To Be Continued (2024)

A simple, but very touching and sincere story

So far, together with Love for Love's Sake, this is my favourite BL series this year. The plot (best friends to lovers, miscommunication and misunderstanding) is nothing we haven't seen before, but the way it was told, i.e. past and present side by side throughout the first 7 episodes, in combination with an amazing cast, was absolutely compelling, I loved it and anticipated every new episode. A very honest, genuine, sincere love story with likable mains that had their faults but at the end I ended up sympathizing with both of them. The cherry on top for me was that there was never any doubt how much Ji and Achi loved each other despite their struggles to deal with it and admit it. They certainly deserved their episode 8 and the happiest ending ever.

This isn't a series that can be watched casually to spend the time, because many of the details are important to understand the parallels between the past and the present and to unveil why the characters would act the way they did. Ji spends most of his time in the present trying to desperately protect himself from being abandoned again, but at the same time he is the biggest Achi fanboy and can't really deny him anything despite being blunt and direct. In contrary, in the present Achi finally does what he wanted to do in the past but didn't dare to and relentlessly pursues Ji until the misunderstanding is cleared up. I loved both of them so much and I hope to see these actors again, because they did such a great job. Ji crying while admitting to Coin that he still hasn't forgotten Achi and Achi crying while watching Ji with Pear in the cinema moved me equally. The love scenes were very well done, too. The desperate longing looks, the heat, the adoration, devotion, the pure happiness once they came together, it was all there. I've lost count how many times I've rewatched the kiss from episode 4. I said this already, but I'll say it again - Ji and Achi were utterly and totally in love the entire time, in past and present, and it was transmitted believably on screen. This is what I want to see most in a BL - both mains being obviously into each other and being open and honest about it once they come together.

I would've loved to see more of the second couple instead of finding out that everybody in the hospital was into Achi, because there were some filler scenes I think could've been used better. Still, I'm giving the series full marks, because I enjoyed watching it so much, I adored the main couple and their relationship so much and because I found the way the story was told fascinating and captivating so it felt like something new I haven't seen before despite the simple plot. Also, I think the current rating for the series is very undeserving and hope more people will give it a chance.

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Satisfyingly Done!

Writing this review an hour before midnight because I can't let this day pass by without sharing how this series satisfied my cravings...

STORY: I gave the story a rating of 8.0/10 because of the lame reason why the romance they deserved took 10 years to conceive. If the reason was grave---to the point where you can't take sides because both suffered, I could've given a rating of 10. Still, an 8 is a good rating because it's forgivable. Achi even said that they were young back then and that they let simple misunderstanding took away 10 years of their supposedly romantic relationship. Another thing that I liked with the story is the occupation of both leads. I know that a doctor as a lead is a common thing but an Orthopedic surgeon to be specific is not. He look too young to be a surgeon though but it is fine since Ji has a baby face. Achi on the other hand was lucky to have a non-toxic celebrity ex and an understanding manager. The positivity that that character structure has. brought peace to the story and made the viewers focused on what's going on with the MLs more than minding those extras. I want to see more romance of the second leads though, they're quite cute.

ACTING/CAST: I have no issues with the casting because both did well. Fluke (Ji) with his cute dimples made me forget those small areas of concerns. Junior (Achi) is good looking and his "superstar" role suited him visually but he's so stiff in the rehearsal scenes and even on the finale where he had a concert---that area needs polishing but it's forgettable hahaha. The best scene where their acting really caught my attention was the AV scene. You can really feel the tension while watching at their body movements and the need of heat. Correct me if I am wrong but that scene has no kissing on the lips but that was hot.

MUSIC: The intro music which was used in the actual story was good as well especially the meaning but not to the point of me singing it on repeat like how the OST of Theory of Love which was entitled Fake Protagonist became my anthem for an entire year.

REWATCH VALUE: Some scenes maybe but not the entire series.

OVERALL: The series was satisfyingly good. 8 episodes are not to less nor too much. No unnecessary storyline. Though we were given a second lead storyline----it didn't diverted us from the storyline of the MLs actually it made me crave for a more developed storyline for the second leads. How the story ended was reasonable and impressive as well. Though the last part looks like congested because of the things which happened after and was only shown as short clips it was still well presented because it was edited in the way that it would look like a flashback while the song is being played on the background.

In short, this series deserves a good review.

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Surprisingly good

I was skeptical when I see it's Ch3 production as I've dropped their series way too many times. This turned out to be one where I absolutely LOVE it and changed my perspective on future Ch3 production, keep it up guys!!!

First episode in and I found myself laughing a lot and smiling a lot. It was really entertaining, lighthearted, cute, fluffy and just so sweet, I died.

ML are really good together and boy, Junior is totally dazzling!! I especially love the simplicity of it, with no unnecessary over the top dramatic issue and/or toxicity in it

The last episode nails it! The song in the concert just wrap everything up. It's one of the best OST out there, every song represents their relationship so well, so it really hits home. I love the voice the singer too (I'm not sure if that's Junior or someone else) but beautiful voice!

Overall, it's a really nice Thai BL watch that I'd highly recommend

It might not have an outstanding storyline, but it really is very well executed in terms of how it makes you feel

My heart is so warm and I think my smile line has increased just by smiling throughout the sweetest last episode ever!

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it got there eventually (watch suggestions)

Overall: this is a premise we've seen several times already (Night Dream, The Promise, Venus in the Sky) and I haven't been impressed with the execution of any of them. In this case they revealed the reason way too late and the pacing was quite slow. 8 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on Netflix in 11 countries in Southeast Asia including Thailand. Later added subtitles on their YouTube channel https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDIqVRSvaz9Ii4mniqowFEaRS2Mfel8DT&si=dnuP2dj0o_fVAyGj

Content Warnings: blood, death off screen, grief, non con kiss, punches, parental abuse

Watch Suggestions (unless you enjoy very slow pacing/love rivals)
- read the synopsis
- watch episode 4 at the beginning to 17 minutes, then 34:30 to the end
- watch the flashback in episode 5 30-34:25
- watch episode 6, skip 31-36 unless you want to hate Ji's dad
- you can start episode 7 at 7:20 or watch the whole thing
- watch episode 8

What I Liked
- sweet moments
- adorable puppy
- intimacy/tension in episode 7 and 8
- Ji's supportive friend (need Poppy in a lead BL role)
- visuals
- ended the series well

Room For Improvement
- I understand wanting some mystery, but they didn't clearly reveal why Ji was so angry at Achi until episode 7, I couldn't really support their relationship until I understood exactly what happened
- Achi saying he had a girlfriend in episode 2 right before he did what he did made no sense, another bad "plan"
- the tone started very serious followed by scenes with comedy sound effects and then another serious scene, the changing tone felt jarring
- at times it wasn't immediately clear what was in flashback vs. present
- nonsense stuff (i.e. fake-looking blood, a doctor saying they can do a surgery without seeing anything in person, diagnosing something from just an x-ray)
- what the dad did in episode 6
- one side couple had no resolution

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Sweet but too short

I approach most of the series I watch with an open mind and can’t see the low rating on this one. The only reason I drop any series is usually because the subtitles are bad and make it hard to follow the storyline or there is a really annoying character that is hard to overlook. This series had great subtitles and no annoying people. Even Achi’s manager wasn’t the typical BL douche
I really loved the characters and thought the acting was great. I thought they could have used a few more episodes to develop the other couples’ relationships but overall a great ending.

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A nice drama about second chances, though not without flaws

The whole "BFF had a falling out, then meet again years later" trope is nothing new. Initially, I was fairly curious when I saw the trailer, but not enough for me to want to check it out. I only decided to take a look because there wasn't anything else better to watch (lol).

The first three episodes were a bit hard to follow. There were some confusions with the mix of flashbacks and present times, and character development felt dragged. However, episode 4 onwards, things got better as the story became clearer, and it was easier to figure out which were flashbacks and which were present times. Despite this, the back-to-forth felt inconsistent. There were times when I couldn't figure out if the flashbacks were following a timeline or not. Or, they'd start the episode with a flashback, and I'd be confused about the events before it hit me that oh, it's a flashback. I'd say the sequence of events could've been better. However, they did help explain why Ji and Achi's personality and behavior in the present.

Basically, this is your typical best friends fell in love, but were driven apart by misunderstandings and miscommunication, only to reconnect ten years later. I have to give Achi props for willing to take that risk of reconnecting with Ji, not knowing whether or not Ji would say yes. Both Junior and Fluke are great actors, and even though the plot feels disorganized at times, they have done a fantastic job bringing Ji and Achi's story to life.

I'd say this is one of the better works from Mandee, though it's a shame that they didn't put in much effort in promoting this series.

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Remembering your first love

I enjoyed this short series (8 eps). It doesn't have an unusual plot: high school best friends have a misunderstanding causing a 10-year rift. But we get flashbacks to their high school days and how they got to know each other and became close.

In the present, Achi wants to renew their friendship but he when he starts talking about the past, Ji doesn't want to talk about it. It's clearly something big, at least for Ji. That kept me hooked and I wanted to know what happened between them. In the meantime, Achi is bringing Ji meals at home and at the hospital, really taking care of him. It was so sweet. They exchange post-it notes, like they used to. So many sweet, small things that tugged on Ji's heart (and on mine). Even before Achi showed up at the airport, Ji was already following him online. I was rooting for them the whole time I was watching.
I loved Ji's parents together and individually. How Ji's Dad was able to pull himself together for his sons' sake, I was just so happy for them.

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Special moments

This wasn't perfect, I found the soundtrack very odd and the 2nd couple didn't get enough screen time. The story wasn't very original and there were parts that were drawn out and didn't make sense..
BUT
There was something special about this drama. The cast, I thought, were great. Fluke and Junior had amazing chemistry and I would really love to see them in another BL together. Dr Ji was a fiesty sweetheart and I fell in love with him from the start, he was just gorgeous.
The biggest reason for a higher score than I would have normally given it was that there were some really special moments. They were heartfelt and artistic and had me clutching my chest. The emotions portrayed were delivered beautifully. The NC scenes had me feeling wistful.
I would rewatch and I encourage most people to give it a chance.

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Misunderstandings and missed chances

This drama had two halves for me: a rant inducing first half and the butterflies inducing second. It is a story of teens, full of insecurities, behaving like teens i.e. immaturely and without the courage to ask for what they really want! Fast-forward 10 years later, those teens are adults now and are well aware of the chances they are given so they take them albeit reluctantly but they still do!

What I liked:
- two stories told in parallel: past and present. In the past we see how they go from best friends to lovers to enemies and in the present from enemies to lovers. The pacing was excellent!
- Ji's character in the present and Achi's in the past timeline
- Ji's parents, especially father in the end
- Junior's singing voice (if that's him singing!)
- Achi's manager and Ji's friend
- absolutely zero PPLs (incredible but true)
- good chemistry and excellent NC scenes

What I did not like:
- unnecessary second couple (Ki and the farmer)
- Achi's behaviour in the first half
- too much lipstick on Achi
- sound effects (even a little bit of those is too much!)
- lack of communication causing a 10 year rift between them
- lack of communication
- lack of communication

The rest is here:

PERSONAL RANT: pay no attention to my lucubrations! Thank you!
1. I have started this only 10 min ago and want to drop it already. Why? Those awful unnecessary sound effects! Really? Still doing those? Please producers, give some credit to your public that they will know when a scene is supposed to be funny! And, OMG! the lipstick on that dude!😱 But Fluke is so pretty without looking weak. Makes me think of James of Bed Friend fame!...Fortunately, no shiny lipstick on him! He's making it worth the watch! 🥰
2. So, I haven't dropped it yet but again was very close to it in ep 2. That actor is annoying, apparently has never heard the word NO, has no boundaries and he thinks himself cute. So not cute and even less romantic! This is turning into a hate watch accompanied by rants. It sounds fun! Go Ji, stay strong!
3. I was hoping that the sound effects have just been an accident at the beginning of the first episode. No way! They are back with vengeance at the beginning of the third!😭😭This drama has all the tropes from three years ago. I had thought they had moved on. No such luck! Moreover, the actor is being creepy, using a kid and not cute at all! And now he wants to be friends! I think I have definitely seen too many bls!🤣🤣Pushy ml, disregarding other people is definitely to my liking. What is the most infuriating is that the doctor is going to let him do everything he wants and since he's had a crush on him for ten years it is not going to take long. I noticed one item of progress in this dramas: everyone is wearing a helmet nowdays when they are riding a motorcycle: it was not the case a couple of years ago so the new law must have been implemented in Thailand? I love that "doctors saving lives" mission dramatic music, slow motion walking through a long corridor with hands in the air: I could not stop laughing: they look like kids playing doctors! The flashbacks a spaced nicely and giving just bits and pieces of the backstory which correspond to present events. Nicely done! But why does Ji carry a tote bag? This is just another infuriating bl trope: ukes carry totes and semes backpacks, even though they gave him a backpack in the present too but it is colour coordinated with his t-shirt!🤣 Fluke looks so much like a typical bl actor from three years ago (he's the spitting image of the guy from UWMA!) That bridge in Chiang Mai is always empty when they are crossing it together: but you can see in the background that the production stopped the traffic at the entrance to it!
One HUGE positive point so far: not one single PPL! Amazing! Incredible for a thai bl! At least two points gained on my final rate for sure! If they manage it until the end!
4. So I went and got myself a pot of ice cream (B&J Cookie Dough) convinced that it would calm my ranting mood down. I am sorry to say, it did not! I am getting angry with Ji now: I thought he was strong but he is buckling so fast under pressure from the Achi that it is quite disturbing and disappointing. Achi is a charming and selfish man who thinks his pushy behaviour is cute but I thought Ji was better....I guess when you've been in unrequited love for ten years, you admit defeat quickly. And then, they threw us a curveball: Achi has had feelings for Ji forever, he never wanted to be his friend! The whole story gets turned upside down! What happened between them 10 years earlier? Why did Ji pretend to be interested in Pear, a girl from Achi's school? The plot thickens!!!
5. Achi telling a bedtime story with puppets was the cutest ever, in the flashback. Poor guy, he keeps confessing to apparently completely clueless Ji. This is getting better! Yey! So much cuteness in this episode. They have both calmed down and are going slowly...Nice! Nothing to rant about!
6. Some very long scenes with a patient in hospital: his cancer made Ji think about his own mother and yada yada yada....They wasted over half an episode on it. But then they went to flashbacks and to ten years earlier: cute and fluffy! More please, I want more! And I was given more! Junior, the actor playing Achi, sings a song: he has such a lovely warm unusual voice....Fingers crossed they finally start talking to each other and not skirting around the most important questions in their minds!
7. I wonder which gay arthouse film did they watch that made them all hot and bothered like this? The lovemaking scene was beautiful and the aftermath of teens not talking probably typical, separating because of a misunderstanding.... While trying to save some face, they ruin everything! Actually, now I am getting angry with the young Ji. I know, teens explore, do not understand and all that but it's been months that Achi has been giving him hints and signs that Ji keeps ignoring. He is a smart kid so...Why? Poor Achi....Poor me! My rant has made a 180° turn and now I am not happy with Ji, the one in the past not in the present!🤣🤣🤣Yes, finally they talked! It only took them ten years. Better late than never!
8. Well, nothing runs smoothly in heaven, apparently. They are together, but things are not all cleared up and Ji is hesitating. Again. So his best friend tells him the simple truth: "Stop playing games and just be together!" It falls on deaf ears? I hope not! One thing has been bothering me since the start: why does Ji constantly wear his doctor's coat outside hospital? He doesn't have time to change before going home? Ever? I am not a medical professional but isn't reattaching a finger a more sensitive operation than placing a hip screw? I'd say yes! So he was an expert surgeon in the first episodes (and that was already hard to believe) but now in the last episode he needs to be supervised? [Microsurgery: Reattaching a finger and restoring blood flow is delicate work, since each digital artery is a millimeter in diameter, decreasing in size (as it moves from the top of the finger to the bottom) to fractions of a millimeter before branching into capillaries. ] Of course they had to ruin the last minutes with Achi's concert and his awful hair and too much lipstick. Who finds that quantity of lipstick on a man attractive?

This turned out to be a great watch after an iffy start.

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