what makes it worth living, but when it gets overwhelming, when our brains betray us, a way out can seem tempting and both Madoka and Ritsu presented as characters to sympathize and empathize with as feeling trapped with death as the most ideal solution.

Another hard topic stems from the scene where Masumi receives a call from his abusive mother asking him for help. He cut ties with her years ago, the number she's calling from is a blocked one, but there at the end of the world, she calls him for help because she recently hurt her back and can't move and is running out of food. Whether anything she says is genuine, her apologies or her regret, is left up to the viewer. Masumi doesn't want to go, but out of filial piety, he prepares to do so, until Ritsu puts his foot down and says that if he won't come with them, then he won't take Yuma home. It's Ritu's comment that they're both doing what they want with the little time they have left that leads Masumi to decide to continue on with them instead. It's the kind of moral dilemma where you often see the opposite choice made. And it's not like the choice is easy for Masumi, he even says that he thinks he's wrong. But it also begs the question, at the end of the world, which takes precedence? Want or obligation?

The characters are absolutely the highlight of this drama. They are beautiful and damaged and relatable and perfect. I came to love each and every one of them for their flaws and quirks and for the way they grew and overcame their flaws. I honestly don't think I would really change anything about them.

I absolutely loved the way Masumi's character was portrayed because I could see a lot of myself in him. I feel like to an extent he's a rarity. Sex is one of those things that seems to be thrown around a lot today. People hook up and break up like it's no big deal. His comment that for him sex was a form of trust resonated for me. It also highlighted just how differently he and Ritsu viewed sex. Ritsu viewed it as a commodity, something to be shared around with anyone, while Masumi saw it as a gift meant only for that special someone. And that's where things broke down for them. Masumi thought they were building something permanent and that betrayal broke him. There's also the aspect of love, I think. He thought he'd finally found someone who truly loved him. God knows he didn't get that from his mother with her physically and verbally abusing him. So Ritsu's betrayal was on multiple levels which I think was why Masumi was left so completely devastated. What was interesting to see was the life that started to come back into Masumi's eyes almost immediately after meeting Ritsu again. He started engaging more with life and with people. And as much as he claimed to hate Ritsu, he also couldn't help but want to know about him and his life. His slowly softening towards Ritsu was sweet to see, particularly that scene after his accident, it was just very well done and a great moment between them. I also really felt his monologue when they're at the river. Beautifully worded and spoken, I really loved that scene. The idea that there's a world worth seeing and living in out there not too far away if we just step outside of our homes and outside ourselves. I also loved the evolution of his thoughts from the-world's-ending-I-could-just-have-sex-with-him to I've-fallen-back-in-love-with-him-and-I-want-to-build-a-future-together.

I've seen some comments describing Ritsu as a toxic person just as a blanket statement. And I would disagree with that. I think he absolutely started out as a very toxic, but also very damaged person. And while, yes, I would have liked to have seen more of a change in him over the years, I also got the impression that he never cheated on anyone again after what happened with Masumi and was essentially a serial monogamist. He learned his lesson after that. And I think one thing to point out, and it's not an excuse, but he was twenty when he and Masumi got together. He was young and he was stupid and he made choices like I'm sure many of us did when we were that age that he came to regret. Masumi was the one that got away and he bore an incredible amount of guilt after discovering just how devastated Masumi was after the end of their relationship. But by the time he had his second chance, he was clearly a different person. He was not the same toxic kid he had been, again he had learned his lesson and he was ready to move forward with Masumi in a real relationship if Masumi was willing. Ritsu in general was just a very interesting, multi-layered character. The amount of guilt and self-loathing he carried was honestly heartbreaking. He blamed himself for Madoka's death for not answering her calls. He loathed himself for his own sexual desires and constantly seeking out new partners. I really wanted to delve into all of that a little more as to what drove him to seeking that as his outlet. I loved his scenes with Madoka. He's one of those people that seemed to always have a mask in place to fit the situation and with her, that was off, he was just himself. Their relationship seemed very special, brief as those scenes were.

Yuma was a fascinating character. He was very anima/manga like in some regards which was interesting/weird at times, but I didn't dislike it. He was also absolutely adorable. I honestly loved him. He had a great dynamic with the rest of the characters. His chivalrous attitude was simultaneously funny and sweet. He was definitely over the top, but not in an annoying way. I did get the impression that he actually is supposed to be some kind of magical being but what exactly, I have no idea.

Meguru surpassed all my expectations. First, loved having a non-binary character that was not treated as a cliché. Also really enjoyed how they were incorporated. I wasn't sure how that was going to work when they were thrown in at first and then the bathroom scene happened and it was like, oh, this is going to be interesting. I thought it was awesome that Masumi and Ritsu really didn't bat an eye after getting over their shock and were just cool with it. Loved their relationship with Yuma. Honestly those two were so adorable. And I just liked their character in general, they were not whiny or constantly complaining, they fit in with everyone and pulled their weight.

The cast was all incredibly talented. Seto was fantastic as the moody Masumi and Nakata matched him perfectly as the charismatic Ritsu. Facial expressions, body language, all of it was just so good. Their chemistry together was also phenomenal. And I'm not just talking about the NSFW scenes. They're so expressive together and genuinely seem to have a connection. Fantastic to watch. Tomimoto nailed it as Yuma. Kudos to him for nailing some of those odd scenes that required him to act like an anime/manga character without taking it overboard. Idegami was wonderful as both Madoka and Meguru. Props to the casting director for casting an actual non-binary actor as a non-binary character. And equal props to Idegami for being able to create two easily distinguishable characters.

The ending left me conflicted. I don't generally like open endings, but I actually don't mind this one in the least. My issue comes with the very cringy special effects there at the very end. If I had my way, it would end after Masumi and Ritsu go to sleep. I'm sure the ending of the drama follows the manga, it's just the terrible special effects and the alarm kind of ruined the moment.

For a drama that I wasn't expecting anything of, it completely exceeded any expectations I could have possibly had of it. I honestly struggled writing this review because there was so much I simply couldn't put into words. This drama resonated with me in a way very few other dramas have. It is one that I would absolutely recommend and one I will certainly be rewatching. I have a feeling it gets better with repeated viewings. As Masumi says, I guess miracles do exist.

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Only 12% Is Good

I came upon this drama by seeing a snippet of it posted on Instagram. That scene is arguably the sweetest and best part of the whole drama, the rest is a slow, repetitive slog that even the acting skills of Earth and Santa can't quite redeem. The story itself isn't bad despite the fact that it's entirely predictable. I wanted to like it and there were certainly aspects that I did like, but as a whole it just failed to engage. The lack of character development, the excessive crying, the slow pacing, and repetition, coupled with the final episodes being overly preachy and moving away from the romance of the rest of the drama resulted in a less than stellar product.

Like I said, the story itself isn't bad even though it is predictable. The problem comes from the slow pacing and repetition. The first couple episodes were more of a slow burn that I didn't mind so much because characters and the background were still being established. But once that was established, it became frustrating that it felt like very little was happening or progressing a lot of the time. The repetition was throughout. Eiw would feel hurt because of something Cake did or feel neglected and would sulk until they finally made up or, mostly after the time jump, vice versa. Despite the pair constantly talking about how they'd known each other since they were babies and how much they cared about each other, their communication absolutely sucked and I didn't feel that was ever really addressed or resolved.

Another detractor was the constant water works from Eiw. I don't think there was a single episode where he didn't cry at least once and he spent the vast majority of the final two episodes in tears. On the one hand, kudos to Earth because that had to be exhausting, I hope they kept him well hydrated with the amount of water he was losing, and for the most he was believable, but it was another aspect that was very repetitive. I was truly hoping after the time jump and the changes that he made to himself, there would be less crying, but unfortunately that wasn't the case.

The character development felt like it was lacking despite the number of years that go by. Yes, Eiw does make a change and come out of his shell and learn to socialize, but it feels superficial. Ultimately, he and Cake are still wrapped in their own little world where very little has changed. Even Cake coming out and saying that he would be gay with Eiw felt shallow. Maybe part of it is that while Eiw's feelings for Cake were developed and explored which was an aspect that I overall liked and felt was well done, we get none of that with Cake. He just comes back after 4 years and suddenly his love for Eiw has transformed from that of a brother to romantic. It felt far too abrupt and without reason. I wanted to see how Cake came to the realization that he loved Eiw romantically. The other characters felt equally stagnant. Again, despite the passing years, it didn't feel like there was much, if any, difference between them as high school and university students. Any changes were communicated verbally, not by actions.

The last two episodes were the final nail in the coffin, so to speak. We suddenly move from focusing on the romance between Eiw and Cake to Eiw's mom is dying and we're going on an anti-smoking campaign. It felt disjointed and like it didn't fit with the rest of the story. The vast majority of these final two episodes are spent with everyone crying, people constantly saying that his mom is going to be fine which was obviously a lie, Eiw blaming himself which while on the one hand was realistic to an extent, was again repetitive because we've gotten this from him several times previously. Not everything bad that happens is your fault, hon. But he's bound and determined to make it his fault. And then there's the anti-smoking PSA which just felt awkward and out of place. The doctor's explanation that the fact their father smoked was the cause of their mother's cancer was complete and total BS. Yes, third hand smoke is a real issue, but to so definitively say that was the cause of cancer was ridiculous. And then Eiw talks about how he asked his dad at every festival and holiday to stop smoking which I didn't find believable. I don't know many kids who would have enough of an understanding of the dangers of smoking to do something like that. Maybe once they were older, but I got the impression he'd been doing that since he was a little kid. Also, that's why he was mad at his dad? Not for abandoning their family which is also never explained why he did so, not for apparently failing to maintain contact, but because he smoked. That didn't seem realistic to me. And then there's the ending with Cake's friends suddenly deciding to throw out their packs of cigarettes and we're treated to a close up of them in the trash. None of it felt very cohesive with the rest of the story.

In terms of the characters themselves, I found them all to be a bit underwhelming. While I liked Cake for the most part, I found Eiw to be annoying and boring much of the time. Cake was much more nuanced with his emotions and reactions to things. He was interesting to watch. Eiw though spent 90% of the drama whining, crying and nagging. There was definitely an element of what on earth does Cake see in him. He got better after the time jump once he had more confidence, but the character was never my favorite. The other characters just kind of felt like they were there most of the time. The romance between Hom and Peak was lackluster and not believable to me. He stays hooked on this girl that he met a handful of times and doesn't really know for years? Also, timing, sir. His decision to pull her aside to talk about their relationship, or lack thereof, and ask her for another chance while her mother was dying was incredibly cringe inducing to watch.

The acting was a mixed bag. I liked Santa as Cake. For this being only his second drama in a main role, he did really well. He managed to convey a lot of emotion with just his eyes, but was equally good using facial expressions and body language. His acting made Cake the most interesting character to watch. Earth, Earth, Earth. He's a good actor, I know he is from other dramas I've seen him in, but I feel like he was so underutilized in this drama. His ability to realistically cry is impressive. Despite the amount of crying that he had to do in this drama, it rarely felt forced or fake. But he can do more than that, and I don't feel like he was really given a chance to shine. He was pigeonholed into this role of being weak, naggy, and overemotional and his character wasn't really allowed to develop beyond that. Prem was good as Eiw's older brother, Pao. Despite being a year younger than Earth, he was realistic as an older brother and I really liked him in a more mature role. I think this is actually my favorite role he's played.

The production was overall pretty good. I liked the way the changing technology was used to help show the passage of time. The cinematography was pretty good. There were a handful of shots that I really liked and the rest was decent. I can't say much for the music because I didn't notice it all that much, which can be seen as a positive since it wasn't distracting.

I didn't hate this drama, but I also didn't love it. Frankly, I found it to be pretty forgettable. It has some good moments, some sweet scenes, but I ultimately just found it to be lacking in almost every respect. Is it worth watching? Meh. You're not missing out if you choose not to watch it. Honestly, if you want to see the best part, just Google Cake's love confession from episode 12. It is truly the highlight of the drama, in my opinion, and one of the best confession scenes I've ever seen in a BL. Otherwise, the rest really isn't worth the time or effort to stay invested.

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A Lighter Click and A Piggy's Dream

Watching the trailers for Lighter and Princess, I was deeply hopeful that it was going to be as good as it looked. Neither the synopsis or trailers gave a great idea of the true story, but I was very intrigued by what I read and saw. It surpassed my hopes and expectations completely. Once I started it, I couldn't stop. It drew me in and refused to let me go until the end. No drama is truly perfect, but despite its few flaws and imperfections, the impressions it left me with and the way it mesmerized me from the first scene to the last, it earned that 10 completely.

I love the story. I love the depth of it, how everything connects, how there is a reason for everything. Something you don't think much about comes back around and is explained and does mean something. It is such a beautiful puzzle and I adored seeing it come together. The pacing was nearly perfect. That is nearly always an issue for me in dramas, but here they did such a good job of keeping the pacing on track and moving at a consistent pace. There wasn't a slump after those emotional high moments and no matter what was going on, it kept me engaged.

The acting was phenomenal on all fronts. I wasn't familiar with anyone and they blew me out of the water, particularly our leads, Chen Fei Yu and Zhang Jing Yi. Both together and separately they were so good. Their chemistry together was absolutely electric. They played off of each other perfectly and they were completely believable. Chen Fei Yu has the most amazing intensity with his eyes, regardless of what emotion he's portraying. He also made good use of microexpressions and his body language to convey his emotions and intentions. Zhang Jing Yi was equally good. She struck that perfect balance of being innocent but not naïve. She brought such a strength to her character and I really loved that. I also really appreciated that I felt like there was a very clear cut difference between how she acted as college age Zhu Yun and adult Zhu Yun. It fit the character perfectly. Like Chen Fei Yu, she could convey some really great intensity with her eyes alone in certain scenes that was fantastic to see. The supporting cast was equally amazing. I really enjoyed all of their performances as well, but these two just really stood out the most to me.

The characters were such an interesting and diverse group, I really enjoyed getting to know all of them and I appreciated that we were given the opportunity to actually get to know them. Obviously some characters got more screen time than others, but no one really felt neglected, even with the time jumps. Those who didn't make appearances again were still briefly mentioned with where they were in life so they weren't forgotten which I really liked since a lot of dramas and shows do tend to just forget characters when that happens.
-Li Xun and Zhu Yun are obviously our main characters and main couple. I loved their romance, the slow burn of it. I know the hate to love trope is overused, but when well done like it was here its quite enjoyable to watch. They're a prime case of opposites attract. Li Xun is a genius, but cold and detached, arrogant and condescending and completely independent. He doesn't need or want anyone. Zhu Yun isn't a genius, but she's smart and unlike Li Xun, she's warm and friendly, helpful and supportive, and her life is being controlled by her mother. In Zhu Yun, Li Xun finds the warmth he's lacking, someone to draw him out his shell, who will stand by him no matter what and love him unconditionally. And in Li Xun, Zhu Yun finds her independence, the strength to begin to stand on her own, something outside herself that's worth fighting for. In essence, they complete each other. My biggest qualm is that I do feel Li Xun could have had a little more character growth although I do feel like that's part of the point and Zhu Yun does make a point of saying that she thinks he'll continue to soften, it just would have been nice to see a little more of that.
- Gao Jian Hong was such a complex character that I'm left not entirely certain how to feel about him. He's not fully villain, but also not fully a good guy either. I do like where they left him, with hope for the future. I honestly find him to be a bit of a tragic character. So much potential to be wasted. And I think he is a prime example that we have to live with the choices we make. The flashbacks to his times with Li Xun and Zhu Yun were hard to watch because they did have so much potential together and it was sad to think of all that was lost. I was really not expecting things to turn out the way that they did with the three of them. I do think overall though, his character was well-developed. My only slight complaint is that his emotions seemed a little all over the place there in the last episode or two, but that could also be attributed to the brain tumor, so I can't complain too much.
- Xu Li Na started off as a character I was not a fan of at all and ended as a character that I came to respect. When she was initially introduced, I thought she was going to turn out to be far smarter than she acted and was going to try to steal their app. When that didn't turn out to be the case, it became obvious she was going to be another woman in love with Li Xun. I felt bad for Jian Hong because he obviously really liked her and it kind of felt like she was leading him on. When she rejected him, I thought that was the end of it. But with the time jump, I was surprised to see that they were married and as events unfolded I wasn't sure who was more pathetic in that marriage: the man who married a woman he knew didn't love him or the woman who married a man she didn't love. Either way, neither of them came off looking good. I was proud of her though, when she finally let go of Li Xun and seemed ready to free of herself of Jian Hong. Until she finds out about his tumor and has a change of heart which leads to some very sweet moments between the two of them. I liked her ending and the idea that she and Jian Hong can actually find love together and start over. I didn't like her at the beginning but she had some really great character growth and by the end, I was absolutely rooting for her.
- I really enjoyed the other side characters as well. Ren Di was such a bad ass, but I loved that she was also willing to always listen to her friends and be there for them. Even with gaining fame and fortune, her character remained relatively unchanged which I thought was awesome. Fang Shu Miao was so funny and cute. I really enjoyed their friendship both in college and as adults. I also appreciated the realism of their friendship, that it wasn't always sunshine and daisies, that there was the occasional conflict and then they figured it out and moved on. Fang Zhi Jing made for an interesting, well-rounded villain but also in a realistic manner. He wasn't a villain in that he was plotting against everyone or coming up with evil schemes, he was a villain in that he was simply a selfish, cruel, greedy man.

The OST is gorgeous. There isn't a single song that I dislike and I felt like they were all used well. They worked well to heighten the mood of certain scenes. I enjoyed the opening song in particular, but honestly you can't go wrong with any one of them.

The cinematography is equally gorgeous. This was clearly a very well thought out production and it shows. The aesthetics are nearly perfect, everything is in its place, well-proportioned. The lighting is very well done, particularly since there are a number of scenes in darkened rooms, I was impressed that they were able to give that impression without obscuring the actors' faces at all.

It seems a good way to start out 2023 with a drama that is so nearly perfect. I truly cannot recommend it enough. I know it may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I loved the story from the romance to the friendships to the characters and everything in between. This is one drama that I will be coming back to again and again I'm sure.

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Utterly Forgettable

I wasn't fully sure what to expect with this drama. My sole interest was in the casting of First and Ja as Gun and Golf, respectively. I think I was expecting more romance than there is. Ultimately, this is less of a BL drama and more of a coming of age drama. It's not totally devoid of romance or BL moments, but if you're looking for steamy moments ala Don't Say No, Love By Chance, etc., you will be sorely disappointed as thus far there has been a single, very chaste kiss. What it does have is more depth to it and unique, compelling characters. It doesn't always seem to know how to use said characters and it does seem to leave some of them in the same place for periods of time with little development, but ultimately I've enjoyed the diversity. That being said, it has also struggled with pacing, conflicts between characters being dragged out, character development, the costuming/makeup and being downright predictable at times.

The story really is more about the friendship of the five central characters than anything else. While Ja's character Golf is considered a main character, even he's more on the fringe. Gun, Em, Name, Champ, and Nan have known each other since they were kids and that's exactly the age the viewer meets them, as little boys. The fun part of this drama is seeing the boys age, from little kids, to high schoolers, to college students and then after. This drama is definitely a slow burn and sometimes it feels like its about to go out. There are definitely scenes that could have been shortened or cut completely that would have streamlined the story without leaving anything important out. Time in general is just kind of an issue with this drama from the slow pace to all the time jumps. Some of them are well documented with a title stating that time has passed, but other times you have to try to figure it out for yourself from what the characters are saying. This is primarily during their college years where it gets confusing. In terms of romance within the story, again that really does take more back of a back burner. While romance is central to some character's stories, since each character has their own story, that's why I don't I feel like the romantic aspect itself is central to the drama.There are three couples: Golf and Gun, Nan and Chompu, and almost-couple Em and Name who I trust will get there before the end. Their relationships are all unique in their own way and I've enjoyed watching them grow. My favorite time period with the group has been their college years. I feel like this drama has a more realistic depiction of college than others depicting the struggles of burn out, school/life balance, working on projects, etc.

While I came to this drama for First and Ja who have been wonderful, the actor I truly have to give kudos to is Title Teshin. While his character was one of the ones that was left stagnant for a while, his acting is anything but. I can only imagine the challenge of playing a mute, since you can't use your voice to convey how you feel or what you want to say. He absolutely blew me away with the level of emotion he was able to convey just with his eyes and body language. The scenes when Gun and Em leave for college and when he was telling his mom that Em had promised him to stay in contact were so incredibly powerful to me. They just broke my heart and I wanted to reach through the screen and give him a hug. The other actors have been great as well, but he's the one who stole the show for me.

This drama has such a diverse set of characters and I love it, particularly the inclusion of characters with disabilities and the treatment of them as actual human beings. At the beginning of the drama, it was so heartwarming to see the boys accept Name so completely. Just a "he doesn't talk much" and they were all totally fine with that, he was instantly one of them. And with Chompu, I appreciated seeing a woman in that role and not as a recluse, but as a woman in college who knew her worth. What I haven't loved as much with these characters is the lack of character development. With some characters there's very obvious growth, but with others it doesn't seem like there's been much of a change from their high school selves to where they're at now.
-Gun is a very likable character, he's adorable and he really is a sweetheart, but he's definitely one of the ones I don't feel like had a whole lot of growth. To be fair, he didn't get as much screen time as an adult aside from his break up with Golf. But aside from the lack of acne, there didn't seem to be a huge difference between where he was in high school and where he was at the end. At the time of their breakup, he still wasn't really communicating and was still keeping things to himself. He obviously loved Golf and didn't really want to break up with him, but rather than sit down and communicate how he felt, he immediately jumped to breaking up. I was initially very disappointed with how that was resolved because it seemed far too easy, but I was glad that Name's narrative at the end gave some further insight into their relationship and that they had learned from what happened and set some boundaries. Not the most satisfying way to resolve it, I would have liked to see the growth myself, but it works.
-Golf is a little more interesting since, while he is billed as a main character, his storyline was shorter, completely tied to Gun's without a chance to really see him as a character on his own. So the change seen is more tied to his relationship with Gun than directly to his character. When first introduced in high school and college, he's fairly carefree, I didn't get the impression that he was the kind of student who studied all the time and his relationship with Gun was sweet and easy. Fast forward to after college and suddenly he's a workaholic, forgetting or ignoring important dates, not checking in, essentially completely neglecting his relationship with Gun without an apology or any signs of remorse until Gun breaks. Now I mentioned above that Gun fails to communicate how all of this affects him, Golf, in turn, fails to recognize how he is neglecting his relationship and the damage he is causing by doing so. They ultimately fail each other. I would have liked to see more character development of Golf as his own person, however, that really never happened. I was glad to see that he had some self-realization that he had been neglecting Gun, but also his thinking didn't make sense to me. He was working so hard so they could move to the US, but he hadn't run this by Gun? Moving to a whole other country is a huge decision and not one made lightly and without your partner's input. And then to suddenly spring a proposal out there was a bold move that somehow worked out and again an extremely unsatisfactory ending to a conflict that deserved an actual sit down conversation to figure things out. I liked Golf, I just wish more was done with him.
-Em is one of the characters who I felt had more character development. He actually seemed to grow as a person. I loved his relationship with Name, both as a friendship and with the way I felt it pretty naturally took a romantic turn. I really appreciated how he implicitly accepted him when they were children and the fact that he didn't talk wasn't an issue in the slightest. While he came across as very easy going, he also struck me as a deeply empathetic person. He understood Name when others didn't and I think that empathetic nature is what allowed him to do so. I do, however, take issue with his plot with Name's mom. While I understand he had good intentions, I found it manipulative and damaging. Considering how close the two are, he should have been aware of the damage it could cause and he should have steered Name's mom toward a different solution. I was glad that he told Name everything, but that whole conflict was dragged out for far too long. I was glad that he stuck by Name afterwards and again, his feelings turning from friendship to romance felt pretty natural although I wouldn't have minded a little more of a gradual build up there though I understand why they couldn't. I did find it very sweet that his gift to Name was the hourglass and he told him that he was giving him the rest of his time. Very smooth. I think ultimately, what I love most about his character is his unwavering support for his friends, but particularly Name. No matter what, he is there to help and support them.
-Name has the greatest character development out of anyone in this drama with overcoming his fear and beginning to speak. Him speaking to Em before anyone else was the sweetest and most heartbreaking thing to watch, especially the bus scene when Em leaves. While he does have the most development, he is also left stagnant for several episodes during his conflict with Em and his mom. That got frustrating to watch seeing him in the same place after a while interspersed with great moments like when he tries to speak in front of the mirror or when he's writing on the sticky notes to his mom. One of the hardest scenes to watch though was when he contemplates suicide and is only prevented from taking the pills by his mother's collapse. That was never mentioned again which, on the one hand, I understand because he's moved past that, but on the other hand, I think is something important that should be addressed. And while I don't condone Em's or his mother's actions, it was sweet to see him realizing how much his mom really does love him. Since overcoming his fear, it was lovely to continue watching him grow and try new things, aided and encouraged by Em, of course. His conversation with Champ was fantastic to watch, to just see how far he's come, from not being able to speak for himself to actually being able to help others speak for themselves. I'm not a huge fan of Champ, but that was a great scene. And, of course, I was happy that he and Em finally got together and, in the end, apparently open a café together.
-Nan probably has the second greatest character development, changing from a self-proclaimed playboy to a man devoted to only one woman. I found his development really interesting to watch mostly because I felt it was portrayed in a relatively realistic fashion, going from woman to woman to finding one who finally fully captures his interest. His pursuit of Chompu after their breakup feels less realistic. Part of the problem is that whole time issue I mentioned. I never got a good sense of how long the two of them were together. The translation I watched said years at one point, but something said later on contradicted that, so I'm not sure. My general impression though was more like months maybe, in which case his pursuit of her seemed a tad aggressive and kind of stalkerish, honestly. I get that its supposed to be romantic, but it did lean a tad more towards creepy. That being said, I do like his relationship with Chompu, particularly that he realizes that she wants to be seen as normal human being and that he doesn't immediately jump in to help her. I don't think he would have had that level of perception when he was younger. And on the flip side, he finally realizes that she loves him just as he is and wants him to be himself as well. You can definitely see that he's matured while he's also still his goofy self. Now if Chompu would just rip off that stupid wig...which thankfully it looks like she eventually does since its gone during Name's final narrative. Thank god!
-Champ is probably my least favorite of the gang. I feel like his character is the least interesting and frankly could have been completely omitted with very little lost. His claim to fame is really only his grandfather's pickled fish and the fact that he's the smart one of the bunch. Aside from that, I don't feel like there's much to him. I don't feel like he's really developed as a character, certainly not positively. He went from being a sweet kid who loved his family to treating them like dirt. I still don't fully understand that. I get that he was angry that they didn't tell him about his grandfather being in the hospital, but they were doing what they thought was best and trying not to cause him undue stress and he's been punishing them ever since? For years? That's a lot of anger and resentment. I'm glad they get things resolved in the end and he goes back home and reconciles with his parents. The scene with his parents eating dinner and having the pickled fish again was sweet, but he remains my least favorite character and the least developed, in my opinion.

The nostalgia is strong with this drama. I'm at an age where a lot of this was relevant for me growing up so it's been fun watching it. The letters, in particular, got to me just because it used to be such an exciting event to get a letter from someone or even to write a letter to someone. Now all I get is bills. lol

The music for this drama has been unusually bad. I'm used to the repetitive soundtracks with Thai dramas, this one just feels more tedious than usual. And the background music is way too loud. Whoever did the editing did a poor job of it because it is incredibly distracting and annoying. Also, repetitive, again.

Probably the worst part of this drama though has to be the makeup and the wigs. I don't know who looked at these men in those wigs and said, yup, that looks good, but they should be fired. They are god awful and they both distract and detract from the quality of the drama. If you want them to have different hairstyles to show passage of time, then get some decent lace front wigs, not cheap anime cosplay wigs that wouldn't fool a mannequin. Ja's is probably the least offensive. Honestly, he's giving me serious Sin vibes from Until We Meet Again with that look, but the wig's so ill fitting you can his own hair at the nape of his neck that the wig doesn't cover in one scene. I honestly don't understand why they needed wigs in the first place. Besides the wigs, Gun's acne was nearly as bad. Besides the fact that it would change between takes within a single scene, it looked so fake and really nothing like acne. There are literally YouTube tutorials that show you how to do something more realistic. I just, I don't know with this part of the drama in all honesty.

While I am enjoying parts of this drama, there are other parts that I have not enjoyed as much.
-The predictability of some parts was just a little too obvious. For example, Champ's grandfather's death. As soon as the grandparent starts coughing or something, I'm calling it. It's an overused trope, in my opinion, and an unnecessary one at that. The fact that N was Name's mom was also pretty obvious. There were a number of other moments like that where it was just very obvious what was going to happen. Subtlety is definitely not this drama's strong suit.
-Probably my biggest issue though is the manipulation of Em and Name's mom. I understand they had good intentions, I understand his mom was at her wit's end and she wanted her son to open up to her, but seriously, that was the best idea you could come up with? To further isolate him and take away the one friend he had? That I don't get. It has to be the worst thought out plan ever. There's no doubt that they both love Name, but they seriously went the wrong way about helping him.
-I nearly always have this issue with Thai dramas, so this really isn't a surprise, but too big of a main cast. They are trying to cram in too many characters and stories into too short of a time period and it doesn't give time to do them justice. This is where removing a character like Champ who, in my opinion, adds very little to the story, would give more opportunities to develop the other characters stories and relationships which I'm far more interested and invested in.
-This is my nitpicking more than anything but the pointed time period references are a tad annoying. I feel like they could have found less obvious and repetitive ways to do so.

Overall this wasn't a bad drama. I can't say it was a great one, but the concept was interesting and I really did enjoy the coming of age aspect of it even though I wasn't expecting it to play quite as much of a role as it did. I don't expect that I'll come back to this drama, there just wasn't enough about it that I liked as a whole to pull me back. It really is a slow burn and while those are fine to watch at least once, sometimes twice if exceptional, this drama is not exceptional.

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Venus in Retrograde

It's always disappointing when a drama doesn't live up to expectations, but usually there's at least something redemptive about it. Venus in the Sky though just bombed and it bombed hard. It's glacially slow with episodes that are far too long with far too much repetition. And once the leads finally get together, we get multiple NSFW scenes that seem more about pushing the limits than showing that these guys are actually in love. I just did not feel the chemistry. It's a pity because it did have the potential for more.

The story is lacking severely. There's not much of a plot and the drama suffers because of that. Venus and Sky were college friends until Venus confessed that he had feelings for Sky which Sky didn't reciprocate. Venus's response was to block Sky and cut off all contact. Three years later they meet again by chance at which point Sky has realized that he actually does have feelings for Venus and sets off to win him back. The first episode isn't bad. It sets things up decently, though there's some confusion regarding time frame and what's past and what's present. From there though it becomes a slog of increasing repetition as Sky tries to win over Venus and Venus repeatedly rebuffs him. It would have helped if there was a bit more variation to how Sky goes about this, but there's not, and it's not until around Episode 7 that things start moving along which is far too little, too late. While Sky does eventually wear Venus down and they do get together, the story continues to drag as repetitive drama with the side couples is brought up and Venus and Sky act like horny teenagers. It's tedious to say the least. I suppose the ending could be considered cute, but I was so done with everything that frankly I was just relieved to be done with it.

I didn't find myself particularly interested or attached to any of the characters. I generally liked Day, Bom and Kla, but not to any real degree. They just served as the occasional pleasant diversion from the constant annoyance of Sky and Venus. The characters lacked depth and it made them feel quite superficial. Venus's anger towards Sky felt excessive. I get it, he broke your heart, he was giving mixed signals previously (they really did act like a couple, so I get that Venus thought Sky might reciprocate his feelings), but three years is a long time to hold onto that much anger. And even if he was hurt by Sky's rejection, it wasn't as if Sky deliberately led him on. Without a better reason for his anger, it created a disconnect for me as the viewer. Otherwise, I just did not find him to be a particularly compelling character because there was so little to him. He was boring to watch and his reactions felt repetitive. Even after he and Sky got together, I just could not bring myself to care about him. Sky spent most of the time acting like a whiny child. I was over him within the first couple of episodes. He had zero respect for Venus's boundaries, physical or emotional, and essentially stalked him. Maybe it's because I'm a woman, but I found his approach to be disturbing and deeply concerning. And his pushiness continued after they were together. There were times where it felt like he cared more about his physical needs than what Venus actually needed. The scene where he lets Venus initiate physical intimacy while he's sick and doesn't stop him is a prime example. There was also the element that his feelings for Venus were not well explored. The realization of his true feelings obviously came after Venus cut him off, but was that the catalyst for that recognition or was it later? I think that's something that should have been given time to look into. The communication between the two of them was alternatively decent and then completely lacking. Sky had a tendency to misinterpret situations and then go sulk about them without actually discussing anything with Venus. The side couples really didn't interest me much. I initially liked Janus, but eventually got tired of the repetition with him promising to tell Bom about things and then proceeding to tell him nothing. That inevitably led to a fight and Bom storming out the door. I did like Bom. I appreciated his patience and kindness. He was a sweet guy and I felt bad that he had to deal with Janus's determination to take everything on his shoulders. Tong and Kla were even less interesting. Again with the repetition of not communicating and then getting into fights. Kla was a cutie though and he did try so hard to make things up to Tong and make him happy. I will say that the side couples did have some good conversations and at least with Tong and Kla there felt like there was progress made in the relationship on that front. Janus and Bom also made some progress, but part of me wonders if Janus really learned his lesson.

For all that they had some very steamy scenes together, I really did not feel the chemistry between Tod and Cheque. Part of it could be that I simply did not like their characters, but I also found their acting lacking. Neither one showed much range. Cheque seemed to alternate between looks of condescension and scowling and maybe two other expressions. Tod was either overly perky, moping around, or sleepy and he just cycled through those expressions as needed. They were just boring to watch. Most of the other actors struggled with the same lack of variety of expression.

While there is a fair amount of product placement, it doesn't feel too in your face mostly because of the way it's promoted with Janus's business. It still took more of a priority than it should have though. One thing that really stood out to me and that was off-putting was the almost complete lack of background characters. Sky works in a hospital, Kla works in a hospital, Janus owns a 7-Eleven, and yet the hospital always looked practically empty, we never saw any other doctors or medical staff aside from the main cast and one or two nurses who were there and gone and there were rarely any customers show in the store. It made the world feel very isolated and unreal.

There is nothing about Venus in the Sky to recommend it. It's a long slog with very little reward. If NSFW scenes are your thing, I would recommend watching Episode 1, maybe 2, and then jumping to Episode 7 or 8 through to the end, you won't be missing anything by skipping the rest. Otherwise, I would say best to just avoid it.

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Bad Beginning, Starry Ending

Going into this final stretch of Our Skyy 2, I found myself with conflicting feelings. I was not expecting to see Bad Buddy and A Tale of Thousand Stars combined. None of the other stories were connected and I'm wondering why they decided to do so here. It's not bad, but I feel like the focus is more with the Thousand Stars story and Bad Buddy is the side piece. Like many other viewers, the Bad Buddy and Tale of a Thousand Stars episodes were the ones I was looking forward to most. They're the two oldest and so the nostalgia is stronger with them since it's been a couple years since we've seen these characters. As much as I anticipated these episodes, I found the first two just fell flat while the last two and particularly the final episode served as a suitable ending .

When it comes to Bad Buddy, I'm not sure how much of a fan I am in going back in time to just after Pat and Pran pretend to break up. I feel like a lot of the plot in that first episode is a rinse and repeat of what we've already seen. I would have preferred if it was a continuation from the end of the series after they graduated. We'd seen the rift between their parents starting to heal and things had reached a point where they weren't going to need to hide their relationship. Going on from there, continuing to show that healing, the novelty that they could be together openly, all would have made for a great conclusion to their story and would have focused solely on them. Its placement also limited the amount of character development that could be done since it did need to coincide with the ending of Bad Buddy.

Their relationship, while very similar to how it was in the series, does have its differences here. There was a good balance in Bad Buddy of mischievous/playful and sweet moments between them. I liked that it was a series where both leads were strong minded young men. It gave a whole different dynamic that worked very well. In the first two episodes though the sweet moments were few and far between while the mischievous/playful moments take precedence. And those few sweet moments are by and large initiated by Prat at which point Pran pushes him away or something interrupts them. It's been a while since I watched it, but I felt like they were on more of an even keel in the series of who initiated physical intimacy of any kind. That's not to say there aren't some sweet moments between them, there are, it just overall didn't feel quite in harmony with the series. And I was expecting a lot more of those sweet moments once they were away from their friends and parents since they wouldn't have to pretend anymore, but they took a back seat even then. Additionally, Pran's reaction to Pat's comment felt over the top. They're pretending to still be enemies, it would make sense that Prat would be bad mouthing him or making it seem like he was superior. Considering that Pran typically came across as relatively level-headed previously, his taking that comment to heart and deciding to abandon Pat didn't seem to quite fit with his character.

And while I wasn't a fan of those first two episodes, it was like a flip was switched for the final two. Suddenly we're getting more sweet moments between them, little ones as well as some genuinely heartfelt moments like when Pat finally admits that he can't live without Pran. It's a really beautiful little scene the likes of which were completely lacking in those first episodes. There are also little throwbacks to Bad Buddy like Pat asking Pran to rate his "performance". Things just seemed much more harmonious and back to normal between them in those final episode. I loved the play. I don't know why exactly, but I actually teared up a bit watching it. It was just well done and it was fitting that the two of them played the parts of Tian and Phupha. Their ending was both sweet with their kiss as well as funny with Pat's sister interrupting them again. It just suited them.

There were a couple of things, however, that just didn't quite work. Pat and Pran are supposed to be broken up and back to being enemies at this point. However, they don't act like it at all. They're constantly together in public without showing a bit of animosity and we're supposed to believe that their friends are in the dark. Yes, they're questioning it to some degree, but seriously, those two are so obvious a blind man could see they're still together. Besides that, it also appears that they're living together. Living across the hall from each other and sneaking into each other's rooms is one thing, but how on earth does them living together work? Do they just not have any friends who aren't in on their secret over? What about their parents? The other part that didn't work for me was how little time they spend together. With the first episode they spend a good portion of it together, but once the second and third episodes hit and they're in the village, they're pretty effectively separated for much of it. I would have preferred to see more of them working together rather than their divide and conquer strategy. There's also the matter of the play. If memory serves, Pat's father gives him grief for acting in Pran's play in Bad Buddy. But here, it's made out to be no big deal. Even with their kiss, Pran comments that his mother is proud of him and knows it's just acting. Um, did his mother have a lobotomy or something? She would have flown off the handle over something like that in Bad Buddy, but suddenly she's chill with that, no questions asked? That explanation really didn't work for me.

Ohm and Nanon are both very talented actors and two of my favorites. Their chemistry together in Bad Buddy was phenomenal and their interactions were just very natural. I've heard rumors of some kind of conflict between them, it's not something that I've really looked into, but after watching the first two episodes, I did have to wonder if there was something going on between them. The spark they had previously just wasn't quite there. I can't put my finger on it, but something felt a bit off. And then again, those last two episodes, flip was switched and it felt like they were back to normal. They seemed more comfortable with each other and everything between them went back to feeling natural. I have no idea what changed, but I'm so glad it did because it made a huge difference.

A Tale of Thousand Stars was a series that I really enjoyed. I liked the story which I felt was overall well done as well as the characters and acting. I was very excited to see Tian, Phupha and the rest of the characters from their story again and I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed at how few of the characters were brought back. For their story, I was hoping for a continuation from the end of the series focusing on Tian getting reacquainted with the village and villagers and settling back in with them and into his relationship with Phupha. I was not hoping for angsty, teenage drama between two grown men.

The inconsistencies between the series and Our Skyy 2 are grating. Phupha seems to have undergone a personality transplant because initially he's just coming across as an unreasonable jerk. He was a serious character in Thousand Stars, but he wasn't totally unbending and there was a tenderness about him whenever he was with Tian that was very endearing. That was just gone. Their conflict felt very contrived. In the series they generally came across as two reasonable adults, here though they feel more like sulky teenagers. I was hoping to get a better explanation for why Phupha didn't want to accompany Tian than he doesn't like crowds. That reasoning just seemed like BS since we saw him at at least two gatherings in the series. I was glad that was cleared up, but it still felt a bit BSish. I don't understand the popularity of keeping a secret from your SO that's causingn damage to your relationship just so you can surprise them later. It just doesn't work. Sticking with Phupha for a moment, his fainting just as he meets Pran also felt off. This is a man who very rarely showed any kind of weakness, so to see him keel over because he hadn't had breakfast felt out of character. There was also Tian acting like he didn't know how to get to Pha Pun Dao initially when he went there alone, in the dark previously. And besides that time, he'd gone at least two other times, if not more so his uncertainty of how to get there didn't make sense. When Phupha meets Tian's parents, it almost seemed like he didn't know Tian's dad, which, if memory serves, he had been Phupha's superior officer at one point or something along those lines so I didn't understand the disconnect there. There are a few other minor details that don't quite jive with the series which was more just annoying than causing any actual issues.

The final two episodes mostly made up for the crap from the second one. I liked that Tian and Phupha started to at least try to communicate to some degree. Not well necessarily, but the scare of Tian being lost seemed to knock some sense into the both of them and make them realize how much they actually cared for each other. Phupha surprising Tian in Bangkok was kind of fun. Again, I don't approve of those kind of surprises, but Tian was obviously thrilled so there is that. They felt more in tune with each other during these scenes, and I'll attribute part of that to Phupha finally reading Tian's diary and gaining a better understanding of him. Again, not a fan of the whole birthday surprise, though it was kind of adorable to see how happy Tian was when he saw Phupha standing in front of him. That scene though when Phupha essentially proposes to Tian and gives him their thousandth star was beautifully done and had me in tears. That scene alone made up for everything else honestly. I also found it hilarious how the final scene was basically a mash up of the ending of Bad Buddy and Thousand Stars. Perfection.

Similar to Ohm and Nanon, Earth and Mix didn't have quite the same spark between them in those first two episodes as they did in the series. Even when they were in conflict, you could feel that magnetic pull between them. Maybe because their bickering here just felt petty more than anything, that pull didn't seem to be there as much. But, again, flip switch with those final two episodes and it felt like they were back to themselves which made me very happy. The angsty teenage drama and attitudes were gone and they were back to being reasonable adults. It also reminded me just how good these two are together. They communicate so much emotion just through their eyes and it's amazing to watch. Truly phenomenal actors.

Having these two series combined did create some interesting and entertaining moments. Pat and Phupha waking up and panicking about what they may have done together was a particularly funny scene. Also the fact that Phupha offering Pat his shirt was a direct call back to a scene from Thousand Stars. Phupha asking Tian to rate him after their night together as well as the ending between them both called back scenes from Bad Buddy. The friendships that developed between Pran and Tian and Phupha and Pat were really neat to see. Tian and Pran had the more heartfelt moments and you could feel a real connection between them whereas Phupha and Pat were pure chaotic entertainment.

While I love both Bad Buddy and A Tale of Thousand Stars, I didn't think I would love them combined. To an extent, I still feel like we were robbed of Pat and Pran's story in favor of one centered on Phupha and Tian. I don't think combining them was necessary and I think there needed to have been a really good reason to do so which I just don't see. If it could be redone, I would ultimately prefer them to be separated and each have their own two episodes. However, since that is not what we got, I will say that the final two made up for the severely lacking everything of the first two. There were some really beautiful and heartfelt moments and it felt like things got back on track. All in all, I would say that they served as a fitting conclusion both to A Tale of Thousand Stars and Our Skyy 2.

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Jumping Out Of This Bed

Going into this drama, I really didn't have high expectations. Based on the title alone, I figured it would be something pretty mindless, something I wouldn't have to concentrate on too much. And in many ways, I was correct. It suffers from a severe lack of story or plot, the characters, while charming in their own ways, are not well fleshed out, and thus far, there's just a lot left out. That being said, it also has some nuggets that I actually really appreciated like the focus on consent, the way mental health is addressed, and the absence of a few all too common tropes. Those nuggets don't make it a good drama, but the fact that they are present is promising and makes me hope other dramas will follow suit in that regard.

Again, the storyline/plot is severely lacking. While I wasn't expecting anything deep, I did expect there to be some semblance of a plot. Instead, the first 6 or so episodes is essentially made up of our leads flirting, mostly on King's part, and a fair number of awkwardly cut bedroom scenes. And then suddenly, it's like they decided that they actually did have a story to tell and the sex scenes all but disappeared and now its time to focus on Uea's trauma and fixing everything. On the one hand, I like that justice was served, but it also didn't flow with the rest of the story. The final episode didn't add anything really other than more lovey dovey scenes between our leads and introducing Tutor's character of Mai from Middleman's Love.

Speaking of Uea's trauma, good lord did they dump on the poor guy. What I initially expected and could have gotten on board with, was something where both Uea and King had some kind of trauma which came to light as their FWB relationship developed into something more and they helped each other cope. Instead, everything falls on Uea. He's abused by his mother and sexually assaulted by his step-father, his ex AND his boss and those are just the big ones. How he's functional at all is beyond me. And King? Well, there's nothing really wrong with his family other than his parents wanting to arrange a marriage for him and his mother seeming a bit hard-headed. Again if the trauma had been shared between King and Uea, I think it could have created something interesting, but with it all belonging to Uea, it just feels like overkill. The sexual assault perpetuated by his boss, however, does open the door for two positives. First, the fact that even though Krit is related to the main boss, there is no leniency. It was gratifying to see someone higher up in the company taking care of his employees, to the point that he gives Uea information to see a psychologist. The second positive is the fact that Uea's deteriorating mental health is addressed at all. He talks about seeing the psychologist and he's on medication to help keep his mental health in a good place. With so many of these dramas you have characters that clearly need professional help, but their mental health is never addressed or is skimmed over and it's treated like having a hot boyfriend solves all your problems. No, it doesn't. It helps to have someone there to support you and love you, certainly, but they can't replace actual professional help.

The character's themselves don't make much sense. A good part of that is because they're so one dimensional, King in particular. And maybe I'm just forgetting, but I don't recall Uea's animosity towards King ever really being explained other than he just doesn't like the fact that he's a player. For the way he treats him initially, it felt like it should have been something much more personal. I understand not being a fan of a player, but his reaction felt over the top. There also wasn't enough background information to understand his relationship with his family. All that's shown is the trauma and nothing else. I know trauma affects everyone differently, but I wanted to know more about his state of mind. With the level of abuse he suffered, why did he maintain any kind of contact with his family aside from his sister? Why, as an adult, did he let his family continue to treat him the way they did until he finally just snapped? Same with Krit, he was clearly being sexually harassed, and yet, he didn't even try to report it? And his interactions with King showed that he could stand up for himself and speak his mind, so why didn't he with others? There's just so little to the character that it was impossible to even begin to try and understand his mindset and what he was thinking. Same with King, I don't have a good feel on why he loves Uea so much aside from physical attraction. And some of his reactions just don't make sense. His assumption that Uea was willingly with Krit the night Uea was assaulted was completely irrational. He knew Krit was harassing Uea, he knew Uea didn't like it, so where did that thinking come from? Furthermore, with the whole arranged marriage, why he didn't shut that down right off the bat didn't make sense either. Why was it so hard to tell his office mates that he had no interest in this girl, he loved someone else, this was being forced on him by his parents and he was looking for a way out? I'm aware that both these instances were likely included to fuel the drama and to create a rift between King and Uea, but if you're going to create drama, at least make it believable to some degree. I also took issue with Uea's treatment of King even after they were together. There were times where he was clearly baiting him, daring him to break the rules he had set in place. I didn't appreciate that, especially when it came down to refusing to let King touch him in any way there towards the end, even in a non-sexual manner. It was so clear that he was taunting King and enjoying himself doing it. It's one thing if it's mutually understood that this kind of behaviour is okay and desired by both parties, but I never got that impression from King so it just made it uncomfortable to watch.

The one positive with both these characters was the aspect of consent. Considering what he'd been through, consent was obviously a big deal to Uea and I liked the fact that they laid out rules before beginning their FWB relationship, although King didn't always strictly follow them. I also appreciated that King really did respect Uea and made a concerted effort to follow his rules for the most part and always made sure that he was okay. The one downside is that Uea was drunk their first time together and I'm guessing King was not fully sober either. However, this is somewhat addressed later on when Uea gets drunk again and comes onto a sober King who does not let the same thing happen twice. Uea even mentions afterwards when King asks for a reward for showing restraint that he behaved as he should have. It's something that's not often seen in a lot of BLs, certainly not repeatedly throughout the drama and I found it's inclusion to be a big positive.

The acting is hit or miss. Net and James are both attractive young men, there's no denying that, but to be an actor, you need to be more than just a pretty face. They are both old enough and have been in enough other dramas that I expected more from them. James' acting felt wooden at times and he is not good with emotional scenes. The crying with no tears got old fast. It feels fake and takes away from the emotional impact the scene could have had. Net is better, but his expressions got a bit monotonous after a while. He did have some great moments where he absolutely nails a scene, he has the ability to convey a lot of emotion with his eyes alone. Their chemistry was also hit or miss. There were times where they seemed to match really well and other times it felt forced. I liked Yim in Cutie Pie, his acting and character were two of the only things I liked in that drama, but here he just felt very one note. It doesn't help that Jade just isn't that interesting of a character, but I feel like he could have done more. He also suffered from the whole issue of crying without tears which seemed very fake. Honestly, the only actor that I felt gave a good performance thus far was Ya Janya as Uea's aunt. I know she's barely featured, but her emotions and reactions felt more raw and real than anyone else's.

The production value is a bit meh. There's some awkward editing, scenes that were just cut weird. Some of the cinematography got a bit repetitive. There were angles that just didn't work, odd lighting and in general it was just a hodge podge because there were some really beautifully shot scenes, it's just that none of it was consistent. The music was overall pretty forgettable. I gave it a 7.5 because while it wasn't memorable, I also didn't find it distracting.

As expected, the final episode didn't make much of a difference. It's basically forty minutes of fluff and not much else. I think this drama could have been a lot more than it is, I think it could have gone deeper and been more than just the sex scenes and trauma, but unfortunately that's not what happened. It has a few positives and I will say that I think they are major positives, but the negatives just far outweigh and overshadow them. Here's to hoping that Middleman's Love is better than this mess.

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The BL to End All BLs

Enemies to lovers is a fairly common trope in BL dramas, and I've seen it used with varying degrees of success, but never as well as in this drama. Here it was very nearly perfect because for once, we have an actually healthy relationship. The story didn't feel cliché, the reasoning behind people's actions while, perhaps a bit overblown, were still understandable to an extent, and the development of the leads relationship felt very natural. This was just a very well done drama that was a joy to watch.

The story is centered on our two leads' families who have been enemies for years due to business reasons. Or so the boys were told. They were raised to constantly compete with each other and thus have been enemies since childhood. However, there have been moments when they've connected and had a tenuous friendship during this time, though its doubtful either one would admit that it was a friendship. Once they reach university and their two faculties start to collide and they also discover they live right across from each other, feelings start to emerge and the rest is history. One of the things I really appreciated about the story is the parents' rivalry wasn't over a failed romance. I feel like that is used a lot and is extremely cliché. I think what actually happened is so much worse and is far more justifiable for what transpired afterward. Don't get me wrong, they blew things way out of proportion with dumping their problems on their kids, but by the same token, I also kind of get it. The pacing was quite good. There were a few draggy moments, but for the most part, the story moved along well. I really enjoyed the relationship build ups of both Pran and Pat and Ink and Pa. I felt they both developed quite organically, and I was excited to see a well done lesbian relationship in a BL. The few times I've seen them in BLs, they've been done pretty badly. And the ending was hilarious and so very them.

The acting was quite good all around but Nanon and Ohm definitely take the cake with their chemistry. They are both talented actors together and apart. Together they just play off of each other really well, their interactions are very natural, and, again, their chemistry was fantastic. Apart, Nanon I feel is very expressive with both his eyes and more subtle facial expressions while Ohm is more open with his facial expressions and uses his body more. I enjoyed watching both and the supporting cast was great as well.

The characters were all so varied and interesting. I really enjoyed getting to know all of them and see them grow. The character development was great and the best part for me was that while all of them grew as people, they also stayed true to themselves. For example, while Pran and Pat figured out their relationship, realizing that they loved each other, the potential consequences of that love, and developing a mutual respect for each other, they still ultimately remained true to themselves and I appreciated that while their attitude towards each other obviously changed from enemies, there were some things, like their competitiveness and way of speaking to each other that really didn't. Pran though is overall just such a sweetheart and his fear of them being found out just kind of broke my heart. He's loved Pat for so long and now that he has him, I think he's just terrified of losing him. Pat is also a sweetheart in his own way. He's a prankster, but he has a good heart and he'll do pretty much anything to help Pran or one of his friends. With Pa and Ink, I found their growing relationship to be very sweet. There were hints of it when Pa was still in high school and then once she was in university and the two were able to spend more time together, it became quite obvious that there was a mutual attraction. I liked both girls' characters. They were both strong women which I definitely appreciated and Ink's possessiveness of Pa made for some pretty hilarious scenes. Korn was just adorable as Pat's friend. I loved his loyalty to Pat and how supportive he was of his relationship with Pran once it was revealed. That scene with him refusing to let Pat sit with them and then popping up ten seconds later to give him food was so freaking cute. I also really enjoyed his relationship with Wai there towards the end. I almost could have shipped him with Wai, but I think I prefer that they left them as friends and colleagues. Wai has me a bit divided. On the one hand, I overall liked his character. On the other hand though, his exposure of Pran and Pat's relationship was super messed up. That's not something you do to your best friend. However, I can also understand how betrayed he must have felt and in the heat of the moment, he wasn't really thinking through his actions, so I'm willing to give him some grace. He came through with the video to clear Pat which he didn't have to do although an actual apology would have been nice. Again, I really enjoyed his friendship with Korn and their banter at the end of the drama. I don't really have much to say about the parents that I haven't already said other than that I thought their acceptance of their kids' sexual orientation was awesome.

The best part of this drama, besides the fantastic story, acting and characters, was just how many stereotypes that typically pop up in BLs that it absolutely destroyed.
-The husband/wife labels that pervade most BLs were chucked right out the window. Pran calls Pat out for calling him his wife and when they reverse the roles, Pat realizes how it sounds. His reasoning was simple enough, he just wanted to show that they're closer but Pran essentially says they don't need to use the label of husband/wife, they're close enough as is as boyfriends. It's a sweet moment that also highlights that there really isn't a need to place labels in LGBTQ relationships as to who is perceived as stronger/weaker.
-The only gay for you stereotype is also removed here. Not only does Pat candidly state that he is bisexual saying that he likes all genders but Pran also essentially states that he is gay while saying that he may someday like girls as well. Pa actually makes fun of this stereotype within the same episode. The whole scene is pretty great.
-Enemies to lovers relationships seem to always have some degree of toxicity to them. Writers and directors are good at making them look cute and fluffy on the surface when in actuality they're very unhealthy. I have definitely fallen prey to some of those in the past. What is so refreshing about Bad Buddy is that there is none of that here. There is no toxicity, their relationship is genuinely healthy. Yes, it has its ups and downs like any relationship, but they work through their problems together, they actually communicate with each other. Neither one forces himself on the other, there's a mutual respect and love, despite their bickering and occasional disagreements.
-The defined top and bottom stereotype is gone. In every BL I've ever seen, one character is always the top and the other is always the bottom. From my perception, they completely tossed that in Bad Buddy and went with a versatile relationship which was super interesting and also refreshing. I think its something that should definitely be more common.

The OST was fantastic. Music honestly plays a subtly major role in this drama. It's music that initially brought Pran and Pat together as they wrote Just Friend?, music that broke them apart when Pran's mother found them playing together and transferred him, and then music that brought them back together when seeing Pran play their song made Pat start to realize his feelings. Besides that, there's also the song that Pran writes for Pat declaring his love. And the scene there at the end of Pat and Pran singing together was so sweet with Pran's mom hearing them and leaving them be. I loved her little smile. Nanon's voice is amazing, I could happily listen to his songs on repeat for days.

This is frankly the BL to put all other BLs to shame. It has set the bar so high that it will truly be hard for any others to top it. Everything about it was just so incredibly good. I honestly wish I had watched it sooner because this is what a BL should be. I cannot recommend this drama highly enough and it is one I will absolutely be coming back to in the future.

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