3
15
1
4
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1
Some things are quickly understood and some things take time
I was surprised by how much I liked this film. Usually, films like this one, films that get very philosophical and don't have much plot in favour of thinking about life, quickly tip over into "too much" for me. Either they are too preachy (like "The Zen Diary") or pretentious (like "Glasses") or too artificial (like "Bread of Happiness").But for some reason, "Every Day a Good Day" managed to keep to the side of thought-provoking while not getting to obnoxious about it. I can only guess why that is. It might very well be because a large part of the first half takes the time to just show the Tea Ceremony in detail -- the way it is filmed and the way the teacher comments on the details, feels much more like a documentary than a fictional story.
Added to that, the way of the tea ceremony is carefully balanced with Noriko's life -- and what an ordinary life it is! There's nothing special about her, she's struggling to find a job, she's clumsy and very mediocre both in real life and in learning the ceremony, she despairs when a young girl learns much quicker than her. Not only did she stay simply human throughout -- she does it not in the pretentious "Look at how humble I am", but in the much more relatable way of "I am not good at the things I do, but I have to try to find the good things in life, even if it's hard". Her teacher is the same, and I love her last sentence in the film (which is the second-to-last overall):
"By teaching, we are taught."
Noriko's life also echoes much of my own experience through adulthood, and when the film ends, she is about the same age as me now, give or take a few years. And I feel that the both of us look back at our life (so far) in a similar fashion -- only that she is, of course, doing it in a much more concise way, since the author surely refined her own thoughts into the essence of her life when she wrote her book.
One aspect I really loved was how the seasons were an integral part of the narrative. The crew took the time to film throughout the year -- they connected the meditative aspect of tea making with the surrounding sounds and sights of nature, and thus they managed to show us viewers how much we stand to gain from paying attention to what is around us:
"On a rainy day, listen to the rain. Savour the moment with all five senses, with your whole body. On a snowy day, look at the snow. In summer, feel its heat. In the winter, the freezing cold. `Every day a good day` So that's what it means!"
I wonder how much I would have liked the film twenty or even ten years ago? Not much, I guess. Commenters on the JFF website mentioned how much they cried, or that the film was devastating. I did not feel that at all! I felt mildly melancholic, yes, but definitely not devastated. So, I think this is probably one of the films that either speak to the viewer (and everyone would hear something different) or it doesn't speak to them at all.
Was it good?
It was a film with great technical expertise, and marvellous actors. It's obvious how much care went into showing the ceremony and into integrating it with the life of the protagonist.
Did I like it?
Surprisingly, yes.
Would I recommend it?
I have no idea. I think this is one of the films where every viewer gets something else out of it -- or not. Those who need plot and exciting things to happen, or even a neat ending, might want to stay away.
"Some things are quickly understood and some things take time. The things easily understood need only be gone through once. But those other things you come to understand only with time, little by little."
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Consequently, the drama asks: What do you want in life? Where are you going? Why are things important? Or if not, why not? Are you good enough -- and for whom? Who are you, and who do you want to be?
Both Err and Mawin will have to find their own way of navigating interactions with their peers and expectations of adults -- and in the meantime manage their first romantic feelings.
Despite the slightly ridiculous set-up of a maths camp in a hotel, I'd call this drama slice-of-life-adjacent.
Both main actors performed well -- which surprised me in a good way because Sea ("Mawin") was still rather stiff and unexpressive in his first role in "Only Boo!".
The romance took a backseat in favour of the coming-of-age, which I did not mind one bit.
Actually, I think this little drama would have worked as well, if not better, as an ensemble piece. The supporting characters -- the other students at the camp -- seem to have interesting backstories: The perpetually grumpy Mangpor, the boy with the broken arm, sunny Mhee. I am sure they would have added more depth to the themes the series touched upon.
Alternatively, the focus could have been tightened to the two main characters, that would have worked too.
But overall, I feel that the writers and the director made exactly the story they wanted to tell; I felt that there was a good attention to detail both in the screenplay and in the execution of the drama (unlike in other recent cash-grab GMMTV BLs).
However, for what it is, this short drama did what it wanted to do, not more and not less. The themes might not be exactly new, but they are certainly relevant to most teenagers.
Was it good?
It was a well-executed short coming-of-age story. I didn't feel it lacked anything there; viewers focused on the romance might feel that it didn't get enough time.
Did I like it?
I liked it well enough. I usually don't feel too strong about coming-of-age stories nowadays.
Who would I recommend it to?
To those who don't mind a story that is not that focused on the romance in favour for a more slice-of-life-leaning plot.
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However, this is not all there is to this drama. It surprised me with a goodish amount of emotional depth and a light touch of social issues. Also, it has a ghost as a main character, it's a Thai drama, after all.
Contrary to the first impression, this is not an exact imitation of those 1980's action comedies. For one, the rampant sexism and machismo is missing. Yes, the men are all *very* heterosexual, and there are quite a few jokes about that, but mostly not at the expense of a woman. Actually, despite there being only two female characters versus more than ten major male characters, these two women are the ones that have the strongest and best developed personalities.
Bam seems to be a stereotypical sex worker at first glance -- who is killed and literally fridged; but during the course of the story, she is the one character that gets the most emotional depth of all. Phing, is a woman who doesn't take anything from men -- she is the strongest character of them all. And even the men, who go out to have a party with alcohol and sex, are always respectful towards *actual* women.
(Although, on second thought, maybe it is more sexist than I feel it is? I expected much more misogyny and machismo, so I might be biased here.)
Large part of the plot relies on the childhood connection between three characters; as well as a love triangle quadrangle -- but since most of the jokes are rather tropey too, this didn't impact my enjoyment. Actually, the romance was quite well done, usually not at the front of the story, and also a bit open-ended. Something I enjoyed was how the script ties in social issues with the comedy -- it usually lightly touches upon them, and then dances away immediately. The script also is not high-energy all the time; when needed, it gives the character time to show us their personality and tells us their backstory, and it lets the emotions breathe, which is what gave the characters the needed depth to keep me engaged for the whole eight episodes.
The actors fit their roles well, and are delightful in their overacting. A special mention goes out to Pearwah Nichapat (Bam), whose character had the broadest range of emotions to show, and whose ghostly Bam I loved to watch.
Was it good?
Overall, it was a light action comedy with a lot of silly jokes; and while it made fun of certain characteristics and tropes, I never felt that it laughed at groups of people in a mean way. On the contrary, most characters are very sympathetic, even some of the baddies.
Did I like it?
I did! I was looking for something where I could just pass the time with a bit of sillyness, and then I got surprised by emotions.
Would I recommend it?
It's something one neeeds to like, and I am sure not everybody will get on with the comedy violence and the over-the-top everything.
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Combined with the artistic way of filming, the style of acting I am used to seeing in modern theatre plays , and the stage-like one-room set, "Maybe it's Love" is not easy to follow or understand.
I believe that this is one of those short films where the viewer is supposed to understand what is being said implicitely, and that we need knowledge about gay life in general, and gay life in Taiwan specifically, to really get what is not being said.
The repeated mention of "Cat"'s age ("a mature man", "an old fart") might play a major role in it. "Dog", who has a boyfriend but still goes out cruising, maybe even starts affairs with more people than just "Cat". The boyfriend, who seems to be absent for long enough that "Cat" has lived with "Dog" for a while.
In the end, both men seek to escape loneliness. But at what cost?
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This review may contain spoilers
A visual delight!
As many shorter K-BLs, this is a snack for in-between; light, without much substance but well-executed for what it is.What I liked:
* This movie is a visual delight. The actors are cute, the lighting at night is bright and fits the mood, the sets look comfy.
* The background music confirms the light-heartedness of the story.
* The story does not pretend to be anything but what it is: A light and simple love story.
* The straightforwardness of the younger guy was refreshing, I loved how he made it very clear what he wanted, without pressuring the chef.
What I did not like:
* I wish the plot would focus on either the chef's inner journey from "Is it possible I find another man cute?" to "I want a relationship with him, even if my friend wants it too!" or the love triangle. Doing both means that they couldn't do either enough justice within the time frame they had.
* Why the timeskip at the end? It did not add anything meaningful to the plot or the character development, and it took away from the emotional impact that the couple had their happy ending. Maybe it was supposed to be a set-up for a possible sequel? It would explain why the usually more stoic chef would cry so hard during the hug.
* The realist in me is pointing out that a rooftop restaurant with comfy chairs and sofas is not a sensible thing: If it rains, everything will get wet. And what about winter?
Overall, like some other Korean BL-movies, a nice way to spend an afternoon if you need something where everybody is beautiful and nothing hurts (much) -- but you won't miss anything if you skip this one.
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This review may contain spoilers
Watch it for the insights into South Korean society.
This film, from 2001, is in my eyes more interesting for its historical value and the insights it gives into South Korean society then -- and now -- than for its own merit.The story itself is okay-ish, I did not laugh that much even if it was supposed to be a comedy (there was too much violence against innocents for that). In the storytelling, the directing and the camera work we can see the roots of today's masterpieces, it's still uneven but there are also brilliant scenes.
For that, and the insights into society, I'll give eight stars.
I have been thinking for a while now that violence seems to pervade South Korean's society (which is not that surprising, considering people lived under a military regime until 1987, and also the strictly hierarchical structure that's still there). In this movie, this idea was confirmed.
Yes, it's a film about gangsters, and a comedy, so a certain amount of violence is to be expected. But let's have a look at the different situations where people use force:
1. The violence amongst the gangsters is, as I said, expected. But I want to point out one aspect -- the boss casually slaps around his subordinate. If you've seen other K-Dramas, you've probably seen this kind of violence a lot. It's only interesting in the light of ...
... 2. the bullying of the newbie by the class bully and his cronies, which is probably intended as funny. The roles are inverted, the boss is now the victim and can't fight back (because he, in turn, is pressured by HIS boss to get an education). The bully, in turn is ...
... 3. bullied by another gangs of students. Violence begets violence -- but this circle of violence is not even worth mentioning for the protagonists. Instead the main character "defeats" the bullies by beating them up.
4. Teachers slap their students around habitually. This was, until a few years ago, a practice condoned by society in South Korea. I don't know if it still is. Slapping, beating students when they are already on the ground, beating them with sticks -- all of it is obvously "okay".
4. The violence against teachers (by students, by parents) is, in contrast, very much condemned.
So, violence against subordinates, against those lower in seniority, against those lower in status -- this is absolutely all right in this movie. As media are just a mirror of society, this is what people who are now adults, have learned. You can see this in the interaction between fathers and sons, between bosses and subordinates. It becomes clear when an older man in a drama has difficulties to understand that young people (especially women, but that's a whole other kettle of fish) are allowed to speak their minds.
If you, dear reader of this review, watch your next K-Drama, maybe keep this in mind while interpreting the drama, you might see certain scenes in a new light.
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Not even Pond could save this
I will admit it, if not for Pond Ponlawit, I wouldn't have even considered starting this, and I could have spared myself hours of bored suffering.I do like the occasional Thai college BL; and didn't even expect much in the way of originality. But this one has several points I don't like, and in combination these are deadly for a series: stereotypical "top" and "bottom" characters, nonsense story, bad directing.
This will be somewhat of a rant although I tried to write it like I would for any other drama, so if you loved "Fourever You" and/or North and Johan's story, go back and stop reading *now*.
The four (potential) couples very obviously follow every stereotype there is: Each of the "tops" is older, richer, more popular, more into sports, taller, more masculine in looks than their "bottom" counterpart. The "tops" are also stereoptypically cold on the outside, while the "bottoms", at least the two we saw most of in the first episodes, are childishly over-the-top emotional.
That alone is a warning sign for me -- I do know that a lot of people like these dynamics.
The first couple -- Ter and Hill -- is at least mostly balance in their power dynamics, but that gets offset by Ter's 13-year-old mentality, which creates drama where there shouldn't be none. And where Ter is over-the-top, Hill is exceptionally bland; after six episodes with them at the center, I know *nothing* about him, except that he seemed to be in love with Ter since forever, and that he's quite well-off and does well in his studies. Their story is quite nonsensical -- we get told their backstory in short flashbacks; those are not shown chronologically, which would be fine on itself, but if we put the information together, it doesn't make sense! It seems that Ter thought Hill was dating a school mate at the same time as he had a crush on Ter's sister. Up to epiosde 8, we also saw two short scenes that don't fit into anything else. Maybe those wil be picked up again later, and I would love to know how this is explained, but it's not worth it to suffer through North's and Johan's story.
Because the second couple (North and Johan), which I have heard is beloved by fans, has the same kind of power dynamics that made me drop "Perfect 10 Liners" earlier: The "top" has some kind of power of his love interest, and abuses it to make him do things he would never do, like spending time with him, doing errands, making life decisions. Here, the power imbalance is a (fictional) debt of several 100 000 Baht North has to pay back to Johan, and it's made worse by the fact that North makes it very clear that his livelihood depends on the money he gets from his part-time jobs. Of course, super-rich Johan doesn't care, and keeps North away during working hours, which could have cost North his job. And no, Johan, buying your love interest an iPhone does *not* make up for your abusing your power.
So, I can deal with boredom, I can deal with nonsense stories, but I cannot nor will I ever be able to see how a mutually respectful relationship can ever come from a starting point like this.
And as a last point, the directing.
As I said, I started this drama for Pond Ponlawit. I noticed him first in "The Death of Khun Phra", and in "Century of Love" -- and after that I saw him in "180 Degree Longitude" and "Reset", as well as the short edutainment series "Criminal People 5G". In each and every one of these, I was blown away by how *different* the characters are. If not for the same face, I would never have guessed that this is the same actor. I wanted to see what he would do with a standard Thai BL "top" character.
So, I *know* he has talent. I *know* he has the ability to pull it off. But it seems that not even he could make a bland character without personality into something interesting.
And, watching him, it felt like Pond was directed to forcibly stop himself from acting -- sometimes there are slight movements of arms or the whole body that he stops, and then he goes back to an awkward stance with his arms hanging down at his side. This can only be because the director wanted it to be like that, I cannot think of another explanation. Maybe the director had a vision of the character that unfortunately the script didn't support (as I said, Hill has no personality at all)? I wonder what Pond would have made of Hill, if he could have acted the way he wanted under another director.
The same goes for Earth Katsamonnat, who also has shown his abilities in previous productions, although his character is already written as if Ter is a 13 year old girl, so he didn't have much leeway. And it's also very obvious that Bas Hatsanat as North did his best to give his character a well-rounded personality.
Which brings me to my last point of contention: This is one of those BLs that are very obviously aimed at very young teenaged girls, who can identify with the "bottom" roles and crush on the "top" roles -- which might make money and might also honour the heritage from Japanese BL manga -- but makes for such unrealistic behaviours that it's really hard to watch, especially if the rest is already making me want to drop it.
Was it good?
The only saving grace of the first five and a half episodes was Pond Ponlawit trying to make the best out of a character without personality.
Did I like it?
No. The drama uses stereotypes I hate, and doesn't even try to give them a bit of a twist. Once Hill became a background character, my interest droppped sharply, so I dropped the drama.
Who would I recommend it to?
I don't want to recommend this at all.
Okay, maybe to hard-core Pond fans.
And maybe to people who also liked "Perfect 10 Liners".
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So, if you want to choose, I think the movie is a bit too long to watch it in one sitting (it's easier to find your place again in a series). Forthe series, I found the flashing light and the electric noise at the start of each episode grating, especially when I have a headache.
Things I liked:
* To do an "enemy-to-lovers-trope" is not easy. You can easily draw things out too long or have a power imbalance -- if the relationship reads more as "bullying" than as "mutual antagonism" it's really hard for me to understand how they would ever end up as lovers. (Looking at you, Make Our Days Count) But here, it ends relatively early, both give as good as they get -- and especially Jang Jae Young as the first instigator backs off when he realizes that he's crossed the line.
* I also loved Chu Sang Woo's character, which reads as somewhere on the autism spectrum for me. It's done better that in the original material, imo.
* The supporting characters were great in rounding out the story.
Things I did not like:
* I think I'd have liked to see the discussion about excavators and the subsequent drawing of one on Chu Sangwoo's arm (rather than the ugly veggie thing).
Overall, the pacing was good, and even if the general storyline was predictable (which is par for the course in romance dramas), the journey of both protagonists was lovely to follow.
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Ten minutes in, and I already checked the comments here if I was the only one who was reminded of mflow productions or maybe "A Secretly Love".
Thirty minutes in, and I was ready to stop watching. To give this drama a fair chance, I finished the first episode (which means I've seen 20% of the whole drama), but no more.
So, what made me drop it?
* The show introduced too many characters too fast. If I hadn't read the synopsis, I wouldn't have known who the main characters were for a while -- and it's not very clear how many of the side characters will even be important. Having that many side characters in a series with five episodes can only mean that either most of them are not important or they won't have any personality or their own story at all.
* It feels as if too much happens at once, and at the same time, nothing at all. Scenes that could have told us something about Cake and Kla felt rushed, while other scenes seem to have no purpose at all.
* The acting is miserable. There were two or three small instance where it was good, but overall -- have these people taken acting classes at all?
* If you're doing a drama with high school flashbacks that are more than a minute long, you should choose actors who can pass as a teenager.
* I don't usually mind Thai sound effects, but there were at least two scenes when the sound effects did not match the tone of the scene at all.
* Also, in a scene with Game and Boon doing a live stream, there was an obvious cut while they were sitting in front of the camera. These kind of scenes should only be shot as one long take, or, if you can't avoid cutting for whatever reason, show something else for a bit.
* Game wears glasses without lenses.
* I couldn't build a connection to Cake and Kla at all. Who are they? Why should I care about them? It's a bit better for Kla, but Cake is completely bland -- they obviously tried to make this character fit into the "bottom"-mold with cutesy behaviour but forgot to tell us about his personality.
If it had been only two or three of these problems, then I might have continued or, at least, not give na rating. But all of these combined make for a poor drama.
I did like the setting before and during the Covid epidemic (gave a point for that), and a lot of details reminded me of that time -- but there are also questionable choices, for example, why did Kla meet with the client in person? Shouldn't have that been a video call?
We also don't get a good time line here. I thought that we were still at the beginning of the pandemic, but then Kla did a home test -- those were only available after months and months of the epidemic (at least in my part of the world).
After the first episode, I already have enough of this drama. For those who like it, enjoy!
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Might be better for viewers during a second watch
tl;dr: A simple story told in very subtle ways, with excellent acting and interesting camera work.The first episodes make this series seem like a more depressing version of "BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita" but it is not -- the dynamics and the background stories are very much different.
It's a slow-burn romance and does have the often used tropes of non-communication, self-deprecation and mutual pining -- so if you're not a fan of these tropes, you might want to give this one a miss.
The narrative choice to tell only Shirasaki's point of view first and to show Hayami's story then only later, in episodes 7 and 8, is something we've seen in other J-BLs (Mr. Unlucky, Senpai This Can't Be Love or the newer Living with him come to mind). Usually, it works fine. In this case though, I think it was not a good choice.
When we meet Shirasaki first, he is at his lowest, full of self-deprecation -- he is not at all a reliable narrator. Hayami, on the other hand, is quite unreadable -- not because the actor is bad at his job but because this is part of the character (Hayami's friend tells him exactly that in episode 7). So, for the first six episodes, we only get one (skewed) side of the story.
Because of real life issues, I had to take a break in episode 8 -- and after that I restarted the whole series. With the knowledge of Hayami's backstory, I was able to see things differently -- and what seemed depressing and a bit flat the first time, was actually just very subtle acting by both main actors.
Regarding the acting, the main actors are, in my opinion, excellent. Minuscule movements and facial expressions show the inner life if a viewer cares to look closely. Quite a few scenes have been taken in one single shot -- which shows the how good the actors really are.
Speaking of shooting the drama: I was intrigued by some camera angles -- we look through windows and through cameras, sometimes we are in vey tight spaces, feelinga bit claustrophobic -- and then some sces are wide-angle shots, and everything is only seen from a distance. Use of hand-held cameras in some scenes show the instability of the actor's emotions. Even just finding out how these choices relate to the character's emotions would make a rewatch interesting.
While I don't like the opening song, I do love the background music -- the piece itself was lovely, melancholic but strangely uplifting at the same time. Silence also played a big part in enhancing the scenes.
Overall, I think this series is not one to watch and forget immediately, rather it is to be savoured, and deserves a close look at its details.
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Third time's the charm? Not here.
They say "third time's the charm" in English, so I watched it up to the third episode. I won't watch any more.This is now almost to the one-third mark, and I still have made no emotional connection to any of the characters whatsoever (maybe the hat guy, but that's just because I like hats).
The script is formulaic -- there's the secret crush from highschool, the womanizing tsundere alpha-male-type "top", the spurned ex-girlfriend, the comedic sidekicks, the engineering setting, the sick family member and subsequent money troubles etc.
The acting is bland and uneven -- it's probably mainly the script, but also I think directing choices.
The sets show the low budget, especially in the university spaces.
The GL couple also feels as if someone said: "Oh, GL is all the rage now, let's put that in." and nobody gave even the smallest thought on how a girls couple could work. All their interactions are so ... bizarre.
The roles for the main actors feels like they tried to squeeze into ill-fitting jackets -- especially for Konprot, who they tried to make into a typical "bottom"-type of character with his gentle demeanor, soft voice and the haircut. Thing is, he shouldn't have to: "Manly" men can also have secret crushes, and just because one is the "alpha-male" type, doesn't mean the other cannot be. (That's not to say that bulky and tall men can't be soft-spoken or gentle or shy or whatever, it's just so obvious that the people responsible here thought there should be a stereotypical "bottom").
I wonder what happened here. Did they not find other actors for the script? Did they not find another script for the actors? Or was it initially planned as a parody, and that information got lost somewhere?
Because this series could have been a great parody of the Thai college BLs of past years. Everything is already so over-the-top stereotypical. Then you get a cast that is actually not at all suited for the roles -- which could be played as a strength in a parody. If the director and the actors would have been just a bit more daring to really get into the absurd side of things, I would have had a great time.
As it is, this series is one I won't finish.
Edit: Please note how I did not say a word about subtitles -- even if those were better, the drama's problems would stay the same.
Edit 2: I watched episode 8 with half an ear. "I like women. I like Konprot now." The writer *actually* did a Gay For You and wasn't even ashamed to let Pluem say it out loud?! Unbelievable...
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My Ethics Won
I debated a lot with myself over the last few days: Should I continue with "Peach Lover"? And now, shortly before the second episode will air, I decided I cannot let my curiosity win over my ethics.My dilemma was that on the one hand, the first episode has several minutes of genAI slop, ugly slop at that. But on the other hand, I was curious to know how the story would unfold.
I find generative AI highly unethical. Not only uses it stolen artwork for its generated "art", it also consumes high amounts of energy and clean water by doing so and pushes real human artists out of their jobs -- and for what? That a handful of rich billionaires get richer. That CEOs think they save money. That we get cheaply made slop sold as "art".
(And it's even worse that Po is a cover artist for novels -- one of the jobs that are endangered by genAI already.)
The thing that made me hesitate was that I was -- still am -- extremely curious to see how the story would develop. I liked the hints of a deeper backstory (even if the way the screenplay told us about the main characters' reasons for going into online sex work was *very* heavy-handed). I was intrigued by the possibility of a story that explores how sex can feel liberating, how we can use our bodies to express ourselves -- by the possibility of a story about hiding in plain sight, about being presented vs. being seen, about identity and being able to be who we are. There is a lot of potential for it to be something very, very good.
And Poom was excellent in this first episode -- maybe his partner too, we didn't see enough of him yet to be sure.
But no.
I cannot in good conscience give my eyes, my attention, and my money to greedy producers who think it's okay to cut corners ("save money") by using genAI slop instead of paying an actual artist.
This also taints everything in this production -- what else, apart from the minutes-long slide-shows in the beginning and in the end of the first episode was done with genAI? The screenplay? The set design? The background score?
I don't understand how iQiYi, Copy A Bangkok or Cheewin Thanamin can condone it and willingly put their name on something like this. And I admit it, I also don't understand viewers who support it -- if we don't make it very clear *now* that the media we consume should be ethically made and *not* use genAI, then we will see a lot more of it in the future, because producers *will* (rightly) think they can get away with it.
I don't want a future like that.
Do you?
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