it was awful. I loved it.

yeah your eyes aren't deceiving you. everything was a 0/10 and I ate every single second up as if I was starving.

the story: the writers sat in a room and Jon from accounting said "BDSM Mafia Boss". one person said "what about the storyline?" "don't worry about it" Jon from accounting replied. "the hornies don't care about that." and they really stuck to that because except the lil quarrel they had in the end, nothing really happened. Until Jon from accounting said "you know what. throw in a threesome, but don't build up or follow up on it at any point ok?" and the room said "Sure thing, Jon".

acting: listen I've never seen these actors in any other show and I've read that they are supposed to be good........... BUT WTF WAS KAMOL DOINNNGGG the actor cracked me up. whatever emotion he was supposed to portray, I wouldn't know because of all the botox he apparently got done right before filming. like damn he was hardly able to smile and no way he was able to look angry. his forehead stayed perfectly smooth and gosh I loved it so much...

music: the evil piano music whenever Kamol entered........... It was perfect.

conclusion:
when I watched the first episode, I added this to the "dropped" list real fast. but then episode 2 came and I started to see it as what it is. peak camp. the piano music. whole scenes only for product placements. awkward acting and even more awkward sex scenes with 0 build up. Kamols only characteristic being head over heels for Kim...

everything was awful and it's my favourite show ever.

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felt like torture towards the end

honestly, if mame had to write anything without SA, she'd pop a blood vessel.

I genuinely enjoyed the first half of this show. Noeul and Boss have great chemistry and it showed on screen. their stroy was alright. I don't mind a simple plot of people falling in love, but that being said, it didn't wow me either. their 18+ scenes were crazy though, never expected the things to happen the way they did. but these scenes sadly carried the show. if you were to take them out, I don't think the show would be as highly rated as it is right now (over 8).
except for cringy scenes and ambiguous consent, I don't really have too much of a quarrel with the first half. if it was just that, i would've given a solid 6 stars.

the show completely fell flat in the second half though. it felt as if they pumped 90% of the budget in the rain X phayu story and were left with 10$ and a dream for sky X prapai. the already bad sound design suddenly became worse as well as the acting.
the actors seem sweet irl, and I'm sure they gave it their all.. but even with bonus points for it being their first big role, it was simply painful to watch. emotional scenes were carried by fort, since he was able to get a tear or two out.
what bugged me the most was the sudden infantilisation of sky. Sky was sarcastic and snarky, but all of a sudden he acts like a baby in every scene. pouting, hands in front of his chest, super submissive and needy...
even if prapai "cracked" his "stone heart" that doesn't mean he has to change personalities.

that brings me to the second but also most important criticism. the ending perpetuates that love can suddenly heal your trauma. what a person with sexual trauma of this caliber needs isn't a rich, good looking hunk who borderline harasses them. it's therapy and a good social support system. there are 100 better ways to approach the topic of r*pe. idk why they keep letting mame write stories that use it as a plot device to have two good looking men make out on screen.

and with this, I'm out. I wish I had stopped after rain X phayus story wrapped up. I wouldn't be so upset now.

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finally my suffering has an end

why do I keep doing this to myself.. big sigh. anyways, here's a rundown:

the premise isn't bad. it's a modern love story. people have casual sex and they eventually catch feelings. I think a lot of people dating nowadays have experienced something similar to this. so I am wondering how they managed to make the messiest plotline ever.
it started off alright. not good, but alright. it got better actually and I found myself relating to Sher and his worries a lot. after episode 5 or 6 (?) they really ran out of ideas though. they said "screw character development, were just gonna repeat the same conflict over and over until they both suddenly change into a better person. but we're not gonna let the audience see them actively trying to change or work through their problems". It was exhausting to watch let me tell you.

the acting wasn't that bad actually. when they weren't trying to be sexy, they delivered their lines decently. but oh my god the "sex" scenes. I've never felt less chemistry between two actors. the kissing scenes looked like two nutcrackers smashing against each other. lips curled inwards, one arm length between them. it was visible how uncomfortable they were together. most of the time it looked like they were fighting but couldn't use their arms so they have to headbut each other to death.
the side couples had such cute scenes together though. i stuck to the end for them, honestly.

I would say: don't waste your time. you can't watch it for the storyline, you can't watch it for the romance and the side couples don't have enough screen time to justify watching 12 episodes. it's not worth it, really.

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packed with meaning, visually stunning

The ending scene of this drama concluded the story perfectly.
"To you who call yourself a parent: You can only give birth to them, but you cannot own them.
To you who are still young: You have to bleed first before you learn.
To you who call themselves wise: Don't let your cowardice get the better of you.
Pick a side or abandon what you believe in."

This show isn't a run of the mill BL. It's a mature show about growth - or the lack of it - and depicts the complexity of human relationships. Every character has flaws, trauma and their way of navigating the world. And even though nothing much happens throughout the story, we get to see incredible dialogue and acting. It's been a while since a show made me actually cry, but by the end I really felt like I understood the characters and the pain they feel.

You'll get very long scenes and dialogue in this drama. But it never gets boring. Every sentence feels like it holds a lot of weight and gets underlined the beautifully shot scenes and such good acting. Even during simple scenes you notice metaphors and underlying messages. It really stimulated my brain and got me excited. Especially the last episode had some of the best dialogue I've seen in the past 5 years.

I think what this show shines most with is the cinematography though. It had my eyes glued to the screen. Every scene felt like it was shot with intention. It is all about lines and crossing them. Once you realize it you can see it in almost every scene. For example, we often see In and Wang talk through the room divider that looks like prison cells. In these scenes In usually is standing behind the divider, while Wang is shown without the bars in front of him. It's one of the obvious visual depiction of the characters inner self. In tries to hold back, keep it all in and in prisoned himself in his house and his head in the process. Only in later episodes Wang steps behind the divider, thus crossing that line. But still then there is a line dividing them, depicted through the glas of the windows. Wang to the left of it, In to the right.

In the end, this show will stay in my head for a long time.

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6 isn't a bad rating y'all

The thing with rating is, that you have different scales, right. I hold this to the standard of other shows of similar length like Semantic Error, Mr Unlucky and of course Star in my Mind (which got 6 stars from me as well).

The plot is simple. Unruly protagonist meets pretty and kind love interest in a rural setting. It's a feel good show with no extreme plot twists or serious conflicts. So I really have nothing to say or comment on regarding the story.
I watched the last episode with a friend who knows nothing about the show and they put it perfectly "This would be perfect for when you're really tired from work and just want to take a nap. Just turn this on and drift in and out of sleep." And that hit the nail on the head I think.

I personally didn't enjoy the acting at all - no, let me put it in another way - The acting made my toes curl. Fah sounded like he was congested the entire time. Like come on, give my boy some nasal spray so he can breathe!! And Prince's facial expression ranged from "no toughts in my head" to "are you fkn stupid?". When I realized it, I couldn't unsee it and made me chuckle a couple of times, honestly.

ALSO I wish they would've tied in them meeting at Daonuea's Freshy Boy competition thing before somehow? I was kind of waiting for that. In Episode 4 of Star in my Mind they ran into each other on the stairs and that scene seemed so meaningful to me but they never addressed it. Not even in the flashbacks or something. Why was Prince even there? Why did he have all those roses? A mystery... (I know the director probably just put it in to tease the love story in whatever way possible but.. you know. A girl can dream of meaningful plotlines)

Anyhow, 6 stars isn't a bad rating in my book. I enjoyed it for what it was but it's forgettable by nature.

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gave me a headache

yall this started real good with an controversial start and all but damn it just fell SO flat at the end. it became a cringefest forreal. like you know that sound things in comics make when they fall? that whistle sound? yeah that was the plot.
i feel like the actors had a huge fight after filming ep2 and just pushed through so they can get their check n go home. one word guys: STIFF! the last episode especially had me CRINGING SO HARD I popped a blood vessel fr. it was jam packed with love confessions with 0 chemistry.
when they were lying in bed and kazuma held ren at like AN ARMS LENGTH with the stiffest arm in movie history.. lemme tell you I yelled!
also??? why was kazuma running all the time ???? where U going big boy? bffr and take a cab like everyone else.
while I'm at it let me talk about den. homie was a baddie at the begining but really had to stumble and wall in EVERY episode after that? get this man some iron supplements.

ANYWAYS the takeaway? don't waste your time, not even as a filler to binge

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Left a lot to be desired kind of

I kind of have two opinions that keep fighting internally. I keep going back and forth of "well it was better than expected" and "but it still felt kind of off".

I appreciate that while this is clearly a very sexually implied series, the NC scenes didn't seem too random and aimlessly thrown in just for "fanservice". I felt like this with previous Mandee shows and was honestly expecting worse. With this show, they managed to show us intimacy outside of sexual intimacy. Thus I was able to buy into them actually developing a bond and growing to love each other. I attribute that to the actors chemistry - it's amazing. I feel like James really ountshines the cast though.

The story overall fell kind of flat. There wasn't really a lot of plot except for trauma after trauma for Uea. Uea's "character developement" - if we can even call it that - feels super cliché and clumsy. While there was visibly none for King. His only characteristic is being head over heels for Uea. But why? Why did he suggest being FWB first when he acts like a lovesick boy immediately? I feel bad that this character is solely used as a "magic cure" for Ueas struggles.

I must say though that I enjoyed watching the show as it aired. I call these kind of shows a "good acquitance". I'm not left at the edge of my seat and WAITING for the next episode nor did I particularily look forward to watching it every week. This show accompanied me well through 10 weeks, but it didnt pull me through.

Lastly, I hope Mandee keeps developing in the direction of less fanservice and more plot.

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sweet ghost

I really enjoyed watching this show. I knew from the beginning that it won't be able to deliver the juiciest plot line in only 8 episodes, so I went in with managed expectations.
This show has amazing production. The scenes were shot beautifully and the sound was only off SOMETIMES. When will Thai shows stop with the wired mics under clothing...
Anyways, I was surprised when I read that this was the main actors debut. They delivered some amazing chemistry throughout these scenes. Especially since the characters have some longer scenes with emotional dialogue. I personally like scenes like this because they seem more intimate to me than the love scenes. But I can see how some might find them too long.

All in all, this is a light hearted show. Though it deals with death an loss, it takes a pretty fluffy approach on it. All characters are likeable and get a decent storyline, enough to connect and get to know them. I might rewatch it during spooky season :)

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Not perfect, but worth while

I watched this show weekly as it was coming out. While at first I wasn't that invested, I got really attached to the characters and was looking forward to watching them on screen.

!! very minor spoilers up ahead !!

The story is your typical friends to lovers. Fu Li Gong has been friends with Zheng Ze Shou since kindergarten. We don't really see much of how their relationship was like back then, excepts for a high school flashback. We get introduced to them when they are already adults, working alongside each other in a law firm. I applaud the show for making this about two adults. We have seen the high school and college romance, and them being working adults is something I haven't seen that often. But that also takes me to my biggest critique of the show.

The show establishes the comfortableness (I would argue Bro-ness) of Zheng Ze Shou wayyy too well. His change in behaviour towards Fu li Gong seemed abrupt and made it hard for me to believe their love. I personally am a sucker for a good slow burn. So I would have loved to see Zheng Ze Shou realize his feelings in a more subtle way. I mean, if he loved Fu Li Gong this much, why hasn't he realized it a little sooner? They went through High School and College together and even work together. That's 20+ yrs of knowing each other and 20+ yrs of Fu Li Gongs unrequited love. Why was Zheng Ze Shou trying to hit on girls with no regard to Fu Li Gong in the first episode and then suddenly is head over heels for him a few days later? I feel like the whole "Oh shi... do I LIKE like him?" part wasn't explored enough. Of course, this is a 12 episode show with each episode being around 20 mins. I can't expect the same depth and character development I am used to by bigger budget productions. I believe that if they would have spent less time on the second couple, they could've explored the main couples relationship a lot better.

After I got over that though, the couple had good chemistry, which is why I enjoyed the second half of this show a lot more than the first. The conflicts felt realistic, though a bit rushed. The love scenes are very well made, as expected of Taiwanese BLs. You'll get to see some good kisses, but not overdone.

I'll mention the second couple only briefly. They didn't do it for me. I felt no chemistry between them. The laundromats daughter was cute though and I wish them only happiness: But in my opinion, they didn't need their own storyline at the expense of the main couple. Their relationship contributed nothing to the main storyline and made it hard to follow along. It is
Zheng Qi Lei's first acting role though, so I don't want to bash him too much.

I have to say, despite the flaws, I really enjoyed the show. It's light and the characters are super likeable. The conflicts are resolved quickly and in the end, you are really rooting for their happiness. It's a quick watch, now that it's complete and definitely worth the while.

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mh yes the plot the uh.. so... yeah

OILED MEN YAHOOOO !!! I have arrived at a place in my life where I shamelessly admit that I like watching shows for eye candy will enjoy a show for eye candy only. the plot could've been the most rancid cheesy storyline I've ever seen and I still wouldve enjoyed watching it. I have no standards left.

luckily, this show had a good plot as well as good actors that made watching this show even more worth while.
I actually really liked that Geon Woo had this puppy personality and never really lost his innocence throughout the episodes. usually in revenge dramas the character undergoes this huge development and they end up very badass. proud to say they both stayed himbo until the end.
the ending was a bit messy - we all know why so I won't dive into it. but because if it, it felt rushed and it disturbed the natural flow of the show, that's why it fell flat for me towards the end

all in all the show slayed!!! hurray oiled boys!!!! hurray bromance!!!

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two bros chilling on the swing set....

holding hands because they are supposed to be gay.

so yeah it didnt give what it promised to give. i wanted childhood friends to lovers, longing, subtle touching and gazes, realizing they are in love and awkwardly trying to navigate on how to transform that relationship. but until the end both of them seemed like they are forced to be in this homoseggual relationship. LOOK WHAT THIS GENERATION HAS DONE. IS THIS THE FUTURE LIBERALS WANT?

it started off real good - the setup was immaculate even. the acting wasn't bad either so i was looking forward to some giggling and cheesing. What I got? Two besties being posessive and stubborn.

obviosuly the lack of chemistry CAN be attributed to the short time they had. fitting this complex of a relationship and developement into 8 episodes is not an easy task. they probably did the best they could.

conclusion: a lot to be desired. go besties tho !!

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Must watch

A healthy adult relationship sprinkled with a little magic.
It's a classic "popular kid x unpopular kid" story, and I'm a sucker for well executed clichés :D The developement of feelings seemed gradual and to do that in the limited about of time this show has is really worth mentioning.

What I really liked is that the BL aspect didn't feel f*tishized or idolized but simply natural. I have been watching my fair share of BL's and I seem to prefer the more realistic/slice of life portayal of LGBTQ+ relationships. While I did wish they had a real kiss, I didn't miss it at all as the show felt complete even without it.

I really enjoyed every minute of it and can see this becoming a comfort drama for me :)

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I finished watching but at what cost

Honestly I had high hopes for this when I first saw the trailer. The setup is a great story and i am a sucker for a good enemies to lovers. But I think turning it into a lighthearted comedy was a wrong call. If they took out some of the silliness i think i would've enjoyed the show a lot more.

1. The Male Lead: They really did a great job of making the most unlikeable male lead ever. But he was a borderline abusive CEO. I don't care if he had trauma/is secretly a good guy. He abused his employees period. And imo, making shows like this is only perpetuating the "I can change him" mindset young women have. His change seemed too sudden and extreme to be believable.

2. Cheesy acting/chemistry: I think Krystal did a great job but she didn't convince me that she was in love with him. I didn't really feel any chemistry between them.

3. Storyline: the revenge plot/trauma plot didnt seem believable and made the conflicts feel childish. They just didnt have enough weight to justify the characters actions.

I really wanted to like this drama. So maybe thats because I'm especially disappointed. I WILL say though, the first kiss scene gave me butterflies. Kim Jae Wook is just a great on screen kisser.

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shines with nostalgia, not so much romance

this show was made for mid-twenty thai adults. i am very much not thai so i feel like a lot of the nostalgia - that this show just oozes with - didn't hit me the way it would hit a thai person. I believe it would make this show really special.

the production itself was really good. the quality of the camerawork and color grading in of itself was great and suited the show. though a lot of scenes and storylines felt draggy and pointless. then again: i feel like a lot of meaning got lost since i couldn't enjoy and bask in the scenes for the nostalgia. that being said, it's clearly a slice of life drama. it's simply the story of a friend group growing up with the fast advances of technology and navigating their relationships through it. but honestly, i'm glad they had Em narrate the "lesson" at the end because my one braincell really didn't get the point until then.

hm, well the acting. let's say it's questionable. i didn't like ANY of the chemisty. i didn't like FirstJa's chemi in Don't Say No either, which is why i dropped that show, but apart from them, everyone seemed uncomfortable and kind of just said their lines. it felt very unnatural. don't know it that's the actors fault of the direction though.

the show didn't excite me, which is sad. i really wanted to like it, since it had "comfort show" potential. but in the end, all i can say is that i definitely watched a show with actors in it lol. and if anyone is reading this: it's not a bad show - just know it's heavy on nostalgia and one single sound track.

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a beautifully depicted love between two unperfect people

!! I'm giving a rough outline, but won't give any specific spoilers !!

I was really excited for a second season, so I am glad that it didn't disappoint. It's a very angsty season for the reason that we watch our main couple push each other away and hurting each other for 8 episodes. But man, I am a sucker for angst.

The production of this season felt a lot better than the first one. The quality visually and in acting was something I am honestly not used to from BLs. Son Woo Hyun and Kim Kang Min have incredible chemistry that they got to show off even better in this season. There was not a single doubt in my mind that these two characters love each other. I gave half a point off because Kim Kang Min has to work on his crying. He tried so hard but not a single tear in sight...

Also, the side characters introduced made the show enjoyable and gave us the emotional break between all the angst. I'm a huge fan of the little girl and her mother. Girl powerr, let's gooo!

Now, for the storyline of this season: I love it. We get to learn more about Ji Woo and his personality and about his fears in this relationship. Maybe it's because I can relate to Ji Woo, that I can understand his actions this season and understood how much he must've been hurting inside. We learn more about the dynamic the couple has had and what kind of emotional labour both of them had to do and see them trying to resolve their problems in each their own way. Too bad they are the complete opposites.
I do wish they would've spent more time to resolve Ji Woo's fears, to make him work on and overcome them and properly communicate them with Seo Jun. I felt like that resolve fell a little short.

As you can tell, this season is an emotional one. You are rooting for the main characters to break through to each other and finally open up completely. But oh my god, I loved the burn.

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