I Promised You the Moon (2021)

The Heart Wants What it Wants

How is wish Oh Aew to move on, and decide to choose another man in his life.. But I guess we can't deny that there always something unexplainable about our heart. No matter how toxic or problematic it is, if that what your heart wants, that what u pursue for.

Ive never been cheated, so I might not really understand the impact of it to a relationship. Personally, I don't like the directors decision to portray Teh as a cheater. But I don't deny the realistic aspects of it. I do know a friend of mine that breakup due to his cheating BF but unable to 4get his BF for yeaaarrssss. He even regret his decision of not forgiving his BF while his BF begging to get him back. Basically, he can't move on as he thought he is.

It just that TEH has been well loved by audiences despite his flaws in ITSAY, this route as a cheater will only makes his character really unlikeable. I simply can't adore Teh anymore. And for OH, he just become a pitiful character in most common eyes.

But what's great about the direction of this series is that it portrays what happened between Teh and Oh Aew in a much more positive view than a negative one. While I'm ranting about Teh, Oh Aew took a different turn. Instead of wishing him ill, he able to find happiness to see Teh achieve what he wants. It feel fresh, and opened my eye a bit.

Plotwise, OSTwise, & cinematography.. its true that IPYTM did not beat it's predecessor ITSAY. But it did not make IPYTM any less from other series in market out there. It still has a compelling story, great actings & wonderful OSTs. It just ITSAY is a masterpiece on another level.

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They promised us nothing

As much as I absolutely adored and enjoyed I Told Sunset About You, this sequel disappointed me.

Frankly, Teh’s insecurities and self doubts from ITSBY never resolved and he became the biggest villain of this sequel. HE NEVER ONCE FOUGHT FOR OH. They broke up because he decided he was bored and wanted something new. He cheated (yes, cheated) He got rejected by his coach and then came back to Oh. Then when they broke up, he dated a woman while claiming to Oh that he’s never forgotten him. WHAT?! So while Oh focused on his career, his life, his confidence and himself, Teh decided to ho around. I honestly would’ve liked it if they didn’t end up together at the end.

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Still hits right in all the feels

Even if a lot of people were disappointed with how this season panned out, personally, I still loved it just as much as the first season. I rarely like second seasons but this one is an exception.

Sure I was also infuriated with Teh to the core when he did that to Oh-Aew. But how it was portrayed was so realistic that I felt it in my bones. I was crying my heart out when it happened. My biggest what if though is that "What if Jai actually wanted to snatch Teh away from Oh Aew? Will Teh really break up with Oh-Aew?" But I wanted to take the story as it is and my what if will have to take its rest.

I loved everything that they tackled in this season. We saw how couples grow up to be their individual person. We saw dreams getting shifted along the way (I was so torn about who to side when Oh Aew decided to stop acting). We saw how a temptation is so easy to come by when the relationship is already so fragile. We saw how a relationship is not all rainbows and butterflies. We saw Teh and Oh-Aew's journey. Billkin and PP embodied Teh and Oh-Aew so perfectly.

The directing and cinematography are still one of the bests I have seen in Thai dramas. It wasn't as aesthetic as it was when the location was set in Phuket but it still visually stunning. Rounding up the best things about this show is the OST. I want to kiss whoever is the musical director of both seasons because it is chef's kiss. The songs and background music amps up all the feels.

Overall, I am recommending all ITSAY fans to make sure to watch the second season because it is worth it.

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maybe love is just that simple, maybe i'm a teh apologist

The story of Teh and Ohaew has meant a lot to me. I started watching the first season "I told sunset about you" as I was coming to terms with my own sexuality and working towards self-love. I found myself wanting to find LGBTQ+ entertainment that wasn't hypersexual or tragic. "I told sunset about you" and "I promised you the moon" offer a relevant storyline, enchanting cinematography, captivating acting, and relatable characters. Not to mention the OSTs are beautiful and will forever be on my playlists. Teh is the character I found myself relating to the most in both the first and second season. He is a high achiever who places numerous expectations on himself and those around you. In "I promised you the moon" this characteristic allows him to attain his dream of being an actor however, it is also the downfall of his relationship. When Ohaew decides to choose a different career path, thus making Teh's dream of them being actors together unachievable, Teh is left feeling disillusioned and abandoned. It is interesting seeing Teh try to come to grips with Ohaew's decision and the change in their relationship dynamics. In the process of resenting Ohaew for changing, we see Teh change himself. What I came to realize is that Teh, made love too complicated, he put too many conditions and expectations, and of course he did, that is how he has always with the world, others, and himself. Though, I feel that the storyline of his extremely emotional affair with Jai disappointing because so many bisexual characters are relegated to being the cheaters, I could understand how Teh got to that point. The ending, however, pulled everything together. Teh realizes his mistake and slowly comes to terms with how his behavior had come between him and Ohaew. Hoon's monologue explaining that love is just about wanting to be with someone and how that should be enough, that "maybe love is just that simple", seems to summarize the conclusion Teh and Ohaew come to. Teh loves Ohaew, Ohaew loves Teh, and nobody would be able to replace that. What I love about this storyline is that it doesn't feel like a grand finale, and moments like this in real life never do. It just a decision. They decide that they want to be together and the only promise they make is that if they have an issue they will work on it together. No need for extravagant and immature promises of eternity. "I promised you the moon" is a true coming of age series.
(sidenote: I know I didn't talk a lot about Ohaew it is just Teh's character really resonates with me. Ohaew is an absolutely lovely character though and must be protected always)

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Slow & Depressing ...

Okay so this drama is not what I expected it to be, even it is some what enjoyable.

The first part was more like an awakening. Like a realization of a blooming of youth. Meanwhile in this, it will depict the changes that come with college life and access to adulthood. Once again I am in awe with his skills in conquering both of our hearts with the way he takes the character of Teh, the always avid dreamer and aspiring actor and then we have PP being his adorable self, taking us in an emotional ride by how well he shows Oh-aew struggles through the screen. The way they can draw emotions in their roles is truly amazing. PP with just his expressions alone can really makes us see the pain and suffering that his character is going through, that talent hasn't changed from the first season to this one, on the contrary their acting has only gotten better,

It's a trial and error this thing called LIFE., this is what I can establish so far from this drama, learning what you are or what to become, realizing the mistakes you make, and how you grow from that.

They could not have chosen better actors for this series. The chemistry between them is immaculate, you can feel it through your screen. You can see their emotions, and you feel with them. When they cry, you cry with them and when they're happy, you're happy for them. Not a lot of actors can make me feel like that. They portrayed the relationship, the ups and downs and the love so well this season. The final episode was so heartwarming. I was so happy when Oh-Aew said that he finally loves himself, I felt really proud.

Overall: It is a bit on the depressing side at times, but it does touch on what real life or what could happen after Uni.

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Love & Forgiveness

How do you overcome infidelity when you are a selfish dreamer and your partner does almost everything right to prevent it? This story is about how people with a great partner can still fall and maybe if they work on themselves, for their own sake, and are sincere, there may be room for forgiveness and a second chance. Maybe not for all couples, but for Teh and Oh-Aew.

Story - Each episode is a 1 year time skip. Teh x Oh-Aew's are now university students in Bangkok. Oh makes major decisions, one of which is to switch majors and that makes Teh spin and feel his love for Oh is changing. Teh makes of series of really bad mistakes, including allowing himself to get sucked into a fantasy of believing that he may have met his perfect match in his senior student Jai. This leads Teh to lie to Oh and get caught up in a kiss with Jai during a rehearsal of a play that doesn't have a kiss in it. Oh witnesses this and directly confronts Teh, giving him the opportunity to confess his feelings and come clean, but Teh choses not to. Oh even directly confronts Jai, who informs him that the kiss was his directly style, nothing more.
During the after party of Jai's play, Teh confesses his feelings to Jai, but is rejected when Jai tells him that he did that on purpose for the sake of the play. While this conversation is talking place Oh is inside the restaurant. After the confession/rejections, Oh and Teh start singing a duet and Oh notices that Teh is looking at Jai while singing the song. Oh leaves and Teh chases after him. They have a confrontation and Oh leaves. In a very telling scene, Jai steps out, looks at a devastated Teh, doesn't say a word and goes back inside. Of course, Teh realizes that he made a mistake. At the height of selfishness, he even tells Oh that fhe never intended to break-up with him or leave him, however, he doesn't say what he would have done if Jai reciprocated his feelings.

This story shows that even though Teh has a partner who wants to communicate truthfully and honestly, Teh is still struggling with some of the same issues that he had during Season 1. During their break-up, Teh dates a female actor who has the same dreams and goals as he does, but he still feels empty and ends that relationship. Teh and Oh meet by chance at Oh's company and have a talk. During this talk, the viewer sees that Teh has thought about his mistakes and has made changes prior to knowing if he would see Oh again. After Oh walks out of the play Teh wrote about their relationship and they have a confrontation in a parking garage, the viewer is left wonder if Teh and Oh will reconcile. After the wedding of Teh's brother, they have their reconciliation at the beach in Phuket and Teh goes public with their relationship by posting their photo on Instagram.

Not everyone is going to be happy with the ending. After 9 episodes of Teh putting Oh through hell, some viewers will prefer that Oh be with Bas or Q. However, as in real life, Teh and Oh have a deep connection, and decide to reunite, and spell out their terms before deciding to get back together. They move forward as adults, with Teh declaring that the Instagram photo will be their first problem to work through together.

The writing was outstanding. I went into Episode 5 being okay with a breakup and ended up cheering them on.

Acting/Cast - Acting was superb.

Rewatch Value - Probably only episode 5. I'm not into angst. I liked Episode 5 the most out of all 10 episodes. The acting, the themes of family, friendships, work, love and forgiveness were all beautifully woven in this episode.

Edited to add that the story was not 10 stars to me because this story could have told without the cheating.

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Bitter Sweet

I have to keep this short cause I wanna refrain from much spoiling... Ok so first I am letting it known my toxic trait is that I am a very petty/unforgiving person. If you're like me, you might not enjoy the ending. Meaning: I'm not a fan of the ending BUT it was still pretty damn awesome. This whole series (including S1) is one of my favourite BLs ever and it deserves all the high praise. From the story itself to the side characters is all equally amazing. This was heartbreakingly realistic and that contributes to my Love Hate for the ending. Definitely worth the watch if you're looking for something emotional af!

P.S. The familiar faces had me screaming and there's a ship I'm sad didn't sail
Enjoy...

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The Gamble of Love. (with a little ITSAY vs. IPYTM)

Personal Review / Thoughts : I Promised You the Moon!

A Gamble of Love -- 9.5/10.0

[This review contains spoilers. Watch first the part 1: I Told Sunset About You, and part 2: I Promised You the Moon]

Production Design / OST

• When it comes to production design, Nadao's ITSAY/IPYTM are really the best that I've ever seen in a series. The cinematography, lighting, colors, and transition of music gave us a cinematic excellence. The background music is always pertinent to the scenes and it gave additional intensity. Sometimes, there are scenes where I am just staring at the beautiful shots they made. Meanwhile, the OSTs will surely soothe your ears. I am glad that all of the new set of OSTs become a hit. For personal preference, I think that ITSAY'S skyline will always be the best.

Acting/Cast

• Billkin and PP never disappoint us when it comes to showing their talents. They manifested right emotions. Whenever PP's character is crying and hurt, the emotions transcend from the screen to the viewers. Billkin on the other hand made the viewers feel that he really fell in love with another guy. By just looking at Billkin's expressions and gestures, it already shows what are Teh's feelings.
• All the new casts also added a good flavor for the show. Top being a good friend and Khim being a fighter for her dreams. I like how they gave us a little story about Khim, Goy is really an amazing actress. I am surprised that Khim and Top are also in a relationship. Oab effectively showed a manipulative character that will made the audience be confused and mad. Oh Aew's new friends are the comfort characters, the friendship seems so realistic. I love how they gave a little screentime to Moraoyulok, Tarn, Hoon and Teh's mom. Of course, Bas appearance is one of my favorite part of the show.

Storyline / Plot

• This is where ITSAY and IPYTM become seperated. IPYTM focuses in the love story between the characters, while ITSAY gave us more than just a love story. Several fans were disappointed because of several reasons. I think one thing behind the disappointment is the high expectations that ITSAY brought.
• Cheating plot. This is really unexpected because Nadao chooses a plot where it involves cheating. They chose a problematic plot and that made some fans disappointed because ITSAY's storyline is more valuable. I hope that they made a plot where there's no cheating involve. Yes, this kind of plot is realistic, but not all couples went thru this thing. However, I personally think that they delivered the story well because people went crazy after episode 3 and 4. I am one of those who said that I am fine if Teh and Oh Aew will not be together at the end because of the cheating he made, but after all, it's still up to Oh Aew. His heart already chosen a guy, and that is Teh. Even Teh did a lot of shits, Oh Aew still gave him a chance. He knew that he might got hurt again, but he chooses to gamble. We will have different perception about this matter, because if I am Oh Aew, I will already gave up.
• The thing about changes in attitudes and dreams are the realistic for me. People changes over time, but that's a human nature. We are getting old, and we tend to realize and discover more things. The most important is how we adapt with these changes.
• They show us that Q has feelings for Oh Aew, but he never had a chance to admit it. I also feel that there is something more when Bas said that his life doesn't become exciting when Teh asked about him. When Teh posted the picture in the last part, they show us the reactions of Moraoyulok and Oh Aew's new friends. But the camera focuses on Q and Bas's reactions. Are we getting some side story???

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Love life from the moon and back.... What did I wri...

Woah, when it comes to season 2 they never disappointed making it. I still love the other characters tho. Bas and Q are still the best man in the series hahahahaha (I'm simply simping to the both of them)...

Back to the story.... I still kinda like the story flow , the chemistry is still there, the story line and plot. Still the best series from thai bl, I think no one can ever topped this yet. I thought they are gonna be friends in the end but it's a drama you know "happy ending" but I'm not complaining about it just that I'm expecting more of the story.

Music.... Woah it feels like nostalgic to listen to. The ost from the first season is my favorite!

Acting: 10/10 woooh!!!

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Nadao Is Brave for Taking this Path for I Promised You The Moon

What I loved about I Promised You The Moon is how it divided the fans of "I Told Sunset About You" Series. Without spoiling anything, the way they continued the story left a bitter taste to everyone but I still salute Nadao for telling these kinds of stories that are hard to swallow or talk about. With the direction of IPYTM, they initiated conversations among the audience, and as a result, the sequel took a hard hit among fans. Nonetheless, most are satisfied with how the series wrapped up.

I rated Story and Rewatch value 9.5 because IPYTM is just really hard to watch at times especially if you've fallen in love with the characters and seeing them mess it up is just saddening but one can't also deny the realness of how complex these characters are in this universe. Overall cinematography is still stunning visually just like ITSAY's. OSTS are still so good too.

I Promised You The Moon is a 10/10 for me and you have to watch and understand it on a deeper level to understand why it deserves to be a perfect 10.

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Life doesn't always go down a linear path

This part of the series definitely shows how life can change unexpectedly and we as people are never perfect.
Highest praise hands down goes to the acting. Just like in ITSAY, these didn't feel like one-dimensional characters. The facial expressions, body language and tension between silence really impacted scenes. The characters all contained depth and personality that made them who they are, all thanks to those who created them and those who played the roles. A massive round of applause to the cast.
Next is the music. All of the OSTs are beautiful and impact the flow of the storyline. Emotional and tugs at the heart strings.
Finally, yes, just like in ITSAY, IPYTM contains symbolism. Some of the symbols take some digging to find, but it's great how they repeat certain symbols to make you contemplate.
Though this is not a perfect series, IPYTM delivers raw, unapologetic emotion as the characters we've grown to love transition into young adulthood. Grab the tissues, because the roller coaster ride from ITSAY doesn't stop there.

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