The Luminous Solution (2023)

The Confusing/Boring Solution (interesting premise let down by poor writing/editing)

Overall: although episode 6 finally explained things, they ruined Ryou/Mai. It could have been a masterpiece with solid writing but I regret watching this. Aired uncut on GagaOOLala (1st episode was 1hr11min), cut on YouTube PTG Entertainment channel (1st episode was 45min). I watched the uncut version.

Important Plot Points to Know
- the very first scene is a flashback, there are flashbacks several times but they don't indicate they are flashbacks, the woman in the flashback is a character in the present
- the sandwich dude is playing two characters, himself in the present and his dad in the past
- the world building is explained in the final episode

Content Warnings: non con touching/attempted rape, punch, bullying, manhandling, non con turned consensual, slap, manipulation

What I Liked
- an established couple with realistic relationship issues
- decent solo NSFW scene (only in uncut version)
- camerawork where everyone else moves at a faster speed but the main character doesn't, to show how he's stuck
- the high school storyline up until the 2nd half of episode 5

Room For Improvement
- the way it started was confusing (note, this is a flashback)
- scenes jump with no explanation of how a character got there/when, for example, when/why/how did he get that business card? they never show the one guy being locked in the locker room? (explained in ep 6) why does Patis get a key from that nurse? why didn't they actually show the wish asking scenes in more detail (explained in ep 6)
- they needed to do more world building/hints prior to episode 6, they should not have included that grocery store scene
- episode 6 ruined Mai/Ryou, Mai should have stopped right away, also Ryou's wish was so awful, so we don't even know if the love was real or just because of the wish
- I don't want Thana and Patis together for many reasons
- I'm not sold on that level of tame kissing with an established couple and then how Patis is reluctant many times
- stupid wishes, why ask for a job when you can ask for a trillion dollars???
- cliche female character
- the pink transition effect was distracting
- open ending
- confused why they age restricted their youtube episode themselves as the cut version doesn't have anything in it that warrants being age restricted
- episodes are odd/out of order on their youtube channel

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Confusing and messy, but with a great plot twist

It was a mess, from start to finish. The trailer / teasers for the series looked really interesting and really promising. I was looking forward to the series for a while now but was left feeling disappointed in the end. I do think the series was too short to really get deep into the stories of everyone involved – the two main couples and the owner of the coffee shop.

The plot idea was not bad. It is actually quite an interesting one, especially with the plot twist we got. But the execution was not the best. I think the series would seriously benefited from a few more episodes, which would hopefully give them a chance to develop the plot in a better and more easily understood way.

Thana & Patis: I was looking forward to this couple. They are in an established relationship, something we don’t get often in main roles, and are dealing with realistic problems a couple might face at a certain point in their relationship. Thana is feeling stuck, both at work and privately, while also sometimes feeling like he is not good enough for Patis who appears to be the more successful between the two. Patis is sweet and hardworking but doesn’t really have much time for his partner. All of this combined, puts a strain on their relationship. I actually found the two incredibly awkward with each other, especially their intimate moments. Patis didn’t really seem like he enjoyed them, at all. For a couple who has been together for over 10 years, the two don’t communicate nearly enough. They don’t talk about anything. So much of it could be avoided or resolved by talking. I did expect what their main conflict would be, including who would cause it. I don’t think the two of them are a good match for each other. I also don’t think the actors had good chemistry. It all felt very stiff.

Ryou & Mai: The two have an enemies to lovers story, but because of the time restraints, it seems very sudden and kind of out of the blue. It feels like we are missing some scenes to help us understand how their relationship develops. Also the fact that it went from zero to a hundred in a few seconds doesn’t really help. They both seem similar in the sense they don’t really let anyone close to them too quickly, they find it hard to make friends. Ryou is more independent though, while Mai seems to be someone who hates being on his own. Their chemistry was better, but things moved so fast with them. Sex can’t be the main basis of a relationship if you want it to last. They also didn’t communicate with each other when it was needed.

There was a lot of flashbacks that left me feeling quite confused at times. I think it’s because it was hard to tell they are flashbacks when first seeing them happen. The coffee shop cards just appearing with no reasoning how, why, and when was also very confusing.

The coffee shop owner was strange. I don’t fully understand how us knowing her story is important for the events that are happening in the present. Is her magic good or bad? I am not sure. It seems mostly neutral to me, but because people don’t really know how to make a wish, it usually ends up blowing in their faces.

I wasn’t a fan, but seeing it’s quite short, I finished it. There are quite a few plot holes and scenes that don’t make much sense. The final episode only made everything even more confusing. And it made the whole timeline of the series make even less sense. Not that it made much sense in the first place.

I do have a very important question though. How old is Time? They said he is supposed to be in high school, but it wasn’t really his thing, so he is doing homeschool now. He gets involved with someone who is in his late twenties (at least), so their minimal age gap is around ten years.

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Such a complicated mess

No idea where to begin... I never expected this series to be any good and I was not mistaken. But, I also never expected 6 episodes of confusion and more confusion combined with poor acting, terrible directing. This has to be one of 2023's weakest BLs and we've had several disasters this year... here's why:

1. Gun Napat simply cannot act. I'm sure he is a charming person in his everyday life but he either never listens to his acting coach or he just can't produce any leading role material. He was the funny character in the quite disappointing "Love by Chance 2: A Chance to Love" and then he was lead role in the mediocre "Golden Blood" and his acting remains almost the same. No improvement over his silly way of delivering lines without any particular emotion and always crooking one side of his mouth when he smiles or when he is angry or when he is sad or when he cries. I'm not sure if it's a nervous tick or he has an issue with his face but it is always the same. One side goes up no matter what so he seems to be smirking when he is crying and that, to me, is so distracting. He is also the least believable doctor in the entire world, but that is not his fault... that is the production and director's problem to cast him in that character.

2. The plot twists were so much it was making me dizzy, especially in the end. Mai turns out to be Thana, Ryou turns out to be Phatit and from what Dena narrates near the end of episode 6, Nack turns out to be Naphat. So, this story seems to convey the message that nobody was happy with their situation so they all had to resort to wishing in a mysterious café first managed by Kaownah and then managed by Kaew (I think that was her name). It is a never-ending train of persons who are unhappy and want to wish for something else. Ryou wanting Mai to love him, Nack wanting to kiss Ryou, Thana wanting to find a job, Kaew wanting to see her son again. All that would have been fine, but the jumps in timeline from the past to the present are so confusing at times that I don't know what wish are we on or who asked for it.

3. Forgettable characters. None of the characters is really likeable... maybe Ryou saves himself but then he goes and wishes someone to "love him forever" (as if that is something you can just unilaterally wish for). Nack is a bully to Mai because he is jealous that Ryou likes Mai instead of him. We think he is the one that locks him up in episode 1 but it turns out to be Dena who is also jealous because she likes Ryou but he thinks of both her and Nack as best friends. As a result, they also go to the café to wish for something but I nearly had to pull out a board to write down who was wishing what and what timeline was it happening. Then, Kaew takes over the café and we see Dome (previously seen in 2Moons2) appear and at first I thought he got Kaew pregnant during their high school years so I was confused. Later, I realized he is the son of that relationship who Kaew gave away for adoption and the father looked exactly like the son... I mean, they could have used another random actor to portray the father instead of having Dome play both roles (and considering he was one of the weakest in 2Moons2, his acting is not exactly prize worthy). Bhu (who we saw in "Manner of Death" and "Nitiman") and Ryou seem to have the most chemistry between them but I felt both were a bit subdued in their roles and didn't give us more memorable moments... probably because of...

4. Poor directing/writing. The concept of the show is not that original but the execution could have avoided this confusing mess. Situations that were never explained as, after finding out that Mai and Ryou are Thana and Phatit, we ended up jumping from the past to the present to see all the things that led each of them to wish in the café. We fell into the usual clichés of Mai not wanting to be gay because of his parents but then contradicting himself when he almost rapes Ryou. The usual jealous third wheel that tries to sabotage a relationship like we saw Dena try to do by locking up Mai or Nack try to do by bullying Mai. The common love triangle with Ryou being the center of attention as both Nack and Dena like him but he only has eyes for Mai. The cheating moment with the lead couple with Thana getting oral sex from Time only to be discovered by Phatit and then the most ridiculous conversation happening between them with Thana asking for forgiveness and Phatit suggesting that if a couple stay together for a long time, cheating is bound to happen so his "brilliant" solution is proposing an open relationship so Thana can have sex with whoever he wants as long as he tells Phatit about it. If all relationships went like that, well, I'm sure it would be a disaster for many. Most of the situations in the show were poorly handled which led to more confusion and things that had to be solved near the end of episode 6.

So, in the end, a disappointing series that at least ended after 6 episodes instead of torturing us for 12 like others have done in the past (see Love Syndrome III with Frank for an example). A shame because now for every decent BL series we have, we seem to get 4-5 mediocre ones and 1-2 complete disasters.

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What did I just watch?

When I read the synopsis. I was expecting a really cool story.

These characters didn't have such big problems that they would need a "wish" to solve it. Like what were their needs?

Also what a waste. I hate this jealousy trope where two characters fall in love but because a third character likes one of them they try to sabotage their relationship. Like move on. My whole life has been a series of unrequited love and I ALWAYS just wish the best for the person I like. How immature do people have to be that they don't realize that by forcing someone who doesn't love them into a relationship they are both going to be absolutely miserable. Come on. I had my first crush when I was 3 years old. Yes I remember them - we were best friends, and even then when my brain couldn't even process complex things I was just happy when they were happy even though I knew they didn't like me back - because their dad would always use "getting them married to [me]" as a way to get them to do their chores.

This show was not well written or executed. Directors/Writers please come to me when you want to flesh out your story and dialogue. I don't speak thai but I am happy to work with your writers and storytellers to create good scripts and solid stories. I can add all the cheese and corn you want into the script.

Honestly, with the supernaturally inclined synopsis, there was so much potential to this script but it was completely wasted. I think this was meant to be a bit like the k-drama "mystic pop-up bar" but it failed miserably.

The twist was weird. Like what was the point? Other than to be a twist. It made no logical sense.

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Boring at best

To be honest after episode 2 I realized I wasn't that interested in anybody else's storyline except Duen and Mai. I thought those two had lovely chemistry that was strong enough to carry their own series. Both actors were also good, especially the actor playing Mai. I saw him in Nitiman and really enjoyed him in that as well.

The whole magic cafe thing was a complete waste of time and an unnecessary gimmick to add mystery to the show. Sigh. I couldn't continue watching those scenes because they were so dull.

A mildly annoying issue: I watched this on YouTube and whoever uploaded it, has put the uncut version behind a pay wall. And all I could think was for what?? Why would I pay any additional money for this though?! To see some extra naked chests and a few kisses? I can get that for free from so many other shows available on YouTube, IQIYI, Viki, Netflix, etc. What a useless money grab.

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IDK what to tell you

the casting was too good for this to play out the way it did. the characters had tons of personality it felt very realistic and relatable when it comes to life. now the plot--- the plot was most definitely there, it just lacked structure when it came to the outline and the editing. I felt like it was a lot of "ooouu's and ahhh's " from me while watching but I had to infer a lot of the time for the story to connect. It most definitely was rushed, I think the series would've been more successful with 10-12 episodes cause the finale leaves you more confused than any other episode. Nothing was really resolved you literally have to come to your own conclusion.

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Wth

Lol wot a load of twoddle are u actually bloody kidding me ?it was a complete waste of time,who finishes a series in that way ? i mean come on you should of saved ur money coz tho the concept was there its turned out absolutely poo ,sorry but in ny opinion the actors were wasted on the whole thing,my kids could of done better it just made no sense at all,wot the hell was the point of that creepy cafe and even creepier woman ?total waste,please analyse before putting out there coz omg wat a total waste of time,an dont get me wrong everyones entitled to theyre opinion but anyone who gave this even a bit over 4 or 5 needs to rewatch it ? soz just my opinion ?

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Messy miscast but emotionally intense

I'm submitting my first review of a bl drama because i think the negative reviews while somewhat justified appear to ignore the beauty and sorrow of these lovers. By episode 4 it is obvious that of the 4 lovers 2 are steadfast loyal kind and gentle in their love while 2 are erratic and self absorbed.
All the clues are given. If you force or wish someone to love you you may get your wish but it will not change the nature of that person. Thana loves Pat to the best of his ability but their love is not and never will be equal. Thana's wish is rather shallow compared to the one made by Pat of love forever. Thana just wants a job.
Pat cannot cheat. Thana needs to. What i liked about this drama: unlike many bl dramas you are forced to think. Pat was so committed to Thana that after he saw him cheating
he would have permitted Thana to have other lovers and you know that if they stay together Thana will eventually cheat again. Does pat feel guilt over his wish? The relationship between Thana and Time. Time gave him freedom and friendship when he needed it and was a positive in Thana's life. Their sexuality was intense. They fit together. The young lovers Mai and Ryou and their first feelings. The foreshadowing. The near rape which is telling of their personalities. Pat as the stability. Thana as the disrupter. Pat as caregiver working but still cookin and cleaning. Thana as needy smoking and Time. Pat as honest. Thana deceitful. Pat successful. Thana perceives himself as a loser. A lot to think about. What I did not like: while it was really impossible to present the flash backs due to the nature of the story or to connect the 4 lovers in person with each other there may have been a better way to hint at their relationship. This is a writing problem. While I do agree that the actor playing Pat needed more range but to blame him for his boyish face and expression may not be fair. Better direction needed here. After all they gave him the part. Director. Casting. The names issue needed better explanation. Writing. More explanation of the cafe, the witch, the son that was given away was sorely needed. Dena in love with Ryou totally unnecessary. The wished for kiss needed more exposition. In fact it needed to be hotter with Pat a little swayed. The absolute end is rushed and confusing. Who loves who in the end? Other wishes? what? Totally worth watching but requires thinking.

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Confusing and messy.

At first, when I saw the trailer they showed, I felt that this series would be very special. However, when the series started airing, I gradually became disappointed with it. I really had high expectations for this series.

Then, I tried to keep watching it until the end, but there were still a lot of plot holes that misunderstood me and made me confused about what they were playing. I still didn't understand the plot when I finished watching the series.

Then I chose to pay more so I could watch the uncut version to better understand the contents of the story. Unfortunately, I'm still disappointed with the plot they gave, there are too many gaps that could still be filled, but instead they chose to leave it alone.

Luckily I was still able to enjoy this series a little until the end. Thank you to Mai and Ryou who kept me going until the last second of this series.

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Was that really the end?

I despise, seriously despise, loose ends at the end of anything I watch. I almost screamed at the movie screen when I watched "Into the Spider-Verse (Miles Morales) 2" when they flashed that stupid...to be continued...at the end.

This drama was a mess from beginning to end. What I liked: 1) an established, long term relationship 2) seeing Gun Napata and Bhu in another drama and 3) Dena's character 4) Dr. Prame and the nurse
What I disliked: 1) was there a plot or story line? 2) the messy...everything but especially the ending 3) the cowardice of Mai 4) the inability to perceive that a high schooler is desperate for your, a 25+ year old, attention 4) the so called story was all over the place, bouncing between some weird cafe, an established "older" couple and some high school kids exploring their first crush...huh?

Waste of time.

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Original story with great acting

I went into this kind of reluctantly, since the rating was only 6.5. I ended up really enjoying the originality of the story and the great contrast between the reality of relationships and the fantasy of a wishing cafe.
Yes, it's messy. But isn't that what relationships are? All main characters performed very well. Good chemistry, good timing. There were some gaps in the plot, but not too disturbing.

What I did not like was the lack of acting skills of the supporting actors. Overacting, weird expressions, robot like performances.

For a young production house and inexperienced actors, this was extremely well done.

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There Is No Solution

My oh my what a mess this drama was. The synopsis left me intrigued, but the short length left me apprehensive which it turns out I was right to be. While the general concept of it is interesting and could have been used to create a decent drama, what was actually done is pretty underwhelming. A mediocre story, cast, and characters coupled with plot holes, poor editing choices, and a major plot twist that actually doesn't work all combine to create a confusing web that never gets fully untangled or explained leaving us with more questions than answers in the end.

The general idea behind the story really does have promise, it just either needed to be better honed for the shorter number of episodes or there needed to be more episodes for it be fully realized. As it stands, it didn't work for me. The world building was seriously lacking with how the coffee shop worked. For one, there needed to be more explanation for where the cards came from. If it was something where people just picked them up, then fine, but Thana just seemed to have his and Ryou had his drop in front of him. There was no consistency. The scene jumps of characters being in one place and then suddenly in front of of the shop were jarring. The wishing aspect also needed more explanation. It felt like there should be some rules a la Genie from Aladdin, though I think it is mentioned here that reviving the dead is not an option. But the wishes the characters all made felt very cliché. There was nothing original about them. The flashbacks that happened throughout were initially confusing because they weren't obvious as flashbacks, so it took a second to realize what was going on. I didn't find them particularly interesting mostly because I didn't find the coffee shop owner, Kaew, very interesting. I really didn't care about her backstory and I think leaving her character as a mystery and focusing more on how the wishes and coffee shop worked would have been more beneficial.

The pacing was all over the place. Mai and Ryou's relationship was very rushed. I understand they couldn't take their time developing the relationship because of the short number of episodes, but I've seen other dramas do a good job in a limited time so I think they could have done better. And Thana and Phathit's story was a rollercoaster ups and downs. I frankly didn't find their relationship to be that interesting and I was more invested in Mai and Ryou's story.

Like I said, I found the wishes each of the characters made to be overall cliché, but also mildly interesting in a what were you thinking kind of way. Thana wishes for a new job. I honestly wondered at that, because he was so concerned about not matching up to Phathit, why didn't he wish to be his equal or something along those lines? And then the big plot twist is that it's revealed that Dena, for whatever reason, wished that no one would ever remember her, Ryou, Mai, or Nack, but would instead only know Darin, Phathit, Thana, and Naphat. It seems that this made them forget their childhood together or something like that. The logistics of this wish is, of course, not explained so we're left to guess. Now this wish is important to mention first, because Nack wished that he could kiss Ryou, a wish that doesn't come about until he as an adult Naphat kisses an adult Pathit. I will give credit to Nack for the fact that he didn't wish for Ryou to love him which is exactly what Ryou did, wishing that Mai would love him with his whole heart which then begs the question, did Mai/Thana actually love Ryou/Phathit or was it the wish making him do so?

Going back to that plot twist, there is rather massive problem with it. In Episode 3, at least, and I want to say something similar happens in another earlier episode, there is an instance where Ryou and Nack are grocery shopping together and Phathit is seen at the same store. This is when Mai gets locked in the locker room and Ryou runs off to go rescue him. There is a shot after this that has both Phathit and Nack in the same frame. Now if Nack is supposed to be a young Naphat, this is obviously impossible. I frankly found the plot twist to be very disappointing for a couple reasons. One being that, before it's reveal, I had liked these couple of brief glimpses of how their lives were connected, even tangentially. They never actually interacted, but they existed in the same sphere. And then there was the plot twist which just ruined that and also went to show just how incredibly poorly it was planned out. Besides that, there just never felt like there was a connection between the characters. They could have done something really cool with little hints and similarities that once it was revealed made you want to smack yourself on the forehead because, yes, Ryou made an offhand comment related to medicine or Thana said something about not wanting to be alone. There were so many little ways they could have connected them and I didn't notice any which is why that twist felt out of the blue and more like they were going for shock value than it was a well thought out, developed choice.

The characters really nothing special. There was one character that I genuinely liked, but I'll get to him in a bit.
-Thana and Phathit: I initially thought they were going to be interesting characters because of their dynamic as an established couple that had been together for over ten years. Instead, I didn't really find them to be any different from the less established couples I've seen in countless other BLs. I was expecting their communication to be much better than it was. After ten years together, I would have expected Thana to be less reticent to talk to Phathit about what was going on both in his personal and work life. And a little bit the same with the inferiority complex he had, it felt too fresh when Phathit had obviously been a doctor for a while. So those aspects didn't work for me. They didn't feel particularly realistic for their situation. Thana's struggles with work and feeling neglected by Phathit were more relatable though. Finding a job that actually feels like a calling is hard and when you don't have someone you can talk to about it, that makes it even harder. And while I understood that he felt neglected by Phathit, I had trouble really sympathizing with him because he never communicated how he was feeling until he lashed out. Phathit was relatable in his focus on work to build them future but at the same time neglecting Thana and their relationship. Finding that work/life balance can be a struggle, especially when you work in the medical field. And while Phathit was a good guy, he was not a mind reader and couldn't be expected to know what Thana was thinking when he didn't speak up. Thana's insecurity was a huge issue in their relationship and a large reason for the friction that developed between them. I was frankly glad that Phathit wasn't willing to just let him off the hook after he cheated. While Thana was obviously remorseful for what he had done, it also seemed clear that he had no intention of telling Phathit what had happened if he hadn't been caught which makes me wonder if he would have continued otherwise. Frankly I was hoping they would stay separated, but maybe the new beginning will work out for them.
-Mai and Ryou: The relationship for these two pretty much jumped out of the gate at a sprint. There's a bit of an enemies to lovers hint to the beginning of their relationship, but it's not well developed due to how fast their relationship progresses. While I understand time was limited to build their background and grow their relationship, I think more time was needed for it to really help understand their characters and to make their relationship more cohesive. Particularly with Mai, we understand that he gets lonely, but he was living alone just fine at the beginning, so when his parents decided to move, why didn't he opt to move into a dorm? Was it just because he wasn't ready to admit his feelings for Ryou? We also see his struggle as he realizes that he's starting to fall for Ryou when he tells Ryou that he can't fall for him and that he's straight. But we never fully understand why he's fighting so hard, his parents are never shown disapproving of the LGBTQ community. There's also Ryou's reluctance to admit his own feelings. It felt disjointed because we have him unwilling to at least verbally speak his feelings to then going to the coffee shop and wishing that Mai would love him with his whole heart. It feels like there's a lot of missing information with them that would help things make sense. I could go with the assumption that it's deliberate to feed into Dena's wish and how it worked, but I think that's giving it far too much credit. Their relationship is also lacking in open communication and then there's the instance where Mai very nearly rapes Ryou. Neither is a particularly great foundation to build a relationship on.
-Thana and Time: When Time initially showed up, I was certain that Thana was going to cheat on Phathit with him, but as more time went on and nothing happened, I grew hopeful that they were just going to continue on as friends and I really loved that for both of them because it was clear they had found something in each other. Of course, then they went and had multiple drinks, smoked and got together. I was very disappointed. Time was the one character that I actually genuinely liked in this drama. And by that I don't mean that he was a good person because he knew that Thana was taken and he still let things go to the next level. But as a character, I loved him. He was flawed, but I also found him genuine and straightforward. He didn't mince words and he called things like he saw them. Beneath the bravado, he was a good kid, willing to help a new friend and cheer him on. And I really liked him and Thana together. They had fantastic chemistry together, both as friends and in that brief NSFW scene. They fit together well and seemed on more equal footing than Thana and Phathit and it was nice to see Thana have someone he could talk to. Like I said, I was really hoping they would continue on as friends, I figured it was a vain hope, and sure enough, it was. My heart did break a little for Time during their last conversation, just because he'd finally found someone he clicked with and then there he was being abandoned again.

Acting was a mixed bag. This is now the third drama I have seen Gun in as a lead and, I'm sorry, but the man is just not that great of an actor. He has brief moments where he does well, very brief, but emotional scenes feel overacted, he makes the same face repeatedly, and any scenes that require physical intimacy are almost physically painful to watch. If you are that uncomfortable kissing men, honey, please stop doing BLs! He had zero chemistry with Mig of any kind and I am laying that solely on him, because Mig absolutely had chemistry with Bank. Mig did a pretty good job for his first role. It was obvious at times that he's pretty green, the more emotional scenes weren't as strong, there were some times where it felt like he was just delivering lines, but there were a lot of other moments where he absolutely nailed it. I think he has great potential. Bell is also brand new but, wow, does he know how to use his eyes. He has an expressive face in general, but his eyes especially just give his performance that extra je ne sais quoi. Bhu has had a bit more experience, but I can't give him the same praise. His performance didn't have the same brilliance as Bell's. He just didn't give Mai a whole lot of personality and often came across as a bit lifeless. He did have his good moments though where he was engaging, but he wore his character like armor almost and it didn't allow for him to shine.

There really is nothing luminous about The Luminous Solution. It's unfortunately quite dull and disappointing, sad considering it's potential. Despite it's short length, this isn't one that I would recommend watching. It's such a confusing mess, it's not worth the time trying to figure it out for such little payout.

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