This review may contain spoilers
This is exactly what i needed to watch
Overall review
ThamePo isn’t just a sweet romance. It’s a thoughtful story about care, trust, and how hard it can be to find emotional clarity in a world that values image over authenticity. It stumbles a bit in the second half, but its heart? Always in the right place. If you’re into love stories that take their time, with characters who genuinely try to understand each other, this one’s worth every quiet, lingering minute.
Episode Reviews:
One of the things I really appreciated about ThamePo is how well it captured the behind the scenes reality of idol life, something that’s rarely portrayed with this much nuance in BL dramas. The series does an excellent job showing just how brutal the entertainment industry can be, especially for idol groups constantly under scrutiny. It dives into the pressure idols face to maintain a perfect image, while dealing with internal conflict, favouritism, and competition, all the things that quietly eat away at group unity. The show doesn’t shy away from the fact that sometimes the industry pits members against one another, and that being the “favourite” can be just as isolating as being sidelined. Thame's position as the group’s unofficial centre really highlighted that tension. He was in the spotlight, sure, but it came with its own weight. And for the other members, especially the ones whose talents were overlooked, there was this quiet ache. You felt it. It wasn’t over-explained, which made it feel all the more real.
Now, on the romance side… oh my freaking gosh. Thame and Po are just sooooooo lovely together. Their relationship honestly felt like a warm blanket, gentle, sincere, and incredibly grounded. They’re both green flags in human form. Thame, especially, really stood out for me. The way he treated Po with such care and patience, it was exactly the kind of emotionally intelligent love story I wish we saw more often. He never rushed him, never crossed boundaries, and always made sure Po felt emotionally safe. And Po, in turn, opened up so gradually and tenderly that watching them fall for each other kind of felt like falling in love yourself. Some of their moments, like the quiet rooftop scene or that first real confession felt so nostalgic, like remembering a first crush. That kind of softness isn’t easy to portray without feeling too slow or overly sweet, but the show got the balance just right.
That said, I do have a few critiques. The first half of the series was fantastic intimate, emotionally steady, with a strong sense of direction. But the second half did start to lose a bit of its momentum. The two episodes that focused on Jun and Po’s dynamic didn’t quite work for me. I get what the writers were trying to explore unresolved emotions, complicated friendships, maybe even a mirror of Thame and Po’s growth but it just didn’t land personally. It pulled attention away from the main relationship, and I found myself wishing that time had been spent deepening Thame and Po’s arc instead, especially since theirs was already such a subtle slow burn.
And then there’s the breakup arc. On one hand, I appreciated the realism. A relationship like theirs would face roadblocks in an industry like that it made sense, narratively. But emotionally, it was a little jarring. After spending so long building up their connection so slowly and delicately, to then have them break apart not long after finally coming together???? It just left me with emotional whiplash. I understood the reasoning, but I wished we’d gotten more of them as a couple before throwing conflict at them. Just one or two episodes of stability would’ve made the heartbreak hit even harder, and felt more balanced. As it was, it felt like we waited forever for a relationship that barely had time to breathe before it was tested.
Still, the chemistry between the leads was undeniable. Every time they were on screen together, there was this quiet electricity. And when the kisses finally came. Let’s just say I had to pause and stare at the screen for a while. They were intense without being preformative, and felt completely in line with how emotionally mature their relationship was. The kisses looked real an not like two fishes kissing so I'm extremely glad for that. Both actors delivered incredibly grounded performances, and honestly, the entire cast did a great job. Even the supporting characters who sometimes get sidelined in BL dramas felt like full people with their own perspectives and emotional lives. That added so much depth to the world of the show.
ThamePo isn’t just a sweet romance. It’s a thoughtful story about care, trust, and how hard it can be to find emotional clarity in a world that values image over authenticity. It stumbles a bit in the second half, but its heart? Always in the right place. If you’re into love stories that take their time, with characters who genuinely try to understand each other, this one’s worth every quiet, lingering minute.
Episode Reviews:
One of the things I really appreciated about ThamePo is how well it captured the behind the scenes reality of idol life, something that’s rarely portrayed with this much nuance in BL dramas. The series does an excellent job showing just how brutal the entertainment industry can be, especially for idol groups constantly under scrutiny. It dives into the pressure idols face to maintain a perfect image, while dealing with internal conflict, favouritism, and competition, all the things that quietly eat away at group unity. The show doesn’t shy away from the fact that sometimes the industry pits members against one another, and that being the “favourite” can be just as isolating as being sidelined. Thame's position as the group’s unofficial centre really highlighted that tension. He was in the spotlight, sure, but it came with its own weight. And for the other members, especially the ones whose talents were overlooked, there was this quiet ache. You felt it. It wasn’t over-explained, which made it feel all the more real.
Now, on the romance side… oh my freaking gosh. Thame and Po are just sooooooo lovely together. Their relationship honestly felt like a warm blanket, gentle, sincere, and incredibly grounded. They’re both green flags in human form. Thame, especially, really stood out for me. The way he treated Po with such care and patience, it was exactly the kind of emotionally intelligent love story I wish we saw more often. He never rushed him, never crossed boundaries, and always made sure Po felt emotionally safe. And Po, in turn, opened up so gradually and tenderly that watching them fall for each other kind of felt like falling in love yourself. Some of their moments, like the quiet rooftop scene or that first real confession felt so nostalgic, like remembering a first crush. That kind of softness isn’t easy to portray without feeling too slow or overly sweet, but the show got the balance just right.
That said, I do have a few critiques. The first half of the series was fantastic intimate, emotionally steady, with a strong sense of direction. But the second half did start to lose a bit of its momentum. The two episodes that focused on Jun and Po’s dynamic didn’t quite work for me. I get what the writers were trying to explore unresolved emotions, complicated friendships, maybe even a mirror of Thame and Po’s growth but it just didn’t land personally. It pulled attention away from the main relationship, and I found myself wishing that time had been spent deepening Thame and Po’s arc instead, especially since theirs was already such a subtle slow burn.
And then there’s the breakup arc. On one hand, I appreciated the realism. A relationship like theirs would face roadblocks in an industry like that it made sense, narratively. But emotionally, it was a little jarring. After spending so long building up their connection so slowly and delicately, to then have them break apart not long after finally coming together???? It just left me with emotional whiplash. I understood the reasoning, but I wished we’d gotten more of them as a couple before throwing conflict at them. Just one or two episodes of stability would’ve made the heartbreak hit even harder, and felt more balanced. As it was, it felt like we waited forever for a relationship that barely had time to breathe before it was tested.
Still, the chemistry between the leads was undeniable. Every time they were on screen together, there was this quiet electricity. And when the kisses finally came. Let’s just say I had to pause and stare at the screen for a while. They were intense without being preformative, and felt completely in line with how emotionally mature their relationship was. The kisses looked real an not like two fishes kissing so I'm extremely glad for that. Both actors delivered incredibly grounded performances, and honestly, the entire cast did a great job. Even the supporting characters who sometimes get sidelined in BL dramas felt like full people with their own perspectives and emotional lives. That added so much depth to the world of the show.
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