ziugae

a lackluster story can only go so far

though the thai original is very popular, i don't think that this one necessarily falls flat in comparison. the reality is that this adaptation cut out a lot of the filler the original had, and thus feels like it's "missing" something. the reality is that the story is bad, there was nothing interesting going on, and relied on a lot of trauma to further one of the storylines.

i did expect japan to change up a lot of the intensity that was missing in the original, but i also realize that it's hard to do this without changing the story itself. though i expected more, i also think the casting didn't help much. the differences in what japan finds attractive in comparison to thailand are evident in these casting choices and left me questioning some choices. or there's just not enough of a diversity in actors up to taking on any of these roles, perhaps? either way, kai's story was slightly more palatable just for the seriousness given to his trauma. i didn't find the thai original to really approach that with good taste.

i don't know, but shoma was the only one i found interesting and to really fit the role. takuto might've benefited more from a better stylist, because his boyish looks only made him awkward to look at for me. i would've liked more of a personalized touch to his interpretation, it felt regurgitated to me. i also sincerely failed to see chemistry between any of these actors.

overall, i'm not a huge fan of the story itself, but i watched in hopes that maybe japan would do it better. it was better in the flow of things, but the short episodes were a chore to get through still. i struggled with enjoying most of this, but i do appreciate shoma a lot in this. he did the best out of the cast. though the casting wasn't the greatest apart from him, but at least it proves that the original adaptation was only successful due to chemistry and not for being a groundbreaking story.

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a tragic story of incredible potential

there are a lot of factors that go into developing and producing a series, and i think the most important thing to remember is that the studio that opted to create this series is not very large to begin with. because of this, and likely a lot of struggles to finance and cast the roles, i'm being a bit more lenient for both my rating and review.

to address the main concern: the acting. i think that david did a lot of the heavy lifting here, despite being a rookie with still a journey left ahead for him in terms of presenting a story. kinn was stiff to the point it made the set look cheaper and his interpretation to seem disinterested at times. i can't judge too harshly, as i am not an actor myself, but it does give me pause that the director, casting director, scriptwriter, and the team just went with this despite all that. i would've loved to see david work with someone experienced or that he had a partner that could help him immerse himself into the role better.

acting aside, the sets were interesting, but it all felt very boxed in. regardless of where the scenes took place, it felt very much like a "closed in" experience, where you don't really get a picture for the entire situation going on. you could say it made the series feel like it took place inside of a dollhouse. it could've been used to their advantage and portray a creepier space, but it just felt weird instead.

in terms of the story itself, i was still confused about what the ending meant. i wasn't sure how in the future there's a video, when matthew's family couldn't see khen so how could they be recorded? is the future just a loop now? was everything "fixed"? and had khen already met matthew in his timeline and had just never known it? i might have to pick up the book instead and read it, but i hope we can get more series from Violet Rain, their stories truly have the potential to change how media adaptations of queer novels are approached. i am particularly fond of the focus on historic/past thailand timelines.

overall, the series is not the best, and part of it is likely a failed budget, but i still think it deserves a watch.

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Great cast, missed potential

With the development and increased attention + interest in gay kdramas, this series has the potential to be re-visited with a more passionate producer and studio. The lack of a good budget is evident in things like bad takes, missed editing, bad audio, and the lack of imagination or care to actually get the story across to viewers.

A lot of things within the storyline were abandoned or completely skipped. From the curse, their dinner agreement, and even Dennis himself. A viewer can eventually deduce some aspects of the story yet it leaves far too much room for development.

I hope this can get picked up by a better studio in the future and maybe give this cast the true opportunity to make a great series.

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Good production, but that's it

although i came into this with really high expectations, not only for the directing stye but also for offgun to get something new, this series went from mildly boring to extremely frustrating. still don't know how i kept any interest to finish it.

though we got some semblance of a story about ryan, most of the episodes were not even about him or jane. i would understand if there were less episodes, but getting 3 episodes of a cheating, inappropriate mentor/intern relationship, and people that just do not show character growth, anything positive was quickly overshadowed by all that mess. i thought i would like it more, as it did start really interestingly and the colors, editing, etc were a fresh style for anything BL related by gmmtv.

and as for the biggest disappointment: minimal offgun. what was the point in even having them as leads? we got one episode that was mostly dedicated to them and even that felt like a very forced and quick attempt to satisfy viewers that were watching for this pairing. there was some story to both of them, but overall i found this series extremely underwhelming for what it could've been. the cheap cop-out of having jane leave, without even bothering to discuss it with ryan or even just prepare him, made me so angry. the lack of communication during those five years was INSANE. how do you do that to someone you love?? with these two, just the most insane lines would blindside me so bad, it felt like just drama for the sake of it.

the script was terrible, the stories were worse (judy should've never been kept in this!), and the lack of any substance to pah and pie was actually sad too. pie never showed growth until the last episode, and her failing to apologize to ryan BOTH times really just about set me off.

finally, poon was such a great casting choice for this series. he made it the most tolerable for me apart from offgun.

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absolutely stunning

personally, i was actually hooked on this series right from the first episode. the versatility in their acting to portray such different lives they gave each role was incredible, and it truly was like a sampler to their capabilities. the only problem is i needed each story to go into a full series!
although there was the few awkward scenes, the chemistry between the leads really pulled me right through these moments. i highly recommend this, they are a breath of fresh air, and left me hoping to see them again soon.
truly think that this could be a huge pairing, i just want people to hype them up a lot more!

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disconjointed

although the series is (to some degree) okay, I felt disappointed by the jumbled mess for korn and in. they only really had a real impact on me in the last two episodes, and other than that it was a challenge feeling like this story was about them if not for the dragging out of their relationship growth and deaths.

though the dialogue was pretty terrible, I did appreciate the way fluke acted out the mental breakdown part, where he lost himself in the mix of in and his suffering. this was the touch of a psychological aspect I was expecting to be more prevalent in the series. I feel like this was a rather disjointed presentation of intertwined souls, reincarnation, and tragedy that didn’t quite feel complete. I can’t say this is a rewatch for me, but I see why there was an appeal. I only found myself interested in kaoearth, so it has taken me a year to actually finish this series… it’s a good watch if you want to see the changes to bl productions over time.

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almost perfect

cha seowon stole the show.

not only is he incredibly handsome, but his ability to give life to a serious character and not leave taejoon with a “flat” personality was so amazing. really loved his small details to really immerse into the role. apparently he also took ceramic lessons? really admirable how thorough he was for this role.

the only thing is I wish that the kiss scenes weren’t so bad. won taemin has experience so I kind of hoped at least he would’ve had a good scene in this or could’ve maybe given advice but alas, it isn’t that big of a deal.

the only reason I deducted anything is that the gaps in the story timeline were too noticeable for me. other than that, I think this was very enjoyable and I was surprised by how well gongchan did in a bl, as a longtime bana. I look forward to seeing more from everyone in this! they all did great and had very cute chemistry together!

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Worth the hype

Genuinely, this might be one of the top 3 Korean BL's that has been released recently and it was such a needed upgrade.

Everything from the storyline to the chemistry between the actors, it was just all perfect. The only thing I would've liked is a little more to the depth to the story and/or their relationship. Even so, I found this to be such an enjoyable series, I had to rewatch it again within a couple days of finishing it the first time. Though I'm not sure if we will ever see these two actors in another BL, I am so excited to see them land bigger roles regardless of the genre. Definitely one of the most charming and endearing dramas I've watched this year.

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A Love Story With Self-Reflection

the story in thamepo is not only of romance, but of the inevitable self-discovery, self-reflection, and growing that we as people go through--celebrity or not.

with thamepo, you are taken through a journey of failure, slumps, growth, and the different types of losses that you experience as a working adult in society. the impossibility we see so often take the lead in thamepo gives room for the viewer to realize there are times we, as people just trying to get through life, often have to make sacrifices or face a separation that are not part of the fairytale we want to believe in.

with this also comes a constant obstacle and issue in this series that prevails in real life: irrational fanatism of idols/celebrities. there is a lesson for everyone, regardless of how much we want to say we don't care about idol relationships, and it's about not focusing on the big picture: happiness.

baifern is the vessel for this lesson for us as viewers and supporters of artists. and even with the laid out explanation of how this type of behavior is irrational and harmful, i fear that the discussions, criticisms, and putting down of william for this series and his dreams are a real manifestation of the very problem that has to stop. we often see thame talk about how he is not tired, does not need anyone to coddle him, and he is doing things because he likes it (being with po, in this case). so to hear william also be as confident and vocal about this stage of his career being very much his choice, how he's fought for this opportunity and to keep est in his life, it makes it absolutely insensitive, overbearing, and borderline psychopathic to see people bash him for going after an acting career that he very much has always been vocal about.

so, to sum this up, the amplifying of bad takes also is an issue that we see far too often and does not create a healthy relationship with your favorite celebrities. ignoring people that set out to harm others is the best tool. silence and moving with purpose to show continued support is more powerful when there is an uproar about something as normal as idols dating, which also ties in baifern doing more harm than good when closing the fan page rather than bearing through that storm with mars.

although we can talk about the toxicity forever, i think another important lesson is the acceptance of success coming in many forms.

po has a long struggle finding happiness. through the series you start to see him be happy and he realizes far too late that his happiness didn't have to be glamorous or "successful" like earn's. even the topic of dreams was so impactful for many of us that didn't necessarily grow up with grand or specific dreams for our future. uncle jo talking about how happiness can be as simple as making suits for people to love and enjoy wearing and how it can be fulfilling. we don't all dream of being doctors, lawyers, or some grand career. sometimes, just being comfortable in what you do and the impact you have on your own community is good and valid enough for you to be seen as successful. uncle jo was successful to po, and to uncle jo it was really nothing more than just being content with what he does in life. po realizing he was just constantly comparing himself to earn and their friend group made me feel like he grew to understand not only himself more, but the importance of mars and their dreams too.

the ability to get so much out of a rookie series like this has made thamepo something that will forever resonate with me. the brilliance from est and lykn to capture these roles so flawlessly makes thamepo the best series of this year for me. there is not much more to ask for in this series other than more episodes, but i did kind of wish the confession between thame and po had been through their own mouths and not a game of telephone with jun. still, it made sense with the flow of the story. the entire team and cast made incredible work here and the gentleness in the entire delivery makes this all the more impactful.

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a chore to watch

perhaps i'm being too harsh on this series, but it felt like a chore getting through this series. i'm not sure i liked anyone at any point, just maybe putter's cameo was nice?

character-wise, all of these characters were pretty flat to me. i wanted more fleshed out personalities, and i felt like diew was hardly ever accommodating to god. often times, it felt like a very one way relationship, and god doing a lot of the work to get anything going or even discussed, but i also understand there were some things that made diew the way he was--i just didn't like it at all.

wan was also grating to see, and i again don't know if i'm being overly harsh, but he was one of the most annoying characters in this. i dreaded having to watch anything about him.

i don't know, i found myself very disconnected from the entire series, cast, and story. i just couldn't get into anything about this. the most random things would immediately take me out of the story all the time, and i can't say this was much of an enjoyable show for me. maybe i'll have to revisit this at a later time, but for now this is not something i liked.

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THE Thai BL for the year

this series had everything to make it good, and they went ahead to create not only one of the most cinematically beautiful series, but gave life to characters I had never heard of to a degree that they immediately felt familiar.

nonkul and bright had such electrifying chemistry in the most minor moments, it was such an experience seeing them expand on their roles as their bond grew in the story.

i cannot say I’ve felt this way about a series since ATOTS and ITSAY. truly a gem. P’Tee, we may drive you crazy saying this, but IFYLITA truly deserves another season! here’s hoping that may happen someday, but even if it does not, this series gives me the overwhelming interest to pick up the books and actually read them.

a superb series, with a star studded cast, and cinematography that puts most releases to shame. they truly outdid themselves here.

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Get into the Loop

Triage might be one of the best BL series, without relying so heavily on the BL as the selling point. the characters, setting, and storyline are all interwoven so well that you find yourself completely engrossed in this. last thing I knew, I had watched well over 5 episodes in one day. admittedly, the ending could’ve been better, but I found the growth of all the characters enough to make up for it. I can’t vouch for the accuracy in the medical sense, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this set in a medical field. would have enjoyed seeing more of the ER team but it’s just an afterthought at this point.

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Most chaotic storyline of the year

There's too many bad people, too many situations that don't make sense (why are there no cameras to document the extortion and attacks?), and the communication being so damn bad for no reason.

I wanted to like this so much, but I don't think the scriptwriters know how to land the drama and plot points they wanted. Not only did this start as a "saving the grieving guy from loan sharks" but it dipped into doping, underground boxing rings, gambling, and even corrupt police/murder cover-ups. There's just too much going on and it took away from the viewer's experience. There needs to be a more clear story, with a clear enemy, and then you can map out a complex storyline around it.

As for the good, I loved the chemistry from both the pairings. Guide and Dech were really good to see together even though I had not expected them as a pairing here.

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Unfairly Rushed

This story had so much potential, and I feel like there was too much of a rush at some point. It almost feels like entire episodes or chunks of the story got cut. I'm not sure if there's source material for this series, but the time-skip threw me off.

I would've liked to see more of a sense of personality to both of the leads, there wasn't much to their essence and with the themes in the overall plot made this feel emptier. While I was happy to get one of these leads to finally take on a leading role, his full potential didn't seem to get used here. I'm usually partial to Japanese BL when it comes to the emotional, effective storytelling, but this series failed in that part a bit. It's a shame, but even with it's flaws it was still enjoyable.

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