vanwarren

Overall, it was a strong show (definitely stronger than Pit Babe Season 2). The final episode could've been a bit stronger in my opinion, but again, the series was good overall. I'm not gonna lie, I do have some questions in regard to the events of the final episode.

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo... I don't know why, but Tomoaki's apology felt like the apology of someone who was being gaslit into apologizing for something they didn't necessarily cause. Hiroya's initial apology felt more like a "here, damn" apology as opposed to a genuine apology despite the crying. In regard to the triangle between Taeheon, Jobu, and Hiroya, I hope for his sake that I'm wrong, but I can't help but feel that even if Taeheon chooses Jobu, Jobu will ultimately end up getting hurt. The reasons that Taeheon gave for choosing Jobu for the overnight coffee truck date didn't really make me believe that he has genuine feelings for Jobu as much as it felt as though he appreciated the feeling of being wanted by Jobu (if that makes sense). Also, this is merely an observation not meant to be offensive or derogatory in the slightest (and this could also just be chalked up to his seemingly bubbly yet timid personality), but Jobu may be somewhat on the spectrum; and if that's the case, I can understand why he takes what he perceives as rejection a lot harder than other guests at the Green Room. I honestly just want Jobu to find happiness (whatever that looks like for him). Huwei and Bomi are incredibly adorable; and because Huwei is so locked in on Bomi, that may have been the catalyst for Hiroya's "Jobu moment" in the sense that he realized that the guy he liked was simply no longer available. I can't wait for Huwei and Bomi to make their relationship official. Their chemistry is so pure.

This sentiment also applies to King; because had he not went into the cold room ALONE, the chances of him getting abducted would've decreased even if he had been drugged. There would've been more than one person to help fight Bom off. The same thing goes for Darin. Mek OFFERED to go to the restroom with him to prevent this very thing from happening, yet he (Darin) refused the help KNOWING that there's a serial killer actively looking for him. While I understand how Singha leaving Thup in a locked car may have seemed like he was "protecting Thup," it would've made a hell of a lot more sense for all four of them to go together and split up into teams of two. Finally, Thup leaving the car after the ghost of his mother outright TOLD him not to because it was dangerous was less than smart (to put it nicely). In regard to the "twist" of Aisoon being revealed as Thup's father, episode 11 pretty much gave that away seeing as how the cold room was located at the Santi House that Aisoon runs, and Bom somehow has access to. The fact that the ghost of Bom's mother is also in on this family killing spree is a bit wild when you think about it. I honestly feel like Aisoon (or Atikun) and Bom are the type of villains that you just can't "arrest." I feel like they're both going to have to die in order for this series to properly conclude.

*SIDE NOTE*

Why does it never occur to anyone during to fight/struggle scenes with Bom to at least attempt to kick or knee him in the balls? If I know you're trying to kill me, all bets are off; screw "fighting fair." I'm doing anything in my power to incapacitate you.

Literally EVERYTHING that happened in this episode (episode 12) could've been prevented had Darin, Thup AND Singha would've simply used their brains. I'll explain in a spoiler comment below.

At this point, it's looking like Jay may be a "red herring" of sorts since there isn't much info on him as the others in the group of "friends." I honestly don't know whether he actually hooked up with Fai or if he's covering for Tar because he's unaware that Jade and Kamin already know that Tar was a serial r*pist. and is probably the one who ACTUALLY got Fai pregnant. Based on her reaction in the scene with her mom, it doesn't seem like Champ was the one who got her pregnant. My guess is that the killer is whomever Tonkla hit with his car that night and had Champ help him with disposing of the body. The only question would be how that person would be interconnected with everyone in that "friend group," and why they (I assume the killer is a guy, but it's yet to be confirmed) have such a vendetta against the entire group. If the killer isn't Jay, for some reason, I feel like Jay knows who it is, and is keeping it to himself for some reason. There are aspects of this series that are low-key giving "I Know What You Did Last Summer" vibes.

It almost feels like Huwei is the "Kazuto" of this season because it seems like almost EVERYONE in the house is attracted to him. I kinda feel bad for Jobu. It seems as though all he truly wants is to feel seen and "included" whether it's in a romantic way or a platonic way. I'm saying this (the "platonic" piece) in reference to the message he sent to the group chat asking three guys to go to the sauna, but they ended up leaving him on "read," and going to the sauna without him. It's one thing for them to not include him when he clearly felt as though he had a solid enough friendship with them, but for any of them not to reply to his message and leave him on "read" is nasty work. Also, the fact that Jobu went into the sauna with William in an effort to conceal his tears from the impending rejection was genuinely sad to see. I hope that Jobu is able to find some happiness during his time at the Green Room (yes, I know this was taped months ago, but still).

I'm aware that the delays are due to the new year, but despite the fact that they've been down bad in 2025, Taiwan would NEVER!!!

With that particular ending, I feel as though a sequel is warranted. The chemistry between the two leads was strong, and the passion in everything they did from their dialogue to their dancing to their gazes was undeniable. My only significant critique is the fact that I think this story had the legs to be a full-length series where they could've dwelled deeper into each character allowing more detail and nuance as opposed to reducing it to a 2-hour movie where the audience is left to interpret some things on their own. Overall, this was a solid 9.5/10 for me, and I honestly hope to see a sequel.


*SIDE NOTE*

It's nice to see Machida in a prominent lead BL-esque role (because I wouldn't necessarily consider this movie a full-blown "BL" despite the fact that it has slight elements of a BL). I haven't seen him since the original "Cherry Magic." He was a good actor back then, and he was amazing in this film.

In my opinion, the killer didn't do enough to Tar. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo... I initially thought that the old man in the mirror was going to turn out to be Alan's biological father since the synopsis on MDL had already spoiled the fact that Alex wasn't Alan's father. However, what I didn't expect was the revelation that not only was the old man in the mirror Alan's true self, but the fact that Alan was actually ALEX'S father and not the other way around. Once Alan regained his memories, there wasn't really anything left for him to achieve or obtain in his life, so once Win appeared to him through the window, I knew instantly that Alan's time in life was coming to an end. While it's somewhat sad, I can't help but feel happy for Alan since he'll finally be able to be at peace and free to be with the person he loves forever. This series needs to be rated significantly higher than it currently is.

*SIDE NOTE*

While it was assumed that Alan created Nate as a friend, I'm wondering if it's possible that Nate was indeed a past love-turned-best friend in Alan's past that neither Alex nor Nil know about since Nate also appeared to greet Alan and Win on their journey to the afterlife.

Without spoiling anything, given the revelations in the final episode, while the ending was somewhat bittersweet, it's pretty much the only feasible way that Alan would get his "happy ending." This series managed to hold my interest from start to finish, and none of the episodes felt like filler. I suppose I'll talk further in depth in a spoiler comment below.

I'm pretty sure that Jeff recently confirmed that this is never being released.

Honestly, it's been a rapid decline since the release of "Trapped In Osaka." This is essentially an incestuous Chinese shoemaker's version of "Reset," but with significantly worse execution, and a not-so-happy ending. I wouldn't recommend this to any genuine BL watcher.

Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo... Ending the series without revealing exactly WHO killed Phraphai's father was definitely a choice. Like... We know that another merman was responsible, but it would've been nice to see the merman who committed the act, and how their issues with Phraphai's father fit into the story for this series. Also, it became painstakingly obvious that Phraphai would have to die in the final episode, but despite the fact that his final act was meant to be viewed as a form of "atonement," it still felt extremely manipulative to kill yourself in front of your childhood friend while he's bound and gagged to a chair forced to watch. In regard to Phraphai's grandfather, he really didn't serve much of a purpose in this series outside of being used as the character that attempts (and fails) to fill in the infinite plot holes left in the series. Lastly, the events of this ENTIRE final episode could've easily been prevented if Phu had the wherewithal to keep Phraphai as far away from the water as possible during their fight KNOWING that Phraphai was a merman and would clearly have an advantage in the water. I respect the writers for attempting to create a story that was "outside of the norm," but the execution of this series wasn't it.

This may sound harsh, but the series as a whole felt WEAK. Outside of the eye-candy (Film, JJ, Hasun), there wasn't really much to this series to hold a person's interest. The story was heavily disjointed from start to finish. This is honestly verging on "Doctor's Mine" levels of bad. It's not quite there, but it's pretty close. I'll leave the rest of my thoughts in a spoiler tag below. This series is easily a 6.5/10 (and that's being generous).

I had a feeling that Team Korea was going to come from behind and take it, but Team Mongolia was really the "dark horse" throughout this entire series. I do wish that Team Thailand went further than they did in the competition. I was fine with either Team Korea or Team Mongolia winning, but I'm just glad that Team Australia didn't end up winning.

I think that this is going to end up being one or two scenarios. The first one that's being heavily implied is the possibility that Win isn't real, and Nate may have just been going along with Alan's delusion in an effort to spare his feelings (and possibly his mental psyche). The second is the possibility that Win IS in fact a real person, and the reason for him being placed in the "hospital"/institution is something that's so serious (and possibly dangerous) that it may have made the locals to react the way that they did when he and Alan were outside of the hospital. I'm honestly hoping that for Alan's sake, Win IS a real person who's been with him throughout this ordeal. If Win ends up being a figment of Alan's imagination, I feel as though that would shatter what may be left of Alan's mental state. It seems as though all of the doctors have been briefed to do their best to manipulate Alan into believing that there's something wrong with him mentally. Since the synopsis on MDL has already spoiled the fact that the person Alan addresses as "dad" is in fact a doctor and not his father, I wouldn't be surprised if the man that Alan keeps seeing in the mirror is his REAL father that was murdered by Dr. Nil and the doctor that's posing as Alan's "dad." IF Win turns out to be a real person (again, I'm hoping that's the case for Alan's sake), I'm not too certain as to how he'd fit into all of this, but there has to be a reason as to why Alan had dreams about Win before even being admitted to the "hospital" to formally meet him. I just need Alan to catch a break so to speak.

Honestly, I'm rooting for anyone BUT Australia.

Is anyone else starting to think that Phraphai was the merman who killed his father? His grandfather knew that the person that shot (who I'm assuming is) his son/Phraphai's father was another merman, but the identity of that merman was never revealed, which leads me to believe that Phraphai may in fact be the merman who killed his father. Also, the fact that he held off Phu with a pistol while kidnapping Nawa after his father was killed by gunshot made me raise my eyebrow a bit (because where'd he get the gun?). It would've made more sense to have Phraphai's father be the "big bad" in this series and having Phraphai be the one to ultimately stop him to prevent harm to other mermen (specifically Nawa) as opposed to just having Phraphai play the role of an abusive spouse that technically isn't even a spouse (and yes, just because he's yet to physically abuse Nawa, everything else he's doing to Nawa in terms of manipulation and control falls under the abuse umbrella). Based on the preview for the final episode, I feel as though the only "resolution" to everything that's going on is for Phraphai to be killed (most likely by Nawa) in order to save Phu from Phraphai's poison. The only good thing about this particular episode (episode 7) is the fact that Ping was FINALLY able to catch a break, and I love that for him (he truly deserves it after having to put up with being shunned by his mother for most of his life). However, I do have an issue with Phana answering a phone call WHILE receiving fellatio. Anyway, even if the final episode somehow ends up being a two-hour episode, I still feel as though there will be a significant amount of plot holes left in the story.

Soooooooooooooooooooo... Although I'm enjoying this series more so than Pit Babe Season 2, one thing that irritated me throughout this episode was the fact that Thup was constantly touching things that could (and most likely would) be considered evidence withOUT using gloves, and leaving fingerprints everywhere KNOWING that there's a very real possibility that the cops outside of Singha are willing to frame him for the multiple homicides just to close the case as quickly as possible. Now that I got that out of my system, it feels as though this series still has Michael and TopTen playing characters with the inability to talk through their issues like adults in a similar fashion to their respective characters in Pit Babe Season 2. Since this series is only three episodes in, I'm willing to give them a chance. Other than those particular issues, I'm enjoying the series so far. I'm aware that Change2561 typically uses a 13-episode format for their BL series, but I'm hoping that the plot, acting, and pacing for this series proves to be worth the standard 13-episode format (because 13 episodes of most BLs is typically a bit excessive in my opinion).