I finished Theory of love weeks ago and I am now trying my best to refresh other details. Anyway TOL is a god tier BL!!! It is by far the most well put together BL I have seen. Also, since it was a GMMTV BL, I expected a great production and it did not disappoint.

First off, the concept was brilliant. The integration of popular romantic movies into the storytelling and episode titles was so well done. Everything made sense. Movies were used as metaphors to their relationship.

Next, the acting of the whole cast was topnotch especially Gun. You know that boy will always deliver. The dynamic of their friendship was really nice. Personally, it's kind of rare for me to focus on all side stories especially when they are too many but in this case, all of the storylines were interesting. KhaiThird's friends were all given depth. They weren't just used as decorations or shallow characters who were just there to advise the MC.

The first episodes felt repetitive to me but I did understand it was for us to really get deep into the emotions of Third. Along with that, I can't really blame Khai. During the first half, Khai was portrayed to be an asshole who always hurt Third but I actually think he was a nice friend. He was a jerk, yes, but he was a good friend. The only thing I hated with Khai as a friend to Third was his bossiness and constant bailing. But when you look at it, he was unaware of Third's feelings! How he acted was normal for platonic friends. Whenever he did something wrong, he did make up for it. He apologized when he felt like he hurt Third's feelings. Even with Third's POV shown to us, I still felt how Khai treasured their friendship---it was just that he overlooked it sometimes. Khai as a man who dated girls was a different story though.
The build up to the finale was well phased. The final episode was the best one out of all the Thai BLs I had seen. Everything---nothing in the progression of events was off or I felt was rushed. Things fitted so well in the last episode.

One of my main problems though was the negative representation of female characters. It has been done so many times in BL shows to emphasize even more the male to male relationship. But then it brought me back to the narrator of the story. We saw them from Khai and Third's perspective---Third who always had to face the aftermaths of Khai's breakups and Khai who moves on so easily.

Also I think I didn't really catch why Third likes Khai so much aside from their close friendship? They could have given us an insight or like a short montage of the reason/s why. Another thing that I felt was lacking was how Khai came to terms with his sexual orientation. I get that the episodes before 'Flipped', Khai was already developing his feelings but we were still on Third's perspective. The shift was abrupt but maybe it was just a matter of POVs.

Nevertheless most of the negative things I noticed in the series were not really about the scriptwriting or directing, but more on the nature of the characters themselves. They were flawed and raw. For example when Khai pretended to be drunk when he kissed Third and again when Khai was about to kiss Third while he was asleep. It was in his flawed character. Still, nonconsensual kiss isn’t the way lol.

And can we talk about that intro? Classy, I say. Also Getsunova's OST really hits you in the feels. They lyrics and tune are literally Third's perspective. Also, the kissing scenes, chef’s kiss. They are literally the most natural and best kissing scenes I have seen in BL ISTG. They were a lot of unforgettable moments too (the train station scene that for sure made everyone cry, Khai’s final confession to Third, Third’s shower scenes).

It is so rare for me to not want a second season but TOL is good as it is. It is THAT good. But I mean, more OffGun content so why not lol. If they ever make a second season, I just hope it is as quality as the first one.

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**EPISODE 11 REVIEW**

I cried a lot on this episode, again, starting from the bus scene. I think this scene concluded Natee's confusion and denial regarding Meen and Mind, though this is not to say that he was already done processing what was in front of him and getting over his loss. Meanwhile for Mind, this scene conveyed how much she longed for Natee to accept her. Their acting was, of course, on point as usual.

Now for Pete's side story, first I like to commend Sing's versatility. I have always seen him play bubbly and often loud characters in the past but he really did well on this one! I literally jawdropped when Pete's mom slapped him. We all know that's not the right way of parenting, pressuring your kid so much to perfect things academically. His mother was literally putting the life line of her job to his son. I hope this scene would give way to her realizations about parenting. This side story gave so much depth to Pete's character. Again, this scene made me tear up lol.

Gun's confession fell between subtlety and candidness. It was such a sweet moment that made me cry again haha. I loved the lines she said to Mind---that names didn’t matter and she could be anyone she wanted when she was with him. That scriptwriting was topnotch. I felt sad for Gun when he clarified he meant to say he liked Mind platonically, not romantically. This boy was literally on his own! Aside from the MCs, Gun carried so much secrets too that he chose not to share to anyone.

As much as bullying is horrendous in any form, seeing Tida being bullied back was poetic justice. It was so satisfying to watch her have no one to back her up, knowing how horrible she had been as a person.

Ok now, I have seen a lot of comments about people liking Gun better than Natee. First of all, both of them have their own struggles, personality, and depth. They are equally complex and interesting characters. For the people saying Natee is boring and they prefer Gun as the main lead and whatnots, just from the present timeframe, Natee has been through a lot. He literally lost his best friend and found out about his best friend's twin sister which the whole time he thought was still Meen; he was supporting his father financially through swimming; he got hit by a car with his attempt to help Mind, and now could not swim due to a bone fracture---not to mention backstories. And now that we saw Meen will be back, imagine the whirlwind of emotions Natee will go through even more. From the start, I have always rooted for Natee not just as the male lead but as a mere character of the show. Moreso, when Natee asked Tida ‘who died then’ while fully knowing the story, I felt his desperation for justice. That was a rhetorical question for him but it contained his grief, anger, and desperation.

Lastly, I get why people are complaining that Mind is too weak to fight Tida back. There are also comments about how the original character was much stronger than her. I am only judging based on this show because I have not fully seen the original drama, but I understand Mind. Yeah call her a damsel in distress but people need to understand that we have different ways of coping, different pacing on healing. Mind was bullied terribly that she killed herself. She has a lot of things going on and it really takes time to heal. She's really doing a good job at facing her bully in my opinion. Actually now, it seems like her worries lie more on keeping her secrets rather than having to stand up for herself and face Tida.

Overall this episode ended on a very intense note of Meen coming back. I can't wait for episode 12!

PS: Just by seeing Namtan on the thumbnail of episode 12's teaser, I already knew it was Meen and not Mind. Namtan's acting is topnotch. And I also can't wait for the new OST to be released.

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I read reviews here before watching this one so I did not expect much, but boy I was surprised. This is a very, very, very wholesome show, and by wholesome, I mean the nonexistence of nonconsensual and problematic acts. And I need to emphasize that the women in this show are so nice. The story is light. And I just need to say that the people who loved 2gether would love this even more. I feel like it effectively used BL tropes haha.

It's not a perfect show but it's cute and sweet. I don't get the people saying that the plot is nothing. The story of Fighter and Tutor was pure and precious. For this one, I really felt the depth of the relationship. They had mutual feelings for a long time and both, especially Fighter, had the struggle of processing and expressing their feelings. And SaifahZon has got to be one of the cutest couples I have seen in a BL. Most people say that the transition between SaiZon is too fast but I actually am just fine with it. For me, their beef before was nothing deep so I understand that they instantly changed their relationship with each other after spending moments together. Plus, Zon’s character was so refreshing to watch. His inner monologues about BL gave me life. For other couples, I honestly didn't care much.

Other than MewGulf's cameo, I was more surprised at BoomPeak!! It has been years since I last checked on them. They have grown so much!! It felt nostalgic haha.

Now, for the acting. I mentioned before that I really didn't like Saint's acting in LBC but man he has improved so much! I was surprised at his performance for this one. I feel his sincerity and dedication to improving his acting. Jimmy was fine, better than I expected after reading that he was kinda new to acting. Tommy was cute as hell. He had great expressions too. Ok, now, Zee. This man instantly became one of my favorite actors in Thailand. His acting was no joke!!! Literally every scene of his looked natural. The only breakup/angsty scene I remember crying over was that of Sotus, and almost this one. He delivered so well and I couldn’t stop talking about how good his acting was!!! His emotional scenes were so felt. And not to mention how sexy he was in their bed scenes haha. Overall I liked the acting. There were almost zero cringe moments for the main actors. The chemistry of ZeeSaint was unbelievable! They looked so good together. The rest of the casts did too. I honestly just focused watching the four MCs haha.

The thing I didn’t like about this was the balancing of events. For the first 2 episodes, I think, I felt like I was high watching the show with all the perspectives of Zon. Anyway the screen time distribution between the 2 main couples wasn't seamless. I am talking about the transition and not the amount of screen time. Given the restriction they got due to the pandemic, I understand the lack of development for SaiZon. I don't know if they finished filming all other scenes for FighterTutor but their relationship after they got together seemed too focused on sex only. Not that I am complaining haha but of course, I would like to see more development in other aspects as well. I don't know if the length of the scenes from their beach trip was as intended but they were kind of too long for me. I mean they served the purpose of making the audience feel the romance and fluff of the show, but maybe it was just me. Too much screen time was given to FighterTutor's beach trip that I kinda felt the conflict and resolution of the story were rushed towards the end. Also I was annoyed at how Tutor responded to the conflict given by Fighter's father. I felt really bad for Fighter. That was when I really appreciated how well written Fighter’s character was.

I felt like I needed more Fighter scenes in the first half of the show, being a main character. For the first half, I felt like I knew Zon so much more than Fighter. The ending was kind of underwhelming too, if that was what they originally intended. I know the beach is essential to the story of the main couple, but the use of it was really too repetitive for me haha. Also I just need to mention that the main opening song used at the first half sounded, I don't know, weird for me.

If you want a show that is cute and light-themed, I would go for this (rather than 2gether haha). It delivered what 2gether was trying to be. I like both series by the way---just light and fluffy. Anyway I hope we get a second season that is not constrained. I am giving this an 8. This show was nice but it could better.

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Ok first of all, it was so much better than I expected---not perfect but good.

PROS:

1. BEST IN DEVELOPMENT. For me, AePete's development from friends to couple was one of the most consistent and well developed progressions I had seen in a BL. None of their scenes seemed out of the blue or rushed. I forgave the over the top and cutesy dialogues of AePete thinking that this was Ae's first relationship.

2. In relation to the first one, I loved how they showed Ae's curiosity about gay sex. They really talked about sexuality! It wasn't one of those shows where their sexual orientation just suddenly shifted. The show was explicit enough yet it still seemed so innocent and wholesome. That particular scene where Ae searched about gay sex was really nice.

3. Perth's acting was so on point, also Earth's (Tar). They really stood out for me although the rest of the casts were fair enough.

5. The OST was nice. I was shocked the first time they used Love Sick's Shake (when Tum was playing at a bar). The use of love sick's ost made me feel nostalgic.

6. AePete's relationship was healthier than my body ISTG.

7. TINCAN. I had never been so invested in a BL couple since Sotus (which was, like, years ago already). I was literally screaming the every time Tin was professing his crush on Can. The build up of tincan for s2 was so effectively done.

Now for Can's character---absolutely lovely. The earlier episodes showed us a hyper and comedic Can, probably immature too. I thought he was one of the stock characters to provide comedic relief but as the series progressed, we got to see his depth. The later episodes where TinCan's relationship were staring to be established, it was really nice to see the different sides of TinCan’s characters. (I admit I kind of shipped TinPete at first).

The series did a good job at shifting my attention from the MC to TinCan to be honest. The latter episodes, I just almost didn't care about AePete anymore.

8. There were a lot of likable side characters like Techno and Pond. BEST FRIENDS AWARD, I say.


NOW FOR THE CONS:

1. Despite its college setting, a lot of the scenes felt like it was set in High School instead. I did say I forgave the cutesy of AePete's relationship but I admit I cringed sometimes. But I get the theatrics of it.

2. A lot of things were happening. Hadn't I watched TharnType first, I would have been so lost. But since I did know their backstories, I appreciated all side characters especially Type---he changed a lot.

3. CONSENT, KENGKLA, CONSENT. Techno deserves a better partner and brother! Technic literally helped Kengkla in getting his brother laid!! The series showed us nothing about techno seeing kengkla in a romantic light yet his brother still pushed it??? It would have been fine if they just kept it light but Kengkla raped techno and the people justifying it in the comment section are disgusting. To make matters worse, kla lied to No and manipulated him to be in a relationship with him. I dont think I will ever buy this ship no matter how the series will justify it. I was so uncomfortable watching that scene especially when they added in the OST they played whenever there were cute scenes.

Nonconsensual acts are so prevalent in BLs and it has been overlooked for so long, by so many, for the sake of shipping. I really am so keen about consent when it comes to BL and how most shows (and authors) romanticize it.

4. To continue, Tum's nonconsensual act bothered me so much especially knowing Tar's past. He did apologize and kind of redeem himself in the latter episode. And for this one, I was glad the series took it seriously.

5. And as much as I love TinCan, I didn't like how they started to realize their feelings when Tin kissed Can to "make him shut up". I just really tried to understand Tin's rash and straightforward character.

6. Chompoo's character. It was so shallow and obviously part of those unnecessarily clingy and childish female characters to drive the plot. Please stop this kind of female representation.

7. Lay was one of those exaggerated and illogical portrayals of characters to provide comedic relief in Thai BLs but it was annoying. I get it, she was a fujoshi but she went overboard on shipping real life guys. She went hard on fetishizing gay couples.

8. I mentioned the shifting of the viewers’ attention to TinCan but it took a toll on the MC. The ending was so unsatisfying for AePete and they basically lost momentum during the last episodes. They most probably had decided beforehand to have a 2nd season but really, a phone call? Even though they were shown to be imaginarily together, it felt so flat and unsatisfying. But I mean I didn’t mind it that much because my focus was on TinCan.

9. They went all out promoting Samsung lol.

10. I was not a hundred percent fan of Saint’s acting for this show. One of the main reasons why I dropped LBC after watching the 1st ep in 2018 was because of Saint's acting, sorry. He was good but some of the parts were awkward to look at especially when he was trying to cry.

11. Ae was sometimes annoying with his overprotectiveness. I get the BL tropes where the top really gets overprotective and jealous easily and that sometimes ticks me off.

12. What happened to the guy who was blackmailing Pete? I hope we get to see a resolution in s2 despite Saint not being in the series anymore.

To conclude, it's a nice BL. The main couple was wholesome and had a healthy relationship. Watching TharnType and LBC, I kind of get the feeling that the author chooses problematic and traumatic themes to intensify the story. A lot of authors do that and it seriously needs to stop. I have no problem with using rape or any traumatic events as long as they are not merely used as a plot device but are actually discussed and taken seriously. So done with romanticized nonconsensual acts.

I'm am looking forward to s2 because I love TinCan so much. Maybe the reason why I was surprised at how nice it was was because I wasn't really expecting much.

TharnType and LBC have too many issues that needs to be solved. I am only judging based on the series. I wish everything will have a resolution, good or bad. Nevertheless, I am invested.

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