A simple, but very touching and sincere story

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

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

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

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I look up to the Sky

This is just a review and rating of the story of Sky and Prapai, i.e. the second part of the series (from the last 10 minutes of episode 7 to the end). I normally don't review or rate things I didn't like, so if I had rated the series as a whole, the rating would be lower. Payu and Rain didn't do it for me and I was done with them after episode 4. I have to say that I enjoyed Noeul's acting very much and I liked Rain, but mostly when he was not with Payu.

Sky was my absolute favourite from the moment I saw the trailer and that didn't change until the end, in fact I watched mainly for him and he and Peat are the reason for the high rating. Sky was the most nuanced and interesting character considering his backstory and the way he dealt with it. At the beginning, he's seen only as Rain's sassy best friend and he seems confident and direct, but also very loyal and always ready to help. When the series progress and we get the chance to know him better, he becomes more vulnerable and insecure, but at the same time, he is and remains the strongest character of the four mains, considering the trauma he's been living with for so long without telling anyone and without feeling like he can trust anyone with it. I was very impressed with Peat's performance, because the role of Sky was the hardest to play and he delivered.

I was very also impressed with Prapai's development from a selfish, careless rich asshole (I'm borrowing the term Sky used to describe him the night they met) to the most faithful, loving, caring partner you can imagine. Fort did great, especially in the last two episodes. For me, the highlight of the season was episode 11, and not only because of the most romantic NC scene I'd seen in a while. I don't remember the last time I thought a couple looked so good together on screen. :) They are both very attractive and just match well and I bought that they are deeply in love just from them looking at each other.

Sadly, I feel that the last episode was rushed and they should've given the Sky and Prapai story at least one episode more to concentrate on Sky's trauma and healing properly. To me, they delevoped the love story exactly as they should have, the pacing was right, and we could see Sky gradually fall in love and trust Pai (Prapai himself was a goner pretty much when they met, he just didn't know it ;), but they didn't give enough time to show Sky recovering from his past with Pai's help. Having found a devoted and adoring boyfriend is a start, but not enough, and I wish they hadn't rushed the ending like that. The special episode was a gem anyway despite not mentioning how Sky was doing in that aspect, because sassy Sky was back and I'll just say it, the NC scene was so hot.

The sound was atrocious for the entire series, and there were several weird cuts in many of the epsides. To sum it up, the editing sucked, but the cinematography was good.

I've rewatched the Sky/Pai part of the season an embarrassing number of times and although I hated having to wait for them for almost 8 episodes, now I have to say I'm glad that the series was split like that, because I don't have to skip though any scenes in the episodes 8 - 13 to enjoy their story. It was a long wait, but it was worth it. Together with Akk and Aye and Mark and Vee, Sky and Prapai are in my top 3 favourite BL couples for this year.

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Simply magical

Warning: a tl;dr review, I can't help myself.

This is officially my favourite BL series now, not only because of the story, but because the pairing of Achi and Karan worked for me and I have to praise TayNew for their excellent portrayal of these characters. They have ascended to my favourite pairing in a BL series and I hope this won't be the last time we'll see them together. They have insane chemistry and feel very natural and comfortable in their interactions with each other. Their kissing and intimacy scenes have improved considerably since Dark Blue Kiss and I've lost count how many times I've rewatched this kiss in episode 9.

This is a story about Achi's development from someone who had little to no respect for himself and used to put Karan, whom he considered perfect in any way, on a pedestal somewhere far, far away from his own imperfect self, to someone who actually planned to propose to the aforementioned perfect guy and fell on his knees in front of him to do that. It was quite a journey.

I'll speak more of Achi because Karan pretty much remained the same person in the entire series - nice, loving, patient, adoring, respectful and absolutely madly in love with Achi, the person who showed understanding, encouraged and comforted him the right way without even realising it when he had a breakdown many years ago. When it counted, when he needed him, Achi was there for him. There are several reasons why episode 6, together with episode 11, was the highlight of the series, and one of them is that we finally got a more nuanced insight into Karan's character. I was also very grateful for episode 12, because with the introduction of Karan's parents I finally got two of my questions about him answered - why he seemed to be the only one to think that Achi would have a problem dating him because he's a man, and why, before Achi started hearing his thoughts and finally started seeing him as a potential love interest, he'd waited so long without at least trying to ask Achi out. It didn't make any sense to me that a man who was so deeply and passionately in love would be happy with watching his crush from afar for years without doing anything about it. His family and Achi's total obliviousness taken together was what kept him away.

I consider portraying Achi and his journey believably the bigger challenge, because he started pretty low. His self-esteem was non-existant, and sadly everyone around him, even Karan, seemed to emphasize this - his neighbour and his mother call him clumsy and are constantly worried about him, his best friend is in the same boat as him, with just a little more dramatic personality, and he has been watching Karan win awards, buy cars, etc. for years, admiring him for being handsome, successful, smart and therefore feeling small and insignificant himself. Yes, it was completely believable and understandable he would be totallly in shock when he realised how much Karan liked him, and it would take him a while to get used to it and accept it in order to allow their relationship to progress. The pacing was exactly right and I loved how they showed these little moments between the two in the first three episodes and how Achi's feelings slowly started to change until he caught feelings himself in episode 4. This episode was and remains one of my favourites with my probably favourite scene between them prior to the kiss - the looks and happy and open smiles they gave to each other the moment Karan smeared that white substance on Achi's cheeks. No wonder Pai screamed when she saw them, I probably would, too. Such a wholesome moment, I still habe goosebumps.

I know many complained about episode 7, but I disagree, it was exactly as good as the previous ones and also a very important one, because it was the beginning of them learning to speak openly to each other and communicate in order for their relationship to work, something that was explored further in episodes 9 and 10 and it culminated in episode 11 with their first time and episode 12 with the wedding. I think the problem with episode 7 was solely that it came after the excellent episode 6 with Karan's character finally getting explored (and let's be honest, Tay killed it, he was so good) and with the confession scene, which made me tear up a little.

Episode 8 was the only episode I indeed thought was not as good as the others, mostly because it made the boss extremely unlikable and I had problems with him the rest of the series.

To sum it up, Achi's journey and the KaranAchi relationship, after it happened, were written very well and delevoped gradually and at the right pace for a 30-year-old virgin with a low esteem who suddently found himself dating the perfect guy. I've seen some comments doubting Achi's feelings for Karan, but his feelings were obvious from episode 4 forwards and they deepened further when Achi allowed himself the chance to get to know Karan better. He isn't as expressive in vocalizing his feelings like Karan is, true, but let's be honest, few people are like Karan. Achi is a more subdued character by nature, but it doesn't mean he loves Karan less.

I didn't care much about the secondary couples, because KaranAchi overshadowed everything with their love and chemistry to me, but still, at least I liked the Jinta and Min couple, they were sweet and again, well-written and I bought they were into each other. I can't say the same for Pai and Rock. They were good characters separately, but not as a couple IMO. I also, unlike with Min and Jinta, never got the vibe that Pai was into Rock like that.

Thank you so much, production team, actors and casting directors, for making me feel happy and smily and cosy every Saturday for three months. I absolutely adored this. Karan and Achi's love story taught me about personal growth and made me remember how much kindness, loving and learning to trust yourself and respect matter.

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