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This review may contain spoilers
Standing Ovation and I'm So Mad I'm Just Now Seeing This
It's so hard for me to voice just how much I loved this series that, out of all the reviews I've written, this has been the most difficult to really express just how much genuine love I have for this series. Never, and I mean never, did I think any other series would be capable of replicating the way I felt while watching ATOTS, and this series has proven that false. I cannot believe I'm saying this, But: Gelboys is officially my number one series of all time.
Let's Dive In.
This is a quick turnaround, and I thought that maybe I needed a second to really analyze if this really beat A Tale of Thousands Stars out of being my number one series of all time, but, without a doubt, it does. To anyone out there that is potentially paying attention to my account, you'll know that I've loved ATOTS since it aired, and nothing has beaten since in 4 years. Things have come close, things have definitely teetered the line, but when it came to going down the checklist, most series didn't have what I had with ATOTS; pure excitement and pure realistic emotions. Until Gelboys.
I realized that this series was going to mean a lot to me the minute episode one ended. I began to have dreams about it (haven't done that since ATOTS), I began to think about the series all day and night until I could get home to watch another episode, I CRIED (I quite literally never cry watching series, and even if I say I have, I'm exaggerating), like literal tears coming out of my eyes (also hasn't happened since Our Skyy 2 ATOTS episodes). I debated on waiting longer to finish the episodes cause there are only seven (the only time I wished for a longer Thai series, how crazy is that), and the craziest of all, I'm actually looking forward to season 2 (although it feels unnecessary, I don't care, I will be there, and I will be seated).
And on top of that, on top of all the crazy and wild emotions that I experienced while watching, this show is just so astonishing. And wonderful. And incredible. And phenomenal. And astounding. And remarkable. And breathtaking. And sensational, And staggering. And wondrous. And magnificent. And any other word that means the best BL I've ever seen.
Okay, so let me actually get into the review now. What makes this the best BL or me? Literally everything. I cannot tell you just one thing that captured my attention and kept it, because it was quite literally everything. The aesthetic, the settings, the vibes, the story, the acting, the cinematography, the modernism, the maximalism, the accurate depictions of teen-hood, the expressionism, the artisty, the music, even down to one of my biggest pet peeves, which is filming in public and watching the people in the background trying to avoid the camera or watching what's going on. All of it. And I mean ALL of it.
Never has a series made me want to just quit at everything and hop on the next flight out to Thailand. I wanted to experience so badly what these characters were experiencing, the city life, riding the train, shopping, making Tiktok videos, dancing in the street, getting my nails done, laughing with friends and basically disturbing everyone around, but it wouldn't matter cause we're young and dumb and having fun.
What a dedicated piece of art to characterize the life of youth in a big city. I was aghast to see that the actors themselves are much older than the characters they're depicting. I don't know how that managed to portray realistic teenagers, even down to the mannerism so fucking well, but they had me fooled.
Which moves me onto my next point: how well depictions of teenager was presented in this. This felt like it was written and directed by a teenager. This felt like a genuine teen experience, where everything you go through seems to be the end all and be all of your life. The silent looks, the awkward pauses, the moments trying to hold in tears, the moments you couldn't hold them in anymore. Ugh, they did such, SUCH a wonderful job when it comes to the acting, I literally have zero notes. And the dialogue, THE DIALOGUE, was so organic and so completely accurate to how actual teenagers speak to one another. It felt like the director gave them room to improvise and just go with how they felt, and it worked so well. The real teen experience is packed into this beautiful 7-eps series, really.
Social media plays an extremely big role in this, and they don't fake its realness, they don't create fake social media. No, they show how social media impacts teenagers more than it ever has, ever. Just the overall meaning of creating a Spotify playlist and how it effected Chian and Fou4mod so deeply was so important to the plot. Chian with his close friends on instagram, Bua with his Tiktok, Baa with his Line. They even use Zoom and ChatGPT, and it's just so astounding to see the real world played in a series so realistically.
Onto the characters. Fou4mod is probably the most complex character in this, because I can't pinpoint his reasoning for anything, or even who he truly is. Which is so very human for a teenager. He ends up latching onto certain hobbies or subjects based on his relationship with someone, like getting his nails done because of Chian, excitement to go to a Blackpink concert cause of Baa, etc. We don't see his true personality outside of playing the guitar and singing. His relationship with everyone is so, so fragile, and extremely complex. There are moments with Chian that I yearn for them, and others that I want to tell him to run away. There are things he does as a stupid teenager in love and then as a teenager hurting that makes me want to slap him across the face. By the end, I think he has more of a grasp on who and what it is that he wants, but it takes the entire series to get there.
Then we have Chian. Oh my gosh, I love and hate Chian. I loved him more in the beginning, and then he's so wishy-washy with his emotions and how he goes about his feelings that I literally couldn't stand him at times. But when he's sweet, he's sweet, when he's confused, he's confused, when he's hurting, he's hurting. It's very easy to read and understand him, just like an open book. His relationship with both Chian and Bua is so extremely pitiful, that I feel so sorry for him, in every which way. In season two, I hope they address this.
Bua, what an annoying and yet relatable character. He seeks validation not only in his real life, but also on social media. He bounds Chian to the ropes of tiktok popularity because it's what Bua seeks the most, and he wasn't even able to realize the effect it had on their relationship. I truly believe Bua had no clue what falling in love was like, and I think he experienced it with Chian without even realizing it. Everything was platonic until it wasn't and until he makes it entirely worse. His relationship with Baa is everything. Two hurting people from failed relationships seek solemn in each other. Beautiful. The only thing I wish that they did differently with him was show his difficulties growing up in a country where he doesn't look like everyone else. It's slightly mentioned, but never given a proper story, and I'd love to see it.
Baa. My sweet Baa. My favorite out of everyone. Baa is pitiful. He is literally the definition of sad boy. I cried like someone had died in episode 4 when he literally skipped out on the concert he had been looking forward to just to try and confess his feelings to Fou4mod. when he pulled out that phone and sent all of those voice messages....gone. Couldn't see the screen, that's how hard I was crying. Then when Fou4mod opens his phone and he had already delated the messages... more tears. His introvertedness has completely halted him from honesty and openness, and it so so SO relatable. So when he meets Bua and is finally able to express himself, through actions, words, physical touch, facial expressions... more tears. His relationship with Fou4mod is real and it's so toxic. Fou4mod acted as a bad friend on many occasions and it's never addressed because this is just how Baa is, okay with what's happening. Even when he finally expresses his feelings, it's not all accurate, and it's surface level. Crazy. I love him so much.
I was just telling my friend the other day how I'm so sick of BL series going from "let's kiss for the first time" to in the next scene "we're going to have full blown sex". Where's the second bases, the groping, the subtle touching of intimate parts, innocent touches that become turn ons, intense make outs, sexual activities outside of sex like blowjobs, handjobs, grinding, etc.? How come we never see that in BL, why is it straight to sex? and then I watched this. It. Was. All. So. Perfect. Chian and Fou4mod in the photo booth, Bua and Baa while Bua is doing skincare. THAT scene where they talk about hooking up and mimic sex positions. Clothes on. Beautiful. Brilliant. Glorious. The best non-sex-sex scene I've ever watched. I loved it. Also, the kisses were just perfect between each couple, and THANK GOD they didn't cover the sounds made with music. Let us hear them being in love, thank you!!
At one point I go: "Why do I love this series so much?" and realize Boss was the director (I told sunset about you, paradise of thorns), including Junior (You're My Sky). Cased closed. I will never, EVER skip a Boss/Junior series, I can promise you that. The cinematography in this was so similar to their brilliant work in the others. I can't believe that the majority of this series was shot on an iPhone, but it all just makes so much sense that it was.
And then the nails. the nails, the nails, the nails. The fonts, the stickers, the y2k early 200s vibes. Immaculate. Ate it all up. Even down to their bedrooms. Ate. No crumbs.
I see people's argument about the reason they didn't like this series being that the characters are annoying and do stupid stuff, and which case, at surface level, yes I can see that, but no, these characters acted HUMAN. Everyone involved on this project made sure that these characters acted like human teenagers that would do the exact same thing. And that, that is why this literally means so much to me.
Ratings:
Story: 9.5/10 - Hiccups here and there, mostly for me with Bua's storyline, but otherwise, perfect.
Acting: 10/10 - Perfect No notes. Even the supporting characters, even the regular civilians trying to get out of the shot in the background.
Music: 8.5/10 - They used REAL music. From REAL groups. Yes. Yes. YES. I got to hear my favorite NewJeans and Riize song, never thought I would hear that in a BL series. Crazy. Fou4mod's singing is absolute bullshit, but that's not the point of this series like others where it's just bad on accident.
Recommendation Value: 10/10 - If I could store this series higher, I would. Messy, Complicated, but beautiful please watch!!!!
Let's Dive In.
This is a quick turnaround, and I thought that maybe I needed a second to really analyze if this really beat A Tale of Thousands Stars out of being my number one series of all time, but, without a doubt, it does. To anyone out there that is potentially paying attention to my account, you'll know that I've loved ATOTS since it aired, and nothing has beaten since in 4 years. Things have come close, things have definitely teetered the line, but when it came to going down the checklist, most series didn't have what I had with ATOTS; pure excitement and pure realistic emotions. Until Gelboys.
I realized that this series was going to mean a lot to me the minute episode one ended. I began to have dreams about it (haven't done that since ATOTS), I began to think about the series all day and night until I could get home to watch another episode, I CRIED (I quite literally never cry watching series, and even if I say I have, I'm exaggerating), like literal tears coming out of my eyes (also hasn't happened since Our Skyy 2 ATOTS episodes). I debated on waiting longer to finish the episodes cause there are only seven (the only time I wished for a longer Thai series, how crazy is that), and the craziest of all, I'm actually looking forward to season 2 (although it feels unnecessary, I don't care, I will be there, and I will be seated).
And on top of that, on top of all the crazy and wild emotions that I experienced while watching, this show is just so astonishing. And wonderful. And incredible. And phenomenal. And astounding. And remarkable. And breathtaking. And sensational, And staggering. And wondrous. And magnificent. And any other word that means the best BL I've ever seen.
Okay, so let me actually get into the review now. What makes this the best BL or me? Literally everything. I cannot tell you just one thing that captured my attention and kept it, because it was quite literally everything. The aesthetic, the settings, the vibes, the story, the acting, the cinematography, the modernism, the maximalism, the accurate depictions of teen-hood, the expressionism, the artisty, the music, even down to one of my biggest pet peeves, which is filming in public and watching the people in the background trying to avoid the camera or watching what's going on. All of it. And I mean ALL of it.
Never has a series made me want to just quit at everything and hop on the next flight out to Thailand. I wanted to experience so badly what these characters were experiencing, the city life, riding the train, shopping, making Tiktok videos, dancing in the street, getting my nails done, laughing with friends and basically disturbing everyone around, but it wouldn't matter cause we're young and dumb and having fun.
What a dedicated piece of art to characterize the life of youth in a big city. I was aghast to see that the actors themselves are much older than the characters they're depicting. I don't know how that managed to portray realistic teenagers, even down to the mannerism so fucking well, but they had me fooled.
Which moves me onto my next point: how well depictions of teenager was presented in this. This felt like it was written and directed by a teenager. This felt like a genuine teen experience, where everything you go through seems to be the end all and be all of your life. The silent looks, the awkward pauses, the moments trying to hold in tears, the moments you couldn't hold them in anymore. Ugh, they did such, SUCH a wonderful job when it comes to the acting, I literally have zero notes. And the dialogue, THE DIALOGUE, was so organic and so completely accurate to how actual teenagers speak to one another. It felt like the director gave them room to improvise and just go with how they felt, and it worked so well. The real teen experience is packed into this beautiful 7-eps series, really.
Social media plays an extremely big role in this, and they don't fake its realness, they don't create fake social media. No, they show how social media impacts teenagers more than it ever has, ever. Just the overall meaning of creating a Spotify playlist and how it effected Chian and Fou4mod so deeply was so important to the plot. Chian with his close friends on instagram, Bua with his Tiktok, Baa with his Line. They even use Zoom and ChatGPT, and it's just so astounding to see the real world played in a series so realistically.
Onto the characters. Fou4mod is probably the most complex character in this, because I can't pinpoint his reasoning for anything, or even who he truly is. Which is so very human for a teenager. He ends up latching onto certain hobbies or subjects based on his relationship with someone, like getting his nails done because of Chian, excitement to go to a Blackpink concert cause of Baa, etc. We don't see his true personality outside of playing the guitar and singing. His relationship with everyone is so, so fragile, and extremely complex. There are moments with Chian that I yearn for them, and others that I want to tell him to run away. There are things he does as a stupid teenager in love and then as a teenager hurting that makes me want to slap him across the face. By the end, I think he has more of a grasp on who and what it is that he wants, but it takes the entire series to get there.
Then we have Chian. Oh my gosh, I love and hate Chian. I loved him more in the beginning, and then he's so wishy-washy with his emotions and how he goes about his feelings that I literally couldn't stand him at times. But when he's sweet, he's sweet, when he's confused, he's confused, when he's hurting, he's hurting. It's very easy to read and understand him, just like an open book. His relationship with both Chian and Bua is so extremely pitiful, that I feel so sorry for him, in every which way. In season two, I hope they address this.
Bua, what an annoying and yet relatable character. He seeks validation not only in his real life, but also on social media. He bounds Chian to the ropes of tiktok popularity because it's what Bua seeks the most, and he wasn't even able to realize the effect it had on their relationship. I truly believe Bua had no clue what falling in love was like, and I think he experienced it with Chian without even realizing it. Everything was platonic until it wasn't and until he makes it entirely worse. His relationship with Baa is everything. Two hurting people from failed relationships seek solemn in each other. Beautiful. The only thing I wish that they did differently with him was show his difficulties growing up in a country where he doesn't look like everyone else. It's slightly mentioned, but never given a proper story, and I'd love to see it.
Baa. My sweet Baa. My favorite out of everyone. Baa is pitiful. He is literally the definition of sad boy. I cried like someone had died in episode 4 when he literally skipped out on the concert he had been looking forward to just to try and confess his feelings to Fou4mod. when he pulled out that phone and sent all of those voice messages....gone. Couldn't see the screen, that's how hard I was crying. Then when Fou4mod opens his phone and he had already delated the messages... more tears. His introvertedness has completely halted him from honesty and openness, and it so so SO relatable. So when he meets Bua and is finally able to express himself, through actions, words, physical touch, facial expressions... more tears. His relationship with Fou4mod is real and it's so toxic. Fou4mod acted as a bad friend on many occasions and it's never addressed because this is just how Baa is, okay with what's happening. Even when he finally expresses his feelings, it's not all accurate, and it's surface level. Crazy. I love him so much.
I was just telling my friend the other day how I'm so sick of BL series going from "let's kiss for the first time" to in the next scene "we're going to have full blown sex". Where's the second bases, the groping, the subtle touching of intimate parts, innocent touches that become turn ons, intense make outs, sexual activities outside of sex like blowjobs, handjobs, grinding, etc.? How come we never see that in BL, why is it straight to sex? and then I watched this. It. Was. All. So. Perfect. Chian and Fou4mod in the photo booth, Bua and Baa while Bua is doing skincare. THAT scene where they talk about hooking up and mimic sex positions. Clothes on. Beautiful. Brilliant. Glorious. The best non-sex-sex scene I've ever watched. I loved it. Also, the kisses were just perfect between each couple, and THANK GOD they didn't cover the sounds made with music. Let us hear them being in love, thank you!!
At one point I go: "Why do I love this series so much?" and realize Boss was the director (I told sunset about you, paradise of thorns), including Junior (You're My Sky). Cased closed. I will never, EVER skip a Boss/Junior series, I can promise you that. The cinematography in this was so similar to their brilliant work in the others. I can't believe that the majority of this series was shot on an iPhone, but it all just makes so much sense that it was.
And then the nails. the nails, the nails, the nails. The fonts, the stickers, the y2k early 200s vibes. Immaculate. Ate it all up. Even down to their bedrooms. Ate. No crumbs.
I see people's argument about the reason they didn't like this series being that the characters are annoying and do stupid stuff, and which case, at surface level, yes I can see that, but no, these characters acted HUMAN. Everyone involved on this project made sure that these characters acted like human teenagers that would do the exact same thing. And that, that is why this literally means so much to me.
Ratings:
Story: 9.5/10 - Hiccups here and there, mostly for me with Bua's storyline, but otherwise, perfect.
Acting: 10/10 - Perfect No notes. Even the supporting characters, even the regular civilians trying to get out of the shot in the background.
Music: 8.5/10 - They used REAL music. From REAL groups. Yes. Yes. YES. I got to hear my favorite NewJeans and Riize song, never thought I would hear that in a BL series. Crazy. Fou4mod's singing is absolute bullshit, but that's not the point of this series like others where it's just bad on accident.
Recommendation Value: 10/10 - If I could store this series higher, I would. Messy, Complicated, but beautiful please watch!!!!
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