2
7
Tomorrow, won't the world be a little better than today?
Slice-of-life drama about a team of prosecutors in the South Korean province, whose office branch is so insignificant that the top-most official forgets to visit them.This show is not at all flashy or fast. It delves into the everyday lives of some prosecutors, shows how they struggle to make the best possible case before they go into court.
Whoever was responsible for the sets did a great job in underlining the day-to-day of office life. I noticed that the paperwork in the offices never looks the same over time.
Regarding the cases, there are some which seem very mundane (but are important to the victims), and I liked that they are taken very seriously by the team. Usually, there are several cases which belong to a similar topic per episode -- there's no trial shown though, so we usually don't know what the sentence is going to be. The focus is on the process that comes before the trial.
Having said that, the drama is not all serious and sombre. There are a lot of hilarious scenes, that had me chuckling or even laughing loudly. The humour more prominent in earlier episodes but it's still there until the very end, unlike in some other K-dramas.
I loved that all of the team (and other people in the branch) get their own character and their own share of time during the drama -- at the end, I felt that I'd grown close to all of them.
I've seen comments on VIKI which called them a family -- it's not quite that, I think, just a very good team with people who like to spend the odd evening together, who are interested in the ups and downs of their lives -- but normally don't get actively involved in each other's private or family lives.
(If there is one flaw in this show, it's that the family lives are only brought up in one episode per prosecutor -- which is especially noticable in the case of the mother, who has altogether too much time to hang out with her colleagues, considering she has two small children at home.)
These characters are first and foremost --- people.
People have strengths and weaknesses, they might be warm-spirited or cold-faced, all of them struggle in some way or the other.
But what counts is how you face your struggles: Will you bend to pressure? Will you keep your moral compass? Will you learn from your experience? What will make you compromise? Will you be able to look at the humorous side of things?
There are no heroes; there are only people trying to do what they think is right. And if you can say "Tomorrow, won't the world be a little better than today?" (cf. ep. 16, 1:08h), I think that you've lived your life well.
I had hoped to be able to add this show to my "No Romance!" collection -- but there is just enough of a romance arc (barely) that it doesn't fulfill my rules. Still, even so, the romance is cute, nicely developed, and really only a very minor part of the whole drama.
Very much recommended!
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So, I'll just point out only some aspects:
* Trigger warnings for explicit depictions of excessive violence, suicide, human trafficking, drug use rape and forced sex work.
* The movie is very slow and quiet, except where it's not.
* The movie is definitely not fluffy. But heartwarming all the same.
* There's a love story that is told in less than six minutes, from beginning to the end -- and I still cried for both lovers. (But it's still not a romance movie.)
* The young boy actor was impressive.
* A lot of the story is told not in dialogue but in silence. The movie expects the viewer to pay attention not what the characters say, but what they do.
* When people are victims, over and over, all of their lives, is there a chance to get up again? -- The story can be read as some social commentary. But maybe not.
* The sombre tone is lightened by the group of neighbours, whose loving antics are hilarious.
This is not a movie I will rewatch any time soon, it's just too intense for that -- maybe in a few years. But I can recommend it for anyone who is not disturbed by the themes mentioned above and wants something different that engages the mind.
It's probably best if you see for yourself.
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This review may contain spoilers
Question: Is the Kim Pilheung the same character as in To My Star, just a few years younger?What I liked:
* I actually liked that there was no inner dialogue, which is there in the series -- it made things a bit more ambiguous for me, which suits the characters' developing emotional state.* I liked the acting of all the actors.
* The girl's mother was cute :)
* We still don't know what is so different at the end of the story that it is possible for the couple to be together. I actually like that.
What I did not like:
* The premise is interesting (though similar things have been done already), but things don't really add up, unless Gang Gook is in some kind of indentured servitude? If they are both 18 or so, then 15 years ago, when their master-bodyguard-relationship began, Gook must have been three years old?
* Even if he started his role later, he would still have been a minor.
* Tae Joo's father seems to regard Gook as some kind of whipping boy, which is otherwise not seen as a problem, but it is an archaic practice that should not have a place in modern society.
* All of this imbalance of power between Tae Joo and Gook is adressed several times but never resolved between them. It makes the happy ending unfinished, for me, and leaves a bad taste...
The last points of both my lists would make an excellent starting point for a second series, in which their difference in status and the need for balance in their relationship would be the main theme. (Could even be as good as the second series of To My Star, I think).
Compared to the movie, I like the series less, since the movie's music score fits it better, and also I liked that we don't get the inner monolgue, which I found more distracting than helpful.
So, overall, it's not that bad, if you can and want to watch the story, then watch the movie.
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I'll drink this cup, even though I don't like coffee.
The most stressful parts of this series are the previews for the next episode.This is a slow-paced slice-of-life drama, and although it addresses heavier topics (illness, death, financial problems, social injustice etc.), all the episodes end on a positive note.
Each episode focuses on one question or person -- but there are enough recurring characters from the neighbourhood that the shop feels like a part of the community.
The coffee shop is not just a backdrop for the stories, but the process of making a cup of coffee and the pleasure of drinking it are a integral part of the series -- even I, who do not like to drink coffee, was tempted to go and try some of these. In later episodes, the focus tends toward the beans and their origins, and that lost me a bit; my investment in the characters was strong enough to continue regardless.
Also, I liked that they incorporated the pandemic -- a lot of shows just ignore it, even though it has had a huge impact on most of us over the last few years.
The open but hopeful ending suited the slice-of-life theme of the whole show -- life does not have a Happily Ever After.
All in all, I can recommend it.
Although the show reminds me of Japanese shows like "Rokuhoudou" oder "Three Star Bar", it lacks that certain je ne sais quoi that those shows have -- so it's worth watching and I enjoyed every minute of it, but I don't think I'll be coming back.
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It's a slow and gentle story -- both the school bullying and short violence in the beginning and the initial coldness of Tae Seong's make the thawing of feelings and the beginning warmth between the couple clearer.
I really like the progression of the story, the pacing is right, the camera work is solid. I like that the young men change their hair style and their clothing when starting university. I also think both their body language changes with their changing feeling, though that point is more subtle.
There's one thing I wish would have been different. I feel that the sets and the colour palette of this series are very cool, too white, sometimes even a bit sterile. While this makes sense in the beginning (Hae Bom's room looks more like a guest room than a teenager's room -- but then again, he feels like a guest in this house), I would have like a shift to warmer colours in later episodes -- spring colours to go with the plot. Unfortunately, Tae Seong and Hae Bom's flat still looks impersonal and cold -- personal effects, a bit of untidyness could have helped. The strings of lighting, I'm sorry to say, only feel artificial to me. Still, this is something that I only can put in words now, after having watched this series several times, so it's really only a minor thing.
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Compelling -- until episode 42.
Was it good?It was one of the better adaptations for the DaoMu BiJi novels, and well-shot. It's all a bit overdramatic, and tropes have their place, but that's true for all of the Grave Robbers stories. However, the writing (or the editing) made it fall apart in the last episodes.
Did I like it?
Yes, especially the interactions between Ba Ye and the lieutenant. But I wouldn't watch it again.
Would I recommend it?
Yes, if you like action and mystery and also don't mind some romance or if you want to collect all you can from the Lost Tomb Universe.
If they'd stopped after episode 42, this series would have earned a solid 9 from me. As it is, the last story arc was crammed into 4 of the last 6 episodes, with the last 1.5 episodes dedicated to flashbacks and battle scenes. That last story arc had scenes cut, which made it almost incomprehensible. I wish they'd cut some of the romantic flashbacks, of which we had entirely too many, instead.
Other grievances:
* The show is, like all of the Lost Tomb series, quite misogynistic. All of the women are only there to serve the men's plot, one of them is even a classical case of fridging. At least they put the female characters in less revealing clothes, but that was probably because of the historical setting.
* Clichéd depiction of non-Han, "tribal" minority groups. Why would you think that they all dress the same? And what's with the face paintings? (Although, tbh, C-Dramas tend to be Han-nationalist, so it's not every surprising.)
* I would have liked to see more of the other families. Why is the drama called "The Mystic Nine" if we see three of them only in few short scenes?
But:
* The sets are better than some C-Dramas, the acting is superb, the mysteries are compelling -- all in all a great watch. If you liked the other Lost Tomb dramas, you'll like this one.
* Ba Ye and the lieutenant held the story, they are hilarious together.
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A court / crime drama that combines serious cases with slapstick humour.
Does the combination of serious cases and humour work? Yes, for the most part.If you don't like the Japanese style of comedy and typical Japanese acting, then this show is probably not for you.
There are a few scenes when the slapstick comedy is a bit too much for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed the puns.
Things I liked:
* The cases are not too simple -- although the clues are usually quite obvious, it's not always clear on the details, so they stay interesting.
* This does not matter actually, since the main point of attraction are the lawyers and their team of paralegals and how they interact with each other.
* Especially Miyama and his "boss", Sada, who absolutely do not like each other at the beginning, start to respect each others strengths, even though their professional ethics differ.
* Regarding Miyama, the show manages to balance on the fine egde between making him eccentric and unlikeable -- usually landing on the side of eccentric. I think the humour in this show makes his quirks endearing rather than obnoxious.
* A huge plus is that there's no romance plot. Yes, there are two people with enormous crushes on another person, but these are only played for laughs, and it's very clear that the other party will never be interested.
One minor thing I did not like as much: The prosecutors' side stayed too one-dimensional; I would have liked more development for them.
Recommended!
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And that's the least of the show's problems.
But first: What I liked:
* All of the actors played everything straight and took their job seriously.
* The funny scenes made me laugh, the cute scenes made me smile, the serious scenes were sombre.
* There were no technical issues.
But the story. Oh my.
I think the first, and most relevant, issue is that we as the audience do not get any clues that this is not supposed to be anything but one of the usual BL romances (or romance comedies).
Also, the production doesn't stick to one "genre" -- between scenes the mood jumps from serious to cutesy to plain silly.
The show could have been
-- either: a serious, heartbreaking story about a relationship that's come to its end, and how the couple deals with it, and maybe find a new way to be together,
-- or: a cute, maybe a bit trope-y story about a couple that tries to balance their relationship and work / college with cheesy slice-of-life-scenes,
-- or: a silly, over-the-top story that makes fun of alle the tropes of het and BL romances, maybe with some slapstick thrown in.
Considering the quality of the technical aspects and the acting (and, again kudos to all of the actors), either of the three genres would have been great!
I suppose this show was conceived as a parody, which is the only thing that would make at least some kind of sense -- but the audience needs to get clues what this show is supposed to be!
As it is, the show does not know what exactly it is (what it is is a mess) and leave the audience not only confused but also disappointed.
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In a lot of other Korean BL dramas, something is always off -- either the story doesn't make any sense (or only had old-fashioned and even harmful clichés), or the acting is stiff or the production (sets, audio etc.) lacks details or the directing is lackluster etc.
This drama has none of those problems.
The plot is is solid, if a little predictable. What's making it special are the little hints at more backstory -- especially for the two main leads, who are wonderfully vulnerable and both have scars from earlier events in their lives, which we only get hints of -- and they both accept these vulnerabilities and the weaknesses of each other.
The acting enhances this further. There are many small moments when you have to look closely at the actors, they often express their emotions through small changes in posture or even just with their eyes (I loved these moments when Son Woo Hyun shows how his character is hurt by Han Ji Woo's harsh words, and equally, how Kim Kang Min can say whole paragraphs by just averting his eyes.) Both main actors and the supporting cast are obviously invested in making this drama into something good.
The sets feel real, and with much attention to detail. In the beginning of the story, Ji Woo's home seems a bit bare -- except for the kitchen, which is clearly well loved and often used. This is the only place in the whole house where Ji Woo has left traces of his own personality -- until Seo Joon, that is. Then suddenly, decorating items start to show up (and it's clear that Ji Woo put them there for Seo Joon).
The directing puts all these things into a cohesive whole. For me, it feels as if the director had a clear vision of the story, the characters, and their backstories.
Yes, the budget could have been higher, the run time could have been longer. But I think they did what they could, and it doesn't even show too much that it was shot during the first autumn/winter of the covid-pandemic (I suppose that South Korea had quite a few restrictions back then, as did other countries).
I recommend that you re-watch this after season 2 -- there are several scenes that hit differently after you know more about the characters.
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Good for a one time watch
"Friends-to-lovers" is usually a trope I like very much, and they did it justice until Zheng Ze Shou and Fu Li Gong got together. From then on, it was rather cheesy and the conflicts too clichéd for me.The acting by the main couple was excellent, especially when they were still figuring out their feelings or what to do about them.
I also loved the two fathers and Nikita. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the second couple; especially Yuki's actor stayed bland, he mostly had the same gentle smile, whoever he looked at and however he felt -- I noticed it the most when he was fighting with the laundromat owner. It really didn't help that he didn't get any backstory (we only know his father was Japanese and died when Yuki was a child, which makes Yuki's "ohayou" even more pretentious).
The song that was used for the opening credits got on my nerves (it also was non-sensical); and the piano background music was distracting from what was happening on-screen.
It's a shame that the female roles did not get more development. The sister is unfortunately the stereotypical little sister (even though she's somewhere in her early twenties), the little girl has no personality whatsoever, apart from being a bit sassy. And Nikita's character, who was so cool and mysterious and generally an impressive woman with her own business, was ruined by that stupid and unnecessary crush.
I did like that we got to see two lawyers working together, and it was an excellent idea to have them be divorce lawyers in a romance -- the drama was strongest when the cases made Ze Shou and Li Gong think and talk about love and marriage, and reflect on their own love story. I wish the writer had used this also to resolve the conflicts of the second half. Together with maybe more time to show the father's side (because I think it's not very clear why he reacts the way he does). this would have made the second half better.
Overall, the story's flow is good, it's done well -- though not so good that I'd want to watch it a second time.
[cross-posted to VIki]
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This review may contain spoilers
Soft and gentle, communication is everything
"Monster Next Door" is one of those gentle and soft romance dramas that are more about two people of opposite characters slowly getting closer to each other and finding a good balance in their relationship than it is about external conflicts.As such, it can be either comforting or boring, depending on the personal taste and mental state of the viewer.
1. Is it good? -- It's certainly in the upper third of 2024's Thai BLs, but it's not perfect -- the overall production quality is good, acting is solid, and here are little to no plot holes. Regarding flaws, see below.
2. Did I like it? -- Yes, I enjoyed it immensely. I chose a time when I was in the mood for a light watch, with a soft and gentle couple, and this hit the spot. More on that, see the paragraph directly below this one. It's also become one of the dramas I turn to when I'm in need for some fluff.
3. Do I recommend it? -- I do. But only for those who are looking for a gentle low-stakes love story, where nothing hurts (much, or not for long), that has mostly but not only fluff.
I love how the drama shows us a couple who resolve their problems with open communication and gentleness, and try to understand and accommodate each other.
Park and Big present their roles well -- one is more reserved and sometimes you have to look closely to understand how he feels, while the other telegraphs everything. The supporting friend group is hilarious, and both couples' stories fit well within the plot. I like the sets, the use of colours -- and even the opening song grew on me.
I very much like it as a stress reliever and diversion from work and life, the drama is perfect for that.
(As an aside for those who have not watched this yet or were confused: Near the end of epiosde 1, God asks Diao to become คนคุยกัน /khon khui gan/, literally "people who talk with each other" -- it's translated as "dating" in the subtitles, which gives a wrong impression. /khon khui gan/ are two people who will meet up often, "talk" with each other, to get to know each other, with the prospect of a romantic relationship at a later stage. I don't think Western cultures have this exact same thing, so it's really hard to find an expression for it in English.)
Coming back to the drama; even if I like it a lot, there is one major and some minor irritants.
The one major irritant is Khun Shy's living conditions. Khun Shy is Diao's much beloved turtle -- for him, Diao even asks his neighbour for help, even if he doesn't quite trust him at this point. So, apart from the fact that it hurts every time we have to watch Khun Shy desperately trying to escape his prison, it also does not make any sense within the story that his cage is so small.
Everything else in both Diao and God's rooms is lovingly chosen and presented by the production team -- these rooms represent their owners in style, displayed items and colour scheme. Why then, is this not true for Khun Shy? Diao's love for him should have been reflected in the turtle's living condidtions. You can't tell me that someone like Diao, who has been obsessed with turtles his whole life and loves his own little turtle very much would *not* dedicate at least half his living space to a luxurious habitat for Khun Shy?!
It is a grave mistake on the side of the production team that they did not see this.
One very minor aspect that I found irritating is that the camera doesn't alsways get the right focus in close-ups immediately, and takes a second or two to get it right.
There are a few other minor irritants that could have been avoided with a few more passes over the script and the editing -- the whole drama does not feel as polished as it could have been. Quite a few of these things I have also seen in other Thai BL production, so "Monster Next Door" is not alone in this. But given the care the drama shows in other aspects, it's a pity that these little splinters are left.
In short, sometimes less is more, and I think it would have been better for the writing team to go over their script two or three times more to cut everything that is not necessary to the story (there are some scenes that don't add anything) and instead explore some of the themes in more detail and also use the many little ideas in the drama more consistently.
Since this review is already long enough, and the things I mention are a bit spoilery, I put them in a comment below for anyone who might be interested.
Related to that, I would have liked the drama to break out more from the "top/bottom" mold. They had the best starting point -- an introvert and an extrovert who will have to find a balance between their needs.
Why not cast the smaller man in the "extrovert" role of God and vice versa? Why not let the smaller and introverted Diao top God, at least let him "top from the bottom", instead of letting him slide back into the passive "uke" role in bed?
We got a good story about character growth, and Diao has always been straightfoward and strong when it comes to stating his own needs and wants (even in times when he needs to process and think, he usually makes it very clear). We got a beautiful story about a couple that has to find their own way, so both of their needs are met. Why not reflect that when they are physically intimate?
I think on the whole Thai BLs have been consistently getting better in quality recently, and "Monster Next Door" is on the upper end of the scale among fluffy Thai BLs from 2024.
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I like the way the story is told, the way the space the landscape itself shapes the tone of a scene, the way music also tells the story of the island's community, of their feelings and state of being. I also loved how they did the flashbacks to Nabbie and Sun Ra in 1940. The dialogue is also something to pay attention to: In some scenes words are never needed; in others, characters say what they mean, but in other words; and in some, words fall like stones into the still sea.
Only one thing, we are used to the somewhat yellowish tint in Japanese films and series -- but I felt that it was even stronger here? It must have been a conscious choice? Or else I am too used to digitally filmed media? Thinking about it, I notice that I haven't seen a colour film from the 20th century in a while.
It's sad that the film didn't capture the vibrant colours of the sea, the sky and the flowers, I think I would have loved to see that.
I'm glad that JFF provided us with additional material, especially the "Ryukyu Buyo" short (link to the video on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSX8VaAV4RQ), which helped a lot with understanding the music and why some of the scenes were acted the way they were.
The story elements of enduring love, leaving the island and coming back, community and spiritualism are probably much deeper than I as an outsider can ever see. It was lovely, and I cried for reasons I cannot explain myself.
Was it good? -- It was! It's deliberately slow, but well told, and I love the way they did the flashbacks to the old love story of Nabbie and Sun Ra.
Did I like it? -- I did. However, this is a film I have to be in the right mood for if I want to enjoy it.
Would I recommend it? -- To those who love to see something different, who don't mind a story that sometimes tells things coming from sideways. However, those who hate the colour palette in Japanese media should probably stay clear.
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What I liked:
* All of the characters in the boarding house. They each have their own personality, which we can see even though the story's so short.
* The acting. All of the actors make it possible for us to get to know the characters and their thoughts.
* I liked the friend from college, Bong Deok, the most, who showed remarkable depth of character. Kudos to his actor, I'd like to see him in more dramas.
What I did not like:
* I think they people responsible for the project chose the wrong story for their format. For these short dramas / average length movies you cannot have an ensemble drama and expect a cohesive storytelling that has enough depth to be satisfying. Something will have to be left out, and it shows. I imagine the original work this is based on is much longer and allows for more character development.
* Why did they bleep out the swear words, even put a flower over the actor's mouths? I don't understand why they did not just put a different text for the actors to speak there, if they wanted to keep their low age rating.
Overall impression:
I do not regret watching this show, as the story was cute, the characters likeable and the actors did well. But this is by no means a must-watch; we have enough BL dramas by now that we can choose those of higher quality.
If you have not yet seen it, but want to, I recommend watching the series, not the movie. Although the change between episodes is a bit annoying due to their shortness, the scenes which are not in the movie are entertaining. Also, the movie's background music is sometimes a bit too strong.
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This review may contain spoilers
Please pay no mind to the star ratings for this review. Because I admit it, I am one of those people for whom this series has nostalgic value. When I first watched it in 2022, this was only my second live-action BL drama (and my first encounter with anything Thai), and I was *fascinated*. I had been reading Japanese BL manga in the early 2000s and I have been a voracious reader of slash fanfiction for more than 25 years now -- but I never knew live-action BLs even existed until 2022. So, I was feeling slightly overwhelmed, and this makes me feel more favourable towards this series than it deserves.
Because, if we are being honest, apart from Pete and Ae's love story, this drama is not very good.
It starts with the technical side:
The colours are strangely subdued (for a Thai production), without there being a narrative reason for it. The background noise is at times overwhelming (especially in a scene where Pete, his mother and Ae sit near a fountain) -- although at other time I find it charming to hear university life going on in the background. We can hear clothes brushing over microphones in some scenes. Props are not quite what they should be (thereare props from IKEA at rich Pete's house, and school bags are often obviously empty. In some scenes the actors look as if they had to do their own hair and make-up.
The show obviously had a rather low budget; but not everything about it is bad. I love the messy dorm room -- a bit icky, probably hot -- and both the flat colours and the background noise give the university grounds a realistic vibe -- watching the young people in the canteens, on the walkways and on the football field, surrounded by the noise and heat of Thailand, I always feel that this is just one of many stories happening on the campus. It's nothing like most of the newer airbrushed and clean BL drama, which are painfully obviously set in drama-land.
If we're looking at the acting and the directing, the series is mediocre: Some scenes are full of awkward acting -- some are more watchable. Since most actores were complete newbies at the time, I can understand it -- but better directing could have helped here. There are some scenes that are outstanding though. One of them is the beautiful coming out-scene in episode 1 -- the hesitation in the beginning, the way Pete's mum suppresses her own feellings and turns away and towards Pete again and again, the tentative questions and the short but reassuring answers, until both are in tears, the hesitant acceptance in the end -- this is the kind of coming-out scene I miss in newer BLS, where acceptance often is immediate and coming out is no big deal. (And while we here, I love that Pete describes himself as "gay", and doesn't only use descriptive terms.)
And an upopular opinion, maybe: I wish they had cast someone else than Perth for Ae. Don't get me wrong, Perth does a good job (especially considering his age)! But Ae is time and again described as short, stocky and dark -- Perth is none of these. Ae's appearance is an important part of his character though, and one of his sources of insecurity, and I would have liked it bo be more obvious. Alos, I would have liked to see the visual difference between a dark, stocky and short Ae and a light-skinned, tall and lanky Pete.
And now to the most obvious flaws: the storylines. We have five couples here, which is aready too much for a fourteen episode series, and half of them are not what I'd call good romance.
The one with the least screentime is also the worst -- outright rape, and subsequent victim-blaming, which is only played for laughs? Yeah, this is where it becomes very clear that this is based on a MAME story. Since this was a Wabi Sabi production and aired by GMM25, there must have been people in charge who worked independently from MAME and should have been able to cut this from the drama? I really don't want to know what the producers and screenwriter were thinking.
The story of Tar and Tum is very flawed -- I don't really mind that they are step-brothers. Two consenting adults can do what they want, in my opinion, as long as there won't be any children (the risk of genetic diseases is just too high). The thing is, there's no consent here in the scene where Tum tries to assault Tar. What I don't like about this subplot are two things: a) the story neither begins nor ends within the series. We don't know the background if we don't know TharnType, and the story does not stop at a satisfying point. And b) Tar's trauma is not handled well. If he's still victim-blaming himself-- then why is he not still in therapy? Why does his brother not know anything about it? (He doesn't need to know details, but it's quite obviuos that Tum is completely in the dark here.)
Putting the Tar/Tum story and the No/Kengkla plot next to each other -- why? We have a guy thoroughly traumatized by rape and in the same drama, rape is supposed to be something funny? Doesn't compute at all. Why did nobody notice?
Can and Tin, well. This is a mixed bag for me. I strongly dislike the "top pressures the bottom into sexual situations" trope, so I was not enamoured with their story at first, or later. Can is clearly not in a mental place where he is ready to enter *anything* remotely romantic / sexual, and Tin is only trying to get someone so he won't be alone any more, so his pursuing Can is not about Can, only about himself. So, I was really happy with their ending -- Can got a good character development arc, where he ends up realizing what a romantic/sexual relationship could mean for him, understanding that he does not want it at the moment -- and consequently rejecting Tin. Go, Can!
I did love Cha-Aim and Pond. I love their constant bickering, love how she always pushes back at Pond whenever he gets too much. I love a woman who knows her worth, and can clearly communicate her boundaries and her wants. Pond comes across as this slightly icky, sex-crazed porn addict (and I don't love his slightly homophobic attitude at the beginning). But as we get to know him, we can see that behind his "Three S" behaviour, there's actually a guy who cares about his friends deeply, and who never judges people for who they are.
Well, and Pete and Ae? Their love story is the one reason I can't give a lower rating than I did. This is a wonderful teenage love story, with a lot of "firsts" for both of them. I usually don't like the top/bottom dynamics, which are extremely strong here (Ae is rough, strong, possessive, while Pete is meek, soft, and very shy). But with them, it fits -- here, it feels as if they are two halves ot the same whole. And while Ae is extremely possessive, he is also someone who doesn't feel as if he deserved Pete (and seeks reassurance from Pete!). Yes, Ae is clearly the dominant partner -- but as a good dominant partner should, he always chacks in with Pete and tries to be aware of any boundaries. Even the "gay for you" trope works here, since Ae hasn't had any sexual desire before.
Like with any good teenage romance, both Pete and Ae grow in the course of navigating their relationship, and are more adult in the end than in the beginning.
So, can I recommend it?
Not really. There's so many good BL series nowadays, that it's really not necessary to watch this one.
On the other hand, Love by Chance *is* one of the classics which laid the groundwork for following works. And Ae and Pete are just adorable. Should you decide to try it, you should be aware of the show's many flaws and prepare yourself for a rather explicit rape scene in episode 14. Or you can just fast-forward through all of the scenes with Kengkla (No alone is okay) and with Tum or Tar in them. You won't miss anything.
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Light, soothing, slice-of-life
This is an absolute gem among family-themed series. It's feel-good, light and easy to watch on a hectic day with its short 15-minute episodes.Let me highlight some of the things I loved:
* I am most impressed by the child actors. It's no simple feat for a child to portray a character so consistently as they do.
* I love that the two families are not your picture-book families (Mum, dad and their two kids). One is a family of four boys, who live their lives without parents, the other consists of a divorced mother with her two kids who live with their grandfather. Both families are shown as full of love for one another, as they navigate typical problems with school, growing-up, parenting etc.
* While it might not be very common that four boys continue living with each other after their parents passed away, the difficulties in the drama are real-life problems that most of us have had at one time or another -- I think viewers of all ages can find something to relate to here. Problems are always resolved by good communication and assuming that the other person acted not out of malice but well-intentioned.
* While most of the episodes lean into a more comedic style, and there's plenty to laugh (with the characters, never at them) -- the loss of the brothers' parents is not once taken lightly. There were several scenes that made me cry.
* All of the recurring characters are fleshed out, with their own story to tell -- and they are accepted the way they are by the others.
In some episodes, you can clearly see the manga heritage -- there are a few that are more supernatural in nature, which some viewers might find jarring, and there are some episodes that are clearly over-the-top.
I admit, at first, I wasn't too enthused that this is another drama about four male characters -- but after a time I noticed that a) there are more than enough well-rounded female characters with their own story, b) with a girl in the family some dynamics would have changed, and not for the better, and c) it takes the opportunity to gently subvert gender tropes. The oldest brother takes on household chores (cooking, cleaning etc.) willingly, and does them really well without outside help, and the younger borther pitch in. Except for one instance, nobody doubts that a man can care for his younger siblings. The divorcee neighbour is a police officer and while she is at work, her father cares for the kids (and the youngest brother).
Overall, this is a gentle and soothing series, perfect to watch if you need something that makes you feel happy.
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