This review may contain spoilers
I will only talk about the BL storyline since I only watched In and Sun’s scenes and because it was mentioned that it’s supposed to be a separate story from Oh and Peach.Is the plot of In and Sun realistic? For the most part, yes. It is not mandatory for the story to be realistic but the series tackles an important real-life dilemma of gay teenagers, that is, falling in love with a straight friend. The charm of In and Sun’s arc relies on a real human problem that many viewers would find relatable.
The spark between In and Sun kicks off with an eye contact scene. It is very cliche but the music, lighting and slow motion effect made it so dreamy. It’s just exquisite. That scene is the very definition of love at first sight. It’s one of the scenes that I will never forget.
Unlike most Thai BL series, this one featured a legitimate gay character in the form of Sun. He’s not necessarily effeminate or feminine but the writers throw the usual stereotypes to his personality like reading gay novels and watching gay movies. He is not portrayed as a boy who likes girls until In entered his life. He is attracted only to boys and, above all, he knows who he really is and he can admit it to himself.
A character like Sun is one of the fundamental elements missing in most boy-to-boy romance nowadays. Mainstream BL series are obsessed with protagonists who are labeled as straight and who are masculine in nature. There is an irrational thrill in watching boys chasing after boys yet still end up being straight. The existence of Sun’s character (among others like Thee in Hormones and Rome in Puppy Honey) is another step forward for me.
On the contrary, we have the typical BL personality in the character of In who at first likes girls, then becomes in denial and then becomes confused. After all what he feels becomes clear to him, he still doesn’t want to be categorized with any label. It’s far from real but it is an appropriate balance to Sun’s character.
In is introduced as a bully. In the middle, he becomes a loner. After that, he is a great friend to Sun. Towards the end, he becomes a heartless, inconsiderate jerk. His character is all over the place. The script has failed to define who In is. As mentioned in the series, he can do anything and be anything he wants to be. He just doesn’t know it yet and that’s exactly what I feel about him. I wish he had more scenes projecting his point of view so that the audience know what he really thinks of Sun and their situation. His strongest moment is when he was talking to Ainam when Sun didn’t show up in the tutorial class because it shows a glimpse of his perspective.
There are dialogues in the series that are really precious. The confessions are genuine. The rejections are harsh but honest. The arguments presented by the characters are truthful yet sincere. The meaningful conversations are mostly driven by Ainam. She is portrayed as a level-headed and logical person but at the same time she is compassionate. Instead of being the hindrance that the viewers expect her to be, she turns out to be instrumental to In and Sun’s relationship.
Throughout the show, Pluem has fared well in terms of acting but he wasn’t given much opportunities to explore his emotions deeply. On the other hand, I thought Chimon is excellent. His acting is subtle but you can feel the inner pain and struggle. That tear falling after he got rejected is heartbreaking. He has a certain depth on the way he interprets the emotions without being exaggerated.
Despite the plot’s weakness, it is very evident that their chemistry is extraordinary. They are the only BL couple that I can think of who can pull off matching outfits. It’s just effortless. They are so cute and adorable that you want their relationship to succeed.
Is it a happy ending? Yes and no. I can say that the story of In and Sun in the series finishes on a high note but the process to get there is emotionally exhausting. Sun’s point of view is very clear. I love how he tried so hard to keep a distance from In. Falling in love with a straight friend is a dead end. It is a losing battle. For me, this is where the moral of the story lies. No matter how much it hurts, walking away is the most rational and bravest move you could ever do when you fall for a straight friend. There is no other escape but to accept that some things are not meant to be and I applaud Sun for having the strength and courage to do that at such a young age.
The deciding factor whether it is a happy or sad ending depends on In. After getting confused and realizing that it is Sun who truly makes him happy, he has decided to give in and do whatever it takes to keep Sun by his side even if that meant being in a relationship with him. What falls short for me is how the resolution was executed. In’s character development is the weakest point because it was done abruptly. I wish his confusion was given more focus. It’s a bit scattered. The resolution felt like forced. As a result, there is no solid conclusion.
In the end, what matters most is Sun’s happiness because that’s what we all want. I see a great deal of myself in Sun. I found myself in his situation more than once in my life. That is why I’m rooting for him. Seeing him happy is a good enough ending for me.
Is the ending sustainable? In and Sun are still young. They are at the edge of 17. So far, what was established is a strong emotional connection between the two of them. We have yet to find out what will happen when their hormones start to kick in. If the writers stick to what is realistic, anything could happen. I had issues on how GMMTV heavily advertised In and Sun but I hope they will not put the new ship to waste. Pluem and Chimon’s chemistry is undeniable. Indeed, the ship is sailing. We need a season 2.
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WITHOUT THE BL, IT IS A LOSER
I really wanted to like this series. I tried it because of the BL element but what we get is only about 25% of BL goodness and 70% of annoying trio of negligible main characters. What about the 5%, you asked? It is for Lee and Sing who are like the not-so-good fairy godmothers.Lets talk about the LOSER so we can get him out of the way. Yes, I understand that the main character IS a loser but Oh is a whiny and perverted character and even if he is bullied he is just hard to feel sorry for. What's worse is when he goes home his mother bullies him too (telling him he is good for nothing) and everything is setup to be a light comedy scene as if nothing bad is happening at school. No bullying should be comedy. And even fter the makeover transformation he still feels like a Loser.
I wrote about the female lead initially but in this edit can we just pretend she never existed.
The saving grace is the BL element. Yes, plus points for Sun for being definitely gay and eventhough In's character is confused and confusing, Pluem's cuteness kind of overcomes the negative parts. And comeon, his singing voice is just golden. No kissing scenes and the ending for these 2 was not as satisfying as i hoped for but i forgive them for continuing their story in another series. InSun deserves a series of their own.
Rewatchability 6.0 - if you are a BL fan just watch the InSun supercut. Total score 6.5 just because of InSun without them its a 4.5.
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The storyline is great. It is great that this series tackled bullying in school and how does it form someone's personality and life. Nanon (Oh, Mushroom) is great in portraying his role as the victim of bullying. He then meets In, a transferee and Nam, as the class president. Three of them together be friends and got Sun as additional when twists of events happened.
The cinematography was great. The music chosen was fantastic! It's quite remarkable and brings fresh taste to the series. I like the fact that there are two couples, one is the regular one and other is a bl(boys' love). And the great thing is, this two couples' story doesn't interfere or eats the other story. They have both have different stories even the characters are in a circle of friends. Thanks to the writers.
Overall, it was a great series to watch. I want a Season 2! Please! I want to know what's next for Peach and Oh, and the great bl of In and Sun! :D God bless to all the people who made this series possible. :D
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Storywise, we've seen this before. Bullies, rich kids, love triangles, sexual confusions, misunderstanding and all the cliche stories you get in a highschool drama.
What elevated this was the acting. Nanon is very great in portraying raw emotions. Chimon and Pluem had an undeniable chemistry as well. Their acting is one of the best I've seen in a high school drama/setting in a while.
Greatly recommended. 10/10.
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STORY: 7.0
There is nothing really that grandiose about My Dear Loser's plot and story. It's pretty much your average "nerdy guy has the hots for the popular girl" trope that we've seen a hundred times before. The story focuses on the main character, Oh, who is in love with the most popular girl in school, Peach. But of course, Peach pays him no mind and her boyfriend, Cooper, just so happens to be Oh's bully. The story also focuses on how Oh is constantly bullied by Cooper and his lackeys, and this is where I find the plot starts to confuse the viewer on the overall message this drama was trying to send as it's characters have no grasp on moralities. As Oh is viciously bullied to the point of assault and harassment, one might start to ask "where the hell are the teachers" or "why doesn't anyone do anything"? These questions are simply answered by making Cooper's character the nephew of the school principal as well as the richest boy in school who no one wants to mess with. But the bullying gets so bad that you stop and wonder why hasn't anyone sued for negligence? The morality of the characters are so convoluted, that there are often moments where the plot tries to give these vain charters redeeming qualities, but their past transgressions make it hard for the viewer to feel sorry for them. My disappointment in the plots overall message is deepened when Oh decides to change himself to look more "hotter" and "cooler". But I personally liked his nerdy persona better and I felt a though this drama should have promoted being true to yourself instead of changing for others. Oh's and Peach's story had the ending we all expected, and I felt as though the story took too long to get there by making more unnecessary conflict than there needed to be.
Along side Oh and Peach's story was a the BL side-story of In and Sun. A lot of fans have said that they felt that InSun's story-line was rushed and I actually can't help but disagree. I think their story was handled better than the main couples and had a satisfactory ending. Although I do agree that their story did not have enough background and most fans would LOVE to see another MDL season that just focuses on InSun... Myself included. Their chemistry was actually really nice and their story-line just seemed so pure and innocent. I wold really love to see more of these characters.
ACTING/CAST: 8.0
I have to say that a stand out actor for me in this series was definitely the main character, played by Nanon! He was absolutely fantastic showing a wide range of emotion and versatility as the nerdy, quirky and adorable Oh! I was really impressed by him at the beginning of the season but then was disappointed when he decided to gave himself a makeover to become "cooler". It made his character less interesting, basic, and one-dimensional. Stand out actors where also Chimon who played Sun. Chimon has been fantastic in everything I've seen him cast in, as he always plays his characters with such ease and natural emotions that aren't over acted but also come off sincere. Pleum who played In was also a favorite and Plustor who played the villain Cooper were also engaging and entertaining to watch. The biggest let down for me was Jane who played Peach. He character seemed the most one dimensional and really bland. I don't know if that's the fault of the writing or direction, but her performance just felt stale to me.
MUSIC: 10.0
The music was actually my favorite part of the series! They had a wide range of songs that fit every scene and atmosphere perfectly
REWATCH VALUE: 6.0
Despite the decent acting from some of the cast, I don't think I would watch this again anytime soon. This drama was just a good past time in between other dramas and dry spells.
OVERALL: 7.5
This drama actually is amazingly filmed with great cinematography and a had handful of good young actors that make the plot of My Dear Loser: Edge of 17 an entertaining pastime. Unfortunately, since the plot has morality issues, and some of the characters come off as one-dimensional and vain, this drama is not one I think I will remember for years to come.
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For a character bullied, humiliated and who has been manipulated numerous times by his supposed ''angelic'' Peach, Oh should have been a character who went through great development or was at least relatable through his more traumatic experiences. Despite this, Oh seemed the epitome of a ''stock'' male lead; played for some comical relief at times, and too obsessed with chasing his crush Peach with little explanation or reasons behind his affections or feelings as an individual apart from her psychical appearance making her seem ''nice''.
This naturally moves us onto our supposed heroine Peach. By default, Peach should have equally been an intriguing character; forced into a particular stereotype as the ''pretty and nice'' girl by her peers, in a clearly uncomfortable relationship with the school bully Copper ( Purim Rattanaruangwattana) and having the potential to find and escape through a gradual friendship to possibly something more with Oh. However, Peach was a fairly plain and quite shallow character, nearly constantly misleading or ''unintentionally'' manipulating Oh's feelings without a second thought. By the ending of the series, there is little actual relief or intrigue with the delivered fate of both these characters due to neither being portrayed as intriguing individuals, nor having a deep relationship with one another either.
Perhaps the one saving grace of My Dear Loser; Edge of 17 was screenwriter Backaof Noppharnach Chaiwimol ( director of Dark Blue Kiss and Our Skyy)'s classic mark of a fairly realistic( and ironically more intriguing than our main couple,) same-sex relationship between Oh's targeted friend Sun ( Wachirawit Ruangwiwat) and bully In ( Purim Rattanaruangwattana). Whilst beyond cliche and certainly not overly original, a note of appraisal must be given within portraying the difficulties and hardships of this relationship for both Sun and In. Sadly, however, this one decent relationship was undermarked by the main and lacklustre focus on our main pairing, making the delivered story of their relationship fairly underdeveloped.
Overall, My Dear Loser;Edge of 17 undeniably had a fairly accurate portrayal of homosexuality as a youth drama, however, the storyline, characters and certainly some of the acting was lacklustre and incredibly underperformed to say the least. If you're looking for a good teen drama, then look elsewhere as there are better dramas than this to watch.
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In terms of acting, only the performance of Non and Chimon stood out. The other actors are dull and forgettable.
I applaud the music and scoring. Good job to the composer.
Will I rewatch this? Certainly and definitely not.
To GMM: Don't give false hopes and don't take advantage of fans and then disappoint them in the end.
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Music is fantastic & so much drama and fun. BL portion was less but worth to watch the love. Acting was very good. I feel sad it is only 9 episode long but dont go on negative reviews if you hear in comments. Try it. Its worth.
You will feel some parts are extra fantasy or too much childish. But if you can tolerate that you will feel the same emotions what actors expressed on screen.
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I like the characters, they really standout on how they were written and portrayed. Kudos to Sun/Nam for taking the cake, it was so much harder for them to portray their swirling yet conservative emotions while holding up to the nature of their logical characters yet they did it with so much awesomeness.
In/Oh/Peach/Copper had straightforward emotions to portray and can easily approach the character more aggressively.
Music is great, I tend to sing a few lines. Got last song syndromes on it on some of my days.
I've rewatched it so yeah, definitely worth it, i understood the characters more on my second round.
Definitely a good watch, I sincerely demand for a season 2, the ending came up a bit short, it was good but could have been better. A good way to make up for it would be to have the next season, especially for InSun as their story lacked "finality".
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This review may contain spoilers
Exceeds all expectations --- What a SHOW.
I am so appalled by people downrating this because they were expecting a full BL. Deep down at its core, My Dear Loser: Edge of 17 is a very solid series. I dived into this show with expectations that it will just be a cute teenage romantic comedy that I can waste my time on. Yes, it was a cute teenage romcom, but I am surprised that it had soooo much more to give.I think of MDL: Edge of 17 as a two-part character-driven serie: OHxPEACH and INxSUNxAINAM. For this review, I shall treat these two storylines separately and just focus on the characters involved and their respective stories.
OHxPEACH:
Oh has two versions in MDL: Edge of 17. The "loser phase" Oh refuses to stand up for himself and has very few impressive qualities to speak of. After a major character makeover at around Episode 5, the "post-loser phase" Oh begins to fight back and unwittingly gets himself caught up with a gang of bikers. He's a very solid, three-dimensional character in my book and always a pleasure to watch, mostly because of how he was brought to life by Nanon for the small screen.
On the other end of the spectrum is Peach, who has her own loser (Copper) and post-loser (post-Copper) phases. She's that typical girl in a Hollywood teenage romcom with a jock boyfriend and is being (indirectly) pushed around by people around her. Judging by the comments from other viewers, she's probably the most misunderstood character in the series apart from In (to be discussed later). From my perspective, I think that she definitely knows that something wrong is going on around her and she wants to help Oh, but being a teenage girl whose fame and power rest only on the fact that she's in a relationship with the most powerful student in the school, she thinks of herself as too weak to change anything.
Nanon was phenomenal in playing Oh in his loser and post-loser phases. It seemed to me that he was actually playing two different characters here. I only saw previews of his two other famous works--Blacklist and The Gifted--so it was very refreshing to watch him do a comedic role and he excels at it. Surely he will soon emerge and be acknowledged as one of the best actors working in Thailand. There's also the members of the biker gang that stood out, especially Nicky, whose unscripted, hilarious one-liners created so many scenes in the series where Nanon, Lee, and Sing break character.
INxSUNxAINAM:
The INxSUNxAINAM story steals the entire series from the OHxPEACH subplot in all aspects. I have never been so invested in a fictional character in a lakorn as much as I did in these three. Writers can even create an entire spinoff out of this subplot!
The main conflict in this subplot is that In, Sun and Ainam are engaged in a love triangle: Ainam likes Sun, Sun likes In, and In likes Ainam. The guy responsible for this conflict is In, who was ejected from his clique of school bullies but soon found new friends in Ainam and Sun. In is a very complex and well-written character. To borrow the words of a YouTube commenter, In is like a "chameleon" who has no personality of his own but instead molds himself based on the people he's currently with. Initially, viewers will not understand In, but as the series progresses, we begin to realize how poetic this character truly is. The actor who portrayed In (Pluem) apparently understood this and did a good job in making himself and his motives appear ambiguous.
Ainam is one of the best female supporting characters you'll probably ever see in a BL story. She is the complete opposite of Peach, the other main female character in MDL. At such a young age, she behaves like a fully grown woman: mature, knows and stands for what is right, and wise beyond her years. Although she was rejected by Sun, she still helped him get the person he actually wants to be with. I don't know if she received any award or recognition for her performance, but Puimek absolutely nailed the role, especially in two key scenes: Ainam asking In if he is really in love with her, and Ainam telling In that she doesn't believe in the LGBT label: people "just fall in love with each other."
Most viewers of MDL would probably relate with Sun, a character so beautifully brought to life by Chimon. He is pretty much the male version of Ainam: someone who is especially protective of people who are special to him. Throughout the entire series, his scenes with In were probably the most special. There is one scene in particular that I loved: in that anti-climactic bed scene, we see Sun shed tears on his left eye (away from In's view). A few seconds later, he turns to his side to face the camera and we see that he was actually shedding tears in both eyes. It just shows how much In means to Sun that he will even shed tears even while In is watching. That moment is so subliminally dramatic, it's quite beautiful.
I have so many other things to say about MDL: Edge of 17 to justify my 9.0 rating, but I think this review is getting too drawn out. I'll just end this by saying that MDL doesn't revolve around INxSUN; you cannot judge the entire serie based on a single subplot. You have to view it as a whole to gain a full understanding of things.
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