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Dissapointing
This series was sadly so disappointing. I loved the concept of it mainly revolving around the swim team and them going through their trial and tribulations. It was new, it was different, but, the execution of the characters and the story fell short.I was 100% behind Waii and Apo, and I don't even like enemies to lovers, but New and Earth are incredible actors and they played the tension off so well. I immediately lost interest after the s*xual as*ult happened. It was uncalled for, it was purposeless, and ruined any hope that I had for them. BLs have to learn that consent is sexy and romanticizing anything outside of consent is ugly as fuck. After those events, I was so close to dropping this series, but I then came Kluay and Achi and I stayed. I loved the dynamic of these two, but sadly we barely got to see anything go on between them. I would've much rather watched these two than anything else that happened in this series.
I guess this is more of a side BL in a regular drama since we had to deal with the drama of the actual main couples. Quite frankly, the leading females were dramatic and unbearable. I would like these shows to stop treating their female characters with basic stereotypes and actually give them real traits. Also didn't like how they played out Pan to be a lesbian and then just do a 180 and end up with Fah. Would've loved to see her story with her female love interest.
There was also some weird stuff that went on between the coach and one of the players. Kind of awkward, and felt forced.
Overall, this show had good acting and a good production team. I loved the friendships that we saw and the new concept that was tried out. I love New and Earth, but this was not it. I don't think they had good chemistry, especially after the unfortunate events. So glad they found other partners to work with that they can create good on-screen chemistry with.
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Not a must watch in my opinion.
I am honestly not sure what to think of this one.Let me first say I absolutely loved all of the actors and bought everything they were trying to convey. I also loved and shipped all of the couples and their chemistry, the “main” one as well as the “side” couples. Now the reason I put these in parenthesis is one of the problems I and probably others had with this Drama.
If you had not known who the main couple is from the get go, you probably would not have guessed it either, until maybe the the last few episodes. Because they got a maximum of maybe 10 minutes screen time per episode. However I do understand that they could probably not have had any more screen time since their story development would not have allowed it.
And this is part of the second problem I had with this drama, which was the main reason I’m giving this such a low rating and is merely a personal preference thing: the development of all of the couples was extremely slow and extremely frustrating at times. I am someone who needs a good mixture of happiness, cuteness and sadness, frustration, otherwise I lose interest.
The other major problem for me was the character portrayed by Earth: Waii, so one of the leads, who in my opinion was just a major douche most of the time and basically the only source of conflict for the main couple, and other couples for that matter. I do not like Dramas where the entire problem lies with one character and his behaviour. We have had similar storylines before, If you’ve seen “together with me” it’s kind of similar. However for some reason Waii just pissed me off a hell of a lot more, probably because I really really liked Apo’s character (the other lead). For me to really love a story there needs to be Mutual conflict, both characters need to be flawed, make mistakes and grow accordingly. This was not only missing for the main couple but for most side couples too, there was an over all theme of one person being the “bad guy”.
That being said, if you want to watch it sure do! The happy scenes that we do get are definitely worth it. And considering the plot is based off a novel (that I haven’t read) it is probably the best they could have made out of it (if I ever do read the novel of course that opinion may change). For me it’s not a must watch, and I would probably only rewatch it for the sake of the actors...
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This review may contain spoilers
Emotions are a messy thing, much like this series.
This may be set at a university, but with the execution of this series the location might as well been at a high school with the characters being a bunch of childish freshman.Cast:
Victor Chatchawit Techarukpong (Min) and New Thitipoom Tacha-apaikun (Apo) definitely carried this series both in their characters and their acting abilities. I think this would have extended to Tytan Teepprasan (Achi) as well if his character was more developed and given more screen time. These three all showed their ability to convey their emotions through their facial expressions, body language, etc. much more than any of the other actors did.
Story:
This is one of those series that just simply tries to do too much and in the process loses much of the quality and potential it could have had. It's important to remember when you're working with source material that sometimes you have to pick and chose what parts of that source material you're going to use and what's best to leave.
OVERALL:
In many ways I think the movie version actually handled a lot of the situations better. The performances from a couple of the actors is what really saved this from having a lower score. There was just too much that was glossed over and too much that was added in that shouldn't have been so they could have focused more on the really important things.
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The chemistry between the actors was the best part of the show. The actors who played Apo (New) and Waii (Earth) were obviously close friends. There were some scenes in which I could not hep but wonder if they felt awkward (maybe because they look very straight to me haha) but they did not look awkward at all. Everyone was professional and the characters were believable. I wish we got to see more of Achi and Kluai too but that's okay.
The soundtrack was stunning and appropriate. I couldn't help but (try to) sing along.
Waii grew up so much during the show (as well as other characters, of course) and it made my heart soft.
I'm glad I decided to watch it. But if you're looking for a super complicated plot this is not the series for you. It's more about the characters. That's why I wish there was a second season. They could come up with a really cool plot now that the characters are settled.
And am I the only one who thought about the anime Free! ? I couldn't help myself haha
Here I go follow the actors on Instagram ;)
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This review may contain spoilers
The good: There's GL themes as well as BL themes and I really like most of the actors in this, and so will you, since you've definitely seen them other places if you've watched any other Thai series. The performances are really good for the most part, and I really enjoy how they play these characters.The bad: The main character is a jerk to everybody, really, and I found myself only really having positive feelings about the creepiest couple of them all, the coach and his lover. Everybody else, I kind of got the feeling they shouldn't be together anyways. So to have the one couple that probably shouldn't be together be the only one I really rooted for was very disheartening. The ending is not satisfactory, either. You don't see them get together, really, they just aren't together and then suddenly they're together.
The WORST: The GL takes a really, really stupid turn and I hated it so much I would have rage-quit the series if it didn't wait until the very end to do it.
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The acting is good — the artists gave their best with the material that they got. I sensed though that many struggled playing the more intimate or emotional scenes, regardless of whether they’re playing as one half of a hetero or a homo pair. I guess it is something that they can improve on over time.
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Splash.....
This drama was enjoyable, and of course when watching the notes at the end were very uplifting.The storyline and production were good. Apo and waii were good together, although there were parts i due feel confused, like when he trying to figure his feelings, but the girlfriend used guilt to keep him. They both needed to trust each other.
Many things happen with the other characters that were on point as well and well played out.
Although i did feel that apo and waii story was sort of rushed and strange, just when they fall into on romance he goes and leaves and story fast forward to a year later.
Overall narrative could have been better
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This review may contain spoilers
A clusterfuck with some good moments
Representation: First of all, Pan is a LESBIAN in a BL drama. It's a miracle. A miracle turned disaster because of Fah. It perpetuates the idea that lesbians simply haven't found the right man. I don't even want to talk about corrective rapes. Make her bisexual from the start if you want Pan choosing between a man and a woman. Given how heteronormative every society is, how likely is it that an openly gay lesbian finds out she's bi? We didn't even get her inner struggle about her identity once she finds out she's attracted to a man, after knowing herself to be lesbian for a long time. They fucked up Pan's whole character. Also, I just wish Apo and Waii got together after Waii broke up with Fay. It fed into the stereotype that bisexual guys are indecisive and unfaithful. You can explore your emotions and sexuality without betraying people. But I like how Waii lost both Apo (for a year) and Fay in the end. The show has a lot of homophobic elements but none of the characters actually call homophobic behavior out. When Puth called Kluay and Achi bride and groom, no one corrected him. During the homophobic bullying scene, the only retort the main characters had was, "Mind your own business!" Weak.Apo and Waii have good chemistry. Visually, the show is set but unfortunately everything else is simply sub-par. The story is nothing special and Apo and Waii never seemed to be the main couple. The acting is far from perfect although there is significant improvement towards the last few episodes. The acting is fine with comedic and playful scenes but it's the emotionally charged scenes that usually need work, for example Kan's outburst and crying into Apo's chest and the homophobic bullying scene - they were extraordinarily fake. The exceptions are probably Apo's goodbye with Waii, Fay and Waii's confrontation, and also the Coach's crying scene - all of them happen towards the end. I think most of the problem lies in the script and the direction - the entire show is very cringey most of the time. For example, the director uses very cliche ways to get their faces close together for that awkward (TM) stare of accidental desire. There are so many close ups featuring Waii and Apo's throats, swallowing saliva to convey nervousness or whatever. Waii and Apo's first "kiss" was super cringey (as were all other kisses). And then in an even more ridiculous fashion, he assaulted Apo (sexually) to find out if gay sex is better, or he was just repressed. Just WTF. It was never addressed afterwards. Truth be told, I fast forward many scenes because they were just that bad. While I liked the ending, the director deprived us of the final kiss between Apo and Waii. Why?
Most characters are extremely unlikable, at least in the first half of the show. Honestly I think Apo was the only reason I kept on. Waii was a selfish, unreasonable asshole with a grudge and mommy issues. But for all the build up and frustration we get from watching Waii being childish, Waii and Kan's make up scene was extremely lackluster. Pan is a disaster of a character, her bullying Fah wasn't funny or endearing. Wan was a complete bitch at the start. Fay was annoyingly sweet but at least her scenes are consistently good.
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