This review may contain spoilers
Watch at your own risk
The adjectives that I could use to describe this series are not very pretty. And I feel bad for those who were excited and curious to see the continuation of this couple cause for me personally, it was a letdown. And I choose to binge watch, cause sometimes that helps in watching a series. However, sadly that wasn't the case. If anyone who is reading this still wants to watch this series...well then- watch at your own risk!Story- 3/10
Here's the thing- if it was only Golf and Bank and maybe the storyline with one of his friends and the guy with fewer episodes, then maybe this series could have been salvaged. But then we are introduced to secondary characters who are not linked to the main couple except for the fact that they are attending the school that Golf and Bank previously did (except for Hungray who was a student of one of thier friends).
Also, while I have come accustomed to typical BL storylines and would tolerate like one or two in a series, this one had a field day (with at least two of them sleeping with druken boys that I clearly did ot see as consent) as well as older man teying to force themselves on the younger men cause they have some form of power over the success of the younger men.
And what's up with that ending? Giving us a wrap up story that no one clearly asked for. I mean, Arm broke up with Bank so that he could be happy but they really wrap t up and say 'he dies a month later in a car accident? ' What the frick on the frack?! Nah! This just wasn't it for me!
Acting-5/10
I'm giving this score cause while the storyline was shit (I don't care what anyone says- it was), I can say these actors honestly tried. So I will give them half for thier effort.
Music-2/10
Unfortunately, nothing stood out for me. Like...really, nothing.
Rewatch Valu-1/10
Why? Cause I can't give it a zero.
Overall-3/10
This is now officially the second worst series that I have watched after I Am Your King 2. And yes I watched WTD and WTD2:FC. But still...this was worse than them. And it's unfortunate, cause at the ending of the series it was said that the movie before this series started LGBT shows in Thailand. And, five years later, we are given this hot piece of mess. I will most definitely not recommend this series to anyone.
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Flop
First I gotta say after watching the first season I had no idea what they could do in a S2 to redeem anything and I didn't get much of an answer from the MC here. I LOVED all the side couples (can't pick a fav honestly) but Bank and Golf had me in a constant state of "ugh" when they crossed my screen. I don't see much chemistry between them and if that's not enough the whole "dying" plot doesn't do much for me. I legit would've smacked EVERYONE involved. Family, friend, dog etc. Would've caught my wrath for such a stunt. As that's just my personality, I can't say everyone would think like me. Anyway, I won't be recommending and I won't be rewatching. I love Fluke as an actor and some of the cast were familiar faces but I can't let this slide with a positive review....Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
9 things wrong with these 9 eps. (NOT worth the watch)
Ok I have not written a review in a really long time but I felt like this one really needed a review so that people could understand just how bad it was.1st off the entire storyline is messed up to begin with I mean who fakes their death for 5 years just so that your loved one can move on. If he had broken up with him and gone to the states for 5 years that would have made sense but the fact that not only did he fake his own death but that everyone around him was in on it just makes it honestly just too far fetch to begin with. That being said I still was waiting to watch this drama and was excited even knowing that it was a ridiculous plot line to see the end story of Golf and Bank.
Ok 2nd this drama was super slow.... the writing was just bad. Fluke Natouch is an amazing actor and he is the only one that manages to pull off his character in the entire series. The other Fluke (Golfis ok) Like there is only so much an Actor can do with a bad script.
3rd the other actors were not very good I'm just gonna leave it at that....a lot of the newer characters were just bad acting.
4th almost all of our original characters are not in the series at. All of Bank and Golf's friends basically only make a cameo in the 1st and 9th episode.
5th going into this I knew that there was some shade being thrown at Fluke Natouch from the director and the producer of this show. I don't have words for that really (other than unprofessional) but I do think it put a bad taste in my mouth as to why our 2 main protagonist are such a small part of the entire series.
6th the way the Golf shows backup and is just miraculously alive (even though all the viewers knew that to be true before going into the series- bc of the 'reunion' eps) the way that they handled him and Bank meeting again for the 1st time was again just part of a bad script it didn't make sense it was poorly done and despite the Flukes best attempts to put emotion into the scene you really couldn't feel much because it wasnt written as well as it should have been. It should have been incredibly emotional for not just Banks character but for all of the viewers and it really missed the mark.
7th the attempt to add in not just one new couple but literally 4 new couples to give some meat to this drama was again poorly done. Nobody cared about any of the side couples, none of their stories were deep enough to make us want to care. If they had focused on 1 side couple that might have been interesting but 4 of them, and I'm not even sure there are 4 of them I honestly stopped paying attention, was just so redundant.
8th the 'rape/coercion' scene and the harassment and the stereotypical drunk sex and all of those scenes combined just again side story unnecessary stuff trying to add stuff in and they weren't needed they were not helpful in the story at all they were weird and creepy. Along those lines there is just a lot of like negative space a lot of slow motion movements a lot of really slow dialog where people were just like on screen looking at eachother. Trying to look emotional for long periods of time.....this is 9 episodes series and each episode was 30 minutes long and I swear 20 minutes of that was people just staring at each other as they slowly said their lines, randomly interspersed with sexual harassment.
And last The 9th problem I had with this drama (and yes there are 9 problems and 9 episodes) is the shade that they try to throw at the end of the drama....the wrap up story line stuff that they posted at the end right before the credits where they give everybody's complete story line and how Golf and Bank lived happily ever after and that kind of BS um it was just .....I don't have words...... Also them claiming that they were the 1st Thailand BL EVER (2014)---just to clarify tthis was originally a weird movie, also poorly done and "Love Sick" was the 1st Thai BL Series....so they can claim being the 1st movie, but definitely not the creators of all Thai BL.....that all other bl's are born from their creation and then the facts that they then are like "Oh Bank and Golf lived happily ever after, " even though we had all these weird scenes where they barely even talk to each other and then we don't even get a real kiss out of them at the end but the other characters are having sexual harassment and straight up sex in some of the scenes. Then on top of that the whole like let's just randomly kill off Arm he dies one month after him and bank break up and it's just it's so weird and so forced that I'm not sure that I can even explain how bad and weird and forced it was.
OK so my rant over I feel like if you are one of the people that really needs to see the completion of this story and you're OK with not watching every episode for the full 30 minutes then you might be able to handle skipping through .
If you are not highly invested in Bank and Golf OR you are not one of those people that can skip through parts of a show OR if you need trigger warnings about sexual harassment or rape then I would not watch this at all. It is not worth it and you are not missing out on anything.
Bank and Golf end up together happily ever after. Honestly I was either falling asleep or disgusted by the story or horribly disappointed in the script for the entire thing. I think this is the lowest rating I have ever given anything out of the hundreds of dramas that I have seen and I purely give it the 1.5 star that it gets because of Fluke Natouch and his ability to handle trying to get through this series despite all the shade and poor script writing and poor character development that happens.
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I personally enjoyed the series, as someone who doesn’t mind slower paced shows that are quite “fluffy”.
I will say that I thought there were too many side couples, there were 4 of them. Because there were so many side couples you don’t get to dive into any of the relationships that deep.
I definitely think that watching this once it had fully aired benefited me, the episodes are shortish and because not that much happens plot-wise each episode I understand people watching week to week would have been frustrated, so I think it’s best to binge watch.
Fluke & Fluke act very well, the others are decent but Fluke & Fluke give the best performances. The drama in this is very surface level, it’s pretty simplistic and resolved pretty quickly.
It was cute, although I probably won’t rewatch it (at least for a while). Overall, if you like cute “fluff”, don’t need super complex drama and you’re not expecting a masterpiece, then you might like it.
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This review may contain spoilers
Bad writing and directing.
After waiting 6 years for this series, I was greatly dissappointed. Fluke (Bank) is a very good actor, he is good at playing characters that tug at your heartstrings, but it felt like he and most of the other actors were just going through the motions. The series felt rushed and does not do justice to the original movie. Bank just decides to dump his Boyfriend, Arm who has been with him for 2 years. Why they felt they had to kill him off a month after Bank broke up with him, I can't imagine. To have Tar move away because.of his job, just as he and Nuea were getting close and starting to build a relationship was bad, but to have Tar totally ignore him is horrible Especually since he new about Nuea's problens at home. It is a shame that this was the best they could do after waiting 6 years to film it. They would have been better not making the sequel.Was this review helpful to you?
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Rather disappointing
I will make references to some related productions, so I shall clarify what I understand first:- My Bromance 2: 5 Years Later is the sequel to the 2014 movie with the same actors playing the main characters, Bank and Gold.
- Between the 2014 movie and this 2021 sequel series, there is a short film, My Bromance: Reunion, which serves as a precursor to the sequel.
- There is also a 2016 series, simply entitled My Bromance, which I believe is an unofficial sequel to the 2014 movie. The cast is different.
The 2021 series the sequel that many fans have been looking forward to as it features the original actors of the 2014 movie.
Unfortunately, despite the charm of the original cast, the 2021 series is a disappointing sequel. In fact, the story of Bank and Golf is so weak that it seems as though the stories of additional couples are added in to make things more watchable. Fans who have been longing to to see Bank and Golf again may feel cheated--for quite a few episodes, they take up little of the screen time. Instead, side characters and their stories are introduced. Any link between the stories is tenuous and labored. The 2016 series with different actors playing Bank and Golf, which got a fair share of criticism, now appears to have a fairly good storyline by comparison.
The stories of several other couples do not fare much better. They are unimpressive but they are not really bad either. The story of Nuea and Tar is probably the most interesting and saddening. Tar is asked to tutor Nuea, an adopted youngster with issues. They seem to fall in love, but Tar's work after he graduates causes him to neglect the relationship. It's easy to be appalled by how quickly Tar starts neglecting Nuea, but Tar's wistful expressions at the end of the series add nuance to the story. Nuea and Tar's story makes one lament how the realities of life, like work and family commitments, can get in the way of romance and how a new romance does not necessarily fill an empty spot left by another person.
Yes, I guess a case can be made for including other couples in the series: it shows that different couples end up differently, and not everyone gets a fairytale ending. But the execution leaves much to be desired even if one were to take this to be the intended theme. The fate of Arm (Bank's boyfriend after Golf's fake death) also seems unnecessarily gut-wrenching. (Yes, some people are unlucky. But do you have to go all out and create a character like this in My Bromance?)
I do like seeing Bank and Golf ending up together, but I think it can be done in two episodes instead of ten. Episode after episode, I waited and waited for things to pick up. But they never did.
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WHY!?!
He should've stayed dead for plot consistency. However, they should not have killed him off in the first place for a better plot line. A series of simple points woven together is best. But since we went down this path I need someone to explain why his parents were willing to kill one of their sons off casket and grave to keep them apart. It was over the top.I love the two characters, but their relationship was formed via trauma bonding over one dead parent and one neglectful parent each, mixed with being lonely teenage boys. If I was a parent who was willing to admit my faults I would want them to get some time and space apart as well as some attention from me, and therapy. They could be gay or bi or whatever. That's none of my business. Just want to know they are both okay. In this case a year or two apart (not strictly they can visit one another and/or carry on an LDR) and some parental quality time. If they could get through that I would not care.
Instead, these parents just added more trauma by killing off one son and leaving the other to grieve. The story was so very random and made little sense. Just stop at the first one.
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Ehhhh..
I was exceptionally excited going into this just because I was going to be able to watch my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE BL ACTOR, Fluke. From his previous work in the My Bromance movie and UWMA, I was sure that Fluke's acting would once again be stellar (in which I wasn't wrong) but one actor can't carry the entire show.Let's dive in.
Production - 8/10: For the most part, it was fine. It was similar to that of the movie, and I did really enjoy the movie so nothing wrong there. Would've liked to see fewer long awkward pauses when nothing was happening because that creates cringe, and that's no fun. Also, looked like some of the scenes were filmed in real-time, like the school setting at the beginning and end. Fun to see some off-guard high schoolers staring directly at the camera (lol). I think what I loved most from the production is the soundtrack. Loved the intensity and the desperation in the tone of the instrumentals. Also, the message at the end was purely beautiful and sent off good vibes for the after-effect of finishing the series.
Story - 7/10: Not a fan of incest, whether that be blood-related or by law, it still really fucking weird and gross. I guess technically, Bank and Golf are no longer brothers since their parents divorced, but still, the feeling is there (not to mention they said "we are brothers" like a hundred and five times). This one didn't feel too brotherly, so I give it props for trying to leap off that ship. I had understood the side stories pretty well and enjoyed them for the most part (more than I did the main couple, I'll give you that), the only thing I had a problem with was keeping up with all the couples and their names.
Acting - 7/10: FLUKE CARRIES HALF THIS SCORE, but honestly the acting in this was really good. Besides Fluke, other really good actors were Nuea's actor, Maykah's actor, Arm's actor, and Golf's actor. The ones that weren't very good were those two wannabe Kpop dudes. Anyone else not listed was in the category of being good enough.
T/W - EMETOPHOBIA!!!!!!!!! (skip to couples)
Other - the behind scene at the end of episode 9, DID ANYONE NOTICE HOW NEUA'S ACTOR WAS ACTUALLY PUKING. Like he would drink this concoction and then look like he was spewing it out and then he puked some more???? would've LOVED a warning or something because honestly it really scarred me. Also, IDK if that was the motive to make him puke on his own, or maybe he accidentally did because whatever they gave him was disgusting, but I was severely worried about the actor and hope he's okay and hopes that someone was taking care of him after that.
Couples
Golf and Bank: 4/10
Yeah wasn't feeling it. Their chemistry in the movie was much better in my opinion. I have no idea what happened between now and then, but I can tell you that something was WAY off. For one, THEY WERE BROTHERS, STEP-BROTHERS OR NOT, IT'S STILL WRONG (technically they're not step-brothers anymore (if I was watching correctly)), second, the entire, "haha-I-was-dead-but-actually-I'm-not" plot was something between the words of neat and what the actual fuck, but I don't know which to pick. For one, I liked the way Bank had reacted to seeing Golf alive for the first time since his "death". It was realistic, the agony, the realization, the heartbreak, it was all there and all real (might just be because Fluke is an incredible actor and can perform any sad scene with excellence). I think the only reason that this couple didn't work for me after like episode 2 was because of how obviously awkward it was between the two of them. I can't be the only one who felt it right?? I get it though, someone you thought was dead is now very much alive, and it's not that easy to just get over it, but I'm still trying to figure out whether that cringe awkward feeling I kept getting was because of the actors and how that didn't have any chemistry or whether it was because of the long-ass view of the actors' face and the long-ass moment where nothing was being said. but something just felt so off with this couple. It got a little better closer to the end, but If you were to ask me who I like Bank with better, I would've told you Arm. He sincerely had so much love for Bank, and the in-love expression he had on his face when he saw that his anniversary with Bank was coming up was everything to me. Even his leaving Bank cause he wanted him to be happy was so heart-wrenching to me. Overall, I give this couple a 4/10, two of those points going towards Fluke's acting, one point going towards parts of their relationship that I guess I kind of liked (Golf tickling
Bank, the anticipation of Golf and Bank meeting again, and the montage from the movie) and the other point going towards pure guilt of giving it less than a 3rd overall score.
FIRST KISS RATING: 2/10 - The build-up to the kiss was nice, but the execution failed miserably. The kiss was dry, not like dry lips, but like it was the first kiss they were giving each other EVER (if I recall correctly, I don't remember them kissing in the movie) so why not do better than a little lip-touching (yes, there is a difference between a peck, a kiss, and lip-touching). the After kiss moment was actually kind of cute, so that's where one of the points is coming from.
Neua and Tar: 6/10
I really liked how versatile Neua's actor is, from going to this bossy little kid to this young man trying to figure himself out, and trying to find the meaning that he had in this world was fantastic. I will say, the only reason this score isn't as high as it could be is that Neua is a whole child in high school while Tar is a grown-ass man. Technically, I think it was legal because Neua was 18 and a senior in high school, but still. I liked that Tar was his reason to keep living, his reason to delete all the dating apps and feel wanted. Neua's storyline was probably the most detailed than anyone else's, and he played it very well. I was actually heartbroken for Tar when he came back and realized that Neua had moved on. I was glad to see that moment of him being happy for Neua and then having that breakdown in the car. It showed that he genuinely cared and wish to have another moment with him.
FIRST KISS RATING: 9/10 - The build-up was excellent. The sexual tension that they had been playing on once Nuea had got to Tar's house was executed nicely. The kiss itself was very nice and the moment leading up to theming doing it was great.
Hungley and Maykah: 8/10
I did not expect to love this couple so much, but out of all the couples, I loved them the most. Hungley added so much necessary comedy to the series and I liked the dynamic between Maykah and him. The swim lesson scenes were so precious I can't get over the holes in Hungley's swimsuits, like why was it right on his buttcheeks??????? Anyways, I also find Maykah very attractive. His smile and eyelashes are what did it for me. He and Hungley had really good chemistry build-up. I could genuinely feel for Hungely when Maykah left. Him coming back and everything working out was very nicely done.
FIRST KISS RATING: 5/10 - WAS NOT IT. I'm so sad about how they went about having Hungley and Maykah have their first kiss. One, it was so abrupt (literally some weird as camera cut), second, Hungley was drunk, and although he initiated the first gesture of wanting to have sex, it still felt wrong. Also, the kiss itself was weird, it looked like Maykah had kissed his chin and not his lips. Their sex scene was probably the most visible out of the two that occurred. We see Hungley visibly pleased by whatever Maykah was doing in his no-no square.
OTHER COUPLES: I can't remember the trainee dudes' names, but I know that I didn't like them, like literally at all. Their entire "thing" was off, but that was mostly due to their very bad build-up and very little screen time. That's what happens when you have too many couples in one series. I did feel bad for the one dude that was with his manager so he could get to where he wanted to be, and I also liked how the other dude tried to save him from the manager. With some more moments and maybe better actors, this could've been a decent couple. The other two random couples were so, well, very random. They really just threw them together at the very end, and said, "here ya go". We really didn't need those two couples, and it would've been better off without them.
RECOMMEND? yes, to anyone that loves Fluke and wants to see more of him, and if they were looking for just a small little series to watch that wasn't too heartbreaking and had its cute moments.
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This review may contain spoilers
Disappointing
They should NOT have made this series at all. It should have ended in that movie which was bittersweet and dramatic.I get it. The premise is great. What if it was a whole lie? What would happen? How would Bank cope and deal with the whole truth? How would he react? What really happened back then? Can Golf make Bank understand his circumstance back then? Will they be able to reconnect and ignore that 5-year-gap? Such a great premise! And they have Fluke Natouch (the sole reason why I even watched the whole thing), a great actor playing as Bank. I was excitedly expecting great water works, hysteria and all that sh*t because.. well.. every single person he trusted in his life lied to him this whole five years!
But what script did they gave him? Did they even give him a script? Considering all the screen time with no dialogues..
The whole series focused more on the other couples whom I had a hard time connecting to the main couple (oh I found out later on the series that they went to the same school the main couple did back then and that's just that. This would have been great as they were some sort of an "inspiration" for the later generations of lgbt+ couple if only they had placed a little more importance in expanding this point. Sadly, it was just thrown in as a conclusion of some sort).
The focal points that should have been stressed for the main story wasn't highlighted at all. It all just revolved in some teenage drama which isn't my cup of tea at all. In my opinion (keyword : MY), all of the sub couples' story didn't have that much of a substance plus zero chemistry between pairings.
What could have been a great story turned lame. They wasted their actors' (main) capabilities. Forgettable soundtracks. Such a waste.
It was depressing and agonizing to watch. I endured watching the whole series just for the sake of finishing it. I highly recommend NOT to watch at all.
On a side note, I was pleased that the issue of under-the-table things that happen in the entertainment world was addressed. I wasn't pleased that it was addressed wrongly. H*ll, even that perv producer (?) was highlighted more than the main couple.
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Bleary, Ill-defined, and Sadly, a Mess
I am utterly disappointed and devastated by this promising BL series, that never materialized at least not for the main couple. I loved the original MY BROMANCE as it was done in 2014 just at the beginning of these BL stories burgeoning. That was brilliantly acted, brilliantly produced, and brilliantly told. But something happened that made this particular story fall flat. This series simply was a hot mess that meandered with so many different male couples, that I frankly was getting lost. All of them being dealt with sometimes superficially and sometimes with a little bit more thought but none of them effectively. So upsetting to me as I am a huge fan of Natouch Siripongthon (Fluke). This is a total miss. If you want to read my full review of this series, you can do so at ppbongi.medium.com.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Watch the 2018 teaser and the official MV. Pretend this sequel series never happened
I watched this (and the movie) for Fluke Natouch, aka one of the best actors in the BL genre. Why, oh why did this production do this to such a great actor? How can anyone waste such talent?I'll put this upfront.
The lead actors did their job. The supporting actors (I mean Nuea and Tar because I've only watched their scenes amongst all the side couples)....were ok.
Unfortunately, they were given scenes to act out, not a story to tell.
It's the writing and editing that made this yet another disappointing sequel.
SPOILERS THROUGHOUT.
How not to ruin a much awaited sequel:
1) Do not introduce a bunch of new characters which don't play any role in the central plot/are barely related to each other, whom the audience doesn't care for.
2) Do not break up important, emotional scenes from the central CP with scenes from the new CPs, whom the audience doesn't care for.
3) Do not fill 80% of the screentime with the new CPs, whom the audience doesn't care for.
4) Do not skip the time between scenes and rob the main characters their chance to portray growth and emotion aftermath of those key scenes.
5) Do not break up the CP which fans are watching the sequel for without giving proper character development and resolutions to conflicts which make the break-up acceptable to fans.
6) Do not threaten to break up the said CP and then introduce a fairy godmother to suddenly change hearts and decisions. A forced happy ending is worse than an organic 'bad ending'.
--- Overly ambitious with too many side pairings ---
I feel cheated by the sequel. They could have just focused on Bank and Golf, and make it a movie instead of an 8-episode sequel where Bank and Golf are mere 'special guests'. In fact, the editing (or maybe the screenplay itself was written that way) was so choppy, I had to check different sources to confirm that the one I was watching is not a bogus one with parts left out. There was no closure of scenes and links to explain how Bank and Golf's behaviour changed between scenes - Bank in particular since he is understandably under more stress and shock from the turn of events.
How am I to watch their scenes when at the back of my mind is, "Golf had stagnated at their relationship from 5 years back but Bank, having thought Golf was dead, has moved on to a new lover." With that in mind, all I saw was the uneasiness and awkwardness on Bank's face when Golf showed affection during their time together prior to Golf finding out about Arm.
Actually, the different places where they now stand at posed a very good conflict to explore, but the series failed to make the best out of this potential. Instead, it introduced a bunch of characters I cared nothing for. If a second CP is necessary, just introduce one and build them up properly; don't be greedy and end up with a bunch of CPs which are just glossed over. I lost track of how many....4 side CPs? Just too many!
What mattered most wasn't dealt with, and it pained me as I watched the Bank/Golf/Arm scenes in the sequel. Worse still, I was forced to watch a sequence of those CPs spending happy times together at a point in the plot where I ought to be weeping with one half of the CP I was watching the sequel for. The worst thing was, there was no satisfactory pay-off at the end of all that pain.
In the final make-up scene where Bank was finally showing some hints of romantic happiness being with Golf, the lapse in continuity from his previous reactions towards Arm and Golf made it difficult for me as a viewer to connect. By then, Bank as a character had lost his charm. Also, I wasn't convinced of his love for Golf anymore. He even said it himself, "Precious love cannot replace a precious relationship". And we know he chose the latter.
No, wait. He didn't. Arm made the choice for him.
--- Character actions and emotions do not make sense ---
So Bank now loves Arm, in his own words. But why? As the audience, we've seen how Bank and Golf fell for each other. Though illogical, we accepted how Golf pretended to die in exchange for what seemed to be the only way to a future with Bank. It moved our hearts.
If the sequel had wanted to resolve the conflict of choosing between a short-term "love" and a long-term stable relationship, the least it could do was to show us how the new lover won Bank's love, right?
In the teaser, Bank was shown saying, "First love is not easy to forget. It has been 5 years, but I still cannot forget him." The scenes where Bank went to revisit places with memories of Golf, and his 'grave', left a deep impression on me.
So how did Bank get over that first love and accept Arm?
Perhaps the sequel thought that with the 5 years that passed, fans have forgotten those feelings from My Bromance 1. But it should consider Bank's own words: "We don't know how long a person will remain in one's memories. But in order for someone to stay with us forever, we have to keep them in our hearts, not just in our memories."
How am I to believe in the central conflict where Bank has to choose between his two loves, just because Bank at one point tells us, "Bank loves Arm. There is really nothing between Bank and Golf. Bank and Golf are just brothers"?
The memory montage in the last episode was a joke. In the part 1 120mins movie, there were so many tiny details, moments which set our hearts fluttering: Golf noticing an eyelash on Bank's nose and removing it for him, Golf's many silent moments watching Bank.
But in this part 2 8-episodes series, there were no memorable moments. The happiness I felt from Bank when he was with Arm....I don't sense the same from the scenes he shared with Golf.
For me the most memorable scene associated with the sequel is the teaser where someone asked Bank how long he is willing to hold a secret love for someone. He replied, "Forever."
This was the Bank I loved. I was searching high and low for that in the series proper. If only the series had expanded on what was presented in the teaser.
My last complaint about consistency irritated me to no end that in such an important scene, there is a lapse in logic. In episode 9, where we see Bank and Golf spending time together after their reconciliation, Golf gifts Bank with the ring he retrieved from his grave. Yes, the one Bank left by his grave, which I thought was Golf's. In the movie, we saw Bank wearing a ring after that so I'd thought he took his and left Golf's at the grave. This was further confirmed in the sequel when Golf asked Bank why he wasn't wearing the ring he bought him. But in this post-reconciliation scene, Golf took out that ring and put it on Bank, while Bank took out his and put it on Golf. So....I guess all along the ring left by the grave was Bank's, while Bank took Golf's so that he can carry Golf everywhere he went. Please, is it too much to ask for consistency at least within the sequel?
--- The only good thing about the plot ---
At least we found some answers to the questions from the movie regarding that lady who appeared out of the blue with Golf when he returned from America. This sequel was announced in 2018, after the BL scene begun to take flight in Thailand. I wonder if such closure had been planned during the movie back in 2013/2014, or if this was just an after-thought to plug the gap.
Even to the every last second, the series had to put a big question mark on my face. Why did Arm have to die? Does it change anything if he didn't die?
--- In conclusion ---
What a waste of the acting talent that is the two Flukes. Especially for Fluke Natouch, who has been the more active one in recent years. I know he is capable of so much more. Both Flukes delivered their scenes well, but there is only so much they can do when the writing is bad. A good actor can only connect with the audience through a well-written character and plot. Similarly, a well-written character comes to life when acted out by a good actor. I'm only giving 3 stars in the acting category because of the two Flukes, and mainly for Fluke Natouch.
The lack of character consistency and development sucked life out of Bank and Golf as characters, destroying the persons I grew to love from the movie. They failed to get me to empathise with them and I felt......nothing.
To the production: You had Fluke Natouch on your cast and you delivered this. Shame on you.
My recommendation is to just watch the teaser (released in 2018), the official MV and then episode 9. That's good enough closure to the movie.
3 stars for music, solely because of the existence of the MV which combines all the GolfxBank cuts.
Rewatch value of 1 star only because it ride on the goodwill from GolfxBank from the movie. Even for Fluke Natouch I wouldn't rewatch this as an independent work.
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This review may contain spoilers
This is one of the first BL that changed Thailand.
Some ratted this drama very badly. And I will not. First, because you need to discard the remake from 2016 that was really bad. First, because the respect between the original movie from 2014 and the series staring Fluke Teerapat and Fluke Natouch. Before talking about the series, you need to watch the original movie. The story about those two brothers (not blood related) who felt in love against an homophobic father and a society who fought against LGBT during that time (the story is between the 90s and early 2000s).But, while the story is about homophobia and acceptance, this drama 5 years later show the changes over time. In 2015 the LGBTQI in the U.S can marry legally. So, while Golf "died" in 2013 and went to live with his Half-sister in the US, he saw the changes and when he came back in 2018, the wold had changed toward the LGBTQI community. So, this series make sense, and people who rated it so low didn't even try to understand it.
On top of that, if I remember correctly, this was from the real life of real people. (For example, the group Axis, from Gondola Entertainment is where the two characters came from). Look online for more info.
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