Cute Feel-Good Comedy

Shall I call this a comedy about four dysfunctional men in a cafe known for its desserts? One is afraid of desserts because of some traumatic childhood event One is afraid of women also because of some traumatic event. One has to start a new life because his boxing career is over thanks to a medical condition. One takes it upon himself to be a bodyguard to protect his "boss" except that he's not cut out to be a bodyguard. As you can expect, there will be plenty of funny situations.

But this is not a comedy that just makes you laugh. It can be a touching, if episodic and slight disjointed, story on the friendship between the four people and how the support the give one another help them cope with their personal crises.

There's a lot of cuteness in the story, and the more serious parts are not seamlessly worked in. Besides all the relatively trivial events, there is a series of kidnapping that goes in and out of focus in the storytelling. Children have been killed and the killings are not treated as jokes, but hey don't seem to be taken seriously enough. The scenes of dead children seem a little out of place. Perhaps there is a challenge when it comes to making a live-action adaptation of a manga. There is something cartoonish about the characters that enhances the humor but it may not go down well with everyone especially when it is juxtaposed with the scenes of child murders. (There is probably some unintentional social commentary: the police seem so thoroughly incompetent that they don't even think of what a journalist does: check the cafe's CCTV footage to try to find the kidnapper.)

Unlike previous drama adaptations, this one lets the gay character be all-out gay. He flirts openly with men and there is no attempt to downplay the character's sexual orientation, especially when his ex-boyfriend comes into the story. This is nice in itself, but perhaps we are too often teased with the prospects of a Punn/Weir romance. Since times have changed, why not make an adaptation with an actual BL subplot even if it is not between Punn and Weir. After all, if the adaptation 20 years ago could totally remove the character's sexual orientation, why can't an adaptation in 2021 add in a BL subplot?

Read More

Solid story, riveting throughout

I got to know about this series as I was looking at some of the Light On Series installments. Burning Ice has a sequel in Light On Series: The Long Night though Burning Ice isn't one of the Light On Series installments.

It's not often that we get a crime thriller with a solid story, excellent storytelling and nuanced characterization while also being thought-provoking. The gradual moral degeneration of Guo Yu, a lawyer who unwittingly gets embroiled in criminal activities is one of the best elements in this series. He can be naive, he can be devoted in love, he can be cowardly, he can be callous. Dai Xu brings the character to life, making Guo Yu both a person we can empathize with and a villain we condemn.

The suspense regarding the layers of truth beneath the serial killer dubbed Snowman is also maintained very well. We get to learn about the identity of Snowman early on, but even as we know more, the mystery deepens. Everything comes together very well eventually, and there isn't an implausible twist or unconvincing criminal motivation to mar the story.

In comparison to the sequel (a different story except for the character Yan Liang, the policeman), perhaps Burning Ice has a less exciting story. But it more than makes up for it with very compelling and interesting characters (who suit the story). My opinion is that The Long Night has an even more compelling plot, but most of the characters are not developed with the sort of nuance that we see in Burning Ice.

Read More

The story is a little confusing at first, and it took me some time to (kinda) realize what's going on between the characters though this could have been due to my own weakness at comprehending what is going on.

What I figure is going on is that Ray breaks up with Don because he (Ray) is going overseas to study and he's trying to change Don for the better by pushing him to be more driven and independent so that his full potential will be unleashed. The couple work in the same advertising company, and Ray enlists the help of Lin (a colleague) to pretend to be his girlfriend and trigger Don's jealousy or something. (I'm not sure if I get the logic entirely because I don't know what breaking up with Don and pretending to have a girlfriend has got to do with changing Don for the better or Ray's plans to go overseas.)

If we see more background about Ray and Don's relationship from the start and if we know about Ray's motivations earlier, the story will be be more moving. Unfortunately, the focus at the start is on lighthearted and funny moments (or what I thought were meant to be funny moments) that don't end up being all that entertaining. I also wish that the characters were better developed--Don is supposed to be a somewhat childish but certainly talented person but we don't see this quite clearly. Neither do we see how the break-up with Ray has affected him. Similarly, there could have been more depth to Lin: she's in love with Ray, but when did she fall in love with him and why did she agree to pretend to be his girlfriend?

We can't ask for too much in 40 minutes, but it isn't impossible to have more. Nevertheless, it's still a fairly watchable short movie that probably won't get on anyone's nerves.

Read More

Enjoyable although improvements could have been made to the plot

Because I enjoy this series quite a bit, my initial reaction to some comments I have seen was: “Why are people so harsh on it?” Yet, admittedly, it has a number of flaws.

The story spans three lifetimes, and the focus is on the third lifetime set in the contemporary era, but the flashbacks to the first two lifetimes seem somewhat inadequate. How did the two lovers fall in love in the first lifetime and, really, how deeply in love were they? I would be more convinced that Yeon Seok feels gratitude towards Ha Yeon in the first lifetime as she is kind to him and gives him a name. But romantic love? In the second lifetime, the two seem in love, but the story is a little thin.

I’m guessing that one reason for the lack of attention to the first two lifetimes is that there simply isn’t the space or budget for additional development given that this is a miniseries of only six episodes. Another reason could be that this is a series targeted at BL fans and paying too much attention to the first two lifetimes when one of the lovers was male and the other female might well backfire.

Still, one wonders if the story needs to be the way it is. [Spoilers ahead.]

For the third lifetime, is it necessary for Ha Yeon to look different now that he is a man BUT have a sister who looks exactly like his first two incarnations? What purpose does it serve? Also, the central obstacle to the relationship in the third lifetime is Ha Yeon’s uncertainty about whether Yeon Seok is really in love with him or in love with his previous incarnations. The complication of having a rival in love for Yeon Seok can simply be left out. In its place could be more space to explore the transition of Yeon Seok’s feelings so that the viewer is certain that he loves Ha Yeon for who he is in the third lifetime–even before Ha Yeon realizes that Yeon Seok has been in love with the same person for three lifetimes. There could also have been more attention on how Ha Yeon falls in love with Yeon Seok in the third lifetime, such as through scenes of the effect of Yeon Seok's books on him, etc. If the development of the affections of the couple had been done well, I would have felt more for the couple when Ha Yeon has a misunderstanding that Yeon Seok does not love him.

Despite the flaws, I did find watching the series quite enjoyable.There is some unevenness in the pacing, but it is still fairly acceptable given how short each episode is. The story is quite economically told, and while there may be constraints in budget, it doesn’t feel that much like a low-budget production. I might add that at least I feel involved enough to want to see the main characters end up together, unlike in some recent BLs I have watched (e.g. Gen Y 2, by which I would be more entertained in the couples are randomly paired up).

Read More

A good remake

I watched the original Japanese series quite some time back, but based on what I can recall, this remake uses the same basic story as the 2018 seven-episode series (not the 2016 single-episode one or the subsequent series with similar titles).

The story is now set in Hong Kong instead of Japan, but the changes to the main characters are minor as far as I can remember. The humor is perhaps given a bit more of a Hong Kong style, especially in the case of Edan Lui and his exaggerated expressions as Tin Yat Hung.

The story isn't really spectacular as BL, but I appreciate the range of likable characters with different predicaments and relationships. Perhaps the 2018 Japanese version had an edge over this remake because viewers knew less what to expect: will the ossan manage to win the love of his crush, for instance? Since the HK remake uses the same story, the ending isn't much of a secret, so many viewers already know how the ossan will end up.

For me, having watched the original one some time back did not mar my enjoyment of the remake. Perhaps this was because enough time had passed for me to forget quite a bit of the original. Perhaps the remake has its own peculiar flavor. I did appreciate the title a bit more because, (spoiler ahead) despite all the humor and lightheartedness in the story, the ossan's love is really touching. KK (the ossan in this remake) decides to give Tin and Siu Muk his blessings, and the latter are brought together by his selfless love.

This is worth a watch if you enjoyed the original and also worth a watch if you haven't watched the original.

Read More

Surprisingly, this is BL and not bad

This series will not alienate those irritated by how BL is transformed into bromance in series from China.

While China effectively has a ban on BL series, this has not stopped the entertainment industry from adapting BL books into series, usually with the BL censored and turned into some sort of bromance. In this case, the series deserves credit for not twisting the BL into bromance, which can put some people off. This series is very much BL because it is so obvious that the main characters are in love. (Perhaps the BL is still diluted, but it has not been transformed into something else.)

The story goes that Shao Yi You's father hires Shao Yi Liang to pretend to be Yi You's half-brother. The explanation for this is a little bizarre--it's supposed to help Yi You overcome a psychological condition, which he has during competitions, by letting him have a friend. Yeah, this guy supposedly has no friends. .... Oh wait, actually he does at least one friend, a girl who has gone overseas. (This series does have a couple of inconsistencies in characterisation, but these do not mar the story in general.)

After Yi You's initial hostility towards Yi Liang wears off, their relationship is pretty cute. Their feelings are clearly romantic though Yi You seems more sure about his feelings. Yi You gets visibly upset when he is reminded that they are brothers (of course they aren't). When the pretense is almost exposed by Yi You's friend, Yi Liang spins some sob story to convince Yi You that they are really brothers, and, again, Yi You looks miserable. The delight on his face when he overhears Yi Liang talking and finds out the truth about Yi Liang's identity is priceless. On Yi Liang's part, he gets upset when he sees Yi You hugging his female friend and secretly spies on Yi You talking to an ex-teammate.

BL's in China will, for a long time to come, have to contend with censorship laws. But those producing BL-based series are getting rather good at circumventing the censorship laws. Sure, we are not going to see kissing scenes, not to mention passionate bed scenes, but the strong romantic feelings can still be craftily portrayed. A series like Precise Shot can still capture a segment of the BL market because the love portrayed is innocent and pure whilst being quite intense at the same time.

Read More

Flawed, but LBC2 does offer closure

Viewers are justifiably upset after watching the first episode, but I think this series doesn't deserve to be hated so much.

Admittedly, there are a few undeniable weaknesses, amongst which are:

1. Many fans are expecting a continuation of the Tin/Can story from LBC1. Unfortunately, it is rebooted and the story of Tin/Can is shifted to later in the timeline. Originally, they meet about the time Ae and Pete become a couple, but in the reboot, they meet after the largely unexplained breakup of Ae and Pete. This can be rather disorienting and we have to wait for about have the series before we get the equivalent of the part of the Tin/Can story that LBC1 left us with. (We have to remember that a lot of the issues are directly or indirectly because of the fact that it is now virtually impossible to get both Perth and Saint to star in the same series.)

2. The Tin/Can story is cute but it is not as moving as the Ae/Pete story. It has the potential to at least come close, but there is significant missed potential. We can see why Tin falls in love with the innocent and uninhibited Can, but there isn't enough focus on how much Can really means to Tin. We do see it, but not in a way that really leaves a deep impression. In some ways, Season 1 does this better (although I would like the Season 2 version of Tin a little better if he were a real person). In the end, the depth of Ae's love for Pete (especially because of Perth's good performance) threatens to overshadow the story of Tin and Can that LBC2 is supposed to focus on.

[Ae/Pete's breakup isn't explained in the series except through the reference that Pete has broken up with Ae for Ae's sake. According to the accounts of the novels I have seen, Pete's wealthy father objects to their relationship and does pretty nasty things to Ae's family, and in the end Pete breaks up with him so that he doesn't have to suffer more.]

3. LBC2 focuses on Tin and Can, but Can's character lacks development. Apart from the moment when he acts carefree despite being miserable after losing the football match, he is too much of a one-dimensional character. This is possibly due to the series' tendency to feature too much couples, leaving little time for any proper development of Can's character.

Nevertheless, I find that unfavorable comparisons with Season 1 may also go a little overboard. and there are some things that are likable about Season 2:

1. The focus on too many couples and characters is a problem in Season 1 too, though many of us may just remember the essence of the Ae/Pete story, which is really well done. Unfortunately, for Season 2, the shifts from one character/couple to another may worsen the sense of disorientation viewers have in the first few episodes.

2. Once we realize how the story has been rebooted, the story does get better. The second half of the series (essentially the continuation of the Tin/Can story after what Season 1 covers) is considerably better and closer to the quality of Season 1.

3. there is no reason for Pete to be totally missing from Season 2, but I think the production team has coped quite reasonably well with the problem of not having Saint to act as Pete in Season 2. There is obviously the possibility of replacing Saint with another actor, but the Perth/Saint pairing is too iconic for either of them to be replaced. While Saint (disappointingly) does not even make a cameo appearance in Season 2, there is still a happy ending for Ae/Pete: Ae slowly gets over his misery and starts a social media page in which he posts a picture of himself every day to show Pete that he is well and that he misses him. In the last episode, it is revealed that Pete has been viewing Ae's page all this while--there is even the clever use of an actor for Saint's character: we only see the bottom of Pete's face, but we see tears flowing down. And in the end, Ae receives a message from Pete saying that he is back.

This is probably the last season of LBC and the ending is about as good as it can possibly get given the limited number of episodes and the difficulty of getting all the original actors together.,

[From what I have found out, Pete does return to Ae in the novel version even though it happens after Ae has graduated and become an engineer. Pete's father is dying and can no longer try to separate them.]

4. Ultimately, the series gives us closure for a lot of the characters. Tin and Can have a happy ending. Ae and Pete face problems but the happy ending is more than just suggested. Techno and Kla also end up together (though the issue of how Kla has raped Techno in Season 1 is going to leave many feeling upset). We see Tar (the same character in TharnType who is raped because of Lhong) becoming a happier person, and we see something developing between Tum and Keen (a new character). The conflict between Tin and his brother, Tul, is also largely resolved and Tul also has his happy ending with the man he has always loved, Hin.

Eventually, those of us who have been craving for the happy ending for Tin/Can since Season 1 do get what we want. Although the delivery isn't perfect, we do get closure. At times, the closure seems to come too easily (such as the resolution of the conflict between Tin and his brother who, in a rather labored twist, turns out to be a much less villainous person. However, I'm personally happy that there is Season 2 for closure rather than just Season 1. It's like getting the present I have been wanting although it comes with some defects.

Read More

A few interesting cases, but the quality is inconsistent

There are a few interesting aspects of the series, but it can't really seem to make up its mind what it wants to be.

As a detective show, the series does offer us a few fairly interesting cases at the start. However, it soon seems to go off track and becomes unnecessarily focused on the romance subplots, practically changing the genre for quite a few episodes. (One particularly unnecessary romance element is the part about the female lead's classmate having a crush on her. He would function better in the series simply as her best friend.) The romance parts may not appeal to fans who are here for the crime or mystery elements. Yet, if you are into the romance genre, do be forewarned that at least one of the romance subplots is twisted back into the crime story focus, though the maneuver does not seem
necessary.

In the last few episodes, there are also moments of sentimentality that do not really work well. The last episode, for instance, seems like an unnecessary and draggy addendum that is thrown in almost as if the writers realized that there are some loose ends. Unfortunately, it may instead serve as a reminder that there are some plot holes. For instance, if the drug that the villains are trying to develop works so well in the female lead, they have actually found a safe version of the drug many years back. Why the need to continue experimenting with versions of the drug that are less effective and cause deaths? (The side effects of the drug, as experienced by the female lead, are quite a small price to pay for having severe diseases like Alzheimer's cured.)

There are some glimpses of good acting and characterization, however.

The actor, Zhong Kai, gives an effectively understated performance as the main villain in the show, Gu Shi Qing. I guess it is partly thanks to the direction, but he does exude a slightly mysterious air from the start that makes one wonder if he is really the good person he makes himself out to be. It doesn't come as much of a surprise that he is the villain, but I don't think it is intended to be surprising. The character, who is pretending to be a good-willed philanthropist, is played well by Zhong. Before Gu becomes the obvious villain, we may wonder if he has simply unwittingly inherited some shady business. Zhong has to play the part of a cunning hypocrite who is good at beguiling others but still give a hint of having something to hide, and he does it well.

Another character that I find interesting is Xu Zhe, who basically transforms from the good-looking romantic lead of a lighthearted idol drama into a darker character. I like the way his character is conflicted and eventually finds his conscience, but the writing mars what could have been an interesting character. It is a little too over-the-top when he turns violent and almost kills the woman he loves. Overall, he clearly isn't such a violent person and has qualms about what he is doing. He also finds his conscience a tad too abruptly. We could have seen the inner conflict in him more before he finally makes up his mind to go against the main villain.

Of the three romantic couples in the show, the one given the least attention (Ruyu and Zisheng) is actually the only one I like in the end. The couple provides some humorous moments in the series but this isn't excessively done or cloying. In fact, they only become a couple in the last episode although it is clear that Zisheng likes Ruyu from the start. The story of the main couple isn't as moving or interesting as it could have been. In fact, given the youth of the female lead (she isn't even eighteen at the start of the series), things can be awkward, especially when the male lead and Gu Shi Qing seem to be rivals in love at one point. Though age difference isn't an issue in consensual relationships, having grown-up men (one of whom has been sponsoring her from the time she was a kid) vying for the love of an underaged girl seems a little inappropriate. )Especially with the female lead saying things like she wants the male lead to wait for her to grow up.)

This reminds me of how the ages of the characters don't seem to make sense. At one point, one of Gu Shi Qing's employees is depicted as something of an old fogey who is in a high position because he is one of the contemporaries of Shi Qing's father. When the same guy is killed, it is revealed that this old man is of the grand old age of 42! Wow. Perhaps Shi Qing's father started fathering kids and being a scientist even before he reached puberty, but then he also already looks middle-aged 18 years back. (So did the 42-year-old man who is killed--he doesn't seem to be in his 20s during the flashbacks to the time the experiments were conducted 18 years ago.) And seriously, a 42-year-old man isn't exactly an old fogey who is soon to be retired, especially if we remember that Gu Shi Qing, the son of someone from the generation of the 42-year-old, is played by a 40-year-old actor.

Also: if (as mentioned in Episode 25), the female lead has had an experiment done on her 18 years ago when she was a child. Maybe I haven't followed the story closely enough, but it doesn't seem like years has passed since her eighteenth birthday in an earlier episode and she wasn't a newborn baby when experiments were done on her.

Despite several weaknesses, there are some interesting crime cases in the series. But if you skip some parts, you probably won't miss much either. Whether you like crime/mystery dramas or romantic dramas, there are probably better choices.

Read More

Hits all the right spots for me

Despite not having a strikingly original story, 2gether manages to hit all the right spots for me as a wonderful BL.

The premise of the story probably does not sound like something that would immediately draw one into watching the series: Tine asks Sarawat to pretend to be his boyfriend so that he (Tine) can shake off a guy (Green) who is chasing him relentlessly. Of course they fall in love for real--what else do you expect? Never mind that Tine is straight; anyone who knows even just a little about BL knows that in the world of BL, any cute straight guy can fall in love with another guy and be totally devoted to him.

The series is surprisingly good though. Apart from the BL element, the story can be rather hilarious as a lighthearted comedy. Very often, scenes that are otherwise possibly quite dull turn out to be rather engaging. In the scene where Tine tries to learn how to play the guitar using an app, for instance, his friends promise to be with him and not fall asleep only (of course) to end up falling asleep--one of them is even apparently using another friend's butt as a pillow.

The character, Green, appears to be one of those exaggerated effeminate characters brought in just for comic effect. But I'm glad that, given his pivotal role in bringing Tine and Sarawat together, there is actually more to him. Yes, his mannerisms seem over the top, but who is to say that such people don't exist? The important thing is that he is not brought in merely for comic effect but is given more attention and sensitive treatment that countless other such characters I have seen in Thai BLs.

The dynamics between the main characters are interestingly portrayed. Although there are viewers who joke that Tine must be really dumb not to realize that Sarawat is totally in love with him, I think he senses something quite early on but simply isn't sure. It's also obvious that his attraction to Sarawat starts quite early on although the character may not realize it. I think the first time it becomes rather obvious for us is when he watches Sarawat sing a song in the latter's room, but even the scene in which Sarawat agrees to be his fake boyfriend is rather telling. The sheer happiness in both their faces suggests something much more than just an agreement to pretend to be a couple, and Tine totally looks like someone he likes has agreed to be his boyfriend for real.

The scriptwriters have done a rather good job in showing Sarawat's love for Tine even before it's directly revealed. It is confirmed only later in the series that Sarawat has already fallen in love with Tine when he saw Tine for the first time at a concert, even before they meet in the university. This means that when Tine keeps bugging Sarawat to pretend to be his boyfriend, Sarawat is already in love with him. Some find it strange that Sarawat would appear hostile to Tine and keep calling Tine a nuisance since he is in love with Tine. But we see what Sarawat is thinking in one scene where Tine asks him to pretend to be his boyfriend,explaining that Green has been pestering him, To Tine's dismay, Sarawat retorts that maybe he (Tine) would enjoy being pestered one day. And that's basically what Sarawat is going through: despite appearing cold towards Tine, he is secretly enjoying being pestered by Tine.

The director has also hinted at Sarawat's love for Tine early on, such as in the music club's welcome games for new members: Sarawat is characteristically uninterested in all the activities, and the only time he seems to be interested in the games is when he is paired with Tine.

He remembers the first chord he teaches Tine, he secretly keeps the guitar pick that Tine stupidly breaks into two, he pretends to lend Tine a guitar he hardly uses when he has intended to give it to Tine from the start, and he refurnishes his room because Tine says that it looks haunted, he immediately turns up with snacks for the cheerleaders when Tine complains that he is hungry. (Ok, Tine actually jokes that he would like Sarawat grab his boobs (what boobs?) if Sarawat brings him snacks, but I'm sure he would do it simply because his Tine is hungry.)

<>

Episode 12 of the series got a lot of flak for the way it introduced Pam, supposedly Sarawat's first love but more like the first person Sarawat fell in love with (for a short time) before he sees Tine. Some people were not happy with how Pam turns out to be in love with Sarawat and tries to get him to leave Tine. (In the novel, Pam is just a friend although she is the first person Sarawat is in love with.) I have not read the novel, but I find myself preferring the way the series brought the tension to a high point with a more complicated misunderstanding. (But of course, both the novel and the series may be good in their own ways. It depends on how the medium is used.)

The series is not without its flaws, to be sure. The episodes after Tine admits to his brother that Sarawat is his boyfriend do suffer from some transition problems. I may have to rewatch the episodes to be sure that this is a fair statement, but I find Tine's sense of insecurity about his relationship with Sarawat a little too suddenly. I know that the more he cherishes the relationship, the more he fears losing Sarawat, but Tine's inner world could have been explored further (without really needed many lines, really).

The last episode also had some weaknesses in editing, with cuts to the side characters being rather sudden. The editing of the flashbacks is also not always well-executed and even potentially disorienting. But these are not so severe as to affect our understanding of the story.

What is possibly more serious is how the final episode is not made to be particularly touching. It is overall still good, but the flashbacks actually have unfulfilled potential. They are not fully utilized to show how much Tine misses Sarawat after leaving him due to the misunderstanding about Pam. I'm still rather satisfied with the ending. It's just that the most memorable scenes take place from Episodes 1 - 11, and there isn't anything particularly memorable when the couple make up or after that. Tine's voiceover speaks of a relationship that stands the test of time, and I wish this had been shown more, kind of like the way Season 1 of SOTUS ends.

Although some viewers have commented that the actors seem awkward or lack chemistry and others have complained about the lack of kissing and sex scenes, I have a different opinion. I don't find the acting awkward. Win is very good as Tine, conveying Tine's latent attraction to Sarawat and confusion about his relationship with Sarawat well. The happiness he exudes when Tine is with Sarawat and the affection he has for Sarawat are remarkably conveyed without resorting to kissing to show intimacy. In Episode 11, Tine asks Sarawat if he thinks their relationship would last ten years and Sarawat says it will be more than ten years, the cautious delight on his face was naturally shown, and I can see that Tine really wants it to be true yet doesn't dare to be too happy about it because he's still feeling insecure. I think choosing an actor who looks the role may be one reason for the success, but I saw a trailer (made before the series) and Win gives markedly different vibes in the trailer.

When I wrote the first part of the review before the end of the series, I mentioned that there are two bad things I can get out of watching this series. The first is that it would leave a void when it ends (though I have to say that Episodes 1-11 contribute the most to this). The second bad thing is that it's one of the series that will remind me of a kind of relationship I can only wish for but never have.

Read More

Fairly interesting cop drama with some implausible events

As a cop drama, this series has a rather decent story about an undercover mission to infiltrate a drug smuggling network.

The quality is compromised by several rather implausible scenes, such as those of people getting gunshot wounds but still walking around quite easily and healing really fast. (Perhaps this is rather common in the genre, but it seems rather glaring in this one). Things also get somewhat ridiculous at times, such as in the last episode when Guan Jie shoots the drug lord right in front of the drug lord's armed guards who have their guns pointed ready to shoot--the guards do nothing even as she shoots the drug lord.

To its credit, the story is fairly decent overall, with a couple of good twists, and it features at least decently choreographed action sequences and camerawork. However, there are a few narrative threads that aren't given a chance to be developed fully before the story changes course. Zhang Chen and Guo Yang's tactics do not really seem to gain them much mileage for several episodes though it would have been more interesting, say, if they had managed to do more with their infiltration into Shen Yu's circle in their attempt to deal with the drug lord, Zhang Jiu.

There are also baffling elements in the story, such as Zhang Jiu's manipulation of the people around him. Zhang Jiu has supposedly taken over his father's drug business after his father dies two years before when Zhang Jiu was only seventeen. The sidekicks he has around him are logically people he has managed to get after his father's death. While Zhang Jiu may well have been learning the ropes from his father, it seems implausible that he has managed to do the things that he has supposedly done within two years, such as gaining Guan Jie's loyalty to him by rescuing her from the pits of poverty. Apparently there is enough time for Guan Jie to study medicine and become a doctor while also going around being Zhang Jiu's top sidekicks.

The romance elements seem rather weak, and almost seem like an overly zealous attempt to disavow the story's BL origins. Guo Yang's love for his ex-girlfriend doesn't seem convincing, and he certainly seems to have a closer bond with his "buddy" Zhang Chen. On the part of Zhang Chen, there is some unnecessary and ambiguous toying of the idea of his affections for Guan Jie. While the removal of the BL elements may be inevitable due to China's censorship rules, the strong bond between the two men could have been given more attention. Instead, we sense the two becoming closer in the way they address each other, but there isn't enough focus on their emotions.

This could have been an interesting BL that doesn't rely on the campus setting for a story, and I do wish a different adaptation had been made by a Taiwanese or Thai production company. However, at least the series doesn't tease BL fans only to disappoint. It just seems like something is missing that doesn't quite get compensated.

Read More

So good at being good that this may be its flaw

Bad Buddy is probably the best conventional Thai BL series to come out in 2021. At the beginning of the year, there was A Tale of Thousand Stars, which was excellent and different from many conventional BL series. Then there were plenty of average to above average BL series that did not really shine.

The thing that first made me excited about Bad Buddy was the casting of Ohm and Nanon in the leading roles. Ohm has always been great in the roles he’s given, even the less important roles while Nanon always thrives with a well written role. Seeing Ohm and Nanon in the leading roles meant for me that Bad Buddy would not be one of those series with first-time actors trying their luck in a BL production; and most likely, the production team would not be amateurish as well.

Indeed, Bad Buddy did not disappoint. It is the perfect textbook example of how to do a conventional BL very well. The premise is not exactly original, but it is one that lends itself to endless variations. We have the sons of two constantly fighting families in the fashion of a Romeo-and-Juliet tale. At first, the two sons themselves seem to be engaged in a similar sort of rivalry, but soon it becomes clear that they are different from their parents.

Everything seems to hit the right notes in this series. Tension is mixed well with light humor. The portrayal of Pran’s love is suitably moving without being sappy. The pacing is also excellent. I doubt anyone will find it draggy or too fast. Quite quickly, we get to see Pran’s love for Pat, but the “unrequited love” part of the plot is not protracted for Pat also realizes soon enough that he loves Pran. When they become a couple, they face more problems together. (Not only are their parents always fighting, but their friends and faculties are always fighting too.)

There are the sorts of problems that drag on for too long in other series, but they get resolved fairly quickly in Bad Buddy. The effect is excellent as we get an overall lighthearted mood even though the problems that the couple faces become increasingly serious, culminating in their parents finding out about their relationship. We also get to see that two men may face problems but they love each other enough to not childishly fight and prolong any conflicts.

The series manages to avoid the problems that some other BL series have. It eschews having many side couples that can make the storytelling awkward and lacking in focus. It seems as though the team behind Bad Buddy has gathered a whole lot of feedback on other BLs and resolved to make one that doesn’t get all the usual criticisms. We see this when it makes fun of how BL characters claim that they are not gay (“I’m not gay–I only love one man.”). It also consciously avoids references to the BL couple as husband and wife. The series even cleverly manages to avoid the Penultimate Episode Curse (or the Episode 11 Curse which has the worst things like a break-up occurring in the second last episode), with Episode 11 focusing on the couple’s temporary “elopement” while showing their increasing awareness that they have to return home eventually. And instead of having multiple BL couples, the series is used as a means of testing waters for featuring GL. (The GL is cleverly kept ambiguous until the episode in which the women become a couple, so even if it is not well-received, any negative impact is likely minimized.)

What could possibly go wrong with such a series? Not much, to be fair. But perhaps Bad Buddy is so good at being good that we find few risks being taken. It is a lot of conventional stuff being done very skilfully. With such good actors and such a good team making the series, perhaps there could have been a stronger risk-taking spirit. Bad Buddy is a better production in so many ways than some of my favorite Thai BL series like Sotus, 2gether, He’s Coming to Me and Until We Meet Again. Yet, each of these other favorite BL series of mine has something that makes it more distinctive despite its flaws.

Bad Buddy is like a textbook example of how to make an excellent conventional BL series. But if I may have the audacity to be greedy, can everyone trying to make a BL series please learn the lessons that Bad Buddy has learnt but come up with something more convention-defying, something not as safe?

Read More

The premise of the story is straightforward: Five people (Don, Ryo, Plan, Por, Mo) are chosen to play a game created by this person or entity known as Wolf. If they complete 5 missions, they win a sum of money.

There are several questions that remain unanswered. Firstly, the missions take place in many countries, but somehow Wolf is able to film the action, even in private places like people’s homes and hotel rooms.

Secondly, the action is broadcast, and people can watch the game. Why do so many of the people approached by the contestants seem to be unaware of the game and why do people not bother to tell them even though the game seems to be such a costly and major production?

Thirdly, Wolf seems like an omniscient, godlike presence who knows more than what any hidden cameras can reveal, but the characters are unperturbed by how Wolf has access to information about, say, one’s ex who has died ten years ago and the locations of people one has met years ago?

However, if we ignore these oddities, each of the five main characters’ stories can be interesting, particularly Don’s.
At the start, Wolf’s missions simply seem utterly unethical. However, it soon becomes clear that the missions help the players change for the better while also helping their targets learn something even if they learn a lesson (such as not to trust others too easily) the hard way.

Overall, the series is interesting and entertaining in its parts, but when there doesn’t seem to be anything more when the parts are added together. Apart from the intersection of Por and Mo’s stories, the other stories barely converge.
My favorite of the 5 contestant’s stories is Don’s story followed by Ryo’s.

Don’s story is well-developed, and the changes in his character are clear. At first, he seems to be the most callous person of the lot because of his willingness to charm an innocent girl into having sex with him by claiming to love her, but it is later shown that he has become like this because of a past relationship. By the end of his second mission, in which he has to stay with a girl without touching her, it is clear that he has changed. At one point, we see him ignoring Wolf’s message when he completes a mission to get a woman to smile again, which is a hint at how he is helping her sincerely and not to complete his mission.

Ryo, the youngest character, vacillates between exuding youthful innocence and developing toxic masculinity. Like the other contestants, the process of playing the game changes him for the better. His innocent crush on a schoolmate, something which he has kept to himself for a long time while boasting to his friends about his non-existent sexual exploits, remains one-sided, and he learns to accept rejection and respect women in the process of the game.

Plan’s story is good but somewhat predictable. He is shown to be a troubled character from the start. His preoccupation with money stems from the death of his mother because of the lack of money for her medical expenses, and it’s not hard to guess what lesson he has to learn. He starts off being someone who can be callous to others for the sake of money, but later becomes truly sorry for what he has done. Unfortunately, the reason for his change is not clear. The mission in which he forms a friendship with a lady addicted to shopping because of her emotional issues is more memorable than the other missions he has, and is probably the turning point in his development.

Por starts off being a playboy with no qualms about hurting the women he has relationships with. In the process of playing the game, he changes somewhat, deciding to be brutally truthful to an ex about his mission to make her fall in love with him again so that she would hate him instead of continuing to miss him. Nevertheless, the change in him does not seem all that deep.

Mo, an ex-girlfriend of Por, is still recovering from her breakup with the philandering Por. She learns to come to terms
with her feelings. She’s a likable character, but there isn’t much development.

Ultimately, the players are all winners—even those who don’t complete all 5 missions have undergone experiences that change them for the better. Their individual stories are at least quite interesting, but when put together, they don't quite give any extra satisfaction.

Read More

Engaging with an insane number of plot twists

The sequel doesn't quite have the same appeal as the first season, which is more focused on a group of youths discovering their potentials but eventually fighting against the director of the school who has created an unequal system and done some pretty heinous things.

Season 2 loses a lot of the sort of mood. This doesn't make it bad, but perhaps it will no longer attract the same audiences. Season 2 is very solid in terms of having an engaging story though it also appears that the scriptwriter(s) has decided to throw in plot twists just because it can be done. To be fair, the twists are deftly executed and can surprise even those who are already expecting some twists. Yet, this cleverness also creates a fictional world in which one can be sure of practically nothing, including the protagonists' goals and beliefs (or perhaps even who the protagonists are?).

Undeniably, Season 2 would have disappointed many people if it had ended up simply showcasing more and more special potentials the way it was done in Season 1. Instead, it seems like a smart choice to dwell more on the character of Supot and his past--complete with a couple of plot twists-- after introducing a few new characters and their potentials. The story is exciting and suspenseful, but perhaps we also find it hard to root for any of the main characters in particular. When we can no longer be sure what the students should be fighting or fighting for, it can also be an alienating experience though this is probably part of the point.

It is hard to pinpoint any aspect of the series that has been done badly. Everything is at least reasonably good though we may find that there are too many characters, some of whom are not adequately showcased. Punn is a character who is given a reasonable amount of screen time but there seems to be so much more to the character that I wish there had been more shown about him. The new character, Third, on the other hand, is an intriguing character who vacillates between been rather irritating and being rather lovable and doesn't seem to have been developed sufficiently. There are some nice Pang/Wave bromance moments to please fans, but again, I wish there had been more about their relationship (and the other relationships in the story). Perhaps the underlying problem is that the events unfold at a frenetic pace with multiple plot twists and something has to give way somehow.

The series could also have been more interesting thematically. While it surfaces the issue of inequality in society and of the question of how to have inequality when people may not be born all that equal (do we have to rely on special people to fight for equality?), it eventually seems to refrain from commenting strongly on the theme of inequality. In the final episode, the series even seems to circumvent the issue by suggesting that everyone is special in some way (plot twist: literally everyone is born with a potential) though Director Supot wants to activate and develop the potentials of those with certain traits like a high IQ. Then the series tries to emphasize that everyone should have the freedom and choice regarding how to live their own lives (choose whether you want to activate your potential, choose to undo it if you want), but is there really an equivalent choice in real life beyond the fictional universe? Ultimately, the society represented in the series does not become more equal though a force that threatens to make it more unequal is eliminated. Is the status quo of inequality (both in the series and in real life) acceptable then? This isn't really answered.

Still, the strength of the series is ultimately in the interesting story that is told very well. All the actors have performed their roles at least competently. I don't think it can reasonably be said to be a disappointment. It may not have maintained the same tone of the first season or share the same traits that have attracted us to Season 1, but it has its own appeal and is a worthy sequel (after all, Season 1 isn't perfect either, though I enjoyed it).

Read More

This one didn't rise well

Bake Me Please is a rather watchable BL. It could even have been quite good for those who do not mind predictable stories. However, certain weaknesses in plot development affected the characterization.

Shin is a baker in a bakery he has started with his friends, Oab and Guy. One might wonder how he even had friends to begin with because of his cold demeanor, but we can overlook this. Oab's mother makes his brother, Atom, join the bakery, and Atom in turn pulls his friend, Peach in. As you might guess, Shin and Peach fall in love.

The story doesn't quite impress with originality, but to its credit, it doesn't. It can be a fairly good run-of-the-mill BL. Unfortunately, some flaws do compromise the watching experience. Some parts lack coherence in somewhat bearable ways. Peach's grandmother has been clearly open to Peach and Shin having a relationship, but Peach behaves as though he is surprised when his grandmother is totally fine with it when Shin announces that they are dating.

The worst moments in the series are the rather forced turns in the behaviors of the characters to fit rather forced turns in the plot. The first of these turns is when Guy quits to join another bakery, tired of playing second fiddle to Shin all the time and probably because he is jealous that his crush, Peach, is a couple with Shin. Guy is a fundamentally good person, so it is odd that there is no sign of hesitation or struggle when he does some of the less than honorable stuff he does. Then there is Shin's behavior. Although he is socially inept and even harsh with his words, he is not an unreasonable person, especially after meeting Peach. However, he refuses to let Peach continue his friendship with Guy and breaks up with Peach simply because Peach goes for dinner with Guy. The poor plot development mars the characterization as well.

I think the writers should have opted for the feel-good factor throughout by developing the plot in a different direction. The story does end pleasantly, which salvages things somewhat.

Read More

Awkward piece of work

This one is clearly supposed to have been a BL series. This is not to say that it isn't BL. I won't even group it together with censored BL series from China in which the romance is turned into bromance or in which there are clever suggestions of romance between the main leads. This series can't be labelled easily and not in a good way.

As I said, it is quite clearly meant to be BL with some vague enemies to lovers trope. Apart from how it recycles songs from other Thai BL series, there are the tropes of Thai BL that by 2022 have mostly either gone out of fashion or become controversial, such as an effeminate side character and a conniving ex-girlfriend. Yes, what is the ex-girlfriend doing if not to break up the lead and his newfound love? I mean, she already seems quite unhinged if we assume that the deliberately causes her her ex's new love interest to be locked up in a sports facility--how much more unhinged would she be if we assume that she merely sees her ex playing basketball with his roommate and gets to jealous that she causes him to be locked up somewhere?

Unfortunately, even though the BL elements are not simply turned into bromance despite the mention of friendship on more than one occasion (at least in the Chinese dubbing and I don't think there is an uncut Thai version something), there aren't enough attempts to cleverly suggest romance. Instead, the emotional intensity of the scenes are lost. For instance, instead of fully exploiting Qin Jun Hao's jealousy when he sees his "roommate" with his arch-rival (or rather old friend-cum-rival) to suggest romantic interest, the portrayal of the jealousy is rather muted. When Yuan Zhi Ming disappears because he is locked up in the sports facility, Qin's panic is obviously not merely that of a friend, but again, there is no attempt to exploit it.

To make matters worse, the scene that best suggests romance is not between Qin and Yuan but between Qin and his friend-cum-arch-rival, Yi Tang. In a haphazardly inserted scene, Qin tries to trick Yuan into going into a room only to end up being locked up together with him there. Filled with a top/bottom joke, the scene ends with tenderness as Qin carries an injured Yi away. No one watching the scene can be blamed for thinking that Qin and Yi are the main ship. The series would have been better if there had been such a scene between Qin and Yuan.

I cannot help but feel that the series could have been so much better even with censorship. Qin, Yuan and Yi all have back stories, but these are not really fleshed out well. The change Qin undergoes after meeting Yuan is not clearly portrayed. Yuan has a guitar he treasures because it's a present from his father--something happened after he gets the present, but we don't know what. Yi has a brother who drowned (a storyline that is reminiscent of Between Us)--Yuan is the spitting image of his brother, but there is no attempt to show whether Yi manages to overcome his trauma and guilt because the subplot lacks development.

It is not clear why what is essentially a Thai BL (the studio, director and many actors are all from the Thai industry) is dubbed in Mandarin. It seems intentional given that even the songs have Chinese versions. I can only speculate that there are Chinese investors involved who wanted to promote the Chinese actors, though this may not explain why what is clearly supposed to be BL is turned into this awkward thing that can't even be qualified as a censored BL. (Perhaps it is meant to be streamed on Chinese platforms?)

Read More