vanwarren

I'm not too certain how many people will understand this analogy, but this episode gave me Yu-Gi-Oh! Season 4 vibes (if you know, you know). While I did enjoy this episode, I couldn't help but wonder what happened to the Thai speaking Caucasian cop that was hunting down Bison and Fadel (it seems as though he'll be returning in the next episode). Based on the preview for the next episode, it almost feels like a finale episode; so, I'm curious to see what episode 12 would be about. I have a nagging suspicion that Keen still isn't to be trusted fully even with the life of his boyfriend on the line. He's just been giving "pick me" energy for the duration of the series thus far, and I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up tipping off Lilly about Fadel and Bison's plan(s). Although I never read the novel, I had a feeling that Lilly was the one behind the murders of Fadel and Bison's parents just to train them to become the hitmen that she once was (and seemingly became too old to do herself). While this series hasn't lost steam like some other GMMTV series (i.e. "Wandee Goodday" and "Kidnap"), I AM a bit worried that this series is going to end in a similar way that "Kidnap" ended; and I would honestly hate that. I'm hoping that this series has a strong final episode that doesn't feel like filler.

Overall, this series isn't terrible, but I find myself being more invested in the side couple more than the main couple.

In the sense that all four are "main characters" yes; but more often than not, one couple tends to be prioritized over the other in BLs. For example, the Taiwanese BL, "See Your Love" had two couples consisting of characters that were listed as "main characters." However, it was evident that one couple was written to be the "primary couple" despite both couples consisting of main characters.

I know that Bison and Kant are meant to be the "primary couple" in this series, but Fadel and Style are far more interesting in my opinion. As someone who hasn't read the novel, I'm still having a hard time seeing how this series can end well for Bison, Fadel, Kant, and Style; but since this is a GMMTV series, I'm inclined to believe that this will somehow have a happy ending.


*SIDE NOTE*


I assume that was Keen who shot Style; but I could be wrong.

I feel as though the series wants viewers to believe that Po fell first, but paying attention to each episode, one could argue that Thame actually fell for Po long before they were formally introduced to each other. I really need Po to learn how to keep people on the "need-to-know" basis. Jun didn't need to know what was going on between him and Thame (just like the people interviewing him for a job in episode 1 didn't need to know that he quit working because of his ex). Hopefully as the series progresses, Po will learn to be more careful with volunteering such information to others. The only thing that would've made the final scene where Thame confirms his feelings for Po is if Po hugged him back (especially since he also likes Thame). I understand the confusion to an extent, but the cordial thing to do (in my opinion) would be to reciprocate the hug. Overall, so far so good. Let's just hope that GMMTV doesn't do the thing that GMMTV likes to do with a lot of their BLs (if you know, you know).

On paper, Babe is really the ONLY innocent character in this series. Out of the four main characters, Fadel is the one I feel the most sympathy for; especially after finding out that Bison played a role in getting Style to pursue Fadel JUST so he could hookup with Kant. This episode almost felt as if Style fell for Fadel even more AFTER being kidnapped and held at gunpoint by him. In a weird way, I think that Style is genuinely happy to finally see the real Fadel (even if he's a hitman). In my opinion, their relationship is far more interesting than Bison and Kant.


*SIDE NOTE*

It's interesting to see Joong play the older brother of Khaotung when he's in fact three years younger than him.

This series is a solid 9.5/10. The main thing preventing it from being a 10/10 is the fact that the relationship between Johnathan and Xin Jia wasn't nearly as fleshed out as it should've been seeing as how despite being the "side couple," they were also technically main characters in the series. Had they been given the screentime of Shu He and Jessica to better develop their bond, this series would've been a 10/10 for me even with the "cousin" who acts more like a toxic ex-boyfriend that's upset that he was blocked on all social media platforms. I honestly feel like the story would've progressed just as smoothly withOUT the inclusion of Nat. A part of me is a bit upset that Shao Peng's mother didn't appear in this final episode since she's pretty much been ghost-shipping Zi Xiang and Shao Peng since episode 5. Overall, this series was beautifully crafted. Although it's rare for ships outside of Thailand to appear in more than one series together, I really do hope that Raiden and Jin get to work together again. It's crazy to think that they initially auditioned for each other's roles.


*SIDE NOTE*

Hearing Shao Peng's voice for the first time in the series was a nice surprise.

Just a heads up, there is indeed an 11th episode that's been released for those who don't know.

No worries: we're both BL fans, so there's no ill will intended. In regard to Hirakawa's mother, one could argue that as a parent, it was her job to reassure her child that she's a safe space for him to confide in her no matter what. In a roundabout way, her actions (or lack thereof) played a role in Hirakawa having that specific mentality since she seemingly failed to provide that reassurance for him as a child. Also, this may be a bit of a reach on my end, but I feel as though a parent would've been able to put two-and-two together after seeing that their child no longer comes to their house bruised and bloody AFTER their father passes away (because if I'm not mistaken, it was implied that he's visited her in a battered state more than once). It just didn't sit well with me watching her wrongfully assume that his bruises came from school altercations. If that were truly the case, one would assume that the new school that he transferred to would've contacted her about how troublesome her son was (since at that point she was his only living parent). Point being, while it's possible that he and his mother repaired their relationship during the time jump, his mother is still trash in my opinion.

I remember Hirakawa saying something to the effect of enduring the abuse from his father in order to protect his mother from it in the earlier episodes of the series (I can't remember which episode in particular, so I'll have to rewatch). Either way, the fact that he knew that he wouldn't be able to live with his mother after his father died because she has a "new family" pretty much confirms that his mother is still trash.

This, and "Life: Love on the Line" are my favorite Japanese BLs in recent memory. Everything from the writing to the acting, to the production was perfection in my opinion. Now that I got that out of the way, NETHER of Hirakawa's parents ain't sh*t. His father was obviously terrible and abusive, but the fact that his mother just ran from the abuse to start a secondary family without even trying to protect her CHILD makes her even worse than the father in my opinion. While Minase's parents weren't physically abusive, I feel as though they were borderline negligent; especially since there were many scenes/episodes where Minase would be home alone. Thankfully, that borderline negligence helped create the space for Minase and Hirakawa's romance to blossom. Hirakawa fell first, but as the series progressed, it was clear that Minase fell harder. Minase completely broke when Hirakawa distanced himself from him (although Hirakawa's reasoning seemed relatively valid given the trauma he'd endured throughout his life) to the point where he started smoking the same brand of cigarettes just to retain the memory of Hirakawa. Minase had already loved Hirakawa as is (as evident by his confession in the final episode). Although their relationship can be considered to be the product of a "trauma bond," I'm glad that both Minase and Hirakawa were able to find solace in each other.

To be honest, I don't know how I feel about this episode (episode 4). Since Luo Bu Shi was drugged, wouldn't have been considered r*pe if Ever 4 were human since Luo Bu Shi technically wouldn't have been able to consent due to being drugged? What makes it even more uncomfortable is the fact that he didn't even feel or remember being topped.

I'm really not understanding the cousin. If all he truly wanted was to take control of the company, why is he being so antagonistic toward Zi Xiang when Zi Xiang is more than willing to relinquish control of the company in order to be with Shao Peng? Nat is acting more like a jealous/toxic ex-boyfriend than he is a family member that wants to run a company. Although Shu He's "redemption arc" seemed a bit rushed, I'm just glad that she's finally leaving Zi Xiang and Shao Peng alone so they can be happy together. I wish the relationship between Johnathan and Xin Jia would've been developed more so they could feel more like a genuine side couple. Shao Peng's father is low-key the funniest character in this series. Having him be an overprotective father makes sense seeing as how Shao Peng is an overprotective boyfriend. I really hope that Zi Xiang and Shao Peng get to have their happy ending (hopefully the Yu Xi Gu cameo from the previous episode isn't foreshadowing)

*SIDE NOTE*

Johnathan is more of a "brother" to Zi Xiang than Nat will ever be. I hope that Zi Xiang realizes this in the final episode. His love for Shao Peng gave him the courage to want to confront his father; so hopefully he'll also have the courage to stand up to his "brother/cousin."

I'm thinking that they're actually not (which to me is a bit disappointing) since neither of them can actually see the Mole Goddess in her true form. It would've been a nice twist though.

This series proved that a large budget isn't necessary to produce a quality BL with a unique plot. This series would've been a 10/10 for me had the intro to the series not implied that both Jodd and Jeng were also animals that became humans when there was no noticeable reference to that being the case in the series (I feel like that would've been an interesting twist to have other students that were originally animals outside of Junior and Sun). Although episode 9 was filled with angst, I did enjoy the fact that Junior finally stood up to the guy who's essentially his father in order to save Sun. I do wish that the final episode went a bit deeper into how Sun was nursed back to health after being shot as opposed to simply allowing the viewer(s) to assume that Nat and Ton took care of him for five months. Overall, this was surprisingly one of the better BLs of 2024. I hope Ben and Jay get more chances to work together in different series. For this to be both of their first leading roles, their chemistry is insane.

It's most likely because of what happens in episode 9.

Had Bison done his due diligence and finished checking the security footage, this episode would've ended in the first 15 minutes. I feel bad for Fadel because he was more reluctant to open his heart to someone in fear of something like this happening. Although a part of me feels a bit bad for Style (to a certain extent) because he's technically not the police informant, his initial intentions for pursuing Fadel weren't pure in the slightest. Toying with someone's emotions in exchange for a luxury car is nasty work.

Zi Xiang fell first (LITERALLY and figuratively), but it's clear that Shao Peng fell harder. Thinking about it, it's not too surprising that Shao Peng is incredibly protective of Zi Xiang and just wants to devour him no matter who's around (his dad was on the other side of his bedroom door, and Shao Peng couldn't have cared less 🤣). After realizing that love is obtainable for him in the form of Zi Xiang (coupled with the fear of possibly losing him after his accident), Shao Peng wants to hold onto it as long as he possibly can; so, him being an overprotective boyfriend tracks. Aside from altering the length of the episodes (because I feel like they could benefit from having an extra 15-20 minutes), and the way that the women outside of Shao Peng's mother are written in this series, the one thing that would make this a 10/10 series for me is if the relationship between Johnathan and Xin Jia had been a bit more developed by this point in the series. Although they're the "side couple," they're also credited as main characters; and should be treated/written as such.

*SIDE NOTE*

The Yu Xi Gu cameo made me happy (yes I still call him Yu Xi Gu after all these years).

I'm glad I waited to binge watch this series (because waiting every week for new episodes of a BL series can be torture). As an introvert, the character of Ryoma resonated with me to a certain extent. I was a bit worried that this would have a sad ending because of the suicide disclaimers, but I'm glad that wasn't the case. I'm kinda hoping for a Season 2 where Haruto is studying for his bar exam so he can get the justice for his mother that he's been seeking.

I like how unserious this episode in particular was by having the actors acknowledge the number of episodes in the series coupled with the fact that they're actors in this series (it almost felt like a "4th wall" moment). For this to be their first leading roles, both Jay and Ben are doing a phenomenal job portraying their respective characters. I'm also enjoying the unofficial side couple of Jodd and Jeng. I do wonder if and/or when Jodd and Jeng will reveal that they have more in common with Junior and Sun than they may think (if you know, you know). The only thing I would add to this series is previews for the next episode(s). Also, I really hope this isn't the last we see of Porshe and Arm in this series.

*SIDE NOTE*

Junior using catnip on Sun took me out. 🤣🤣🤣