A big Huh? and Wtf? of a show

For a series that is about top actors, I'm amazed that they chose to have this be 6 out of 9 main characters' acting debuts. Not only was the acting borderline boring it was bad. Really bad. Gun was the only character I liked and stayed for but even he wasn't spared of the show's horrible writing.

What I hated about the show:
- The subbing. It isn't the show's fault but the first two episodes were IMPOSSIBLE to power through. Pitch was written as Pizza, Picco, Picc, and I think even Piccolo at one point. Gun and Korn's names were sometimes swapped and at times they were written as "Kang" or something more Korean. Towards the end, there was an 'oppa' in place of 'hia' and/or 'phi' and I thought that was hilarious
- If you've seen the first few episodes then you're aware that there are these prison-like house rules, however, we never got to really know them. And instead of the show showing them to us, we only got characters challenging each other over and over again with the same line 'Don't you know the house rules?' Uh no, we don't, please elaborate!
- Pitch was not the main character anyone needed or deserved. I would have cut the show some slack had they made him a cyborg instead
- Pitch and Gun was not the IT couple the show thought they were. Not only did they lack chemistry, nothing about their scenes was romanticly suggestive. I'm not sure if there's an uncut version but at one point the show was following the Mintra-Korn-Pawin catastrophe when all of a sudden they drop an 'oh look, Gun and Pitch have romantic feelings for each other!!! Yay!'. Yeah no, just no. And upon further research, it appears that the actors for Gun and Pitch were changed to Pepo and Leo after the official trailer?? That would explain the lack of chemistry.
- Korn and Pawin's sexual relationship was hinted earlier on but how the show executed it was beyond tasteless. Not only did Korn cheat on Mintra, but when she caught them he had the audacity to gas-lit her. And this guy never asked about her mom's condition when it was first brought up until later just to mess with her. Jerk move.
- Everything about the character "Sun" was something to nothing. Finally, we got to see that Suzy and Host aren't as stoic and fearless as we believed them to be when Suzy's biological son, Sun, makes his not-so-grand entrance. Unfortunately, the character was only utilized for suspense and to convince us that the people and relationships at House of Stars are "interesting". I wasn't counting but he said "This house is interesting" 4-5 times. By failing to write better characters, the show lost the opportunity to show the kind and caring, or lack thereof sides of the members of the house, by having at least one of them stand up to Sun in Suzy or Host's defense. I swear, what's the point of Korn bragging about not using stunt doubles in his action scenes if there wasn't going to be some butt-kicking???
- Suzy's death was hilariously and terribly shown. Not only was her death sudden, it was told to us by unreliable characters of how it happened when on the night before her death all we saw was her bawling her eyes out. The fact that when her lifeless body was discovered and NO ONE stepped in to do CPR or check if she had a pulse shows you how ungrateful and slow these characters are. And I don't care if she was strict, she called them 'family'. And immediately somehow a viral video of Gun saying he ruined someone's life was good enough to prove he was the no1 suspect behind Suzy's death. Yeah, he was acting weird but when were any of them normal???
- Pitch and So's walking styles were so stiff and tense
- Lalit is unrealistic. And where were her acting gigs??? She was brought on as an actress but all she did was follow Pitch and So around
- Wayu and Wayha were boringly cute
- Is Gun and Korn friends or not?
- Maybe I've seen too many Korean dramas but do Thai people not wear black after a passing? And where was Suzy's funeral? It was never held or talked about.
- After putting So's brother, Sin, in that state and taking Sin's role, Gun has the audacity to confess and try to kiss Pitch knowing how So feels about Pitch
- Hold on. Does So genuinely like Pitch or just dislike the fact that Pitch is spending too much time with the guy who wronged Sin not once but twice?
- Who okayed Leo's singing??
- Riddle me this, when Lalit threw the box cutter vertically, how did it cut Pitch's arm horizontally? And why was Gun's first reaction "Let me bandage you."? I'd think you'd ask if he was okay or check for a wound first but okay...whatever.
- The number of times Pitch was inconsiderate towards So's feelings was baffling. And this is the main character we're supposed to root for? Tsk tsk
- For a house full of colleagues there was NOT ONE healthy friendship arc

Things I liked about the show:
- The credit song. I'm mad I can't find the full version anywhere T_T
- Korn leaving House
- Mintra and Pawin's sassy enemies-to-friends relationship. It was borderline toxic but at least it was entertaining
- The show cast an inexperienced actor to play an inexperienced actor. Well done

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Dangerous Romance was dangerously bad

I was watching this series as it aired but after episode five it wasn’t captivating enough so I set it aside to binge later and oh my goodness, I damn near pulled out all my hair. The entire show is a bore, sure, sweet and interesting moments were sprinkled here and there but overall it was similar to staring at a blank screen. A lot happened but they were uneventful. At one point I was watching an episode a day and every day I considered dropping the show but held on for PerthChimon. PerthChimon did their best but their characters were not worth the 12 hours of torture.

What I liked:
- PerthChimon
- Perth's whole wardrobe was spot on!
- Enemies to lovers trope
- “Wind” by Chimon
- Sailom’s friend, Guy.
- The development between Nawa and Guy, and Auto and Max.

What I hated/took issue with:
- KanghanSailom. They don’t make sense. Not when they were children, not in high school, not in their universe or the real universe. Their ONE run-in as children that left Sailom with a long-term crush on a kid he never met again or knew is one thing but to compound that with the current HS bully Kanghan? It’s such a cop-out that Sailom is ready to forgive Kanghan for anything and everything because of that one incident. It's like Sailom forgot that Kanghan’s bullying crossed the line of SA and extreme harassment. Then again, their first two kisses were non-consensual so--
- Their getting together was so bizarre. Kanghan was just mad that Sailom rejected Pimfah then all of a sudden, after Sailom’s confession, Kanghan became possessive and told Sailom he didn't like Sailom hanging out with Guy. NANI?!
- Kanghan gave us a cliche, vague reason when he first fell for Sailom, he said ‘Before I knew it, I had already fallen for you’. That could be cute but then when exactly was that? Because Kanghan still liked Pimfah up to Sailom’s confession so at best, Kanghan had two nights to decide that he, too, likes Sailom. Once Sailom ‘opens his heart’ to Kanghan, Pimfah is tossed to the back and without any struggle accepts Kanghan and Sailom’s relationship as if she never cried over Sailom. Her shipping Nawa and Guy was also a WTF moment.
- Sailom forgave Kanghan too fast, and Auto and Guy even faster. Unrealistic.
- In the beginning, Sailom had a moral fiber and standards but as the show progresses, he loses that. I thought it was strange that Sailom stopped Kanghan from breaking a replaceable debit card but was completely fine going out and spending all of Kanghan's dad’s money on it. He never physically tried to stop Kanghan’s impulsive spending either. Sailom also acted as if he was above it, that Kanghan was the only one spending all the money when we saw the new clothes, watches, and accessories on him, the food he ate, and the suite he bathed and slept in. It was so odd to put Kanghan down for it when he willingly participated.
- Maybe it was implied or the translation was off but I believed Kanghan jumped the gun with his dad paying his way into the football team. Remember, Kanghan was personally invited by a senior to try out for the team due to his skills. Secondly, the dad asked the coach to look after his son AFTER Kanghan already made the team. Or are we supposed to believe the senior was set up by Kanghan’s dad and/or coach?
- The actors had chemistry but their characters were not chemistrying. When Kanghan’s father was carried out of the house, I thought he’d run to his dad but instead, he ran to his grandma. Sailom also doesn’t stop or seem too concerned about the police escorting his brother in handcuffs to the car. Saifah and Name’s relationship was interesting but it came in at episode nine and wasn’t naturally developed. Why would you introduce a gangster to the rich family you care for? (Name’s driving scene was also terribly done. Thanks for nothing, Dangerous Romance!)
- Pimfah, and even teacher Napdao, Auto, and Guy were all there for Sailom on TWO occasions when his brother was locked up but Pimfah, Nawa, and Max weren’t shown to ever be there when Kanghan’s dad was shot, and in a vegetative state. And I thought Kanghan was Pimfah’s best friend? Least, that’s what she said episodes ago. Nawa also spent more time with Guy who just had knee surgery rather than be there for Kanghan. Then again, Kanghan and Guy seemed to be the good friends that Kanghan and Nawa are meant to be whenever they're on the fields.
- Napdao and Pimfah’s implied lesbian relationship is a no-go. I feel, Napdao only exists to keep Pimfah from meddling with Kanghan and Sailom’s relationship.
- Who told all the actors and extras not to act natural when they're in the background? In many scenes, everyone only pays attention to the characters whose arc matters at the moment. I.e. in the car scene with Pimfah and Napdao, Sailom, Auto, Guy, Nawa, and Max weren't engaging but watching Pimfah and Napdao act from the backseats. There was also the scene with Kanghan and his father, where everyone was just watching them in front of the bleachers. It was so robotic and controlled, it didn't feel natural for the main, support, or extras.
- The show is predictable and not thought-provoking.
- The editing & shooting. It's like they gave up on this one; like they couldn't even watch what they've edited and shot. In two of the scenes where it was heavily raining, the surrounding areas were completely dried when the cameras panned out. The first mistake was funny but the second one, come on, now. All of the football scenes were so boring in the way that they were shot and edited together, and at every game Sailom always gets in a scene where he soloingly shouts ‘Kang, you’ve got this!’. If Kang can’t play football without Sailom cheering him on then he shouldn’t be near a ball.
- The part where Kanghan pulled up to save Sailom on the motorcycle was nice but it was badly shot, no suspense, and the bad guys left before Sailom even jumped on the bike and panicked. It was anticlimactic.
- The sound editor or whoever was in charge put in so little effort it was comical. I don’t recall if earlier episodes had it but in episodes 9-12 someone vividly had an aggravating obsession with using a beat to indicate a transition in scenes and I had the hardest time recovering from it. The sound quality, in all, was poor. Dirt poor. There was no proper audience cheering at any of the games or clapping when a scene warranted one. There were no good buildup tunes either; everything was either short or abruptly cropped out. It was a hot mess.
- This series was flashback-heavy. In episode 6, I cut out 6-8 minutes of flashbacks; every single scene of just Kanghan and Sailom contained at least two flashbacks (I'm not kidding).
- After episode 7 or 8, the quality dropped and it's most likely due to budget limitations but it doesn't excuse anything.
- This probably doesn’t bother the majority but it always irks me when GMM involves guns or shooting scenes as they never do them justice. I’m no pro at guns but I do know that if you shoot a pistol at closed range and in tight space, per se, in a hospital room, the hospital room isn’t going to look or sound the same. Kanghan getting shot in episode 11 was cringe. Where was his gunshot wound? Where was the blood on the white part of his shirt or hospital walls? Where was the feeling of excruciating pain and paralyzation when one’s been shot? The boy was completely fine. Whoever did the CGI needs to be fired. There was no silencer on the gun when the villain clearly said and I quote “I’ll make it as quiet as possible”. I mean, obviously, he thought he could control the volume of gunshots but that’s not how it works. Even with a silencer, it can still be pretty loud.
- The English title doesn’t apply to the main couple
- You know a series is bad when you’re tired and don't like seeing the leads together. How is it that I enjoyed the second and even third couples more than the main?

I could sit here and trash Dangerous Romance all day but I don’t want to spend any more time on this series. You’ll never catch me watching it again. I hope that Perth and Chimon get a decent series next time. This was a very baseless watch.
I'm sure this one will be a guilty pleasure for some but I can't say it was any kind of pleasure for me.

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Vice Versa was right up my alley

I regret putting Vice Versa off for as long as I did, simply because it's a slight fantasy and I was skeptical of Jimmy carrying a lead role. I'm normally critical of everything I watch but "Vice Versa" was a breath of fresh air. It's tied with 'Bad Buddy' as my top Thai BL. It isn't perfect by any means but I can't list one thing I did not like about it. I binged it in two days, both after long days at work. The series truly energized me.

The cast is perfect. The leads are gorgeous. The acting was convincing. The special appearances and cameos were fun and great too. I loved all of the cliche, cheesy lines, the humor was up my alley, and the friendships - seriously, chef's kiss. What I liked most about this series is that the director/producer/writer treated the audience as a smart crowd. The amount of callbacks was flawless and it gave the characters more life/realism. 97% of the flashbacks were unseen scenes utilized to explain and clarify mishaps; I loved and appreciated that as I'm tired of shows using the same flashback 3-5 times throughout a show. Once or twice is enough and "Vice Versa" did just that. I love the healthy relationship between the leads; yes cheesy lines were exchanged and at one point they grabbed collars, but the way they always resolve their problems within 15 minutes of screentime, give or take, always apologizing, and thanking/appreciating each other for the little and big things were all very heartwarming. I usually find fights after disagreements silly but in "Vice Versa" I always understood both standpoints. The show did a terrific job showing that what the leads have were a difference of opinions; neither one is right or wrong and neither one is the good or bad guy.

I've seen year-old complaints about product placements, but at this point, if you've seen enough Thai BLs you know that's standard practice. Said scenes will be cringing, regardless of actors/actresses or situations. I, for one, had no problem with them as I enjoyed the two leads interacting no matter what. And at one point they got my mouth-watering for Lays and I wouldn't eat them if I could help it.

Vice Versa is definitely one I'll visit at least once a year. Cheers!

Edit: It's been exactly one month and 11 days since I left this review and I've rewatched Vice Versa another six times. I seriously can't get enough of it and now it's my happy place!

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Only Friends are not real friends

[Episodes 1-6]
Honestly, watching ForceBook in here is like watching an extended version of themselves from 'A Boss and a Babe'. I know the actors have been friends for years (both extremely talented actors) and I didn't want to compare but unlike in ABAAB, there's a strong sense of familiarity between Top and Mew when they're supposed to be strangers. It could be the director's choice/style but I don't like it. There's no spark between them like there was with Gun and Cher.

I'm a huge and I mean HUGE fan of the friendship genre so when all the friends in here are shit, it's a major turn-off. First off, everyone refused to take Ray home and allowed him to drive drunk. There was a plot hole here; Boston clearly said he couldn't take Ray home because he wasn't free and yet somehow Mew heard it as 'I can/will' because in the next scene, while on the phone with Ray, Mew asks 'where's Boston? He said he'd take care of you'. I'm sorry but weren't you there??? You even asked the question that was shot down??? Secondly, if Mew is a virgin, there has to be a reason for that but his friends don't respect that and Namchueam went as far as suggesting he loses his virginity to a random hot guy. Are we in high school? Thirdly, Boston's friendship with Mew and Ray is so messy it ain't even funny. Mew and Boston threw each other under the bus on multiple occasions. Mew basically said Boston was easy and Boston made Mew out to be a liar and manipulator. I don't care how much you want a guy, friends don't do that. At least not real friends. I don't understand why friends this toxic thought a hostel business for a group project is a smart idea. I mean, I get it. If someone else is pouring their hard-earned money into my business and there's no consequence if we fail then I would do it too but wth?

I liked the idea of them running a hostel together BUT NOT for a uni project. I thought going into the series, they would already be running one. For a group of third-years, I'm surprised they party and have sex more than study and/or work. At this point just drop the uni part and it'll become a 100x better series. Since episodes 2-3, I've been skipping Top and Mew parts (only when they're together alone).

Nick is great but that's kind of it... I love Sand, he's the most logical and consistent. And finally, a genuine reaction when you hear that someone's parent passed away. I'm so tired of zoned-out-robot-voice-'I'm so sorry to hear that'. And I am super curious about his relationship with Top too.

I know I'm ranting quite a bit but I'm definitely staying on top of this series until the end for FirstKhaotung. I was excited to see FirstKhaotung and ForceBook's interactions but meh, unless the characters for Top and Mew change, I guess the behinds would be more interesting.

So far this is a 6.5/10 but we'll see how the later episodes do and if it deserves a higher rating :) Cheers!

Edit: 8/10 for episode 6's performance! Khaotung, First, Neo, Mark, and Book killing it!


Edit & updated on 10/29/2023: 7.5/10 for the [Completed] series
Finally done! This update is going to be an unpopular opinion for sure. As I had high expectations from the talented cast alone the finale has left me more than disappointed. Despite my criticism above and below, I’m not blaming the actors but the material they were given to work with.

This series could have easily been a 9 if not 10 out of 10, had they obliterated the university, hostel concept, and characters TopMew and AprilNamchueam. I love ForceBook and Lookjun, don't get me wrong, but I could care less about their characters. I skipped all of TopMew’s parts from episodes 3-12. I did not care for their back-and-forths. The hostel concept unaided is interesting, but not when it’s a byproduct of a uni project. I stand by what I've said above. Also, the only one who seemed to care and was running the business was Namchueam. If Mew, Ray, or Boston had any involvement, it was mostly done off-screen. We also never got to see what came of it at uni or how it was doing business-wise.

I hated, and I mean hated, all of the friendships except Sand and Nick’s. Other than referring to each other as friends, the four friends’ relationships lacked substance and were equally disconnected and unhinged.

Mew and Boston never felt like close friends, only that they had a mutual friend; Namchueam. Mew and Boston, even before Boston screwed up, never supported or cared about each other and were complete opposites in all aspects. They also looked down on each other. Mew and Ray’s friendship suffered when it was tainted by Ray’s one-sided crush on Mew. Making it impossible for them to spend quality time together without Mew unintentionally leading Ray on. Mew and Namchueam have a sibling-like relationship but the turn-off is Namchueam constantly pushes Mew into Top’s arms. I did not like her for that. Firstly because Mew was someone who had been protecting his virginity and relationship status until his third year in uni. Secondly, Top was a stranger and a player at that. Even if Mew was my enemy, I wouldn’t want his first relationship to be with a player no matter how handsome or rich said player is. It was just asking for trouble.

Ray and Boston aren’t close either though we learn that Boston would occasionally drive and take care of Ray when he drank himself drunk. Ray and Namchueam have an unbalanced relationship that isn’t built on trust but on Namchueam fancying Ray’s wealth. Except for Mew, at one point, no one bothered to help or improve Ray’s drinking, depression, and drug usage. The only time Namchueam made any attempt was when Mew was dragged into it. In other words, their lives outside of uni and the hostel don’t blend, affect, and matter to one another; it’s like watching three series in one.

I feel Mew and Namchueam are THE friends while Ray and Boston merely tagged along because they’re too rich to work, go to school, and had nothing better to do that didn't involve clubbing and partying.

Every time First is on screen, he’s always got my full attention as Sand is frankly likable and relatable. His characters’ backstories, interests, and hobbies stayed constant and he’s one of the few characters whose actions spoke louder than words. I like that he never told Sun that he’s his son. Yes, it’s sad that they might have missed out on a beautiful father-son relationship, but that was the reason Sand and his mother are best friends. Also, Boeing being Sand’s ex blindsided me. I completely forgot he had an ex who dumped him for Top. :/ And not Boeing dropping in the last three episodes just to kiss Mew, and make out with First, Ray, and Neo. Only Friends world is TINY

When a series is character-driven but most of them are unlikable, it makes it hard to power through. And it’s not even because of their toxic traits. Rather than ForceBook’s acting abilities, I think it was ForceBook themselves I couldn’t buy as TopMew. I have no expectations of TopMew but Force’s voice is too soft and although Mew acted with his life, his cute/pretty face isn’t intimidating. It might just be a me problem. It wasn't that they didn’t work but their real personalities softened the supposedly serious and intense mood of the series.
And precious Neo was struggling with Boston’s hardcore character. Instead of getting the sense that Boston was starting to care, he simply became depressed and moped around. I don’t understand his sudden sadness for losing his friends when they were never close and he didn’t attempt to rebuild bridges either until Namchueam invited him to the New Year get-together.

Also, is it me or Neo wasn’t comfortable on rollerblades? His legs were shaky and he had to correct his balance a few times.

Luckily I watched episodes 1-9 as they were released each week before binging 10-12. Had I tried to binge the whole series I would have called it quits before I hit episode 6. And that would have been a bummer because Khaotung and Book’s performances in episode 6 were outstanding. Overall, this BL wasn’t for me, and personally, it’s a 5 out of 10 but I’m raising it to a 7.5 because although it's not my cup of tea, the majority enjoy it and I wouldn’t want to deter others from possibly checking and loving this series. Despite my take, it was still a well-done series.

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This series tested my patience step by step

I initially enjoyed Ben's character "Pat". I thought he was cute and his weirded-out faces made my day and night. But as the series progressed, I realized it was one of probably four expressions he was capable of and it got annoying really fast. I loved Pat's friendship with Ae, Prem, and Nan. But once Chot was introduced, Nan, Ae, and Prem took a hard backseat. I love Chot, but not as much as Ae and Nan.

I thought Man did an awesome job as Mr. Jeng, although I personally did not like Mr. Jeng. I thought that the character itself for 10 episodes was lacking. Man himself is attractive but Mr. Jeng has little to no charisma.

When I discovered this show in June, I thought there were only 10 episodes (I didn't care to read the # of episodes obviously and it was still airing) so when I got to episode eight, I was a bit interested in how it'll end in the two remaining episodes. But once I found out that I had not two but four more episodes to go, I was bummed. It was then, middle of ep 10 that I decided to drop this show because it was becoming too much; a real hassle to sit and/or skim through.

In the scene where Ae gives birth (clearly as an Ae biased), I was frustrated with its execution. It was cringe, strange, and illogical. Openly recording someone, a stranger at that, giving birth and crying out in pain rather than helping her, calling the police/ambulance, or telling her everything would be okay were standard expectations but the majority didn't do any of those! Even the police who showed up did squat (why is the Thai union always depicted as useless in these films?). I'm sure the older women who were giving Ae disgusted looks had given birth themselves so for no one but a medical student to step in while everyone else recorded or judged was sooo so stupid. And wtf was Pat's problem??? This is his best friend going into labor in the middle of a street and he couldn't do one thing to comfort her. I understand he freaked but given how close they are and Ae's protectiveness of him, I thought he'd at least got her back. I hated Pat so much that I wanted Put to get away from him so when they broke up, I was so happy and I didn't even like Put. Not until Pat left Put and went and got drunk instead.

It really took me three months to try and get through this series but I refuse to watch another disgusted/worried/weirded out face of Pat's again.

And don't get me started on Jaab. He only existed for aesthetics. I was so mad it took him a lifetime to comfort Mr. Jeng when the usually stoic guy unexpectedly broke down ugly crying. For 10 episodes, except being told that they're brothers, a very small handful of their interactions actually felt like authentic brotherly bonds.

Normally extras are just that, extra bodies in the background. But eventually, I was so bored with the main characters that I found myself scrutinizing for extras' interactions and expressions. It was funny as it seemed like they were told 'you guys can look in the same direction but no talking, don't even act like you're having a conversation'. The scene where Jeng and Pat were out trying restaurants was especially comical because they played a soundtrack where people were chatting and dining but the extras in the background were either on their phones or not looking at each other. Either way, this was a drop and I may or may not finish the last two episodes someday but I doubt they'll be missed...

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I Feel You Linger in the Air was almost a horror

I Feel You Linger in the Air is the first Thai BL I waited for all 12 episodes to air before binging it and I have to say it left me with mixed emotions. I enjoyed episodes 1-5, no problem, but 6-12 took me longer than expected to finish. I also skipped around in episodes 10-12.

What I enjoyed/liked about the series:
- The acting and cinematography were equally aesthetically pleasing. The whole cast is new to me but I thought Nonkul did an exceptional job as Jom and Bright delivered. Everyone is talented but I especially love Guide as Ming. His voice color and tone…who wouldn’t fall for it? Kimmy (James) oh my gawd, someone give this guy a lead role.
- The English script was spot on. I don’t know if they hired a professional or Kimmy simply put his own twist to it but it was so fluid and fluent, and James really came across as a competent character.
- I already praised Nonkul but I have to say his and Typhoon/Ohm’s scenes were so rewarding. I haven’t seen the behinds but from the series alone I would assume they’re close based on their chemistry. I mean, they could just be good actors but I’d like to believe they’re friendly and comfortable with each other too.
- I love that the series included all kinds of love and relationships.
- Bright and Nonkul slayed every intimate scene!
- The costume design and styles were great here. They really convinced me that this was 1927-1928 Chiang Mai. The landscape was great. Though the forest scenery in episode 11 appears to be a greenscreen. I know they used the same location for Home School and didn’t do much with the outdoors but I appreciate the decor and furnishing indoors.
- The music was adequate, except, they used the same two(?) songs throughout the entire show. I love the opening song, it really captured the historical sound of Thai culture.

What I disliked or had me scratching my head:
- The timeline isn’t crystal clear until the end of episode 11. October 1928. Since we had Christmas, that meant Jom spent close to a year in the past. Maybe I missed it but was Jom’s age ever revealed?
- RIP to Jom’s architecture arc. Since he was renovating the main house in the present/future, it would have been nice if he studied its construction in the past and then returned to the present to give the workers some pointers but I guess that would have been a waste of screen time. I did like that the show maintained his artistic skills as an architect though.
- Khun Yai being soft-spoken was expected, given the timepiece, but it was a fresher breath of air that he had no mean bone in his body. However, this side of him didn’t do his character any favors. Diving into the series, he evidently holds some power as the oldest son of the homeowner but after some time, we see that he has no real authority (even Lek doesn’t listen to him). That’s when I began to question if bookworm Yai is intelligent or if his father’s influence is doing all his bidding. Whenever he rescues Jom from Robert, I'm always left with a lingering feeling of dissatisfaction. Everyone seems to be on edge due to his assigned position and not who he is as an individual. Yai also has a tendency to seclude himself to the small house, primarily to avoid his family’s high expectations, and to do his own thing. Early on, he reveals that he finds his brother-in-law offputting but except for one or two conversations, nothing comes of it. Yai also doesn’t have any friends and isn’t close to any of the servants except his nanny. We know Yai works with his father but we never see what he actually does except mentions of running errands and attending parties. Yai wasn’t even trusted to set up, plan, and host his father’s promotional ceremony as it was left to the servant Chan. Yai had no real growth throughout the entire show and the major conflict with his father was easily and single-handedly resolved by Jom (well, with the help of supporting characters but Jom orchestrated and led it). I wished Yai had more going for him other than jumping Jom, reading, and snacking. I know he was the healthy relationship Jom deserved but as an equal Jom could do better.
- I wish the show had a moment where Khun Yai really cared and helped the other servants besides Jom. Then again, even with Jom, he always gave up after one sour conversation with his parents. I.e. the two separate incidents with Prik and Ming.
- Why didn’t Yai ever tell Jom he had a dream about Jom? It gave me the impression that he only developed feelings quicker for Jom because he recognized Jom from his dream. As if the affectionate Jom in his dream shaped the real Jom for him.
- Yai and Jom spent about a year together but hardly knew each other on a personal level. Yai doesn't inquire if Jom regained any memories of his past or what Jom's hobbies, favorite food, desserts, etc are. Jom didn't really know that Yai's dream was to study Law. They always spoke of their love for each other but Yai doesn't seem to care for Jom's personal goals, wishes, etc. Their relationship is somewhat shallow and surfaced level.
- I like that Khun Luang, Yai’s father, knew about his son and daughter’s same-sex relationships but as someone who was painted as very judgemental, old-schooled, and strict, I’m shocked that the worst he can do is arrange marriages and had his son followed. Maybe I’m numb to the harshness some may see in it but I also don’t understand the accusation and treatment he received from his wife afterwards. Khun Ying’s 180 came out of nowhere when she's been supporting Luang’s decisions for 20 years. It’s bad that she condoned Luang’s strictness, but when shit hits the fan, she wants to dump all the ugly on him and plays the nice and accepting parent role? What gives?
- I don’t mind it when supporting characters get a lot of screen time but when there’s no crossover or cause and effect; the feeling of watching two different series in one negates the realism and logic of the entire show. For a while, Yai and Jom were stuck in this loop of mushy puppy love while the other house went through a whirlwind of crazies is crazy to me. What happened to “the walls have ears?” And I don’t understand the distance of the three houses. At times they all seem to be on one big lot, within walking distance of each other, other times you need a boat to get to the other house. The consistency isn’t consistent.
- Why Fongkaew feels the need to apologize to Ueangphueng is unclear. If it’s about her becoming Robert’s second wife then that wouldn’t be on her but him. In actuality, it was Ueangphueng and Mei who plotted and wanted Fongkaew as Robert’s second wife. Fongkaew’s arc is interesting but the arson was glossed over and only employed to stop an engagement. Except for getting Fongkaew to marry Robert, there wasn’t any transparent reason to burn down Kad Luang. We also never got to see Fongkaew ask James for a favor or what hole Ueangphueng dug Robert’s notebook out of. A lot of the investigations were done off-screen and then retched to the viewers at the ceremony. I had no appreciation for that, and again, Yai had no part in bringing the crime to light.
- A handful of the twists and conflicts were jaw-dropping but their executions fell flat. Some for example are a servant witnessing Yai and Jom’s about-to-kiss moment and spreading it like wildfire (though it eventually leads to the engagement) there’s no real consequence for it. Yai continued to jump Jom in broad daylight despite getting caught on multiple occasions. The last drawing is Yai’s, not Jom’s. Ueangphueung’s pregnancy and abortion. A warrior Khun Yai? Chan stalked Yai and Jom day and night but claimed they hadn’t crossed the line when they spent every night together?
- Why wasn’t this series about Jom and James? They would have made a more interesting couple.
- Ming’s problems aren’t taken seriously and that annoys me.
- My theory for the ending is that 1928 Khun Yai, some 3-5 years later is now in the present/future. Simply because in the letter he talked about studying in France and ended it there. There was no 'in my 30s, 40s, or 50s', 'I became a judge', 'I changed this and that', 'I've obtained power without my father's help, 'Ming is now my majordomo but he brings me bad desserts and gets crazy drunk'. I don’t know, something, anything that briefed us he lived past the age of 25, at least.

I regret waiting to binge this only because I might have enjoyed it more watching it once a week. Regardless I'm glad I checked it out because I do love historicals and this series not only introduced a talented cast but two very good songs to me. I also got to know of Nonkul’s music and “Won’t Tell You” is a banger!

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Jack O'Frost froze at an 8.5

Aside from incorporating its title into the series in several good and fun ways, the show did not explore and gave its characters too much yet not enough to work with; resulting in them being either flat, unrelatable, or both.

Most of the characters, particularly our mains, possess contradicting traits/personalities and lack depth.
- Fumiya is introduced as serious and someone who has difficulty putting his thoughts into words; however, this only seems to be the case with Ritsu. Around supporting characters, he’s an open book and comes across as a social butterfly. Particularly in flashbacks. Besides working as a salesman with a lot of time on his hands, being a good cook, kind, and possibly popular we know nothing about his background or upbringing. Nor his ex.
- Ritsu is timid, lethargic, and daring/stubborn(?) Eventually, we learn that Ritsu has parents and a younger brother but aside from his brother, we don’t know if he keeps in contact with his parents. Though we know that he’s a great artist/illustrator and a successful one given that his work was published in a magazine. Honda Kyoya, handsome as he is, did his part but Ritsu as a character was not all that appealing to watch.
- Shuji is said to be overprotective of Ritsu but we see that he’s more overprotective of Fumiya. Except for the cafe scene, his scenes with Ritsu were somehow painful. Rarely did they come across as close brothers and instead, Shuji feels closer to Fumiya. They know each other’s ‘tomorrow’ schedules, share a secret, and Shuji is more comfortable talking to Fumiya about Fumiya and Ritsu’s relationship.
- Miyasaka Tomoko added some substance to the series but then she quickly became the side character that exists only to get the mains back together. I don’t understand why she kept her run-in with Ritsu from Fumiya until the final episode, especially when she has been advising Fumiya on their relationship throughout the show. We also never found out what happened to her and her boyfriend.
- Keigo is the ex of Ritsu who was set up to mislead us into thinking is the villain but isn’t(?). He gives Fumiya advice and encouragement but also blithely brings up his bad past with Ritsu. His purpose is to add tension and depth to Ritsu’s sexual orientation which Ritsu thought Fumiya was in the dark about. I admit that part was done well but it’s strange for Ritsu to jump the gun when he has no memories of anything he’s ever told Fumiya. If Fumiya is strictly a roommate then his coming out as gay isn’t unlikely.

My biggest problem with the show was that there was no clear timeline. I can’t gauge how long they’ve been dating and living together. Except that they were the same age again when they celebrated Ritsu’s birthday. It seems they fell in love and moved in together after graduation and while working, and that's all we can go off of. Before moving in together, Fumiya did reveal that Ritsu had a steady income/career and we saw Ritsu working so he had to have been in his early to mid-20s. But are they in their late 20s or early 30s at the beginning of the series? I wish amnesiac Ritsu had at least asked how long they've been living together so we know. Although I took issue with the blurry timeline, it is a plus for the show. Since we don’t know how long they've been together or living together, we can’t fault their relationship in relation to time. If their communication sucks but it's only been a year then 'meh, it happens' but if it's been five years then it'll definitely raise eyebrows.

In short:
Good plot. Dry characters. Dryer script.
The acting was fine overall.
Fun coats. Loved Ritsu’s scarves.
Kind of wished there was snow...? It's Winter, after all.
Enjoyed the music.
Some camera work was uncreative.
The not-so-high budget was a tad bit obvious.
Easy to watch. Not great but not terrible. Heartwarming but also unmemorable.
May never rewatch unless I need some slow background noise.

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Nawin stole the show

If Charn and Nawin were leads, Laws of Attraction would easily be a 10/10.

I originally dropped this show halfway through episode one for a number of reasons but a friend strongly suggested that I finish it as it gets better, thank goodness she wasn't lying. I immediately adore Charn in episode two; Charn being unserious in serious situations is a lot more pleasant to watch than Film trying to be serious in poorly edited/executed scenes.

In all 8 episodes, there wasn't one time where I was charmed by Tinn. If Charn was Mr. Smirky then Tinn was Mr. Smiley. I don't understand why Tinn was so merry about his second meeting with Charn when his niece had just passed; I expected him to be more mopey given the situation. Jam is a good-looking actor, but Tinn has no personality other than being overly jealous and obsessive over Charn. Speaking of personalities, Charn's smiles and horror-like grins don't make sense sometimes but I can't hate them since they do add to his 'devil'/'evil' character.

Story-wise, I thought it was alright overall. Not exactly mind-blowing or impressive but not bad. A lot of the conflicts were quickly resolved (understandable given its shorter length than most) and a lot of it was predictable. That wedding came at a left field, though, and can't say I love it. I don't mind the second couple but I wished Thaenthai had more scenes with Tinn and the grandmother just to apologize and atone for not telling the truth earlier on. As for musicality, I really don't remember much of it and whether or not I enjoyed or hated it. I did skip Tinn's singing moments but it's mainly because I'm sort of fed up with them singing in these series xD

Finally, Nawin! This man was the highlight of the show and I'm sure he's just about everyone's favorite character. I'm always laughing whenever he's on screen. I love his immoral craziness, his humor, his 180 in everything from attitude to expression and to voice volume when engaging with Charn and Tinn, and his reactions to everyone around him including his minions. Nat really stole the show and made episodes 7 and 8 tolerable. I swear he's had more expressions in two episodes than Tinn, Thaenthai, and Thee combined in eight. If I ever rewatch "Laws of Attraction" it'll only be for Nawin's parts in ep 7 and 8.

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Love in Translation spoke to me

For my sheer enjoyment (and actor Offroad’s performance), I was going to give this series full marks but then it wouldn’t be a genuine reflection of the glaring plotholes it possessed. Still, I wasn’t rolling my eyes every other scene as I have with some recent series.

The acting can be silly at times but in the end, it played into the characters’ personalities anyway so it wasn’t impossible to watch. Everyone in this series was new to me so I had no experience with their past work, however, I thought they all did well with the exception of Phumjai’s parents. Though I’d say that had to do with their characters rather than the actors themselves. I believe in two different scenes, Phumjai’s parents had very contradicting reactions. His mother would be smiling and his father seemed concerned and vice versa.

Any main character who wears a Woody and Buzz Lightyear t-shirt on his first date is automatically my favorite.

Daou is a replica of Korean actor Kim Junghyun.

Overall, I truly loved the characters and love their healthy friendships.
Yang is serious but lowkey playful.
Phumjai is lovable, full of energy, and a moodmaker.
Bowgie was straight-up fun, the slip/split in the store is my all-time favorite part (also my favorite callback to Phumjai suddenly falling backward. I thought he was lying about the floor being slippery until Bowgie swept the floor like a ballerina).
Tammy and Cheer are great and charming female characters. I wish they did more with Tammy’s ‘player’ character though. Her suddenly doing a 180 because she reunited with Phumjai was a bit out of character, especially when she made no effort to keep looking for him (as far as we can see).
Tag is so freaking cute, I just want to put him in my pocket and carry him around.
Phojai is a good brother, but he’s doing too much. Sometimes I wonder if the writers accidentally switched his relations with Phumjai and Tag. I’m glad he gave Tag the much-deserved attention later although his apology up to that point sucked :/ Him coming back as Boss No.2 was legit hilarious though.
Odo was just chaotically fun and had the right amount of support for all the characters. I laughed so hard when Yang and Phumjai borrowed his car and asked why he was still at the shop (looking bored out of his mind) like even I forgot they had taken his car.

If it’s not obvious, the comedy was right up my alley. I always love a good childish show that doesn’t stem primarily from pettiness.

I enjoyed the music and danced along to some of it at times. I was so happy no character pulled a guitar out of thin air and started serenading the other. I loved that the series only had 8 episodes which was more than enough and they did fine tying it up in the end with some unanswered questions. Such as Phojai’s possessiveness of Phumjai. However, the finale also introduced multiple out-of-the-blue ideas where Tammy was a successful author when she’s never said anything about working on a book/story, Yang and Phumjai have actually met as children and were friends, and Phojai having a conversation with Tag off-screen about moving in with Tag.

Although the storytelling was fine, and I actually like it when flashbacks include scenes we haven't seen, this series overutilized flashbacks to replay, reveal, and re-tell what we’ve just been told by the characters so it felt slow at times.

I also wish two major story arcs had a different and more realistic outcome such as Phumjai’s unexplained feelings for Tammy and Phojai’s over-protectiveness of his younger brother, Phumjai.
Since Phumjai doesn’t care that Tammy is a “player”, I thought they would reveal that his feelings for Tammy were more of that of a hardcore yet a not delusional fan. But the explanation, or lack thereof, was that all Phumjai could imagine and see was Yang even when Tammy was right in front of him.
For the second arc, I wish there was a deeper reason than ‘you said I was a useless brother and you didn’t want a brother like me when we were children because I let two bullies hit me and break your toy’. Seriously, judging from how Phojai had his boyfriend, Tag, spies and reports Phumjai’s every move you’d think maybe Phumjai has some serious health issues that only family and close friends knew about or Phumjai had some close-to-death experience as a kid and that’s why his family babies him but they do it just because.

The biggest plothole would be Phumjai admitting to conversing with Tammy in Chinese through private messages when in person Phumjai couldn’t understand an ounce of Chinese and witnessing this, Tammy even offered to teach Phumjai Chinese. However, after said scene, the story resumed like that never happened, Tammy would continue messaging Phumjai in Chinese and he’d have Yang reply on his behalf.

All in all, this is a definite rewatch for me :D

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Cooking Crush didn’t crush it

Except for ‘Not Me’, Off in ‘The Jungle’, and cameos, I don’t have much experience with OffGun’s acting but I know their history and have seen their chemistry in Safe House 3 and how cute they are off-cam. However, if I were to watch this as a first-timer, I would think Gun either doesn’t like or care about acting. When in reality, he’s one of GMM’s most seasonal, highest-demand, and paid actors. I just couldn’t feel his passion in here.

- Pros:
- The cast could act, for the most part.
- The cast, OffGun, Neo, Dome, Victor, and Tum, man is talented and natural!
- Samsi. He’s the only character I cared for from start to end.
- The friendship group for both Doc and Chef. I love healthy friendships and Cooking Crush did a well and natural job in this area.

- Cons:
- The cooking & food. Despite this being a show about cooking and food, I never once looked at any of the dishes and thought “OHHH THAT LOOKS YUMMY”. Oh wait, I stand corrected. Chef’s pepper looked pretty tasty in EP 11.
- Borderline boring. It felt like no one cared. The romance between Doc and Chef and Fire and Dynamite were both fast-paced with little to no chemistry. DocChef weren’t characters, they were OffGun in costumes. I can’t even remember their characters’ names even if someone were to hold a gun to my head.
- The university plot became an afterthought early on and didn’t come back until the very end.
- The 3B or 3 BULLIES gang is overutilized in a university setting. I feel like this show was trying to check off every old stereotype you can find in series in the early 2000s to late 2016s i.e. bullies in universities, closed-mouth kisses, the camera spinning around closed-mouth kissing, running onto filming sets with no security whatsoever, older characters attending college is frowned upon, an abundant of flashbacks, and the list goes on.
- The poor camera work and music killed this series for me. Most of the time, the background music/sound is NOT supporting the scene. Funny scenes are dryer than deserts and it’s because no one cared to add an upbeat soundtrack to go with it. This wouldn’t be a problem if most of the time the series was a heartfelt, serious series but it wasn’t, and was trying to go for comedy a lot of the time. It’s like the show is trying and they’re self-aware to a point but they’re also doing all the wrong things because they know the actors’ popularity will overshadow the lackluster effort.
- The heavy time skips only to use flashbacks to explain what happened. I despise series that use flashbacks for shock value. DocChef suddenly kissing and then having almost one entire episode showing ‘what happened earlier’ was simply boring. I don’t understand the abuse of flashbacks in this series.
- A lot happened and there was a lot of predictable drama but most of them were uneventful. The show should have cut out most of them. The whole separation to improve Doctor’s grades made me lose brain cells and it was such a brainless decision on the characters and production part. We never saw the result of it other than Doc himself saying his grades improved in the last episode. You could have just said that without the whole separating thing. The separation was so short-lived too, it wasn’t even funny. To be fair though, if Doc’s dad had just been upfront from the get-go, we probably wouldn’t have to see Doc acting like a teenager always throwing a hissy fit around daddy and new step-mommy. I wouldn’t have minded Doc’s immaturity if he was at least responsible and independent for a medical student in his third year but he has no part-time job, acts like a clown for the most part, relies on his dad for financial support, and still dares to get mad when he overpaid Chef for cooking courses he no longer needed and daddy found out. ‘Doctor’ was not the profession they should have given Off’s character. I’m not even going to talk about that horrible subplot of Doc meeting another Doc who looks identical to his mom and when he took her to the hospital and saved her life, he was no longer traumatized by his inability to save his mom back then. What. The. Heck. And for him to say ‘we’re not busy today’? I feel that’s something every medical student just knows.
- Gun’s acting. As I said before, it felt like he didn’t want to be a part of the show but did it for Papi. His energy was so low I found myself dozing off whenever he was on screen. For a character who likes to see other people happy, I thought he should start with himself…
- Changma's out-of-the-blue crush on Chef was a big ‘HUH’? Stop it, GMM!
- The whole social media shenanigans were a waste of screen and viewers’ time. For Doc. to apologize ON HIS KNEES and then still act possessive right after was so dumb. It was so middle-school behavior.
- The storyline I hated most is that the staff openly admitted to passing Chef’s group into the second round because they were lame and the show needed that for views...like wtf? I was so glad when Chef opted to withdraw but then he was so easily talked back into it, it was so lame. The fact that his team didn’t end up dropping out when it was an entertainment show and not a cooking show, made me question if it was their cooking skills they wanted recognized in the first place.
- Dynamite was so cute but he did a 180 towards the middle of the show. I liked that he respected Fire and Jane getting back together but since then, he seemed like a different character. We also never know what’s become of his place after his neighbor was murdered.

Overall Cooking Crush gets a 5 from me, in terms of OffGun’s series.

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Whipped for August

Eps 1-6 were a bit of a bore. I thought Phethai and Nannam fell in love with their girls too fast and a lot of their conflicts were quickly resolved. At times the dialogue fell flat and I had a hard time following the points they were trying to make. I didn't like that Pladao and Gale would go to a dive bar they considered 'dangerous' together and leave without each other on multiple occasions. Phethai and Gale can be a cute couple but I didn't like their story; meeting as children, quickly falling in love, and then successfully rebelling against Phethai's mother without much of a struggle.
Nannam and Nanfah's backstory was short but extremely interesting. Nanon really did a phenomenal job with two very distinguishable identical twins. Can't say I initially loved Nithan but she grew on me over time and I find her and Nannam to be such an adorable and heartwarming pair.
I'm still on edge about Pladao even after completing the series. She's a very intense and aggressive character and although I understand why, I couldn't understand her actions at times. I did like that she and Nanfah chose to be friends before dating but at the same time, I thought they admitted to liking each other too soon. A lot of it was also info from Nanfah's mouth as we didn't get to see Pladao again for a number of episodes.
Hack and Irin's story was a-okay. I thought she'd end up with Nathee (due to a comment he made in episode 1 or 2) or Hunter but her and Hack was a nice twist. There was a bit of a back-and-forth as they fought about the same things due to poor communication but it was whatever. Maybe because I took a break after episode 6 but it felt like Irin's character was less badass than in the first few episodes; she was more whiny(?).
Nathee and Florence's story really picked up the show for me. I'm surprised Nathee became more of a main character toward the latter half as I expected more of the twins and their stories but it was nice to see. I envy Florence's confidence and I'm glad they had one of the girls know self-defense. I was slightly annoyed that Irin was always harassed and had to wait for The Jungle to save her but Florence was a breath of fresh air. It's fun to see that Florence and Irin are friends too but I wonder how they met..?
Okay, I have to admit the show really blew me away with this one. Off was getting so little screentime I was starting to question why or how he obtained the leadership position in The Jungle. I was also curious about the woman he'd been waiting for, for eight+ years. How great could she be that he'd cast someone as beautiful as Irin to the side for so long? August's entrance is a whole 100/10. She came in like a wrecking ball and swept me off my feet. She's the main reason I'm giving this series a higher score of 8.5/10. Pat is seriously the perfect 'Lionness' and immediately I knew and understood why Pine waited so many years for her. Similarly to Pladao, August is an intense character however, August just oozes charisma and gives powerful queen vibes. Pat truly made August different from the other women; she was more mature, smart, logical, and realistic. Pine and August's story was well paced, and delievered, and therefore seemed like a different series from the earlier episodes that were more rushed. I love that their story revealed a lot more about The Jungle and how close and cool she was with The Jungle Boys. Irin was close to The Jungle too but many of them crushed on her whereas August is more of a cool friend, older sister, or boss. Except the part where August got shot and NO ONE did anything to help stop the bleeding, I enjoyed her whenever she was on screen.
Oh, and I have to add that Nathee and Nanfah's friendship was my favorite. Nathee doesn't ever make Nanfah feel second to Nannam and Nanfah deeply cares for Nathee despite being one of the more sarcastic characters. And can I just ask why Nannam and Nanfah stopped throwing knives around? It was such a nice touch! Also that ending! Are they setting up for a season 2???

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Highlight of my Fridays aka BL of the Year

This isn't much of a review but more of a comment; the full review will be added in after the show's completed.

[Episodes 1-4] When I fell for JimmySea in Vice Versa, I knew they had the potential to go bigger and Last Twilight delivered. Their acting and expressions have so much range and their chemistry just oozes every time they're on screen. Not only with each other but the extras and supporting characters too. I'm loving the progression and story-telling so far. Mhok and Day's growths have been steady, natural, and breathtaking as well. Last Twilight continues to be the highlight of my Fridays.
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[Completed] Let's just say that up to the breakup, I enjoyed every minute of Last Twilight. There was heavy foreshadowing since ep 10 but despite the obvious, Jimmy and Sea still managed to make us cry with their acting. I believe everyone knew or had an idea that Day's first eye surgery wasn't going to be successful, yet Sea's acting pleasantly surprised and depressed us~

I don't mind or care for breakups in series, especially when they're necessary (for example: when one or two characters have become toxic to each other) or are well-handled in the aftermath. And although I understood why there had to be a breakup, I didn't see it being critical to the storyline. And even if it was like time apart made Day independent and Mhok more understanding, etc, I don't see why Day had to also then block Mhok for three years. That only tells me that their breakup was not for their betterment but out of anger. As Day and Mhok have proven to mature throughout the series, to have them break up on a whim was out of character for Day. If Day saw it as Mhok pitying him then that's fine, but Mhok's reasonable reason was both dismissed and devalued.

Despite my ranting, my biggest issue isn't that they broke up, it's that they did it in EP 11 at the last second. That meant the finale would be about them overcoming their conflict and reuniting, and you just can't do it all in one hour. Especially if you want it to be good and want to avoid time skips. Not only did their breakup take away screentime to see them grow as a couple, but the show compounded it with Day's second eye surgery. I have mixed feelings about Day being able to see again.

Why I liked that Day was able to see again:
- He got to see what Mhok looks like
- His hope to see again was finally answered

Why I don't like that Day could see again:
- He's navigated the world as a blind man for a while and has come to accept it. If anything, I thought that would give viewers hope that despite being dealt bad cards in life, you will be fine as long as you learn to accept and live with it.
- Day running a bookshop as a blind man went out the window
- Porjai's daughter lost that opportunity to develop a positive trait towards disabilities as someone who could have grown up with a blind uncle
- This doesn't give Mhok the chance to prove that he can trust Day despite Day's blindness

Overall LT is a 10/10 and I've rewatched it another three times after Jan. 26.

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Be My Favorite was definitely a favorite

Since I've only seen Krist in "The Jungle", and Fluke in "Dark Blue Kiss" and "Not Me" (where I skipped most of his parts) I wasn't sure how I'd feel about Krist x Fluke. To my surprise, they made a cute couple; they definitely had chemistry though the romance wasn't romantic. However, I'd say that was due to the pacing and direction of the show after Pisaeng and Kawi actually started dating.

For the most part, the earlier episodes were enjoyable. I found myself laughing a lot and really invested in Krist's character but halfway through the show Kawi sort of did a 180 and became unruly and unreasonable; presumably the anti-social in him. I don't mind the changes as he has his own reasons but I was let down that there were no real consequences for his rash conduct. Everyone, especially Pisaeng, tends to forgive him right away as long as Kawi says sorry or whines a little. And if that doesn’t work, Kawi would bring up his dad’s illness or his poor background and would then get a pass. I’m not blaming Kawi, I think the show actually did well in showcasing this aspect. Since Kawi is anti-social, he’s going to be indifferent, self-absorbed, and in this case a sympathy seeker. And well, who doesn’t love a flawed main character? Kawi also mentions working as a stress factor but we never got to see him work or know what he did...? Maybe I missed it but not sure how he supported himself before his future self traveled to the past.

As for Pisaeng, I only feel three ways about him: I like him, I feel bad for him, and I don’t understand him. Pisaeng is nice, kind, loyal, honorable, and personable. All good traits that made him perfect as Kawi’s punching bag. In regards to his character, I only wish the show dived more into why he believes or thinks his mother leans towards homophobia and/or is unaccepting of his orientation. Since it was never hinted and instead she’s only denied him so many times and revealed to have a lot of employees in the LGBTQ+ community. She also doesn’t love her son any more or less for being gay. Plus we saw that Max, who’s part of the community, really admires Pisaeng’s mother. Pisaeng only exudes negativity when he’s with his mother and I truly want to know why.
I'm not a fan of Pisaeng painting his mother as homophobic when she was only doing what she thought a good mother would do for her child. I, however, did like that Pisaeng called his mother out on what she ‘thinks is best for him’ while never considering ‘what makes him happy’. I mean THAT was beautiful!

I like Max. He’s the kind of character that is a voice of reason for the leads and audience. I just wished his friendship with Kawi wasn’t as one-sided as it was (I can’t remember one thing or time Kawi did Max a favor or helped him with his cause. Even in their 30s and Kawi as a celebrity, Max took care of him. Kawi recognized the giver-taker relationship with Pisaeng but somehow didn’t notice it in his friendship with Max).

Even though I’m a bit disappointed that Kawi got away with some things, I’m more disappointed that Not/Knot got away with A LOT. However, these disappointments don’t affect the overall rating because once again it’s a good reflection of the real world.

Overall the show gets a 9.5 from me because although I was annoyed towards the middle, lost interest in the last two episodes, and wasn’t satisfied with how certain situations were handled (i.e. Krist not wanting to have s*x but never expressing it to Pisaeng and they just ended up doing it), I took a lot away from this series. I had fun and loved that it was slightly different. I especially like that Kawi, towards the end, said they should live their lives where they would never want to go back [to the past] and fix it. I thought that was clever and eye-opening. This was definitely one of those light-hearted and feel-good series and I’m glad I checked it out!

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Love Syndrome is more demented than amnesiac

When not one, not two, but THREE couples are a result of sexually assaulted victims falling for their assaulter, you know you’re in for a toxic mess.

Despite this series’ low rating, I gave it a go as I’ve seen Lee Long Shi in “Even Sun” and Frank paired with Drake in “Between Us”. Can't say I'm a big fan of both butttt I did enjoy them to some extent in said series. What’s interesting was seeing Lee Long ‘top’ here when he was the ‘bottom’ in Even Sun. I have to say his ability to do both makes him one of the more unique BL actors, not to say that not being able to fulfill both isn’t unique, but it doesn’t limit his acting or typecast him. (Also, I want to see a series where Fort Thitipong and Lee Long Shi are brothers because wow, they give me similar vibes.)

Before diving into the series, we need to understand that there’s a ‘Bad’ Day and a ‘Good’ Day (I honestly love that the character’s name is “Day” and they stretch the 'bad day' and 'good day' in him).
‘Bad’ Day is ruthless, jealous, and combative. He was born the day his parents were killed in a car accident that left him and his beloved younger brother, Night, orphans. Bad Day is a former mafia member who dropped everything bad about him two years ago. Good Day is the result of Day getting away from Bad Day and closer to Itt. He is mild-tempered, soft-hearted, responsible, and a bit of a pushover. Despite being the ‘Good’, he still possesses a dark side which is his openness and willingness to groom his boyfriend into becoming solely dependent on him.

This brings us to Itt, ‘Good’ Day’s boyfriend of two years. Right from the jump Itt is painted as a spoiled man-child who has an irritable cake obsession. Cake was his drug, he had to have it right then and there otherwise everyone suffer from his tantrums and inability to function, particularly Day. Despite Itt’s childishness and immaturity, he’s adored and babied by his peers, friends, and parents. Although Day has admitted to bending Itt into the role of a codependent boyfriend, it’s been revealed that Itt’s parents sheltered and spoiled him relentlessly growing up; never pushing him to do more nor asking him to help more with the family business. Cooking was also out of the question as he once burned down their kitchen. Therefore, when Itt, a grown man, lacks the basic survival skills it’s impossible to blame him or any party entirely. Itt’s codependency also allows him to accept abuse on an unhealthy level and I don’t care how many times a character says Itt is selfless, he’s the most selfish character.

Since Day suffers from memory loss and has returned to a character viewers aren’t familiar with, his growth, or lack thereof, is fairly acceptable. However, Itt has never truly grown. Itt doesn’t take responsibility for much of anything and this is because his friends and parents are always on his side. He shouts and raises his voice at Day every other four to five lines. Everyone but Day gives him more credit than he deserves and victimizes him on an unconditional level. The only time they called his childishness out was when he demanded cake and asked Peace to sleep beside him. I wish Itt’s cooking skills were developed and shown over the series and not him waiting until the final episode to show interest in learning because at this point we’re supposed to believe he’s been responsible for Day’s meals for months. I mean, did Night end up cooking all of them, or did Itt order delivery? Because we never saw Itt grocery shopping either and he clearly hasn’t shown any improvements when they went shopping with Bell.

The supporting and side characters were fine for the most part but they were too nosy and the amount of gossiping they did was excessive. There were a lot of times when I wondered why Gear and Night felt the need to control the direction of Day and Itt’s relationship. As a brother and friend, it’s acceptable to help but manipulating (i.e. Ball) is a different story. It gave the mains outs and excuses not to talk. It also skewed some situations i.e. when Day punched a wall because he couldn’t remember, friends miscommunicated that to Itt as Day punishing himself for punching Itt when in reality Day never felt bad for punching Itt on the racetrack because let’s be honest, was dumb and irresponsible on Itt’s part. The common person knows better than to jump in front of an oncoming race car at high speed. The part that further pissed me off about it was that Itt specifically asked Nan to be in the car with Day and still decided to put all of their lives in jeopardy. Had Nan not noticed and Day not braked, Itt would be 4-6 feet underground. Or had Day swerved, he would have crashed or flipped the car with him and Nan in it and they, too, could have been one with the ground. I’m so upset that when Day brought this up, Itt took ZERO accountability for it and never understood why he was in the wrong. Gear and Night also never asked why Itt did that, they just assumed that Day was in the wrong--he was, in the way that he overreacted and resorted to violence but I have to say Itt asked for it when he put all three of their lives at risk.
I also despise how selective the support characters are when it comes to over and under-sharing. When Day woke up with his memories of Itt wiped clean, he never got answers because everyone would just say ‘Curious? Figure it out yourself”. But then they would blame and get mad at him for not remembering. Day just couldn’t win as he was surrounded by Itt’s supporters.
Sometimes I questioned if Night was Day or Itt’s brother.
Speaking of Gear, I don’t understand his hostility towards Day in Night and Day’s house, especially when he once abused Night and knew Day hated him for that. Gear is a guest but he oversteps like he owns ¼ of the house.
I’m a huge fan of Nick. I love his humor and wit and wish there was more of him. He’s Itt’s best shield. I thought he and Neil were a compatible couple. Neil isn’t overly jealous of Nick’s flirtatiousness and understands that it stems from a cry for attention as the son of a mistress.
Nan and Mac…hmmm…at this point, I can’t gauge if they’re the second or most toxic couple but I’ve seen them being compared to Vegas and Pete from KinnPorsche and well…if you know then you know. Nan is Day’s henchman who instantly strikes us as someone who always has the upper hand and is quick on his feet. Despite his small screen time, he’s not a man to be trifled with. Although he doesn’t use his fists as often as Day, he’s proven to be just as good a fighter but with big brains. Aside from running a racetrack with Day, Nan’s toxic trait is to punish Itt’s molester, Mac. Mac is someone who went to high school with Itt and stole Itt's girlfriend, Meen, in the name of actually having a crush on Itt. As adults, Mac throws an out-of-the-blue confession at Itt while forcing himself onto Itt. Witnessing this, Day beats and shoves Mac into Nan’s arms and insists that Nan does whatever pleases him. And so Nan did, on top of threatening Mac with a non-existent video. Like DayItt and GearNight, Nan and Mac’s abusive relationship alas blossomed into ‘love’.

Guest roles and their purposes:
Meen - utilized to show us that Itt is bi aka gives Day more to be jealous of.
Kim - creepy guy #1 to prepare us for creepy guy #2, P.
Kamol - the mafia boss who never felt like a mafia boss. His motto is ‘killing creates an endless cycle of revenge so manipulate people to off themselves instead’

Other notes…:
- The mafia arc was done so poorly, it was over within 1-2 episodes
- The acting is passable, not great but not bad. In some scenes, one actor would overact as the other underacts. Frank’s acting can be dry at times, especially the non-red eyes and tearless crying.
- The script is…fair at best. I wish there were more industrial terms but meh
- Continuity error is a big one (the biggest offense is when Itt took the car to the waterfall but they kept cutting back to the house showing the car parked in front (establishing shot, I get it but c'mon now!). The first mistake I can laugh at but the second or third just tells you no one in editing was paying attention. And no one can convince me that was Gear’s car because it simply wasn’t.)
- The editing: they overused fade to black one TOO many times. The rectangle/zoom out in the middle was also used TWICE; it screams basic editing skills.
- Some camera angles need to go
- The comedy was satisfactory but lackluster editing killed it. And I’m not saying they should have added those overused sound effects but a change of song would have suffice. There were a lot of times when Nick delivered iconic, and I mean ICONIC, lines but background sounds never backed him up. It’s bizarre to laugh at a joke with soft, romantic music playing, just sayin’.
- Again, the misuse of music and sound throughout the show; they don’t match what’s happening on screen. (i.e. Itt passing out in the car due to Day’s speeding for one.)
- Opening song was chef's kiss though!
- Seeing that Lee Long Shi is a former Muay Thai trainer, I expected good action, and he and the series delivered! Although the pool table scene didn't quite work as Day was trying to pocket the 8-ball from two different angles but hey, at least we got comedy and romance out of it.
- Itt always has something of the five going on: he’s angry because cake, he’s happy because cake, he’s crying, he’s sick, or he has a bruise(s)/cut(s) on his face. (It’s ridiculous that they turned his running away into a camping trip for one but secondly, of the eight people present he’s always the one getting hurt. Like getting his jaw body-slammed and a leg cramp--there’s always something wrong with Itt.)
- Every. Single. Time. Day remembers something, Itt’s go-to reaction/response is ‘You remember?’. Istg, doesn't he have anything else to say? Seriously like no…he was just telling you what he remembers… The only time we didn’t get to hear it was when he had his panic attack.
- Day’s cast-off party was creepy, cringe, and a hot mess. I'm aware that its purpose was to reveal how sick all of the characters are and make Itt question whether he's Day's equal partner or property but I'm sure there are better ways to go about it. (Also, love that Itt was aware of that, however, he never got a direct answer because TOXIC RELATIONSHIP. Then again he said Day was his as much as he was Day's so...match made in heaven I guess...)
- Why is everybody gay?
- Why is everyone so taken with Itt other than his good looks?
- Why are all the villains men who are or were interested in Itt? Mac, whatever-his-face-long-hair-guy-who-pissed-everyone-off, and P.
- Why were characters introduced but nothing came out of them? Why wasn't Salmon a recurring character (he was one of the few healthy relationships Day had with literally anyone. And hello English-speaking Lee Long Shi!)?
- Why were issues created but never resolved or brought up again? What happened to the four teens that broke into the barbershop? Did Day ever replace Bell's stolen items as they never attempted to recover them? Why weren't the police involved in any given issue (SA, kidnapping, physical violence, attempted murder, stalking, you name it)? And why was Itt afraid of taxis, I don't think that was ever explained.

All said, this series isn't for everyone but I for one enjoyed it despite all the eye-rolling and frustration I went through. After episode 8, everything was redundant and even more unhinged but somehow it kept me glued to the screen. I wouldn’t recommend this series to the light-hearted but to the sickos such as myself, it's one of the must-watches!

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We are never getting back 2gether

I’ve seen mixed thoughts on this series but due to its high rating and it being considered one of the more popular Thai BLs, I figure why not check it out? Big mistake. It took me roughly three months to complete this series. Episodes 1-6 were tolerable at best but afterwards, I had to finish the series on 2x and even then I was still fast-forwarding through them. This series was passable in 2020 but not so much in 2023.

I share a lot of other reviewers’ sentiments so I won’t go into detail but whether it was the acting or storyline, I cannot feel the romance let alone bromance between the leads, Tine and Sarawat. They’re both attractive but their characters are not. Other than looks, I can’t confidently say they like anything else about each other. Tine and Green had more chemistry than Tine and Sarawat, then again everyone seemed to have chemistry until you throw Sarawat into the mix. For a very popular guy, the show really gave him nothing. No charisma, no personality. Except for throwing cheesy lines around, he doesn’t change at all for someone who’s finally got with the guy he’s been crushing on for a while.

The leads’ brothers are a good twist and addition but rather than having them engage naturally with the leads, they’re mostly used for shock value and then pushed aside to live their very limited lives. Mil and Phukong’s relationship was a waste of screen time as their relationship basically went from 0 for the longest time to suddenly 100 in the finale.

The only cute relationship was between Man and Type. Despite getting little screen time to develop their romance, I thought they really stole the show as the best couple. However, like all the other couples, the biggest issue with this series is the lack of communication and poor character development. Initially, Type was introduced as this calm and composed guy that Man ran into and has a crush on. But once he was revealed to be Tine’s ruthless brother, you really see a cold and mean side to him. So for someone who seems peaceful yet tough, I wished he had stood up for Man or had an explanation why he chose to go with Beam over Man given that Man was clearly teased and insulted at the celebratory party he was invited to as a guest. When Man confronted Type about it, he basically dismissed it and said he never wanted the luxurious life Beam was trying to sell him…okay, then why leave with him? Why save the jerk’s face? Perhaps you wanted to talk to him in the car and scold him for his behavior towards Man? But nope…nothing. Kind of disappointed but they are still the best couple either way.

The music was unmemorable so that’s usually either good enough or not bad enough, even the ones sung by the characters. I’m aware of a season 2 or sequel but I’m saving it for last resort. The bottom line is 2gether started out fun but by the end of it, there’s really no direction for it. It was just checking all the tropes and creating conflict for the heck of wanting to make more money and hitting 13 episodes.

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