shriek

plot got lost in the glitz and glam

Oh how excited I was for this series. So many possibilites on how this could‘ve turned out.
The watching experience throughout the whole series was - generally speaking - okay to good. It made me want to continue watching. But it could‘ve been so much better if the writing would‘ve been better.
Too many characters that all had an open plotline that just got loosly tied in the end or just ended abruptly.
Let‘s go through them:
(points that start with: - are original review points, the ones with: + were added later)

Calvin and Jay
- they were pretty much irrelevant for the main plot. They could‘ve been scrapped and nothing would‘ve changed.
- their conclusion in the last episode felt very out of nowhere and not believable at all. I wished it didn‘t happen.
- what I would‘ve done: not tell anyone that Net and JJ play in this drama, only have them as cameo characters, show them meet at the academy and during the protests (Calvin trying to hide in the masses), and then maybe how Calvin watches the competition. What great promo that could‘ve been for a standalone series that could‘ve been announced during or after the airing of the series. Aah. That would mean more lore about Emmaly and Bhujar.
Because their story is interesting enough for a separate series: A prince who was sent to another country because his father and/or brother(s) don‘t want him to compete for the throne. As normal exchange student Calvin meets (and falls for) this guy who is very much not happy with the monarchy (everything Calvin stands for) and tries to change it with all he has. Calvins search for who he is and where he stands/belongs. And Jay‘s fight for justice and being in love with a royal (aka what he despises most). I would watch that.

Princess Ava
Oh Ava, you were my favourite to win the competition. I wanted her to become queen.
- I needed more of her (and her bodyguard, they had great chemistry. +the kind of chemistry I wished was between Khanin and Charan)
- for her to withdraw felt so counterproductive. She wanted that change so badly and then for her to back down because she got hurt is Argh! What was the point of her fighting in the first place then? She was just used to display the misogyny in Emmaly and her own family. To betray her motivation like that. Frustrating. Misogyny won once again.
+ her dynamic with her father is also interesting. (As a daughter myself:) to go against your parent(s) belief like that is hard. And to realise they think that way is devastating and disheartening. I thought Ava could do it. Together with Mira and the fresh outside support of Khanin.
- So her and Khanin becoming friends made sense but we saw too little of them bonding/interacting other than supporting each others standpoints during/after their speeches.

Ramil and Paytai
- there definitely needed to be more of their story. Quite the heavy story but what we got was not enough.
- their conclusion kinda made sense and was emotional but left me with questions: How are they gonna deal with all this now? Will they have to hide from Ramils controlling father? He definitely wouldn‘t let Ramil go like that. And the family of Paytai? He said he‘s the son of a politician sent to serve the royal family. Knowing Ramils father he might let something happen to Paytais family to get his son back. Their story just left so much ground for more plot. And not just for what happens after the series ended but also during. The breaking point of Paytai. Ramils breaking point. Those both needed some more time on screen.
- I wished (and kinda expected) Ramil would‘ve become friends with Khanin and also Ava (since they had a learned rivalry going on since childhood) in the end. So he could have this spark of hope of a different way of living, hope for change, some stability when it comes to support, friendship and family. And his struggle to accept this kind of acceptance and love.
+ and the abuse Paytai had to endure all these years… that must‘ve left more scars than we saw.

Khanin and Charan
- Khanin never wanted a title? Well, after being a little hesitant in the beginning he seemed to adapt very quickly and was very ready to fight for that title. Even if it was just for his family. +He never said or acted like he didn’t want the title once he was in Emmaly, until the end. Felt a little like one of those „it was all a dream“ endings. We went through all this for what?
- From Charan I needed some more visible inner conflict. Duty versus love. What seems right/appropriate or wrong to him. +his (family‘s) duty to the king versus his passion for art (what wonderful parallels). +Being the older, more mature person that is not giving in *this* quickly to Khanins advances. Also what was that all about?
- They got together way too quickly. I needed more hiding, stolen moments, yearning for each other. +Chakri getting in their way on purpose (at first) and telling Khanin off to not get involved, to act like a proper prince and all that. Which may cause Khanin to try and run away or to his new friend Ava. +for them getting together this quickly it took Charan ages to say ‚I Love You‘ back. I didn‘t really understand why.
- Although I liked the bold moves of Khanin, like them dancing with each other in front of everyone. That was a good way of making the folk warm up to him as possible next ruler. Which makes the ending of him basically giving up his title so ugh. They could‘ve done that dancing moment at the end.
+ them kissing this early in the series was exciting but then adding that Emmalian First Kiss lore to it to then not mention it again? I partially saw that Charan was working through what just happened vs. what he learned & believed that just got shattered by this London Boy. But it wasn‘t enough imo.
Could‘ve been a nice touch for Charan to mention that kiss again before he proposed…
- Them getting engaged in the end… It just felt too soon (Idk how much time has passed since the competition). That just felt like a reasoning for a special episode in which they get married. Will it be a royal wedding or a modest one in London? The latter would make more sense since both gave up their positions in Emmaly. (but honestly I would rather want to see a royal Emmalian wedding)

The royal heirs as group
- as I said earlier I wanted them to become friends. First Khanin and Ava and joining a little later Ramil. Them going out together was a good start.
- And then when the competition was won by whoever they would change the current way of ruling to them ruling together as a council. So every part of Emmaly has an equal right to have a say. But the fact that the father of whoever won would become ruler ruined this possibility from the beginning. That fact irked me since it was explained.
- I full on expected Ava to win so the other couples could go be happy without the responsibility of being the heirs.

Some more questions and thoughts:
- Why are we forgiving the Grandpa King so easily? Just because he is about to die? He was a bad bad ruler. Where are the consequences for his actions? Why did not more try to assassinate or overthrow him?
- How is Jay‘s sister doing?
- What happens to Wasins part of the country? I have a faint memory that they said something about that but already forgot.
- Were the writers too scared to write something too anti-monarchy since Thailand still has a monarchy? A constitutional one but still.
- While we got a bunch of action and some attacks I wished there would‘ve been more thrill. Thrill in who is scheming, who is attacking, is it one group or person? Will someone die? All this happened but in a out of the blue way. No time to try and figure it out yourself or to feel the thrill.
- What about Ramils father? He‘s a violent controlling person in power. How will that play out for his part of Emmaly? Will he cooperate now that he can‘t be the king or will he keep scheming to get the throne?
- the roles of the fathers were interesting but also odd. idk how to put it into words rn. Will maybe add a point about the fathers in the near future.
- There was always a a disconnection between Khanin and his biological father. That needed some better writing as well.
- all the mothers seem to have died in some tragic way. And where was Charans father? Or rest of family? Was him getting adopted by the king the only option? And would he be eligible for the throne because of that? If Khanin didn‘t want to come to Emmaly or surprisingly passed away before the competition was Charan the kings back up plan? Why else would he be trained to be good in so many things? Why was this not a part of the plot? The king constantly reminding Charan that he‘d be next in line in case something happened to Khanin. What an interesting dynamic this would‘ve created between Charan & Khanin. I never really believed the king cared about Khanin anyways, just about his family staying the head of Emmaly.
+ the title „The Next Prince“ suggests Khanin is going to keep his title… and then he leaves after he gave the people of Emmaly so much hope. Idk if I would trust the son of the King who made and kept everything so horribly. Might be a reason for a coup.
+ the detective friend of Charan was there but also not really.

And some good things to end this review:
+ creating a whole kingdom with lore and political dynamics was very fun to see.
- I absolutely loooved the costume design. They were so beautifully made. Chapeau to that.
- Loved the settings. Some beautiful parts of Thailand (I assume) were shown here. And that we started in London was very nice.
- Also loved the little „Emmaly Gossip“ segments (mainly on insta).
- the fan service was insane. And with that I mean that parade of them for the first episode airing when they were dressed in character. How can you not get excited when you see that?
- I am a little immune to noticing whether the acting was not so good unless it‘s blatantly obvious. So that was good to me. Especially liked Jimmy and Ohms performances. Bie as Rachata/Ramils father was scarily good too. +Ballchon (Chakri) and Kris (Ava) were great, too. Will look for other projects with them.

I had more thoughts than I thought and there will probably be more once I read other peoples reviews.
Anyways: Thanks for reading :)

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fun concept, (partially) messy execution

Times watched: 2x

The first time I watched this series I was still quite tainted by „Middleman‘s Love“. Back then it definitely affected my perception of Tutor and Yims characters in this series.

The first five episodes were solid. The back and forth between the fictional world and ‚reality‘ felt very fluid, was cool to see and made sense, the plot was built up nicely and I had my good fun with it. So I already was like: „wow. I am so glad I am rewatching this. This is so fun“
But then it got messy, unfortunately. So here‘s what I disliked:

That Sin went on vacation was out of nowhere. Before as well as after his little side quest he was only relevant on a side character level. If there would‘ve been some build up to him going there and it affecting the plot of their novel I‘d be fine with it. But like this… it felt a little like a waste of my time. The couple‘s chemistry was good, though. So why not use it?

Then they introduced the „enemy“ Intouch/Mohly. He was teased a bit but it was so subtle I definitely did not pick up on it on my first watch. His introduction was too late and too soft. I wouldn‘t even call him an enemy, let alone a (love) rival. He wasn‘t petty and jealous enough. All the problems he created were resolved… quickly and quietly.

The plot of their novel/fictional world got a bit confusing as well (when all we got for a while were the NC scenes). I couldn‘t follow it anymore, I didn‘t know what it was trying to tell me. Did it still have a connection to the ‚reality‘ plot? Idk. Wasn‘t there something about plagiarism in it too? Where did that go?
At least in the ‚real‘ world they got back on track, somehow. So the last 2.5 episodes were good again.

Unfortunately the acted out chat room reminded me every time that Sin and especially Jao Samut were kind of just there and forgotten. I wished they were more actively included, so their little storylines would not feel so out of place and unnecessary. Either completely turn them into side characters or make enough room for them.

But there were definitely more things that I liked:
- the concept is fantastic. I love it.
- the production value was high and you could see it.
- Tutor and Yim were so fun to watch, their lovey dovey acting felt so natural. There‘s still potential upwards but more on the side of writing and directing.
- The NC scenes that were written for the fictional world being the more spicy ones (at first) made me giggle, a subtle but nice touch.
- Shan and Ob Aun‘s childhood story was good. And the actors portraying them did a very good job in my opinion.
- Shan‘s character felt the most consistent in the way he always could provide guidance in what to do in times of crises.
- The chat room being acted out was actually a cool touch, since they couldn’t really meet in person. Also showing how the room represents the mood of the group. Them being in Pyjamas or onesies to represent their avatars/icons. Fun.
- Ozone and Pie‘s story drew all the attention to them at some point. And it worked so well. Mark and Gems really created great chemistry. I needed more of their story.
- The part with the accidental posting of the wrong pen name and then how they resolved this mishap was stimulating my brain. They should‘ve made that a longer part of the plot where Intouch would play a bigger part in it as well.

It‘s always so frustrating to see the potential the story could‘ve had:
- I would‘ve loved it if the 5yes and their love interests all would‘ve appeared in the fictional world in some way. A way that made sense.
Generally it would‘ve made sense if the personal life of each 5yes member would have influenced their (part of the) story (a little more than we were shown):
- for Ob Aun, Shan, Ozone and Pie it doesn‘t need much more but for Sin, Jingjang and Jao Samut it would‘ve made sense so their parts wove into the rest of the plot better.
- That sometimes the fictional plot will tease things that have not happened yet in the ‚real‘ plot. Like the Snake King/Pie falling for his employee/disciple while Ozone/Shin‘er having no idea about it. Or Ob Aun starting to remember some parts of his childhood. Or the proposal.

Overall it was enjoyable. It was worth the one rewatch. Won‘t return to this for a while though.

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room for a third season?

I can‘t add much more than other reviewers. It was fun, silly, a little over the top and short. I enjoyed every episode even though it wasn’t much different from S1. They even pointed that out in the last episode. There wasn‘t much - if any - character development compared to S1. We see how far Akafuji or Hajime are willing to go and do stuff in secret instead of talking to each other.
(As always) I love the usage of inner monologue in japanese dramas, that makes the miscommunication trope way more interesting and bearable.
While there was more about the managers relationship in this one I wished there was even more about them. They seem to be AkafujixHajime 2.0. So, how will their relationship turn out in the long run? They seem a little more grounded/mature compared to AxH. Need some answers there.
And in the end there seems to be hints for a possible third season. I‘d be open to watch that.

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I hate Sorn… so much

*inhale* * exhale* It‘s just a fictional character.
So. Up until like episode 8+, or whenever Jun had enough of Sorn‘s behaviour, I put up with it.
There wasn‘t much story to begin with. This series lived off of the characters and their relationships. And once it came to Sorn having to redeem himself and failing this hard (in my eyes) it was over for me. I could not continue. I kinda still had the hope Jun would stand his ground (get together with that delivery/restaurant guy) and not let Sorn back into his life because he knew exactly what Sorn was doing… but through social media posts I could see that they‘d get back together and That I did not want to see. Two episodes left and not even a glimpse of possible change on Sorn‘s part, no thank you. Even if he changed, this is just not enough time to change my mind about him.
Ugh. It‘s been weeks since I stopped watching and I hoped that would help write a review and yet my anger has been refueled so much it blurrs my thoughts.

Jun had quite the development in character. He noticed what he wanted and needed, what is wrong, what is too much for him and showed an immense amount of emotional maturity compared to Sorn. Setting boundaries is hard, especially when you‘re very used to getting them overstepped. It feels completely wrong and scary. And Sorn knew that, that sleazy SOB.
That conversation in the warehouse was my last straw… 🤬 Sorn really knew that all he had to do was say „I like you“ back, make a few half assed promises and good is. And he barely managed to do that. As soon as he saw how Jun‘s wall started to crack he didn‘t really care about anything else, just that he could slither back in and get his „possesion“ back. He did not respect any of the boundaries Jun put down. Jun clearly said to not kiss him with tongue and next thing Sorn does is exactly that. Trash! Trash, trash, trash!
Now that I wrote it out it‘s so clear: Sorn saw Jun as his plaything that he could fully control, coerce to whatever sexual thing wherever and whenever he wanted and as soon as Jun refused and put boundaries he first got more aggressive about keeping his control and then when Jun left he acted like a child whose toy got taken away. UGH.

And Jun‘s friends… they supported him sure, at first. But as soon as Sorn looked a little pityful they tried to convince Jun to get back. Trash them as well.

But I guess props to Boat (& the writers) for playing(writing) the character so well it made me eternally hate him. Too bad it also made me stop watching the series. He could’ve worked very well as the villain in another story.
Also kudos to Oat, his performance as Jun was great. And them together worked well, I guess. I hope to see them in another drama where I will like the characters enough until the end.

The boss and his employee‘s story airtime was a little too spread apart. A little more frequency could‘ve been beneficial. Their story got completely overshadowed by the main couple. I can‘t remember enough to comment on their relationship development. They had issues, too. Issues that should‘ve been explored more.
And up until I‘ve read a review that mentioned the GL plotline I had forgotten about them. I mostly skipped their parts because it felt weird, disconnected from the rest and hence out of nowhere that those two got together. Other than one of them having a fling with Sorn and working at the same place or just the same industry? idr, they had no connection to the main cast. Kind of a waste. :/

Overall there was just so much more I did not enjoy than enjoy. A toxic character can be interesting and „fun“ but this was just too much for me.

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