solipsism5

Well thought out! In an earlier comment I said that I was satisfied with Phob's reasons for the long-term separation, but not all the way. Having had a partner, I remember being frantic when I couldn't get a hold of him for a couple of days, so I just wonder to some degree at the lack of motivation for these two to get back together. In dramas, we don't like to witness the lives of emotionless people - I like to see dramas with people that are more emotional than I am. I feel like these guys in this drama are actually quite sensitive and think they should have pursued each other more intensively [which would have been more consistent with their character]. I also think their reaction to their four year separation is sort of weird. Again, if my lover had been gone for four years I think I would have been devastated and would have needed some intense therapy (I'm really not exaggerating). I would expect these guys to be at least at that level, but their reaction was kind of tepid. I felt Nut was like, "Oh well, I guess you were gone for four years, dying of cancer, and whatnot, but sure glad you showed up." [I know he was more emotional than that, but I'm exaggerating for effect here]. If I was doing this production I would have a few scenes of Nut going to Bangkok and searching for Phob with what few hints he had and, perhaps, giving up after several failed attempts [looking desolate or desperate]. Phob might have been depressed and self-isolated himself, but an emotional person might finally give in to his need for a personal connection and rush back to see Nut at some point. Perhaps at least one scene of Phob making an attempt to see Nut but then giving into his depression and heading back to Bangkok {looking defeated and self-loathing] could have been added. That would have been at least one way I would have explained their long term separation that would have been more impactful and artistically satisfying. I'm sorry for going on about this for so long and I believe they did at least explain this better than in other BL's like My Bromance, or Fighting Mr. Second. I think relying so much on flashback rather than showing the emotion and heartbreak was a bad choice, but it could have been worse.

I felt this show could have been a real gem. It would have been below ITSAY, but it would have been a BL classic. It just needs a little tweaking. If you have the money, we could always remake it ;-)

BTW One great thing about the show I mentioned, Vikings, is how they have a lot slow scenes that work amazingly well - something someone like Mean could have learned from.

This was a moderately well done series [by my low standards for BL's] but it's very strange and has to win the prize for the most flashbacks ever squeezed into a drama in cinematic history. I think a lot of it has the aspects of a student production, and, hypothetically, some instructor would probably have told Mean to cut out all the extraneous material including the long pauses, and repetitive dialogue, and curb back on the flashbacks, as well as having him fix a lot of the sloppy editing. Some people learning their craft get stuck in a certain mindset and Mean obviously could have used some guidance here. I certainly think he has potential but there were just a lot of strange choices that didn't really add anything artistically. One of the other big flaws is the plot and the usual silliness of the unrealistic long-term separation of the main leads. There was also this weird death of Phob's parents that was just mentioned sort of off-handedly with no follow-up.

The good points of the series was that there was only one main couple and most of the annoying BL tropes were avoided. I have very low standards for BL's so I'm just happy to have a simple drama with some romance rather than a silly emotionless hunt for a hook-up between two straight guys that inexplicably fall for each other. The female lead is about the best I've ever seen in a BL - she was portrayed very realistically and had a lot of depth. There was a great deal of nostalgia in this series that I found rather captivating and might be my favorite aspect of the series. They did a great job recreating the early 2000's with the flip phones, the ancient computers, and the even more ancient payphone [where did they find that beast?}. I liked the little touch where Nut is opening up the computer to read the file from the ancient Word 2000 - I haven't seen that in 20 years [it brought back memories of clippy the little typing assistant, lol].

Is this series great? OMG no, but I just watched the 3 worst BL's I've ever seen in my life [Nitiman, Top Secret Together, and Hometown's Embrace], and so this seemed like a near masterpiece by comparison. On a side note, I was so disgusted with those last series that I stopped watching BL for a moment and watched Vikings - a dark poetic work of genius. Vikings is probably the polar opposite of BL's, and I can thank all these terrible BL's for leading me there, so thank you Nitiman and company for your awefulness.

Just don't. The main couples are cute as hell, but you will be disappointed by what happens to them. If you want, just watch the first few episodes and the beach episode near the end and imagine your own ending because it will definitely be better than anything you'll find in here.

It's definitely in the bottom tier. I've seen some other totally crap series, but this is the worst I've seen in a while. Hometown's Embrace is worse, but it had a very low budget. Who the hell let this get so out of hand? It wasn't so bad in the beginning except for being kind of slow.

Top Secret dumb F@#ckery is finally over. The top secret part was what total crap the show was - it was mostly revealed in the last 4-5 episodes. What a total waste of time. I forgave the stupid sweaters, and the one thousand side couples for much of the series, but the slow destruction of the plot was just too much. The stupidity of the show slowly built to a resounding climax of idiocy in the final two episodes. Phob really loved Eak obsessively and said he couldn't live without him, so why does he drop him to pursue a random person that is kind of interested in him? I'm not buying it. More dumb f@#ckery. Can't we get even a smidgen of what is going on with Lukmo and Simai after the intense series of events that occurred with them? Nope, we just get a totally empty scene that could mean anything, except for the fact that Lukmo seems happy to see Simai (duh). Thanks a lot Star Bangkok for wasting 15 weeks giving us absolutely nothing.

This is really a nice episode. I think it went off much smoother than the others and the conversations were all rather philosophical in a rather homespun way. I found it rather soothing but it feels like there is a lot of tension or a lot of upcoming turmoil, like the calm before the storm.

I like the mature relationship of Note and Tar. They feel like a great couple and we have so few in BL's. I also like how self-deprecating Note is after giving his advice to Nut, saying how cowardly he is. It's always irritating to have a know-it-all character dispense advice like a wise sage.

This episode is flashback heavy, but I've come to think of it as a stylistic choice for this drama. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with having so many flashbacks, as long as they are not completely superfluous.

Certain parts of this episode almost have a dream-like and impressionistic quality which I thought was a nice artistic touch. I'm thinking about the lighting in the last scene and the semi-redundant, almost hypnotic dialogue there as well.

It was also nice seeing how supportive everyone is to Nut throughout this whole episode which is really very touching. I, nonetheless, feel some trepidation because things are just a little too placid and unnaturally positive. I expect that there is some serious trauma coming up. Even though I don't want to see that, this was a nice set up for some heart rending scenes coming up.

THE TERRIFYINGLY BORING PHONE EPISODE WITH NO SUBTITLES.

If you are insane you might enjoy this. Since there were only about 5 people left watching this show they decided to scare the rest of you off with this latest installment. As if the show couldn't get any worse, they decided to slam down on the accelerator straight into cinematic hell.

Although I don't like sad BL's, I really liked this episode. I still think 4 years is too long to go without reaching out to your best friend [on both sides], but I think they made some attempt at explaining this which is better than in other BL's. I could imagine being in Phob's place. It must be deeply depressing so he might not have reached out to Nut because he felt a need to isolate himself. I want you to compare that scenario to My Bromance or Fighting Mr. Second where the reasons are absolutely absurd. I also like that they went into detail about the cancer this episode so I don't have to wonder all day about what Phob's condition is.

This was a heart-breaking episode and I think this level of tragedy in a BL is definitely strange, but I'm giving it a pass because it feels really authentic. I really really want to see Phob get better and hope this doesn't end in a mind-numbing tragedy, but, somehow, I like how much I'm feeling the pain of this situation. It just draws me in into this world of Phob and Nut and makes for a super-compelling drama.

I didn't mind the pacing this episode at all because I think it fits the sombre tone. In general I would like to see some more BL's with a slower pace like this without some of the eccentric quirks we find here.

I must admit, I really like Pat. I find her to be one of the most empathetic and realistic gay friends in a BL I've ever seen. She doesn't feel like one of the normal cardboard cutouts. I almost sense that Phob couldn't have survived without her support - I think she just conveys that with a very mature demeanor and some gravitas. She's a very saintly character and is really a great contrast to most of the female leads I've seen in BL's.

Overall an excellent episode which has removed a lot of my concerns with this show. I find the relationship with Phob and Nut much more engaging and romantic now. I really would love this couple to have a happy ending more than I ever hoped for any other BL couple.

That was some great comedy! I loved the battle of the two boy bands this episode.

If it wasn't for grandma, this whole drama would be without any hope or a single redeeming quality. It seemed like all the spiritual energy of this series was channeled into her, leaving everyone else lifeless and featureless.

I must admit I was really entertained and was just unable to stop laughing through much of this, so I guess good job? I think this would have been a lot better, though, if they had a shower scene in the middle of the fight with some of that Ex-White soap. Is someone thinking that sounds implausible? I guess you haven't been paying any attention, then.

Wow that was a bad episode. I think this series manages to piss everyone off - the normal BL crowd and the more artsy group. It does nothing to appeal to anyone. I've lost patience with it and see nothing but a child-like effort at creating a drama. It's directionless and spiritless. It seemed like it might go somewhere with the dramatic plot of Simai and Lukmo but that devolved into a meaningless putrid heap of implausible storylines. Now Simai is willing to just leave Lukmo for his own good? Forgetting that Lukmo and he have to be separated because they are prone to fall into an incestual relationship (which they have already broken off), how is Simai just going to abandon Lukmo after he's been abandoned his whole life? It goes against the grain of Simai's saintly character. It is totally heartless. Somehow, though, I bet this will all be reversed again in another lame plot twist. I give up. I deserve a reward for having stuck around this long [or is that derision for being so stupid]. I still think the two main couples are very adorable, and will look at this as a study in the foolishness of wasting time over cute boys. I'm sure I will need at least another 1000 lessons in this to get over my illness.

I misspoke about the pacing. I generally do like it. I'm just pointing out the times where it is unnecessary and I completely agree about the meaningless pauses [and that is a perfect example of what I was getting at]. I think Mean did a good job for a first effort, but I hope he learns to work on the details next time around. I think he might be patting himself on the back for doing something more artistic but he's not disciplined enough to make this show into the real gem it could have been. I hope I'm not being too premature here and genuinely wish him the best in pulling this off. I think he has a lot of potential - I just hope he doesn't get too full of himself.

I was thinking the same thing about the bone cancer. I was looking up the stats and a localized case of bone cancer has a pretty high survival rate of about 80%. To me that is still too high a risk but I guess they can play off Phob's reaction to it as being part of his blithe happy-go-lucky personality. I still agree that all these details need to be explained better. Phob has been very enigmatic this whole series and it's getting irritating. This last episode had a plethora of mysteries that I find to be cumbersome to wade through. This is not a whodunit. I feel all this is a distraction from the romantic elements of this series. Hopefully you are right about that plot twist, and I'm jumping the gun here. I do want this series to do better because I like the risk they took doing something so different.

I'll agree with everyone about the pacing this episode. There is no meaning to all these different scenes being so protracted, and now it does feel indulgent of the director to leave them in there. The scene with the yo-yo was unnecessarily prolonged. I got that the yo-yo triggered a memory but just one cut with a reflective look on Phob's face would have sufficed. I'm just mentioning this one, but there are many others in this episode.

I still don't like this 4 year long separation thing and it was handled totally weird this episode. First of all, before even discussing that, Phob says that both his parents were killed and gives no explanation as to how it happened. Phob just smiles that one off in a way that seems almost cavalier to me. One year is not enough time to be reacting so casually about this, and it's not like they were senior citizens - this had to be a tragic death of some kind. Somehow this is presented in the middle of Nut asking him about the 4 year separation and I was almost like I don't care about your parents dying, because I'm more interested in finding out about why you left without any explanation. This is just very sloppy screenwriting. I was also distracted during this whole time by Phob's weird non-chalance both about his parent's death and his total disregard of Nut's feelings for 4 years. He seems like some sort of emotionally disturbed person, though I'm sure that is not the intention of the writers here. Also I don't buy Nut just not being interested anymore about why Phob just left the way he did. Maybe not that night, but sometime later in the episode he should have brought it up again. When Phob first met him after 4 years he was about to pretend to not even know him - an understandable reaction but not one of someone who is now acting saint-like.

I still like this drama much more than most, but if I judge it outside of the BL genre, I would probably rate it pretty low. As JPNY mentions below, these are very unemotional kisses for people that have been separated for so long, but I expect that in BL's. I was just thinking, that's better than your average BL with it's one little peck of a kiss for the entire series. I also think there was not much emotion for the post-coitus dating scenes, but I'm used to seeing this in a normal BL. All we got was the one almost kiss at the beach, but that's as much as I would expect. If this were a straight drama I would simply be in total disbelief, but I find I've become used to this lack of emotion from BL couples. I know this show is supposed to better and more realistic, but maybe we are setting the bar too high here.

What I still like about the show is the focus on one main couple and all the difficulties posed in an ongoing relationship. They do spend a lot of time on character development, and focused much more on the romantic side of a gay relationship. There is definitely a lot of room for improvement and, in no way does this come close to approaching an ITSAY. There are just too many mistakes in the script, cinematography and directing. I also appreciate that Mean did remove a lot of the schtick and tropes that plague the other BL's creating a unique kind of show. I still think I'll have a pretty positive review for this show when it's done, and I wish more BL's would pursue this kind of BL format [while tightening things up with the script, directing, etc.]

This is a really good series so far. I'm just going to mention the positives for the time being, because I do have a few qualms with this show.

The story-telling is fluid and very impactful. Most Thai series have a clunky plot interspersed with a lot of schtick and little thought is taken of presenting a cohesive artistic drama. The story is also more meaningful unlike most Thai series with a nice look at coming of age from a gay teen's perspective - issues of separation, loneliness, and incipient romance. Some people have called this more a gay drama than a BL and there is certainly a case for that here. I believe it could be looked at as both. If you drew a ven diagram of when gay themes appear in either kind of series/movies they would completely overlap, but certain things appear in greater percentages in BL, or gay dramas. For instance, we see a lot more gay couples in gay dramas but you occasionally see them in BL's.

Probably for the teenage female audience watching this show, this is probably not the mix they prefer. It seems like this show is exploring a real gay relationship rather than a fantasy one which is definitely far more to my liking, but is probably why the ratings aren't that great. I'm thinking teenage girls like to fantasize about straight guys making out, and are disturbed to see so much emotional attachment being expressed. Now, this is just a subjective opinion, so please don't get all worked up about it.

I like all the slow pacing in this series. I agree with FrothyMix below about this. Emotional scenes need some time in order to resonate. I loved the scene in the bed and the languorous pacing there. I don't see any need to rush it as if it was required by some BL formula. I saw the flashbacks people were objecting to, but I thought they offered some nice explanations of the budding relationship - the first one explained how Phob was a compassionate protector, and the second how he was an empathetic friend. I didn't find them to be frivolous or redundant. Dramas, in general, are typically fast paced, and a director is always taking a chance slowing things down. In Apocalypse Now, Coppola took a risk having Colonel Kurtz be revealed for the first time in a very dark room speaking very slowly [and unintelligibly], but it worked amazingly well on an artistic level, conveying a strong emotional tension. I think a lot of the slow scenes do work here, and I do not look at them as being indulgent excess.

The thing I do not like about this series so far is the 4 year separation without explanation. I think this is a serious flaw that will most likely not be resolved. I've seen this happen before in other dramas and it has almost never worked, so the likelihood is slim that it will be explained away in this one. In Tess of the D'Urbervilles there is a long term separation of the main couple but it is explained from the beginning and it makes sense, but only because one of the mains had a serious flaw in his understanding of the relationship. I've seen many other dramas where this is not explained and I'm not for it. It is a very misguided narrative device used to create dramatic tension that is kind of dysfunctional - it barely ever works. I think it's going to really hurt the overall cohesiveness of this show, but I'm willing to overlook it and move on. It might lower my rating a few points, but I think the show is, overall, very good. We could do with a lot more of BL's of this variety, so I'm not complaining that much. The only other thing I worry about is that this show might end up too tragic, and turn out like our typical 50's style drama where gay people are supposed to have irremediably doomed and tragic lives. I hope that is not the case, but I feel the sympathetic tone of this drama is probably veering it away from that.

This show is bad on every level. I thought Nitiman was bad but it seems like a masterpiece compared to this.

This has got to be some of the most god-aweful writing I've ever seen in any BL. It's like written by a middle-schooler. The poem recited by the teacher in love with Mek is particularly obnoxious - I'm struggling to think of any drama anywhere where such a mentally challenged scene has ever taken place. The product placement is also the worst of any BL I've ever seen. I've said before that the scene where the Ex-White soap product placement occurred right after X lost his parents was totally tasteless but this one with the kids takes the cake. What the hell is wrong with these people in this show? Surprisingly this drama has one of the highest audience draws in BL land currently which is a little shocking - makes you scared to think what goes through these little teenage girls heads. It's probably the same thing going through my head - Din is super hot :), but at least I am aware of my shortcomings here.

I like that they moved to the beach in this episode and the show has a little bit more of a natural feel to it. At least we've escaped the sweaters. Unfortunately, this show has gone back to being very tepid. There was a short spell where there was an intense storyline and then it totally petered out. I think the general BL audience would be very bored with this show and have left long ago. It's just me and about a dozen other people watching this series right now, and I'm only watching it for the handsome main couples. I do appreciate that they did something different here from other BL's but different is not better. I don't know why they waste their precious time in this show with meaningless events like the volleyball game, along with the multiple meaningless side couples. As the producer I would be very upset with this production team for wasting my money, but I guess someone has just left these people with a blank check and they just go on producing this drivel while no one is looking.

Thanks for your comment earlier. I think it's gone, but it's appreciated. It's good to see better support out there for young gay people today.

I think her letting Fern get away with such treachery shows how deeply homophobic she is. It's like being friends with the secret police. My mother, unfortunately, was just like this person in this drama so I can sympathize. It took me a long, long time for me to forgive my mom, but she wasn't a terrible person in other areas and I'm thinking Dew's mom isn't either [just judging from her interactions with Dew and his friends]. Some of these rich families are also so focussed on their legacy and continuing their "dynasty", so they have this extra level of pressure they put on their kids.

I loved it, but definitely would have preferred a happy ending. I believe it was an open ending so I'm not upset like I was at the end of History 3, Make Our Days Count. Chiang Mai is not too far away from Bangkok [I think it's about a 6 hour bus trip), and Best seems like he would be motivated enough to visit his crush. I think he was only afraid of his feelings not being reciprocated, but I think the ending clearly showed that Dew felt the same way that he did. I thought the acting was very good all around in this series. The script and cinematography were definitely above average though we seemed to hit every possible trope [including, unfortunately, the toxic female lead]. I do hope they do another season, for sure. I think if we had a happy ending in season 2 no one would be complaining about this series at all.