Definitely worth the hype!
Surprisingly, for the length of this show, it didn't feel long at all. I've had shows with half the amount of episodes, feel longer. This kept me engaged and entertained despite the fact nothing drastic really happened.This is a sloooowwww burn on the BL aspect, which isn't my favorite, but SOTUS was successful in my book.
My only real "complaint" I guess is there is something about Singto's acting in this that just didn't sell me on the romantic chemistry aspect. Kongpop was brave, funny, and cheeky. Singto aced all of these areas in his role, however it just felt like the spark was missing between Singto and Krist. Krist did amazing in all areas, including the romantic chemistry. Krist has such expressive eyes. But something about Singto's acting just missed this mark and his smiles seemed forced in the show.
Overall it is worth the hype I'd say. SOTUS is a fresh and unique story, even all these years later!
Was this review helpful to you?
Is character-driven: It's so character-driven that the first few episodes are full of small talk. While this may be boring at first, and doesn't always help with pacing, it helps create a background for these characters, helping to detail the close relationships that they form. Each character has a different personality, even the side characters, and I'm happy to say that as main characters both Kongpob and Arthit are way more complex than they needed to be.
Teaches good values: Friendship, respect, loyalty, giving people personal space, it's in this drama. It even shows multiple varieties of love and affection between characters (romantic, friendly, fraternal, &tc.) without passing any of it off as comedic (i.e., sappy moments between friends are depicted in a positive light). There are characters listening to each others' ideas and problems without passing judgment, and, with the case of Kongpob, the show delves into what it means to protest another person's orders while still being respectful of that person.
Has good music: If that opening theme doesn't get your heart racing and blood pumping, you might need to be resuscitated, and if that closing theme doesn't get you feeling groovy, then you need to have some soul. :)
Representation-wise, this drama did a fairly good job depicting its LGBT characters. None of the characters' identities are based on who or what they like, and they're all treated like multi-faceted individuals. In contrast with other BLs, Kongpob and Arthit's relationship isn't about an "aggressive" guy harassing a "passive" one, but is rather a relationship that evolves and changes, reflecting the various roles the two boys have in each other's lives. It's definitely a slow-burn, (mostly Arthit's fault- Kongpob is an angel), but it's beautiful watching the boys' relationship turn into what it becomes.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Just one of the best Thai BL ever!
(English is not my first language)I'll try to be the more objective as possible in this review. SOTUS has a very special place in my heart, being both my first Thai BL and Thai drama. It's also one of my favourite drama ever.
But this series has a lot of flaws. The beginning of the story is very slow and some episodes can even seem kind of boring. At the beginning of the series, the story really focus on the SOTUS system and the hazing and not really on the love story. But thanks to that we can know better the different characters and the bond between them. I indeed liked the fact that all characters are important and have their place in the story. AND the women in SOTUS were not just some crazy or evil girl. They were a part of the band too, thing I really appreciated. About how the theme of hazing is treated, I think it was okay. Kongpob is against the SOTUS system but not totally, he recognises the good sides. In an interview, the actor playing Wad said that before shooting the series he was totally against the system, but the show changed his mind a little. This show is not anti-SOTUS but not totally pro-SOTUS either. We can't forget that SOTUS is a real social issue in Thailand and even if it can have his good sides, a lot of people suffered or even died because of this.
What I love in SOTUS was the love story. It was very slow but at the same time very sweet. Some viewers said that they didn't understand how the characters fell in love. Maybe it's because their feeling grew very slowly. But the feelings are here, I can assure you. And of course, because they're both men, they have more difficulties to show they are in love. Look at Arthit, he struggles so much and he's still the one that make their relationship progress the most. They both are very courageous. The chemistry between the two main leads is so great, Krist and Singto being good friends in real life.
Finally, I want to talk quickly about the BL aspect and the homosexuality issue. I like how it was treated. This story is a story of love before being a "real" BL. We don't have much intimate moment (it's not TharnType, indeed) but when they were I found myself to be so happy. Some people criticised the fact that both of the main leads refused to recognise openly that they were gay. But sorry, they are gay or at least bisexual. If not it's impossible for two guys to be in love aha. BUT, I liked how the series show that romance is beyond gender. My favourite quote is "I don't like men, I like P'Arthit". This quote doesn't mean : "I'm not gay but I am gay just for P'Arthit". It's impossible. But according to me, the message behind this is that Kongpob is bisexual, he has an interest for woman but he still fell in love with a man and he doesn't want to be with anyone except P'Arthit. Just that. He loves P'Arthit, period.
Try this drama, it's worth it ;)
Was this review helpful to you?
The acting done by the leads and supporting characters are really very good considering it was the first for many and we have seen horrible examples of first (like the beginning episodes of Love Sick), in contrast this one was excellent.
The role of Aim was a bit off too but similar to what he did in the Waterrboyy Series.
And the chemistry between the two leads is also a bit blurred as it didn't quite feel like they have spent 2 years together, still so shy??? Seriously???
Was this review helpful to you?
The story is about the SOTUS system of the the engineering program in Thailand and it was well executed by the actors. The main point of the story was given emphasis and I applaud the cast and crew for that. As for the romance part of the story, it was well blended with the main point of the story. I loved how they did this. It is a masyerpiece indeed. The main couple and even the side couple and casts really did well in telling the story to the viewers.
The cast was visually perfect and I love their visuals. I’m not really bothered by the casting rather I am more in the acting, well the acting was indeed great and well executed. The actors and actresses really did well portraying their roles. Indeed, room for improvements is still their but nevertheless, they did well especially Singto who delivered Kongpob very well! I applaud hin for that. For Krist, I was a bit hesistant because I can see that he was holding back in the role but overall he also did well on his part.
My little concern is that I was a bit confused because of the couple position, I was confused and shocked on who was the seme and uke but their acting did the work and I finally came with terms of the situation I totally ship the decision for their position. ?
This series is a masterpiece even though there are still room for improvements. I love this series and especiallg the couple.
Was this review helpful to you?
This was my first of many bl’s
I honestly just loved this show. it’s cute and light. it was the first bl i ever watched so who knows maybe i’m biased. since then i’ve watched countless bl’s and i can still say this one is one of my all time favourites. theres a season 2 sotus s which is really good as well.i really like how it’s really funny too. so many characters and i love them all. they really make u feel for the characters. u get to see them grow as people. a definite watch.
how can u not like this show.
i just love the concept of the two male leads and how they get together it’s the cutest thing ever ans the development of their relationship is just the bestttttt.
i hold a special place in my heart for this show always.
Was this review helpful to you?
One of the best!
Sotus Series is undeniably one of the best BL drama I've ever watched. I love how the show focused not just on the romance part, but also the character development. I did not give a perfect rating on this drama simply because I wanted more kissing scenes. Lol. Bij, I'm thirsty.The drama is great, it's just I wish they should've also at least gave the side couple to develop well. A few interesting characters/pair of couples are Prem and Wad. They had good chemistry but I was a bit sad when their story did not progress at all. I wished they've given more time for the side couples to develop, but I also understand why they just had to focus on the main leads. I am not complaining nor disappointed. Krist and Singto have one of the greatest chemistry ever. I love watching their interactions in and out of the drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
I’ve been an m/m fan fiction reader and writer for many years, twisting ‘straight’ characters to fall in love... Arthur and Merlin. Harry and Draco... and that has been amazing because it filled a gap in my shipper’s heart. I had NO idea that this whole BL genre existed as an actual thing. I’ve seen a few LGBT movies and enjoyed them but I wasn’t inspired to watch them again...but me watching those prompted Netflix to recommend SOTUS and that was the moment my life changed. Actual boys falling in love with boys. What the hell was this heaven? OMG.
So SOTUS was my first BL adventure. It’s launched me into a whole new world and I’m working my way through other shows, mostly via YouTube (husband is not happy that I’m using his premium account and he keeps getting recced BL shows!) - but I’ve yet to find another series as good as SOTUS.
Now that I’ve seen a few other shows I can appreciate that this show doesn’t have a load of pointless side couples, just ones that add to the story. That said - Prem and Wad totally needed to get it on and I was surprised that never materialised in this show.
Kongpob and Arthit are just perfect together. Would I have liked more kissing - hell yes, I’m human, and that first kiss was one of the most awkward TV kisses I’ve ever seen but I still squealed when it happened because it was them. I adore them. I love how Arthit goes from fierce Hazer to putty in Kongpob’s hands. I love the UST between them and the banter. I just LOVE them.
The supporting cast, particularly M and all of Arthit’s friends were great. It was looking them up and following Prem to a new show that helped me discover 2Gether.
I’m more than a little in love with Krist Perawat Sangpotirat to the extent that I might have to stray from BL to follow him in his other work. Such a good actor and incredibly easy on the eye as well. I love him and Singto together - I fell down a YouTube rabbit hole watching them.
I’ll be surprised if I find another show to top this one.
Was this review helpful to you?
Well at first I didn't expect it to be an exciting series but as I go along watching the episodes I've realized that it was actually nice!
Story is original, Singto and Kris we're both very manly (which I really like) , other supporting casts also did a very great job!
Overall it was a great BL drama series, the excitement was there, the romance is just perfect and not so gay, and it brings me a lot of college memories :)
Iv'e watched this 3 times already and yet the excitement and >kilig< is still there :) Have fun watching it <3
Was this review helpful to you?
it's good but ...
okay so I've had mixed opinions about this series over the past one year. The first time I watched it was exactly a year ago & at that time I didn't really enjoy it much. It was okayish imo & I wondered why some people seem to loved it a lot. I went into it with lots of expectations cos of all the great reviews about it in various social media sites & it didn't really live upto it. I found the hazing & university stuffs annoying & fast forwarded through most of the first half. I only stayed for the main couple.. loved the dynamic between them & how their relationship developed. But months after watching it I found myself rewatching clips of Arthit-Kongpob or their edits in Youtube. I realised that I prefer watching their contents more than edits of bl pairs of shows I enjoyed more.My opinions about bl series have hanged a lot since April 2020 ( this is when I watched my first bl) . When I first started watching them I preferred those stupid ones but now I've realised how shallow they were & a lot of them were problematic too. But the love stories of series like Sotus , DBK etc had depth & felt more real.
Sotus may not be one of the best series in terms of story but the main couple & the way their relationship develops is worth giving it a watch.
I still stand by my opinion that I didn't really enjoy the hazing & the other University stuffs. It really bored me but I understand that it was an integral part of the main leads' story. Ofc I won't be able to rewatch this whole series ever but yeah I do keep rewatching Arthit-Kongpob's sweet moments & other edits of them in Youtube
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The game changer --- A rite of passage for people new to Boys Love
I think everything that needs to be said has already been shared by the other reviewers. SOTUS defined the BL genre; every BL series that followed owes its success to SOTUS. I hate giving perfect 10 scores but I think SOTUS deserves this rating. It is just perfect in every way.First, the buildup of romance between Kongpob and Arthit was so beautifully done. It runs in a slow pace yes, I think when we get to that point when they finally admit their feelings to each other (which does not happen until the last 2-3 episodes), the feeling of satisfaction is just purely immeasurable. I, as a viewer, felt that I was "rewarded" upon reaching Episode 15. I rarely get that feeling when watching TV shows.
Second, there is no single character in SOTUS that you can despise. All of them are so loveable in different ways. Arthit, as cold as he is in the beginning, was hiding in a shell this whole time. It was a side of him that we'll never get to see if Kongpob chose to follow what he wants (enroll in Economics) than what his heart wants (enroll in Engineering). You see this is why I highly appreciate the flashback scenes in Eps. 14 and 15. Whoever thought of leaving those two key scenes (end of Ep. 14 and beginning of Ep. 15) for the end was a genius. It was such a nice touch. When I just started watching SOTUS, I couldn't believe why they chose such a character to be the romantic lead. How foolish I was for making such a premature judgment. As for Kongpob... what can I say? There is literally not a single bad bone in him. He's the perfect leading man because we can easily ride along and relate with what he feels. As for Singto and Krist, I could never have chosen a better couple to play these leads. In the special Episode, Krist mentioned that they actually auditioned for each other's parts, but the director eventually decided to switch their roles. Man, that was probably the best casting decision he'll ever make in his whole life.
As for the supporting characters: I loved the variety in their personalities, especially Arthit's fellow hazers. It was so funny watching how they behave when they are not playing their hazer roles. Kongpob's friends were a hilarious bunch. Newwiee was perfectly cast as the slow yet charming M opposite to Prince, who played that one friend who always leads the group in mischief. There was one thing I didn't like though; how Tew was under-utilized throughout the series. While his friends were given things to do, he mostly stays quiet in the background.. it's like his role in the series was just to "be there" with M and Oak. The creators made up for this though in SOTUS S--a series that I have yet to watch--by giving Ouajun a bigger part to play and even a romantic interest. The girl group of Maprang, May and Prae was also highly entertaining: I think Maprang should have been given a bigger role because she was hilarious, and making Prae a lesbian was so unexpected yet also added a nice touch to the story. May's crush on Kongpob was very cute, and Neen did such a great job in that scene where her character was both physically (after falling from her bike) and emotionally (after being rejected by Kongpob) hurt at the same time. There was actually another person in Kongpob's circle of friends that mysteriously disappeared mid season: Wad. I am not sure about the reason behind his disappearance, but if the creators pushed through with the Prem+Wad pairing, that would definitely raise this show to greater heights. Probably the creators thought it better to just stick to one ship for the entire show so that the audiences can better focus on the dynamics between Kongpob and Arthit.
Lastly, the best thing that impressed me the most about SOTUS was how it makes sense of hazing and the gear that symbolizes the engineering school (the same gear we are seeing in SOTUS posters and title cards). People merely think of hazing as a ritual every one has to go through, but SOTUS goes deeper than that. Arthit and his senior P'Tum did a perfect explanation for this, so you'll have to watch the entire series to understand what I am talking about.
I know that I have soooo many other things to say about SOTUS but I can't talk here forever, can I? You'll just have to watch to the end to understand its appeal. It will be one of the most rewarding viewing experiences you will ever have.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Too hyped
As a newcomer to the BL genre, I have binged probably 30 or more dramas recently. As the BL fandom in general seems to think so highly of SOTUS, I decided to give it a try. I was sad to see that it was about as good as I expected. I'd hoped that it would blow me away, but it barely kept me interested. I failed to see any chemistry between the actors, onscreen or off. The character development felt like a car with a bad clutch. It just dropped scenes in your lap and failed to flesh those scenes out satisfactorily. I mean, what was the point of the haircut scene?? Why was Arthit crying behind the stadium? For that matter, why did the seniors decide that the juniors had won the flag??I have tried to start watching SOTUS S, the second season.....it's 2 years later, why is Kong still chasing his boyfriend for attention? I may force myself to get through episode 1, but I'm not promising anything.
I think that the actors in SOTUS did what they could, especially with some of them being new to the drama world. I do not think the main actors and most of the side characters are shippable though. Prem and Wad are the exception. There was chemistry and potential there. Sadly, nowhere else that I saw. And I am happy to watch even the worst storyline for some good chemistry.
Was this review helpful to you?
