AKAshon
This review may contain spoilers
Should'n't Have Been Made...
I was really excited when this mini-series was announced! 2gether was my gateway drug into the world of BL and will always have a special place in my heart. My expectations for this series was high! However, a part of me felt that I was going to be disappointed, which after watching Episode 1, I unfortunately am. This is what I was worried about; that this mini-series won't be any good... And it wasn't (so far). It felt forced, unnatural and kinda dull to be honest. The charm, the klig, the magic of its predecessor series have disappeared. Even the last several episodes of 2gether were better than the first episode of Still 2gether in my opinion.
I'm not a fan of the desaturated look for this series, which is a stark contrast to the vibrant colors of 2gether, though it is understandable as it was filmed and released during the COVID crisis, which may have caused the production to be limited. Or at least, that's what I'm thinking. Hopefully, they didn't just skip the color grading just to rush-release this series.
The backtracking by providing answers to Sarawat's actions like why he didn't visit Tine in the hospital, or why he let Pam hug him or why he let Mil take Tine to the hospital, is understandable though kinda tasteless in my opinion. What's done is done. Like what Sarawat said in the first episode, "Let bygones be bygones. We shouldn't bring it up." The writers should just improve from there. There's no point backtracking, which seems like a cheap attempt to save face and cover their tracks, especially when the answers were half-assed.
It is directed by Backof, who directed Dark Blue Kiss and my favourite BL (thus far) He's Coming To Me, who is also gay too! However, so far his efforts with this series are lacking. The directing and editing seems a bit too janky and amateurish unfortunately. Probably due to them rushing through production and post-production to get this series out to the public as soon as possible.
The story also didn't make any sense. Tine and Sarawat has been in a relationship for a year yet Tine still gets shocked when he sees Sarawat naked or still refuses to let Sarawat touch his pecs. The other relationships also felt forced and I didn't care for them to be honest. The first episode had so much head-patting and awkward fan service but literally no tender, boyfriend-type affection at all. It actually felt like Tine and Sarawat's chemistry/relationship regressed from being friends in 2gether to being roommates. For some reason, they felt colder and more distant towards one another. On a related note, I wonder if there will be a kiss in this series as the high-five in the finale got SO MUCH HATE!
After the hugely disappointing first episode, Episode 2 was a nice breathe of fresh air that had some semblance of the kilig, charm and cuteness of the original series, 2gether, as Sarawat tries to serenade Tine as they work out the conflicts between their respective clubs. Whereas I could care less about the side couples in the first episode, I actually was quite interested in them in this episode, especially FrankMil. Though the intimacy scenes did still feel a bit forced (as if the series creator wanted to placate the fans), they weren't as blatant as those in the first episode and were quite nice, especially the snack game that a random P'Jennie initiated between WatTine. I'm excited for the next episode now!
Episode 3 was so dull and lifeless. Tine and Sarawat continue to act like roommates, not lovers. Tine being all emotional when Sarawat stayed at a friend's house for two weeks was awkward and cringey. The side couples though are good. The story doesn't make any sense. Why would a cheerleading club be practicing in a room anyways? Didn't they practice outside in season 1? Don't they cheer outside anyways, so what's the point of practicing inside. This series is adding NOTHING to 2gether. In actuality, it's tarnishing the charm of 2gether. Only the relationships of the side couples were interesting though still felt forced.
All in all, this series was kinda bad. It was completely unnecessary as it was boring and the story made no sense. It was nice seeing Sarawat and Tine being more intimate though.
I'm not a fan of the desaturated look for this series, which is a stark contrast to the vibrant colors of 2gether, though it is understandable as it was filmed and released during the COVID crisis, which may have caused the production to be limited. Or at least, that's what I'm thinking. Hopefully, they didn't just skip the color grading just to rush-release this series.
The backtracking by providing answers to Sarawat's actions like why he didn't visit Tine in the hospital, or why he let Pam hug him or why he let Mil take Tine to the hospital, is understandable though kinda tasteless in my opinion. What's done is done. Like what Sarawat said in the first episode, "Let bygones be bygones. We shouldn't bring it up." The writers should just improve from there. There's no point backtracking, which seems like a cheap attempt to save face and cover their tracks, especially when the answers were half-assed.
It is directed by Backof, who directed Dark Blue Kiss and my favourite BL (thus far) He's Coming To Me, who is also gay too! However, so far his efforts with this series are lacking. The directing and editing seems a bit too janky and amateurish unfortunately. Probably due to them rushing through production and post-production to get this series out to the public as soon as possible.
The story also didn't make any sense. Tine and Sarawat has been in a relationship for a year yet Tine still gets shocked when he sees Sarawat naked or still refuses to let Sarawat touch his pecs. The other relationships also felt forced and I didn't care for them to be honest. The first episode had so much head-patting and awkward fan service but literally no tender, boyfriend-type affection at all. It actually felt like Tine and Sarawat's chemistry/relationship regressed from being friends in 2gether to being roommates. For some reason, they felt colder and more distant towards one another. On a related note, I wonder if there will be a kiss in this series as the high-five in the finale got SO MUCH HATE!
After the hugely disappointing first episode, Episode 2 was a nice breathe of fresh air that had some semblance of the kilig, charm and cuteness of the original series, 2gether, as Sarawat tries to serenade Tine as they work out the conflicts between their respective clubs. Whereas I could care less about the side couples in the first episode, I actually was quite interested in them in this episode, especially FrankMil. Though the intimacy scenes did still feel a bit forced (as if the series creator wanted to placate the fans), they weren't as blatant as those in the first episode and were quite nice, especially the snack game that a random P'Jennie initiated between WatTine. I'm excited for the next episode now!
Episode 3 was so dull and lifeless. Tine and Sarawat continue to act like roommates, not lovers. Tine being all emotional when Sarawat stayed at a friend's house for two weeks was awkward and cringey. The side couples though are good. The story doesn't make any sense. Why would a cheerleading club be practicing in a room anyways? Didn't they practice outside in season 1? Don't they cheer outside anyways, so what's the point of practicing inside. This series is adding NOTHING to 2gether. In actuality, it's tarnishing the charm of 2gether. Only the relationships of the side couples were interesting though still felt forced.
All in all, this series was kinda bad. It was completely unnecessary as it was boring and the story made no sense. It was nice seeing Sarawat and Tine being more intimate though.
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