niel

it is i, the niel.

this is free on youtube dot com. wow, it's just good. first of all, the acting was incredibly solid. for it being wiliam's first time in an acting role (a lead, at that), he delivered. the chemistry between the main couple was palpable. the show only focuses on one couple, but they do also focus on the supporting characters enough for us to care about their well-beings. audiences were able to uncover why the group was initially in shambles like a scooby-doo mystery. instead of splitting time between two or three couples, we got one couple and then actual time devoted to having solid secondary character development, which makes all of these characters likable and human.

in a lot of ways, there are two relationships that we, as an audience, are focusing on. there are thame and po as well as the group as a whole. it is rare that a bl gives time and care to non-romantic relationships, which made the show a comforting and easy watch, generally building a more complete story. by the end of the show, i wasn't just rooting for thame and po, i was rooting for all of the characters to do well and to achieve their dreams. the message behind the story was simple, yet necessary for a lot of bl/idol music fans in an industry that treats people as if they are accessible to the general public, commodifying artists and performers. i think that that was especially well-translated with pepper's relationship.

i also thought it was refreshing that this was an original story and you can clearly tell that this was written with these actors in mind to play to their strong suits, which really helped sell the show to me. i also appreciate that in all of the romantic relationships present, any of the characters could have continued on with their lives without their designated partner. this was especially evident when there was conflict in the relationship, displaying resiliency and growth by both thame and po. additionally, there wasn't unhealthy codependency that is oftentimes seen in bls (just the cutesy early relationship butterflies that appears slightly obsessive).

i think it is important to note that this isn't just good for a bl. thamepo is good as a show in general and could stand alone by itself outside of the bl "genre". part of what really appealed about the whole thing to me was that there was no real "playing it cool" or acting coy. both thame and po were upfront with how they felt about one another (once those feelings were realized). i think a lot of shows pad out the run-time with really unnecessary "ooh are they going to get together" storylines fueled by a lack of communication. thamepo did not do that because they had enough actual plot that they did not need to drag out unnecessary relationship drama. it was refreshing to watch a bl where, in many ways, the romance is central, but not the main driving plot of the story.

for gmmtv, the production value was there. it wasn't just a run-of-the-mill mid type show that gmmtv oftentimes puts out to fans for the sake of making a quick buck. the budget was present and they used it well. the lighting was pleasant, the audio was normal, the sets were high quality, and the styling suited each character. the dialogue was never cringey, and it was individualized to a point where you could distinctly tell which character was delivering their lines. it seems like every year, gmmtv picks a couple of shows to actually give resources to be a high-quality production. this was one of those shows and i'm glad it was.

woohoo!!! :D

best,

the niel.