solipsism5

More Random thoughts on Nitiman:

Kheam is just so slick, it kills me: “I have to pee real bad, can I sleep in your room tonight?”. That line worked so well, and Ball has the awareness of a 5 year old.

Kaownah’s character just throws me off. It's like the director said something like: I want you to play this part like a happy vegetable with tourettes...and a little constipated. Nailed it!! I'm glad we hired this very talented actor so we could get this done just the way I wanted it.

When Bbomb said this condom was just too small, things just got very real for me. Unfortunately, for Jin this revelation went wholly unnoticed, lost in a sea of bitchy whining.

I’m just not happy with Jin being the love interest here. I mean Jin can't even get to second base drunk and with his partner under the influence of a rape drug. And I'm not encouraging anyone to use a rape drug, so just shut up. Go watch some teletubbies.*


*Sage advice from Aim

There is that Ex-White soap. It appears at the end as well as during that shower scene. There isn't that much, though, beyond that.

I'm not going by dramalist. It's on the title on youtube - like last episode it says EP.2/8. But I hope you're right. Otherwise they will need a genius screenplay writer to finish this right.

This show suddenly became very intense. I was expecting some drama after the father discovered the two sons almost kissing, but I didn't think there would be such a complex dynamic of treachery, hatred, betrayal, and pathos going on. The acting from the parents and the two brothers Lukmo and Simai was just spectacular in this episode. This show has suddenly become way better. Who knew this sleepy show would take off like this. I'm trying to think where a BL had this much intense drama going on, but I'm drawing a blank. There's also this strange mystery about what happened with Kao/Lukmo that has also added a lot of interest to this series. In addition to that, there was also something mysterious about Kao's interactions with his boss. The sadness of Simai at the loss of Lukmo was just heart-breaking. What the hell just happened? This show has definitely become super compelling at this point.

I really like it, but I am finding it hard to imagine how this drama can only be done in 8 episodes that are also relatively short - around 30 minutes. For such a short series there are way too many couples.

I like the acknowledgement of 1000 stars here, and that they are tackling some of the same social issues that are found in that drama, especially the development of educational standards in impoverished rural areas of Thailand.

There were a few social issues introduced in the first episode, and I believe there will be something later about political corruption, as well. I applaud all of this, but I find it really really hard to see how they will get anywhere with these topics in just 8 short episodes while developing multiple couples. Maybe someone was a little too ambitious.

I really enjoyed it. I really didn't care about the plot because I enjoyed the comedy and character interactions so much. It was nice, also, to have a small spotlight on bullying and social media issues (cyberbullying and social anxiety). The screenwriters did a great job with the use of dramatic irony that was done so creatively that it is well beyond anything else in this show as far as artistry. The comedy was just exceptional for a Thai Bl. The characters of Duean and Meen were just perfect and always enjoyable. I liked the kitty gang and Bam as well, and they were always excellent. The biggest flaw for me in this series is the lack of romance which is why I come to watch BL's. I think Pi had so many insecurities that all I ever saw before the end was him nibbling on Mork's ear once, and even, in the end, he was still too petulant. I almost feel like I came to watch a comedy with a hint of BL in it. Still, it was very enjoyable because it was very light and entertaining - that's the other main reason I watch BL's, and they delivered on that spectacularly.

I cried buckets. This was just perfect, especially the ending. I said they had to do this ending right and I truly believe this was the best ending. I knew Oh-Aew loved Teh very deeply and I wasn't going to believe in a storyline where he just gave up on Teh. I still never understood why Teh is so hated here, and why people are unhappy with this ending [ok I do know why, but you know what I mean]. I am really grateful that they chose this ending and it was so heart rending and very very moving because it was like giving us something we thought we couldn't have because they kept snatching it away from us. It was a beautiful touching ending with deep meaning and philosophy - they really waxed poetic there.

I really felt so sad and even hurt when Oh-Aew rejected Teh again. It was done so beautifully how the love rekindled from a trickle at their first meeting, to become this torrent by the end. I know I've seen much better movies, but, wow, I'm in the clouds right now. This was just so spectacular. I'm just babbling , lol.

I replayed the part with the texts too, and I cried at those as well. This is that misplaced strength I was talking about. It was like he was listening to a bunch of SJW's that told him it was all over, and he had to suck it up and kill any possible smidgen of love he had for Teh to protect his honor. I loved PP's acting there, expessing the heartbreak of how he had shut Teh out so totally at that time, and how cruel that was. I know people on here won't understand this, but that's the tragedy of not knowing how to forgive someone. Teh had done wrong but he wasn't a bad guy at all - he had just made a terrible mistake. From this scene the forgiveness at the end was just so much more impactful, like taking a bath in holy water [forgive me the religious analogy, it's the only thing that comes to mind here].

Beautifully done! I think this as just as good as ITSAY for me, and I am much happier with a setting outside of high school with more mature and complex characters. The artistry in this series is good on all fronts, the directing, acting, cinematography and screenplay are all so advanced and mostly beyond anything else in any other BL.

If they had just had a movie about these two having a placid, uneventful time in College while being in love, this show wouldn't have had the heart-wrenching quality that makes this so real for me. They could have had other things happen like an accidental death of one of the mains, but I think there is nothing wrong with this having a lot of drama without the bleakness.

I liked the pointed parallel story of Teh's brother at the end where they describe the tribulations of a long term relationship and make it clear that people choose the right person for them and endure the hardships that come with that choice. As Bas said, Oh-Aew chose the person that was best for him with his heart and decided he could endure the mistakes that either would make in their future together. One of the lessons he brings up is that both members of the couple will always be changing and there is always a constant state of adjustment so all long term promises are difficult to sustain. He tells Teh that he knows he will hurt him again, but he won't give up on their love.

For one, I believed in their love because I think they always seemed harmonious together. It wasn't like a couple that was always bickering and at each other's throats. I believe in forgiveness if it is worth it. You don't have to be in a toxic long term relationship and you will know when you are in one. I think these two would be able, after all the time that has passed, know if they were not suitable for each other. I think the purity of their love in ITSAY will only become strengthened by facing hardships, not by being untested. I think its a different kind of love and that is what Oh-Aew is saying. It's a love that is based on forgiveness and acceptance rather than idealism and fantasy.

Each couple is different. Some can handle the turmoil of one partner cheating on the other. I can tell you by personal experience in a long term relationship that it happened to me, but I was confident my partner would come back. In this relationship in IPYTM the kiss was actually just unintentional, for the most part [Teh was remorseful right afterwards]. Later on Teh is actually trying to cheat on Teh. In between is he even conscious of what he is doing?

Oh-Aew is a very good person but he has also not tried to maintain the relationship for 3 years. Relationships need work and I don't know what he has done to make Teh feel loved. So what happened to me is that I was working a lot and did not pay attention to my partner and he got interested in someone else that was paying attention to him [grossly simplifying here]. At first there was some lying about what was going on but we got to the point of talking about it honestly. This lasted for several months, not like the couple of weeks in this drama. These things happen in relationships [not all of them]. If you are confident in your relationship and you value the relationship you try to work on it. Of course, I was hurt, but I valued the relationship so I did the work that was necessary to salvage it. Every couple is different, and this couple in this drama might be ok if they separate, and they might feel there are better people out there for them, or they might feel so devastated by the separation that they try to work on it. It's just too premature to jump in there after a few incidents and say this partner in the relationship is abusive or destructive and the other partner has to separate from them for their own good. I think people who say that have little understanding of the real world [By the way, I am not judging you here because we are just talking about fictional characters]. They might even be in a relationship that has never experienced such turmoil but that doesn't mean they speak for other couples that have gone through cheating, or other similar hardships.

I have not watched the end of this drama yet while writing this, but it is quite possible that Oh-Aew doesn't think this relationship could be salvaged at this point, but people have endured a lot worse than this and reconciled. He might take a couple of months and realize that Teh could be given another chance. I did that after someone lied to me multiple times. I'm glad I did because our relationship was saved and was not hurt at all in the long run.

LOL, so true

Teh and Oh-Aew's relationship started off very strong and I think it is unclear where they drifted apart. One turning point is when Oh-Aew changed majors, which he certainly should have done, because he understood that he wasn't going to like acting. The only problem with that was that Teh sacrificed a lot for Oh-Aew to have that opportunity. Oh-Aew could have possibly tried a few more times at acting, not because he thought it was going anywhere, but to at least acknowledge to Teh that he understood the sacrifice he had made or Oh-Aew could have told Teh that he was deeply sorry he had to change his major, despite Teh's sacrifice because that would be better for him in the long run. Oh-Aew seemed a little callous the way he did it. Brutal honesty is usually not the best course in human relationships. Oh-Aew and Teh then naturally went into different circles after he changed majors which created an understandable lack of connection. Did Oh-Aew attempt to invite Teh over so he could get to know his new friends? I don't think it was a very energetic attempt if it occurred at all. This is something I did with my partner. Even if your friends have totally different interests you kind of see them together as a couple. We know Teh made little attempt to include Oh-Aew in his small circle of friends and he was equally to blame there.

What happened in those 3 years from the beginning of the drama? Did Oh-Aew ever try to go out and see Teh do acting gigs? Did he ever encourage him? We can probably assume Teh did not encourage Oh-Aew in his pursuits, but it seems like a mutual thing. Oh-Aew did show up for Teh's first gig and even helped with the poster, but is that really much when you consider that for 3 years he probably hadn't supported Teh [if he did this is totally unclear in the screenplay and Oh-Aew can't be thought of as being blameless]. I'm just getting at the Oh-Aew helped create that lukewarm feeling between the two before Jai showed up.

When Jai did show up we saw that he was a master manipulator and could easily bend Teh towards him because of the lukewarm romance that Oh-Aew and Teh had been experiencing. Is Teh culpable for giving in to Jai? Yes, he certainly was and that is why he has to be the one to make up to Oh-Aew, rather than vice-versa, but I think they are both responsible for the relationship falling apart, though one is to a lesser degree than the other. In most relationships that last for many years something like this will happen and it is the responsibility of both partners to talk about it rather than hurling accusations. One partner will most likely be more at fault than the other in various circumstances, but the person who is less at fault can't use this to belittle their partner. One thing Oh-Aew did that made it impossible to reconcile is saying he couldn't ever trust Teh again. I think this is where Oh-Aew is at fault, because he is not even giving Teh a chance to rebuild trust - can't he at least give him a trial period to see if he breaks it off with Jai? In a way Oh-Aew is saying that he can't take the hurt of even the possibility that Teh will cheat on him, but I think it's his fault for not taking that risk. After 3 years, he can at least give Teh that much of a chance. I know a lot of people on here say it has to be over - once a cheater always a cheater, etc. I'm not going to say that to anyone, and we would have virtually no marriages left if that was the case. Most people are not going to land in this perfect relationship where these things never happen. I just hope people understand the nuance and complexity of long-term committed relationships and would hope they would just leave people alone when they don't even try to see the full picture of where a relationship got to where it is. As other people have said below, we can't be the people that get in at this point and tell a couple to separate. It is more important, at this particular time, to provide support to both partners. Later on, if you see years of spousal abuse, multiple attempts at cheating, etc. things are now clear and you can step in with some advice and possibly even some help. It is just very premature to jump in this early in a relationship to try and separate people. I know these are just fictional characters but I find it strange that people have such little sympathy or understanding of Teh. I have used this analogy in other situations, but if this was a real couple would you be trying to separate them? I think you would be very wrong to do that. I think you should just ignore what happened to them so they could work it out on their own, or you could listen to them with empathy.

Life is very complicated and relationships are messy. I keep saying that [as well as many other people on MDL], but I guess it will take a very long time before people understand this. I love what you've said here because we can't know what's going on in these characters' heads, and what capacity they have to forgive each other. I know there are abusive relationships, but I think there is just not enough evidence of that yet in this case. Can Teh rebound from cheating on Oh-Aew? That is impossible to know. Can Oh-Aew ever forgive Teh. I have no idea [but I think he loves him deeply]. I just hope no one on here thinks they can just meddle in other people's relationships willy-nilly. If there is a long history of spousal abuse, and things are very clear, then maybe you can advise somebody to get out of a relationship but I think most people are just premature in judging various people in these complicated relationships.

I love this so far. The natural setting, by itself, enhances this drama so much. These other environments in these Bl's are pretty repetitive and sterile. Even the music, which seems like Thai folk songs, is pretty nice and helps create this wonderful rustic setting.

There seem to be some better themes than just boy-chasing. Than is trying to help his village and is sacrificing a more lucrative career in town to do this. Din helps his infirm mother by working as a debt collector, and has some conflicting interests that add a lot of real depth to his character.

As several others have said already, I appreciate that the trans-character is treated respectfully in this drama. We definitely need to see more of this rather than the vacuous trans characters that are the norm.

Even despite the low budget, I prefer this to a series like Lovely Writer or Nitiman which seem have no social consciousness, or interesting themes. I'm tired of seeing everything set in Bangkok and/or in a school setting. I know there are some tropes here, but at least there are no screeching ladyboys and crazy fujoshis. I'm keeping an eye out for a toxic female lead, and the straight man falling for the "one" gay man trope, but I'm predicting we won't have them in this one.

This is not going to be a masterpiece, but it seems much better than average.

I would like to see the portrayal of bi characters in BL, but I feel that is not what most of these straight curious characters are [I'm thinking of shows like Theory of Love, History 3, etc.]. I think they are part of the "only gay for this one guy," type. I can't think of anyone that is clearly bi in these dramas, so I just assumed he was your typical straight character that falls in love with a gay person for no apparent reason. I'm open to the possibility that Eak is bi, but I have a feeling this is not a ground-breaking show. I will be pleasantly surprised if I am wrong and definitely approve Eak being the only clear bi character I have ever come across in BL dramas [there might be others out there, but I'm going by the 50+ dramas I've watched]

I loved reading this post. I'm sure it must have been very difficult to give up on Broadway and I know it must have been wrenching. I wish you every success in any future role. I must say I am very impressed! I have read several of your other posts regarding your acting and look forward to reading your perspective on the acting in these BL series, and I always love your unfiltered reactions on here.

I think you're right about Teh, so maybe it won't be such a hard choice to give up on the career in one way, but he hasn't gone through the process yet. I think the screenwriters made up that contrived plot so Teh has to make a dramatic choice between his career and his love interest. I think they really sacrificed a lot of realism to make that happen, unfortunately.

In my earlier post I said Oh-Aew basically would never come close to making it through this, and that has been warped on this board by SJW's like Luna, to me saying that Oh-Aew is a very flawed person who changes his major because he is without any strength of character. I know enough to see how tough this process is and not even Teh can handle it, let alone Oh-Aew at the beginning of this series. The SJW's on here criticizing the directors who said Oh-Aew was playing the role too femmy are ridiculous. As a director, I would have said the same thing. They weren't emasculating Oh-Aew by telling him to play a straight character like a straight character.

I think this bitterness and vengefulness against Teh is just so over the top. I think these people have never been in a relationship, or they would be so possessive and suspicious in a relationship they would have their lover locked up in a chastity belt and under 24 hour surveillance. My partner had several crushes while we were together and I had several as well, but we had so many common interests and strong mutual affection that it never came close to upsetting our relationship. This "cheating" that went on here feels like 1/100 of what I experienced in real life, but there was never any of this drama [sometimes I have to make myself believe this is supposed to be taken seriously by the characters]. Don't Teh and Oh-Aew love each other deeply? Then this shouldn't have even been an issue. It's just Jai, a nobody, a gnat, that's come between them. I make myself think Oh-Aew must be super-sensitive and have some anxiety issues [which he certainly seemed to have in ITSAY], to make him so melodramatic here [OMG I can see the SJW's coming after me for saying this], just to make this believable for me.

I can't wait to see how they end this, but I'm a fan of this show, no matter what. I like this show as much as ITSAY. The content is much more mature and relatable. The characters are also much more complex. These high-school dramas are so dependent upon teenage angst and if it weren't for all the cuties they would have become suffocating a long time ago.

I think Oh-Aew is devastated at losing Teh. I still say that was the main anchor in his life. I’m not sure how passionate Oh-Aew is about his career or how close he has become with his friends – these are just unknown quantities, but Teh has to be far more important, in my opinion. I agree with most on here that Oh-Aew was strong to reject Teh, but I also say he was weak to reject him, as well. He might have been thinking that he had to respect himself by rejecting Teh, but I think he wasn’t being honest with himself and admitting how much he truly loved him and how much he wanted to forgive him.

I completely agree with you on the agent signing on Teh for the major role. That just seems ridiculous but I’ve seen this sloppiness with the plot in even the best works of fiction. I still think the screenplay was fantastic, overall.

I also want to see the couple reuniting. That’s definitely my preferred ending, but [if you read my post below], they have to do it right. I think it is possible, though, because Teh does have the strength of character to do it and I believe he does genuinely love Oh-Aew. In the real world Teh would probably go with his career, but I believe this story is a little bit of a fairytale as well, despite seeming like a work of stark realism. In this fairytale an obsessed artist sacrifices his profession for his love interest and works in cheap playhouses for the rest of his life. If you really love your art you can sacrifice the money and fame, and pursue your profession just for the love of the craft. I hope this is the direction this takes. I think, also, that if Teh hopes to keep Oh-Aew he will have to be somewhat as good as he is.

Well thought out! I agree that the BL genre will not have any real incest any time soon.

Random thoughts on a random drama:

I’m seriously disappointed in that girl painting the hot pink playground equipment. It’s gonna take her several years if she’s going to just dab at it.

I like that Boss has shown up to add a lot of extra cuteness into the show, and I didn’t even mind the OTT ladyboy this time as she fawns over him.

Ball keeps making this weird ear to ear smile that looks a little ridiculous but which seems to strike Kheam out with a mini-seizure every time he sees it. I think it’s too bad that my favorite player character, who seemed to be interested in 10 different people is settling down so hard for some twinky, but I love Ball so I guess it's sort of ok.

Bbomb has suddenly turned psychotic which has added some much needed drama to this show. I was watching this show for the nice scenery, but I like that Bbomb has become so unhinged. I was just looking at all the cute boys in a sort of sleepy state and suddenly I saw this crazed madman and I woke up from my daze. I’m hoping for some huge melodrama out of this so don’t disappoint me Nitiman!

I’m not sure. One of them could be adopted. I don’t think its certain right because the father just appeared.

It will be interesting to see how the relationship will develop next week. I'm hoping things will resolve in the most artistically satisfying way possible. I'm not looking for a union between Teh and Oh-Aew if it's not going to work. Teh would have to do something huge to makeup for what he did, but it's not impossible. Teh has put his love interest before his career before when he gave up his seat at the university.

I really hope that Oh-Aew gets the best partner, because he is truly a good person. In literature, he reminds me of a character like Jane Bennet, from Pride and Prejudice, and these are the characters everyone roots for. But I like the flawed character of Teh and wish for a positive resolution for him as well.

I am simply not certain they are the best couple for each other. It's impossible to say, and I think whether to wish they separate or stay together is premature. In the world there are only a few really good people like Oh-Aew and they are not going to find a match that is as good as they are. They are going to end up with someone at least a little less good, or, more likely, a lot less good than themselves. Oh-Aew might leave this relationship and go into another one that is just as bad or worse. Or he might learn from this relationship and try to find someone that is willing to be more nurturing and sympathetic. It is hard to say if he will learn to be more selective and find the best match for himself before committing to a relationship. Teh is a hard person to find a suitable companion for. He's going to struggle to find anyone comparable to Oh-Aew and he spends little time cultivating relationships of any kind. I feel like he would end up a lonely bachelor, or someone that will end up with a superficial fan that likes him for his money or looks. His best bet would be to stay with Oh-Aew. He has far more to lose than Oh-Aew who can find many suitable partners [even after winnowing out the bad ones].

I'm still not rooting for Teh to get back together with Oh-Aew because Oh-Aew deserves the best kind of partner which Teh can only be if he makes a lot of changes. Teh is capable of making those changes but it's going to require an enormous effort on his part. Teh, as I've said before, has made a grand gesture of sacrificing his university seat for Oh-Aew so he is capable of doing this. I think in the next episode, if he gives up his new role in the series and does not delete his instagram pictures he might be making a large enough gesture to at least get Oh-Aew's attention and maybe get some of the confidence back that he's lost. I really don't think it would be hard for him to drop Jai considering how it is jeopardizing the one true love he does have. I think the week's events should have clarified this for him. That would be a start, but then he has to make sure he pays much more attention to Oh-Aew, and never lies, or cheats on him again. Oh-Aew, for his part, could give him a chance if he sees Teh making these improvements and sees him staying true to his word afterwards. Many couples reconcile and remain together for their entire lives after overcoming similar hurdles, and far worse hurdles than are depicted in this drama.

Do I want this to happen? Only if it is somehow the best storyline to finish this drama. If they should separate and that is the best ending given how the plot develops, I certainly have no problem with that either. Given that this is still a BL I would have preferred a happy ending, but this series along with ITSAY is the best drama in this field and I don't care how it ends, because it is just spectacular. The cinematography, direction, screenwriting, and acting were all at the very highest level and I couldn't expect anything better.