vanwarren

It almost feels as though this is also a "reset" for Tada. In the past life, despite the fact that Tada was present in Armin's life from afar, Tada and Armi had never formally met. Tada may be acting oblivious to the things Armin says about the future, but I think he may be taking this opportunity to physically be a part of Armin's life this time around. I'm still wondering how it is that Armin has yet to put two and two together and realize that Tada is his "fan" from his past life ("TD"). Hopefully, Tada continues to be a green flag character throughout the series.

If Peace believes it's the key to his freedom, I could definitely see him being pushed far enough to take his father out. He's already defied his dad by sleeping with Sun, and he's grown close enough to Mei (arguably even closer to her than Sun) to where I could see him wanting to protect both Sun and Mei. He may eventually decide to kill his dad before his dad can kill Sun and his friends and family.

I feel like Peace's dad is one step ahead of them tbh. Unlike Peace, Jihoon isn't his biological son, so I don't think there's 100% trust there. The last person he'd expect is his docile appearing (biological) son.

It's episodes like this that make me wish there were more than two main characters in this series. Although I WANT to be happy that it seems as though Jun has finally reached his breaking point with Sorn, I just know they're going to end up getting back together, and I hate that for him. I like that Jun was aware of the fact that the majority of the times they've slept together, it was mainly because SORN wanted sexual gratification. At this point, Sorn needs to have one hell of a "redemption arc" to justify his inevitable reconciliation with Jun. Otherwise, Jun and Sorn don't need to be together. The fact that Sorn has told Jun on numerous occasions (both directly AND indirectly) that he doesn't want to be with him but somehow finds the nerve to chase away any guy that so much as breathes in Jun's general direction is crazy work. He needs to either put in the work to be the boyfriend that Jun deserves or let him go completely (including the "friends with benefits" aspect that seems to mainly benefit Sorn).

*SIDE NOTE*

Sorn's painted-on facial hair to portray him as being disheveled was not it. There were other ways to make him look stressed out and disheveled.

If I'm not mistaken, Tian is a year younger than Sun (which would make him about 20), and it's been stated numerous times that Jinny is underage (which in Thailand would make her about 15-16). Regardless of the characters' actual ages, Tian is technically the adult, so it's rather gross for him to attempt to pursue a minor (and that's putting it nicely).

While Aim most certainly deserved to die for everything he did to Mei (and also for the simple fact that he was entirely too smug for his own good), I can't help but feel as though his death was a bit too anticlimactic for the chaos he's caused throughout the series. I never truly cared for Madam Yao's character, but after finding out that she fumbled Sun's dad (I don't care what anyone says, that man is GORGEOUS) before orchestrating his murder, I somehow cared for her character even less. She never really felt like the "powerful drug lord" that she was supposed to be in this series to me. It was clear from the start that Peace's dad was the "final boss" so to speak even without reading the synopsis for the series. I have a feeling that Peace is ultimately going to be the one to take down his dad as a way of protecting Sun and his family, as well as free himself from having to inherit his father's "business." This series almost feels like a modern-day same-sex Thai version of "Romeo & Juliet" in the sense that Sun and Peace are two star-crossed lovers. I hope they can find a way to be together at the end of the series. Lastly, although I tend to pay less attention to GL storylines in BL series, I'm actually intrigued to see where the relationship between Mei and Cherry goes. Mei deserves happiness after everything she's been through.

*SIDE NOTE*

I noticed that Sun's half-brother didn't make a single appearance in this episode (episode 8). From what I've seen of him throughout the series thus far, he seems pretentious and a bit self-righteous in my opinion, and he shouldn't be trusted.

While I do understand Thun's anger toward Yut, I wish he was able to control his anger until after the camera was off. In the previous episode (episode 5), I couldn't help but side-eye Keen a bit due to the fact that he didn't shut down Yut's initial advances at the bar. Hopefully as the series progresses, Keen can reassure Thun in a nonsexual way (I'm not complaining about the NC scenes, but I'd like for them to talk their problems out a bit more from time to time) that he only wants to be with him. Also, I'm enjoying the chemistry of the second couple, but I'm curious to see who Ait's "boss" is that persuaded him to manipulate Keen into asking Mr. Phuwish to sponsor the boxing event (assuming it isn't Coach Petch). Based on the promotional trailer for this series, Coach Petch ended up being rather shady, so Ait's "boss" may be him. Coach Petch's relationship with Mawin is honestly sad to see. The fact that he blindly believed that Mawin had gotten into money laundering says a lot about how broken their father/son relationship really is. Lastly, I wouldn't be surprised if one of Thun's opponents were to pass out in the middle of a fight due to the consistent high dosage of whatever "performance enhancing drug" they're taking before matches.

*SIDE NOTE*

Is it me, or does Guide kinda favor a younger Earth (from GMMTV)?

I'm honestly trying to figure out how Armin didn't figure out who Tada was the moment he learned his name. Tada ("TD") didn't even really try to hide it. Anyway, I can't wait to see how the romance between them develops.

No, when Babe is telling Willy to stop and let go of him as Willy pinned him to the wall seemingly about to r*pe him, THAT'S assault (s*xual assault to be specific). Let's not be obtuse.

Again, Babe was ASSAULTED. Why is that part being ignored?

While I somewhat understand Sorn's hesitation to officially date Jun due to his ex-girlfriend falsely accusing him of assault, I have to question why Sorn would even initiate a sexual relationship with Jun and have the nerve to get jealous of any guy that even breathes in Jun's general direction KNOWING Jun hasn't been with anyone else. Jun has literally allowed himself to be treated like Sorn's human fleshlight for the duration of his internship all because he's developed feelings for Sorn (that's low-key giving Stockholm Syndrome) that Sorn refuses to reciprocate outside of a sexual encounter that's seemingly only for SORN'S pleasure. How Jun feels doesn't really seem to matter to Sorn as long as he (Sorn) finishes getting his sexual satisfaction. I would say that I can't wait until Jun finally reaches his breaking point and gets tired of being used (quite literally AND figuratively) by Sorn, but subconsciously I know he's going to eventually "reconcile" with Sorn and officially become boyfriends; and I hate that for Jun tbh. If Sorn wasn't one of the main characters of this series, I'd just ship Jun with Jom and call it a day. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. If there's anything to learn from this series, you TEACH people how to treat you. This situation has only gone as far as it has because Jun has ALLOWED it.

Babe didn't cheat, Willy assaulted him. How are people just ignoring that?

I honestly felt bad for Babe in this episode (episode 6). One thing that's never really sat well with me in regard to Thai BLs (not all of them, but A LOT of them) is the fact that male on male s*xual assault/r*pe doesn't really tend to be taken nearly as seriously as when the perpetrator is a man and the victim is a woman. He basically had to compartmentalize his assault (because that's what Willy did in the sauna) to reassure Charlie that he didn't have intentions of cheating on him. It almost felt as if he was apologizing for getting assaulted, and it was low-key triggering. Also, I kinda have to call out Charlie's hypocrisy for being upset at Babe for not disclosing his plan and his suspicions with him since he literally faked his death and obliterated Babe's mental state to the point where he could barely function for months. Charlie had his reasons for what he did, and so did Babe. While I'm not surprised in the slightest that Willy turned out to be the one sent by Tony to make Babe in particular suffer, I'm curious to see exactly what his power is. Based on the creepy echolocation clicking he does before the "tick tock" chant, I'd assume his power has to do with either time manipulation of some sort or teleportation based on how quickly he was able to relocate to the other side of Babe's hospital bed (I haven't read the novel, so I could be wrong). Lastly, North and Sonic just need to stop acting immature and just get together after laying their feelings out for each other TO each other.

*SIDE NOTE*

I know they're minor characters, but I'm ready for Kenta and Kim's inevitable romance to pick up a bit of steam.

Haven't watched it yet, but based on his previous roles, you can't blame me if I find it hard to believe.

Literally NO CHARACTER that Pod has ever played in a series has ever been a good person. From the toxic "boyfriend" in "Tonhon/Chonlatee" to the insufferable cafe owner in "Dark Blue Kiss" to the doctor that assaulted Wandee in "Wandee Goodday," Pod has ALWAYS played a toxic character with a punchable face. Anyway, in regard to this particular episode, (episode 3) while I'm not sure of the reason, ghosting a significant other after breaking up with them via text is nasty work. Based on the flashback of Tam reheating food for Phi, the way Tam was asking Phi about their relationship almost felt as if he was trying to tell Phi that the end of their relationship was near. In regard to his job, I feel like Phi was in somewhat of a lose/lose situation based on the flashbacks of his earlier days where his coworkers seemed to take advantage of his initial kind nature and didn't really respect him enough to be proficient at their jobs. Even if he and Tam were still together, I feel as though he would've most likely reached a breaking point and adopted a sterner persona at work anyway. While Phi eventually turned into a d*ck that his coworkers would eventually grow to dislike, his coworkers aren't entirely innocent either.

*SIDE NOTE*

Pod is literally ALWAYS a red flag character. I hope I don't have to see his character in too many of the remaining episodes.

Okay, one thing that irritated me in this episode (episode 7) is the fact that Vee is being so paranoid over a guy that she CLEARLY doesn't trust. I understand the trust issues since Phut cheated on her, but why is Vee STILL with him when she clearly doesn't trust him still? Even if Phut hadn't cheated, something tells me she'd be just as paranoid; and if that's the case, she just needs to leave him and find a guy who'll actually treat her the way she wants to be treated. Obsessing over a guy that you don't even trust is crazy work. One thing I have to give this series credit for in a roundabout way is the fact that they're showing viewers through the relationships of Jun/Sorn and Phut/Vee, you TEACH people how to treat you. I may come off as a bit impatient, but I'm kinda ready to see Sorn's "redemption arc." At the moment, he's really just treating Jun like a human fleshlight, but then again, Jun allows it (which in a twisted way could be worse because Jun is actually giving consent).

I'm honestly surprised that Thun is the one making the first moves. Although it was obvious that Keen had been wanting to be with Thun since the second half of the first episode, THUN initiated their first kiss, THUN asked to be Keen's boyfriend, and prior to all of that, THUN reached for Keen's hand to hold after Keen setup the rematch with Typhoon. A part of me was a bit worried since the progression of their relationship seems to be happening extremely fast because we're only on episode 4, and there's a total of 12 episodes, but based on the preview for next week's episode, I'm intrigued to see where the story goes from here. Their first "date" was super adorable, and I'm glad to see that they were able to be happy simply being together by themselves even after Thun was robbed of his clear victory over Typhoon. I feel like whatever P.E.D. Typhoon is taking will eventually end up harming him in the middle of one of his matches (or possibly even killing him since he's increasing the dosage without Pakorn's knowledge). I also enjoy Ait and Mawin as the second couple. Hopefully, their story will also be able to grow as the series progresses.

*SIDE NOTE*

Initially, I thought that Typhoon was going to turn out to be Thun's ex (and since the series is only 4 episodes in, that may still end up being the case), but it seems more like ever since Thun left his mother's house, he's had an extremely small circle of "friends" that he considers family, and he does his best to hold onto them for as long as he can to make himself feel less alone (which may also explain why his feelings for Keen may have heightened so quickly).

I'm actually surprised that I'm enjoying how campy this series has been so far. It's a bit refreshing to see Krist play a character that was initially less serious and campy that eventually became the cold, stern character that reminds me a bit of the character he played in "Sotus." In regard to the main characters of the series, it's painfully obvious that both Phi and Tam still love each other, but both are far too stubborn to be the first to admit it to the other. Their breakup clearly hurt Phi to his core almost as if Tam was the one who initiated the breakup. Although it seems as if Phi took his unresolved frustrations out on his co-workers, I wouldn't be surprised if they purposely stayed live to catch Phi's outburst on camera as a way to ruin his career and get rid of him (because from the outside looking in, Phi did come off as a d*ck to his co-workers, and they've probably been dealing with his attitude for quite some time). The cameraman called "cut," leading Phi to believe that they were no longer live (I'm in no way condoning Phi's actions, because even if the confrontation wasn't live, assaulting someone with hot coffee is crossing the line to say the least), so again, I wouldn't be surprised if broadcasting the incident was intentional. I also like the fact that GMMTV decided to make this a 10 episode series as opposed to the "standard" 12 episodes that GMMTV tends to give their series (because in my opinion, A LOT of their 12 episode series tend to drag). I feel like 10 episodes should be enough to tell a solid story with decent pacing.

*SIDE NOTE*

I have respect for both Krist and Singto for essentially being the catalyst for making Thai BL as mainstream as it's become seeing as how they were GMMTV's first BL pairing. I hope this series is good for both of them.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. This series really didn't need 12 episodes. The story could've easily been wrapped up in 10 episodes (11 had the pacing and writing been stronger). The final episode low-key gave "Tyler Perry series finale" (if you know, you know). Although I do feel as though Nakan deserved what happened to him for killing Tonkla (the LEAST problematic character of this series in my opinion), I am a bit curious as to who Nakan's "person" may have been. I've heard some people speculate that he was referring to Tonkla, but they barely knew each other (definitely not enough for Nakan to have fallen in love). I'm thinking that Nakan was originally in Mark's position of looking after a human he fell in love with who possessed the Golden Blood but was killed by either Thara or Nakan himself in an attempt to stop Thara. To be honest, now that I'm thinking about it, THAT subplot would've been much more intriguing than the main plot of the series in my opinion. For those who genuinely enjoyed the series, I love that for you, but it just wasn't for me.

No shade, but did this series REALLY need 12 episodes? I honestly feel like this story could've been easily wrapped up in 10 episodes (11 at the most). While a simple solution would probably be to simply turn Tong into a vampire, I'm not sure if the Golden Blood would even allow him to be turned into a vampire (I haven't read the novel, nor will I; so I don't know if there's a way for Tong to be turned into a vampire). Also, it almost feels as though Tonkla's death only served to make this series feel less like a university BL with a dash of vampires and blood and more like an actual vampire themed BL. Up until Tonkla's death (who in my opinion was the most likeable character), this series was truly giving "standard GMMTV university BL." As a character, Tong is borderline insufferable. He just comes off as an extremely immature person that lacks critical thinking skills. I understand being worried about his vampire boyfriend but surrendering to Thara in hopes that she'd "spare" Mark KNOWING that her word is worthless just didn't make any sense to me.