Second Chance (2021)

Second Chance Needs A Third Chance

So "Second Chance" both exceeded my expectations and fumbled in its execution. I don't know how that's possible lol but it happened with this! Some things were done extremely well, like if they had carried on with those things this could've been top tier material! But there's crap in between that kinda needs to be skipped while viewing and that's never a good sign.

For example. Every scene with those 3 girls made me want to scratch my eyes out and skip. They were so annoying! I don't know why they were even necessary at all. That time could've been used to further develop the couples! The 2 leads (Paper & Sky) were so freaking sweet and the side couples were adorable. Though the amount that I hated that his name was Paper....my lord lol. Also if you're trying to make me think Paper is in high school it ain't happening lol. I like the actor a lot but he does not look like a highschooler lol. Dudes literally almost 30. He is the best actor though in the series! He's such a good emotional actor and who would've known! TharnType didn't give him too much to work with.

I liked the whole idea of the one brother (Near) not knowing its his cafe boss who he's going out on a date with. That was interesting. The 2 brothers were hard af to distinguish sometimes I swear. I thought they were the same character for a hot minute. Especially because I don't think they share one single scene together until the very end! Which is weird.

The other couple are from TharnType too (Chris & Jeno), along with Paper's actor. That was funny to see them actually do couple things and be actually really upfront! Rather than play characters that are offbeat roommates. I liked the kinda plot twist of the bully being the ex. Some super internalized homophobia there. Though the bully didn't need a redemption tbh, there wasn't enough time in the show for that.

Moving onto the chemistry. I appreciate an actual kiss! A really good one from Paper and Sky! Lowkey was expecting to be a peck or some crap. The breathing was A LOT too, like hello close-ups. Their second kiss was just as good too, loved it. The secondary couples kiss during the dance was good too! I wish we had more time to develop stuff! If I've learned anything from BL's its that many of them either don't utilize time well enough or lack episode length. There are few that successfully developed everything 100%, ITSAY included. So I hope series take a page from that. Pretty music in this, like really pretty! I need the soundtrack. Again too short though, 6 eps isn't enough to get super invested. Such a good ending to this, in the acting and set up. The underwater scenes at the end were really nice too. Check this out but don't expect anything too crazy!

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Cute and Engaging

In this refreshingly altered state of reality, boys are nice to each other and can even cry over a broken bromance. Ok, there is a bully in their midst but even he sheds tears at the end and is comforted by his bros. There are girls here, but they seem to be sort of asexual cheerleaders to the boys in love. The basic plot elements we've seen before, but they seem fresh here. Mawin Tanawin Duangnate is the standout as Chris. His character seems to be the glue that holds all of these bromances together -- and he has the acting chops to pull it off too. If I were just rating him, I'd give him an 11. But the other actors are giving it their all too. "Second Chance" doesn't get too distracted with the cultural taboos of same sex romance, but we still get a bit of the male gender role discomfort of displaying any kind of affection. "Second Chance" also spares us from the girly-man stereotypes -- all of these guys are handsome, masculine and even play sports! Wow! Thailand continues to set the gold standard for BL dramas. "Second Chance" is beautifully photographed and the direction is right on point. I regret I can't give it a full 10 score because we never get past kissing with these couples, but that seems to be as far as audiences (and the straight boys who play these roles) are willing to go. But, we're making progress.

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This series is incredibly infuriating to watch

There have been some amazingly well done series recently with truly remarkable performances from many new actors, which makes this series infuriating to watch.

OVERALL:

If you can ignore everything wrong with this series and just focus solely on the performances of the cast, it's worth watching being that it's only 6 episodes long. If this get another season, they really need to put all of their focus on improving the writing, directing, and especially the editing.

WRITING / DIRECTING / EDITING:

The writing, directing, and editing of this series is like knowing a gruesome accident is about to happen right before your eyes, knowing you should look away, but you can't. Please don't get me wrong, there are some really well done moments throughout the series, but more times than not either the writing, directing, or editing really let it down. If a more experienced team were given the raw materials from this series and they added about 2-3 episodes length of new material to it and completely reedited it, this series could easily have been one of the best of 2021.

Much of the series is more like a collection of disconnected scenes rather than something that flows together to weave a story. Something will happen one moment and then the next it's like the last one didn't happen.

The other major issue with the series is there's no real substance to it, the most we get are a couple of glimpses of what it could have been, but it never really breaks the surface.

CAST:

The majority of the cast and their performances are the only real reason to watch this series.

The biggest misstep with the cast would definitely have to be with Nice Pitayut Orsuwan and his character Arthur. The character might have been a "support" role, but his actions played a very large part in shaping a good majority of the overall story of other characters. Unfortunately the character was never fleshed out more than he did and action which caused this reaction and that was it, which is so frustrating because it was obvious that Nice Pitayut Orsuwan has real talent. If they hadn't wasted so much screen time with the three girls and instead dedicated that time to giving Arthur a backstory that would have given some insight into his behavior it would have drastically changed the series for the better. I really hope Nice gets the chance to really shine in another series and show what he's capable of as I really think he has the potential to be an amazing actor. The writing, directing, and editing of the series may never have developed anything for the character, but Nice portrayed a level of pain, sorrow, anger, and regret even just in his facial expressions that it's easily the one thing from this series that you'll remember.

The other standout performance would definitely be from Mawin Tanawin Duangnate who played Chris. I personally think that Chris was the most developed character of the whole series and it was obvious in the performance from Mawin. He was able to take what he was given and really give a performance and a character you connected with and really wanted to root for. Here again just like with Nice, Mawin really needs to be given the proper opportunity to really showcase what he's capable of and hopefully he'll get that chance.

I personally think if Nice and Mawin were teamed up together that with their talent they could play off each other remarkably well.

STORY ARCS:

Tong Fah x Paper: This is probably one of the oldest stories in the book, two long time friends end up developing feelings for each other....eventually. Of course it wouldn't be a teen / young adult self discovery and declaration of love drama series without the use of alcohol to give one of the characters the "courage" to finally make a move. Yes it's not uncommon for that to happen in real life, but it's so overused and there's many more creative ways it could have been done. There are easily 2-3 major scenes missing from this story arc that not only would have allowed it to flow better, but given it so much more impact.

Chris x Jeno: This one is just kind of all over the place thanks to poor writing and editing. Sometimes there are reasons why you develop a very close personal connection with someone or fall in love with them and sometimes you just do and there's no real singular reason why. In this arc there's multiple things that are thrown in but never really properly developed or flow in a way that really portrays their journey into loving each other. As I've said many times before, the editing really muddled this up.

M x Near: Honestly this series could have done without this whole story arc, and that's nothing against the actors themselves. It comes across as something that was just thrown in as an after thought and again is a jumbled mess throughout the series. They are both gamers who meet online in a game, become virtual boyfriends, and then realize they know each other in real life. Of course nothing can be straightforward in a drama series like this so they decided to complicate things by one of them knowing who the other is in real life, cue the misplaced anger when Near finds out that M is his virtual boyfriend and never told him, even though Near doesn't come out and tell M when he figures it out either. Then cue a series of disjoined scenes of them arguing back and forth, which ultimately leads to "Hey let's be real boyfriends" suddenly in the end.

The 3 Girls: Of course it wouldn't be a stereotypical BL genre series without a group of girls that serve no purpose other than wasting screen time that could have been better used with the multiple story arcs going on. Yes we get it, there is a large portion of the BL/Yaoi fandom that is extremely toxic / obsessive / compulsive / even dangerous, but really does it have to be thrown into every series and so over the top.

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Worth a watch.

The acting was good. Some of the actors were even newbies, and they still did well. Fluke really did so amazingly. The kisses were so nice, especially Paper and Sky's first kiss. I mean, the tension was palpable in that scene where they were drinking and having fun. Also, even though, Paper did get a little overwhelmed, he wasn't nasty about it.

By the end, I was still confused about the beginning of the series. I don't know if I wasn't paying enough attention or they really didn't explain it further. It did seem a little rushed near the end. I'm not sure what happened, but I know there were supposed to be eight episodes, not six. Maybe two more episodes would have added some clarity.

The bullying part was a little odd. Was I supposed to believe that the headmaster really felt it was appropriate to lecture Arthur about his wrongdoings at prom? I also found it hard to believe Arthur would change his ways that easily. Like, are we just going to forget that Arthur physically abused Jeno, to the point of him being scared of getting into a new relationship? Don't get me wrong. I liked that he took time to reflect and regret. It just didn't feel realistic.

Near and M were not meant to be. Near had more chemistry with that one customer, to be honest. M was a little creepy. Don't trick someone into dating you. Also, when Near found out about the whole thing, he just kept apologizing instead of explaining. It's safe to say they didn't have to be a part of this series.

I was happy to see Mawin and Run being together in a more serious matter. Their relationship in Tharntype was ridiculous. This was much more wholesome. Chris was a little much at times, but at least he truly cared about Jeno. Also, they finally had their first kiss! It was better than I had feared. A lot better, actually.

Lastly, there were no homophobic parents. That's always a plus.

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the perfect bite-size story

this series is right up my alley. its main focus is that romantic tension and buildup to becoming a couple.

the story was really enjoyable considering how short it is. i was addicted from the first episode. the relationships are beyond healthy. thai dramas are known for their over-the-top editing, but this series was calm and sweet; really different from some of the other recently produced shows. i was definitely more into the main couples than Near and M; their story felt rushed and last second. though it was still entertaining, i wish they would've scrapped this third couple and spent more time on the other two.

i can't stress enough how happy i am that the female roles weren't obnoxious or in the way. all of the women were supportive; especially jeno's sister. i really liked their characters; they were all very unique and true to themselves. i didn't mind the fact they were loud or semi extravagant. i think it fit all three girls really well. they didn't fetishize or monopolize on any of the relationships in the story. they were there to support all of their decisions, and lead them to making the right ones.

i also love how nobody is afraid to own up to their mistakes. there's no beating around the bush with these couples; there's always something going on with one of them, and it keeps the story interesting with each episode. i really like how being gay and/or having crushes on guys isn't a big deal whatsoever. nobody gives it any special type of treatment. that's what makes it feel so natural.

i would absolutely recommend this series. it's sweet and healthy. it'll have you hooked from the beginning.

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Definitely recommend it. It's short and sweet.

I didn't wanna watch it at first but so glad I decided to give it a try. Loved it a lot.
First, the music was GREAT - Normally I don't notice music in series but this was Very calming and matching to the situation.
Actors - I can't believe they are rookies, they did very well, better than some of the top-tier actors.
Story - Nothing out of the ordinary, a little confusing but not boring. The ending was a little rushed but very sweet.
Had some of the best kissing scenes.
Definitely want to rewatch it v soon.
I want to see ChrisJeno and SkyPaper in more series.

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Friends to lovers

I have a real soft spot for the Thai BL pulps and this is probably the best pulp of 2021 (for Thailand, Vietnam is nipping at the heels). It brought us back into the high school sphere and YA angst in a big way. I happen to love this setting and these tropes (what can I say, blame my early days of Love Sick and Make it Right).

All three couples had good chemistry (half the main cast was already comfortable with BL) and while there wasn’t much story, the acting and production values were decent. Considering the last few years, I’m disposed to be very pleased with this offering.

Is it poor on post production, small cast, and terrible script? Sure it is. Is it weird that the Sirorattanaphanit brothers look like twins but this is never acknowledged? Yeah, it’s weird.

But the boys are charming. CHARMING I TELL YOU.

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Boring but Cute

This series was really cute and just unbelievably slow. I watched the entire show in 2x because I just could not sit through each of those scenes.

MUISC—

Not memorable in the slightest but wasn’t horrible so 👍🏾


STORY—

I mean let’s be real there’s no actual plot other than these 3? Couples trying to find their way. The first Main couple Paper and Sky had the best chemistry of the three couples of course. I’ve seen Tong is a few series before this one so I’m familiar with his work, but I have not seen anything from Fluke until this show and lord may I say GOOD JOB TO THAT MAN. He gave everything that was meant to be given.

The second couple Jeno and Chris were also pretty cute I guess. They focused more on the bully plot line if the show with this couple and like it wasn’t horrible. I see a lot of the comments saying “ATTENTION TO BULLYING” and tbh I felt like they skimmed over and brushed of a lot of the reality that comes with bullying and abusive relationships just to try and give the show some drama (but that’s just my opinion) . The actor that played Chris was a delight through the entire show I love him unconditionally and forever though I felt that he I could have been portrayed better he kinda just seemed like an ass up until the last 2 eps.

Couple number 3 I low key forgot about them until they popped up again. And I know they aren’t like a main couple but honestly the show could have done without them and gave us a little more screen some for Paper and Sky since we didn’t get much fluff outta them once they got together.

ACTING—

Like I said 10/10 for Fluke and The actor that played Chris ( I can’t remember his name) there wasn’t a since moment from either one of them I have to complain about. Thong was great too so kudos to him.

Episode 3 when they are Sky’s room dancing was 100/10 the best scene in the whole show. It was the little things that Fluke did that added so much more intimacy and emotion to their scenes together. The lingering hand touches and stares, the shaky breather filled with anxiety yet relief we he kisses Paper for the first time. The way Sky clenches at his shirt I’m heartache when his feelings aren’t reciprocated. That same breath of relief when Paper kisses him in the last episode but this time is feels different.

I was just really impressed with Flukes performance. He made a fan out of me immediately
I will say they did make me feel a little bad for the bully and the very last second.

Long story short if you’re into slow burn romance and don’t really care for an actual plot this is the show for you.

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not bad not great

ngl i was so confused in the first eps about Jeno and Near but things cleared up in ep 2 thats when i realised they are different guys lol
this serie isnt bad but i enjoyed the first half more than the second one, acting is not bad, kissing scenes are good, i think the only thing that i didnt enjoy much is the pacing, in the first few eps it was good but later on it felt a bit too slow and some drama scenes there didnt look necessary its like it was there just to make it longer thats why i wished the drama issues were a bit different or get solved faster, maybe something more convincing,it felt a bit plain, it miss a spark, it miss something that keep it interesting, it doesnt necessary mean that its bad i know some people who love simple cute shows so i understand that.
the characters that looked attractive to me are Chris, M and Arthur. because Arthur even if he is a villain he at least gave some tension in this serie

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Meh

Chances are (pardon the pun), if you've seen one BL from Thailand, you have seen Second Chance as well.

Second Chance was a six-episodes short series filled with all imaginable clichés you can find in lakorns, BL or non-BL. It revolves around the theme of forgiveness, begging for a second shot at a relationship that never came into fruition (hence the title, "Second Chance").

We start off with our two leads, Paper and Sky, fighting over a misunderstanding in a scene that is very reminiscent of Dark Blue Kiss, with the latter being pushed into a pool in reckless abandon. While I have to admit that the pool scene was filmed very well, I can't help but wonder: Thais love filming underwater, don't they? Seems like the creator of this series tore several pages off Dark Blue Kiss's book.

And then we get that big ol' flashback: we see Paper and Sky being the best of friends, both ranked top of the class, both with great ambitions for their future. They have grown up together as best friends but, in the Thai BL universe, no two seemingly straight guys can remain best friends forever.

We now get to see that basketball scene --- a game that elevated Paper and Sky's relationship into a new level after falling on each other's faces when one of them lost his footing. Sigh. This kind of scene again? I could swear these lakorn creators have run out of ideas. We get the usual 5 seconds of silence as the two boys stare at each other's eyes, and as they picked themselves up from the floor, they just knew from that moment that their friendship will never be the same.

Then enters the third guy in their circle: the overzealous yet directionless Chris. Apparently he's been a long friend of Paper and Sky yet he totally has no clue that either of his friends could be gay. Hmmm, where have I heard that concept before? Ah yes, in about 95% of the Thai BLs I've watched. If Paper and Sky borrows plenty of elements from Dark Blue Kiss, the story of Chris is a watered-down ripoff of another beloved yet questionable Thai BL, Love by Chance. You see, on the outset, there's no reason for us to suspect that Chris is also gay. He's ready to rumble, goes to a Muay Thai studio every week, being the joker in his circle of friends, etc. But for some reason, he is charmed head over heels by Jeno, a shy gay schoolmate who is being chased non-stop by bullies. Do you see now the resemblance with Love by Chance?

Chris is basically a carbon copy of Ae yet is light years behind him when it comes to being physically, emotionally and (possibly) sexually abusive to his partner. Disgusting little creep. Anyway with that being said, I could describe Chris as a much improved version of Ae as I have never seen him harm nobody. He truly loves Jeno, but for reasons that have never been made clear to the audience.

Similarly, Jeno is an improved version of Love by Chance's Pete in the sense that he actually does something to defend himself from his bullies. Funny enough, Jeno's bully is also a carbon copy of Pete's bully as they both literally disappear mid-season, leaving no proper conclusion to their plotline. One thing that confuses me about Jeno is that his personality makes a complete 180-degree turn literally the day after signing up for Muay Thai classes. From weak and bashful, he suddenly became brash and snobbish. I wonder what happened during his first session?

We also have this weird plotline involving a third pair. M and Near are working in a boardgame cafe being frequented by the Paper/Sky/Chris gang. I have to say that this subplot is the one truly original contribution of Second Chance to the BL universe as it introduces a concept we've never heard of (so far) --- about two guys catfish-ing each other. While keeping their identities hidden, M and Near falls for each other through an online game. Yet their story suffers from one of the lousiest writing I have seen. Similar to Paper/Sky and Chris/Jeno, there was zero development in these characters' arcs.

Outside of these three subplots, there's also this annoying supporting female character that is just so fucking corny.

I wonder why the comments and reviews are praising this little "gem" when there is little to be praised about it. Acting is subpar (though I'd admit that Mawin and Run, who played Chris and Jeno, were quite good), writing is lazy, and there literally is only one score in its entire soundtrack (that guitar strum is repetitive/annoying AF). But surely there is something to see here, right? Well yes, if you are a hardcore fujoshi who gets off at seeing guys making out, Fluke and Tong (playing Paper and Sky) had an intense makeout sesh at the middle of the series. Right off the bat I would say it was one of the hottest kisses I have seen in Thai BLs, where most leads would simply press their lips with each other and sell that off as a "kiss." But Fluke and Tong put their hearts into their big reveal apparently, showing boys (and girls) how it's done!

Overall: 2.5/10

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A sweet cute series to pass your time.

I have watched this series, this short series!??!? I was really in a haze of the plot. I think it's kinda digestible but there's something can be done to make it better. I love the cast especially Tong and Mawin, as well as Fluke. As you can remember three of them (Tong, Mawin and Run) came from TharnType. Their acting skills, for me, improved. Mawin's sense of humor were toned down and Tong's demeanor in TharnType is more mild than here. In this series his character clings to a somewhat dramatic spectrum of the series. Honestly, I really like Mawin here among others. He really pulled me in. Mawin and Run have a good chemistry. Although they are a chaotic couple in TharnType, in this series their togetherness is more calm and not irritating. And that's what I like. It just felt like it is where it should be. Fluke, on the other hand, is very charismatic. The way he stare at Tong it feels like he will eat him like yess tf!!

The downside of this series is that the plot is mediocre in a sense, two students being together as the show goes. I also hate the violence where a gang of three beats a student because of unreasonable shits. Yeah those are the defects of this series but after all it's good to watch and rewatch.

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