Wow..

Going into this series, I wasn't sure if I'd like it, knowing it was a medical drama and I never got into those.

That being said, this had my interest from start to finish and there were plenty of twists and turns along the way to keep it thrilling but not too much to make it dizzying.

The acting was fantastic and their timing and delivery in practically every line was spot on. Also, the actor who played Art is now my favorite "best friend." He was like that in TharnType and he plays a similar character here, which he does so well.

The story was unique, at least when it comes to BL. The only reason I didn't give it 10 was because there were just a handful of things I wish they had cleared up more thoroughly. I know a lot of people felt like the ending was unclear but for me, I thought it was perfect. Tin quoted their conversation, showing he actually did remember and they end it on a simple kiss.

The parts I wish they had explained better were more along the lines of Jinta's origin and why this was happening to Tin in the first place. The most I got was that the "powers that be" wanted to make him rediscover his humanity but then was that the main reason or was Jinta trying to ultimately expose the illegal dealings? And when did Sing and Gap become a couple? I mean, sure it was foreshadowed but then all of a sudden they were together in the last loop which actually started days before they were still bickering but not together. It made me question how many of the side characters were feeling the effects of the loop, especially when Gap was like, "You're covering for him again?" when, in actuality, it was the first time.

But other than those minor lingering question marks, I feel like the story moved along and worked well, especially with such a fantastic cast to support it. I would recommend this for sure, but with the head's up that it will be a bit heavy in places.

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Frustrating at first but...

... luckily, I read reviews that Vee redeems himself because the first few episodes were rough. It wasn't enough to make me want to drop it, even without the head's up, but it was frustrating as hell.

Thank goodness for Mark. I absolutely loved this character but then again, I'm a sucker for power bottoms. I thought he walked a fine line between "constantly getting the short end of the stick" and "I am independent, hear me roar," both of which I'm not a fan of. But he knew what he wanted and went after it most of the time and, when he finally admitted he wanted Vee, hot damn, that was some serious flirting/seducing.

They could have done more with the side characters instead of them all bumping into people in the bar at the end. Like, seriously, three couples did the exact same thing one right after another in the span of 5 minutes. Granted, this is the only instalment of the Love Mechanic franchise I've seen so far... perhaps they get more time in the others.

I'm kind of bummed with the direction they took Ploy. She had a promising strong story arc where she took a step back from both men and figured herself out. That's a really hard thing to do and it could have been left at that with no bad blood. But then I guess the writers needed more tension between Mark and Vee and they thought, "you know what we should do? Put Ploy back into the mix." Not like they hadn't already spent half the series with her as the main obstacle already. And then she turns into the victim while also forcing herself on Vee and the viewer doesn't know if they're supposed to sympathize with her or hate her.

Overall, though, it was a good watch. I could see rewatching bits and pieces but there was way too many misunderstandings to sit through the whole thing again.

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So much tension without being intense..

This was a nice short series; good for when the brain or heart needs a break after some of the heavier stuff out there in the BL world.

The story was unoriginal but that didn't take away from its charm. If anything, the realistic plot was very relatable. I feel like even younger people could take away from this as a "live while you can because you don't want to end up in a stagnant life" mantra.

The tension between the two leads was so palpable, it had me blowing out a contented breath when they finally kissed. The actors delivered all the emotions in a spectacular way; from Togawa's unbridled longing and the snap of his restraint to Nozue's surprised pleasure and confusion.

I could see myself watching this again when I need a lighter piece to cleanse the mental palate.

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Glad I watched it.

At first I wasn't going to watch this series after reading the synopsis and a few reviews but I'm really glad I gave it a chance.

The story was sad and tragic from the very beginning yet somehow managed to pull off a happy ending. It was the only series to date that actually brought me to tears and it wasn't because of any interactions between the couples but rather their interactions with their families. The goodbyes, the reunions, the revelations.. they were heartbreaking but necessary.

Starting with the lows, honestly, there wasn't a whole lot I didn't like. I remember reading one review that harped on the fact that Pharm cries in every episode and, while true, I didn't find it annoying or unnecessary. (I think the only thought I gave to it was wondering what the budget was for the eye-drops and tissues for this production and the crew.) Also, normally, I'm not a big fan of everything being connected as if it were one big coincidence; this person is related to this person who just happens to be related to this person and so on. Besides having to pause a few times to get the connections straight in my head, I think all the connections actually worked and made sense in this series, especially when you get to the ending episodes where both families come together to ensure Korn and In find their way to each other again. Fate just happened to decide to do it by way of family relations.

The part I really liked about the series was how everything that happens has purpose. I generally don't like a lot of filler, even if that filler is of the spicy nature. (This series lacked the spice but not the emotion so that was enough for me.)

Speaking of spice, this series is straight up "food porn" and I'm kind of upset that there isn't a cookbook out there with the recipes from throughout the series. That didn't effect my ratings, though.

Edited afterthoughts:

Another review I had seen brought to attention the fact that the flashback scenes were hard to follow since it didn't give a date or time stamp for them. While I will say that would have been a nice added touch, I personally didn't think it was necessary. You can clearly tell at what point in their relationship the scene is from just by Korn and In's interactions and that in itself was impressive.

Also, speaking of the flashback scenes, in one of the first ones where you see Perth as In's friend, I couldn't help but think of the phrase "Go for the Oscar, Perth." Which basically means they didn't necessarily have to go that hard in their acting. I'm not saying it's the actor's fault, a lot of times it's the monologue they are given, but still, that just stood out to me for some reason. There were a couple of times, actually, where I feel like they didn't need to dial it all the way to 11, but it wasn't enough to effect the rating of the show either. Even the cookbook is still more important to me.

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Interesting story without unnecessary filler.

This show was really good in many ways, especially the storyline. I'd never watched one like this though I know there are a few out there that dabble in supernatural. This series, though short, used their time wisely. I felt like every scene had a purpose and there wasn't much unnecessary filler.

That being said, there are a few things left unanswered at the end. And, while it has a somewhat happy ending, it really isn't all that happy either. I don't want to give full-on spoilers, but basically nothing is really resolved and they leave as a "that's something we will have to worry about later" kind of thing.

I would rewatch maybe once or twice more to see if I could catch any foreshadowing, but that's pretty much it. Still worth a watch at least once, in my opinion.

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Why is this rated so low?

I swear, the day I figure out how to decipher what viewers want and where they get their ratings from will never come. Was this a 10 out of 10? No. But it was certainly better than a lot of the shows I've watched that are rated 8 or higher. You'd think I'd know by now not to let myself be influenced by reviews but I am just as guilty today as I was a year (and 70 series) ago.

So far, I have seen a handful of the HIStory series though admittedly not all of them. This one reminded me a lot of the last one, HIStory 4, at least with the main couple. They have a similar storyline where one guy enlists the help of the other to seemingly get with a girl but that is just what it looks like on the surface. In this series, there is so much more going on but unfortunately, the viewer doesn't realize it until the last 2 or 3 episodes. This, in my opinion, is both a good and bad storyline choice which I will try to explain without too many spoilers.

On the one hand, without knowing the full depth of the situation, the story seems shallow for a good portion of the series and, especially for people watching week to week, it can seem boring. Binge watching this is the best way to go to keep engaged and, I promise, it will make sense later on. I guess in that respect, it's a good way to ensure that the show gets a re-watch from the same viewers because now knowing what happens in the end, I want to watch from the beginning while keeping it in mind and seeing everyone's actions under a different lens.

I don't want to pick at other people's reviews, but part of me feels like I need to defend this series because it really was a lot better than many people are painting to be. One complaint I noticed quite often was saying Johnny came off as childish. I didn't see him as such, at least not childish in a negative sense but more in the way that he is an innocent, carefree and overall positive person. But he also has moments of showing an opportunistic and cunning side. Not only is he completely out of his element (and time) but he is used to being a loner save for his grandmother. So of course he's going to be awkward and hesitant when interacting with others, especially when it's more intimate and serious.

Another complaint which I can kind of agree with is the whole "is the time travel element really necessary?" At times, I'd say it added to the show as time travel gives both the "fish out of water" vibe as well as the uncertainty of how long Johnny will be in 2022. He doesn't know what brought him there so at any point, he could vanish just as easily. Not only does it add tension but it creates the underlying idea of cherishing every moment and appreciating the small things. Nothing should be taken for granted, no matter how small, especially time. But the story had so much other stuff going on that I feel like it could have been left out. The whole thing with the department store and espionage was interesting enough that I don't feel like they needed to add time travel to the mix.

To go along with those lines, the time travel part is never really explained either. Why did he time travel in the first place? What was Fude actually trying to do that had him accidentally bring Johnny to 2022? Was he just trying to save him from flat out dying in an accident? Fude in general is never really explained or makes much sense however I do have to say the many faces of Fude are absolutely hilarious.

I do feel like I enjoyed the secondary couple's storyline more than I did the secondary couple in HIStory 4. Both couples in this series worked well and I liked how they were intertwined. While one of the main "plot twists" was pretty predictable, I was pleasantly surprised that a more minor plot twist completely took me by surprise and I have to give credit where credit is due. (Looking at you, Sam.)

Overall, I really think this was a good series. It's a shame that anything under the HIStory umbrella is destined to be compared to each other. Because as its own story, this was great. I would definitely watch it again and I'd probably come back to edit this afterwards with some additional thoughts.

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Practically perfect.

This is one of the most interesting concepts for a BL that I have come across. It took the typical high school setting and flipped it right on its ear with this twist akin to "alternate reality." The idea that Myung Ha could be sucked into a to-be-made game based on a work-in-progress story where he had a few ideas on how to change it was interesting enough. But add to it the subtle (almost hidden) aspect of his depression and the fact that Yeo Woon was based on Myung Ha's life added so much emotional depth to the story. While it may seem like a BL on the surface, underneath it was more like a "learning to love yourself" story.

There were hints from the very beginning, what with Myung Ha said he would change Yeo Woon's story because it was "too much like my own," hinting at the regret he felt for his own personal discontent. Everything the game made him do was a way to validate Yeo Woon's life in a way that Myung Ha thought his own life was lacking. Then the game began to glitch when Yeo Woon was beginning to have romantic feelings toward Myung Ha because the objective was simply to make himself happy and love himself, not necessarily have romantic feelings. But then this is where the fun, BL aspect comes in and I personally think it worked well.

The only downside to this series was the short amount of time they had to tell such an in-depth and complicated story. In the first half of the series, I was impressed with the pacing and thought this series was probably the best I'd seen at making things clear and moving things along at a pace that made sense. (The "likeness meter" was a big help with that.) Then, somewhere around the middle, things were happening where I though to myself, "Did I skip or miss an episode?" And then there were a few things introduced or mentioned that never really were explored that was a shame since they were interesting plot points to me. (Kyung Hoon mentioning his BF and how he was supposedly coming for a visit soon; Sang Won getting into that fight while no one seemed to notice.. to name a couple of examples.)

While I understand and appreciate that they did not try to have a secondary couple with the limited amount of time they had to resolve the main one, I do also wish the two primary side characters got more screentime/storyline because they were done really well, both in writing and acting. I also wish the ending was a bit more clearer (did Myung Ha die and was given a second life or maybe the game was a form of afterlife? Who was Myung Ha's senior, really? )

But, overall, still a very solid series and, minus the few questions left unanswered, it was a satisfying and thought-provoking story. I would definitely watch it again and recommend it to any BL fan.

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Not at all what I thought it would be..

.. which actually turned out to be a good thing. There was a lot of hype around this series being geared toward a more mature audience and having adult themes, not just in the NC sense. There was a lot of talk about it incorporating aspects of Omegaverse so I was interested to see what they did with that... whether it was going to be a major plot point or just a passing mention like "Oh, by the way, I'm an Alpha, just so you know."

What I thought it would be, based on the trailer:
-sports drama based on racing
-"playboy denying he's falling for a guy" type of romance
-rivalry between racers as main source of conflict
-father trying to cash in on son's success

While the first few episodes make it seem like it is setting up for some of the above.... Spoiler alert.. it's actually about none of the above and only mildly focused on the racing aspect. The story we actually got was much more involved and, quite honestly, more interesting to me, personally, than if it were simply about car racing. The "omegaverse" aspect was actually the main focus of the overall plot although it's not quite the omegaverse that is commonly portrayed in novels/webcomics/etc which typically includes the secondary sexes, mPreg, going into heat, amongst other things. In this series, they do have Alphas and Enigmas where both can have supernatural abilities and strengths. Scenting plays a small part as well though that is more because of the fact Babe's specific special ability is heightened senses, which obviously include his sense of smell.

But in this series, the big focus is on the Alphas being rare "super human" beings that all have different abilities which manifest as they get older. It was very X-Men to me, quite honestly, as every Alpha had different "powers" and I found myself keeping them straight by comparing them to their X-Men counterpart.

The overall plot was very involved and nerve-wracking while at face value it just looks like the good guys are going after a super villain and his cronies. However, as agendas are revealed and the entirety of the situation unfolds, it actually turned out to be some of the most interesting story writing I've seen in a BL to date. It's very rare this happens, but I would dare say that the story was what kept me more invested rather than the acting. A lot of times, an actor's performance will save a series for me and keep me from either dropping it or giving it a bad review because of bad or uninteresting plot. But here, it was the opposite.

I wouldn't say the acting was "bad" per say, but there were definitely some better than others, which became evident when they all had scenes together. Pavel was really good, especially when it came to the emotional scenes in the later episodes. He wasn't afraid to "ugly cry" which made it that much more believable. Pooh wasn't bad but he certainly wasn't outstanding. I feel like he either got better over time or he just grew on me throughout the course of the show. (most likely the latter since these things don't typically shoot in chronological order.)

Nut's performance was very good and, honestly, I think he pulled off the complexity of his character very well. We don't find out much about him as an individual until about halfway through but there's always this underlying question of "what is his deal?" from the very beginning because something just seems "off." Nut portrayed this extremely well with little nuances sprinkled throughout and it's almost like a "blink and you miss it" kind of thing.

There's actually quite a bit of that going on throughout the series with multiple characters and I found the guessing game to be very captivating. I think the only characters I never questioned their motives or true feelings were Babe, Mr. Tony and Alan. They were pretty much "what you see is what you get" all the way through.

This was also one of the few times I've seen a series where everything is explained, tied together and resolved by the end. There's nothing introduced for the drama aspect only to be forgotten about or given a half-assed resolution. Everything that happens is important and it all gets wrapped up by the finale. It was a breath of fresh air not leaving the series with questions or feeling like something is missing. All of it is very satisfying in that regard.

That being said, I can see this not being for everyone as it is very heartbreaking and frustrating every time the "heroes" are thwarted and they have to start over. People looking for a more mature love story may also find it somewhat lacking as the romance part takes a back seat to everything else going on. It's certainly NOT a light a fluffy watch. But I assure you, it truly is engaging and it had me on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next pretty much from start to finish. I definitely liked it a lot more than I thought I might and I would gladly watch it again in the future.

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Mixed feelings but overall good watch.

I'm kind of torn how to rate this series because it was really good in some parts and then others, I found myself fast forwarding because it was either repetitive or unnecessary.

Starting out with the cons, I really couldn't stand about half the characters. I pretty much only liked Ace, Sky, Jam, Kim and Jake. Sky's parents were sweet and I loved how supportive they were but they sure didn't intervene when they should have a lot of the time. I mean, I can understand that Sky is not a child and he needs to make his own mistakes and all but he really could have used some tough love in some areas. I liked how his brother was supportive as well but his entire purpose was to sell the products of the sponsors so it got annoying pretty quick and I skipped almost every scene of his. He had one sweet moment with Sky and then everything else was all about product placement. Same with Miss Becky. She was a good support for Ace but honestly, there were way too many montages of her twirling around the mansion that added absolutely nothing to the plot or series in general.

Moira was an over the top baddie that was somewhat well written but, in my opinion, if you're going to make them THAT bad, they need to get their just rewards. And unfortunately, everyone hugged it out in the end and forgave her horribleness. Now, granted, I know nothing about law in the Philippines but she must have committed at least 3 crimes with her shenanigans. She did a full on B&E, kidnapped (dognapped) ChukChuk, planted a hidden camera without consent then released the video illegally.. oh and almost committed murder by putting peanuts in his food to purposefully trigger an allergic reaction. So then she comes to their house and sobs that she loved him and wanted to be with him while she was the one who broke it off in the first place. And we're supposed to feel bad for her? Honestly, they should have been hauling her ass to jail instead of hugging and apologizing to her.

There was a lot of time spent on her and other "time wasters" that really could have been skipped over (which I did). It would have easily cut down the series to maybe 9 or 10 episodes but it also would have gotten a higher rating from me...

.. because the pros of the series were actually really good. The story for the main couple was believable for the most part (crazy ex aside) and they had really good chemistry together. I actually liked that there were no side couples because Ace and Sky deserved all the focus on the romantic front. Their progression felt natural even if the acting was a bit over the top at times. It also felt like they bounced off each other well. In some parts, it seemed like there was no real script and they were just told to act a certain way and they ran with it.

I like how Kim was a good friend to Ace throughout and didn't turn into an ex like Moira. Granted Ace and Kim were never technically an item, but when she finally realized Ace would never feel the same way toward her, she didn't turn into the crazy, vindictive ex that Moira was. She supported Ace and his feelings.

While Ace's father was horrible and also pretty over the top, he did present a more realistic hurdle to their relationship which was worth watching. And even at the end, when he said he would work on himself, it was also good to see the more realistic portrayal of a parent not quite doing a full 180 turn overnight (because that kind of thing wouldn't happen in a "eureka" kind of moment in real life either) but we see the effort and the regret he has had for his previous way of thinking and realizing that it will cost him his relationship with Ace if he didn't change.

I think this is also the first series I'd ever seen where there was a reverse - or maybe it could be a double? - coming out conversation where Ace's mother explains her past with Ace's father and why she left.

While there was a lit of filler, I feel like the core conversations were really important in this series (like when Ace's father has his self reflective moment near the end.) There were a lot of poignant moments full of truths that I wish more people would grasp.

While I'm not certain if I would watch this often, I could see rewatching this again, especially as part of the trilogy with other people. It was enjoyable and I would recommend it as a lighter series with a few serious dramatic moments that will certainly hit all the feels.

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Better than I thought it would be

The idea for this story was intriguing for me as I've seen a couple of mafia series now and have enjoyed the added suspense aspect it brings. This series was definitely more on the lighthearted side of the serious spectrum mainly because the main characters are not in a business of "questionable legality." Even the mafia boss is not in illegal activity so it's a nice change from the idea that we root for a bad guy, despite what he does for a living.

I was concerned that as soon as the bodyguard showed up that Sky was going to become a whining brat and purposefully get himself in danger just to defy his father. It didn't really happen though he did at first become very defiant and stubborn against Sun. But the fact was, Sun nor Father told Sky the severity of what was going on so he was just trying to live his life like he normally does. I mean, I can't really blame him because I would have probably done the same if I lived a certain way and then all of a sudden had a babysitter when I'm an adult with no explanation why. But I was pleasantly surprised when Sky found out the threat against his life that he immediately became more careful; listening to Sun and even asking his permission to do things. And the threat felt very organic.. the way the two bosses were going back and forth with their attacks. And I really liked how Sky was saying it's a never ending cycle that someone has to break by not retaliating. That was very mature of him to see that when the adults didn't.

One of the things that brought down the rating for me was the acting... it was sometimes distractingly amateurish even though the bulk of the mains have a decent acting history/background. And while the MC had good chemistry, they almost looked uncomfortable whenever they had to kiss. At that point, I wish they just wouldn't put it in at all and let us fill in those gaps with our imagination because otherwise is pops the chemistry bubble they had going on.

While I didn't like the way Sky used the girls to make Sun jealous, I also couldn't believe that they never picked up on Sun and Sky's attraction to each other nor did they get the hint when Sun always shot down the advances. I mean, come on, if a guy is into you, he'd be thrilled at how much you touch him and cling to him but he always had to pry her hands off him... was that not obvious enough? I'm glad that all they did was cry when Sun and Sky announced their relationship because if the girls had gotten pissed or wanted to cut ties with them because of it, the rating would have gone down more for me. I'm glad they were all friends still in the end and can be mature about it.

Which is more than I could say for Father... seriously.. as if the boys' actions of putting the others' life before their own was not a testament of their sincerity, he makes them live apart for 6 years and waste precious time together? So silly.

Anyway, overall I thought it was an enjoyable watch and I would recommend it for anyone looking for a series with a progressive, interesting plot that doesn't require too much brain power.

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So much going on without anything actually happening.

While I wouldn't say this was bad, it really lacked in a lot of ways for me.

This was all over the place as far as storyline, as if the writer or director or someone just couldn't decide on what story did they want to tell. Was it a university drama? Was it a countryside drama? Was it a rich boy/poor boy drama? Was it a workplace drama? Was it a winning-over-an-opposing-parent drama? No one knows because this series had ALL of that at some point.

And that's all just withing the main couple. Then there are secondary couples that tackle secret crushes, questioning sexual identity, using someone to get closer to someone else, violence rumors, school bullying and the list goes on and on and on..

Yet, with all of this going on, there seemed to be a serious lack of development between the couples / characters. It played almost more like a sit com where every episode was a standalone thing and there MAY be a hint or undertone of slight progression of relationships. But the constant change of story direction made it hard to get invested in which is unfortunate because they could have had a solid series if they just focused on one thing and did it well.

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Entertaining watch

I honestly don't understand all the hate this series gets. It was highly entertaining and I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery aspect of it in the search for Enchanté's identity. It filled the time of the series really well (especially since we already know who Theo is going to end up with anyway) by creating the drama somewhere else rather than constantly throwing things at the MC like other dramas do. Yes there was a little bit of potential crushes looking to get with Theo but I personally liked how all the 4 Enchanté's had different reasons for claiming to be him.

The fact that Akk was willing to help, despite his surfacing feelings for Theo, also made us wonder if perhaps Akk was in fact Enchanté and hoping to prove to Theo that he was there all along. It helps showcase the care and investment Theo and Akk have in each other while teaming up to solve the mystery while also realizing their feelings along the way. And, personally, I didn't see a hint of it coming when they finally revealed who the real Enchanté was. I was even going so far as to guess it could be his father trying to anonymously befriend him to sway his feelings on trying to keep the literature program going. (Spoiler alert: it's not the father.)

I thought the acting was well done, especially by the supporting cast. I felt like everyone bounced off each other really well and all the clashes of personalities and motives made for an entertaining watch. In truth, I think they probably could have gone on with the different stories from all 4 Enchanté's a little longer, which is rare for me. Normally, I'm thinking a series could have been a lot shorter because most of the "filler" is unnecessary or boring or repetitive or a combination thereof. But here, I was so curious in all of their reasons and would have been just as happy to see more of it explained. I feel like out of the 4, Saifa got the least amount of explanation but it kind of makes sense once you find out his involvement.

(Can you tell I'm trying really hard not to say who Enchanté is?)

Speaking of which, I would suggest, if possible, watch the series without finding out who Enchanté beforehand. I admit, normally I am one to check spoilers and such but with this series, I managed to hold myself off and I think that really lent itself to the enjoyment of the watch. That being said, I'm actually looking forward to watching this series again in the near future to see if I can spot extra hints, now knowing what I know.

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The rare case of misunderstanding done right

Normally when the main obstacle for the couple is miscommunication or misunderstanding, I spend the entire series internally screaming at them to just talk already.

But at least in this series, there was a reason for Namnuea to feel torn about Lom's flirting with him when Lom is supposed to be getting married; there was also a reason for Lom to keep the truth hidden as it meant protecting Yiwa's secret from her parents. As much as we, the viewers, want them to clear the air, there was reasons to keep their true feelings hidden and I felt like it really worked in this series.

It's interesting how, when there's a well written story for the MC, there isn't as much of a need for a secondary couple. I didn't miss the constant change of pace when looking at one couple then the other as they tend to have very different experiences. There were other couples in this series but they were already established and firmly in their relationships with pretty mild drama. I think it also helped that the series was only 7 episodes long as they didn't need to fill in time with unnecessary BSing.

I don't know how Me Mind does it but they tend to have great luck with relatively newcomer actors who are actually really good, considering. Their production quality is always really good too, whether it has a strong story/plot or not. It adds to the overall quality which makes for an enjoyable watch. I know a lot of people have issues with MAME stories but I personally find them entertaining and consistent with the acting and production.

I would definitely recommend this series. I hope more series take notes from this to show how you can still have misunderstandings but make them less annoying/frustrating to sit through.

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Misleading from the very beginning.

I won't say this series was bad but it certainly wasn't great. For the most part, I was confused and getting whiplash from all the different plot points they were trying to throw into a 10 episode series which really did not flow well together. And there were a lot of choices made that didn't feel like it would fit the character, whether it was a good or bad choice. The whole thing was just misleading from the get-go.

Let's start with the first impression aspects: The movie poster and the synopsis. The dark, night-time city look of the poster gives off a dark, serious vibe akin to Big Dragon or KinnPorsche but the series was anything but serious or dark. The synopsis makes it sound like Dino is a bully type who stalks his prey when in reality, he was the nice guy protector to counter Rak's "helpless boy" type.

But even that didn't make sense because, actually, Rak was very vocal about his boundaries and his limits. If there's one thing I will say this series did right it was that Rak actually stood up for himself, at least verbally if not physically. He said "no" to the ex, he cut off the best friend after he found out about them, he set boundaries for them as well as himself when he continuously stood his ground in telling Dino "I'm not ready." And this kind of became important when Dino was clearly trying to get intimate and Rak was having flashbacks to the ex forcing himself on him. But this time, when he tells Dino to wait, he listens, unlike the ex. It's pivotal in how Rak sees Dino and it shows that Dino respects Rak and his boundaries.

All that being said, I couldn't help but feel bad for Pepper in this role. I mean, he is a great actor and they paired him with someone who was.. well, not. I don't know if it was a director's thing or Kong's attempt as seeming insecure or if it was Kong himself, but his constant looking off to the side as if he's looking at a camera or crew member off screen was breaking the fourth wall, and not in the "funny because it was intentional" way. It made me think Kong was uncomfortable himself instead of it being a Rak, as the character, trait.

The entire cast, in fact, seemed to be a mixture of highly seasoned actors or the very basic first-timers with little in-between. The cameos made zero sense whatsoever and felt like they were just introduced for shits and giggles. Much like many of the short-lived storylines that were introduced for the drama then completely forgotten without much of a resolution. It felt like a young teenager, at best, wrote this with all the experience a teenage has with life and relationships.

I will say, the best cameo and character in this entire series was Pepper's tongue. Whenever it made an appearance, the show got 10x better each time. It was almost enough to make one ignore how obvious the difference was in experience between Pepper and Kong, and not just in acting.

It was clever, though, how they gave a bit of an intro to the other Buddy Line stories at the end because, at least for me, it made me curious how their stories would go. I just hope they get to work opposite actors that fit them better than Dino and Rak did.

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Toxicity with self-awareness

I already know this review is going to sound like a b*tchfest but I need to get it off my chest.

First and foremost, it really is a shame that people have badmouthed this series so much. I highly doubt the writers, directors or actors would ever see all the negativity verbatim but an overall reception of a series could make it hard for them to find more work or even the motivation to try again. And, really, if you can't give "constructive" criticism, then just don't say anything at all.

That being said, this series certainly wasn't the best I've ever seen nor was the plot anything out of the standard drama of university students navigating adult life for the first time. I think a lot of people who were badmouthing this series forget that these characters are young adults who have never been in romantic relationships before. All they know is friendships and sex with no bridge in-between. Having feelings other than that is foreign to them and so of course they are going to botch it up royally.

Seriously, I'm getting so sick of people saying relationships in dramas are "toxic." It's a DRAMA, not a romantic comedy or an action or any other genre where you should expect anything else. But at least this drama recognizes and addresses the "toxic" traits. How many times did a character point out that jealousy is the driving factor and you should just ask the other party about the events instead of overthinking the worst? How many times did Sher remind Fah that their AGREEMENT was a friends with benefits situation? Sher was right to keep getting aggravated and fed up with Fah whenever he got jealous because there is no room for those feelings in a FWB dynamic. Them finding love through all the hurt and struggles is still believable because, again, they do not know why they acted the way they did since they never felt this way before. When they took some time to themselves to really think about it, that's when they realized the feelings involved were deeper than just physical intimacy.

It's also a shame that for such a heavy drama, pretty much every actor was brand new to the scene. This was a first role for 90% of the cast and yes, it shows. Would the series have been better or well received with a more seasoned cast? Honestly, I don't think so. In a way, their amateurism added to the fact that these characters were experiencing life lessons/feelings for the first time. In that regard, I think they handled it fairly well though there was certainly room for improvement which I hope they get the opportunity to try again.

Even if I personally don't think it has much of a rewatch value, I do think it is worth a shot. If nothing else, it was highly entertaining which is all I can hope for as well as the main purpose of these shows. The way some people criticize them with comments like "that is so unrealistic" or "that is such a bad way to handle that" make me think that those people thought they were watching a how-to video instead of a work of fiction meant to entertain.

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