Nitiman (2021)

Great BL Series!

I discovered this series purely by accident and since then I have watched it and re-watched it probably a dozen times and each time I still get something (wonderful) out of it.

I find the series absolutely perfect. The cinematography looks professional (like a movie). The acting is fantastic! The characters are so believable. I feel like they are people that I know. The writing is nuanced, sensitive and very, very realistic. All the musical numbers (half the characters are in a band) are so wonderful that I find myself watching the music videos of the songs over and over and over. I love the pacing of the series. It never drags and always leaves me wanting more. I love the mini-cliffhangers that episodes end on. They are so exciting that I still get tingles even after watching the series a dozen times.

The characterizations and the acting are so on point, that I feel like I know Bbomb, Jin, Singh, Jack, Keam, Song, Jay, Sis Klui, Pang, Somsom and the rest of the Gang!

Nitiman has turned out to be one of my favorite BLs this year.

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Fun Sweet Series

This series was a lot of fun. there were twists and turns throughout the story. The leads are good, nice chemistry wish it was a bit better but very fun to say play out. I loved BBomb. The whole cast was great to see in action having their own issues and yet still coming together to bring their friends together. The friends are I believe the best part adding a lot to the story by banding together to help bring Jin and BBomb together. The only real down part for me was it took way too long for them to get together and finally announce they were a couple. I was not the biggest fan of Jin's personality especially in the beginning when he was playing BBomb and talking with the girl as well. I was disappointed it took him so long to see he had feelings for BBomb. In the end, it was a nice touch to complete the series. I did love all the side people like Mark and Tong in the end was a nice touch.

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Okay, this was kinda... boring??

Okay, this was kinda... boring?? "Woo... Oh Oh, Woo... Oh Oh," chants the title song, like there's something happening. But it's not, lol. Also, the obviously younger and mediocre looking of the boys is supposed to be the "hot senior"??

First kiss is 6/10 and it's nothing special (I think they kissed each other right beside the mouth) so it just got me thinking about how the young actors have it hard, it's not only about improving their acting, nowadays they also often need to be cast in BL and that's harder on the straight cast, lol.

Noh Phouluang deserves a praise. Not just for his acting, also for his song (NOT the title song). I wish I could praise the whole show the same... If only it was not so awkward & draggy. I don't know what 'Nitiman' is supposed to mean, but perhaps it's a short for "Nothing much, man." There's literally like nothing much in this series. Even 10 episodes was LONG.

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UNDERATED AND MUST WATCH!!!

I think rating does not do justice to this series. I honestly came with zero expectation. I checked the rating and watched the trailer before watching this series. Both were disappointing but I decided to watch it anyway as I was not in a mood to watch anything serious. The story is not great and it is bit predictable but strangely I enjoyed watching it. The leads made it entertaining. The actors were cute as usual (Typically all are in BLs). It doesn't really have any other BL side couple. As faras i have seen most BLs are very unrealistic, literally every couple in the series would be gay couple. For a change, I liked the fact that they had straight couple in this one. The series doesn't really focus on the straight couple's story but I am not complaining. It had few potential side gay couple. It would be great if there was continuation for this series. I would really like to watch Ball and keam story. Overall, it was worth the watch and I would definitely recommend it.

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For a BL series that has one main couple and two side (BL) couples that are only hinted at, it is very odd that the side couples turn out to be portrayed more effectively.

The side couple that is less hinted at, Jay and Song, turns out to be my favorite. That the two actors look good individually and cute as a couple is an added bonus. There is barely any overt indication of them becoming a couple and a somewhat cryptic scene in the last episode with Jay smiling in his final scene, but the scenes of them together manage to suggest the potential for a more-than-friends relationships. We see the closeness between them early on when Jay refuses to take a drunken Bom to his room and it is revealed that he only allows Song into his room. When we see Jay writing a song for Bom about his feelings for Jin, we may wonder if Jay is ultimately also writing about his own feelings for Song.

Keam and Ball are worth mentioning as another side couple of sorts. Keam is a somewhat perplexing and inscrutable character. At times, he seems more mature than his friends, but his behavior is weird. He seems aware of his feelings for Ball, but he has a girlfriend. Or does he have feelings for some other guy at first -- Bom? He protests when Bom is drunk and the rest ask Jin to take Bom to his room. Nevertheless, from the first time Keam bumps into Ball in the series, we can see the sparks. At least it is obvious that Keam has a soft spot for Ball. The scene isn't even anything original or difficult to do, so it is strange that the main couple isn't given a sort of similar treatment. Instead, Bom seems almost hostile towards Jin at the start, and one can be forgiven for assuming that their relationship is the enemies-to-lovers sort. Except it isn't.

It turns out that Bom has always been secretly in love with Jin though Bom does not seem to know Jin when we first see them together. (It is only revealed in a flashback much later that we see that Bom has been in love with Jin since they were freshmen.) To add to the messiness, we have Jin quite earnestly saying that he doesn't dislike Bom but can only be friends with him in one scene, but in the very next scene, he shows no discomfort or objections when Bom hits on him and wants to call him every day. And in the scene that follows, we see Jin eating an ice-cream off Bom's hands--quite publicly, so it seems like he's not even like he's afraid of being seen as gay or afraid of giving Bom the wrong idea ....

Another problem is with the characterization of Jin, who is an important character. He is at first really devastated as his girlfriend, Aim, breaks up with him. He seems like someone who is really serious about his relationships. Then suddenly we have people warning Bom that Jin is a playboy, and it's supposed to be true. Yet, Jin's actions don't show him to be a playboy. Before he realizes that he actually loves Bom, he shows some interest in a girl and starts talking to her. But Jin soon realizes that he loves Bom, and when the girl confesses her love for him, he tells her honestly that he is in love with someone else. How is this guy a playboy?

The silly crisis to Jin and Bom's relationship also undermines the story. For some reason, Aim (Jin's ex-girlfriend) is preoccupied with bringing Jin and Bom together. Ok, maybe she wants to do something for them because she feels guilty for jilting Jin for another guy, and for "snatching" Jin from Bom despite knowing that Bom likes Jin. But to go to the extent of masterminding a bizarre plot to bring them together is an unusual level of crazy. E.g. She makes Bom's friends dope his drink with an aphrodisiac and secretly slipping a condom into his pocket (er, how on earth is he going to use it if he doesn't know it's there?) Apart from the question of why Bom's frinds would go along with such madness, there is the question of how many Bom horny would help him win Jin's love. And .... the shenanigans do not end here. At times, it looks more like Aim is aiming to break Jin and Bom up rather than bring them together--yes, I think it's supposed to be a twist when it's revealed that she's trying to bring them together.

Jin and Bom do make quite a nice couple when they are together, and I find the actors' acting quite ok. But somehow the set-up for the two characters to fall in love is terribly done (or should I say not done?). On the other hand, the set-up for the side couples, who get scant attention and development, is done pretty well. So it's not as though the production team is incapable of doing things properly. The ending also doesn't give a sense of a true closure, perhaps because the crisis is so badly done that we have an anti-climax instead of a climax in the story and one keeps thinking that there's more to come. Confession: I forgot that Episode 10 was the last episode and was stupidly waiting more more until I saw in MDL that this is a ten-episode series. I'm not a big fan of cliffhanger endings hinting at the potential for a Season 2, but even a cliffhanger ending would have been better than the way the series ended without a bit more development for the side couples.

The odd thing about this series is that there are many aspects of the production that show that the team involved in it is quite capable of making something pretty good. And yet, something managed to go wrong somewhere, resulting in a series that underperforms in critical areas like the portrayal of the main couple and the development of their story. The result: a series that managed to keep me watching and a series that managed to keep disappointing me rolled into one awkward combination.

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What is in a name? Legit, I still don’t get the title.

The premise is really cute. I guess? But was it executed properly? That’s a no.

A highlight of the series is the fact that the main couple actually talks about their feelings. At least most of the time.

Don’t you just hate the mostly annoying BL trope where they drag out drama rooting from a minor issue which could have been easily resolved by just talking about it. This had it! Well, until the end that is. And I thought they’d go beyond unnecessary and illogical drama, but alas. They still went there.

As expected from this level of Thai BL, as much as I wish otherwise, it had a lot of plot holes and loose ends. My main disappointment was the failure to show the obvious relationship that was clearly brewing between Song and Jay, and the lack of kissing or skinship. Real couples touch and kiss. Ugh. Not to mention the character of Kong (Keam). What the heck was that mess? He has a girlfriend? But he’s pining over Jin? While also being head over heals for Ball? What a mess of a character with little to no development.

Thai BLs, please evolve faster. It’s getting quite monotonous. For real.

Highlight was the character of Kaownah (Song). Such a cutie, and such a 180 from his character from TharnType. He really shined in this one.

7 stars. Disappointing, but from an obvious Thai BL series factory, I’m really not that surprised.

Here’s to hoping Thai BLs evolve to be more… just MORE!

P.S. did they even explain why it’s entitled Nitiman? I never really understood it, and that in itself is already a sign. :((

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Watch it if you're tired of communication issues being the driving force in the plot

The relationship between the main characters is rare in that they actually talk through their issues instead of avoiding each other for the sake of drama.
The actor playing Jin is absolutely amazing, you can read every emotion his character is feeling from his eyes. The other main is a little more stiff, not sure if that's a choice for the character or just lack of skill, but it didn't ruin my enjoyment, the chemistry was very much there.
Another thing that rarely happens was that I liked every character, none of them felt like they were just filling space, the friend groups were fleshed out well.
If there's ever a second season, and for the sake of the side characters I hope there is, I'm definitely rewatching the first as well.

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Had a different kind of charm

And unique charm makes it above average and worth watching

Story:
Nitiman had a very common storyline. Highschool setting, secret crush and then both the leads fall in love. Nothing new there. But once you start watching it, you'll definitely want to see the characters develop, get to know each other and then fall in love. That's what this series was all about. Growing fond of each other. It is a cute, medium paced drama with no negative moments. The most charming thing was that gradually you'll realise that every other character here roots for the main couple. In every episode, their every action was directed just to bring the leads closer. Even in the last episode, the rude behaviour of Bomb's mother was revealed to be just teasing to incite Jin's emotions.

Some glimpses of side story was shown like that of Keam and Ball. But it was just left for the imagination of the audience. The story solely focused on Jin and Bomb.

All in all, you can watch it once. It's has an attractive appeal even with a simple storyline and nothing unique. It's slow but definitely not boring. Worth watching it once.

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above average amount of cuddling

it's so hard to write a review for this series because. what even happened in it? the main leads dance around each other for about half of the show and then....continue to dither around each other for the rest of the show with a weird finale.

and don't even get me started on the rest of the side characters, especially keam. i don't think even keam knows what's going on in his own life?? (not that i really fully understood whatever was happening with Most of the characters, frankly.)

regardless, i actually enjoyed this series anyway? it's weirdly complicated for such a simple show where nothing........really happens. it's kinda like if you filmed a documentary about university students without them knowing that there's a camera? so stuff gets repetitive since they have daily/weekly routines, no real drama happens except Life, and sometimes you just, do not get the answers/closure to some hanging threads, but life moves on anyway.

even if it makes sense though, some stuff just doesn’t make for the greatest tv, and this was...............okay, if you can stand chill, simple stories without any real drama ala Oxygen the series.

the only real standout thing to me was how cute jin and bbomb were together even though i was never entirely sure why they liked each other. and bizarrely, i could actually easily see the confusion/conflict to sorta realization coming from jin when he started developing feelings for bbomb even though i didn't understand why he started liking him back? he's unsure, he's confused because emotions can be a jumbled mess that are hard to untangle. it was about as weirdly realistic as it was frustrating to watch at times. because of that, i felt mostly understanding towards jin's character so he didn't annoy me as much as he did other people since I mostly understood where he was coming from, but. yes, it was annoying to watch sometimes.

i would've forgiven him even more if they stuck the landing (ending) better but, uh, oh well.

(also, the cuddling? there's so much cuddling in this series. that, the drunk dorm puppy pile, and the head in lap scene was adorable. i think that's about the closest i could ever get to describing the plot of this show lmao)

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Surprisingly good

Going in I didn't have very high expectations but this series turned out to be very good. Yes, the story is the same old college BL story but the acting of every character is good. There is no unnecessary music and random sounds in between so it feels very natural. The actor playing the character of Jin is extremely cute and charming. The main lead has a nice chemistry as well. You'll find a lot of familiar faces in this drama too.
It's a good series to watch.
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What Nitiman did right (among all the flaws it has).

Is not a secret that Nitiman is not the series of the year, I can see it getting between 6.5 to 7 through the time when more viewers without the hype of the weekly came to see it.

Buut, I don't want to talk about its flaws, a lot of people have already stated them. I want to highlight some of the greatest things I see in this series that make me feel really satisfied with it.

1. Keam's confusion.
I really enjoyed how Nitiman showed a character that wasn't meant to be bad but was just confused with his feelings towards his girlfriend, his first love, his friend, and -overall- himself. A lot of people complained about him not decided who he really loves, and how he ghosted his girlfriend... actually, I think that the lack of background setting of his storyline makes this character hard to understand, but when it comes to his weird feelings I got related. I mean, feelings ain't easy, a lot of people think that love someone when, actually, they are in love with someone else. Me, myself, got through something like that with one of my ex-girlfriends, it was hard, I thought that I loved her but also came to the picture one past love, and things got worst... so, presenting a character that is that confused and that apparently is into three persons without touching the polyamorous thing, was a great representation of a lot of people struggles in relationships in real life. So, great doing here.

2. How they don't make Aim the villain.
I think that the way they worked Aim's character was well done. Some people theorized that she was a villain in the making, but in the end, she was the mastermind behind the group bringing BomJin together.
SIDENOTE: I know that I wasn't gonna talk about the flaws, but I really hate the feeling that Jin was manipulated to fell for Bom, I mean, it looked like it wasn't his choice, everyone was behind the plan to make them a couple, I just think that Jin was really naive there and end up with Bom because of his friend's actions. If they were not creating a lot of situations and saying a lot of things to make him fell for Bom I don't think it will be that easy for them to be a couple, #JusticeForJin

3. Jay and Ball.
Weird, huh?
Actually, I think that these characters were the most intriguing and interesting in the whole series. There was no character development for them, but somehow it feels like it was. I would love to see a season two focused on the couples of KeamBall and SongJay (Love Stage doesn't count, they are totally different characters hahahaha)

4. Bom's mom.
I love supportive fathers -of course- and I do enjoy non-supportive ones too because life is full of both of them. But I have never seen in any drama so far a father that speaks so clearly about how there is an expectation about what we want for our children and that when these things don't go the way we want it's gonna be disappointing but it doesn't mean that we are gonna hate or make things difficult for our children, in the end, we want them to be happy too.. and I do love that they embody that with Bom's mom. She was so straightforward about it and I stan.
Sidenote #2: I could be the kind of father that would play my son's boyfriend (if it is the case) that kind of joke just for the sake of the joke... so, 2 points more for her hahahaha

5. Their quotidianity.
I have read in a lot of forums and subreddits how people complain about how series don't show them studying or eating properly as normal persons. Here they do!!! Even tho, now people argue that it was too much, so crap you people, stop complaining about everything. (Pardon my french).

6. The length of the series.
I do believe that I would have ended hating the series if it would have had one more episode, so I think that they did right there.


I think Nitiman is an ok series at best and it deserves a chance for newcomers to see it, so hoping someone can enjoy it.

See ya!

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Absolutely underrated

Just a quick review to add my 2 cents because I don't understand why people rate this drama so low

First: the music. I am rarely swayed by the music in a drama, but I absolutely loved the music in this one. I also love the fact that the singers in the band, both lead and backup, could actually sing. So many times, the directors (or producers or whoever) put someone up to singing a song when they really shouldn't. Not everyone is a born singer.

Second: I loved the characters.....pretty much all of them, especially by the end of the drama. Props to the side characters for carrying the leads to where they needed to be.

Third: I thought the storyline itself was unique. If one is looking for something really dramatic, this isn't it. But it was sweet and held my attention, and in the end you find out everyone's motives.

Please excuse the lower "rewatch" rating. I don't like to rewatch most dramas, It would have to be on the level of "Goblin" for me to want to rewatch. Not much measures up to that, at least in my opinion.

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